Perusin’ the Blues

by Bluesman / Master of All Trades – Duri Dhansay

Herschel Unplugged Competition

by Bill Bennett

The annual Herschel unplugged competition, was held on Friday 13 April, at The Knead Restaurant at Palmyra Junction.

Twelve, rather nervous, but excited students, performed covers and originals on guitar and vocals, to a very partisan appreciative audience. Some serious talent was showcased and it would be fantastic to follow their careers more closely.

On a perfect evening, with perfect weather and, all round, a perfect evening’s entertainment. Paul Bothner Music, the sponsor, was well represented with banners and Cort guitars.

Marshall Amplifiers’ Founder
Jim Marshall Has Passed Away…

An Official Message from the Marshall Website

“It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of our beloved founder and leader for the past 50 years, Jim Marshall. While mourning the Guv’nor though, we also salute a legendary man who led a full and truly remarkable life. Jim’s ascent into the history books as ‘the Father of Loud’ and the man responsible for ‘the Sound of Rock’ is a true rags-to-riches tale. Cruelly robbed of his youth by tubercular bones, Jim rose to become one of the four forefathers responsible for creating the tools that allowed rock guitar as we know and love it today to be born. The ground breaking quartet also includes the late, great trio of Leo Fender, Les Paul and Seth Lover – together with Jim, they truly are the cornerstones of all things rock.

In addition to the creation of the amps chosen by countless guitar heroes and game changing bands, Jim was also an incredibly humble and generous man who, over the past several decades, has quietly donated many millions of pounds to worthy causes.

While the entire Marshall Amplification family mourns Jim’s passing and will miss him tremendously, we all feel richer for having known him and are happy in the knowledge that he is now in a much better place which has just got a whole lot louder!

Rest in Peace & thank you Jim.

Your memory; the music and joy your amps have brought to countless millions for the past five decades; and that world-famous, omnipresent script logo that proudly bears your name will always live on.”

Early Years

Jim Marshall was born in Acton, West London, in 1923, into a family which included boxers and music hall artists. As child he was diagnosed with tubercular bones, and spent many years in the hospital. His formal education suffered as a consequence. During WWII he was exempt from military service due to his poor health. He became a singer, and then, due to the shortage of available civilian musicians, doubled as a drummer. In his day job as electrical engineer he built a portable amplification system so his light, crooning vocals could be heard over his drums.

“I was making 10 shillings (£0.50 / $0.75) a night and because it was wartime, we didn’t have any petrol for cars, so I would ride my bicycle with a trailer behind it to carry my drum kit and the PA cabinets which I had made! I then left the orchestra to be with a 7 piece band and in 1942 the drummer leader was called into the forces and I took over on drums.”

In order to become more proficient on the drums and to better emulate his idol, Gene Krupa, from 1946-48 Marshall took weekly lessons from Max Abrams. In 1949 Jim started teaching other drummers, including Mitch Mitchell (The Jimi Hendrix Experience), Micky Burt (Chas and Dave), Mickey Waller (Little Richard) and Micky Underwood (Ritchie Blackmore).

“I used to teach about 65 pupils a week and what with playing as well, I was earning in the early 1950s somewhere in the region of £5,000 a year (eqv. 2012 to £108’000 / $170’000), which was how I first saved money to go into business.”

From 1960, Marshall owned a moderately successful music store in Hanwell, selling drums and then branching out into guitars. His many guitar playing customers (including Ritchie Blackmore, Jim Sullivan andPete Townshend) spoke of the need for a particular kind of amplifier and Marshall saw the opportunity. He recruited an 18-year-old electronics apprentice, Dudley Craven, who was previously working for EMI Reocords and, with his help, began producing prototype amplifiers, resulting in the foundation of Marshall Amplification, in 1962.

In 1984 Marshall was awarded the “Queens Award for Export”, an honour bestowed by the Queen of the United Kingdom in recognition of Marshall Amplification’s outstanding export achievement over a three-year period.

