Cameron Mizell

Alternate picking is simply the act of switching between a down stroke and up stroke, depending on the rhythm you are playing. This is much like strumming rhythm guitar–the motion of your arm keeps a constant up-down motion and occasionally misses the strings. The motion creates a steady time feel, but by not hitting the strings on every pass you create a more interesting rhythm. But even though the idea is the same, I’ve witnessed many beginning and intermediate guitarists that play great rhythm guitar really struggle with alternate picking.

While studying jazz in college, I realized that I learned the most from transcription. When I think about it, the goal of the curriculum was to teach me how to do what the guys on the record were doing. While it helps to have an instructor or mentor review your progress, correct your mistakes, and help you through difficult passages, it really all comes down to using your ears to sound like the soloist in the recording.

Tributary is now available everywhere digital music is sold!

“Ghost Town” from Tributary set to some beautiful photos of abandoned buildings and American ruins by Lauren Farmer. If you like these photos, please check out Lauren’s online print store. And of course, you can still pre-order a CD of Tributary and get some cool bonus items.

While employed at the Verve Music Group, one of the people I had the pleasure of working with was Harry Weinger. He is a catalog A&R guy, a reissue producer, and he knows his records. This was exciting for me because he has been involved in countless James Brown reissues, and I love some JB. [...]

At some point, every musician finds themselves studying, or perhaps copying, another’s music. This isn’t too different from apprentices studying with the Masters during the Renaissance. Except today, we usually don’t get to be in the same room as the person we’re studying.

After a lot of hard work over the last couple years, I’m proud to finally announce that Tributary is now available to pre-order! Click Here to Pre-Order Tributary Preview samples from the album while you read more: [Audio clip: view full post to listen] The official release date is July 20, 2010, when you’ll be [...]

When I was young, I was often more impressed by a guitarist’s chops than by the notes they were actually playing. I bought a Buddy Guy CD when I was about 14 and my favorite cut was “Let Me Love You Baby” because he played some sporadic bursts of notes on the guitar. I couldn’t play those notes that fast, so he must be good. I had no idea what the blues were all about. Now I hear a cut like “I Cry And Sing The Blues” and am blown away by the few notes he plays between “Blues all in my bloodstream / Blues all in my home / Blues all in my soul” at just the right moments.

Inspired by Lauren’s constant borrowing and subsequent losing of my guitar picks, I came up with a new marketing strategy.

Pictures taken during the making of Tributary set to “Junior’s Swamp Sauce.” If you like the track, you can still download it for free at Bandcamp. Please tell your friends!