http://www.blind-summit.co.uk THE GUITAR PLAYERS COMMUNITY Mon, 21 Feb 2011 09:20:09 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Apologies for the downtime today. We've moved into a fantastic new server thanks to the guys over at http://www.34sp.com. Hopefully nothing has broken in the move, but please let me know if you spot anything that doesn't look right. Secondly, a massive apology for the lack of updates. There are many ... http://www.blind-summit.co.uk/news/new-server Credited as the inventor of the electric guitar, a pioneer of recording techniques, an inductee of the Grammy and Rock 'n' Roll halls of fame; Les Paul was one of the great names in the world of guitars. He was suffering from from severe pneumonia and died at a hospital ... http://www.blind-summit.co.uk/news/passing-of-a-legend-les-paul-dies-age-94 Some of you out there wish to become good at guitar - maybe even great, but to find true enlightenment, you must first take a magic carpet ride to an island far away from here. You will train with a master of the guitar - a sensei of shred. His ... http://www.blind-summit.co.uk/news/interviews/mika-tyyska-an-interview-with-mr-fastfinger Tim Owens has been one of the most important metal vocalists for over a decade. His career has seen him move from small time bands and a tribute act, to replacing Rob Halford in Judas Priest and (more recently) vocals for Yngwie Malmsteen. "The Ripper" has just released is first ... http://www.blind-summit.co.uk/reviews/music-reviews/tim-ripper-owens-play-my-game Many people like to build their own guitars and effects pedals. Getting a high quality finish is important if you want to replicate the look of a factory made guitar or effects pedal. This article will look at a method of getting a nice finish on a DIY homemade effects ... http://www.blind-summit.co.uk/technical/workbench/spray-painting-diy-effects-pedal Years ago, plectums were made of tortoise shell, bone, horn and hooves. Brian May from Queen liked to use a six pence piece as a plectrum. Now, with the aid of a "Pick Punch", you can easily create your own plectrums out of meterials you can find at home! What Is ... http://www.blind-summit.co.uk/news/latest-products/pick-punch-create-your-own-plectrums Green Day releases their eighth studio album, 5 years after the acclaimed 2004 release "American Idiot". The album follows the band's new format of rock opera / pop-punk so you're either going to love it or hate it! Background Since the release of the multi platinum, politically charged "American Idiot" in 2004, ... http://www.blind-summit.co.uk/reviews/music-reviews/green-day-21st-century-breakdown Wrath is the sixth studio album from (New Wave of) American Heavy Metal band Lamb of God. Drummer Chris Adler says that the album "is going to surprise a lot of people". Read on to see what we thought about it. Background Chris Adler has said in an earlier interview (with blabbermouth) ... http://www.blind-summit.co.uk/reviews/music-reviews/lamb-of-god-wrath The first lesson by our latest author Dr.Furqan Ali Shah looks at constructing the major and minor chords. This is a good place to start seriously learning about music theory. What is a Chord? A chord is a set/aggregate of three or more different pitches/notes from a specific key that may or ... http://www.blind-summit.co.uk/guitar-lessons/music-theory/chord-construction-major-and-minor For most guitarists, a tuner is an essential piece of kit. Many of us also like to use a metronome when practicing to help keep good time. Whilst chord books make pretty dull reading, they are useful to quickly look up the odd complex chord. What if you could have ... http://www.blind-summit.co.uk/reviews/product-reviews/guitar-toolkit-iphone-application Getting started with the guitar can be quite daunting. There are thousands of different options out there to choose: guitars, amps and effects. Today we're taking a look at the Roland Micro Cube amp, a small practice amp aimed at beginners and for home practice. What They Say "With the new Micro ... http://www.blind-summit.co.uk/reviews/equipment-reviews/roland-micro-cube If you have ever been to a concert and seen a band play, you will know that feeling you get when they play one of your favourite tracks. It's a total buzz. Terje Sørgjerd is a music photographer from Norway - and he managed to capture that essence of a ... http://www.blind-summit.co.uk/news/great-rock-photographs Crack the Skye is the fourth studio album, released on the 24th March, by American progressive metal band Mastodon. Influenced (in their words) by Tsarist Russia, astral travel, out of body experiences and Stephen Hawking's theories on wormholes. Can it top the success of Blood Mountain? Background Mastodon have been gaining pace ... http://www.blind-summit.co.uk/reviews/music-reviews/mastodon-crack-the-skye We'd like to encourage more people to learn to play the guitar (the one with the frets, not the buttons) and to help you, we've been lucky enough to get a copy of the "Start A Rock Band" video lesson pack from the guys at NextLevelGuitar - grab a real ... http://www.blind-summit.co.uk/reviews/product-reviews/start-a-rock-band-dvd-pack Earthsblood is the fifth studio offering from American heavy metallers God Forbid, released on February 16 in Europe and February 24 in North America. The album is co-produced by ex-Fear Factory bassist / guitarist Christian Olde Wolbers. Brace yourself - it's rather heavy. Background This summer is going to be a one ... http://www.blind-summit.co.uk/reviews/music-reviews/god-forbid-earthsblood Sonisphere is a relativley new rock festival held at Knebworth House in Hertfordshire over the August bank holiday. The lineup this year looks crushingly heavy! Headlining this year are Metallica, Linkin Park, Machine Head and Avenged Sevenfold. This is also the only chance to see these 4 bands play outdoors ... http://www.blind-summit.co.uk/news/events/sonisphere-festival-2009 Guitar fretboards are a mecca for the dirt and grime from your fingers. Washing your hands before playing, and wiping the strings down after playing will help to reduce this, but sometimes you need to give it a proper spring clean. Dunlop has a product just for this purpose. This isn't ... http://www.blind-summit.co.uk/reviews/product-reviews/dunlop-formula-65-lemon-oil Any guitar that's played on a regular basis will accumilate layers of dust and general grime. Fingerprints and other oily residue from fingerprints will tarnish the finish of the guitar. There are many different products on the market, but we are going to take a look at Dunlop's Formula 65 ... http://www.blind-summit.co.uk/reviews/product-reviews/dunlop-65-guitar-polish-cleaner Staying in tune is probably the most fundamental thing to playing a guitar. Boss offeres a number of different tuners, from rack mount, to stomp boxes to hand held tuners for your gig bag. Today we're taking a look at the Boss TU-80. They Say "The BOSS TU-80 brings super-accurate LCD tuning ... http://www.blind-summit.co.uk/reviews/equipment-reviews/boss-tu-80-tuner-metronome The lifespan of a set of guitar strings will vary depending on the brand of strings, the amout they are played, and how much grime and sweat is deposited onto the strings as you are playing. Typically, a nice new set of strings will lose their bright, swishy sound after ... http://www.blind-summit.co.uk/reviews/product-reviews/ghs-fast-fret