Jody Worrel has a new video lesson teaching you a blues lick for an intermediate to advanced player. This lick is in the key of E and would sound great over a slow blues groove. You can watch the Youtube version below and click here to view the tab
The Black Cab Sessions is a British website where they make a music video by recording a band playing a song while riding around London in a cab. What transpires is usually a stripped down version of the song and some real genuine moments. They've done over 40 sessions at the point and featured some bigger names like The National, Spoon, The New Pornographers, and The Raveonettes. They've also featured some bands that I wasn't as familiar with. One of those artists is Seasick Steve. A raw and gritty acoustic bluesman. After watching this video I went to youtube and found several clips from his appearances on the Jools Holland show. And I gotta say, Seasick Steve is thoroughly entertaining. Check out his Black Cab Session below...
Bio: Like a crisp fall apple, Georgia native Ben Deignan is picked for pop stardom. The singer/songwriter started playing the family’s six-string at 15, formed various garage bands in junior high and has now blossomed into a 21-year-old funkster with a sound that’s turning heads in clubs around Atlanta and beyond. “A female friend of mine described my music as ‘orgasmic’ and I thought it was clever,” Deignan says. “I never really took it seriously, but for some reason it has stuck.” Sticky is a good thing in a crowded musical universe where the latest flavor is one record flop from obscurity. It was only a few years ago, while playing his dad’s company party at the Tin Roof Cantina in Buckhead, that Deignan was plucked from his own obscurity by an A&R rep for a major record label. That exposure led him to renowned Atlanta-based musician, arranger and vocal producer Jan Smith (Usher, matchbox twenty), who signed Deignan to a development and production deal. Together with production partner Huston Singletary, Smith is helping the fresh-faced Deignan prep his pipes. “This industry is tough and in order to keep your head above water, you have to know the business,” Deignan says. Busy playing gigs and writing songs (“Most of the time it’s in places like the shower or on the highway at three in the morning”), Deignan has a blue-eyed soulful, skatty and softly cranky mood—he cites Bono, Stevie Wonder and The Police among his influences—that sounds like something you’d hear on the radio, only more interesting. Deignan’s routine of vocal exercises and playing covers in seedy college dives is quickly receding in the rearview: He recently recorded an eponymous four-song EP with Smith & Huston Productions, available on iTunes, and he’s gotten more than 30,000 hits on his MySpace player in addition to major label interest. Dealing with the inevitable comparisons, Deignan remains philosophical. “Guys like John Mayer were compared to other artists for along time, too,” he says. “It’s a comfort thing. I find it interesting because alot of people compare me to the sounds of Maroon 5 and Jason Mraz, but I don’t hear anyone compare either one of those artists to each other. Maybe I’m the link between them.”
A short word of advice and performance by Elli Perry, a solo artist and Peter Vogl guitar student. Elli is performing her original song Let It Slide. To hear more of Elli's music visit her myspace page.
Bio: Atlanta based singer, songwriter, guitarist Elli Perry has been writing and performing music since childhood. After picking up the guitar at age 12, she quickly started to develop her skills as a songwriter. Elli recorded her debut independent album entitled "A Beautiful Chaos" at age 15, and now as a polished and professional 19 year old she is working on her new record with famed vocal coach Jan Smith and her production team. Elli's percussive guitar playing, soulful voice, and intensely personal lyrics lend themselves to her unique style. Her biggest influences as a songwriter show her mature and eclectic musical tastes.-The Beatles, Elliott Smith, and Fiona Apple. One of Elli's greatest strengths as a musician is her live performance. She continuously wins over new fans with her emotional and honest stage prescence. She performs frequently around Atlanta, and the first 2 tracks from her new record can be found on her myspace page.
Elli's thoughts on Peter Vogl:"Working with Peter Vogl has enabled me to expand as a guitar player and as a songwriter. Peter is truly an artist and his ability to provoke the very best from his students is unparalleled. Peter has helped me to better understand my instrument, my technique, and what it is to be truly a musician."
Bill: Can I put the lighter gauge electric guitar strings on an acoustic guitar (that is also electric) to make it easier to fret and do bends on it?
Peter: You can but there are several things you should know. I wouldn't use electric strings but lighter gauge acoustic strings. Lighter gauge will also mean less tone and less volume. Secondly, your guitar is not set up for these gauge strings and will probably have to be. This also means if you switch back to a heavier string it will have to be set up again.
