Guitarz Forever Blog

"The Guitarz Forever Blog keeps you up-to-date with all additions and changes to the guitarz-for-ever.com Web site. Check it out Below."

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Jul 5, 2008, BumbleFoot

BumbleFoot

Jul 2, 2008, Creating Backing Tracks

Creating Backing Tracks

Jul 1, 2008, Dunlop Zakk Wylde Wah effects

Dunlop Zakk Wylde Wah effects

Jun 25, 2008, Guitar Accessories Help

Guitar Accessories Help

Jun 22, 2008, The New Rockin Metal Revival Show

The New Rockin Metal Revival Show

Jun 22, 2008, Angus Young and His Gibson SG

Angus Young and His Gibson SG

Jun 22, 2008, JP Cervoni Blues and Beyond PreRelease CD Orders

JP Cervoni Blues and Beyond PreRelease CD Orders

Jun 19, 2008, How to organize a vast amount of musical information

How to organize a vast amount of musical information

Jun 17, 2008, Bruce Springsteen and Writing Music

Bruce Springsteen and Writing Music

Jun 6, 2008, Press Release: ESP Guitars’ Clinician Prashant Aswani confirms his appearance at CMI Frontrunner 2008

ESP Guitars’ Clinician Prashant Aswani is appearing at Frontrunner 2008 in Melbourne Australia. Prashant will be performing 8 clinics showing new ESP product. In addition to his clinics, Prashant will be performing with Australia’s number one guitarist Brett Garsed.

Prashant has recently finished producing George Lynch’s Instructional DVD’s for Hal Leonard entitled, “Wicked Riffs” and “Scary Licks”. In addition, Prashant’s new album “Grey Matter” will be released in September 2008.

Confirmed dates for Frontrunner - More at:

http://www.myspace.com/prashantaswani

http://www.youtube.com/prashantaswani

http://www.cmi.com.au/about_cmi.html

Prashant Aswani Jammin' at the ESP Stage Namm 2008

Brett Garsed - Melody

Both available to play on tracks/demos via the internet. No project too large or small!

Jun 3, 2008, Guitarist Tim Gibson

Guitarist Tim Gibson

May 23, 2008, Guitarist Katrina Johansson

Guitarist Katrina Johansson

May 19, 2008, Healthy Guitar Tone

Healthy Guitar Tone

May 10, 2008, Riff Of The Week™

Riff Of The Week™ Since 2005

got riffs?™ Hats, T-shirts & new PickPads™ at www.daveweiner.com/store

Hi, I'm Dave Weiner. I'm a Favored Nations recording artist, a G.I.T. graduate and have been playing in Steve Vai's band since 1999.

Every Wednesday I do a new Riff Of The Week™ guitar education video. Here's Season 3, Episode 15 "The Modes: Ionian"

Don't forget to view the tab, listen to the audio clips and download the backing tracks (when applicable) for this ROTW at: www.daveweiner.com/rotw.

You can find Hi-RES HD versions of this video at riffoftheweek.com or by subscribing (for free) to the ROTW podcast in ITunes (search Dave Weiner).

Interested in my music? My first cd "Shove The Sun Aside" is available on iTunes, Amazon and at www.daveweiner.com/store

Like this lesson? Want to learn more? How about a live, one on one, internet guitar lesson with me? www.daveweiner.com/lessons

Got a suggestion for a ROTW? Email it to rotw@daveweiner.com

Thanks for visiting. Enjoy!

May 8, 2008, Marketing Mind Check - Part 2

Marketing Mind Check

Before launching into the market plan, and just in case the above list doesn’t fully resonate with where you are curently, here are some key questions to ask yourself at this important juncture:

___ Have you analyzed the total market for your product or service (that is, your primary, secondary and referral markets)? Do you know which features of your product or service will appeal to different market segments?

___ In forming your marketing message, have you fully described how your product or service will benefit your customers?

___ Have you prepared a pricing schedule? What kinds of discounts do you offer, and to whom do you offer them?

___ Have you decided which media you will use in your marketing campaign?

___ What will the role of the internet be in your marketing?

___ Have you planned any special sales promotions?

___ Do your marketing materials mention any optional accessories or added services that consumers might want to purchase?

___ What type of customer service or support do you offer after the sale?

___ Have you obtained all necessary paperwork and metadata (if applicable) you need?

___ Is your packaging likely to appeal to your target market? Have you created different packaging for different markets?

___ If your product is one you can patent, have you done so?

___ How will you distribute your product?

___ Can your product or service be digitized, and what kinds of new challenges does this present?

___ Have you prepared job descriptions and operaton plans for all of the employees, contractors and interns needed to carry out your marketing plans?

