stu - I could well have started something that I'll live to regret... lol...

you need fresh information, fresh knowledge, a fresh approach, new ideas... this'll re-ignite yor playing and enthusiasm...

Joe's right - there are some mean players in here.. plenty of good advice and learning to be found... just ask the questions...

Woldeface: Hey!

Hmm...this SARS thing is really getting me down. It's sad that because of one stopover the entire Asian leg of the tour had to be cancelled.

Incidentally, I just came down with the flu and now everybody's avoiding me like the plague.... :p *sneezes*

michelle You're beginning to sound like akiko lol.

death cube K & Trutina,

About the Experimental track...thanks. :-)

I have a version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" that I'm working on but it may be awhile before it's finished. I want to do it with some live musicians other than those in my band (they don't have time for such things because they are all doctors heheh).

It's unlike Joe's version, so it's not just a remake heheh.

flight of mind is pretty groovy...

Greg M - lol! That's pretty funny. I have a rageing head cold, and after reading 5 pages, that's all I could come up with. lol!! I don't know what the other guys story is? lol!

Clarky,

Good point! Don't always write with just guitar in mind!

Woldeface-Also, a nice little excercise that I used to do (it helps with ear training as well) is to take a song or another intrumental piece (let's say Kenny G on Sax) and transcribe the vocals or other instrument to guitar. Use bends and swells and little "embellishments" where they seem to fit for you :). These kinds of things helped me to establish my own feel and playing identity. It also added some versatility to my style.

I'm somewhat of an impatient guitarist with fingers that won't stop half the time, so it's not uncommon for me to throw in a long pick scrape at a rest or a quick riff or something. Try adding things in where they don't exist in other recorded pieces, you'll be amazed at, how eventually these things will come like second nature later on. I never try to overdo it though because you want to keep the feeling lively and have emotion. If you just play fast riffs, a song tends to lose the emotional power that you want it to project. I think, for some of us... that is why Yngwie's playing is somewhat of a turn off... fast riffs and quickly played out arppegios begin to sound the same after awhile even if they aren't. The ear deciphers slower notes much better and thus can make a solid distinction between the notes being played...

However, a flavorful, quick riff here and there adds shock and excitement to song. If you listen to Joe and Vai, they tend to alternate between slowly sustained notes (bent or unbent) and will add some excitement to the instrumental by picking up the pace toward the middle or end and then... settle back down to a slow pace again to finish it off. Their best songs are this way and the songs which tend to attract the most attention are arranged like this.

Although Satch Boogie (and a few others) seem to differ in this respect to a degree, it still gradually picks up pace. Great stuff though!

Just my thoughts,

BORING FINGER EXCERCISES! Ahhhhh!

I'll tell you, we all feel this way, but there is no better exercises than going over various scales about 15 minutes each day.

I tend to go over chromatic scales most often since it involves all of my fingers and play them forward, backward ...picked and then using hammer-ons and pull-offs. Change the sequence from time to time too, to create a little more difficulty.

Good excercises but certainly a must for those who wish to play those quick riffs! Just Knowing the sequence of notes won't help much because you fingers must memorize that fretboard and be able to flow smoothly in either direction.

It took me years to master "Always With Me. Always With You" even though I knew the dern notes, bends etc etc... Why? Because I blew off practicing my scales! Once I returned to practicing my scales, the little quick runs in the song came with ease almost over night!

Keihan

Adrianorb - I'm not sure that I have heard that one. I'll have to look around :) .

Adrianorb - Just heard it. It is quite short but nice. Joe's is much much longer! Hehehe...

Graham you rock...why did I know YOU would be the one to give me an answer to that one????

A friend of mine gave me a copy of Joe's version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow. It is awesome as can be expected, at about midway Joe explodes with all the emotion and passion that we can expect from his playing!

As far as Petrucci's, I was able to find a copy quickly enough thru the P2P channels, but since I'm quite the honest character it is a copy I won't keep :( heheh.

Hello: A friend brought me an old magazine with an article of Satriani and his Mexico concert, I tranlated it for you all.

The talented guitarist impressed thousands of Mexicans when he presented with Steve Vai and John Petrucci last year in the National Auditorium in the G3 tour; now, the master of the six strings comes back alone with his magic to perform in a great show in Metropolitan theatre.

For the event, the New Yorker will present songs from his new album Strange Beatiful Music, which is a success in the world and even some people classifies it like incredible, some other agree that the music from this guitarist is a special jewel to which the word sublime is not enough.