Guitars

Want to share something off-topic? This is where to put it.
Mark
True Blue
Posts: 530
Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2008 2:13 am
Location: Eastern Kentucky

Post by Mark »

Brian,
What does "Dexta day minus two" mean. I am just curious.
See ya
Mark

When all else fails, get a bigger hammer

Mark
True Blue
Posts: 530
Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2008 2:13 am
Location: Eastern Kentucky

Post by Mark »

Oscar,
I found a music store on the web just 20 miles away that has this DVD. I'll call in the morning and make sure they have it in stock.
Thanks!!!
See ya
Mark

When all else fails, get a bigger hammer

Brian
Grumpy
Grumpy
Posts: 5216
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 2:07 pm
Location: Norfolk, England.

Post by Brian »

Mark,
It is now Dexta Day minus 1. My New Petrol Dexta arrives tomorrow :lol:
Fordson Tractor Pages, now officially linked to: Fordson Tractor Club of Australia, Ford and Fordson Association and Blue Force.
Brian

Oscar
Site Governance Team
Site Governance Team
Posts: 810
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:26 am
Location: Holland

Post by Oscar »

Hiya Mark,

You can buy all his stuff through http://www.certifiedguitarplayer.com/in ... Category=3

Go seem him live if you have the chance. There is nothing like seeing him perform on stage! His tour dates for the US in the immediate future can be found here: http://www.tommyemmanuel.com/tour-dates/

Regards,
Oscar

Oscar
Site Governance Team
Site Governance Team
Posts: 810
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:26 am
Location: Holland

Post by Oscar »

Did you manage to find the DVD, Mark?

I'm becoming infatuated with my new guitar :) . It really plays and sounds like a dream. I'll just throw in a very big photo here, apologies to those with slow connections:

Image

Mark
True Blue
Posts: 530
Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2008 2:13 am
Location: Eastern Kentucky

Post by Mark »

Oscar,
Looks like to me you have another "baby," I know what that feels like, she's beautiful, and looks really easy to play. How does she play down around the 14th fret? I've got a cut a way style, and you have a dreadnought, that will make a difference. I hope you have long hands and fingers. Glad you found one that feels good in your hands, with a great sound, nothings any better than playing a good guitar that sounds good.

I went to two guitar stores in Ashland, Ky. last Wed., but they didn't have the DVD. The Internet said they did, but they didn't. I've got one more place to check into, before I just order it from the web site you gave me.

Does your children take any interest in playing? I've got two kids, a boy and a girl, and neither one has shown any interest at all in learning to play. My daughter sang in our band for 10 years and is a really great singer, but she didn't pick up on guitar. Oh well, maybe the grand children will.
See ya
Mark

When all else fails, get a bigger hammer

Oscar
Site Governance Team
Site Governance Team
Posts: 810
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:26 am
Location: Holland

Post by Oscar »

"How does she play down around the 14th fret?"
Very nice! I had the store do a really good set-up before I took it home. Most acoustic guitars are shipped from the factory with a high action, because (unlike an electric) you cannot raise the action once you've lowered it (apart from putting in a new saddle). So they ship it high and leave it up to the customer to lower it. And I did. Having said that, the action at the lower positions (first 6 frets or so) was absolutely stellar straight out of the box: I could hardly slip a playing card between the strings and the 1st fret, but no buzz anywhere. The bone nut is carved beautifully too. Anyway, after the action adjustment she plays fine all over the neck. Obviously, at some point intonation becomes an issue. Playing chords with open strings and fretted notes in the 16th fret area is tricky, but I'd say acoustic guitars were never designed for that sort of thing,

"I've got a cut a way style, and you have a dreadnought, that will make a difference."
You're the second person who sees my guitar and says it's like a dreadnought with a cutaway. To me, it doesn't look like a dreadnought at all :) . It reminds me of an 000-style guitar with a cutaway.
Image Image
000 on the left, dreadnought on the right.

"I hope you have long hands and fingers. Glad you found one that feels good in your hands, with a great sound, nothings any better than playing a good guitar that sounds good."
I have long fingers, yes. I adore the neck because it is wider than most guitars at the nut, somewhere between (say) a Martin and a nylon-string classical guitar. That really helps me to play fingerstyle with chords like B7 (I love that chord) without muting any strings.

