RIFFS
Two is one and one is none.
In other words, if it can be a point of failure, it needs a backup.
I like to think of backups as talismans—magical items that ward off evil.
If I break a string at a solo show, I’ll just take a 5m break.
But onstage with the full band, it’s no good to abandon the other ten musicians while I run around some unfamiliar venue looking for where I left my guitar case.
Instead, a backup set lives in my suit coat pocket:
The Ableton set we use to run the click onstage?
Right there in my tour date packing list, I have a checkbox reminding me not only to backup the Ableton set to the cloud, but also the step-by-step on doing it properly:
And the pricey, hard-to-find power supply for my HX Stomp?
Yep, there’s a backup:
RECS
I’ve been on a Van Neistat kick this week.
This 5m vid showing his organizational philosophy is a good place to start.
I love #2—Kit Your Sh!t.
Decentralize your mess with multiple kits.
Keep your kits packed.
Do not migrate kit contents.
I like that he mentions…
The necessary evil twin of kits is junk drawers. Junk-drawer chaos preserves your kits’ organizational integrity.
…maybe because it makes me feel better about the chaos lurking in my office closet. 😆
He also recommends finding your “organizational talismans.”
His are binder clips, post-its, #64 rubber bands, pushpins, and hooks.
Mine are these velcro cable ties & this label maker.
CHARTS
Last week this nice faux-50s ballad came on the radio.
From the backseat, my kids starting singing along. It was bittersweet—I think this is the first time they’ve discovered a song without me!
Until I Found You - Stephen Sanchez
I charted it for you here:
SoundSlice of the Intro | pdf, .sib, & musicXML files
SMARTS
1
He plays it with a capo on the 10th fret.
His fingers are playing a C shape, but it’s actually a Bb chord.
2
He strums through some of my favorite minor chord sounds.
If I had to guess, I’d say he found these based on their convenient location (and not by chasing a specific sound he was hearing in his mind).
3
All of those Ebm variations are based on the iv (“four minor”) chord.
For a fun in-depth look at iv chords, check out this article:
4
The song is in 12/8.
One way to think about 12/8 is that it’s a standard 4/4 with a triplet feel overlaid.
If you want more detail on that (and a bunch of other cool time signatures), check out this article:
5
That makes this 6/8 bar a half measure.
It functions just like a 2/4 bar does in 4/4.
That’s all I got today.
See you next Wednesday,
Josh
The private lessons comment begs the question: Are you planning any more courses for the GuitarOS platform? Cheers.