Intimate Audio (NEWS: 2001 Archive)

Just in time for New Year's, I've unloaded a few licks to help y'all ring in 2002. So put your amp's cab up against the window and, at the stroke o' midnight, let loose with these babies!

For starters, we got four different three-notes-per-string legato patterns to melt your callouses with. Try mixing and matching these mofos to create some disturbing legato lines of your own. And if that doesn't get you properly pumped up, try attacking a Blazing Bluesy Pentatonic Passage—demonstrated both pickstyle and fingerstyle (for rock and blues applications)—somewhat inspired by the late, great Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Some of you'ze might've noticed that I added a little visual ”bonus“ to this site, in the form of various ”fortunes“ splattered along the right-hand side of each page. These are some of the inspiring ”art/music“ ones I've racked up over the years. Figured they might make someone feel better! Also, since this site was really designed to be viewed on monitors set to 640x480 screen resolution, I figured adding the band of fortunes on the right side would provide a more balanced look (from left to right) for those viewing on monitors set to 832x624 resolution (the majority of computer users, I reckon). Hope I don't get busted for copyright infringement by Panda Express... Don't tell anybody!!!

For the heck of it, I just did a SOOOOPER subtle remix job on ”The Aftermath.“ In fact, the tweaks are so minor, I doubt anyone will notice.... So, here they are: (1) Boosted the kick drum @ the 1:00+ mark, (2) slightly raised the level of the almost-imperceptible backing vox throughout (the stuff that sounds like keyboards), (3) applied a subtle autopan effect to the ”pick chirps“ in the background of the opening minute's worth, (4) dropped the level of the distorted vox @ the 1:00+ mark (till closing bit) a tad, (5) raised the overall output level of the entire mix... Why bother? Dunno... Sounds ballsier through my studio monitors, but pretty much the same as before through my computer's speakers (*sniffle*). Oh well...

Fer fun, I just added three new licks to the PSYCHO LICKS page. The first two are a continuation of the Jason Becker-inspired approach to arpeggios studied back in Lick #11, specifically: (1) Using Becker's ”chromatic embellishments concept“ to outline the time-honored (and shred-friendly) I-V-vi-iii-IV-I-IV-V progression to Pachelbel's Canon, and (2) a similar approach—albeit with a totally different sounding end result—frequently employed by badass pickin' mofo Yngwie Malmsteen. Meanwhile, Lick #14 is a basic (but fun!) phrase using pull-offs from seemingly unorthodox fretting positions to eagerly-awaiting open strings. Zipitty doo...

WOW! I finally scared up a copy of a REVIEW for my book Intros, Endings & Turnarounds For Guitar—the one that ran in the December 2001 issue of Guitar Player magazine. Maaaaan, I'm not worthy!!!! What a nice bunch o' words!!

Purty self explanatory. I'd love to be able to let y'all know when some REAL stuff goes down with this site. I got LOADS of stuff up my sleeve, but minimal time to implement ideas at the moment... Won't be long though. If you let me know who you are by throwing down your e-mail address, I will keep you up to speed on all the stuff that's coming down the pipe... in the form of an e-mail! And YES, you'll receive it as a ”Blind Copy“ (i.e., ”BCC“) e-mail, to ensure that NOBODY ELSE knows your e-mail address. Also, for the record, your e-mail address will be kept 100% confidential—guaranteed!

Some webmaster (bay torre) I am!! It's only been OVER TWO MONTHS since I've updated this site!! Could I possibly be any lamer?

To make up for my laggin', I've thrown down a massive wad of brand-spankin'-new lessons on the PSYCHO LICKS page. Wanna torment your tendons with some picking/fretting hand synchronization exercises (complete with a fun ”accents“ twist)? How 'bout an easy way to freshen up your garden-varity three-notes-per-string scale shapes, using a simple chromatic approach? Or maybe you'd like to unload a wild and wacky atonal tapping lick, à la Buckethead? Why not numb your fingers with a little interesting arpeggio etude, inspired by Jason Becker? As per usual, for all of the aforementioned lessons I've included MP3s demonstrating each lick at regular and slow speeds. TAB (w/standard notation) is also included. Enjoy!

