Neelesh Vasistha returns to talk about his experiences on the Guitar Higher Diploma course at The Institute. For the last few years TG has sponsored a scholarship at The Institute (formerly ICMP and The Guitar Institute), one of the leading contemporary music schools in the country...
"Hey ya'll. We're almost there as Winter wraps up the last songs of its miserable set.
"January was spent focusing on technique. Last year I fell into the all-too-easy trap of simply playing guitar and not practicing it. There's an important difference and I'm already reaping the benefits of sorting out a proper practice routine. Mine involved five minute 'reps' of three different exercises, each of which done three times per day. That way, regardless of whatever else I did, I could guarantee I was spending forty-five minutes 'on the metronome' every day and the results were immediate.
"I played a session with Blizzard earlier this week, most likely known to you as the student in the 'Student vs Teacher' rap battle which went viral last year. I laid down my parts pretty quickly but stuck around to see how a rap song was made from scratch. Blizzard is an exceptionally talented artist. Whilst 'young grime MC' isn't a title enabling immediate mass appeal, his innate sense of musicality, confidence in the studio and shocking prowess on the keyboard are all qualities of a budding star. I'll keep you guys posted.
"I'm off to Berlin next week to chat with music magazine IndieBerlin who'll be hooking me up with tickets to see some interesting bands. I can't wait to taste the bohemian lifestyle and the palpable creativity emanating from the graffiti to the buskers of the eclectic city. I'm sure to be back with a story or two, but in the meantime check out the video I laid down for Puresolo. I was messing around with the idea of microtones - the notes inbetween the semitones. It creates a slide-like effect (slides having no care about the limitations of frets) which I've always thought sounded pretty cool. Till next time!"
“There’s three of us playing guitar in Foo Fighters… A lot of tone details can get lost, which is what drew me to the Cleaver – that P-90 cut”: Chris Shiflett on how he found his weapon of choice with his Fender Cleaver Telecaster Deluxe
“People have used it as their wedding song. I often think, ‘Hey, did you listen to the lyrics?’”: The classic number one hit with a sting in its tail
“There’s three of us playing guitar in Foo Fighters… A lot of tone details can get lost, which is what drew me to the Cleaver – that P-90 cut”: Chris Shiflett on how he found his weapon of choice with his Fender Cleaver Telecaster Deluxe
“People have used it as their wedding song. I often think, ‘Hey, did you listen to the lyrics?’”: The classic number one hit with a sting in its tail