Source: www.wikipedia.com

Yamaha Cleans Up at M.I.P.A. - The Musikmesse International Press Award

More than a 100 Magazines, all over the world, voted for the best musical instruments and audio equipment of 2011 and 2012, in more than 40 categories.

Yamaha are the proud winners in these categories:

Best Electric Bass – The BB2025X

Best Portable Sound – The DXR/DXS Series

Best Guitar Amp Combo – The THR10

Best Sound System Technology – The Stagemix / iPad

Best Acoustic Guitar – The AC3M

For 13 years, more than a 100 international publications voted. The awards ceremony was held during the Musikmesse/Prolight + Sound on 22 March 2012.

Over 300 international manufacturers and distributors of musical instruments and audio equipment were represented. Countries included were USA, Canada, Japan, Brazil, South Africa, Russia, Poland, Great Britain, Italy, France, Greece, The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland and Germany. The Musikmesse International Press Award is the equivalent of an accolade associated with The Grammy Awards.

Click the link to watch the Opening Ceremony… 

http://www1.mipa-award.de/2012/video.htm

Becoming a Landmark…

by Jaco Goosen, Somerset West Branch Manager

Our Somerset West branch is fast becoming a landmark in the area…
The new signage makes it a great visual node in the CBD.

Travelling down the Main Road, from Somerset West, there are a few visible landmarks to look out for. Most notably, has always been the Checkers Centre. With the recent addition of window signage, Paul Bothner Music is fast becoming the newly recognized landmark. The shop itself, is not only the place to go, for all your musical instrument needs and queries, but also a hub or ‘safe place’, so to speak, for musicians to visit and casually trade ideas and knowledge. 

Spending time in the Helderberg area, and attending popular live music venues, will undoubtedly lead to one discovering Paul Bothner Music. Our visibility and involvement with the local music scene is at an all time high. Continuality is all important, whether you see a poster or banner on a Friday night, or indeed one or more of the staff members at a local gig, or visit them during the working week at the shop. It has become much clearer who and indeed where we are.

Boss ME-25

The Boss Tone Room gives you access to over 100 famous guitar tones – from Jimmi Hendrix to The Eagles. Twenty Five of these  gripping guitar tones are FREE to download directly from the Tone Room and only works for the Boss ME-25 – Boss will be releasing another twenty five tones/patches in the up and coming months so stay tuned.

This is the list of the first 25 tones available from the Tone Room.

1 “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
2 “Master Of Puppets”
3 “Sweet Child O Mine”
4 “Whole Lotta Love”
5 “Hotel California”
6 “Purple Haze”
7 “Ghost Walking”
8 “Paranoid”
9 “Freebird”
10 “Back In Black”
11 “Crossroads”
12 “Satisfaction”
13 “Walk This Way”
14 “Ticket to Ride
15 “Toxicity”
16 “Crazy Train”
17 “Hysteria”
18 “The Trooper”
19 “Eruption”
20 “Afterlife”
21 “Symphony Of Destruction”
22 “Detroit Rock City”
23 “Iron Man”
24 “Everlong”
25 “Long Train Running

• To download these tones/patches click here.
• To learn how to LOAD and PROTECT you tones/patches click here
• To visit the Tone Room and listen to the tones/patches click here. (Each of these patches represents a tone from a famous song. Since some songs have multiple tracks with different tones, we chose the tone we felt was most identifiable with the song. Of course, your own guitar will affect the tone you get, so we’re including recommendations with each patch as to whether you should use a single coil (“SC”) or a humbucker (“Hum”). If you have both types, try using the suggested pickup first.)

ME-25 Overview

Powerhouse FX with Stompbox Simplicity

The affordable new ME-25 is packed with powerful BOSS features to make you sound like a pro, yet it’s as fun and easy to use as a stompbox. The built-in SOUND LIBRARY gives you instant access to dozens of classic and modern effects. Simply choose a category, select a variation, and play. Customize your sound with simple twists of the Drive, Tone, and Volume knobs. With COSM amp models onboard, plus Super Stack and Phrase Loop, the ME-25 is a dream processor for upstart guitarists who want great sound and ease of use.

