GuitarFriendly.net has put together a selection of 2010 Guitar Blog Awards. We didn’t earn any recognition this year, but hopefully with some hard work we can be in the running for next year. The categories were Lesson Blogs, Gear Reviews, News, Other Guitar Related, and Up and Coming. This is a solid list and it features some sites that I had never seen before. Not Playing Guitar was a new find for me on the list that has a bunch of neat posts.
Blues Guitar Solo Competition
The folks over at Guitar Noize are challenging you to create a great blues solo. View the link for the full details. In short though, you download a jam track, record a video of you soloing over the track, and then upload it to Youtube. The prizes includes a PRS guitar and a variety of guitar pedals, straps, picks and more. The contest closes Monday September 16th.
Guitar Straps Made from Seat Belts
Couch Guitar Straps has a line of straps that are made from recycled seat belts. For $17.50 you get a durable, reliable, and eco-friendly guitar strap. These aren’t the flashiest straps in the world, but that just may be a selling point. Your guitar is the show, the strap should be comfortable for you, and better damn sure hold on to your guitar well. Details:
Instead of the cheap nylon webbing most mega-production Chinese-made strap makers use, we use recycled automotive seat belt webbing that that will never break, looks great, and adjusts extra easy and smooth. We also cut the strap about 6 inches longer than the average guitar strap for those who are bigger or who like to play low.
We then sew on our own special vegan end-tabs that are die-cut and made of heavy duty automotive upholstery vinyl on the outside, and further strengthened by a folded-over double layer of super sturdy and flexible carbon fiber cloth on the inside of the strap.
New Lessons: Understanding the Pentatonic & Blues Scales
We have two new premium guitar lessons that will teach you all about the Five Pentatonic Scale Forms and Variations of the Blues Scale. Both lessons cover the basic construction of the scale, different forms of the scale, and how to link the forms together. We then show you how to use the scale to solo over an appropriate jam track. If you’re just starting to create your own blues guitar solos, these are invaluable tips.
Figuring out Guitar Pricing Terms
Are you confused on the difference between MSRP and MAP and trying to figure out which music stores are giving you a good deal? Fretbase has a helpful article explaining some basic guitar buying terms and concepts.
The thing to know about MAP is that this is the minimum price that a retailer can *advertise* a guitar for sale. Retailers are free to sell guitars cheaper than MAP. Many guitar retailers like My Favorite Guitars and Maury’s Music will encourage you to contact them directly for their best price. They do this because they can’t list their lowest price on their website. But they will share it quickly if you call or e-mail them.