Music is the universal language
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” - Luke 2:14
General Interest
Alex Lifeson in the Limelight
Who could forget Alex Lifeson’s soul-stirring acceptance speech at the band’s 2013 induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:
Yes, Rush are a “progressive rock band,” with all the weighty importance that it brings, but at their core is a sense of humor that allows them to not take themselves too seriously. The result is that, while their music may be complex at times, overall, it lacks the pretense and self-importance that can permeate bands of the genre.
Along with with late drummer Neil Peart’s masterful drumming and Geddy Lee’s vocals and powerfully melodic bass lines, it is Lifeson’s striking versatility that has made Rush one of rock’s most unique and compelling musical triangles for over 40 years:
Combining vast arrays of chiming chords …
and more, Lifeson’s inspiring creativity and musical savvy quickly become apparent to listeners. Let’s journey through some of the Canadian trio’s most classic songs to see if we can figure out just what makes him tick.
Open Strings Are Our Friends
In the debut episode of Premier Guitar’s Shred With Shifty, affable host and Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett, together with Lifeson himself, break down the latter’s solo from “Limelight,” off of 1981’s Moving Pictures. It kicks off with a clever use of a simple open B string, as shown in Ex. 1.
Ex. 1
As Lifeson explains, he doesn’t pick the harmonic. Instead, he lightly taps the ringing open string with a fret-hand finger at the indicated fret. (Lifeson uses his index; Shiflett, his middle.) Interestingly, the open B string wends its way through much of the song, including its trance-inducing chorus. Ex. 2 is inspired by this stirring section; note how the open B string acts as a hypnotic drone through all of the chords, a signature Lifeson move.
Ex. 2
You can take many open-position chord forms and experiment with moving them up the neck, while letting any open strings ring. Sure, you’ll inevitably hit some clunkers, but a good rule of thumb is, if the open string is in the key, you’ve got a good chance of finding some magic. Lifeson does just that in the intro to “La Villa Strangiato” from 1978’s epic, Hemispheres, as he positions a standard open G chord up at the 8th fret, creating a unique Cadd2 voicing.
Ex. 3 is along the same lines; note how there are two open strings, D and G, that, when added to this very basic chord form, revitalize it to swirling effect.
Ex. 3
As in the “Limelight” solo, Lifeson cleverly weaves the open B string into his “YYZ” solo, Moving Pictures’ bombastic instrumental. Here, though, he employs it as a pedal point, a re-articulated or sustained note generally played below (or sometimes above) an accompanying melodic figure. Ex. 4 closes out his sinewy solo in grand fashion.
Ex. 4
Only the very first note is picked; the rest are sounded by a series of hammer-ons and pull-offs, which require some fret-hand strength to execute. A great exercise is to take the same figure and move it to other open strings, which is also a fun way to learn your scales horizontally across the neck. Throughout his solo, Lifeson employs B Phrygian dominant mode (B–C–D#–E–F#–G–A), which is simply the 5th mode of E harmonic minor (E–F#–G–A–B–C–D#). Fear not, all this means is that it’s the very same E harmonic minor scale, but here, B acts as the root or tonal center instead of E. Examples 5 and 6 apply this scale to the 1st and 3rd strings, respectively.
Ex. 5
Ex. 6
Familiar Chords in Unfamiliar Places
Just as how Lifeson uses open-position chord shapes up the neck with open strings, he also is adept at taking closed triad shapes (no open strings) and cleverly moving them in similar fashion. His solo in “Subdivisions,” from 1982’s Signals, rises to a climactic end this way, as shown in Ex. 7.
Ex. 7
This familiar “D” shape is one of three triad shapes found on each of the guitar’s sets of three strings. In other words, the same three notes (we’re excluding the open 4th string from the previous example) can be rearranged to find two other inversions along the neck. Let’s use them to play the same “Subdivisions” chord progression, but in different registers of the neck, as in Examples 8 and 9. Note in bar 2 of each how the new shapes lend themselves to different melodic choices and thus, new chord colors.
