South African Music Magazine
Recently there has been an unusual synergy between two unlikely pairings, Jackson Guitars have commissioned certain models from their range to be adorned with the face and body of one of America’s top porn stars – a certain Miss Jenna Jameson. Presumably this unlikely collaboration stems from the fact that on most young hot blooded Read More »
The Alesis DM5 Pro Kit is a complete high quality electronic drum kit. It delivers professional sound and familiar, comfortable playability thanks to durable, real drum heads. The DM5 Pro’s quick setup and easy portability are complemented by a versatile sound selection. With the DM5 Pro Kit, drummers can practice quietly with headphones, or get Read More »
IT took 40 years of Randall Smith’s experience designing high-performance tube amps to get this much TONE under one roof and keep it easy to dial. More than a collection of amplifiers, the MARK FIVE™ is a living history of MESA’s® contributions and a tribute to the evolution of electric guitar tone. They’re all here: Read More »
“The art of building stringed instruments is a highly romantic tradition…” Some may not recognise his name, but if you scroll through Mervyn Davis’ Facebook page, you’ll note it reads almost like a who’s who of South African live music. Mervyn found his vocation as a young boy, enchanted by the story about his father, who, while Read More »
“The Tube Tamer does exactly what it should – it allows me to crank my AC15 and get the wonderful chime and creamy drive sounds the amp is famous for…” On Page 24 in this issue I looked at various ways to control the volume of valve guitar amplifiers without sacrificing tone. One of the methods discussed was using a speaker attenuator Read More »
“No, you can’t have one for your bedroom!” THE JOY OF VALVES Like most electric guitarists, I prefer guitar amps that use valves (or “tubes” if you’re American) rather than transistors. We like what valve amps do to the tone of the guitar, the way they colour the sound and enhance it, as well as the Read More »
Techniques for the home studio We continue this month with EQ and compression tips for acoustic guitar. With any acoustic instrument it can be difficult to get the instrument sitting right in the mix while preserving its character and tone, especially if it is a full band mix. A simple acoustic guitar and vocal track Read More »
Welcome to the next instalment of Play Better Guitar. In this issue we carry on from the last instalment dealing with the 5th mode of the major scale, Mixolydian. Here we will learn a basic Mixolydian solo. The rhythm guitar part uses dominant type chords, this piece played with a slow shuffle type rhythm. THEORY: Read More »
”Practicing is the absorption, mastery and maintenance of skills, dexterity, sharpness, co-ordination and focus.” One of the most valuable skills you can develop as a musician is practicing. All the great bass players I know spend many hours over many years in the practice room. Whenever they get a chance they practice. Practicing is the absorption, Read More »
“…it’s a simple case of ‘you get what you pay for’ as it offers more in the areas of sound quality and features than any cheaper delay.” TC Electronic have long been known for the quality of their rackmount delay units, with the TC 2290 being the industry standard delay found in every good studio around the world. The Read More »