•  Powerful COSM® amp models onboard, from classic to contemporary
• Super simple user-friendly interface
• SOUND LIBRARY provides extensive collection of ready-to-use tones; simply choose a category and select a variation
• Sounds can be instantly edited with the Drive, Tone, and Level knobs and Expression pedal
• SUPER STACK adds immensely heavy low-end and punch
• Phrase Loop function with 38 seconds of recording time
• Functions as a USB audio interface
• Built-in AUX input for jamming along with external music devices (MP3/CD players, etc.)
• Runs on six AA batteries or AC adaptor
• Includes Cakewalk SONAR 8.5 LE software and dozens of audio loops, rhythms and songs for jamming or practicing
• Free downloadable Librarian software

Information

Instant Access

The sleek, black and white design of the ME-25 makes each button, knob, and pedal easy to see and access. Three footswitches, an Expression pedal, four knobs, nine backlit buttons, and enlarged LED panel provide an uncluttered control panel that’s great for any environment — even on dark stages.

COSM® Modeling

Its price might imply “entry level” but the COSM-driven ME-25 is nothing but first class. Exquisite amp models derived from the deluxe ME-70 cover a wide stylistic landscape, from classic to contemporary. The new ULTRA METAL offers screaming hi-gain distortion for all kinds of metal music. Included in the tone palette is SUPER STACK, which, with one press of the dedicated button, makes a small practice amp sound like a monster stack.

Customizable SOUND LIBRARY

Dozens of ready-to-use presets are built into the ME-25’s onboard SOUND LIBRARY, all quickly selectable by category, but you can easily customize the sounds with the dedicated front-panel knobs. Free downloadable Librarian software also lets you edit and save your sounds easily and conveniently onscreen.

USB Connect

Connect the ME-25 directly to a PC with a USB cable and you have a personal recording studio at your fingertips. The ME-25 can function as a USB audio interface, which creates a convenient, consolidated studio setup with Cakewalk SONAR 8.5 LE software (included). With this setup, you can stream audio back and forth between the ME-25 and PC directly via USB.

Introducing the Boss ME-25 by: Alex Hutchins

Visit Boss

The New RCS Personal Loans

Tired of borrowing gear? Get the best you can with RCS Personal Loans!

Your Music Can’t Wait!

 Do it Now! With RCS Personal Loans

The beauty of an RCS card is that you can use it at any RCS retailer countrywide, giving you over 15,000 shops to choose from. Whenever you need a Personal Loan, look no further than RCS. Loan applications are processed with minimal hassle, paperwork and stress.

RCS Personal Loan Benefits

They offer Personal Loans from R1,000 to R100,000

- Loans are offered over periods of 12-60 months
- Quick and easy paperless application process
- Successful application for a Personal Loan means you’ll have the money in your account within 24-48 hours
- With our Customer Protection Insurance, you can enjoy added peace of mind with cover for death, permanent and temporary disability and retrenchment
- Our interest rates are highly competitive

How do I get an RCS card?

It’s so easy! Simply fill in their online application. Otherwise, give them a call at 0861 SAY RCS to find out where your nearest shop is and you can go in-store and fill in an application form there.

To apply for an RCS card, you must be 18 years of age or older, earn a minimum salary of R1,000 per month, have a valid SA ID number and be a South African citizen, have your employment details (if self-employed , proof of income is required – last 3 months bank statements), have your income and expense details available, have at least one landline number, not be under debt review or have any debt-counselling applications pending, not have been placed under administration or sequestration, have your banking details on hand as debit order payments are compulsory for all RCS card applications approved online. You will therefore be required to complete the debit order section on the application form.

