Bottleneck and Slide Guitar Playing

Bottleneck and slide guitar playing. This is a form of guitar playing which has been around for nearly one hundred years or more. Its roots are embedded in the African-American negro blues music. It is easily recognized when played by the wailing sound it makes on the fretboard of the guitar.

Bottleneck and slide are terms often used interchangeably for a style of guitar playing in which the strings are "stopped" by a small metal or glass tube held in the hand or slipped over one of the left hand fingers.

Strictly speaking, " bottleneck" refers to glass, whereas slide refers to metal, but the technique for playing is the same in both cases.

Slide guitar originated in America, around the Mississippi Delta

It was predominately negro blues music. It is thought that it's roots originated in the tradition of black slavery and therefore linked strongly and forever to the evolution of the blues.

It is also believed to be an expression of feelings through music and song. The term bottleneck is derived from the fact that the earliest slides were made from broken - off necks of beer bottles. This technique for slide playing was the precursor to all the modern slides we now have available in the music market place.
Using a slide is quite easy, and it is also easy to make your own slide from the neck of a bottle, or you can improvise a metal one from a piece of tubing. But why go through all this bother when they are readily available in all musical instrument retail shops, and very inexpensive.

Metal and glass produce very distinctive different sounds, that is why most guitarist will have both types in their guitar bag. But if you just want one, then experiment around with both types until you are satisfied with the one that gives you the sound you are looking for.

Wearing the slide on the finger is also a very personal choice. It takes time to get used to wearing the slide so you must use the finger you feel more comfortable with when playing. Usually the third or fourth finger is the choice, but like I said it is purely a personal decision. Just to give you a tip on which finger might suit best, I would recommend you try the fourth finger as this frees up the other three fingers for playing chords or individual notes.

Learn how to use the slide technique of guitar playing and play the sounds you hear the professionals play. Click below now.

Guitar slide playing

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Noel_Halpin

 

 

Peter Green, Buddy Guy, Ian Rankin in latest edition of The Blues Magazine

Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac take pride of place on the cover of The Blues Magazine issue number 10, on sale today. View an interactive preview here.

The latest instalment of Classic Rock‘s bi-monthly sister title looks at the development of Green’s ambition to create the “ultimate British blues album,” using unseen pictures and new interviews.

Elsewhere, Buddy Guy discusses why his latest record Rhythm & Blues is part of a promise he made to Muddy Waters; crime author Ian Rankin talks about his involvement with Rory Gallagher-fuelled project Kickback City; Ian Anderson tells of his pre-Jethro Tull career as a blues guitarist and Simon McBride reflects on his rising-star status.

There’s also interviews with The Cadillac Three, Wille And The Bandits, Chantel McGregor, Guy Davis, Craig Hughes, Don Cavalli, Terry Lee Hale, Brothers Groove, Left Lane Cruiser, Sunday Wilde, Moriarty, The 45s, Greg Coulson, Alex McKown and others.

Your 15-track CD No Trash. No Dogs. Just The Best Of 2013 includes music from JJ Grey & Mofro, Jo Harman, Walter Trout, King King, Rosco Levee And The Southern Slide, The Hoax, Mike Zito, Joe Bonamassa and Beth Hart, The Temperance Movement, The Graveltones and more.

Plus there’s a round-up of the best blues Christmas presents and the latest edition of Charles Shaar Murray’s Cuttin’ Heads column.

The Blues Magazine Issue 10 is on sale in shops and via MyFavouriteMagazines.co.uk.

source: classicrockmagazine.com

Blues rock pioneer Bobby Parker dies at 76

Blues rock guitarist Bobby Parker, best known for his 1961 track Watch Your Step and credited as “the only musician the Beatles admitted to stealing from” has died at the age of 76, it’s been reported.

Bassist Anthony B Rucker, who often collaborated often with the pioneering artist, confirmed the news, saying: “It is with a heavy heart I thank you, Bobby, for all that you have done for me. I’m so glad I had one last chance to play with you a couple of weeks ago. See ya on the other side.”

