Shred This Too - The Results!

The Truth in Shredding "Shred This Too" Competition has come to a close with a staggering 300+ entries, and I'm delighted to report that I have the great honor of sharing a spot in the top 5 with some real monsters in this worldwide rock guitar extravaganza - as well as being the only guitarist in the Americas to make that list!

Check out the video above to hear what Marco Sfogli has to say about the winning entries, and see my video in it's entirety below!

As always, thanks for watching!

Postcards from the woodshed

Transcriptions of my licks & lesson material in the works http://ping.fm/kfweG

Peterson iStroboSoft Tuner

My new favorite tuner, and the one I relied on to get me in tune for my Shred This Too video.

Strobe tuners are widely regarded as the most accurate tuners out there, and they are usually also the most expensive.  The biggest name in strobe tuners is Peterson, who not long ago released two affordable portable versions of their larger strobe tuners in two formats - a flip open, gameboy-style (StroboFlip) tuner, and a stomp box (StroboStomp) tuner.  I was amazed by the responsiveness and accuracy of the StroboFlip when a friend demonstrated it in his studio, and I almost bought one.  At around $200 USD this was considered a pretty good deal, and provided an opportunity for "the rest of us" to own a Peterson Strobe Tuner.  Still, because of the price tag, I hesitated... and I can't tell you how glad I am that I did.

Peterson has released an incredible iPhone app version of their strobe tuner software, and I'm even more impressed with this $10 app than I was with the StroboFlip.  It works via the onboard iPhone mic (iPod touch users will need an external mic or special cable available from Peterson), and it is lightning fast and dead accurate.  I relied on this app to get me in tune before recording my Shred This Too competition video; it was a joy to use and I have never seen better accuracy in ANY tuner.  To test the sensitivity with the onboard iPhone mic, I rolled my guitar volume all the way down, rested the iPhone on my leg, pressed the "input boost" button (which raises the mic input level by +24dB) and tuned up using only the acoustic sound coming from my electric guitar;  again, fast and accurate.  

The bottom line:  if you own an iPhone, you need this app.  Don't hesitate, don't mess around with other tuner apps, get the Peterson iStroboSoft and never be caught without a tuner again - it will also happen be the best tuner you've ever owned.

Check it out on the iTunes store here:

http://bit.ly/dcmSdU

Shred This Too Competition

My entry for the Truth in Shredding "Shred This Too" Competition!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eS7UzjSvCE00

Perfectly Frank Words of Wisdom

"I think everybody who does gymnastic guitar and looks at other gymnastic guitarists sort of goes, "How fast is he movin' his fingers?" It is a competitive thing.

... Really, though, if you take away the gymnastics, you have to say, "What's the message here!" It's like, uh, a pissing contest [laughter]."

- Frank Zappa, 1987

All this and more, from the man who helped put Steve Vai on the map! I've had this great interview from Guitar Player Magazine tucked away in the back of my head for a while now, and decided to rediscover it and share it here. Hope you enjoy it.

Get the full interview.