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The Guitar Wheel Review
As I stated in my blog several weeks ago, I went to The NAMM Show back in January and while I was there, I also met up with the very nice people over at Music Master Publishing. Dennis Cheatham, the creator of The Guitar Wheel has developed a new revolutionary tool for understanding music theory. I was at the ESP suite / showroom doing some video taping of Guitar Fusion Ace Prashant Aswani doing clinics and showing off the ESP X-TONE Series Guitars. I bumped into Dennis quite by accident… We started talking about why we were at NAMM and he went on to explain to me who he was and his company Music Master Publishing. I had already heard of The Guitar Wheel, now I’m meeting the inventor and I’ve only been at NAMM 20 minutes max. Wow! Dennis introduced me to his wonderful wife Nancy and then to his son and marketing director Dustin. Dustin takes care of the website and pretty much runs the sales side of the business… Sales, promotions, endorsements, etc. and like his Dad, very entrepreneurial in his mindset. Mr. Cheatham is more into the research and development side of things. The idea of the Guitar Wheel began over 15 years ago as Dennis Cheatham simply began trying to grasp the mystery of music theory. He credits divine inspiration for the design of the Guitar Wheel and his wife, Nancy, for her amazing faith, patience and encouragement. After many years of balancing family life with a passion for the revelatory nature of the Guitar Wheel, he completed the work. The finished product would not have been at all what it is today without the encouragement of family and friends. Music Master Publishing was formed to publish and distribute the Guitar Wheel with inspiration.
So… we exchanged business cards and had a great time watching one of their favorite endorsers Guitarist Tommy Bolan from the band N.Y.C. tear it up with his ESP PB500 guitar. Talk about inspiration… Tommy's playing is loud and aggressive. With his original melodies and incendiary shreds Tommy gives a performance that's just as jaw-dropping to see as it is to hear. A few weeks went by and I contacted Dustin. He promptly got back with me and we got to talking about many topics concerning The Guitar Wheel, promotions, guitarist who endorses his product and music in general. So I asked Dustin if he would send me a Guitar Wheel and I’d give it look-see for me-self… If the Wheel fit my approval and lived up to it’s hype, then I would give it a chance at a possible review. As promised and in quick fashion, Dustin had me a Guitar Wheel in my hands within 48 hours. The first thing I noticed right away was how the product was packed and shipped. So… everything there was satisfactory. Next, I took the Product out of the nicely packaged envelope and noticed that everything was packed neatly into a clear reusable sleeve. This keeps the folder with printed instructions and Wheel protected from outside elements when not in use. The nicely printed 4 page how-to brochure also helps protect The Guitar Wheel. The actual wheel is 9 ½ inches by 8 ¼ inches, weighs 2 oz, and is only 1 mm. thick. It is made of flexible transparent plastic front and back with an opaque card that spins in the middle. The transparent area allows notes to be seen rotating from key to key. When I first looked at it, the wheel resembled an ancient Aztec artifact – an astronomical seasonal calendar wheel or an engineering tool. It is very colorful with a lot of information that was Greek to me. So… I took my time and several short sessions of looking at it, and I figured most of it out without using the manual. Then when I did use the short instructions in the folder and enclosed DVD, and website, it further enhanced my experience. The Guitar Wheel comes with a nice full color 2 page sheet showing you the basics of how to operate and view the information presented to you. The DVD is very well produced and informative… just long enough to keep you tuned in. I can definitely use the Guitar Wheel when writing, arranging and knowing exactly which scales and inversions I can use to spice up my guitar playing. You can take it anywhere and into any musical situation. I guarantee breaking this thing out at your next jam session will definitely have everyone turning it into a conversation-piece and nothing else will get done. Furthermore, keep your eye on it… you don’t want to get it swiped. It’s that useful!!!
Guitar Side Covers: Diatonic Triads Chord Inversions Chord Formulas Minor 7th Dominant 7th
On the Piano Side the diagrams are adapted differently to apply chords, chord formulas, scales, and scale degrees to the piano and staff. The parallel chromatic scales for all band and orchestra instruments will help in a number of ways: 1) Transpose scales by degrees.
2) See multiple major and minor keys at a time.
3) Find concert pitch.
4) Learn intervals and know the proper spelling of the Major, Minor, Pentatonic and the 6 note Blues scales. Two quick references to be familiar with: The Piano Keyboard (center) spans one octave naming the white and black keys. The Piano Staff displays the names of the notes in the range of Treble and Bass. The product is a bargain for its low cost. Since its launch, the Guitar Wheel has been sold to retail stores and individuals in all 50 states and to over 26nations. You may visit the Guitar Wheel Website or call (707) 552-2991 to order or see what stores carry the Guitar Wheel. Dustin says, “We are currently working on a book which will be distributed with the Guitar Wheel. The book Music Theory with the Guitar Wheel will be fun, and practical; extremely helpful for anyone learning an instrument or wanting an in depth study of music theory.” I give this very helpful educational product an outstanding “10” in all areas… Cost, Usefulness, Durability, Packaging, and last but not least… Customer Service.
The Guitar Wheel
Endorser Guitarist - Tommy Bolan
The Guitar Wheel Official Website where you may check it out and get more information.
Scott Thomas Editor / Owner Guitarz Forever.com
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