Michael Rays's Blog
July 22, 2015
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March 24, 2015
New Ebook! Guitar Odyssey 2: Talkin' DirtyI
I am happy to announce the release of my second ebook, "Guitar Odyssey 2: Talkin' Dirty."
In this rocksolography (a practice-journal-but-so-much-more), I record my progress as I learn C.C. DeVille's guitar solo on Poison's "Talk Dirty To Me." I also take several side-roads into music theory, rock trivia and, of course, poetry.
GO2 sells for $2.99 and is available at:
Smashwords
Amazon
Kobo
iBooks
BN
I hope you enjoy it!
-Michael Rays
In this rocksolography (a practice-journal-but-so-much-more), I record my progress as I learn C.C. DeVille's guitar solo on Poison's "Talk Dirty To Me." I also take several side-roads into music theory, rock trivia and, of course, poetry.
GO2 sells for $2.99 and is available at:
Smashwords
Amazon
Kobo
iBooks
BN
I hope you enjoy it!
-Michael Rays
March 5, 2015
New Invention! Guitar Player's Caddy
Improve the feng shui of your practice area. BEHOLD the DIY Guitar Player's Caddy!
Here's the how-to video:
Here's the how-to video:
February 6, 2015
Zodiac Symbols for Guitar Players
The Chinese New Year begins February 19th, 2015. The Year of the Horse will end, and the Year of the Goat will begin.
The twelve Chinese zodiac symbols are all animals (pig, rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog). Since everything in the universe is related to the guitar, I got to thinking: what would be some good zodiac symbols for guitar players?
After 17 minutes of deep contemplation, here now is my list and 12-year calendar cycle of
Zodiac Symbols for Guitar Players:
2015: Year of the Arpeggio
2016: Year of the Riff
2017: Year of the Chord
2018: Year of the Amp
2019: Year of the Mode
2020: Year of the Effect
2021: Year of the Blues
2022: Year of the Nonstandard Tuning
2023: Year of the Phrase
2024: Year of the Fingerstyle
2025: Year of the Scale
2026: Year of the Tone
All right--let's get out there are hit those arpeggios!
The twelve Chinese zodiac symbols are all animals (pig, rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog). Since everything in the universe is related to the guitar, I got to thinking: what would be some good zodiac symbols for guitar players?
After 17 minutes of deep contemplation, here now is my list and 12-year calendar cycle of
Zodiac Symbols for Guitar Players:
2015: Year of the Arpeggio
2016: Year of the Riff
2017: Year of the Chord
2018: Year of the Amp
2019: Year of the Mode
2020: Year of the Effect
2021: Year of the Blues
2022: Year of the Nonstandard Tuning
2023: Year of the Phrase
2024: Year of the Fingerstyle
2025: Year of the Scale
2026: Year of the Tone
All right--let's get out there are hit those arpeggios!
December 29, 2014
Pop! Goes the Theory - 11 Songs Using Only G, C and D Chords
If you know the G, C and D chords, here are 11 songs you can play in their entirety!
NOTE: The last song, "Queen of Hearts," actually has a key change at the end which requires additional chords... but you can still do a nice version with only 3 chords.
Enjoy!
December 26, 2014
BEHOLD: THE ESGATH26G SCALE!
Hi, I'm a 25A2343aerl-rock. What are you?
In the style of personal classified ads (remember those?), I have created the ESGATH26G scale. The ESGATH26G is not a musical scale; rather, it's a shorthand method for guitar players to describe themselves using a string of letters and numbers.
Here is how the ESGATH26G scale works, element by element:
1. E is for Experience. First, are you experienced? This is the number of years you've been playing guitar. Always round up--that way, if you've only played a week, you can still put 1.
2. S is for Status. A or P: Amateur or Professional. If you make a living or partial living playing or teaching guitar, put P. Otherwise, put A.
3. GATH is for Gear, Ability, Theory, History. These four numbers represent, on a scale of 1-5, how much you care about these 4 elements of the guitar universe.
1 = I couldn't care less about this
2 = I care only a little about this
3 = I care but don't obsess about this
4 = This is really important to me
5 = This is a substantial part of my reason for being
Gear: how much you buy, sell, trade, research and fiddle with guitars, amps, pickups, pedals, processors, strings, picks, software, etc.