For more info click the link below:

http://www.rcs.co.za/home/

How to Speed Up Your Bass Playing – by Master Bassist Duri Dhansay…

I’ve already covered some key concepts on speed playing in my article How to Speed up your Guitar Playing… the HARD way, but what happens if you’re looking to play something with a bit more muscle? Let’s check out some key techniques and approaches to speed playing that are bass appropriate…

Speed up using Bass Fingerstyle

When it comes to great tone, the human touch works wonders, and when it comes to bass guitar, the virility of the strings makes it a perfect fit for fingerstyle playing. The main pluck used in bass fingerstyle is similar to a classical guitar style rest stroke, where your fingers land on the string adjacent to the one being played. I’ll use the classical guitar finger names for shorthand reference…

The right hand fingers are named after the first letter of the Spanish names for the fingers: thumb = P, index finger = I, middle finger = M, ring finger = A and the little finger = C. The first thing you want to do is practice plenty of two-finger alternating. Try to avoid repeating the same finger though, as you’d immediately be restricting your speed!

The most popular and common combination is of course I and M, but don’t limit yourself to that, as I’m sure you’ll want to improve the dexterity of all your fingers.

Include combinations such as I and A, M and A, I and C etc. Remember: however many fingers you have, that’s how many you’ll need to find a use for (Yup, we’re getting to the thumb soon)! Whichever left-hand patterns you combine these two-finger strokes with when speed practicing, try giving it a two-notes-per-beat/two-quaver feel (one quaver for each finger) at various tempos using a metronome, then build it up into triplets, semis, etc.

Speed up more, using MORE fingers!

When it comes to speedier fingerstyle, the more the merrier, so let’s throw another appendage or two into the mix. We’re now corresponding closely with a Romantic era classical guitar technique called tremolo, which in the classical guitar context is loosely described as playing four notes per beat (a set of semi-quavers) where the P plays an arpeggio note in the bass and A M I plays a melodic line in the treble. Typically, A M I would play the same note three times (one per finger) and P would move on to the next ringing arpeggio note, giving a sort of ‘two-guitars playing simultaneously’ effect. In a bass context, this technique could be used in many ways to speed up your playing. Here are four:

« Use it in the exact classical guitar style. To get the proper tremulous effect though, you’ll have to use free-stroke (missing the adjacent string), which will give a less accented sound than your usual rest-stroke style, but is great for layering textures.

« Do the same thing, but now try it on one string and play a different note for each stroke (this is much easier on a bass than on a regular guitar because of the string thickness!). This is great for four-note speed-bursts.

« Use it rest-stroke style. You could get quite fast triplet speed-bursts using A M I as rest-stroke with your thumb resting as an anchor on the pickup or a lower string rather than playing. In this technique, you can play the same note three times, OR play a different note for each finger.

« A variation of the above mentioned technique, but add a fourth beat by repeating M (in other words A M I M continuously).

There are obviously plenty of different combinations – these are just a few that I enjoy. Go try out as many as you can, as long as they make sense! After getting quite comfy with all of these concepts, don’t be afraid to add the pinky (C) to your combinations (another rare feat on the guitar that’s quite suited to bass!).

Speed up using Flatpicking

If digital is not your style, go ahead… use a pick! I’m a firm believer in flexibity though, so I highly recommend not limiting yourself to one method of attack, such as just using either a pick or fingerstyle. Step out of your comfort zone! For pick playing, up-and-down picking is basically a substitute for alternating fingers, the purpose being more speed. To get a better handle on this, apply the same concepts mentioned in my article How to Speed up your Guitar Playing… the HARD Way! to the bass guitar – They work!

Speed up, and sprinkle with various Attacks

Because of its physiology, the bass guitar lends itself to a lot more attack methods than a regular guitar. Playing fast is great, but be sure to experiment with the many different techniques out there, such as popping, slapping, tapping, muting, etc. to vary the tone and effect. Try to combine techniques, such as a regular finger pluck and a pop, or a slap ‘n’ tap to brighten up a speedy rhythmic cell. This really adds a much more virtuosic edge to your regular lines!

Well, that’s it for now, so enjoy the practice – and the payoff that follows! Incorporate these concepts and use as many permutations, scale and arpeggio possibilities in your playing as you can and you’ll be frolicking in the fast lane in no time.

