My Insperations, Joe Satriani, Stevie Ray Vaungh, Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page, you cant forget about Ai Di Meloa, Joe Walsh, And Did i say Joe Satriani !!!

OCPS470, yeah....it's just there was so much, I don't know where to start! haha. He demonstrated some exercises that can also be found on his tutorial videos, for practicing synchronised picking across strings. He used a lot of legato as well though (to my surprise) and talked about starting a pattern with an upstroke rather than downstroke, as it helps improve the ability to synch-pick across strings.

The pattern he used started off with just 3 notes, then he added an extra bottom note, then another note in the middle. In this way he was demonstrating that the best way to learn to play fast patterns is to first start with patterns with less notes in. Then when you're comfortable with it you add an extra note and keep going at the same tempo, and so on.

He said the most useful thing he learned in terms of note-choice/playing a good solo, was the harmonised major scale. He then played it in it's chordal form, which it think is going to be very useful for anybody who's been teaching themselves for a year or two and needs some help to step up a level. The sound of intervals is something I'm working on with some of my students, although studying and knowig the harmonised major scale is something I should work on also. This was all in response to the question "how do you choose which modes to use?".

Paul said "the more notes you play, the less it matters which notes you play, so it actually gets harder when you slow it down. For me the most useful thing is knowing intervals and how they sound, and the biggest step was learning the harmonised major scale". Or words to that effect.

He said his favored bit of advice for everyone was to learn songs. And he said "don't take some amazing song with terrifying guitar playing in that you love, and try to learn it, if you know you can't get there yet.....instead take something more simple. I learned a lot of Beatles songs, which had some great chords in them". He made it very clear how important it is to learn all sorts of different chords and chord types, and how much they will help with other areas of playing.

I'm trying to pick out the things he talked about which I found useful. A lot of it, like I said, was aimed at people of a beginner-to-intermediate level, who need to be given some direction.....in hindsight, I wish I could have taken a couple of my students along, especially the one who thinks Tom Morello is an amazing guitar player! ehem.

I gotta run now, but if I think of more I'll add it!

joe,

any realistic possibility of you and steve vai doing a duo album together?

PhryDom...great lyrics...whoever wrote them is probably speaking for a huge number of humans, including me. Freedom of Speech is a wonderful thing, so all of the religious zealots can go suck an egg if they're going to object.

On another note, I'm giving my bandmates a month to replace me and come up with a new band name. I'm absolutely sick of being a Top 40 whore. I think I need to do some wood-shedding for about a year and maybe start thinking about writing some original tunes and recording them.

al, my son was holding steady with keeping his hair long through football. He was planning on wearing a doo-rag to keep it out of his face, and trying to figure out different ways to keep it back - then, equipment day came. lol! He went to pick up his practice uniform, and it was the first time he tried on a helmet. When the coach squeeked it down over his head, I think reality hit him. lol! He can be the cool kid after football. For now, he's just going to concentrate on not getting mangled on the field. lol! Let me tell you, he looks sooo different with short hair too man! It's been a year since his last major haircut, so he's gotten a bit more manly since then. lol! He looks like an entirely different kid. Ever think of getting your cut? lol! Weh hey! lmao! Does this mean I have to come into the chat at 8 or 9:00 p.m.? What the hell! During the week I work til 9:30, so you're going to have to adjust your schedule mister! ;-)

Bendie Ben, welcome to the site.

dakook, it was nice talking to you last night. Your guitar is a beauty!

cheese, civ, jblaze, svk, stevee, ken, julie, davey, cuth, supaadave, wolf, tom sr, delfino, clarky, bahduh, suzie, naty, slan, and everybody who sent me a birthday wish, THANK YOU!

LOVE YA JOE!!!

An American businessman in Glasgow walked into a restaurant and asked the waitress what the special was. "Roast and rice," the Scottish miss replied in a heavy brogue.

"You certainly do roll your R’s," the businessman observed.

"I suppose," she giggled, beginning to blush, "but only when I wear high heels."

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A blonde calls Delta Airlines and asks, "Can you tell me how long it'll take to fly from San Francisco to New York City?"

The agent replies, "Just a minute..."

"Thank you," the blonde says and hangs up.

michelle...with the chick jokes....lol

ATN....hope things get better for you both....guitars...strange relationship we forge with them....a voice, an ear, a love, a heart...a perfect marriage....

al yer head is a little too big (fer yer own good i think) :D

962: Yea man! You should check out some videos on Gamespot

49ers Await Word on Cause of Player Death By EDDIE PELLS AP Sports Writer

DENVER - Shaken San Francisco 49ers teammates awaited word Sunday on what caused offensive lineman Thomas Herrion to collapse in the locker room and die shortly after an exhibition game against the Denver Broncos. The 23-year-old guard collapsed after coach Mike Nolan spoke to his team following the game on a relatively cool Saturday night. Medics administered CPR on the 6-foot-3, 310-pound player before an ambulance took him to a Denver hospital.

"We didn't see anything happen," 49ers defensive lineman Marques Douglas said. "I sat by my locker and prayed for him."

The coroner's office said it would be no earlier than Sunday afternoon before any information is released on the cause of Herrion's death.

"Our thoughts are with the Herrion family and the 49ers," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Sunday. "We will be in contact with the 49ers to see what happened."

Herrion, who played in college at Utah, was on the field for San Francisco's 14-play, 91-yard drive that ended with a touchdown with 2 seconds left in the game. About three hours after he collapsed, the team confirmed his death.

"This is a colossal tragedy for the 49ers and the entire NFL community," 49ers spokesman Aaron Salkin said.

Salkin said coaches notified players of the death at the airport, where the team was awaiting a flight back to California.

Nolan made no comments about San Francisco's 26-21 loss to the Broncos.

"There are more important things on our mind than the game," he said.

The death comes a little more than four years after offensive lineman Korey Stringer of the Minnesota Vikings died of heatstroke during a training camp practice when the heat index soared to 110.

NFL teams since have increased efforts to teach players about how to manage the heat. On Saturday night, temperatures in Denver's thin air were in the mid-60s with 50 percent humidity, although experts say heatstroke can happen even in cool weather.

In 1979, St. Louis Cardinals tight end J.V. Cain died of a heart attack during training camp. Chuck Hughes, a Detroit Lions wide receiver, died of a heart attack during a 1971 game in Detroit against the Chicago Bears. In April, Arena Football League player Al Lucas of the Los Angeles Avengers died of a spinal-cord injury after making a tackle.

Herrion, a first-year player with the 49ers, spent part of last season on the San Francisco and Dallas practice squads. He also played this season with the Hamburg Sea Devils of NFL Europe.

Herrion played in junior college at Kilgore College in East Texas. Travis Fox, the offensive coordinator at Kilgore, said Sunday he shared an apartment with Herrion for two weeks this summer. Herrion had returned to the school to get in shape before reporting to the 49ers.

Fox said Herrion never struggled during intense drills in 97-degree heat. He added that the lineman had no injuries or health problems while playing at Kilgore.

"The young man was in shape," he said.

Herrion's nicknames at Kilgore were "Train" and "Big T." Fox said he was called "Thunder" in Germany because his head was too big for a regular helmet.

Fox said Herrion always talked about his niece, and family was a big motivation for playing.

"When he got here," Fox recalled, "the first thing he told me was, 'I'm going to make this team and buy my mom a nice house.'"

Stevee, you guys can't have all the fun :)

al, honey, it's not just your head that's funny shaped < :-> I was in the chat about a half hour after you. Your radar must have been on. lol!

Delfino, maybe you wouldn't weigh so much of you'd stop eating stones...