Ability: technical prowess, tone, rhythm, feel--basically any sound you make
Theory: the workings of chords, scales, modes, inversions, intervals, etc.
History: who played what, who wrote what, who produced what, what inspired whom, who died when, who used what gear, etc.
NOTE: Your self-appointed ratings of 1-5 measure NOT how good you are, but how IMPORTANT these four areas of guitar are to you. A complete beginner could be a 5555 if they plan to become a total guitar junkie. Conversely, a veteran player who has fallen into complete apathy could be a 1111.
4. 26 is for 2-6 letters. The next element contains from 2-6 letters. Include all that apply to you. This section MUST contain at least 2 letters, since all players play either acoustic or electric (or both); and rhythm or lead (or both).
a = you play acoustic
e = you play electric
r = you play rhythm
l = you play lead
t = you are a guitar teacher (whether paid or not)
p = you perform with a guitar (whether paid or not)
5. G is for Genre. The final element is a dash followed by the genre of music you play most: rock, blues, jazz, metal, country, flamenco, etc.
So, revisiting my own self-description, 25A2343aerl-rock, we see that I have played for 25 years. I'm an amateur. I care only a little about gear, more so about ability and history, and quite a bit about theory. I play acoustic, electric, rhythm and lead. I am not a performer or a teacher, and I play mostly rock. See? It's like you've known me all your life!
The ESGATH26G scale is fluid and can change as you go through different phases of your guitar life.
So... what are YOU?
In the style of personal classified ads (remember those?), I have created the ESGATH26G scale. The ESGATH26G is not a musical scale; rather, it's a shorthand method for guitar players to describe themselves using a string of letters and numbers.
Here is how the ESGATH26G scale works, element by element:
1. E is for Experience. First, are you experienced? This is the number of years you've been playing guitar. Always round up--that way, if you've only played a week, you can still put 1.
2. S is for Status. A or P: Amateur or Professional. If you make a living or partial living playing or teaching guitar, put P. Otherwise, put A.
3. GATH is for Gear, Ability, Theory, History. These four numbers represent, on a scale of 1-5, how much you care about these 4 elements of the guitar universe.
1 = I couldn't care less about this
2 = I care only a little about this
3 = I care but don't obsess about this
4 = This is really important to me
5 = This is a substantial part of my reason for being
Gear: how much you buy, sell, trade, research and fiddle with guitars, amps, pickups, pedals, processors, strings, picks, software, etc.
Ability: technical prowess, tone, rhythm, feel--basically any sound you make
Theory: the workings of chords, scales, modes, inversions, intervals, etc.
History: who played what, who wrote what, who produced what, what inspired whom, who died when, who used what gear, etc.
NOTE: Your self-appointed ratings of 1-5 measure NOT how good you are, but how IMPORTANT these four areas of guitar are to you. A complete beginner could be a 5555 if they plan to become a total guitar junkie. Conversely, a veteran player who has fallen into complete apathy could be a 1111.
4. 26 is for 2-6 letters. The next element contains from 2-6 letters. Include all that apply to you. This section MUST contain at least 2 letters, since all players play either acoustic or electric (or both); and rhythm or lead (or both).
a = you play acoustic
e = you play electric
r = you play rhythm
l = you play lead
t = you are a guitar teacher (whether paid or not)
p = you perform with a guitar (whether paid or not)
5. G is for Genre. The final element is a dash followed by the genre of music you play most: rock, blues, jazz, metal, country, flamenco, etc.
So, revisiting my own self-description, 25A2343aerl-rock, we see that I have played for 25 years. I'm an amateur. I care only a little about gear, more so about ability and history, and quite a bit about theory. I play acoustic, electric, rhythm and lead. I am not a performer or a teacher, and I play mostly rock. See? It's like you've known me all your life!
The ESGATH26G scale is fluid and can change as you go through different phases of your guitar life.
So... what are YOU?
December 13, 2014
The Best Guitar-Driven #1 Hit Is...
Guitar is a cornerstone of rock, but what about pop? Specifically, what about the pinnacle of pop: a Billboard Number One Hit? Using one my favorite reference books--Joel Whitburn’s “The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits”--as well as some Wikipedia lists, I looked at the many #1 hits over the years, from 1955 (when the Billboard “rock era” began) up to 1992, after which guitar in a #1 hit song basically fell off the face of the earth.