Recently we had the opportunity to showcase our state-of-the-art-gear at the annual COPA Industry Day.

The basic idea of the COPA Industry Day, is to expose the students to the music industry – where they have a chance to ask questions about what we do and to showcase the latest gear we have to offer at Paul Bothner Music.

So we brought along the latest gear that we thought would be pertinent to a music student. The students had a chance to play and jam on the latest Roland Keyboards, Roland Electronic Drums, Electric Bass Guitars, Electric Guitars, latest Guitar and Bass Amplification as well as the latest, Cakewalk Software and Akai gear.

Needless to say we were honoured to attend and to share any knowledge we have on the music industry to the students of COPA.

Below are a couple of pictures we took at the COPA Industry Day while being blessed by their musical talent.

To visit COPA click HERE.

UCT College of Music’s David Male Wins 2011 Paul Bothner Music Award

Every year, Paul Bothner Music sponsors a UCT Music Student who shows great promise as a performance artist. This year’s  winner is the prodigious David Male, the hot new talent who lists amongst his influences masters such as Wes Montgomery and Jim Hall. His prize: a R10 000 voucher from Paul Bothner Music. What’s he doing with the prize money? So far, he’s purchased a Roland AC-90 acoustic guitar amp, which features built in effects and a microphone input with phantom power for condenser mics. A prized possession for anyone in the field, especially a Rising Star. For more on this awesome amplifier, just click the link: http://www.roland.com/products/en/AC-90/

Nominated by the Head of the Jazz Faculty, Professor Mike Campbell, David Male is set to become a legend in his own time. Not only favouring the guitar styles of the traditional guitarists, he also appreciates the jazz piano tonality, favouring the trad jazz players like Oscar Petersen. 

He plans on taking his talent high into the ranks of the calling, wanting to become a lecturer and professional live performer. He’s already involved in educating his fellow students at UCT, as a tutor, in his second year. He performs at the Evangelical Mission Church, in Newfields, Athlone. Watch this space for more details.

Anders Friden from the band In Flames

Cort Guitars announced today their new relationship with In Flames frontman Anders Friden. While in the studio last year, preparing to write new material, Friden reviewed the acoustic guitar line from Cort and selected the AS E5 and AS S5 models stating “When I am in the studio working on new songs and ideas, I will always rely on my Cort acoustics”.

In Flames formed in 1990 and quickly rose to the top of the death metal scene. Throughout their career, the band has been selected to perform at countless European festivals. Their chart topping releases have garnered numerous awards and accolades setting the stage for another world tour in 2012.

For more information on In Flames and their upcoming world tour, visit www.inflames.com.

Cort AS-E5

Cort’s AS 5 series represents their finest acoustic guitar work with solid Sitka spruce top and solid rosewood back and sides. The AS-E5 is a traditional dreadnought style guitar, while the AS-S5 is a cutaway with Fishman® Ellipse Matrix blend electronics.

Key Features

All solid construction with selected materials. Its premium solid Sitka spruce top delivers great tone that will actually improve further with age. This premium acoustic series also features carefully scalloped bracing for a bigger tone and a classic bang. The sides and backs are also solid making this a pro-level acoustic.

AS-E5

Ultra thin electrostatic finish

To unlock the full potential of the AS series solid woods we utilize a special ultra thin finish. This innovative electrostatic technique provides a sonic improvement that you can hear.

AS-E5

Specifications

CONSTRUCTION: Dovetail Neck Joint
CUTAWAY: N/A
BODY: Dreadnought – Solid Sitka Spruce Top with Solid Rosewood Back & Sides
NECK: Mahogany
BINDING: Maple
FRETBOARD: Rosewood
SCALE: 643mm (25.3″)
INLAY: Abalone Dot
TUNERS: Die cast Nickel with Black Knobs
ROSETTE: Multiple Abalone
BRIDGE: Rosewood
ELECTRONICS: N/A
STRINGS: D’Addario USA EXP16 Light
BRACING: Advanced Deep Scalloped X-Bracing
ADDITIONAL: Included Hardcase (Black) CGC77-D

COLOURS:

AS-E5 NAT (Natural)

AS-E5

Cort AS-S5

Key Features

All solid construction with selected materials
If sound is your clear top priority than the AS Series is the model for you. Its premium solid sitka spruce top delivers great tone that will actually improve further with age.
This premium acoustic series also features carefully scalloped bracing for a bigger tone and a classic bang. The sides and backs are also solid making this a pro-level acoustic.

