An exploration of the creative process, quantum entanglement, and how songs can appear out of thin air.
When you are writing a song, improvising a solo, or coming up with an arrangement, where do these ideas come from?
There are endless theories on how one creates art, but I suspect that most people approach the task by
- Relying on your influences, tweaking things others have done.
- Digging inside yourself, where there's a deep reserve of ideas that canāwith focus, work, and patienceābe mined.
- Connecting to some creative power of the universe outside of yourself.
We all rely on our influences to a certain extent, but when it comes to genuinely creating something fresh, the first option feels like plagiarism. Sure, you can nick changes or a melody from something else and tweak it to sound like its own thing, but it rarely feels like you're breaking new ground.
Approach #2 feels like a lot of pressure. Every mine (and mind) eventually runs dry. Even if it doesn't, it can take a long time to find the gold hidden amongst the debris.
If you like the mystical third option best, you're in good company. There are a lot of seemingly level-headed people who attribute the inspiration of their art to this paranormal technique. There's a documentary about that famous New York songwriting hotbed, the Brill Building (episode 8 of This Is Pop on Netflix). Several of the Brill Building's biggest-hit songwriters said their songs came to them from something outside of their body. Neil Sedaka says songs would just pop into his head, claiming, "I'm a vehicle or have an antenna thing going."
Songwriter/producer and 4 Non Blondes' vocalist Linda Perry expanded: "I'm not tapping into something. Something is tapping into me." Willie Nelson has mentioned in several interviews that, "songs are in the air; you just grab them." Paul McCartney maintains that the perfect melody of"Yesterday"came to him fully formed in a dream. He reportedly fell out of bed, went to the piano to figure out the key, and played it. You can't definitively explain this phenomenon, but let's try.
About the creative process, John Mayer said, "If you're not Ouija-boarding immediately, you're wasting time."
Let's start with consciousness. The prevailing consensus amongst scientists is that consciousness originates in the brain. However, there's a theory even amongst some scientists that our brain is just a filter for an external consciousness. (Warning, the oxygen gets a little thin up where we're going.)
Neuroscientists still cannot explain why countless people experienced consciousness after they were reported "physically" dead. Combine that with the many documented cases of intelligent humans functioning at a high level with nothing but a brainstem. Add this to your own hair-standing-up-on-your-arm experiences (like when the person you're thinking of calls you or your dog barks uncontrollably at a blank space) and, admittedly, although it seems improvable, it's not impossible. Quantum entanglement, what Einstein called "spooky action at a distance," might explain it.
Quantum entanglement sounds more like paranormal activity than physics, but it's not a theory: It's a real phenomenon. The over-simplified explanation is that objects can become inextricably intertwined and assume a new, collective identity. Any actions performed on one of the particles affects the other, no matter the distance between two particles. This may not seem like a big deal, but the larger implication of this phenomenon is that the Universe at the most basic level is connected. This is something scientists observe on a subatomic level, but musicians experience while making music. Like when the drummer, whom you're not even looking at, hits the exact same improvised triplet you do. It could be a coincidence, or it could be that you and the drummer are connected. If you watch a great band long enough, you'll recognize this phenomenonāthe tell being the players will look at each other with uncontrollable grins on their faces right after that magic happens.
I saw a livestream video interview where John Mayer, egged on by an interviewer, improvised a song on the spot. About the creative process, Mayer said, "If you're not Ouija-boarding immediately, you're wasting time." I think what Mayer meant is that you're jumping out into this spiritual connectivity, trusting that something you cannot see will guide you. Mayer hinted at this in his ad-lib lyrics when he sang, "go get it from the Universe, you can't rehearse." This technique is nothing new. Homer's Odyssey, which was composed in the 8th or 7th century BCE, starts with the poet saying: "Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the storyā¦." Homer's role was to be a voice for the goddesses of literature, science, and the arts.