AUDIO ODDITIES is also alive now, though there's only one ”link“ posted at the moment. You won't be sorry though! Special thanks to ”J.R.“ for hipping me to this precious nugget. ”Weeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!“ HELL, thanks to ”J.R.“ for lotsa stuff... :)

OH YEAH! Anyone curious to see what the hell I look like after hacking off all my hair and shaving my mug, check THIS out. :)

The new issue of Guitar Player Magazine apparently contains AN AWESOME REVIEW of my brand-spanking new instructional book, Intros, Turnarounds & Endings for Guitar on page ???! DAMN I'm good!!! I haven't seen it though... Damn newsstands around here suque. Somebody pleeeez HAYULP!!!

Also, Hal Leonard Publishing Corp. has just issued a new book from their GUITAR ONE PRESENTS series. The latest is called Noise & Feedback: The Best of Interviews (1995-2000), and features a bunch of responses to reader questions, as written by myself, Tom Kolb, Michael Mueller, Douglas Baldwin, Rusty Cutchin, Jeff Schroedl, Jon Chappell, Troy Stetina, Robin Randall, Doug Downing, and Wolf Marshall. Here's a little blurb:

”Readers always have questions - and Guitar One always has answers, on topics from beginner's basics to advanced theory. Tune in to this book, and turn up the volume of your guitar knowledge. If you ever wanted to know about a specific guitar lick, trick, technique or effect, this book/CD pack is for you! It features over 70 lessons on a wide range of subjects, such as: composing á computer assistance á education and career advice á equipment á technique á terminology and notation á theory á tunings á and more. The accompanying CD includes 44 demonstration tracks.“

For fun, I added a link to this book at the bottom of the BOOKS section of this website (under a ”GUITAR ONE Presents:“ heading, to accommodate forthcoming G1 releases). Wahoooo!!

I also added a link to a pal's bitchin' guitar site, called MONSTER GUITARS, to the LINKS page. You can find a mountain of MP3s over there, showcasing the talents of numerous LA-based GIT instructors (and internationally-acclaimed pickers, in general). Check it out!

************************************************************

Selected Listener Comments, RE: ”The Aftermath“:

”I JUST listened to "The Aftermath"..Wow Dale!!! It gave me goose bumps!!! Very VERY haunting. (nice voice too by the way!) You're very talented to have written that...the words cut right through you when you hear them! I see you just put that together in a few days huh? Thats truly a gift! I think when terrible things happen like you are going through, you're absolutely right...it stirs more emotions up and if you have the "gift"/ability to express what you feel in words/song it is amazing how much THAT touches others!

I have to tell you while listening to that...it made my heart race some...it captures the sentiment of what so many of us are feeling and puts it RIGHT in your face...it truly affects you emotionally when listening to it. Sort of brings it all back....that first day...the shock, the stories of certain heroic acts, the intense desire to try to understand it and seek revenge.

I think you'll be getting alot of response from "the Aftermath". Whoever listens to it will definitely be affected by it. It is NOT a good feeling...but a feeling we need to remember and hold in our hearts...I think to help us to NEVER take life for granted again.“

”Thanks for sharing your song and your feelings about this tragedy. I really appreciate it, music makes me feel better. I'm right outside of NYC, and it's really hard for me to even imagine the depth of the tragedy just a little while from my home. I hope you are doing alright.“

”Thanks for the song. You are very clever with the computer. We were all numb from the tragedy of last week, but there was certainly evidence of courage and the goodness of humankind which is very heartening.“

”ouch. I couldn't listen to the whole thing....it hurt too much. I . . . on a certain level i liked what i was hearing, but i couldn't listen to it, Dale. Please don't take that personally....or take it as a compliment.“

”Master master master.... thank you for sharing this with us.. Your reaction and emotions came through loud and clear.... (pissed off yet sensitive)....“

”Very cool--yet disturbing. No, I liked it a lot. Cool harmonies going on...“

”Good lyrics. Good, positive thing to do too.“

”Mornin'! I just listened to The Aftermath. Pretty dark and creepy. I like it! The last paragraph contains the best lyrics/lines...sets a tone for 'here it comes you bastards.' I'll be playin' it for some of the fellas I work with.“

”Purdy cool there, friend. A little on the creepy side, too. But then, what did I expect from the event/the artist? It was really evocative, and you should take that as a compliment. Really! I really did enjoy the tune. xox“

