Back To The Musical Future
By: Nora Sell
Guitar Heros
Everyone knows Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton , and Eddie VanHalen . These are the rock guitar gods. But, are they the best? Well that depends on your taste for guitar styles. There are all different ways to play guitar. There is strumming, flat picking, country blues, and Celtic style. But the style that I find fascinating is Finger Style. Mr. Kimmel told me that Chet Atkins is the greatest picker of all time. But I got news for him ........
Andy McKee: Finger Pickin' Good
Have you ever felt that you wanted to give up on something , that meant more than anything? Well Andy McKee had the same problem many many times he wanted to give up in guitar! If he didn't ever play guitar, I wouldn't be playing guitar to this very day. Because he has inspired me, to never give up on anything that makes me happy. When he got older and kept practicing and practicing each day , he was able to do this ..........
Andy McKee - Africa
Andy's Angelic Instrument
Andy McKee plays many many different kinds of instruments. But the weirdest looking of them all is the Harpguitar. This instrument looks like a guitar, but with a long harp coming from of the top of the body. This rock and jazz instrument is described as a " Alligator opening its mouth (human fights back). This video is of Andy McKee playing this big beauty. That hole on the top of the harp, is the sound hole for the harp.
Andy McKee - Into the Ocean - www.candyrat.com
Finger style
Andy McKee has a long row of medals that he has won for his, Percussion Fingerstyle. This peticular finger style goes like this, he presses his fingers on the neck of the guitar and pats his guitar and claps. He also takes his fingers off of the neck and places it back the positioned a chord. There fore the music runs inside the guitar and comes out of the sound hole as a vibrating sound! There is no strumming on the guitar demonstrated on the body , only on the neck. So basically there is two instruments on the guitar and that is drum and string. Just so you know , for finger style your fingers get pretty strong and I'm not even kidding. This diagram below will help you know which parts I am talking about.
Capo captain
This is a capo. It looks like an alligator opening its mouth. It helps you keep your voice in tune with the guitar . I know some of you are going to say " I don't sing " , well let me tell you this say: You go to your ........ Friends or Relatives for a birthday and as your starting somebody chants : " Sing Sing Sing " . So you start your beginning of happy birthday, and then you start with a schreech low bleching out out of tune voice . And that is because you don't have your handy little capo . The reason you need a capo is because our voice has little things that run to our brain . Which goes back to the voice making it match the perfect tune . In other words you voice is smart ! And your voice is made to listen to your brain. In other words your voice is almost as smart as your brain!
Muscle Memory
Muscle Memory is a thing that all beginners start off with . It is basically remembering where to put your fingers for all these little things called notes . Notes are 1 string at a time , you press on it with 1 finger . If the note says 3rd finger 3rd fret you put your fingers there and push as hard as you can and strum . Muscle Memory makes your fingers tough and full of blisters it's good stuff , but it comes in handy . For example, say your at school and some big bully comes up to you and pushes you around . Then you can flex your hand and use the force on them .
Spider Fingers
Spider Fingers is also an exercise to get you ready for real guitar , just like a spider creeps towards you , spider fingers go up and down on your neck of the guitar . You go on the 1st string and put your first finger on the first fret . You do that all the way through 4 th finger 4 th fret 1 st string . And do all the same through all of the strings .
Fun facts
(1). Andy McKee is on iTunes with over 11 remakes of songs
(2). He grew up with nothing much less than a thousand
(3). His first album sold was Nocturne over 1,000,000,000 copies were sold
(4). He has toured with over 100 people and each of them were close to his heart
(5). He has been married to his lovely wife Christine .
Still working
If you are a beginner with anything . Let me tell you this if I were , Andy I would tell you with my sweet low voice , scratching my beard with long fingernails that : " Where ever you are , you can make a difference in everything , find something you don't normally do . And embrace it . You know it will be hard , but if you really love it , then put effort in it . You can make a difference in the world ".