The RiffMaster Pro Version 3 is Now Available!

The RiffMaster Pro 2 has long been the best and least expensive instantly downloadable software to slow down the guitar solos (or solos from other instruments) without changing the pitch. This way you can break the solo down and learn what is really going on, note by note. Now, version 3 is available with even better technology!

Let's face it, in order to play fast, you need to go slow. By that I mean, to learn any difficult piece of music by ear, you must be able to hear all the notes and the way the notes are played by the musician. The Riffmaster Pro 3 with upgraded technology now makes it quite easy for you to break down and play anything. You can slow down those machine gun licks from any CD or from your files so you can pick out each note and nail down that solo!

Master difficult phrasing like never before and learn any guitar solo, lick or riff note for not. Great for all instruments--and even helps you learn lyrics! Plus, you can even transpose the music to the key in which you want to play the piece! The RiffMaster Pro 3 version includes cd ripping, file saving to mp3 or wav (yes as slowed down versions), superior tracking and 17 different playable files (including mp4, wma, Aff, ogg mp3 and wav). And this software is incredibly easy to download and use. Lots of great bonuses too--and we're talking only $49 here! For all the details:
Click Here!

Mick Martin's Revelator

In a couple of my articles I have mentioned Mick Martin, an excellent flatpicker who I took about a half a dozen guitar lessons from back in the 1970's in Pittsburgh. Mick straightened me out on some guitar playing habits that were holding me back and set me on the path toward better flatpicking. Now, about 30 years later, Mick and I have again been in touch, and Mick has graciously offered to share some flatpicking lessons on this site, which will begin in the near future.

What I never knew about Mick is just how great a fingerpicker he is! He has just released a CD of country blues, Revelator, executed in the tradition of the old masters like Mississippi John Hurt, Blind Willie McTell, Robert Johnson, etc. Mick describes the album as "pure as Appalachian snow," in that it features just Mick and his guitar, without additional accompaniment. Included with the CD is an instructional DVD on which Mick teaches how to play the songs! What a bonus--and what a great concept! Now the instruction is not really designed for the beginning guitarist--but it will certainly inspire and motivate all guitarists to keep moving forward.

The song from which the title of the album is derived, John the Revelator, is the only song in which Mick is accompanied by other musicians: Bruce Foley playing the uilleann pipes and Les Getchell pounding out the beat on the bodhran. These seem like unusual instruments to accompany a traditional Gospel/blues call and response song, but it all works just fine. The driving, steady beat is exciting, yet the mood that it creates is just a bit haunting.

In my opinion, Mick kicks the foundation laid by the old masters up a notch, implementing a wonderful mix of bass runs, double stops and chords. My favorite cut on the CD is the blues standard, St. James Infirmary. Mick's arrangement of the song is quite unique, and I would liken the dynamics of his bass notes and complex (yet bold and punchy) chords in this song to the dynamics Louis Armstrong demonstrated with his horn: raw power under the control of a disciplined musician who knows how to use power. You can hear Mick's rendition of St. James Infirmary (though the audio quality is inferior to what you'll hear if you purchase his CD) as the second of two of Mick's songs posted at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2fYSLiFosc

You can purchase Mick's CD and DVD set for only $16.85--what a deal! Go to Mick's website at:

http://www.mick-martin.com

The Gibson Icon Nick Lucas Signature Guitar

In last week's post (see below), I wrote about Nick Lucas and the guitar Gibson made to his specifications: the Nick Lucas Special. As I noted in the article, Nick Lucas Specials are among the most sought after vintage guitars among players and collectors today. The orginal Specials, manufactured by Gibson from 1926 to 1941, are very hard to come by these days, and if you are able to find one, chances are you would not be able to afford it!

But there is good News! The Gibson Company has recently produced a limited reissue of the Nick Lucas, in its Acoustic Icon series, that is faithful to the original specs of the Nick Lucas Special. The thing that really set this guitar apart from all other acoustics was the deeper body (4" at the neck, 4 5/8" at the end pin). Read Norman Blakes comments about the acoustical benefits of this in last week's post below. Also, the back and sides were made from hand-selected figured Eastern hard rock maple at a time when mahogany bodies were the norm. Another great feature was the carefully radiused (slightly arched) AAA grade solid Sitka spruce top to give the top more tension and better projection.

