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On Practicing Guitar

Christian Botta

Guitarist, Singer, Teacher, Songwriter and Producer

Interests: Music, cinema, reading, hockey, family, friends, cooking, wine

Recent Activity

20 Sweet Vinyl Albums For Tough Times

One of my guitar students asked me for recommendations of albums on vinyl so I dashed off this list. Many of them I’ve had for a long time and some for less, but one thing that they almost all have in common is that it’s pretty easy to listen all... Continue reading

Posted May 1, 2020 at On Practicing Guitar

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Fred, Sorry for the late reply. I looked online at the museum's website and didn't see much info, as you must have, as well. I suggest contacting the Shack Up Inn, which is located in Clarksdale. That's how I got the info that led me to the caretaker, Floyd. Believe me, it was just a piece of paper stuck up on the wall, probably hand-written with the phone number and basic info. I only saw it by chance. OK, maybe it was printed and on a bulletin board I don't remember it that way. There are many fans that make the pilgrimage and you've probably found your way by now. Let me know how it goes. Chris

Commented Mar 28, 2020 on Visiting Avalon - Home of Mississippi John Hurt at On Practicing Guitar

Hi, Jim This post, https://onpracticingguitar.chrisbottaguitar.com/2017/09/compound-strumming-pattern-in-hey-joe.html has links to some other similar posts, including the one above and one for Dead Flowers. They're all related. There's also a good one for Wild Thing. Thanks for visiting and for your comment! I'm starting to do some Zoom/Skype lessons. Let me know if you're interested. -Chris

Commented Mar 28, 2020 on Essential Strum Pattern in Knockin' On Heaven's Door at On Practicing Guitar

Guitarist Available

Experienced guitarist looking for bands, gigs, recording projects, session work and collaborators. I write songs and I’m good at collaborating. I teach guitar. I like to rehearse as long as the ratio of gigs to rehearsal is good. Also looking to join/form a rehearsal band. People say I play really... Continue reading

Posted Mar 5, 2020 at On Practicing Guitar

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Chemistry Is Everything

Chemistry is the elusive facet of any band that truly succeeds. Even at the simplest level, this is what people want to see and hear. With chemistry, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. This came into play when I formed The Anodyne Blues Band with a... Continue reading

Posted Feb 19, 2020 at On Practicing Guitar

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Ron Wood Slides on You Got The Silver – TAB

This arrangement of one of Keith Richards’ signature songs with Ron Wood on acoustic slide guitar presents a quirky part of the Rolling Stones’ history – the sideman as star. The Stones have often employed top notch talent in their band onstage and in the studio, think Nicky Hopkins, Billy... Continue reading

Posted Dec 31, 2019 at On Practicing Guitar

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Seduced By Classical Music

How I came to so passionate about classical music is not completely clear to me. It may have started in my teens when a friend played an LP from Toscanini’s set of Beethoven Symphonies over a powerful stereo system. Or maybe my obsession had roots in Clockwork Orange, which features... Continue reading

Posted Nov 2, 2019 at On Practicing Guitar

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Thanks for your comment, Charlie. I was talking about the repetitive aspect of the riff, not the sound. It's more a physical, technical thing. I will have to give my Bo Diddley records some further spins. Definitely some nice tremolo on Heart of Stone, as well. I've only come to use tremolo regularly in the past ten years or so. Growing up I used to think it sounded really dated. But more recently, I realized it was on many of the records that I loved, even after the '60s.

Commented Oct 26, 2019 on An Ode to Brian Jones at On Practicing Guitar

Thank you Lyall! A lot of time went into it with all the recording and the researching of the songs and their mixes. But the mix listening part was really fun and not that time-consuming by comparison to the production phase, especially the mixing process, which is usually tough. I will see you at the jam! -Chris

Commented Aug 22, 2019 on Mix It Charlie, Fix It at On Practicing Guitar

Jim, Sorry it took me so long to get back. Thanks! It was a long time coming. Yes, we missed the youtube and smartphone age! It's too bad. But that old film stock took some damn good pictures and it still does. -Chris

Commented Aug 22, 2019 on I Wanna Be Adored: The Saga of Cargo Culte at On Practicing Guitar

Mix It Charlie, Fix It

Mixing the individual musical tracks of a record can be one of the most difficult phases of the production process. But I managed to get a little bit more of a handle on it when I finished my current album, Saints and Sinners. I was stuck, I admit. But as... Continue reading

Posted Aug 21, 2019 at On Practicing Guitar

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Saints and Sinners Return to The Bitter End Friday July 12 at 8pm

Saints and Sinners will bring some rocking blues and bluesy rock and soul to The Bitter End this Friday, July 12th at 8pm. We last played the venue in February and we're raring to get back in action in Greenwich Village's most historic club. We've been playing an ongoing residency... Continue reading

Posted Jul 9, 2019 at On Practicing Guitar

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Rock and Roll Dreams at the Metropolitan Museum

This is possibly the first Gibson Les Paul Sunburt from the late 1950s to find its way to England. Keith Richards brought it over after one of the Stones' early U.S. tours. You can see him playing it in the T.A.M.I. Show, a landmark rock and roll movie. I finally... Continue reading

Posted May 25, 2019 at On Practicing Guitar

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Electro-Harmonix Headphone Amp Rules The Roost!

