I’m a southside Chicago native with a passion for the Chicago music scene! Growing up on the hard rock of the ’80s and ’90s, I have always been inspired to be a great guitar player and musician. Besides being a customer service rep at zZounds, I love cooking, playing video games, and traveling.
The ToneWoodAmp: Changing The Playing Experience
I grew up as the “electric guitar guy” who always kept an acoustic guitar in the corner. Only learning the acoustic hits from my favorite rock bands of the ’80s and ’90s here and there was enough for me. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve broadened my acoustic guitar repertoire, but it never became my main […]
How Line 6’s POD Go Saved My Band’s European Tour
Since the dawn of touring, bands have used vans to get from show to show, stuffing gear and luggage alike into trunks like a game of Tetris. In 2022 my band planned a tour that would see us traveling across Europe, but we ran into some interesting challenges along the way. Those challenges had me […]
Conquering the Magic of the EBow
The EBow… one of the many wonders of the world, and of music! This unique tool allows guitar players to turn their picking hand into a “bow,” creating a feedback loop that can sustain your note for as long as you hold the EBow in place. As cool as this sounds though, it can be […]
The Post-Bridge: Finishing Your Song Strong
If you’ve been following our songwriting series to this point, you’ve gotten tips on how to write an intro, pre-chorus, chorus, and bridge. We’ve reached the end, and to close the series out, we will cover how to write various post-bridge sections! This area of your song builds on your bridge with a final chorus, […]
Bridge The Gap: Bridge Writing Tips
When you listen to a song, you’re taken on a journey of ups, downs, twists, and turns. The bridge is a great place to make some of these twists and turns happen! This section is not necessary for every song, but it can help add narrative and/or color layers. Continuing in our songwriting series, we […]
Build Up and Erupt: How to Transition From Pre-Chorus to Chorus
In our previous post, we explored the inner workings of constructing verse lyrics and themes. But where do we go after we’ve nailed that first verse? Most often, we go to a pre-chorus and/or a chorus. Approaching writing these two sections can be overwhelming given the amount of possible options you have to work with. […]
It’s Your First Verse: Make It Pop!
Each part of a song has an important function. Whether it’s the chorus, the bridge, etc., each section serves a structural and artful purpose. However, the first verse has a unique job: setting the foundation of your song. In this post, we will discuss using a variety of lyrical devices to create an effective first verse to […]
Talk Box and Friends
When guitarists don’t want to sing, they buy a talk box — at least that’s what I do. An instrument in itself, the talk box was unleashed onto the world in the 1930s and became popularized in the 1970s. Mostly seen as a novelty, it can also be a major sound piece as a handful […]
A Guide to Basic Melody Writing
What is a melody? Chances are you already know, even if you don’t know the dictionary definition. If you have listened to music, then your instincts will tell you while you are listening, even if subconsciously. The great thing about melodies are that they can come from the voice or an instrument, making them an important part of […]