Although a vintage Special would be preferred by many players, one great thing about going with the new Gibson Nick Lucas is that you start off everything new--with perfect action and saddle height--and everything is covered by a great Gibson warranty! And if you buy from Musician's Friend, you'll never find a lower price. I have purchased a number of instruments from Musician's Friend, and have been completely happy with them all. And they offer free shipping and an excellent no-hassle return policy. For more details about the Gibson Nick Lucas, just click on the link below:
Gibson Icon Nick Lucas Signature Acoustic Guitar Vintage Sunburst

Nick Lucas and the Gibson Nick Lucas Special

In the late 1920's, Nick Lucas became one of the most popular singers on the radio, but prior to his fame as a vocalist, he had established himself as a guitarist. In 1922, Nick cut two sides of a record with the originals, "Picking the Guitar" and "Teasing the Frets." These were the first solo jazz guitar instrumentals recorded.

You can see and hear Nick sing and pick in 1929 at:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=sic_2r7-bHI

An older Nick (1951) is at:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=wuoiE9XHXbw

According to NickLucas.com, in 1924, Frank Campbell, the general sales manager for Gibson, tried to persuade Nick get rid of the Galliano he had been playing. Nick told Campbell, "If you'll build a guitar to my specifications that's not too bulky, I'll throw this guitar away." Nick wanted a wider neck, deeper sides, and a smaller body that would look better on stage. In 1925 Gibson made the guitar for Nick, and the rest is history. The Gibson Nick Lucas Special became available to the public from 1926 to 1941 and these vintage guitars are now among the most prized instruments sought by collectors and players. Don't let the small top and back fool you: Because of the unusually deep sides, the Nick Lucas Special has great projection and tone.

In an interview for an article, "Norman Blake: Flatpicking Legend," Flatpicking Guitar Magazine, August 1997, Norman Blake describes the virtues of his 1929 Nick Lucas Special: "I like that it has a shorter, punchy tone that is good for old time music. It has a deep tone, but it has a real short, gutsy, loud, spit-it-out kind of sound. It doesn't ring or sustain forever. I kind of equate, in my own idiosyncratic mind, lots of sustain in guitars with a more modern sound. In other words, if you get a guitar that rings and you can go out and get a hot dog and come back before it stops ringing, it starts to get a little modern sounding. It can also start to get a little generic sounding because they can all start to sound the same. It is like the A model Gibson mandolins, there is only about one in a hundred that is really a cut above the other ninety-nine. That is about the same thing with large guitars if you are not careful. There is about one in a hundred that you can pick out and say it has character."

An article, "What They Play," in Acoustic Guitar Magazine, October 1999, conveys Norman's thoughts on the unusual depth of the sides of the Nick Lucas Special: "Blake theorizes that the tone of a guitar has a lot to do with the size of its top in relation to the depth of its sides. 'If you have a large top,' he says, 'you need deeper sides. For a dreadnought to really balance out, it ought to have deeper sides, but it wouldn't be very comfortable to play. The sides on a 00 are deep enough for the size of it. L-series Gibsons are between Martin 000 and Martin 00 size as far as the top is concerned, and the sides are deeper than the Martin 000. That creates a better balance and a better tone. I'm talking about the old flattop Gibsons from 1926 up through World War II: the L-00, L-1, Nick Lucas, Century. And the Nick Lucas has even deeper sides on the same Gibson top. It gives you a sort of dreadnought sound, but with a lot more snap and a lot more articulation. And that short neck is a lot easier to get around on. I like the shape of the Gibson necks from the '20s and '30s.'"

For more information and some great photos of Nick Lucas and the Gibson Nick Lucas Special go to:

http://NickLucas.com

Frontal Photo of Nick Lucas Special courtesy of http://NickLucas.com. Photo of Nick Lucas Special label by Mark Stutman, courtesy of Folkway Music, http://FolkwayMusic.com.