WE ARE GUITAR. Lead Guitar's quarterly YouTube live stream, We Are Guitar, connects students with guitar luminaries to talk guitar, learn, and jam together before a worldwide audience of guitar enthusiasts. Hosted by Guitar Salon International, We Are Guitar began during the pandemic as a virtual replacement for our end-of-year Showcase Concerts, where students gather on a local university campus to perform and celebrate.
Check out this page for updates on the episode of We Are Guitar currently in production! Below, you'll find student submission deadlines, scores, and play-along videos for our upcoming broadcast, as well as student instructions for recording + uploading your video.
To view previous episodes of We Are Guitar, check out our archives page: We Are GuitArchives.
We Are Guitar - Episode 7
UPCOMING BROADCAST:
We Are Guitar Episode VII
DATE:
Monday, May 23rd, 2022 @ 8pm (EST)
STUDENT SUBMISSION DEADLINE:
Thursday, May 5th, 2022
HOSTED BY: Guitar Salon International Foundation on the GSI YouTube Channel
GUEST ARTIST: Emily Elbert
The upcoming We Are Guitar broadcast for May 23rd, 2022 will feature guitarist Emily Elbert-master of a broad range of styles including country, rock, and soul- who has played with artists like Lorde, Jacob Collier, and opened for Harry Styles. Check out this timely cover of Emily playing Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" and please share with your students!
VIRTUAL ENSEMBLE: Freight Train
Our virtual ensemble selection will be Freight Train, a traditional piece from Lead Guitar Book I.
STUDENTS: Are you ready to LEARN and RECORD?
FOLLOW THE STEPS BELOW!
Step 1: Play-Along
Use the videos and scores below to learn one part of Freight Train.
Students, please pick a part that corresponds to a level you have already covered in the Lead Guitar Method Books.
Use the tutorial videos below for help learning your part, and then practice your part at tempo with the play-along videos.
Once you have your part practiced up to tempo, continue to Step 2!
Scores
FULL SCORE
Level 1
Level 2
Level 5
Tutorial Videos
Check out this lesson for "Freight Train" on Lead Guitar Digital for Tutorial Videos and tips!
Play-Along Videos
Step 2: Recording and Uploading Your Part
**Submissions due
MAY 5th by MIDNIGHT
to be featured in the showcase
on May 23rd**
When you're ready to record, follow these instructions with our pro tips to ensure your video submission will sound great and sync up with everyone else's playing!
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Gather your equipment. You will need headphones, a phone or a computer with a camera, and a second device to play the rehearsal video. Oh, and don't forget your guitar!
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Minimize background noise. Set up in a quiet room and ask others in your home to avoid making sounds while you record. (Turning off loud fans and AC can help quiet things down!)
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Set up the camera. Make sure you are well lit with a simple background, and do a quick test recording to check the quality of your audio and video. If you are using a phone, you can ask a friend to film you, or you can prop the phone up on a chair with a pillow. Please film yourself in landscape. Make sure to prop up the phone without covering the built-in microphone. (This is usually found on the top or bottom of your device.)
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Put on your headphones. Plug them into a second device that you are not recording with and load the YouTube rehearsal video for the part that you practiced along with. This will allow you to play along with the rehearsal video while recording without the sound being heard on your video submission. You must play along with the rehearsal video for your part when recording so you stay in tempo with all of the other submissions.
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Check your tuning! If you don't have an electronic tuner at home, you can use this website. There are also several free tuner apps for your phone. (GuitarTuna and Pano Tuner work well in our experience!)
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Press record. Start recording first and then start the play-along rehearsal track in your headphones. Doing it in this order will allow you to focus on the count in. We will edit all of the video submissions, so you don't have to worry about playing as soon as you start recording yourself.
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Play!
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Listen to your recording. Make sure you sound your best and that you stayed in time with the rehearsal video.
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Name your video file with your part. For example: "makinituplevel4.mov." This helps us sort your submissions!
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Submit your video files through the form below. Please don't navigate away from the page until you get a green success message after you click submit. You may have to wait a minute if your video file is very large or if you are submitting from mobile. You will also receive a confirmation email at the address you entered into the form. If you are unsure your submission went through, email info@leadguitar.org and we'll check for you!
Followed all of the steps? That’s it! We will take your submission and edit it into our online guitar ensemble for the Showcase.
We look forward to making music with you!