AS-S5

Ultra thin electrostatic finish

To unlock the full potential of the AS series solid woods we utilize a special ultra thin finish. This innovative electrostatic technique provides a sonic improvement that you can hear.

AS-S5

Specifications

CONSTRUCTION: Dovetail Neck Joint
CUTAWAY: Venetian
BODY: Concert Body Shape – Solid Sitka Spruce Top with Solid Rosewood Back & Sides
NECK: Mahogany
BINDING: Maple
FRETBOARD: Rosewood
SCALE: 643mm (25.3″)
INLAY: Abalone Dot
TUNERS: Die cast Nickel with Black Knobs
ROSETTE: Multiple Abalone
BRIDGE: Rosewood
ELECTRONICS: Fishman Prefix Plus T – Matrix P/U
STRINGS: D’Addario USA EXP16 Light
BRACING: Advanced Deep Scalloped X-Bracing
ADDITIONAL: Included Hardcase (Black) CGC77-S

COLORS:

AS-S5 NAT (Natural)

AS-S5

Visit Cort Guitars

Visit In Flames

The Art of Practice

By Duri Dhansay

Whether you play the guitar or the recorder, whether you’re a beginner or advanced, there’s no escaping one fact: as a musician, you can forget about death and taxes, practice comes first. It’s probably the most important part of trying to master an instrument, and still the mere possibility that there may be some actual method to practising often eludes us. Do you plot out your sessions, or wait to get ‘in the zone’? You may wait forever. Lets talk about some concepts to help you up your game a bit.

THE PLANNED SESSION

Too often, practising ends up being this random event. Think about your goals, however small or large they may be. Do you have a big concert coming up? An easy campfire jam? An important audition? Simply wanting to up your skills or master a particular technique is purpose enough. Whatever it is, a little bit of preparation goes a long way. Planning out practice sessions can be key, the more regular the better. Map out realistic sessions, like memorising a line of music per day. The problem about getting into that ‘zone’ where you get lost in inspiration is it often doesn’t last too long, and tends to be followed by a bit of a practice drought. Having set times for your sessions and sticking to them will help get you in the mood before you know it!

BALANCE, BALANCE, BALANCE

Take a minute to reflect on your practice habits: What do you tend towards? Too much of one particular thing perhaps? A good session should be like a well-balanced meal, if you think about dividing what you need into, say, technique and repertoire, maybe you could start each session with a few scale and arpeggio runs, then sit with a piece or work on an improvisation. Also, try to focus on polishing up problem areas, or you may end up just practising stuff you already know.

SLOW PRACTICE IS FAST PRACTICE

Whatever you do don’t rush it. Even if you’re pretty advanced, when you start each session, take a couple of minutes of slow playing to warm up those muscles. You will, at the very least, avoid injury. Even the most complex piece of music becomes a piece of cake when played slowly enough! The problem is we’re kind of slaves to our own sub-conscious. The human mind craves stimulation, and we may tend to find a slow repetitive scale run a bit tedious. Breaking free of this slavery should be a priority for maximum improvement.

Playing an instrument takes time to master and is an acquired skill. It’s pointless being a sprinter if you can’t even walk in a straight line. When things slow down, ideas are absorbed a lot faster and understood a lot better. You may find things you would have missed if you had rushed into it. I’ve mentioned this before: learn to use a metronome. Its sage-like click will guide you down the proper path of precision and excellence. Playing fast is actually the easy part, but that comes later!