Born in Louisiana and raised in Los Angeles, Robert Lee Parker’s first professional gig was with Otis Williams and the Charms in the 1950s, followed by stints with Bo Diddley, Sam Cooke, Chuck Berry and Little Richard.

Watch Your Step inspired the Beatles’ song I Feel Fine, with John Lennon once saying they’d used the riff “in various forms” throughout their career. Led Zeppelin made use of it in Moby Dick. The track was also covered by the Spencer Davis Group, Dr Feelgood and Carlos Santana, who once said: “Bobby inspired me to play guitar – he’s one of the few remaining guitarists who can pierce your heart and soothe your soul.”

In 2008 Parker reflected: “Watch Your Step was a culmination of blues rock guitar that nobody else had ever thought of. Mine was First. The United States was engulfed by Motown, but the whole world knew when I recorded Watch Your Step that I broke the brick wall of the sameness of Motown.

“I sent music in another direction worldwide, especially for guitarists like Jimmy Page, Santana, Eric Clapton and millions of others. Everybody who was anybody knew Bobby Parker alone penned the lick that created what’s known as the British revolution.

“I heard 600 or more blatant copycat recordings – everybody was playing my lick and trying to claim it, the Beatles included. Even now I hear copycat riffs in TV commercials.” He laughed: “I wish they’d come up with a different riff and leave mine alone…”

The track’s success led to international touring and an offer of a record deal from Jimmy Page, which didn’t work out. Parker spent the 1970s and 1980s based in Washington DC and out of international acclaim, but returned to the spotlight with his first solo album Bent Out Of Shape in 1993, followed by Shine Me Up in 1995. He remained active until his death, having played a series of blues festivals during the summer. Recently he said: “I keep doing it for the music and the people – I love the people.”

Parker has songwriting credits for a total of 55 tracks including his two other singles, Blues Get Off My Shoulder from 1958 and It’s Hard To be Fair from 1968.

source: classicrockmagazine.com

Win the Janis Joplin Classic LP Collection Box Set

Janis Joplin would have turned 70 this month, and to pay tribute to the iconic electric blues singer, this ultimate Classic LP Collection box set includes four of her celebrated albums. One lucky RollingStone.com reader will win the 4-disc set, which includes albums from Big Brother and the Holding Company and her solo career.

Read official rules before entering.

source: rollingstone.com

Def Leppard and Poison Take Over Hollywood for 'Rock of Ages' Premiere

The Eighties-themed musical Rock of Ages had its star-studded premiere in Hollywood last night, bringing out cast members like Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Russell Brand as well as a wide array of Eighties rockers, from REO Speedwagon's Kevin Cronin to Lita Ford.

Those veterans of the Sunset Strip music scene were right at home. "It's not 2012 tonight," MC Riki Rachtman told the star-studded crowd, taking everyone back to the days of big hair and big hooks. And for one night it was 1987 again as the makeshift "Bourbon Club," the fictional venue that serves as the center of the movie, delivered pyrotechnic-laden sets from a "fired-up" Bret Michaels with Poison and Def Leppard.

"To be here with Catherine, Tom and everyone and having a party, that’s an awesome day," Bret Michaels told Rolling Stone. "And the fact that it’s with Def Leppard, my friends, I’m in my natural environment."

Def Leppard also felt comfortable, though guitarist Phil Collen noted that some musicians get nervous at this kind of high-profile gig. "They go, 'Oh my god, look who’s over there,'" he said. As for Collen, he loves being the center of attention. "I’m really cool with it. In fact when we’ve had like Jimmy Page on the side of the stage, we’ve had everybody come down, I kind of ham it up and actually it works in my favor," he said. "[And] tonight, because we met Tom and he’s so super cool, I think it’s gonna be a blast."