Here are my top #1 hits featuring some kind of nice guitar work from each year. I list the song, the artist and the guitar player (when known).
At the end, I whittle the winners down and choose an overall champion--you know, just for fun!
1955“Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley and His Comets (Danny Cedrone)
1956“Heartbreak Hotel” by Elvis Presley (Scotty Moore)(Note: Chet Atkins on acoustic and Floyd Cramer on piano!)
1957“That’ll Be The Day” by the Crickets (Buddy Holly)
1958“Bird Dog” by the Everly Brothers (Don and Phil Everly)
1959“Sleep Walk” by Santo & Johnny (Santo Farina--lap steel guitar)
1960“El Paso” by Marty Robbins (Grady Martin)
1961“Tossin’ and Turnin’” by Bobby Lewis (Ritchie Adams and Eric Gale)
1962“Peppermint Twist” by Joey Dee & The Starliters (Unknown)
1963“Walk Right In” by the Rooftop Singers (Bill Svanoe)
1964 “I Feel Fine” by The Beatles (John Lennon main riff, George Harrison solo)
1965 “Hang On Sloopy” by the McCoys (Rick Derringer)
1966“Wild Thing” by the Troggs (Chris Britton)
1967“Light My Fire” by the Doors (Robby Krieger)
1968“Tighten Up” by Archie Bell & the Drells (Cal Thomas of the TSU Toronadoes, who on this song were the backing band for AB&D, a vocal group)
1969“Crimson and Clover” by Tommy James & The Shondells (Tommy James)
1970“American Woman” by the Guess Who (Randy Bachman)
1971“Want Ads” by Honey Cone (Unknown)Runners-up: Me and Bobby McGee, Brown Sugar, You’ve Got A Friend, Maggie May, Theme from Shaft, Family Affair
1972“A Horse With No Name” by America (One or more of Dewey Bunnell, Dan Peek, and Gerry Beckley)Runner-up: Heart of Gold
1973“Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)” by George HarrisonRunner-up: Frankenstein
1974“Sundown” by Gordon Lightfoot (Terry Clements)Runners-up: The Joker, You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet
1975“One Of These Nights” by the Eagles (Bernie Leadon rhythm, Don Felder lead)Runners-up: Pick Up the Pieces, Let’s Do It Again, Black Water, Thank God I’m A Country Boy, Sister Golden Hair, Jive Talkin’, Shining Star
1976“Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry (Bryan Bassett)Runners-up: Rollercoaster of Love, You Should Be Dancing, Rock’n Me, December 1963
1977“Hotel California” by the Eagles (Don Felder and Joe Walsh)Runner-up: Southern Nights
1978“Le Freak” by Chic (Nile Rodgers)Runner-up: Night Fever
1979“My Sharona” by The Knack (Berton Averre)Runner-up: Love You Inside Out
1980“Another Brick In the Wall (Part II)” by Pink Floyd (David Gilmour)Runner-up: Crazy Little Thing Called Love
1981“Keep On Loving You” by REO Speedwagon (Gary Richrath)
1982“I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts (Ricky Byrd)
1983“Beat It” by Michael Jackson (Eddie Van Halen)Runner-up: “Let’s Dance” by David Bowie (SRV)
1984“Jump” by Van Halen (Eddie Van Halen)
1985“Money for Nothing” by Dire Straits (Mark Knopfler)
1986“Kiss” by Prince
1987“Faith” by George Michael
1988“Sweet Child o’ Mine” by Guns ‘n’ Roses (Slash)
1989“Every Rose Has Its Thorn” by Poison (C.C. DeVille)
1990“Blaze of Glory” by Bon Jovi (Richie Sambora)
1991“More Than Words” by Extreme (Nuno Bettencourt)
1992“To Be With You” by Mr. Big (Paul Gilbert)
Champions by Decade (Warning: highly subjective)50s: “Rock Around the Clock” (Danny Cedrone)60s: “Light My Fire” (Robby Krieger)70s: “My Sharona” (Berton Averre)80s: “Another Brick In the Wall (Part II)” (David Gilmour by a whisker over EVH)90s: “More Than Words” (Nuno Bettencourt)
Top 3 (Warning: brutally subjective)Cedrone, Averre, Gilmour
And the final standingsBronze: CedroneSilver: GilmourGold: Averre
There we have it! “My Sharona” is the king of guitar-driven #1 pop songs, with Gilmour and Cedrone close behind. I hope you have enjoyed this six-string trip down memory lane!