THE BRICK WALL

A big problem when it comes to practising is a reluctance to admit when we’re wrong. Ever find yourself playing the same passage over and over and not getting it right? Mindless repetition is not a solution; it’s the equivalent of ramming your head against a brick wall over and over again as if you forgot how much it hurt the first time. Stop for a minute, ask yourself what the problem was, and fix it. Sounds simple enough right? It is, just try it. Make being constructively self-critical and analytical an advantage. The last thing you want is to practice your mistakes.

TYPES OF PRACTICE

A well-planned session of mindful repetition and memorizing full of analysis and care is one thing, but there is another breed to consider: performance practice. This should be handled a bit differently. Performance practice is literally having regard for the anxiety factor and unexpected variables that accompany a performance. In normal practice, for example, you can stop and start over. With an audience, you want to avoid this like the plague. Practising recovery from mistakes beforehand is something worthy of contemplation. Every now and again have a performance practice session, where you apply the rules and etiquette of a live performance. Imagine you’re on stage, or better yet, get family and friends together for a ‘mock concert’ to get used to playing whatever you are working on in front of others. When mistakes tend to happen in that context, you can see where your problem areas are and focus on them in your standard sessions.

Also, because of how muscle memory works, we can often play a piece from beginning to end, but a simple error causes derailing. This is especially true with longer or more complex pieces. Practice starting from different points of a piece of music, so if you do miss something, you can find the nearest pit stop to start from instead of calling the dreaded false start. Practising the way you’re going to play is helpful too. If you are going to be standing in an upcoming concert then practising while sitting down in sessions or rehearsals won’t realistically simulate the performance experience. You want to feel as ‘at home’ when the concert/performance arrives as possible.

THE GLOOM

Everyone gets a block now and again, where you might feel totally uninspired or would rather be doing anything but practice. Unfortunately this tends to happen at times when you need practice most. Try to find some inspiration, Listen to your favourite CDs, have an impromptu jam session with some mates, or even better: explore some new genres. There are countless techniques across countless sorts of music out there, and you may just find something new that’ll tickle your fancy or rekindle your playing urge. Every now and again though, it’s good to take a break, and when you return you may feel refreshed and clear-minded, your instrument seeming like a dear old friend you can get to know all over again with bright new insights. Or maybe that’s just what we tell ourselves.

Max Weinberg

Zildjian Artist Biography: Max Weinberg

Band/Affiliation: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band / Late Night with Conan O’Brien

Birthday: April 03
Country: United States

Like so many drummers of his generation, it was Ringo Starr who first inspired Max to pick up drumsticks. From 1974 through 1989 Max would become part of one of the most popular musical forces in the nation: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.  His powerful but controlled playing on albums such as Born to Run and Born in the U.S.A. stabilized the E Street Band sound and Weinberg became a mainstay of Springsteen’s long concert performances. Numerous albums and more than a few hits later Bruce broke up the band and Max found his way onto television as the bandleader and drummer for Late Night with Conan O’Brien. The Max Weinberg 7 became one of the hottest house band acts on television, with Max driving the band hard every night. Weinberg’s drums-driven jump blues sound and his role as a comic foil prospered along with the show, giving him a second career. In 1999 Bruce reunited the E Street band and Max went out once again, on a tour that was one of the most memorable in decades. Allowing Weinberg to tour for one of the highest-profile reunions in rock history was thought to be of long-term benefit to the television show’s appeal, and an arrangement was worked out, wherein Weinberg took a leave of absence from Late Night, in order to go out on this and subsequent tours

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band (Max Weinberg 2nd from left)

Weinberg has also had the honour of playing at two presidential inaugurations, the Grammy’s, and the 1995 dedication for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. The Max Weinberg 7 released a self-titled album in 2000, on Hip-O Records; Weinberg said he waited until then because “I wanted to change my style of playing and hone my style before I committed to a record.” He was especially proud that the band had successfully backed Tony Bennett during a late 1990s appearance on Late Night: “Two years ago if you’d asked me if I could play with Tony Bennett, I would have said absolutely not. I’m not in his league. But we played with him the other night, and it was wonderful. We swung.” In 1994, Rhino Records released Max Weinberg Presents: Let There Be Drums, a three-volume set of CDs that highlighted drumming that Weinberg admired on songs from the 1950s through the 1970s.

