Canon Rock!

So you know how to play guitar... Do you know Canon Rock? Can you play it? Those are the questions that follows whenever a youtube member learned that you know how to play guitar.



This video was uploaded in youtube.com December of 2005 and has viewed 55,127,773 times now. FunTwo (the one playing the guitar) performs the Canon Rock. The original canon rock was arranged by a very young professional guitarist named JerryC (you can visit him at www.jerryc.tw). Although I've heard Yngwie Malmsteen's Canon in D version before, Jerry C's has become the popular one. Canon Rock was a rearrangement of the very beautiful classical masterpiece of Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D. It was so solemn that most of the time, it is used as a wedding march sound for the entourage. Jerry C's arrangement was so brilliant, it was very amazing. Since then, JerryC's arrangement of Canon Rock becomes the great challenge if not the gauge for a guitar player. A lot of times when somebody discovered that I know how to play guitar, they immediately ask me if I know how to play the Canon Rock. So I answered them, "Not yet...".

A lot of guitar geeks around the globe has uploaded their cover version of JerryC's Canon Rock. As a guitar player, I was amazed by each of them. All of them are great and plays Canon Rock with their electric guitar very nice. My favorites are FunTwo's and Cesar Huesca's cover. After I've watched their video in 2007, there's a spark inside me wanting to play that Canon Rock piece. Hopefully, someday I will have the chance to upload my own cover of JerryC's canon rock.

Here are some of the Canon Rock videos from youtube.com uploaded by impeto.



Here's the original Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel from Imeem.com.

Pachelbel Canon in D [original version] - Divertimento

Sweep Picking? Arpeggios? What was that again...?

When I was studying at Polytechnic University of the Philippines (now you know why I'm not good in english?), I discovered that my Advance Mathematics Professor (a very young 22 years old mathematician (regards to Sir See!) also plays guitar. He's not just a very good mathematician, he's also a guitar geek. I asked him who's his influenced and he answered me with a name... "It's Yngwie Malmsteen." At that time, I don't have any idea who this Yngwie Malmsteen is. But when I've heard Yngwie's "Seventh Sign" album, I was shocked and amazed on how he played his guitar. I asked my professor if he could also teach me some techniques that yngwie uses and he taught me "Sweep Picking".

Sweep picking is playing notes one after another, your pick travels in one direction across multiple strings. My math professor introduced me this technique in year 2001 but I don't have the chance to study and practice it because I was so busy with my thesis.

Here's some video that I've found and you may also find these beneficial if you're just like me, a newbie yngwie wanabee. :)

Hope I could absorb these free online arpeggios examples, but with my rusty fingers, I don't think so... It will take a lot of time for me to practice.

Tune your guitar online

Before we play our guitar, it has to be tuned accordingly. Either let your friend that plays guitar for a long time or use a guitar tuner. Remember, as a guitar player, we need to learn this ability.

The standard tuning of six string acoustic and electric guitars are in E A D G B E, there are numerous way to get your guitar in standard tune. You can listen for your favorite music that you know exact chords and tunes. You can also buy a guitar tuner or use a piano.

One helpful site that we can use is the get-tuned.com. Use this free online guitar tuner to tune your guitar. This is initially set for the standard EADGBE guitar tuning.

In time, you will be able to tune your guitar all by yourself without any help from your friends that are advanced guitarists.

Just Got My New Guitar!

Finally! I now have my own electric guitar...

My interest to play guitar started when I was in second year high school. My classmate John Lugtu played a big role in this, he taught me how to play guitar and introduced different bands like Guns and Roses and Nirvana. Although I grew up in a family that loves music and listens to Juan Dela Cruz, Asin and Sampaguita, It was a memorable experience for me to listen and learn different type of music... rock music.

Since then, my passion to play guitar continues but I don't have my own guitar. Borrowing guitars from my friends is my weekly routine, until one of my friend and also one of the many person that taught me how to play guitar gave me his old cheap acoustic guitar. Although that was so ugly and very painful to fingers because of its high strings, I will not forget that first guitar of mine. I repainted it myself, exerted a lot of effort to rebuild it and I have learned a lot from it. Well that guitar was just a memory because it was broken and gone already.

When I was in college, my classmate and friend Romulo Fajardo Jr. aka mulong (a very talented graphic artist and guitarist) has taught me a lot of things about sketching and guitar playing. He even introduced me heavy metal music and bands such as Metallica, Wolfgang, Pantera and Black Sabbath to name a few. He even taught me how to read Tablature. Until we decided to form a band together with our classmates and friends Victor Guerrero Jr. and Francis Cuna. My college days was so memorable and unforgetable because of our "rak-rakan" times. Then with my "konting ipon" from my scholarship allowance, I managed to buy my own electric guitar. I just bought that in V. Mapa (near our school P.U.P.). It was a locally produced electric guitar that looked like Ibanez Steve Vai's signature guitar for two thousand philippine peso. Because of it's poor quality, my first electric guitar did not stand the test of time and eventually died it. Since then, I did not have the chance to play guitar anymore.

Now, I was really thankful because after seven long years, I already have my own electric guitar. It's a Dean electric guitar that handpicked by my wife. I let here decide what style of dean electric guitar would be great for me, we choose from different electric guitars like RJ, Fernando, Gibson, Ibanez and Fender. But with our budget, we landed with Dean Vendetta Electric Guitar. I was so happy and satisfied with my guitar right now and after so many years, "makakatugtog na ulit ako!" I will be able to play again. But I do not have any plan joining rock bands again. I decided to play it during my free time to release the stress that accumulates during office hours. And of course! to serenade my wife, because I used to do play countless love songs for her about nine years ago.

Here's the specs of my Dean Vendetta electric guitar that I bought in JB Music.

�- Bolt On Construction
�- Solid Mahogany Body
�- Maple Neck Rosewood Fingerboard
�- Dual Humbuckers
�- Tune-O-Matic Bridge
�- String-Through Body Design
�- Classical Dean V Ferrule Pattern
�- 24 Frets
�- 25.5 Scale

Hopefully someday, I will have the chance to own my dream Yngwie Malmsteen's signature Fender StratoCaster electric guitar...

For now, It's time to loosen my stocked fingers and put oil on it. Got to find numerous guitar lessons! :)

I have a blog!

I now have a blog, it's url is http://myownlesson.blogspot.com. In this blog, I will share my memorable experiences no matter what the emotions involved and whoever may get happy or sad.