Image

"I've got one more place to check into, before I just order it from the web site you gave me."
Bear in mind that this is NOT a concert DVD. Instead, it has Tommy playing a dozen songs from start to finish and then breaking them down for instructionary purposes. But to be able to see him play those songs so up-close and personal is more inspiring to me than a concer DVD . You can see and hear every nuance of this playing and I love that. I watch it frequently and skip the instructionary passages. Should you prefer the concert DVD then I recommend this one, which you can buy from the same webstore:

Image

"Does your children take any interest in playing? I've got two kids, a boy and a girl, and neither one has shown any interest at all in learning to play. My daughter sang in our band for 10 years and is a really great singer, but she didn't pick up on guitar. Oh well, maybe the grand children will."
My middle son has talent for the guitar. He's 8 and he picks it up remarkably easy, and remembers the chords and fingerings without practice. But the truth is that so far he's doing it not because of a love for the instrument, but to be able to play with me. Nothing wrong with that of course, but as a result of that he doesn't pactice. To me, practice is fun. To him, it's boring. If he ever develops a love for the guitar, then my prediction is that he'll be a damn good player. My other 2 kids don't show any interest so far. I don't force them - either they love music or they don't. It has to come from within. I've loved music since the womb :) .

By the way, I also have a Baby Taylor. I bought it as a travel guitar and it goes pretty much everywhere I go.

Image

It's small enough for hand baggage in airplanes and it's flown quite a few times now. It's scale length is 3/4 of a normal guitar. It comes with a top-quality and very durable gig bag. Mark, this thing is small but it sounds B I G. There is more volume in this l'ttle guitar than in my full-size Ayers. And not just volume either: it has a great, great sound. It cuts right through any band mix. Very addictive to play. The only concern is that because of the smaller scale length, you really, really, REALLY have to pay attention to tuning. It stays in tune quite well, but if your high E is off by a hair, you'll hear it. I love this little guitar and I play it a lot.

Oscar
Site Governance Team
Site Governance Team
Posts: 810
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:26 am
Location: Holland

Post by Oscar »

For those who are interested in acoustic guitars and how to record them, read on.

For those who are not interested but would like to hear me play a tune or 2, skip to the last part of this post.

For those who want neither: you're in the wrong discussion :D .

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I had the house to myself yesterday morning and took the opportunity to take a shot at recording my new acoustic through my digital workstation. I soon discovered that using only the built-in Fishman pickup system yielded horrible results. So I put a mic up and recorded the pickup together with a signal from the mic. Now this isn't exactly a pro mic; it's an early '80s Sennheiser dynamic mic sans pre-amp. It sound great on a snare or a blaring Marshall and also makes a nice vocal mic. But using it on an acoustic guitar yielded a low signal, so I ended up having signal-to-noise problems. You can hear me breathing and all, though I don't necessarily dislike that (it makes the music more, well, human I guess).

Lessons learned:
(1) I need to buy a large-diaphragm condenser mic with phantom power and a good mic pre-amp.
(2) I need to buy a good DI to run the piezo signal into before it hits the board.
(3) If I can get my guitar to sound this well with a cheapo mic and a so-so Fishman system, I'm sure I can get it to sound spectacularly well with the right mic and a good DI. My main gripe with the current recordings (apart from a poor S/N ratio) is the overly dense low midrange. There are some frequencies clashing there and there's not enough transparency. Bit boomy too.
(4) I need to pen a couple of catchy up-tempo pieces that people can tap their foot to.

The end result isn't great, but it's not bad either. I was focusing on getting a good sound going so I wasn't too concerned with my actual playing. As a result, I was relaxed and perhaps because of that my playing wasn't bad either (but it also wasn't great, not even remotely). I got 3 songs down in a very short time, doing just a few takes of each song.