Once you’ve answered the above to your satisfaction, you can feel free to move on to writing your plan.

First, some cautions about plans:

• Plans are provisional documents and not the final word – they are always in “draft” form. Plans are maps to help get you to your destination in the most costeffective way possible. Maps, however, are not the territory; therefore,

• Plans should be flexible so they can adapt to shifting circumstances – ongoing plan review is normal and crucial to undertake at least once every two weeks normally, and every day during a campaign.

May 1, 2008, Dave Weiner Debut CD Review

Dave Weiner Debut CD Review

Apr 27, 2008, Mapping Out Your Marketing Plan pt. 1

Mapping Out Your Marketing Plan(s)

“It’s never too late – in fiction or in life – to revise.” – Nancy Thayer

This is your opportunity to braid together all the different strands of marketing. After reading through this topic, you are now in the enviable position of understanding the key foundations of successfully marketing your music products and services.

You now:

• understand the essence of marketing;

• discern the important trends affecting your industry;

• have taken stock of your skills, values and priorities;

• clarified, set and wrote down goals for yourself and your products;

• figured out your compelling desires, your inner and outer resources, And the opportunities currently presenting themselves to you;

• explored and evaluated possible niches for your product or service;

• identified and articulated your own unique market niche;

• developed a preliminary budget for reaching your market;

• explored the various inlets and outlets for what you’re marketing; and

• inventoried the best possible routes for reaching your niche market.

Apr 25, 2008, Greg Marra CD Review Collective Disorder

Greg Marra CD Review Collective Disorder

Apr 23, 2008, Music Reviews

Music Reviews

Apr 19, 2008, Top Ten Rock Riffs

Top Ten Rock Riffs

Apr 13, 2008, Album Review Broken Teeth Electric

Album Review Broken Teeth Electric, jason macmaster, dangerous toys, austin texas, ac-dc,

Apr 6, 2008, Ideas For Your "About Me/Us" Page - part 1

Ideas For Your "About Me/Us" Page

Whenever I visit a website for the first time, I head straight to the "About Me" or "About Us" page. I want to meet the person whose site I'm visiting.

It's like checking a book's dust jacket for a photo and bio of the author. You want to establish a connection in your mind between the information and the person who created it.

But if the website doesn't have an About page (or if it contains just an official statement about the website or products) I'm disappointed. Who's providing the information in this site? What makes this particular publisher an authority on this topic? Do I have anything in common with him/her?

Also, I have more confidence in the trustworthiness of the site if there appears to be a real person (or people) behind it, not just an invisible publisher.

Building this bond of connection and trust with your audience is a key element in selling anything, online or offline. People rarely buy from or return to the website of someone they don't know or don't trust. Your audience wants to meet you first.

Apr 5, 2008, How Record Companies Make Money

How Record Companies Make Money By Diane Rapaport

Record companies make money by selling recordings. It is a high-risk business. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), approximately 90% of the records that are released by major recording labels fail to make a profit.

Independent labels have to be more careful in their choices and in their allocation of expenses because they do not have the resources to cover many failures. However, they can make and promote records for far lower costs than major labels and be profitable with far fewer sales.

The budgets for making and selling recordings are tied to what labels estimate they will sell. Knowing how many recordings might be sold makes it possible to budget recording costs. Most profitable labels have histories of selling and promoting that enable them to estimate gross income.

Read On...

Mar 31, 2008, Create an Umbrella Concept with your Marketing

This may help answer some of questions about being an artist who is excellent at several things and to sell you in such away that people will stand up and take even more notice of you and your talents.

Food for Thought:

Your customers, friends, relatives and colleagues are constantly providing you with clues to where you truly shine. Following these clues can help you to focus on how you can use your unique assets. Listen to their compliments, what they spontaneously praise you for, what they say when they brag about you. Don’t slough these comments off. Note them and recognize that these things are the very things you want to become known for, the very things that will draw business to you.

Create an Umbrella Concept. Sometimes it’s not possible to earn a fulltime living doing a particular business. There may not be enough demand for what you want to offer, or you may live in an area where there aren’t enough people to support such a business full-time. In this case, you can avoid the problems of being unfocused by providing a variety of closely related services under a unifying umbrella concept.

The secret to creating a successful umbrella concept is providing a cluster of products or services that are clearly related in the minds of those who need the service.

Develop a Hybrid. Some people don’t want to choose among the various things they’re doing, so instead of doing multiple things, they combine the activities they love most into one hybrid business.

