Came across this new video of Steve Vai and 2Cello's doing a cover of ACDC's back in black and I had to post a link to it as it certainly made me smile, it took me back to being 15 again, just joyously appreciating rock and roll and it's simplicity! The same feeling I remember when I first saw the video for Steve Vai's The Audience is listening, which was how cool it is to simply just rock out on the guitar!Hope it brings a smile to your face too.EnjoyPeaceNeil
10 uses for a tablet and the gigging musician
Tablets are pretty fantastic aren't they! I currently have a Google Nexus 7, and it is the perfect size for taking to gigs and using it in a gig related capacity. There are so many things tablets can do, but what about for us guitar players and gigging musicians? Well, I have put together a list of 10 things that I think make a tablet indispensible for the gigging musician and guitarist, that is without looking at guitar apps1) TuitionSo we all have lots of time sitting around waiting at gigs before we go on, sitting wondering what to do. So it could be a great time to do a bit of practice and learning. Thankfully, there are no end of little tutorial applications available for tablets, everything from learning scales and chords, to full on theory apps! Personally, I particularly enjoy watching youtube tutorials or dvd tutorials I have copied to mp4 on my tablet, I can place the tablet where I want it, get comfortable and learn.2) Jamming (warming up)It is always pertinent to warm up before a gig, why not copy over a few tracks onto the device and then jam along, without having to switch on computers etc etcBut what other things for the gigging musician?3) SetlistsHow could would it be if everyone in the band had their set lists on their tablet, all controlled by a master document, saved on something like Google Drive, or something which auto updates. Then, if you decided to make a change, then this could be sent to everyone! Failing that, they do look really cool if you have want to have your set list on the screen!4) Sheet musicChords and crib notes...for those one or two songs you are quite sure about :) Seems like the perfect application!!5) Click tracksIf you or your band play to a click track, then something like this could be invaluable. You can set up your whole set worth of tempos and setlist and bang you are ready to go. If a song changes order, it is quite simple to swipe to the relevant one!6 ) Contacts, Contracts and documentsMight seem obvious, but it is so much easier to read a spreadsheet of relevant contacts details relevant to a gig, rather than scrolling through an address book, on a large screen. It is also possible to have a pdf of the gig contract on the tablet that you can show the relevant people (should you need to!), also you can have pdf's of any relevant insurance or PAT testing documents on the screen to show the one person who wants to see them!7) Manuals I would suggest downloading all the manuals and equipment guides for all of the gear you use in pdf form - then if got a problem at the gig, whip out the manual and rectify the situation!8) Performance recorderThis might sound like a bit of a strange one, but as a learning and improvement tool, it is always useful to record gigs to find out where you are making mistakes and any issues with your technique. The built in video camera means you could point the tablet at you and record you whole performance, watch it back later and look for where you can make improvements! (TIP : make sure you set the input level very low, as stages can be very noisy!)9) SPL monitor and Spectrum AnalyserSometimes it can be quite useful to know what kind of SPL (roughly as any tablet device won't be fully acoustically calibrated) your band is knocking out, particularly is you come across the bane of any bands life....'the sound limiter'. It might not be able to help you prevent the thing from kicking in and powering down all your gear, but it should give you a rough indication of how loud you are, and with a spectrum analyser you should be able to also see where most of the energy is coming in the frequency domain.10) Recording the funny things that happen (and then sharing them on social media!)Gigging can be a funny old business, with a tablet you can record, video, notate all the funny goings on, pre, during and post gig....and then share them on facebook or twitter! Rock and roll!What are your uses for your tablet?PeaceNeil
A couple of Groovething gig pictures
Just thought I would post a couple of pictures from a fantastic Groovething (North West premiere function and party band for hire!) corporate gig we had this weekend. These are screen grabs from the video I was shooting, so watch this space as it should be coming along soon!
EnjoyPeaceNeil
TC Flashback Delay x4 - more information
TC Electronic have now put up a website page about the FlashBack X4 with some very cool videos and sound clips. I am really excited about this product and can't wait to get my hands on one. The only product that could excite me more is a new TC Nova System, or Nova System II. What would make it perfect...a filter section, polytune included and toneprint capability. Are you listening TC, you are really innovating with some fantastic products at the moment, really looking forward to seeing what you come up with next to take away my hard earned money.Watch this space for a video review of the original TC Flashback delay which I am currently editing!PeaceNeil
TC Electronic Flashback X4 delay and looper
Wow, just seen this video!! TC seem to have done it again, the flashback delay is awesome (I haven't done my video review yet), but this pedal is four times as awesome and with the looper too!! I think I am going to have to raid the bank to get one of these. I would certainly put it down as a major competitor to the Line 6 DL4, but having owned one and as an owner of the flashback, I sold the DL4 as I couldn't get on with it, but love the Flashback! Very cool work TC!! Hope the price is good too!!PeaceNeil
Professional Musician - Jack of all trades? master of none?
I have just been sent this picture and it really does accurately sum up what today's professional creative, be it musician, composer, guitarist, film maker, photographer has to be in terms of the skills required to do their job.
Is it all too much though?? What are your thoughts?PeaceNeil
Boss BD-2 Blues Driver review
After spending most of my life trying to find the perfect lead sound, I think I have finally stumbled across it in the most unlikely of places….yes a pedal suited more for blues playing, The Boss BD-2 Blues Driver!But this isn’t it is simply amazing, cranking up the gain a bit gives me the perfect creamy lead sound I have been looking for, and by backing off on the volume on the guitar it gives a lovely crunchy rhythym sound. Obviously this isn’t for metal (have the Mt-2 Metal Zone for that), but I love it!I also love the fact it is very responsive to picking and you can get clean picked notes rather than messy messy distortion!The pedal has a few of a nicely overdriven tube amp, and also enables you to drive a tube amp harder when set up like a boost pedal.I would certainly give this pedal your consideration.