Zildjian Avedis Medium 17 inch Thin Crash

Drumset Cymbals / Cast Bronze Cymbals / A Zildjian Series
Bright. Stronger high-end than Thin Crash.

Technical Specifications

Category: A Zildjian Series
SKU: A0231
Type: Crash
Size: 17 in. / 43.18 cm.
Weight: Medium Thin
Finish: Traditional Finish
Bell Size: Small
Profile: Medium
Pitch: Mid to High
Sound: Bright/Mid
Volume: Project
Balance: Cut
Sustain: Long
Skill level: Advanced, Beginner, Intermediate, Professional
Genre(s): Alternative, Country, Fusion, Hard Rock, Hip Hop, Jazz, Latin, Metal, Other, Percussion, Pop, Punk, Rock, World

Zldjian A 18 inch Medium Crash

Drumset Cymbals / Cast Bronze Cymbals / A Zildjian Series
Higher-pitched. Full bodied.

Technical specifications

Category: A Zildjian Series
SKU: A0242
Type: Crash
Size: 18 in. / 45.72 cm.
Weight: Medium
Finish: Traditional Finish
Bell Size: Small
Profile: Medium
Pitch: High
Sound: Bright/Mid
Volume: Project
Balance: Cut
Sustain: Long
Skill level: Advanced, Beginner, Intermediate, Professional
Genre(s): Alternative, Country, Fusion, Hard Rock, Hip Hop, Jazz, Latin, Metal, Other, Percussion, Pop, Punk, Rock, World

20 inch Zildjian A Rock Ride

Technical specifications

Category: A Zildjian Series
SKU: A0080
Type: Rides
Size: 20 in. / 50.8 cm.
Weight: Heavy
Finish: Traditional Finish
Bell Size: Large
Profile: Medium-High
Pitch: High
Sound: Bright
Volume: Loud
Balance: Cut
Sustain: Long
Skill level: Advanced, Beginner, Intermediate, Professional
Genre(s): Alternative, Country, Fusion, Hard Rock, Hip Hop, Jazz, Latin, Metal, Other, Percussion, Pop, Punk, Rock, World

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Weinberg

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Gene Simmons Accepts No Substitute
There is no one mightier than the God of Thunder himself, Gene Simmons. Check out the latest promotional videos coming out in 2012. Both videos feature the rock star himself telling you exactly why you need to own his signature model basses. Gene accepts no substitute. Should you?

Watch the Gene Simmons AXE-2 video

Watch the Gene Simmons Punisher-2 video

BOSS RC-30 Loop Station

Live looping has become an increasingly popular means of creative expression for musicians everywhere, and BOSS’ portable, affordable, and simple-to-use Loop Station products have played a pivotal role in the rise of this new type of performing. Now, powered by BOSS’ proprietary ESC2 DSP chip, the RC-30 and RC-3 Loop Stations offer looping musicians the most powerful and best-sounding tools yet available for recording and manipulating audio loops live and in the studio.

The RC-30 is housed in BOSS’ popular Twin Pedal chassis, just like the RC-20XL it replaces. New features include true stereo inputs and outputs, plus up to three hours of onboard stereo recording and loop storage, a marked upgrade to its predecessor’s mono I/O and 16 minutes of mono recording. Additionally, the RC-30 has a new dual phrase loop feature that lets users create and play two completely independent stereo loop phrases in perfect sync.

Included in the RC-30 is the LOOP FX feature that lets users process their loop recordings in real time, plus 99 memories for onboard loop storage and an LED memory indicator. In addition, a USB 2.0 port lets users swap and manage WAV audio loops with a computer. Holdover features from the RC-20XL include a mic input with phantom power, an AUX IN jack for connecting a portable music player, and a key selection of onboard rhythms, which now include real audio drum loops.