Born and raised in Boston, Patrick
DeCoste is a rising instrumental guitarist in the local music scene.
With influences and inspiration coming from artists such as Eric Johnson, Randy Rhoads and U2, DeCoste continues to push his talents
and further his skills. His educational background includes
Music Theory, Composition, and Performance lessons from Berklee's Summer
Guitar Sessions as well as Classical guitar lessons from Joe Zuccala.
Patrick has played along side well known guitarists
Joe Stump, considered by many
to be the
most extreme shred guitarist in the world,
and reknown Berklee
faculty teacher
Tomo Fujita.
...
Since becoming a solo artist in
2003, DeCoste has been a frequent performer on the local Boston area
circuit while continuing to make a name for himself on the global music
scene. Despite the
tough road of touring, DeCoste finds the time to impart his knowledge of guitar
to others in an exclusive series we call Boston Beats Lessons. This monthly
series will show examples, provide history and help guitar hopefuls
elevate themselves
to the next level of play.
One topic that always seems to
make its way into any musical discussion is the overall concept of Music
Theory. Some believe that such knowledge is unnecessary and hinders the
musician's creative process...
Usually in the
very early stages of the guitarist's learning process, one of the first
"tricks" he/she is taught is the use of harmonics, in particular "natural
harmonics." Unfortunately, many players think that this technique is one
dimensional...
As discussed in
a previous column, music theory can play an important role in one's
songwriting development. In this lesson, we'll take that concept and
bring it to life. This month's column pertains to how I approach
chord forms...
When the amps
are turned to 10 and the distortion pedal is as loud as possible, every
little nuance shines through and you'll need as much help as possible to
alleviate any unwanted noise.
When thinking of guitarists
who take using effects to a different level, several players may come to
mind such as The Edge (U2), Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine), Vernon
Reid (Living Colour), David Rhodes (Peter Gabriel) and Eric Clapton.
Although most of the players listed are obvious choices for "effects
junkies," I'm sure you're wondering...
Guitar picking, similar to
guitar playing, can be as simple or complex as you want to make it. Most
people are content with the basic up/ down picking patterns whereas the
more you delve into tone, feel and approach, you may find you'll get
more mileage out of using various picking techniques to add variety and
diversity to your playing. For this lesson, I'll be...
