5 Simple Steps to Get the Most Life Out of Your Guitar Strings

As guitarists, we all struggle with the seemingly constant need to have fresh sounding strings. This inevitable fact of the craft has haunted guitarists for ages. However, there are a few ways of getting the most out of your strings.

Step 1. Wash Your Hands.

Make an effort to play with clean hands. Give your hands a good washing before hand to remove the oils and dirt we naturally gather during the day. Just make sure to thoroughly dry them before sitting down and playing.

Step 2. Wipe Your Strings

Clean your strings. Do it immediately after playing your guitar, and have it become a routine. Keep a spare cloth or old T-shirt around to wipe your strings down with after playing. Pinch each string and run the cloth from top to bottom. Try to get underneath the strings as well when wiping.

Step 3. Clean Your Strings

Use Alcohol… no, we do not mean have a beer first. Pour alcohol on your cloth, wipe away, and bring your strings back to life!

Step 4. Choice of Strings

Use coated strings, as they will protect the strings from the grease on your fingers.

Step 5. Just In Case.

Try and keep your guitar in its case and away from humid or harsh environments. Just like most metals, Guitar strings rust when exposed to the elements.

Stay tuned. Next article we will talk about 5 ways to keep your strings from breaking unnecessarily! (Another obviously great way to extend the life of your strings!) Sneak peak

Music History - 20 Years Ago - May

Music History - 20 Years Ago - May

Music History - 20 Years - May 1991

Be Part Of History - Get Musical Instruments Here

Timeline

May 4 - The Eurovision Song Contest 1991 is held in Rome, Italy and, after a highly controversial voting segment, Sweden's Fångad av en stormvind by Carola is declared the winner.

May 7 - In Macon, Georgia, a judge dismisses a wrongful death lawsuit against Ozzy Osbourne. The suit was filed by a local couple that believed their son was inspired to attempt suicide by Osbourne's music.

Ozzy Crazy Train

May 10 - Truth or Dare, a documentary chronicling singer Madonna's 1990 Blond Ambition Tour, is released to theatres.

May 24 - Guns N' Roses kicked off their 26 months world tour Use Your Illusion Tour in Alpine Valley in East Troy.

May 25 - The Billboard 200 album chart starts incorporating electronically monitored sales data provided by Nielsen SoundScan, thus beginning what chart aficionados tag as the "SoundScan era".

Music History Update - Steven Tyler skypes dying Aerosmith fan on his death bed.

Music History - 20 Years - Jan. & Feb. 1991
Steven Tyler skypes dying Aerosmith fan on his death bed.

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A dying man had one wish--to meet Steven Tyler...

...and Steven Tyler delivered.

Lawrence Ori, 62, was a big fan of Aerosmith. He even had the band's name tattooed on his arm. His last dying wish was to somehow be able to meet the band's long-time lead singer, Steven Tyler.

Ori had supernuclear palsey, which is a degenerative condition that eventually renders a person unable to talk or move. He was surrounded by friends and family in his Chicago hospice bed when Steven Tyler Skyped in from L.A. and spoke to Ori via a laptop.

Ori couldn't speak so his girlfriend spoke for him.

Ori passed away a few hours later.

Here's a video of Tyler's Skype call to Ori:


Timeline for Jan & Feb. 1991 Below

January 18 - Three people are crushed to death during an AC/DC concert in Salt Lake City, Utah when audience members rush the stage.

January 27 - Whitney Houston sings "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl. The recording is then released and becomes a hit single.

February 20 - The 33rd Grammy Awards were held on February 20, 1991. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Quincy Jones was the night's big winner winning a total of six awards including Album of the Year.

Aerosmith also had a highlight: Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal Aerosmith for "Janie's Got a Gun" See them here on youtube.com

February 27 - James Brown is granted an early parole and released from jail, following his arrest after a high-speed car chase through two states in 1989. Pop Will Eat Itself documented the affair with their song, "Not Now James, We're Busy".

February 28 - Hollywood, California's Record Plant Studios recording studio closes its doors. Among the albums recorded at the Record Plant were The Eagles' Hotel California, Fleetwood Mac's Rumours and Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life

Music History - 20 Years Ago - GRUNGE IS BORN!

Timeline for April 1991

April 28 - Bonnie Raitt marries actor Michael O'Keefe in New York.

