March 30th, 2020

Corona Lessons Volume 12, Tom Bukovac, "The Two Sides Of Practicing"

Chapters
00:00 - 2 chord riffing
01:57 - Hello / Reader questions
02:24 - Videos referred to as Tom Time
02:50 - Fellow session player: How to approach practicing?
05:00 - Listening to how the instruments work together
05:55 - Practicing by really studying good, old songs
09:03 - Muscular part of learning / Dexterity
10:05 - View the fretboard horizontally
11:15 - Know the notes blindfolded / Know real stuff


Notes
Yet another tangent...this one inspired by a question I received about how to practice...this one goes out to you dude.

March 30th, 2020

Corona Lessons Volume 11, Tom Bukovac, “Burnin’ For You”

Chapters
00:00 - Shredding
00:46 - Speed
01:23 - Clean picking / Loose arm
02:49 - Exercises


Notes
The most polarizing guitar subject of all...alternate speed picking. Although my musical tastes and interests have taken quite a long journey since my brief flirtation with the shred culture back in the mid to late 80s, I have no regrets about the picking technique i developed during those years. I just sort of stumbled on to this technique on my own when I was a kid. Here’s a couple tips/exercises to show you how I do it. Please note that I always use the shoulder of the pick when i do this.

March 29th, 2020

Corona Lessons Volume 10, Tom Bukovac PHRASING!!!

Chapters
00:00 - Hello, everybody!
00:27 - One reader comment to respond to
00:55 - The most important thing in music / Phrasing
02:35 - 100 guitar players play this... / Voice
03:47 - Automatic vibrato vs. conscious
04:34 - Different types of vibrato
06:12 - Amazing Nashville guitarists?


Notes
The key to all music is one thing people....phrasing. I apologize but for some unknown technical reason this video doesn't quite start at the beginning when you first turn it on.

March 28th, 2020

Corona Lessons Volume 9, Tom Bukovac, "Ripples"

Chapters
00:00 - Genesis - Ripples


Notes
Prog rock day on Corona Lessons...and my first special guest on the show, Sarah Buxton. Doing our version of an old number called "Ripples" off the 1976 Genesis album "Trick of the Tail". An homage to those magical days of yore when all music wasn't written in 4 bar loops of the same four chords over and over. Sarah has an amazing band called Skyline Motel with her songwriting partners Kate York, Ian Fitchuk and Daniel Tashian. Their EP "After Dark" was just released a couple days ago on all the streaming bullshit...REALLY cool songs...and your buddy helped out on the record playing some guitar. This one goes out to my old buddy Tommy Mcdonald...the only guy I know who loves old Genesis as much as I do.

March 27th, 2020

Corona Lessons Volume 8, Tom Bukovac. Summer Blues

Chapters
00:00 - Hey everybody
00:30 - Using your thumb to play bass notes
03:30 - Demonstration of using thumb
05:03 - Not bending
05:40 - Using pick and fingers


Notes
A couple slightly unusual techniques here for you all to possibly explore....plus a shameless declaration about my utter distaste for what most normal people consider "nice weather". I come by it honestly folks....there was no person on this planet that absolutely LOATHED being hot more than my dear departed mum Norma Irene Bukovac. She would gladly sit inside in the air conditioning during any outdoor summer family event of my childhood. This one goes out to her....in all those ugly transformative years between" total bar band hack" and "professional session man" she never said one discouraging word. She was truly somethin' special.

March 25th, 2020

Corona Lessons Volume 7, Tom Bukovac, "All The Steves"

Chapters
00:00 - Hello everyone / Comment section and thanks
00:58 - Pick related questions
02:26 - Melodic patterns?  No
02:39 - Battery powered microcube?  No
02:55 - No bullshitting
03:40 - Don't let your fingers just fall
04:55 - more views?
05:07 - Best vocalist? Sarah Buxton
05:29 - Stick to drinking, not videos
05:57 - Ton of Steves
06:20 - Steve Howe (Yes)
07:22 - Steve Morse (Dixie Dregs)
08:21 - Steve Hackett (Genesis)
10:00 - Steve Hunter (Various)


Notes
I figured it was time to answer a few questions from viewers...and also go off on a rant about all the great Steves.
This one goes out to my favorite Steve that DOESN'T play guitar...little Stevie Marcantonio....you may not know him, but trust me, he made a lotta big records in New York.

March 24th, 2020

Corona Lessons volume 6, Tom Bukovac, "Pick & Fingers....Nature's Tone Control"

Chapters
00:00 - Some incredible playing
02:03 - Lesson: Switch pick edges


Notes
Rainy day blues....don't it feel like we are all grounded teenagers? Well...thank the Good Lord we still have our guitars. Here's one for all the folks who have asked me about my weirdo pick/fingers combo platter....which was developed subconsciously over 42 years of struggling to get shit to sound the way it sounds in my head....

March 23rd, 2020

Corona Lessons Volume 5, Tom Bukovac. the new normal sus chord

Chapters
00:00 - Hot damn playing
02:33 - Hello!
03:08 - Why can't we have sus chord and major chord?
03:30 - Lesson: Half-step rub / Demonstration
05:15 - Summation and playing


Notes
Extra bored today, so I'll put up a second vid, no extra charge...plunkin' on an old 63 bird...this one goes out to my guru...Greggor "Bubba" Sarlija....if it wasn't for him I would probably be a hopeless drunk living in a rented duplex in Mayfield dating a Hooters waitress.

March 23rd, 2020

Corona Lessons volume 4, Tom Bukovac,...Mick "Ronno" Ronson, Ian Hunter

Chapters
00:00 - Intro to Mick Ronson
01:14 - One of the greatest solos (Ian Hunter - Cleveland Rocks)
02:12 - Lesson: Playing solo


Notes
Hello everybody....today's lesson takes us back to pre-virus times....Kingston Upon Hull, Ipswich, Suffolk, Surrey, Ditton on the Thames, Charing Cross Road....the glam rock era of the 70's, back when songs had actual chord changes....and furthermore.... This one goes out to my dear friends Eliot and Tobin.... technical notes: 1) if you wanna play along you gotta tune down a half step 2) the amp I've been using on all these videos is something you can purchase for 80 dollars...an old Roland Micro Cube (but you gotta get one of the "good" ones between serial number XZFFHZBY009988874532787996 and XZFHZBY9999900000007865554329986)

it amuses me to no end when people try to judge and compare "guitar tone" by listening to iPhone recordings

Stay well everybody...try to stay sane

March 22nd, 2020

Corona Lessons volume 3, Tom Bukovac, southern harmony & faux slide

Chapters
00:00 - Hello everybody / Intro and cool licks
00:48 - Lesson: Faux slide licks and demostrations


Notes
Here's a few riffs you can play if you ever forget your slide at the gig.... thanks for the kind words on previous videos everyone....since playing guitar is basically the only thing I can actually do in this life, i figure this is my small contribution to getting us through the "cris-o-lation" of "the great netflix war of 2020"....

Yes, this situation we are currently in is more fucked up than Harvey Weinstein' genitalia, but i do believe we will get through it and there will be a Renaissance on the other side....also, as soon as this is shit is over, these videos will stop and I'm going to start charging full corporate rate for these lessons...

People have asked about what amp I'm using on these videos...you would die if I told ya.