Songs Made From Loops (Within DAW) Make Great Vehicles for Improvisation

Within your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) software, there typically exists a media library full of various midi and audio loops. When searching for something new to improvise over, I occasionally leverage these loop fragments, combine them into a song and hit it! Sunday afternoon (weather and sports permitting) I usually find myself in the mood to practice phrasing or improvise.

Here's a mis-mash of audio loops in Eb combined in Cubase v8.5.

Enjoy.

New! Instrumental, Rock Guitar CD Now Available (Eric Peterson 'Silly String')

I've just released my second CD for 2017, an instrumental, rock guitar recording. The songs on the album encompass song ideas and riffs from 2010-2016. These songs were left incomplete and never released as I was finishing my Bachelor and Master's degrees in IT Security. I'm happy to have finished and closed this life's chapter and hope you'll take a listen, and/or download a song or two.

I wanted to keep the recording fairly 'raw' and punchy, with a lot of melodic soloing,  and less guitar pyro-technics. I did my own production and graphic art/design (as usual) but feel the work was worth it.

Here's a direct link to the CD page. https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/ericpeterson3

The songs will be available from iTunes and other digital music outlets over the next few days. Thanks again for listening and supporting my music.

Enjoy.

Fingerpicking Shuffle (3/3/17)

While watching sports, I often have a #guitar in my hand. The little ditties I compose are rarely the coolest thing ever (I'm watching TV), but I like to capture and catalogue them just the same. Here's a fingerpick shuffle spawned today while watching the NFL combine. Enjoy.

PDF Download

Voice Leading Exercise (3/1/17)

Here's a new voice leading exercise for you to practice this month. Voice leading pertains to notes kept within the same voice (bottom, mid, top for example) from one chord to the next. I often try to find new ways to change chords and it often starts with voice leading - Download the PDF

Leveraging Other Instruments to Build Guitar Speed

After hearing violin virtuosos tear through Paganini caprices, I knew violin music would be fun to play on the guitar. Around this same time, the movie Crossroads came out, featuring Steve Vai and incorporating a section from Paganini's 5th caprice in a guitar duel.

I've continued to transcribe violin music over the years, and believe it to be interesting and helpful in inspiring new ideas and practice material (sequences, arpeggios, etc.) plus building up right hand speed (picking).

Here's a line from Kreutzer's 42 studies for the Violin at 180 bpm - Download the PDF. Enjoy.

Video explanation and illustration of the lick.

New Instrumental, Rock CD Almost Complete (release date in March 2017)

My new instrumental, rock CD is almost complete! I've finished the recording, mixing, and am currently mastering the songs and performing some final tweaks. The artwork is underway and the song titling process has begun.

The majority of the songs (13) are from the last 6 years or so while was finishing my Bachelors and Masters Degrees in IT Security. School preempted me from much composing or recording. I think you will really like this recording, it's edgy but melodic. I incorporated the nylon string (classical) guitar in this one. Videos of various licks from the CD can be found on my YouTube Page, here's an example. Enjoy.

New instrumental, Acoustic Guitar CD 'Glare' Now Available.

1/31/17 - My latest recording is an instrumental, acoustic guitar CD called 'Glare', available anywhere you buy or download music. Here's a direct link https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/ericpeterson2.

There are many exciting aspects to this recording, one being a heavy use of my nylon string (classical) guitar for the solos and melodies. I enjoyed finding the 'sweet spot' for the microphone and keeping it set up for ease of daily recording. Secondly, I believe my recording, mixing, and mastering of the CD really turned out professionally and you'll enjoy the quality.