Ex. 8
Ex. 9
Navigating Odd Spaces
The previous examples contain some interesting rhythms, something for which Rush is well-known, which includes the use of odd time signatures. Ex. 10 is reminiscent of a chordal interlude in “Jacob’s Ladder” from 1980’s Permanent Waves. Rush is a band that is exceptional at using odd time signatures in a most musical way, and here, they shrewdly shift from 5/4 to 6/4.
Ex. 10
To become more comfortable navigating these tricky time signatures, count either out loud or in your head while listening to the section. Doing so familiarizes you with how these time signatures feel, which eliminates the need for counting.
Lifeson always sounds effortless when soloing in odd time signatures. A key way to accomplish this is to always be aware of where beat 1 is, so, for the moment, a bit more counting. But this time, do it while actually playing, as this will have you feeling at ease sooner than you might think. Lifeson’s solo in Moving Pictures’ “Red Barchetta” is in 7/4; note that an easy way to count your way through 7/4 is to break it down into 4/4 plus 3/4. Ex. 11 illustrates how he deftly negotiates one of the solo’s two-bar phrases in a memorably melodic way.
Ex. 11
The above is just a taste of the palette of colors from which Lifeson draws, as he weaves his guitars throughout Rush’s timeless catalog of songs. He, along with Lee and Peart, created unique and genuinely emotional music, none of which could ever be described as “blah.”
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IK Multimedia Releases the ENGL Ampthology Volume 1Signature Collection for TONEX
IK Multimedia introduces ENGL Ampthology Vol 1, the first Signature Collection powered by the new TONEX Modeler. ENGL has earned a place among the most revered names in high-gain amplification, with a tone that has shaped the performance of metal, prog, and hard rock around the world.
For the first time, that signature ENGL aggression and clarity have been captured directly from ENGL's private vault of hand‑selected amps, meticulously curated for the official TONEX collection.
"For decades, ENGL has defined the sound of high-gain excellence. With IK Multimedia's TONEX technology, our iconic amps have been captured for you to unleash in the studio, on stage, or anywhere your music takes you."
- Edmund Engl, founder of ENGL AMPS
ENGL Collection Overview
- 72 Tone Models based on six legendary amps from ENGL's private collection, dialed in for this exclusive release.
- Created by ENGL tone masters using TONEX Modeler for enhanced high‑gain precision.
- Includes Amp, Amp + Cab, and Complex Rig Tone Models for ultimate flexibility in studio and live setups.
- Compatible across the entire TONEX ecosystem: Mac/PC, iOS, TONEX Pedal, and TONEX ONE.
- Compatible with all TONEX software versions, including the free TONEX CS.
The Ultimate ENGL Experience
ENGL Ampthology Vol 1 offers instant access to six legendary ENGL amplifiers: the Fireball 60, Powerball MK1, Invader 100, Savage 120 MK1, Savage 60 MK1, and the pure tube tone of the ENGL Straight. Each amplifier offers a selection of exclusive Tone Models, including amp-only captures for maximum versatility.
From crystal-clear cleans to crushing high-gain tones, with or without cab, these Tone Models capture authentic ENGL character in a mix-ready, studio-quality format that's phase-perfect, ultra-responsive, and optimized for both studio and live use.
Experience the full ENGL sound - without the volume, weight, or tube maintenance.
Pricing and Availability
The ENGL Ampthology Vol 1 is now available via ToneNET and within any version of TONEX for Mac/PC at a limited-time introductory price of $/€79.99* (reg. $/€99.99).
*Pricing excluding taxes.
For complete details and information about the ENGL Ampthology Vol 1 Signature Collection and to hear the tones, please visit:
www.ikmultimedia.com/tonex-engl-vol1
www.ikmultimedia.com/tonex-engl-vol1/video
“The band is called Guitar – that’s the pitch. Why are you still standing here?”: August 2025 Guitar World Editors' Picks
“Icons reimagined”: Fender gives four Player II classics a stunning Shell Pink refresh – and this web-exclusive drop might be sweetest we’ve seen
How Molly Tuttle is breaking the bluegrass mould with her custom dreadnought guitars
Though one of the most well respected names in modern-day bluegrass, Molly Tuttle is embarking on something of a stylistic departure with her new album, So Long Little Miss Sunshine.