Here are my top #1 hits featuring some kind of nice guitar work from each year. I list the song, the artist and the guitar player (when known).
At the end, I whittle the winners down and choose an overall champion--you know, just for fun!
1955“Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley and His Comets (Danny Cedrone)
1956“Heartbreak Hotel” by Elvis Presley (Scotty Moore)(Note: Chet Atkins on acoustic and Floyd Cramer on piano!)
1957“That’ll Be The Day” by the Crickets (Buddy Holly)
1958“Bird Dog” by the Everly Brothers (Don and Phil Everly)
1959“Sleep Walk” by Santo & Johnny (Santo Farina--lap steel guitar)
1960“El Paso” by Marty Robbins (Grady Martin)
1961“Tossin’ and Turnin’” by Bobby Lewis (Ritchie Adams and Eric Gale)
1962“Peppermint Twist” by Joey Dee & The Starliters (Unknown)
1963“Walk Right In” by the Rooftop Singers (Bill Svanoe)
1964 “I Feel Fine” by The Beatles (John Lennon main riff, George Harrison solo)
1965 “Hang On Sloopy” by the McCoys (Rick Derringer)
1966“Wild Thing” by the Troggs (Chris Britton)
1967“Light My Fire” by the Doors (Robby Krieger)
1968“Tighten Up” by Archie Bell & the Drells (Cal Thomas of the TSU Toronadoes, who on this song were the backing band for AB&D, a vocal group)
1969“Crimson and Clover” by Tommy James & The Shondells (Tommy James)
1970“American Woman” by the Guess Who (Randy Bachman)
1971“Want Ads” by Honey Cone (Unknown)Runners-up: Me and Bobby McGee, Brown Sugar, You’ve Got A Friend, Maggie May, Theme from Shaft, Family Affair
1972“A Horse With No Name” by America (One or more of Dewey Bunnell, Dan Peek, and Gerry Beckley)Runner-up: Heart of Gold
1973“Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)” by George HarrisonRunner-up: Frankenstein
1974“Sundown” by Gordon Lightfoot (Terry Clements)Runners-up: The Joker, You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet
1975“One Of These Nights” by the Eagles (Bernie Leadon rhythm, Don Felder lead)Runners-up: Pick Up the Pieces, Let’s Do It Again, Black Water, Thank God I’m A Country Boy, Sister Golden Hair, Jive Talkin’, Shining Star
1976“Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry (Bryan Bassett)Runners-up: Rollercoaster of Love, You Should Be Dancing, Rock’n Me, December 1963
1977“Hotel California” by the Eagles (Don Felder and Joe Walsh)Runner-up: Southern Nights
1978“Le Freak” by Chic (Nile Rodgers)Runner-up: Night Fever
1979“My Sharona” by The Knack (Berton Averre)Runner-up: Love You Inside Out
1980“Another Brick In the Wall (Part II)” by Pink Floyd (David Gilmour)Runner-up: Crazy Little Thing Called Love
1981“Keep On Loving You” by REO Speedwagon (Gary Richrath)
1982“I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts (Ricky Byrd)
1983“Beat It” by Michael Jackson (Eddie Van Halen)Runner-up: “Let’s Dance” by David Bowie (SRV)
1984“Jump” by Van Halen (Eddie Van Halen)
1985“Money for Nothing” by Dire Straits (Mark Knopfler)
1986“Kiss” by Prince
1987“Faith” by George Michael
1988“Sweet Child o’ Mine” by Guns ‘n’ Roses (Slash)
1989“Every Rose Has Its Thorn” by Poison (C.C. DeVille)
1990“Blaze of Glory” by Bon Jovi (Richie Sambora)
1991“More Than Words” by Extreme (Nuno Bettencourt)
1992“To Be With You” by Mr. Big (Paul Gilbert)
Champions by Decade (Warning: highly subjective)50s: “Rock Around the Clock” (Danny Cedrone)60s: “Light My Fire” (Robby Krieger)70s: “My Sharona” (Berton Averre)80s: “Another Brick In the Wall (Part II)” (David Gilmour by a whisker over EVH)90s: “More Than Words” (Nuno Bettencourt)
Top 3 (Warning: brutally subjective)Cedrone, Averre, Gilmour
And the final standingsBronze: CedroneSilver: GilmourGold: Averre
There we have it! “My Sharona” is the king of guitar-driven #1 pop songs, with Gilmour and Cedrone close behind. I hope you have enjoyed this six-string trip down memory lane!
