This newsletter is a follow-up to last week’s issue, when I tried to convince you all that learning about chord families was worth your time. Now that you’re all raring to go, let’s check out those I – IV – V chords in more detail. But first, I need to ask all you jazz geniuses to take a deep breath …
Interview
UPDATE: IGBlog is no longer. Bummer! There’s an interview with me on my favorite guitar blog, IG Blog. We talk about how I got into playing and teaching guitar, some of my inspirations, favorite gear, etc. As if there wasn’t enough information about me on the web already… Make sure to check out some of the other articles on this …
Newsletter Issue 3: Chord Families, Part 1
And now, it’s time for a Heartwood Headscratcher(TM)! What do these four recordings have in common: “Wild Thing” by The Troggs “Twist and Shout” by The Beatles “La Bamba” by Los Lobos “Always With Me, Always With You” by Joe Satriani A) Each has been banned by radio stations for having obscene lyrics. B) They’re the four songs most likely …
Newsletter Issue 2: String Bending
Bending is the art of stretching a string to raise the pitch. Bends create a moaning or wailing sound associated with the blues, but can bring expressiveness and style to pretty much any type of music. A few well-place bends can turn “Mary Had a Little Lamb” into “Mary Had a Little Lamborghini.” Don’t know a bent string from a …
The Newsletter Needs a Name
The Heartwood Hammer-on? No… The Heartwood Harmonic? That’s OK, I guess… Anyone out there have a better idea for the name for my new rag?
My Newsletter's First Issue – Why I Love Power Chords
As some of you may have noticed, I’m now writing a weekly newsletter. If you’re interested in subscribing, you can learn more here, or just scroll down on the main blog page and find the form in the right-hand column. I hope you’ll check it out. I’m really psyched about it. When I think that the content of the newsletter …
The $100 Challenge Winner Is…
Some of you might recall, way back in December, I presented my blog readers with a challenge: What could I do with the traffic this website attracts (about 9000 visitors a day, now) that would both generate income and provide a valuable service? Well, the ideas flooded in, about fifty all together. I was impressed with the ingenuity of people’s …
Not Kidnapped by Aliens
Hi Everyone, or rather, Everyone Minus All The People Who’ve Left Me For Dead, Oh! You’re still here! Nice to see you again! Guess where I’ve been for the past five months? Not kidnapped by aliens, I’m afraid. I bought a house in December, and am still trying to figure out where I packed the can opener. Despite the slow …
Singalong on Phinney Ridge
My student Gary Paine leads singalongs at the Phinney Community Center on the first Sunday of the month. They’re low-key, with lots of great folk and kid’s songs, and brownies afterwards—perfect for families. Lyrics are provided. Check it out! Details: Gary takes the summer and Christmas off. First Sunday of the month at 3:30 in Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, …
Technical Administrivia
Over this past week I’ve given the Notebook a much-needed overhaul. I’ve upgraded the WordPress software to its latest version (2.1), which has allowed me to finally install some comment spam protection. I’d been getting about 40 spams/hour—a veritable deluge of processed pork product—so this has been a long time coming. The stream of spam has gotten so unmanageable these …