For those who'd like to hear it:

1. Classical Gas. Just for the heck of it I tried to record this song, which is sort of a staple for fingerstyle guitarists. Me being me, I flatpick the whole song which is close to heresy ;) . Anyway, this is the song that Tommy Emmanuel played (though in a much, much better and very different version) when he walked on stage during the first gig I ever saw him do. That changed my life. My version sucks, but I just have to play this tune. I love it so much. Perhaps in a year or 2 I will be able to do it justice. For the record, the song was penned by Mason Williams and my ramshackle version is one third Williams, one third Emmanuel and one third me.
2. Anouschka. This is a tune I wrote while I watched my daugther sleeping. She'd dozed off on the couch in front of the TV and she inspired this piece. I envisioned it as a piano piece played on the guitar. I asked myself how a guy like Billy Joel or Elton John would play this on piano, and tried to recreate that on guitar. It's a lullaby, so it's quite melancholic. I played this piece for Tommy and he loved it. That, and because I wrote it for my daughter, make it very special to me. But it is a very personal thing and I expect most other people will dislike it. There's quite the risk of falling asleep - in that sense it is a good lullaby :).
3. As The River Runs. Holland is a small country where a few very big rivers, which originate in the Alps, finally end up in the sea. Those rivers start out as small trickles, grow into rivers, travel for very long distances with some nice rapids along the way, and finally are released into the waiting sea. That inspired me to write this song. Like a real river, there are no repeating parts in this song. It meanders along, mostly in free time, and never repeats itself. Some people I've played it for love it, because it breaks away from the rigid verse/chorus song structure. Others hate for exactly the same reason.

I wonder how well I'll sleep tonight now that I've thrown it all out there for you guys to see :yikes: .

henk
Site Governance Team & Expert Team
Site Governance Team & Expert Team
Posts: 2085
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:56 pm
Location: Arnemuiden, The Netherlands
Contact:

Post by henk »

Was that you Oscar or TE? :wink:

Sounds great, really touchy.
Kind regards, Henk

Fordson New Major February 1957 Mark I

Mark
True Blue
Posts: 530
Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2008 2:13 am
Location: Eastern Kentucky

Post by Mark »

Oscar,
Great pickin my friend, it shows that you do a lot of practicing in lonely hotel rooms away from home. I'm like you, give me a guitar and I can spend hours in my own little world. I like to pick with more than me though, it sure makes for a better sound.

I couldn't get the "Classical gas" to play, if you would check it and see if it's working right.

What kind of strings do you use?

If you would play the one you played for Tommy that you wrote for your little girl. I would like to hear it.

Again great job!
See ya
Mark

When all else fails, get a bigger hammer

Oscar
Site Governance Team
Site Governance Team
Posts: 810
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:26 am
Location: Holland

Post by Oscar »

Mark wrote:Oscar, Great pickin my friend, it shows that you do a lot of practicing in lonely hotel rooms away from home. I'm like you, give me a guitar and I can spend hours in my own little world. I like to pick with more than me though, it sure makes for a better sound.
Time sure flies with a guitar in my lap. Hours seem like minutes :)
Mark wrote:I couldn't get the "Classical gas" to play, if you would check it and see if it's working right.
Link seems to be OK as far as I can see. I suggest you right-click the link and choose "Save file as". Then it will be downloaded to your hard disk and you can play it.
Mark wrote:What kind of strings do you use?
On my little Taylor, I use Martin strings and on the Ayers I prefer Ernie Ball Eartwoods. Both sets are .012 - .052.

I'm still experimenting with coated strings because of their longer life (I play so much that I could change strings 3 times a week and that's a bit expensive with 3 or 4 guitars and a bass in the house). So far I've not found coated set that sounds the way I want it to sound.
Mark wrote:If you would play the one you played for Tommy that you wrote for your little girl. I would like to hear it.
That song is called Anouschka. You can listen to it, the link is in my post.
Mark wrote:Again great job!
Thanx!!

Mark
True Blue
Posts: 530
Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2008 2:13 am
Location: Eastern Kentucky

Post by Mark »

Oscar, I heard all of them but the Classical gas recording. That sure is a pretty song for you daughter, did you write any words to go with the music?
I use the coated strings, if you could get the brand "Elixer" in light gauge, you will be pleased. Unless you bang really hard they will last three times as long as the others, and you won't hear any "screeching" from wound strings.
I was telling my children about Tommy Emmanuel's cd's, and they told me to wait and they would get me some for my birthday which is Sept 4. Can't wait to see some of his courses he has made, I know I can learn some new ways to play better.
See ya
Mark

When all else fails, get a bigger hammer

Oscar
Site Governance Team
Site Governance Team
Posts: 810
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:26 am
Location: Holland

Post by Oscar »

Mark, if you want me to then perhaps I can send you the mp3 of Classical Gas in the mail.

