If you are like me and many other guitarists, you love playing guitar. You love practicing guitar. However, sometimes your practice sessions may end up being a little.... boring.
While I like keeping my fingers moving, on occasion I find myself, and my students, falling into a rut, practicing the same routines, scales, songs, etc., and not progressing, musically. So I recently set out to put together a series of lesson videos containing ideas that will take you out of your rut, and help you take your playing to the next level.
You can always visit my Youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/adriangalysh for all my various video lessons and performance videos, but I wanted to put all my "Rut Buster" videos in one convenient spot for you...
1. "Setting Goals"
2. "Metronomes and Acoustics"
3. "Phrasing"
4. "Syncopated Phrasing"
5. "Playing With Other Musicians"
6. "Get Out of Your Wheelhouse"
7. "Become a "Well-Listened" Guitarist"
8. "Record Yourself"
9. "The Scale That Will Change Your Life"
Keep an eye out here for more in my series of Rut Busters for Guitarists videos...
I knew I wanted to play guitar when I was about 10 years old. In 4th and fifth grade, I started to really get into music. Under my brother's influence (he listened to metal), I soon found bands like Van Halen, Scorpions, Judas Priest, AC/DC, and Quiet Riot. While other kids were playing with Transformers, Cabbage-patch Kids, and GI Joe, I was buying records, tapes, and making cassette recordings of other albums from anyone/anywhere I could. My neighborhood shopping center had a record store, called "The Turntable", where my mom would drop me off, while she shopped for groceries. I would spend a good hour, once a week, flipping through records, and on the occasion I was able to save up 7 or 8 dollars, buy one.
While the hard rock music of the 80s was exciting, and I enjoyed listening to the bands mentioned above, it wasn't until I heard the Ozzy Osbourne album, "Blizzard of Ozz", that I decided that I had to play guitar. I can still picture the black and brown memorex cassette tape that had the recording of the album, dubbed for me by a friend of the family. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard the guitar solos on songs like Crazy Train, Mr. Crowley, and Revelation (Mother Earth). I think I knew then that I had to do this. If hearing someone else play guitar was this exciting, I had to try it for myself.
I begged my folks for a guitar and for lessons... for two years. It wasn't until I was 12 that they decided that I could take guitar lessons, as long as I took real lessons... on a classical acoustic guitar. This was fine by me, because Randy Rhoads, that guitarist that inspired me via "Blizzard Of Ozz", studied classical guitar too. Randy soon became somewhat of a role model for me.
I credit Randy Rhoads as the reason I started to play guitar. Like many other guitarists, I found his playing exciting, passionate, melodic, and inspiring. The more I read about him (he had already died in a plane crash just 3 years before I discovered him in 1985), the more I found his personal outlook, thirst for knowledge, and kind demeanor even more inspiring. I then began to collect all the Randy Rhoads recordings, magazines, guitar books I could get my hands on. He made me want to become a real, legitimate guitar player. A musician. I had this poster on my wall growing up:
This past December 6th would have been Randy's 55th birthday. His sister's family owns the D'Argenzio Wine brand, and have a tasting room in Burbank, CA. I have lived in LA for 12 years... I visited Randy's grave once about 8 years ago, and have hesitated to visit his mother's music school, Musonia, in Burbank, which is still open and doing business. While I am very curious, I have been hesitant to lurk at the school and interfere with their business. However, this past weekend, the family had a Randy Rhoads wine tasting event for his birthday, at their tasting room in town. Being a "wine guy" and Randy Rhoads fan, I had to go.
My wife and I drove out early on a Friday, and arrived at about 5:30. We did a wine tasting flight, including the "Randy Rhoads Cabernet", which was good. The wine room had Ozzy's "Tribute" album on in the background... on vinyl... playing on a record player - very cool. Randy's sister, Kathy was on hand to greet visitors, and we spoke briefly about the Tribute album and the photos therein. Randy's brother in law, Ricci, gave us a tour of the facility, we talked wine for a bit, and then he showed us some Randy Rhoads memorabilia they have there. I asked about Randy's mother, Delores. He says she is 92 years old, and while she is "all there", has a harder time getting around these days.
Memorabilia included a number of photos, Randy's signature polka-dot bow ties, his Gold Record award for Blizzard of Ozz, a pair of shoes, and a few building models he made for his hobby, model trains. A Gibson "Randy Rhoads" Les Paul was also on display... I want one :-)
The photos (above/right) were on display at the wine tasting, and were taken by famed rock photographer Neil Zlozower. I got to know Neil while working at SWR Amp Co. a number of years ago, where we worked on some photo sessions for some product ads. We became quick friends, having very similar taste in music, and I really admire his work and the musical history he has witnessed. The first time I ever visited Neil's photo studio, I was looking around, and saw a bunch of photo slides on top of a light table. Taking a peak at some of the slides, I found one of the poster of Randy Rhoads that used to hang in my bedroom. There it was, the actual photo from which the poster came. I couldn't believe it. I stared at this poster every day as a kid, dreaming of playing guitar professionally, and now Neil takes my photos. Unreal. While I was looking up some of Zlozower's Randy photos online, I found this (both taken by Neil):
Cold Spring, NY - The result of 20 years of state-of-the-art electric guitar research and design combined with their long time relationship with Los Angeles guitarist, Adrian Galysh, iGuitar Workshop / Brian Moore Guitars debuts the “Adrian Galysh Signature” C-90F electric guitar. Company president, Patrick Cummings, said, """Adrian has been making our guitars sound great for over 10 years, we are very pleased to honor him with this signature model."
The “Adrian Galysh Signature” model guitar has Brian Moore Guitars’ patented comfort contoured body and innovative rear output jack combined with Galysh’s preferred asthetics and features, which are reflected in its spectacular satin finished spalted maple top and mohaghany back, Seymour Duncan pickups, Floyd Rose locking tremolo, and gold hardware (including the pickup pole pieces!).
Instrumental rock guitarist, music educator, and recording session ace, Galysh professes, ”M”My guitar is like a paint brush, and I want to take the listener on a colorful journey. I need to be able to have a large pallet of tones to work with. My Brian Moore “Adrian Galysh Signature" guitar does this.”
And a large pallet of tones it has indeed. Featuring a 7-way “super switch”, the “Adrian Galysh Signature” guitar lets players select seven different pick up combinations, giving players access to classic single coil and humbucking tones.
Features and specs:
• Adrian Galysh Signature Headstock
• Comfort Contoured Mahogany body
• Spalted maple top with Satin finish
• 22 fret Maple neck 25.5" scale, 15" radius
• Rosewood fingerboard • 6105 Frets
• Matching Sculpted Headstock • Abalone "M" logo
• Seymour Duncan Alnico II neck
• Seymour Duncan JB bridge
• Floyd Rose tremelo
• Gold Hardware • Sperzel locking tuners
• Available left handed at no extra charge
Available factory direct, and customizable with optional left handed model, piezo pickup, and 13 pin synth access.