This is the realm where science feels like spirituality. Science tries to prove it, spiritualists try to feel it, but when you break it down, both are saying there's something Big outside of us that connects us all. Maybe the reason some music connects so closely to us is because we, like the performer or creator, are connected to this same source. SRV's "Lenny" moves me more deeply than words. Is it quantum entanglement? Spirits? Aliens? Ghosts? God? Who knows. Whatever it is, I want to tap into it.
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This reader solicited the help of his friend, luthier Dale Nielsen, to design the perfect guitar as a 40th-birthday gift to himself.
This is really about a guy in northern Minnesota named Dale Nielsen, who I met when I moved up there in 2008 and needed somebody to reglue the bridge on my beloved first guitar (a 1992 Charvel 625c, plywood special). Dale is a luthier in his spare timeāa Fender certified, maker of jazz boxes.
Anyway, we became friends and I started working on him pretty earlyāmy 40th birthday was approaching, and that meant it was time for us to start designing his first solidbody build. If you stopped on this page, itās because the photo of the finished product caught your eye. Beautiful, right? The 2018 CCL Deco Custom: Never shall there be another.
Old National Glenwood guitars were my design inspiration, but I wanted a slim waist like a PRS and the like. We used a solid block of korina to start, routed like MacGyver to get the knobs and switches where I wanted them. Dale builds all his own lathes and machines (usually out of lumber, yāall), as the task requires. This beast took some creativityāitās tight wiring under that custom-steel pickguard. Many were the preliminary sketches. Four coats of Pelham blue, 11 coats of nitro. Honduran mahogany neck, Madagascar ebony fretboard with Daleās signature not-quite-Super-400 inlays. He designed the logo; I just said, āMake it art deco.ā
We sourced all the bits and bobs from StewMac and Allparts and Reverb and the like, mostly to get that chrome look I so adore. Graph Tech Ratio tuners, Duesenberg Radiator trem (had to order that one from Germany), TonePros TP6R-C roller bridge. The pickups were a genius suggestion from the builder, Guitarfetish plug ānā play 1/8" solderless swappable, which means I have about 10 pickups in the case to choose from: rockabilly to metal. And both slots are tapped, with the tone knobs serving as single- to double-coil switches. I put the selector on the lower horn to accommodate my tendency to accidentally flip the thing on Les Paulsādefinite lifesaver.
Reader and guitar enthusiast, Cody Lindsey.
Dale offered to chamber this monster, but I said what doesnāt kill you makes you stronger. It weighs in at 11 pounds, if itās an ounce. We carved the neck to match a ā60s SG, so itās like the mini bat you get at the ballpark on little kidsā day. Easy peasy. 1 11/16" nut, 25" scale, jumbo frets, just 2 1/8" at the 12th fret.
Delivery in its lovely, hygrometer-equipped Cedar Creek case actually happened a month or two shy of my 41st, but hey, you canāt rush these things. We ended up with a studio Swiss Army knife; it does a bit of everything and does it effortlessly. A looker, too. Dale didnāt spend his career doing this kind of thingāhe was in IT or some suchāand I imagine heās winding this āhobbyā of his down these days, enjoying retirement with a bottle of Killianās and a lawn chair at Duluth Blues Fest. But this guitar will live on as a marker of his skill and otherworldly patience. It sits at the head of the class in my practice room, welcoming any visitors and bringing a smile to my face every day. And Dale, my friend, Iāll be 50 before you know it....
Cody requested that Dale design an art deco logo for the guitarās headstock.
Tailored for Yngwie Malmsteen's signature sound, the MXR Yngwie Malmsteen Overdrive is designd to offer simple controls for maximum impact.
Working closely alongside Yngwie, the MXR design team created a circuit that delivers clarity, expressive dynamics, and rich harmonicsāall perfectly tailored for his light-speed arpeggios, expressive vibrato, and big, bold riffs. The control setup is simple, with just Level and Gain knobs.
"Want to sound like Yngwie? Crank both knobs to the max."
