The guitar, be it electric or acoustic, is the most versatile of instruments. You can strum a few chords, adopt a highly disciplined classical guitar technique, or play sophisticated jazz chord and scale progressions. The choice is yours. Whatever your bag, the journey to achieving your goal and the fundamental sound is the real buzz.
It's a funny thing, but music is unlike most other activities. Take football for example, there is no escaping the fact that if you want to play pro-football you had better be good and there are no short cuts. Technique and fitness is an absolute must. Musical expression is different and shares may similarities with the spoken word. A few well chosen words can be far more effective than a tidal wave of sophisticated verbal statement. So it is with playing the guitar.
So the fact to take on board is that technical ability has little to do with musical talent. If your groove is a simple country, reggae or blues feel you can be damn good and highly relevant without being a technical genius. The simple player who plays with feel and taste is a musician, the same as a highly accomplished classical or jazz guitarist. It is amazing how formally trained musicians, i.e. classical, or other technical jazz players, are usually the most ineffective exponents of rock, country, pop or blues music.
Playing guitar is essentially an attitude, combined with feel and the necessary musical knowledge to express what you wish to play. Don't be fooled into following the path of so many potentially great musicians and be fazed by more accomplished players. When you tune in to the simplicity of a player such as the great blues guitarist B. B. King, you can't help but be affected by his economy of notes, played in such a meaningful, soulful musical context.
Playing guitar has an infinite number of possibilities. It is the most adaptable, useable instrument, and it's the journey to your goal that's the fun part. You will never stop learning guitar. Each time you pick it up you will discover something new and it needn't be hard to play to be relevant!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Paul Gilbert Guitar Rig Video
- Ibanez PGM series guitars, specifically the PGM401, PGM300 and the PGM301
Notes: The majority of his guitars feature painted "f-holes".
- checkout the Ibanez PGM100RE which is a limited edition reissue of Paul's 89 guitar
- Ibanez AS103NT
- Ibanez reverse Iceman (with two humbuckers)
- Ibanez’s PGMFRM1 Paul Gilbert “Fireman” guitar (new 2009)
- 2010 Ibanez Fireman red prototype
- 2009 Ibanez Fireman Kikusui Sake prototype
- 1995 Ibanez PGM800 ply-wood prototype
- DiMarzio DP423 Paul Gilbert Injector pickups
Amps and Cabinets
- Marshall Vintage Modern 2266c 2x12" 50-watt combo amp
- Marshall 2061X
- Fender Princeton Reverb
- Randall Isolation Cab
- Laney GH100L head
- Laney 2x12 cabinet
Effects
- Ibanez AF2 Paul Gilbert Airplane pedal
- Dunlop Crybaby 535Q Wah pedal
- Boss Digital Delay DD-3
- T.C electronic flanger chorus
- Electro-Harmonix electric mistress flanger
- MXR Phase 90 script logo
- Fulltone OCD Overdrive
- ADA preamps and rack effects (used prior to Laney)
- vintage ADA Flanger
- Eventide Harmonizer (Paul Gilbert used this in the old days)
- Boss CS-3 compressor pedal (Mr Big days)
- Boss OS-2 overdrive (Mr Big days)
- Boss TU-2 tuner pedal
- Boss GE-7 Equalizer EQ pedal
- Ibanez TS9DX Turbo Tube Screamer Effects Pedal
- Korg Pitchblack tuner
- Robert Keeley True-Bypass Looper
- Electro Harmonix Soul Preacher Compressor/Limiter
- Homebrew Electronics Detox EQ
- Homebrew Electronics UFO
- Homebrew Electronics THC Chorus
- Homebrew Electronics CPR Compressor
- Fulltone Soul Bender
- Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus
- Boss SYB-5 Bass Synth
- THD Hot Plate Attenuator
- Extreme Isolation EX-29 Headphones
- Xotic AC and RC Boosters
- HBE Bajo Mos
- Majik Box Fuzz Universe
- Tube-Tech compressor
- Hughes & Kettner Rotosphere
Strings, Picks, and More
- Dunlop Tortex orange Paul Gilbert guitar picks
- Ernie Ball RPS Reinforced Plain Slinky strings 9-42
- Bullet Cables
- Hippie Straps
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