Hey Friend,

I would be remission my duties as a guitar teacher if I didn’t mention the passing of Allan Holdsworth, who died last weekend. 

Many of you, if not most, will not recognize his name, but you will recognize those who revered him as a guitar god:

I was familiar with him due to many magazine articles and his endorsement of Carvin/Keisel guitars, but really didn’t know his music.

Allan was a Jazz/Fusion player that incorporated techniques to make his guitar and playing sound more like a saxophone. This allowed him to explore sounds and techniques completely unique to guitar, and put him on the radar of established guitarists.

It was his speed and clarity in playing that really had these other guitarists excited. When some of the best players in the world are watching you, you must have something special going on!

I won’t attempt to rehash what has been said about Allan, as there are plenty of current articles describing his accomplishments. Premier Guitar did a particularly good job with this tribute to him. 

Personally, I don’t get Fusion music - the scales and chord progressions are not pleasing to my ears, so I don’t spend any time listening to it. However, I can’t dismiss the extreme musical skill that is needed to play this music.

You can’t play this music without having your proverbial “sh_t” together technically. You’ve got to be accurate and and confident in your capabilities to pull off this style - there is no “BS-ing” it!

Even if it’s not your cup of tea, it’s worth watching and studying the techniques from Jazz and Fusion because it helps you see music from a different perspective. 

If you have a little time today, take a minute and read about Allan Holdsworth.

Peace~

Dave