āThis pedal is the culmination of 45+ years developing a sound thatās perfect in every possible way,ā Yngwie says. āI present to you: the MXR Yngwie Malmsteen Overdrive. Prepare to be amazed.ā
āMXR Yngwie Malmsteen Overdrive highlights:
- Perfectly tailored for Yngwie Malmsteen's signature sound and style
- Simple control setup tuned for maximum impact
- Boost every nuance with superior clarity, expressive dynamics, and rich harmonics
- Dig into light-speed arpeggios, expressive vibrato, and big, bold riffs
The MXR Yngwie Malmsteen Overdrive is available now at $129.99 street/$185.70 MSRP from your favorite retailer.
For more information, please visit jimdunlop.com.
Voltage Cable Company's new Voltage Vintage Coil 30-foot guitar cable is now protected with ISO-COAT technology to provide unsurpassed reliability.
The new coiled cables are available in four eye-grabbing retro colors ā Surf Green, Electric Blue, Orange and Caramel ā as well as three standard colors: Black, White and Red. There is also a CME exclusive āChicago Creamā color on the way.
Guitarists can choose between three different connector configurations: straight/straight plugs, right angle/straight and right angle/right angle options.
The Voltage Vintage Coil offers superior sound quality and durability thanks to ISO-COAT treatment, a patent-pending hermetic seal applied to solder terminations. This first-of-its-kind airtight seal prevents corrosion and oxidization, a known factor in cable failure and degradation. ISO-COAT protected cables are for guitarists who value genuine lifetime durability and consistent tone throughout their career on stage and in the studio.
Voltage cables are hand made by qualified technical engineers using the finest components available and come with a lifetime warranty.
Voltage Vintage Coil features include:
- Lifetime guarantee, 1000+ gig durability
- ISO-COAT treatment - corrosion & oxidization resistant cable internals
- Strengthened structural integrity of solder terminations
Voltage Vintage Coils carry $89.00 USD pricing each and are available online at voltagecableco.com, as well as in select guitar stores in North America, Australia, Thailand, UK, Belgium and China.
About Voltage Cable: Established in 2021, Voltage Cable Co. is a family owned and operated guitar cable company based in Sydney, Australia. All their cables are designed to be played, and built for a lifetime. The companyās ISO-COAT is a patent pending hermetic seal applied to solder terminations.
Featuring dual-engine processing, dynamic room modeling, and classic mic/speaker pairings, this pedal delivers complete album-ready tones for rock and metal players.
Built on powerful dualāengine processing and worldāclass UAD modeling, ANTI 1992 High Gain Amp gives guitarists the unmistakable sound of an original "block letter" Peavey 5150 amplifier* ā the notorious 120āwatt tube amp monster that fueled more than three decades of modern metal music, from Thrash and Death Metal, to Grunge, Black Metal, and more.
"With UAFX Dream, Ruby, Woodrow, and Lion amp emulators, we recreated four of the most famous guitar amps ever made," says UA Sr. Product Manager Tore Mogensen. "Now with ANTI, we're giving rock and metal players an authentic emulation of this punishing high gain amp ā with the exact mic/speaker pairings and boost/noise gate effects that were responsible for some of the most groundbreaking modern metal tones ever captured."
Key Features:
- A complete emulation of the early '90s 120āwatt tone monster that defined new genres of modern metal
- Powerful UAFX dual-engine delivers the most authentic emulation of the amp ever placed in a stompbox
- Complete albumāready sounds with builtāin noise gate, TSāstyle overdrive, and TCāstyle preamp boost
- Groundbreaking Dynamic Room Modeling derived from UA's award-winning OX Amp Top Box
- Six classic mic/speaker pairings used on decades of iconic metal and hard rock records
- Professional presets designed by the guitarists of Tetrarch, Jeff Loomis, and The Black Dahlia Murder
- UAFX mobile app lets you access hidden amp tweaks and mods, choose overdrive/boost, tweak noise gate, recall and archive your presets, download artist presets, and more
- Timeless UA design and craftsmanship, built to last decades
For more information, please visit uaudio.com.