Still deeply rooted in the mesmerising flatpicking prowess with which the California native has earned herself two Grammys, the album sees Tuttle venturing more into the realm of pop country, swapping solos with a “constant stream of notes” for more melodic bluegrass-inspired leads – ones that are more singable.
And in a new episode of Guitar.com Originals series My Guitars & Me – the first of season three, no less – Tuttle shows off her custom dreadnought and collection of Pre-War Martins which you’ll hear on the record.
“We were talking about this for a whole year, planning this guitar,” Tuttle says as she proudly shows off her custom Martin “Crooked Tree” D-28, inspired by her third studio album, Crooked Tree. The guitar sports a set of tree branch-inspired inlays on the fretboard, culminating in a Crooked Tree logo at the end of the ‘board with Tuttle’s initials ‘MT’.
“I sent that to them as one potential inlay idea,” she explains, “and then they had this idea to make the fret markers out of branches, and make it get more and more crooked.”
Elsewhere, Tuttle showcases her Herringbone dreadnought acoustic, made by North Carolina’s Pre-War Guitars Co., which specialises in aged recreations of pre-war guitars from the ‘30s and ‘40s.
“I played a show in Ohio, and this guy came up to me and said he had all this beautiful Brazilian rosewood,” Tuttle recalls. “And he knew I liked Pre-War guitars, so he offered to send the wood to the guitar company for free, and have them build me this guitar. So it was kind of out of the blue.”
“The thing that’s interesting about the Pre-War Guitars Co. is that they age all the wood, and they also have different levels of distress that you can order, so some of their guitars they scratch up and make them look crazy. They’ve even put a bullet hole in the guitar before. They’ll chain them to a car and drag them [along].”
On the stylistic direction of her new album – which arrived earlier this month – Tuttle explains that it was her vision to stay grounded in her bluegrass roots, while experimenting with more “general” sound.
“There was a little bit of both, making sure my identity and my roots with bluegrass and American roots music still stayed a through line on the new album,” she says. “And a lot of how we did that was with the guitar playing.
“But at the same time I wanted to stretch my playing as well… I wanted to make the style a little more general, and more uniquely mine – not trying to fit into any certain mould.”
Watch the latest episode of My Guitars & Me with Molly Tuttle above.
The post How Molly Tuttle is breaking the bluegrass mould with her custom dreadnought guitars appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
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Reverb’s Labor Day sale is on – save thousands on guitars, amps and pedals right now
Labor Day is just around the corner, and many of the major music retailers are hosting massive sales to celebrate. Right now at Reverb, you can save hundreds – and in some cases thousands – on a range of guitars, amps and pedals until Wednesday 3 September.
So is now the time to treat yourself to that new piece of gear you’ve been craving. You know, it might just be.
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Let’s face it, the price of an authentic Gibson Les Paul puts it out of reach of many guitarists’ budgets. But if you’ve been thinking about shelling out to finally get your own LP, this Murphy Lab Aged ‘59 Reissue has been discounted by a huge $1,349.25. Granted, even with the discount it’ll still cost you $7,645.75, but previously priced at nearly $9,000, we can tell you that this is a hell of a deal.
Sold in “excellent condition with very few signs of wear”, this ‘59 Les Paul Reissue features next to no fret wear, and all electronics function as new.
Or if a Les Paul isn’t your style and you’re looking for a high-ticket guitar that’s a bit more metal-ready, why not gander at this 1977 Greco Flying V, discounted by $525, taking its price down from $3,495 to $2,970.
Other highlights from the electric guitar department picked out by our very good friends at Reverb include a Natural-finished 1987 Fender Telecaster Thinline ‘72 Vintage Reissue, discounted by a strong $460, meaning you pay just $1,839.99. There’s also something for those on a slightly tighter budget, with this PRS Limited Edition SE Custom 24 in Ruby priced at $679.20 down from $849.
