I used to think that buying another new chord book was like buying the 2009 edition of Webster’s Dictionary (is it really that different from last year’s?). That may be true for “most” chord books, but certainly not for Guy’s Grids. This book is very different from the others and is well worth the $64.95 price (CD included).
To start, this book is massive. I’m talking about 228 spiral bound 11×17 pages! When you open the book and lay it flat on a table it is nearly 3 feet wide! Printed on high quality and heavy paper stock, Guy’s Grids is in itself a stunning work of art. Even my non-guitar-player friends are amazed at the detail when they flip through the pages.
Make no mistake, this is not a large print version of a “pocket-sized” guitar chord book. This is a comprehensive encyclopedia that will guide you along the path of understanding music theory and the relationship between chord families. On his website, Guy says: “I searched for a great chord reference book that would present the most useful chord forms in a manner that would reinforce the chord theory I had just learned… I wanted a book that would help me to recognize the relationship between related chords… I could not find such a book… So, I created my own.”
The book is very thorough and includes over 2,000 open chord forms and over 700 moveable chord forms. The book is divided into four major sections with sturdy tabbed dividers for 1) Open Chord Grids, 2) Moveable Chord Grids, 3) Index of Open Chords and 4) Index of Moveable Chords. Each page is extremely detailed with chord forms illustrating the recommended fingering and the chord tones and scale degrees for each string. Each page is a “grid” (obviously!) with identical column and row formats. The columns are divided into chord families (major, dominant, minor, and diminished). The rows are divided into triads and the variations of the triads that are created by the inclusion of a 7th, 6th, 9th, 11th, or 13th scale degree.
While the magnitude of reference information included in this book may seem intimidating to the new player, it is important to note that the book also contains a section for the beginning student called “Anchor Chords” with grids for the most commonly played chords that every guitarist should focus on first. The book also includes a “Bonus CD” for play-along practicing of the progressions found on every grid.
I ordered my book direct from Guy’s website which arrived quickly, wrapped in bubble-wrap inside a sturdy box. I have averaged spending about 30 minutes a day with the book since it arrived and in less than a week, my eyes have been opened to a fascinating new way of looking at the fretboard. I highly recommend Guy’s Grids to every guitar player who is serious about becoming a better player!
T-Bone Walker (born Aaron Joseph Walker) was born on this day in 1910.
T-Bone was a blues guitarist and one of the pioneers of the electric guitar. His electric guitar solos were some of the first heard on blues recordings.
Most of T-Bone’s music was recorded from 1946–1948, including “Stormy Monday” which he recorded in 1947. He followed with “T-Bone Shuffle” and “Let Your Hair Down, Baby”, both considered blues classics.
Jimi Hendrix referred to T-Bone as his childhood hero.
T-Bone Walker was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland Ohio in 1987.
Blues-Rock Star Joe Bonamassa Sells Out London’s Royal Albert Hall For May 4th Show and Eric Clapton joined him on stage to perform “Further On Up The Road”!
Los Angeles, CA, May 4, 2009: Guitar virtuoso, vocalist and songwriter Joe Bonamassa played to a sold out crowd at London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall on May 4, 2009. A milestone in Bonamassa’s career, self described as “twenty years of professional sweat and toil all culminating into one moment,” it puts him in the company of such legends as The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and The Who, all artists who have played the historic venue. Adding to the excitement, Eric Clapton joined Bonamassa on stage for a joint-performance of Clapton’s hit “Further On Up The Road.”
The show was part of Bonamassa’s US, UK and European tour for latest album, The Ballad of John Henry, which was released Feb. 24 and debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Blues Albums chart.
Getting rave reviews, Nicky Horne from the UK’s Planet Rock Radio called the album “a quantum leap from his previous albums, and they were damn good – if he keeps this up, he is destined to walk alongside the truly greats.” Joe also just appeared on the UK’s Jools Holland Show on Apr. 17 where Holland was quoted as saying, “Eric Clapton said to me [about Joe] ‘there is this amazing guitarist, you’ve got to hear him.’”
Joe was featured on the cover of the April 2009 Guitar Player and just won “Best Blues Guitarist in their readers’ choice polls for the third consecutive year. He also just finished up the first leg of his 2009 US Tour, a tour that has been building more fans each year and which Blues Matters recently likened to “bordering on a religious experience.”
In 2008, Joe Bonamassa was honored with the issuing of the “Inspired By Joe Bonamassa Aged Les Paul Goldtop” from Gibson Custom. Just 300 of the limited edition guitars were made, valued at $6,000 each. Gibson.com wrote, “Right now, there’s no better blues-rock artist than Joe Bonamassa.” !
Prince paid a guest visit to the Ellen Degeneres show last week singing his cover rendition of “Crimson and Clover”.