”DUDE...that was the shit!! Congrats... Long live FREEDOM!!“

”Hi you genious, I just listened to "The Aftermath" and I still have goose bumps. Sounds like a scary Moody Blues and that's a compliment.“

”DALE THAT SONG IS DEEP IF ONLY I COULD BE AS BRAVE TO WRITE ONE MYSELF! MAY SING YOUR SOMETIMES THANKS IT HEALS!“

”Very moving. Thanks for being a voice for us all.“

************************************************************

When I launched this site back on 22 July, 2001, one of my many intentions was to provide musicians (and those inspired by them) with a place in cyberspace where they could (1) get turned on to new artists, (2) discuss what makes them tick, (3) promote recordings that fit in the ”intimate audio“ category, and (4) try to get inside of some musician's heads.

After the World Trade Centers were leveled, the US Pentagon violated, and reports of a downed plane in Pennsylvania hit the airwaves, I—along with the entire world—was devastated. As the horrific images played out across my television screen, I sought solace in composition. Basically, I vented my sadness and rage into an acoustic sketch of a tune. This tune blossomed over the weekend into ”The Aftermath.“ Needless to say, it's a pretty dark piece.

Because I know there are countless people out there who feel these same emotions, I'm making this song available for FREE MP3 download. In addition, since this is a heavily guitar-oriented site, I've included a chord chart for the entire song (with lyrics), and an MP3 of the original acoustic guitar part, isolated from the other tracks. All relevant links can be found at this page:

I know you're shocked and amazed to read this, but I just added a MONSTER lesson to the PSYCHO LICKS page. This one focuses exclusively on how to interject chromatics into Mixolydian-based lines. You can let 'er rip with these types of licks in styles ranging from jazz and country, to modern blues and rock. There are FIVE different licks in all, most of which are performed with a rock-oriented tone. And they're pretty darn fast! 'Course, as per usual, I included MP3s for both the fast and slow versions, and slapped down their respective TABS (w/standard notation) for your picking pleasure. Enjoy!

Also, Hal Leonard Publishing Corp. has just issued a new book from their GUITAR ONE PRESENTS series. The latest is called Legends of Lead Guitar: The Best of Interviews (1995-2000), and features a zillion interviews from past Guitar One issues, as conducted by myself, John Stix, Jeff Schroedl, and Bob Gulla. Here's a little blurb:

”Legends of Lead Guitar is a fascinating compilation of Guitar One magazine interviews with today's greatest lead guitarists - and your backstage pass to the art of the rock'n'roll axe! From deeply rooted blues giants to the most fearless pioneers, legendary players reveal how they achieve their extraordinary craft.“

If you're at all curious, the interviews found in this book that were conducted by little ol' me (mostly cover features) include:

For fun, I added a link to this book at the bottom of the BOOKS section of this website (under a ”GUITAR ONE Presents:“ heading, to accommodate forthcoming G1 releases). Party on!

Believe it or not, we editors at Guitar One magazine receive personal letters every once in a while, either from concerned readers wishing to correct what they believe to be an error we printed, or to thank us for addressing/covering a subject that's close to their hearts.

Well, yesterday (27 August, 2001) I received what I regard as a very special letter. (It was sent to the magazine, then forwarded to me.) I added it to my Who D.A.T.? page, and created a ”fan mail“ category for it. This letter was written by a gentleman who's approximately my same age and extremely passionate about playing guitar. He even lives in an area generally close to where I grew up (the Pacific Northwest). In my experience reading his letter, I walked away thinking it was (1) funny as hell, (2) interesting/illuminating, (3) pretty darned honest, and (4) kind of positive, all things considered.

Well, the holiday (Labor Day) is almost upon us. Okay, so it's a full week away, but I had a moment to spare. Since I'll be in Seattle this coming weekend, and won't be around for my usual Friday night update, I'm slapping the next PSYCHO LICKS installment up on the web today! This one's a finger-tapping dealiebob, all rooted firmly within the A Minor Pentatonic scale. My performance of it on the accompanying MP3 ain't that great, but not bad for a dude who's still somewhat suffering from HAND JOB heck! (This is the kind of stuff that hurts more than others. But a worthwhile sacrifice for you webbers!) Golly, I like using that excuse, don't I?