We all have neighbors. For years, I had the worst – complaining all the time, and even threatening violence. It was insane! Then finally, they both died. Joy! Their son took over the apartment, and he was a Saint. He never complained. Well, times change and now I’ve got terrible... Continue reading

Posted Apr 13, 2019 at On Practicing Guitar

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Swing Into Spring with Saints and Sinners at The Groove April 23

Spring is in the air and Saints and Sinners will be making our first appearance at The Groove in Greenwich Village on Tuesday, April 23rd at 7:30 pm. We’ve been working hard uptown at The Shrine and we’re excited to bring the music downtown to all our fans in the... Continue reading

Posted Apr 3, 2019 at On Practicing Guitar

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How To Properly Execute a "Pull-Off"

If your pull-offs aren’t working, the first place to look is in the term: “Pull-Off,” accent on the “off” part of the movement or technique. Perhaps they should be called, ‘pull-downs,’ but that would probably be confusing. And it wouldn’t make matchy-matchy with the Hammer-On, would it? The idea is... Continue reading

Posted Mar 31, 2019 at On Practicing Guitar

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I Wanna Be Adored: The Saga of Cargo Culte

Once, I swore I wouldn’t form any more rock bands. Then a bolt of lightning from Maine called me asking for guitar lessons. It was the beginning of a band and a friendship. Unfortunately, the friendship eventually dissolved into a Nigel Tufnel – David St. Higgins type of, “We shant... Continue reading

Posted Mar 14, 2019 at On Practicing Guitar

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Mojo And The Mayhem Rock The Loft At City Winery

I went to The Loft at City Winery in NYC to see one of my students play with his band, Mojo And The Mayhem and I was thoroughly impressed by his playing and the lively, accomplished sound of the band. Paul Lederer takes slide guitar lessons from me but he... Continue reading

Posted Feb 18, 2019 at On Practicing Guitar

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Riding Shotgun With Bassist Mike Muller

I hit the Red Lion Blues Jam on Bleecker Street on maybe the second coldest night of the year about ten days ago on Monday, January 21st aka Martin Luther King Day. Due to the weather there weren’t as many jammers as usual but the place eventually filled up with... Continue reading

Posted Jan 31, 2019 at On Practicing Guitar

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Saints and Sinners Getting Busy in 2019

Hello and Happy New Year! Saints and Sinners has some good stuff planned for the beginning of the year and we thought we would share it with you. First of all, we have a residency at The Shrine, one of our favorite venues. We’re playing every other Tuesday in January... Continue reading

Posted Jan 8, 2019 at On Practicing Guitar

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Visiting Salzburg Birthplace of Mozart

While visiting my girlfriend in Budapest, we took a side trip to Salzburg, Austria, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Those who are familiar with my blog must know that I’m a diehard Mozart fanatic. Have you ever cooked a Sunday pasta dinner while listening to Don Giovanni? You must... Continue reading

Posted Dec 19, 2018 at On Practicing Guitar

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Maxim Vengerov Returns to Carnegie Hall

The first time the violinist Maxim Vengerov came to my attention, he was pictured in the print version of the New York Times. Eyes closed and leaning back with his violin like Jimmy Page, he had a soulful, intense look on his face and was clearly caught up in a... Continue reading

Posted Nov 22, 2018 at On Practicing Guitar

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Sonny Landreth at NY's City Winery - Concert Review

I was lucky to have the opportunity to catch a few concerts these past few months in NYC and beyond. I’m very picky, it’s true and the venue means a lot to me. Also, I don’t have a ton of dough and I’ve seen a shitload of really outstanding concerts... Continue reading

Posted Nov 3, 2018 at On Practicing Guitar

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Saints and Sinners Drop Full Length Debut

It’s a crazy world. And Saints and Sinners are here to add some reality and emotion along with a good time to the situation. With their debut album, Saints and Sinners, the blues rock band from NYC brings you five originals, a few reworked classics and more choice covers from... Continue reading

Posted Oct 28, 2018 at On Practicing Guitar

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A Tail of Six Strats

Have you ever tried to pursue the mythical, deified “perfect Strat”? My first real guitar was a 1975 Fender Strat with a maple fingerboard, and it cost $220, made in America, no tremolo bar aka a “Hardtail.” I thought I knew something about Strats. How much can you know? Turns... Continue reading

Posted Sep 17, 2018 at On Practicing Guitar

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