As I listened and watched, I was reminded of what the judges say each week on American Idol…”Make the song your own” .
Price has always been considered a musical genius. Ellen calls him “Brilliant” after this performance. I have to agree…this is an amazing example of musical (and guitar) mastery.
One of my favorite stops at this years NAMM Show was the Taylor Guitar room. Not only were all of their beautiful guitar models on display (and able to be played) but Taylor brought in some amazing talent to perform live concerts right there on the Taylor stage…for FREE.
My favorite jam was Nashville super group Sixwire and their 10-minute medley of amazing guitar songs and solo lines. It recently showed up on the Taylor web site and YouTube.
The list of songs include: Life in the Fast Lane (Eagles), Day Tripper (Beatles), Up and Around the Bend (Credence Clearwater Revival), Reelin in the Years (Steely Dan), Brown Sugar (Rolling Stones), Smoke on the Water (Deep Purple), Jessica (Allman Brothers), Band on the Run (Wings), Sweet Child of Mine (Guns n Roses), Layla (Derek and the Dominoes), Peace of Mind (Boston), Beat It (Michael Jackson), Pretty Woman (Roy Orbison), Hold on Loosely (38 Special), Whole Lotta Love (Led Zepplin), Back in Black (ACDC), Aint Talking Bout Love (Van Halen), Walk This Way (Aerosmith), Another One Bites the Dust (Queen), Tush (ZZ Top), Freebird (Lynard Skynard), Do YOu Feel Like We Do (Peter Frampton).
Robben Ford is one of the premiere electric guitarists today, particularly known for his blues playing as well as his ability to be comfortable in a variety of musical contexts. A four-time Grammy nominee, he has played with artists as diverse as Larry Carlton, Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Witherspoon, Miles Davis, George Harrison, Phil Lesh, Bonnie Raitt, Claus Ogerman, Michael McDonald, and many, many others…
Robben is a gifted player and a very effective teacher. Robben has released several instructional DVD’s that center around his blues improvisation skills.
Check out this video clip from “The Art of Blues Solos”:
A new documentary film takes a close look at 3 guitar players from different generations. The tag line is: “A Documentary on the Electric Guitar From the Point of View of Three Rock Legends”.
Who are the 3 players? The Edge, Jimmy Page and Jack White!
“It Might Get Loud” covers how each of the guitarists first got started playing guitar, who their influences were and how they got together with their respective bands
From the official web site… “It Might Get Loud” isn’t like any other rock n roll documentary. Filmed through the eyes of three virtuosos from three different generations, audiences get up close and personal, discovering how a furniture upholsterer from Detroit, a studio musician and painter from London and a seventeen-year-old Dublin schoolboy, each used the electric guitar to develop their unique sound and rise to the pantheon of superstar. Rare discussions are provoked as we travel with Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White to influential locations of their pasts.”
The film’s Official Web Site has limited information, but I promise to keep the blog updated as new news becomes available! The film is set to release on August 21, 2009.
Joe Bonamassa, the 31 year-old kid from Utica, New York, has been playing professionally for over 20 years. He is a true “Guitar Hero”, and in my opinion…plays the blues as well as anybody ever has.
Check out this studio video from the recording of “Stop!” — my favorite track from his latest CD titled: “The Balad of John Henry”, which was released in February:
This is an amazing photo of a guitar shop in Southampton, England. The owners decided to give their store a Fender amp tribute.
When the security shutters come down at night the store looks like the largest “Fender Super Champ” amplifier in the world!
“The Guitar Store” has become an Internet sensation after a photo of the shop appeared on Flickr and a dozen or so guitar related web sites and blogs.
Click on the photo to the left to visit “The Guitar Store” web site. Send them an email and tell them that you read about ‘em on TheGuitarBuzz.com! (Thank You…)
Oh…one more thing…look close at the knobs…they go to volume 11! I sure wish mine did that!
The only thing better than free music downloads…is finding a new web site with MORE free music downloads!
Hey, everybody likes FREE music downloads…and there are 440 of them (as of today) ready to be downloaded from the official Gibson guitar site. Go to www.Gibson.com and follow the menu links to “Downloads” and “Free Music”.
There is something there for everybody. Alternative, Bluegrass, Blues, Classical, Country, Disco, Folk, Funk, Hip Hop, Holiday, Jazz, Latin, Metal, Pop, Rock and World.
Make no mistake, this is not a large print version of a “pocket-sized” guitar chord book. This is a comprehensive encyclopedia that will guide you along the path of understanding music theory and the relationship between chord families. On his website, Guy says: “I searched for a great chord reference book that would present the most useful chord forms in a manner that would reinforce the chord theory I had just learned… I wanted a book that would help me to recognize the relationship between related chords… I could not find such a book… So, I created my own.”
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