Wahoo!!! I just added Part II of last week's lesson on the Jimi Hendrix rhythm guitar style to the PSYCHO LICKS page. This one focuses exclusively on minor chord applications. For fun, I threw down two different licks, one of which uses the minor pentatonic scale, while the other relies on the full-blown natural minor scale. Can you dig it? Enjoy!

Would you believe I finally updated the TRIBUTES page? Okay, I'll admit it, it's not done, but try looking at it as ”one down, two to go.“ What am I talking about? The TRIBUTES page is an area of this site dedicated to three of the of my all-time favorite (and most personally influential) musicians, who also happen to be fantastic composers and performers: Brian Wilson, Miles Davis, and Jeff Buckley. For the heck of it, I felt like ”tributizing“ JEFF BUCKLEY first. Please check it out! Similar tributes for Brian Wilson and Miles Davis will follow shortly.

I also added a new page to the WHO D.A.T.? section. This one is called INTERVIEW ARCHIVE, and itFchronicles most (yep, there be more!) of the interviews I've conducted to date, specifying the magazine and issue each one appeared in. In many cases, a link to the artist's official website is also included. (Note: Nothing on this page is an actual link to the interviews themselves, 'cause that'd be copyright infringement!) Enjoy!

I just slapped a new lick up on the Psycho Licks page. It's a Hendrix-style rhythm/lead approach with pentatonics——not necessarily a ”psycho lick,“ in terms of craziness, but it is an extremely useful (and often misunderstood) bag to get under your belt. For starters, these types of figures are a studio musician's bread and butter, when it comes to laying down potent (yet tastefully understated) rhythm guitar riffs on the fly. They also can serve as a great ”point of departure“ from barre chord strums and triad/inversion-type ”chord stab“ rhythm work. And... I love Jimi!!!

I FINALLY added a new page to this site. (I know what you're saying: ”With so many existing pages under construction, why add a NEW page before completing the old ones?“ Well... This one's important to me, dagnabit! Of course, all of 'em are.) The NEW page is called (brace yourselves) HAND JOB. It's a page that briefly outlines my experience with ”hand“ problems (specifically Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Tendinitis), the ”job“ it was (and still is) dealing with it, and includes 15 links to resources on the web addressing different types of treatments, as well as tips for prevention. Kind of a ”public service announcement,“ I guess.

Just added a wicked and wacky intervallic minor pentatonic lick to the PSYCHO LICKS 101 page. This one's kind of special, because I'm presenting it in a LESSON format. Essentially, I walk through the nuts and bolts of the lick—the scale fingerings the lick is derived from, the specific intervallic approach used within those fingerings, and a demonstration of the ”sliding“ concept, used to shift between neighboring positions. Every single example is accompanied by its own TAB (or ”fingering“ frame) and MP3 file! And, of course, the main lick is presented at regular speed, and half speed. Enjoy!

AMAZINGLY I've finally updated the PSYCHO LICKS 101 page. There are TWO different licks (each played at regular and slow speeds). The MP3s are linked and appear to be working. The TAB and notation should be up tomorrow, provided I can find the right SCSI cable for my freakin' scanner...

Also updated the BACKGROUND (only) to the TRIBUTES page, if anybody's interested in checking out a ”newer“ look of an ”under construction“ page. (What fun!)

Interviewer: Today marks the sixth anniversary of your father's passing. Did you do anything special to commemorate this occasion?

D.A.T.: Uh, yeah. I put my hair in a ponytail, hacked it off with scissors, slipped it in a ziploc, and donated it to Locks of Love. They'll use it to assemble hair prosthetics for children who are experiencing medical hair loss.

Interviewer: That's very nice of you. But, I must admit, I'm shocked! Your hair was some of the longest I've ever seen on a guy.

D.A.T.: I guess. The ponytail itself was 32+ inches (81+ centimeters) long. I shaved off the rest with an electric razor. Now I look like a cross between a Mon-Chi-Chi and George Michael.

Interviewer: But I thought you were supposed to be this non-conformist dude who, among other things, was never going to cut his hair?

D.A.T.: Still a total non-conformist. I just think I can do more damage working undercover.