How Jeff Beck Gets it Right

Not too long ago, we all received the very unfortunate news that Jeff Beck suddenly passed away. I along with so many other players, I'm sure, would say he's one of my absolute favorites. From the inception and height of the British invasion and constantly pushing the envelope forward both...

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How Fractal does Spillover

As with most things (and Fractal is no exception) there's more than one way to skin a cat. That's especially true when it comes to spillover within the Axe-FX or any of the other pieces of Fractal gear. Why should we care about spillover? Utilizing this feature correctly will help us sound more...

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Do You Need Music Theory

Do you NEED music theory? I hear that question all the time from students, I see it all the time on the internet. There's plenty of artists out there that say, "I don't use theory," so why should we even focus on learning it? Let's dive in and discuss why having a fundamental understanding of...

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PRS DGT Review

Is there such a thing as a guitar that perfectly blends vintage feel and aesthetic with modern playability and construction? Well, the PRS DGT might just be as close as we can get! Watch and listen as I share my ownership experience, walkthrough the features, and put this incredible guitar...

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Why Eruption Sound so Cool

There is one part in particular, it seems, that everyone is anticipating when hearing Eruption. After a slew of minor pentatonic madness, an angelic onslaught of tapped arpeggios emerges and brings us on a brief harmonic journey. I break down that part so we can get a closer look at what exactly...

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From Analog To Digital

Here's my personal story about how I went from analog tone snob to digital disciple, why I chose Fractal over other options, and how these incredible devices make my life as a performer, teacher, creator, and gear nerd much, much easier. What is your preferred guitar rig? Are you all in on...

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3 Steps to Better Tapping

Tapping can look as impressive as it sounds, but if we are trying to learn a technique only by sight, we can often be led to frustration and failure. Many of my private lesson students have tried to learn tapping by watching videos, and developed poor technique as a consequence. Here are 3...

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Before you Learn the Solo

Let me ask you a couple questions... Have you ever learned a guitar solo? I'm guessing the answer is probably a yes. Did you learn how many measures long the solo is? Did you learn what the chord progression is behind the solo? Did you learn the solo musical phrase by musical phrase? I'm...

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Try Out This Incredible Combo of Effects!

Using Fractal gear is great for a number of reasons- one of which is the ability to conceptualize and create your own effects or combination of effects. In this video I combine the pitch block and the tremolo block in parallel to build an immersive and wide guitar tone. create your own effects...

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Decoding More Chord Symbols (7ths, Tensions, Alt Chords)

This is the next video in this two-part mini series on chord symbols. If you've ever been confused when seeing "C7#11" or "E7#9" then this is the video for you. Adding one more third interval to our triads, the 7th note of the scale, give us a 7th chord. These 4 note chords have more possible...

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Decoding Chord Symbols (Triads, Sus, Add)

Without a system of understanding chord symbols, these markings on our music can be quite convoluted. Understanding what the symbol is trying to communicate is key, and in this short, two-part video series, I make sense of the musical hieroglyphics. We'll start with the basic triads, sus chords...

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Fractal 3 Block Challenge!

Find the preset here... https://www.mathewdale.com/freebies

Is it possible to create a fully featured preset with only 3 blocks in my FM3? Here's the parameters: clean, drive, and lead tones, rhythmic delay, ambient delay and verb, and minimal gaps and pops between scene changes. I get the most...

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