Matrixing: The Crossroads Where Niches Lie

There is a tool that is used in many businesses called “matrixing”. It’s a process developed by marketing analysts that provides a formula for finding your niche.

MATRIXING

Your ideal niche will lie at the crossroads where your INTERESTS and RESOURCES intersect with OPPORTUNITIES you have to meet REAL-LIFE NEEDS around you.

• Compelling Desires: the things in life you feel most passionate about, interested in, or concerned for.

• Personal Resources: your background, education, experiences, contacts, and other assets.

• Opportunities: problems, needs, and desires people are willing to pay you to address.

Conclusion: The key is to find overlaps between your interests and passions, your background and experience, and the opportunities you see. Take one interest at a time and try different possibilities.

Mar 26, 2008, Getting Closer To Your Niche

Often people involved in the arts have this concept of what they want to do is to aim for the biggest, most obvious target, and hit it smack in the bull’s eye. That’s success, whatever the particular field is. Of course with everybody else aiming there as well, that makes it very hard to hit.... As Jon Hassell always says, "I prefer to shoot the arrow, and then paint the target around it. You make the niches in which you finally reside.”

To help you decide on the one niche you want to become known for in music, or to just bring clearer focus to the music niche you already identify with, weigh your options by asking yourself:

• Which things do I do best in music?

• Which activities do I enjoy most in music?

• What do I do that people need and appreciate most?

• In what areas do I have the greatest expertise and experience?

• What am I already best known for?

• What do I have the best contacts to do?

• What will people most readily pay me for?

• What involves the least risk?

• What fits best with my lifestyle and personal goals?

• What comes most naturally to me?

• What am I most eager to promote?

If you notice the same activity showing up as an answer over and over again, you’re getting close to understanding what your niche is.

Mar 24, 2008, Eliza Neals CD Review

Eliza Neals CD Review

Mar 18, 2008, Music Marketing and Having a Plan

Music Marketing and Having a Plan

I want to talk with you about Music Marketing and having a plan. The first questions is...what about you is unique?

Figuring this out is a very important step in our process and must be taken very seriously. It’s important to your success and longevity in this crazy freakin’ business. Again, taking our time in creating the right image for you is crucial.

Marketing must eventuate in selling, and it is an absolute truth that unless a start-up business can sell its offering, it will not survive. Getting orders – selling your compositions, recordings, and performance to paying customers is of crucial importance to your new business.

To compete successfully in the music business, then we must follow the strategy that every successful business person uses.

The strategy includes:

Developing a product – in this case, your music service or product;

Locating Clients for your product – I’ll being doing market research

Bringing your product to the marketplace – using sales techniques to convince potential clients to buy your music service or product

“MARKETING” = Communicating so effectively with your market audience that it will want know about you.

Scott

Mar 14, 2008, MySpace for Musicians

I’m sure by now you’ve all heard of the rapidly growing online viral marketing trend that is MySpace. I’m pretty sure even those of you who haven’t used it are hearing the big buzz about it. MySpace has been talked about in the news media quite frequently. If you haven’t heard of it and are really into music, then you must be still listening to cassette tapes or live with your head stuck in the sand.

MySpace is a free site with almost 200 million folks that call MySpace home. It’s a free site comprised of user-created profiles where the community views and shares content in a variety of interactive media (music, video, blogs) and links with others to form “friend” groups, all with powerful results.

MySpace is a virtual hangout comprised of teenagers, urban hipsters, stay-at-home moms, yuppies, bands, business, and entertainers of every stripe. Imagine the force of marketing, advertising, and promotional possibilities that exist in a community of that size and with such a varied demographic.

At this point you may be wondering, if there is so much competition, why should I waste my time? Because not getting into the game is like not getting into the game of life. It is possible to differentiate yourself and break through all the noise. However, it takes consistency, patience, and willingness to devote your time and energy to it.

So please… if you are a musician, you need to educate yourself on the workings of this free site. The artists I manage and promote understand how important it is to have your own MySpace profile.

Remember, the site is free and big money can be made by using it to your full advantage.

Riffmaster

Mar 12, 2008, Winners take Control!

Winners take Control!

Hello Folks out there in Guitar Land… I hope all is well with all of you avid guitar pickers out there. I’ve been very busy myself and as always wish there was more time in each day to get everything needed to be done accomplished. As a guitar player, you will find that your time spent with your axe can become the last thing you are able to do… WRONG!!! If you love playing on your instrument, then you should find more time doing it, PERIOD! If playing your guitar helps you to relax, then this will help you in other areas of your life. Every person on this planet must have something within them that keeps their candle light.

