Ed Stacey had his musical beginnings accompanying his father, who was the weekend D.J. at KIKK radio in Houston, Texas. Ed was exposed at an early age to the likes of Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton, Porter Wagoner, and many others. Ed started playing guitar at the age of 12, and shortly afterwards shifted to banjo. Ed has been in the bands of, or played for groups such as “Special Edition” with Joe Diffie, Bill Grant, and Delhia Bell, Timberline Drive, and “You can be a Star” finalists “Union Standard.” When …
Read the full story »A native of California, Jazz Vibraphonist and Composer Tyler Blanton has been welcomed in the New York Jazz scene as a major new musical voice of his generation. Blanton’s original modern jazz compositions imbue a deep sense of swing and melodicism furthered by his improvisational prowess which is rooted in the tradition, but always stretching in the moment.
Gerry Hemingway is a master of extended technique and a pivotal figure in the new music scene. This video is flat-out amazing. It is a piece for solo cymbal. The amount of textures and tones he gets from a single cymbal is mind-blowing. He has more musicianship in his fingernail than most of us could ever hope for. This is some impressive stuff!
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Finding The Sweet Spot: The Secret To Making Any Guitar Sound Its Best.
by Tom Bills
Have you ever noticed how some guitar players can make any guitar, no matter how lousy the guitar might be, sound great? Players like this can also take a great handcrafted guitar and make it truly sing and seem to come alive. Is it just the fact that they are “that good” that makes this happen? I think it has to do with being able to find what I call, “the sweet spot” on any given …