Biggest Hits

Bryan Adams (Everything I Do) I Do it For You
Michael Jackson Black Or White
Roxette Joyride
Scorpions Wind of Change
R.E.M. Losing My Religion

GRUNGE IS BORN

The year 1991 is the year that grunge music made its popular breakthrough. Nirvana's Nevermind, led by the surprise hit single "Smells Like Teen Spirit", becomes the most popular U.S. album of the year. Followed immediately by other grunge bands like Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden and in 1992 by Stone Temple Pilots, grunge dominates the U.S. charts for the next few years. Its success effectively ends the reign of the glam metal groups that enjoyed massive success in the 1980s like Mötley Crüe, Poison, Warrant, Cinderella, and Ratt whose sales and critical viability were beginning to decline for about two years previously. Even so, the rock band Guns N' Roses's popularity flourishes with the release of their albums Use Your Illusion I & Use Your Illusion II, both selling over 10 million copies each. Def Leppard's next album Adrenalize, released in March 1992, would go on to reach multi-platinum status and prove to be the last major commercial success for 80's pop metal.

See the band and song that started it all Smells Like Teen Spirit, from the most popular USA album of 1991 20 years ago, Nevermind by Nirvana.

Nirvana played Fender Guitars and Boss Pedals. Check them out and start your own Grunge Band.

MusicPower.com

Music History - 20 Years Ago - March

Music History - 20 Years - March 1991

Be Part Of History - Get Musical Instruments Here

Timeline

March 11 - Janet Jackson signs a $30 million (US) contract with Virgin Records, making her the highest paid female recording artist ever.

March 16 - Seven members of country music singer Reba McEntire's band and her road manager are killed when their private plane crashes in California, near the U.S.-Mexico border. McEntire travels on a separate plane.

March 20

Michael Jackson signs a contract with Sony which could generate 1 billion dollars for the company.

Eric Clapton's four-year-old son, Conor, dies after falling 53 stories from a New York City apartment window, which would inspire Clapton to write the hit single "Tears in Heaven").

March 21: Death of Clarence Leonidas "Leo" Fender (August 10, 1909 – March 21, 1991) was an American inventor who founded Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company, now known as Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, and later founded MusicMan and G&L Musical Products (G&L Guitars). His guitar, bass, and amplifier designs from the 1940s continue to dominate popular music more than half a century later. Marshall, Mesa Boogie, most boutique amplifier companies and many other guitar amplifier production companies have used Fender instruments as the foundation of their products. Check out Fender products here



March 24 - The Black Crowes are dropped as the opening act of ZZ Top's tour for repeatedly insulting the tour's sponsor, Miller Beer.

March 27 - New Kids on the Block star Donnie Wahlberg is arrested in Louisville, Kentucky for allegedly setting his hotel room on fire.

March 28 - George Harrison, Phil Collins and others attend funeral services for Eric Clapton's late son, Conor.

Music History - 20 Years - Feb. 1991

Music History - 20 Years - Jan. & Feb. 1991
Be Part Of History - Get Musical Instruments Here

Timeline

January 18 - Three people are crushed to death during an AC/DC concert in Salt Lake City, Utah when audience members rush the stage.

January 27 - Whitney Houston sings "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl. The recording is then released and becomes a hit single.

February 20 - The 33rd Grammy Awards were held on February 20, 1991. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Quincy Jones was the night's big winner winning a total of six awards including Album of the Year.

Aerosmith also had a highlight: Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal Aerosmith for "Janie's Got a Gun" See them here on youtube.com

February 27 - James Brown is granted an early parole and released from jail, following his arrest after a high-speed car chase through two states in 1989. Pop Will Eat Itself documented the affair with their song, "Not Now James, We're Busy".

February 28 - Hollywood, California's Record Plant Studios recording studio closes its doors. Among the albums recorded at the Record Plant were The Eagles' Hotel California, Fleetwood Mac's Rumours and Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life

Guitarist for Willie Nelson And David Lee Roth - Takamine Acoustic Guitar Clinician

See John Jorgenson and Brad Davis in an intimate one time guitar clinic at
MusicPower.com in San Diego June 5th at 1 pm
View Takamine Acoustic Guitars Here From Music Power

Davis was born and raised in the Dallas, Texas area. He has spent his life performing on stage and touring with bluegrass, country, and rock acts from all over the world. In my opinion, Brad Davis is a very well rounded musician. He has contributed a lot of his techniques and styles to music and motion picture. Brad Davis is a flatpicking master! He has performed with many legends including: Willie Nelson, The Forester Sisters and David Lee Roth.