How does “TIME” apply to you? Time applies to everything. What you do with your time is a very big topic, because once you lose it, It can never be recovered. Old man “TIME” is the wisest of all teachers.

There are 168 hours in a week (7x24): Review how you spend your time.

Hours spent working ____________

Hours spent commuting ______________

Hours spent getting ready ______________

Hours spent eating _______________

Hours spent sleeping _______________

Hours spent with family _____________

Hours spent on exercising _______________

Hours spent getting educated ______________

Hours spent relaxing ____________

Can you find 4 to 10 hours a week to spend on your guitar playing? Chances are you can... The question is: Will you?

Make a commitment to spend more time getting better and showing all your family and friends that you take playing on your axe serious. By the way, Checking out and going through Guitarz Forever.com is definitely a great start. What else can you do? Winners take Control!

Peace,

Riffmaster

Mar 10, 2008, Delta Guitar Player Robert Johnson

Delta Guitar Player Robert Johnson

Mar 10, 2008, The Guitar Wheel Review

The Guitar Wheel Review

Feb 26, 2008, Guitar Finger Exercises

Guitar Finger Exercises

Feb 22, 2008, Guitar Chord Construction

Guitar Chord Construction

Feb 19, 2008, Todd Grubbs CD Review

Todd Grubbs CD Review

Feb 17, 2008, guitar facts a glossary of terms

guitar facts a glossary of terms

Feb 15, 2008, Eric Johnsons Fender Strat Model Electric Guitar

Eric Johnsons Fender Strat Model Electric Guitar

Feb 10, 2008, How To Buy A Pawn Shop Guitar The Safe Way

So here are some rules for pawn shop guitaring.

1. Never impulse buy

You see something you like, don't just grab it and run (unless you think you can get away without getting caught). Play the guitar for a while. Put it down and come back in the next few days. See if it still feels the same and has the same appeal as that initial reaction. The last thing that you want to do is to buy a guitar that you loved at the time only to take back to the same pawn shop a few weeks later.

2. Have a goal

This follows on from tip number one. Have a goal as to what type of guitar you are after. By that I mean you should a clear definition of what you want to buy. This will help you avoid the impulse buy, and focus your attention so you don't get distracted by all the shiny things in the shop. Going back to my PRS example, I've been looking for a nice guitar with soap bar style pickups now to round out my collection. Don't by a guitar that you don't need, unless of course it is something exceptional.

3. Play with the knobs and know how a guitar works

The ones on the guitar you dirty fiends. Turn all the knobs, waggle the lead, and flick all the switches. Make sure they all work, and if not, have a rough idea if you can fix it yourself or how much it may cost you. You don't want to spend $100 on a guitar and then have to do $300 worth of work on it.

4. Try some different amps

This is very important. The person running the pawn shop will always plug you into a small Fender combo and crank the reverb. I honestly think that those small combos were designed by Fender exclusively for the pawn shop industry because they make every guitar sound great. So try the guitar with that crappy 15W no name amp as well. It will give you a much better idea on the true sound quality.

5. Don't pay for the case

From my experience, the person who pawns off any decent guitar will have had it in a case, and the case will likely be out the back of the shop. Ask about the case, ask if it is included in the price, and if not ask why not. 75% you'll get the case for free, 20% heavily discounted, and the remaining 5% involves you walking out of the store. They want the sale just a bad as you want to buy the guitar so let them chase you.

Read More... Vega Guitarz

Feb 8, 2008, Singer, Songwriter Dave Grohl

Dave Grohl (born David Eric Grohl; January 14, 1969 in Warren, Ohio) - is a rock musician, who was the drummer of the grunge band Nirvana from 1990 until the band split up in 1994 after frontman Kurt Cobain's suicide...

Read On - Click Link Below

Feb 7, 2008, time signatures

time signatures

Feb 6, 2008, Guitar Players and Endorsements

I caught up with Dave Martone at the NAMM Show a few weeks back and introduced myself to him personally. Martone is one of best independent instrumental guitar players out there today. If you’re a fan of progressive guitar, then Dave’s your man. Dave and I have corresponded... however, never met him. He is definitely a genuinely nice guy. I visited with him briefly while he was setting up for his Digi-Tech Clinic. Wow! I couldn't believe all the gadgets, foot pedals, keyboards and what all else he had... but it looked mind-blowing. Forget the guitar...it would take me years just to learn how to program all the gear he uses. Anyway... check out Dave's article on the topic of endorsements...

Click the link below: