StevieSnacks Blues Guitar Lessons

This piece is being written from Nashville, TN, before I attend a memorial show by Double Trouble commemorating the 20 years anniversary of the passing of Stevie Ray Vaughan.

As I write this, Stevie Ray Vaughan's final performance on this earth is playing through my headphones. Buddy Guy is singing "Sweet Home Chicago," and Stevie has just started his first solo. A few choruses ahead, Stevie will play a series of bends that give me goosebumps. It's as if he was ripping a tear in the heavens, preparing for his exit from one life into the next.

Today Stevie Ray Vaughan's legacy turns 20 years old.

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On Friday, I'll be launching a new podcast with Dan Benjamin at 5by5.tv called "The Mixdown". The first show will be recorded and broadcast live at 2:00pm EST.

You can watch it here: live.5by5.tv

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I will soon be launching a new version of my download store, where I'll be selling both DVDs and downloads together. This transition has been a lot of work, it's not done yet, but I thought it might be interesting to pull back the curtain a bit, and give you a glimpse at what my life is like as I run StevieSnacks.

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7 years ago today, I got married. It was one of the best decisions of my life. I'm sharing this on StevieSnacks because what you see on this site is made possible by a wife who put up with years of ego-driven musical pursuits before I reached a point where I was comfortable sharing what I could do with others, rather than feeling like I needed to be on stage in front of people.

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This summer, while traveling to different guitar-related events, I will be available for a limited number of private lessons. I will also be taking on several students for regular private lessons here in State College, PA.

Central PA Private Lessons

If you live within driving distance of State College, PA, and you want to apply for private lessons, please fill out the private lesson application form.

NY/NJ Private Lessons - June 5/6

I will be attending the NY Amp Show on June 5th and 6th in Piscataway, NJ. I will make time to teach a few lessons while I am there. Lessons prices for this event are $25/half-hour, and $50/hour.  If you would like to come to the Amp show and have a lesson while you're there, please fill out the NY/NJ June 5th and 6th Lesson request form.

Several weeks ago, I posted a message on the StevieSnacks Facebook Page after a particularly uninspired 30 minutes of guitar playing. Someone made the following comment:

"..wish there were more accomplished musicians out there who were open and humble talking about this kind of thing."

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 Suggested Reading:

• The Secret To Becoming A Better Guitarist - GuitarLifestyle.com
• When I Started Playing Slide Guitar - LearningGuitarNow.com
• Practicing Guitar vs Buying Guitar Gear - DolphinStreet.com
• Real Advice Hurts - 43folders.com

The four articles linked above share a common thread. To get better at guitar (or anything else) requires the simple, yet difficult practice of doing it over and over again. No amount of information in your head is going to train your muscles, only repetition does that.

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Since I started selling lessons, choosing prices has been a somewhat random thing for me.  Stuff that was easier to make got priced lower, stuff that nearly caused me to burn out got priced higher, but the result is prices that seem a bit random.

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Did you ever hear something you knew was just absolute crap, but people seem to repeat it as if it's fact?

"Stop trying to sound like _____.  You should try to develop your own style on guitar"

Heard that one?  It's like somewhere, there's a guitar Bible, with the 10 commandments for guitar, and one of them is "Thou shalt develop a unique style".

What a bunch of crap.  You want the truth?  Here is is.

Originality is awesome. It is of great importance if and only if you care about it, or if your career depends on it. But the value of originality is not self-evident. Honesty is so much more important. And trying to be original just to placate the 'originality police' is a waste of time.  You'll never have enough joy from being original to mask the disgust you'll have for yourself when you realize that all your efforts were poured into meeting other people's 'rules'.

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Starting today, I will be handling all customer support for StevieSnacks through a super-cool support desk website. How does this affect you?

Not very much. If you prefer to interact via email, it doesn't really mean any changes for you, other than that my support address will now be help@steviesnacks.com instead of support@steviesnacks.com.

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CreateSpace, the company that I use to create and sell my lesson DVDs has recently stopped sending me customer information in my weekly sales reports. Without this information, I am unable to send out supplementary materials every weekend. This only affects people who bought DVDs after Jan. 28th, 2010. So for those customers, what I need you to do is this: Forward your CreateSpace receipt to support@steviesnacks.com so I can send you the materials.

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What have you been told the blues is about?  Suffering? Pain? Hard Living?

Ever felt like a poser because your life is pretty good? You have a job? Never missed a meal?

There are those who will tell you you can't possibly understand or play the blues because your life hasn't been hard enough. Or you're not old enough. Or you're too white. Or you simply don't have the right image.

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There are a lot of reasons to play an instrument. But many of those reasons fade to the background when you face hard times. I once heard a famous guitarist remark in an interview that the only reason any man picks up a guitar is to gain some company for the evening...if you catch my drift. He's an idiot.

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Several weeks ago, I mentioned on the blog that I wanted to tone down the look of StevieSnacks. I'm a fan of sublety, and I felt that when I launched this new look in August, that some of that was lost.

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I've gotten numerous emails and comments from people indicating that they're going to be shopping for some DVDs or downloadable lessons for Christmas.  So I wanted to let you know what you can expect on StevieSnacks before Christmas and prepare accordingly.

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A recap of a KWS show I went to last night.

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The comments on my last post regarding plans for a new, toned-down look have been pretty insightful, and offered a perspective on the site from some of you that I've not heard before.

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I don't even know if de-chroming is a word but I'm making it one.  I wrote a post about a two weeks ago regarding my committment to a low-pressure atmosphere on StevieSnacks.

Most people agreed that they very much appreciate the my low-key sales approach, confirming to me that any steps in the "BECOME A BLUES GOD IN 3 STEPS!!!" direction would offend the very people who are responsible for this site ever becoming a reality.

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Many of you probably already know of Robert Renman of Dolphinstreet.com.  He's a gifted guitarist who's been making free guitar lessons and gear videos since about April of 2006.  He's amassed quite a following, both on YouTube and on his site, and for good reason. He's a great guitar player, and teacher, and seems to be a very nice guy as well.

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This is going to be significantly 'lighter' than my recent posts, but also something that I think will be useful for people who are shopping for a guitar.

This is all about buying your first guitar, but the concept is one that can be extended to any guitar purchase. In the end it could save you money if you 'lean' towards expensive purchases :-)

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