A question came up on the forums yesterday asking if there was a product out there that would allow you to type in a chord progression and practice over that track.

The only product that I’m aware of that fits this bill is “Band-in-a-Box” by PG Music, Inc.

http://www.band-in-a-box.com/

I’ve tinkered around with BIAB before, but it was really my buddy Jason over at Little Rock Jams (http://www.littlerockjams.com/) who really turned me onto this. Not only does it help build your confidence with music theory and speed up the songwriting process, but also can throw down some pretty nice sounding tracks in many styles.

It’s a bit steep for the base package ($129), but you can download a demo to see if it’s what you are after before you plink down the dinero.

Dan

I have been involved in a “house cleaning” project in office. Right now I’m going through all my old magazines and razoring out articles and music I want to keep. On this journey, I’ve been walking down “memory lane” for gear. In one of the magazines, I can’t even remember which one now, I ran across the first interation of the Fretlight guitar. I always thought about getting one of these just to get all those scales under my fingertips.

I decided to check out the website and it seems like Optek is still going strong and selling those Fretlights - with some fancy new models to boot. They’ve even got a cool little flash/shockwave dude in the corner playing one. Wouldn’t mind trying one out myself for grins! Check it out - it might be just the thing to spark your practice sessions. Let me know if you’ve played one - I’d love to hear your opinions.

http://www.fretlight.com/

Dan

Hey I was browsing through the Sweetwater Guitar Gallery and ran across the new PRS SE One. I have really been wanting one of the PRS SE Soapbars but this for some reason look more vintage and individual. Check it out!

http://www.sweetwater.com/guitargallery/electric/all/sH22137/

Dan

Saw this on Yahoo today! Man it’s hilarious to think back to “the day”!

Here are the top 10.

1. Guns and Roses
2. Van Halen
3. New York Dolls
4. Def Leapard
5. Aerosmith
6. Kiss
7. Ozzy Osbourne
8. Motley Crue
9. Spinal Tap
10. Twisted Sister

Here’s the whole article:
http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/listoftheday/32122/the-25-best-hair-metal-bands

Enjoy!