AI gets a lot of (justified) criticism in the music world right now, and watching what Suno and others are doing, I share those concerns. But I wanted to highlight a use case that's been genuinely helpful for me: data analytics. Over the course of one afternoon, I used Claude Code to build a set of dashboards with a tool called Streamlit, running locally on my machine and updated regularly with fresh data. No more wrestling with CSV exports (anyone who's dealt with DistroKid's royalty reports knows the pain 😅), just clean, visual overviews of everything that matters. And it goes beyond display. One question I'd always wondered about: how many songs should I actually put into Discovery Mode? Claude helped me work through that properly, with the data to back it up (see second screenshot). AI isn't replacing the music. But for the business side of things, the admin, the analysis, the stuff we'd rather not spend our creative energy on, it can be a serious time-saver. Happy to share more if anyone's curious. 🎸

I set my alarm this time as I’m pretty sure I missed the last one. Sending good vibes from Florida!!

https://us05web.zoom.us/j/81493802335?pwd=YUal0BBkqK3wrgeFTPA1ZfWu1zoZL9.1

let's get to know each other. comment below, sharing a photo of your (current fav) guitar, how you got into making instrumental guitar music, and maybe what you do besides making music. I'm happy to have you here 🫶🏼 PS: oh also please feel free to link your music! PPS: there's also an app of Skool btw. which makes keeping up with what's happening in here a little easier.

Hi guitarwavers, last Friday I attended a clinic by Chris Buck at Music Store in Cologne. For those who don’t know him: Chris is an outstanding guitarist (currently touring a lot with his band Cardinal Black). His solo playing has fascinated me for years, and his YouTube channel — especially the sadly discontinued Friday Fretworks series (https://youtu.be/QonHlw4oBWw?si=pJsrlD74f2r2wrOm) — has been a big source of inspiration for me. Besides plenty of guitar-nerd topics (including his Yamaha signature model), he spoke during the clinic in depth about his approach to soloing. There were so many gems that I quickly took notes and thought I’d share them here. We haven’t talked much about technique and practicing in the community yet, so maybe this is useful for some of you. Key takeaways: • Start slow and low. He usually begins in the lower register and plays sparsely, then gradually moves up the neck and increases intensity, telling a story with introduction, build-up, climax, and resolution. • A/B phrasing. He often structures phrases as a question (suspension) and answer (resolve). • Don’t be afraid of repetition. Good melodies need time to sink in. He often repeats phrases and later restates them an octave higher. • Study singers, not guitarists. He focuses on vocal phrasing, melody, and character, then translates that to guitar. • Single-string playing. He mentioned that around 70% of his solos happen on a single string. This prevents scale “noodling” and forces you to think melodically, while physically feeling the intervals. • Vibrato like a singer. He lets notes sit flat first, then adds vibrato gradually — similar to how a singer’s vibrato naturally appears as the breath fades. The short video I captured is a great example of all of the above. Here’s the original version (recorded for Paul Davids’ challenge): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl8CaZVMQzw&t=1514s