PRESENCE - Volume 57
Inspiration For Guitarists
One thing people don't always see is how much goes into making a video before the camera even turns on.
This week's deep dive is on playing the changes — specifically how to zoom in and out of playing the changes using Hotel California as the example. It's one of those songs that sits right at the intersection of the Number System, the CAGED System and the Pentatonic, and I think you're going to get a lot out of it.
But before I could make that video, I needed a backing track.
So I made one. And then I figured — why not show you how?
🎬 Behind the Scenes — Building the Hotel California Backing Track
In it I walk through the whole process: laying down a drum track, recording a bass line, building out two rhythm guitar parts using CAGED shapes, and then adding three single-note harmony guitar parts — also using CAGED. At the end you’ll hear the final product.
Recording is one of my favorite things to do. It's a lot of work, no question. But there's something deeply satisfying about starting with nothing and ending up with a full arrangement that actually sounds like music.
If you've ever been curious about home recording, I want to encourage you to just jump in and try it. The tools available today are genuinely impressive — you don't need a fancy studio to create something that sounds really good. The barrier is way lower than you think.
And if you want to see this week’s YouTube video that uses that backing track:
🎬 Playing the Changes — Hotel California Deep Dive
More soon, Dustin