Julian Lage Practice Idea, Gretsch Players Edition Jet, Dotan Bergman
The newsletter for guitar players.
Guitar Practice
Let's do a bit of arpeggio work with a I IV V I progression in the key of G.
As guitar players, it's easy for us to default to thinking in terms of 'scales first' when playing over a chord progression. Thinking 'chord first' can often result in more musical lines.
In the example below, we're playing chord tones by using pieces of the arpeggios of each chord.
While this might seem a bit overly simplistic to some players, this approach can still be a good reminder of a way to switch up your lead playing away from just running through scale patterns and shapes. We'll expound on this further over the next couple issues.
Practice Idea from Julian Lage
Guest post by Darren Rodney
I took a private lesson with Julian Lage once and he gave me some great advice when it comes to practicing improvisation.
He said to take something to improvise over, whatever it may be - a set of chord changes, a one key modal jam, whatever.... And don't stop improvising for as long as you can. Go for at least 45 minutes or more. I know, it sounds nuts.
He said what will happen, is that at some point (whether it's 10 minutes, 15 minutes, or longer), you're going to run out of all the ideas you are used to playing. You'll exhaust all the stuff you're comfortable with and feel at home in.
And once you are out of all those ideas - and you can't keep repeating yourself for an hour, which would be worthless, you will be forced to come up with new ideas.
You won't have any crutches, and that's when you can be truly creative.
Now a lot of your playing at that point might sound terrible, but you will grow as a player. You'll have to find different rhythmic ideas, or simplify things and maybe leave a lot more space etc.. All kinds of new ideas will start to develop.
I think we all feel we need to learn more stuff, more scales, more arpeggios etc… to have new ideas. That we forget there’s an infinite amount of things you can do in different ways with the tools you already have.
And you will start to feel more comfortable taking risks and not just playing the same old licks. It's helped me a lot (albeit frustrating at times). Try it and see what happens!
Gear Showcase
Gretsch Players Edition Jet
While Gretsch might be best known for their big-body guitars & rockabilly twang, the Jet sits more in the Les Paul area - but still with a sound that is uniquely Gretsch.
Gretsch makes a variety of Jet models at different price points (including in their Electromatic line), today, we’re taking a look at their top-end made-in Japan Players Edition model.
While it might not look like a semi hollow guitar at first glance, the Gretsch Players Edition Jet features a chambered (semi hollow) body, making it lightweight and giving it a bit more of an airy tone that you usually get with this style guitar.
Offered with either a Bigbsy tremolo or hardtail, the Gretsch Players Edition Jet features a mahogany body with an arched maple top - giving it a rich and dynamic tone.
The Tim Shaw-designed Broad'Tron pickups give you powerful mids, extended lows, and a clear high-end, without losing the unique sound Gretsch is famous for.
Key Features:
- Broad'Tron BT65 Humbucker pickups
- Individual control knobs for Neck Volume, Bridge Volume, Tone, and Master Volume
- Master volume control with treble bleed
- Low profile set neck
- Locking Tuners
- Graph Tech® TUSQ XL nut
- Scale: 24.6"
- Fretboard radius: 12"
- 22 medium-jumbo frets
- Ebony Fretboard
- Made in Japan
Check out the Gretsch Players Edition Jet | YouTube Demo
Guitarist Spotlight
Dotan 'Tane' Bergman
Dotan ‘Tane’ Bergman is a soulful and inspiring guitarist, music producer, beat maker, and producer, based in Brooklyn, NY.
Bergman blends modern and vintage sounds, combining neo-soul flare with 60's and 70's funk and jazz.
Dotan creates some real interesting and sultry grooves - often built around soulful guitar melodies, that grab your attention and leave you wanting more.
While Bergman has released a bunch of full songs on streaming services, he has a bit of a different career path as most other guitarists featured here, in that his focus is on making and selling beats and sample packs for other artists to build songs out of.
Creating sample packs and beats can be a good way for guitar players supplement their income, and Dotan Bergman is good example of how to do it well, focusing on building his personal brand (in addition to creating great music).
In addition to standing out in the beat/sample pack world, Dotan is a great follow on Instagram, where he’s built a following showing his recording and beat creation process. He posts content that other guitar players and musicians can learn from, regardless of whether you’re creating your own songs or interested in selling samples.
Key Gear:
- Fender Stratocaster
- Dangelico DC Excel
- Fender Telecaster
- Fender Precision Bass
- Fender Blues Jr amp
Check out Dotan 'Tane' Bergman: Sample Packs | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok
🎸 Trending
- D'Angelico released a pair of Sweetwater exclusives; the Premier DC XT and Premier Mini DC XT. The XT models feature premium upgrades like Supro Bolt Bucker pickups, new finishes, and stainless steel frets.
- Fender added some new options to its Mod Shop, including a chambered ash Stratocaster body in white blonde, a maple Deep C neck with block inlays, American Vintage II 1957 Strat pickups.
- The Guitar Nerds podcast did a roundup of the 2024 London International Guitar Show.
- Rick Beato posted an interesting video talking about whether aging affects a musicians ability to write and improvise music.
- Michael Palmisano dove into what made Phil Lesh (who passed away on October 25th) so great. Phil of course played Bass Guitar, but there are some good takeaways for guitar players about fitting into a groove.
Currently spinning in the office
Scary Goldings: IV
Scary Goldings is a collaboration between organist Larry Goldings and the L.A. band Scary Pockets (guitarist Ryan Lerman and keyboardist Jack Conte, joined by a rotating roster of L.A. session musicians). IV features John Scofield on 6 tracks..and it rips.