"We were there when Tom sung his bits for 'Pour Some Sugar On Me,'" Joe Elliott added. "It was in Fort Lauderdale about a year ago. We just played West Palm Beach and they invited us to come and see him shoot it, that was very cool." Count Elliott among the many impressed with Cruise's transformation into a rock star. "He was great," Elliott said. "He got really kind of in deep with the project."

For many attendees, last night was also just a celebration of the era. "Hollywood Boulevard, Sunset Boulevard, Santa Monica Boulevard, we were all one big family," Lita Ford said. And it was also a chance to maybe get some vindication. After all, the Eighties hard rock scene has often been regarded as the bastard step-child of the time, maligned in the same way disco was lambasted in the Seventies.

But a big Hollywood film and hit Broadway musical based on the songs of the time gives the tunes more credibility. "I think right now we have empirical proof that this music is infinitely more enduring than people gave it credit for back then," director Adam Shankman told Rolling Stone.

That is music to the ears of some of those who have not been treated kindly by critics over the years. "When you see the longevity of it, it does kind of make people kind of go, 'You know what? REO Speedwagon didn’t suck as much as I thought they did,'" Kevin Cronin said. "'They still suck, but not as much as I thought.'”

Elliott believes that those who give the music a chance will find some gems. "We don’t need a film to vindicate the fact that the Eighties had its moments," he said. "So many people knock it, Lou Reed fans and Loudon Wainwright fans, whatever, they have a go at the Sunset Strip and say, 'Oh, it’s awful.' There is some good stuff. For people brave enough to be honest, you’ll find there’s a lot of great music in the Eighties."

source: rollingstone.com

What Is Rockabilly Music?

What is rockabilly music? I've had to think long and hard to answer that question! Technically, rockabilly is a particularly wild and unrestrained form of music that grew out of the roots of country music and blues music in the early 1950s. It raged strong into the early 60s when it was overshadowed by forms that grew out of it, particularly acts that were part of the British invasion. But the form never really died and it was further defined by a resurgence in the 1980s when elements of punk and jazz were infused into the basic form. It continues to evolve today more than 50 years after it first appeared on the pop scene.

Rockabilly music has undoubtedly influenced virtually every form of rock and roll that has come after it. The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and countless other bands and artists site rockabilly music and rockabilly musicians as the most influential force in their development as musicians. Once you become familiar with the sound of rockabilly, you will hear it in many popular songs that you've known and loved for years never realizing from where the roots sprung.

By and large, the original rockabilly musicians remain mostly unknown to most lovers of modern pop music and of those that they do know, they don't really understand their rockabilly roots. For example, Elvis Presley is, as everyone knows, the King of rock and roll. But most people don't really understand where Elvis started: with rockabilly music. In fact, he's considered one of--if not the--inventor of the genre.

Similarly, virtually everyone knows the song "Blue Suede Shoes" and they may know it as an Elvis song. However, the song was written by a rockabilly legend named Carl Perkins who had an even bigger hit with it than Elvis did. Carl never had another big hit and is sometimes shrugged off as a "one-hit wonder" because of the fact. However, what most people miss when they dismiss him like this is the incredible influence Perkins has had on modern rock and roll music. The Beatles' George Harrison idolized Perkins and studied his music intensely. And he was by far not the only one who cites Perkins as a major influence. Perkins' guitar playing has served as the basis of education for countless young guitarists throughout the years.

So, does any of that actually answer the original question? What is rockabilly anyway? Rockabilly is raw excitement. It's unrestrained music created by brash, young musicians who were inventing the rules as they were going along. It's no-holds-barred fun. It makes you dance. It makes you smile. And it makes you want to hear more. To millions of fans throughout the world, it's the perfect form of rock and roll music!

Buster Fayte is an author and rockabilly musician. He has written several books including the Complete Home Music Recording Start Kit. He also maintains the Rockabilly Romp blog at http://rockabillyromp.info where he writes about the passion he shares with millions of musicians and fans for rockabilly and oldies music. He writes original songs, sings, and plays both guitar and bass.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Buster_Fayte