Brad Davis is an American country/folk singer-songwriter and guitarist. Initially a member of country singer Marty Stuart's road band, Davis has also performed with Earl Scruggs, Sam Bush, Billy Bob Thornton and several other country and musical acts, in addition to writing songs for artists like Tim McGraw, Jo-El Sonnier, Tony Trischka, and Thornton.

After a jam with Stuart at the home of Earl Scruggs in 2001, Brad was inivited to become a member of Scruggs' road band, "Earl Scruggs with Family & Friends", of which he is still a member. Davis appeared on a Grand Ole Opry episode, which aired on CMT, as part of this configuration, to sing "The Ballad of Jed Clampett". Other prominent musicians who have appeared in the Earl Scruggs band include Albert Lee and Jon Randall.

By 2002, Stuart had opted for a different sound (and record label), and all members parted ways to work on other projects. During this time, Davis established a musical partnership with Billy Bob Thornton, more famously known as the actor, in his road band and studio band, which continues to this day. All releases from Thornton, from his first in 2001, "Private Radio", to his latest under the new group, The Boxmasters, self-titled, feature Davis' guitar work and harmony vocals, and he co-wrote, performed on , and produced all tracks on Thorntons' CD, "Beautiful Door" (2007, Universal Records). Davis will tour with Thornton's "Boxmasters" across the United States in the summer of 2008, including TV appearances. He participated in the filming of the music video for the first single, which aired on GAC and CMT.

Over the years, Davis has had his songs recorded by various country and bluegrass artists, including country star Tim McGraw ("Ain't No Angels"), Grasstowne ("Love You Don't Know"), Jo-El Sonnier ("Can't Give My Heart Away"), Billy Bob Thornton ("Always Countin'", "Beautiful Door"), Hometown News ("All The Time"), and Tony Trischka ("I'm Singing Harmony"

Now, Brad Davis is a Takamine Acoustic Guitar endorser and Clinician.

View Takamine Acoustic Guitars on Ebay from Trusted Name MusicPower

What's your opinion of John Jorgenson - Takamine Acoustic Guitar Clinician

See John Jorgenson and Brad Davis in an intimate one time guitar clinic
at MusicPower.com in San Diego June 5th at 1 pm
View Takamine Acoustic Guitars Here From Music Power

John Jorgenson is a genius! Playing classical, Jazz and Gypsy style music, he excells in all of the above. In my opinion, John Jorgenson has influenced many different styles of music. Jazz and Classical music are the foundation of every style of music. What's your opinion??

Known as one of the pioneers of the American gypsy jass movement, John Jorgenson is a founding member of the Desert Rose Band, the Hellecasters and six year member of Elton John's band. Artists ranging from Barbra Streisand to Bonnie Raitt to Earl Scruggs have sought out Jorgenson's guitar work.

John's first solo album, released on Curb Records in 1988. After You've Gone features John's impressive Django-style gypsy jazz guitar paired neatly with his equally mind-blowing clarinet work for an all-instrumental jazz showstopper. A top-notch performance by a top-notch artist. Basically, John Jorgenson is amazing!

In 1993 Jorgenson formed the guitar trio The Hellecasters, along with Will Ray and Fairport Convention guitarist Jerry Donahue. Originally intended as a temporary collaboration, the Hellecasters went on to release several albums during the 1990s. Their debut, Return of the Hellecasters, released in 1993 won both the "Album of the Year" and "Country Album of the Year" awards from Guitar Player Magazine.

In 1994 Jorgenson was invited to join Elton John's band for an 18 month tour. Jorgenson remained with the band for the next six years performing both live and in the studio. His versatility was evident on stage, as he played guitar and saxophone for Elton in concert.

Now you may find him as a Takamine Acoustic Guitar endorser and clinician.

View Takamine Acoustic Guitars on Ebay from Trusted Name MusicPower

Fender B Stock Sale - Music Power

See the Fender B Stock Sale at MusicPower.com