Or maybe you’re not in the market for a new guitar, but are keen to give your pedalboard a little love?
We’ve spotted a host of solid deals on stompboxes, including $96 off this MXR M279 Deep Phase Phaser and a cool 20% off this Keeley Electronics Blues Disorder
Click below to browse the entire Labor Day sale over at Reverb.
[deals ids=”24ZkqfRyOvFkIMGUfoTRJ5″]
The post Reverb’s Labor Day sale is on – save thousands on guitars, amps and pedals right now appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Small Amps, BIG Sound: Spark Mini, VF-1, Jupiter 45 & Starlite Reverb
From portable digital powerhouses to vintage-flavored tube tone machines, Premier Guitar contributor Tom Butwin puts four very different low-powered amps through their paces.
If you’re a tinkerer searching for new tonal colors, a traveler who needs great sound in a compact package, or a tone chaser looking for the perfect studio companion, one of these amps has you covered. From quiet practice sessions to mic’d-up gigs, sometimes less really is more.
Guitar World deals of the week: Save $300 on Dave Grohl's signature Epiphone, get the lowdown on the cheapest place to buy a Keeley stompbox, plus all the best Labor Day sales from across the web
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“We’re kinda frozen at 14 years old”: Steve Vai explains why he and Joe Satriani are still so enthusiastic about playing guitar
Steve Vai and Joe Satriani first started jamming together as teenagers, but their musical partnership gone on to span over 50 years. Now aged 65 and 69 respectively, the pair are still going strong – but they still feel like a pair of excitable teenagers when working together.
In a new interview with Thomann’s Guitars & Basses, Vai explains that his musical bond with Satriani still feels as exhilarating and fruitful as when the pair were young. “We’re kind of frozen at 14 years old,” he smiles. “You know, the way [we’re so] enthusiastic about the shows and playing together… it’s like being a teenager again.”
While the pair have toured together over the years on Satriani’s G3 tours, their collaboration for the SATCHVAI band is the first time the pair have properly worked as a pair. “We tag team, you know,” Vai explains. “I would say it’s my favourite co-creative guitar extravaganza, because we started doing it when we were teenagers. We’ve developed ears for each other.”
The idea for the band came when Eric Johnson wasn’t able to continue touring with G3. “We wanted to extend the tour… So Joe and I went out as Joe Satriani and Steve Vai,” Vai recalls. “Then we [had a call and decided], ‘well, why not just create some new music [together]?’”
Before Vai had even “hung up the phone”, Satriani has already sent ideas over. “I get these two tracks from Joe, and they’re The Sea of Emotion [Part 1 and Part 2], which is a place that we used to go and hang out when we were kids,” he says.
Inspired by Satriani’s enthusiasm, Vai got to work, adding in his own ideas for The Sea of Emotion Part 3. The third movement really embraces that teenage spirit – and Vai even used a genuine recording from the pair’s younger. “So there’s, like, six or seven seconds or so of Joe and I as teenagers,” he grins.
The original recording is from when Vai was 12 and Satriani was 16. “I started lessons with Joe when I was like 12, and I’d go to his room and he had this Sound on Sound tape recorder,” Vai recalls. “And I was just so attracted to this thing, because I loved the idea of recording, I loved the idea of engineering… I said, [Joe], tell me about that thing. He goes, ‘Well, let’s try it.’”
“So he showed me this riff, and he was playing these chords, and we recorded it. We got like, eight minutes, you know, as long as the tape was. And then many years later, Joe sent it to me, and I transferred it to digital, and I thought, I’m going to take a piece of this and actually put it at the beginning of the song.”
While only two tracks have been released, including The Sea of Emotion Part 1 and Glenn Hughes’ feature track I Wanna Play My Guitar, the rest is still being pieced together. “A lot of it is kickback to our youth with mature ears and fingers,” Vai says. “I Wanna Play My guitar is so representative of that time.”
The post “We’re kinda frozen at 14 years old”: Steve Vai explains why he and Joe Satriani are still so enthusiastic about playing guitar appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
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