October 30, 2014
New Poem! Ode to a Metronome
Ode to a Metronome by Michael Rays
Relentless and unfeeling come the clicks
not caring if your wrist is sore today
interrogating as you play each lick:
‘Is timing of the essence when you play?’And though your own hand sets the tempo's pacefrom that point on the little box is kingand should you err, revealing failure's facehis drone, unchecked, inserts an added stingFor any soul can claim to keep a beator tap their foot while playing to impressbut wise ones know they must, to be elite,bow down before this love/hate empressand hear the truth: no piece is good to gountil the metronome declares it so
Relentless and unfeeling come the clicks
not caring if your wrist is sore today
interrogating as you play each lick:
‘Is timing of the essence when you play?’And though your own hand sets the tempo's pacefrom that point on the little box is kingand should you err, revealing failure's facehis drone, unchecked, inserts an added stingFor any soul can claim to keep a beator tap their foot while playing to impressbut wise ones know they must, to be elite,bow down before this love/hate empressand hear the truth: no piece is good to gountil the metronome declares it so
September 3, 2014
New Word! Rocksolography
Having recently self-published the ebook "Guitar Odyssey" and now working on "Guitar Odyssey 2: Talkin' Dirty," I have been faced with a marketing dilemma: What category best describes these books, in which I chronicle my day-to-day efforts to learn a rock solo on the guitar? Rock n Roll? Guitar? Music? Diary? All are sort of right; none is completely right.
What to do? Create a new category--and to do that--create a new word!
ROCKSOLOGRAPHY (rok'-sol-og'-ruh-fee) (noun): a non-fiction book or ebook, usually in diary form, about the process of learning a rock solo; may also feature any digressions the author deems necessary, including rock history, criticism, opinion, meditation, music theory, poetry, and amateur psychoanalysis.
So, there you have it. A rocksolography is a diary about the process of learning a rock solo, plus whatever cats and dogs the author wishes to throw in.
Cheers!
-Michael Rays, Rocksolographer
What to do? Create a new category--and to do that--create a new word!
ROCKSOLOGRAPHY (rok'-sol-og'-ruh-fee) (noun): a non-fiction book or ebook, usually in diary form, about the process of learning a rock solo; may also feature any digressions the author deems necessary, including rock history, criticism, opinion, meditation, music theory, poetry, and amateur psychoanalysis.
So, there you have it. A rocksolography is a diary about the process of learning a rock solo, plus whatever cats and dogs the author wishes to throw in.
Cheers!
-Michael Rays, Rocksolographer
August 13, 2014
Frequency Analysis: ABBA vs the Bee Gees
Behold: the Clash of the Bearded Songwriting Titans! Which of these 70s pop-meisters leaned on which chords to spin their gold? The chart tells all! Cheers to the Brothers Gibb for mixing things up a bit!
ABBA Songs Analyzed: Dancing Queen; Fernando; Knowing Me, Knowing You; Mamma Mia; Money, Money, Money; Name of the Game; Waterloo; Honey Honey; I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do; Hasta Manana.
Bee Gees/Andy Gibb Songs Analyzed: How Deep Is Your Love; How Can You Mend A Broken Heart; Shadow Dancing; I Just Want to Be Your Everything; Night Fever; More Than A Woman; Love You Inside Out; Stayin' Alive; Too Much Heaven; Emotion; Thicker Than Water; An Everlasting Love.
ABBA Songs Analyzed: Dancing Queen; Fernando; Knowing Me, Knowing You; Mamma Mia; Money, Money, Money; Name of the Game; Waterloo; Honey Honey; I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do; Hasta Manana.
Bee Gees/Andy Gibb Songs Analyzed: How Deep Is Your Love; How Can You Mend A Broken Heart; Shadow Dancing; I Just Want to Be Your Everything; Night Fever; More Than A Woman; Love You Inside Out; Stayin' Alive; Too Much Heaven; Emotion; Thicker Than Water; An Everlasting Love.