Speaking of Classical Gas, click THIS to see a recent performance of Tommy with a string quartet. Brilliant, as usual.

Mark
True Blue
Posts: 530
Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2008 2:13 am
Location: Eastern Kentucky

Post by Mark »

Oscar,
Yes I would like to hear it. When I went to you tube to listen to Classical gas once more, I stayed over 2 hours listening to Tommy's renditions of his music. He is a great guitar player.

You ought to try the Elixer stings, /www.elixirstrings.com, Oscar, they play very well. Get the light gauge if you try them, they have the best sound I think. I've tried the medium, but they are very sluggish to me, and don't ring like I think they should, and don't chime very well.
See ya
Mark

When all else fails, get a bigger hammer

Oscar
Site Governance Team
Site Governance Team
Posts: 810
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:26 am
Location: Holland

Post by Oscar »

I'll send the song right away, Mark. It's completely different from TE's version and not nearly as good, but it is what it is and I sure love to play it.

I'll be sure to check out the Elixirs. Thanks for the tip :) !

henk
Site Governance Team & Expert Team
Site Governance Team & Expert Team
Posts: 2085
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:56 pm
Location: Arnemuiden, The Netherlands
Contact:

Post by henk »

As long as we keep talking guitars in this topic, I'll let you know what one of my favourite song is in that genre.
Many years I'm a fan from YES. Bin to a concert of them. A bit strange music, that symphonic rock, and the voice of Jon Anderson is very strange.
One of the songs I like is this one,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh0hI0BV ... re=related
But I guess you folks have try to play that also.
Kind regards, Henk

Fordson New Major February 1957 Mark I

Oscar
Site Governance Team
Site Governance Team
Posts: 810
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:26 am
Location: Holland

Post by Oscar »

YES is a band that to this day has legions of fans. The musicians in YES are very, very good. Trevor Rabin, Steve Howe, etc. Incredible guys!

Mark
True Blue
Posts: 530
Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2008 2:13 am
Location: Eastern Kentucky

Post by Mark »

Henk, they are really good. I've never heard of them before. Have you ever heard of Jerry Reed and the late great Chet Adkins? I tried to put a link from you tube but it didn't work. Go to You Tube and type Jerry Reed in and have a listen.
See ya
Mark

When all else fails, get a bigger hammer

henk
Site Governance Team & Expert Team
Site Governance Team & Expert Team
Posts: 2085
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:56 pm
Location: Arnemuiden, The Netherlands
Contact:

Post by henk »

Who hasn't heard from them Mark?
Kind regards, Henk

Fordson New Major February 1957 Mark I

Mark
True Blue
Posts: 530
Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2008 2:13 am
Location: Eastern Kentucky

Post by Mark »

Henk,

Music crosses all cultures and language's, what would we do without it.
See ya
Mark

When all else fails, get a bigger hammer

Oscar
Site Governance Team
Site Governance Team
Posts: 810
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:26 am
Location: Holland

Post by Oscar »

Mark wrote:Have you ever heard of Jerry Reed and the late great Chet Adkins?
Jerry Reed died 2 days ago, sadly enough.

Mark
True Blue
Posts: 530
Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2008 2:13 am
Location: Eastern Kentucky

Post by Mark »

Oscar,
I hadn't heard that, he was a great picker, and a funny guy, he'll be missed.
See ya
Mark

When all else fails, get a bigger hammer

Oscar
Site Governance Team
Site Governance Team
Posts: 810
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:26 am
Location: Holland

Post by Oscar »

Message to Mark: heads up :) . Watch this.

Mark
True Blue
Posts: 530
Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2008 2:13 am
Location: Eastern Kentucky

Post by Mark »

Oscar,
I agree with the moderator of this clip of Tommy, when he says he can get more out of a guitar than anybody he's heard yet.
I've never in my life heard anyone play like he does, when he comes close to where I live I'm going to go and see his performance.
Thanks for sending this to me.
See ya
Mark

When all else fails, get a bigger hammer

Brian
Grumpy
Grumpy
Posts: 5216
Joined: Wed Apr 16, 2008 2:07 pm
Location: Norfolk, England.

Post by Brian »

BBC Television is running a series late on Sunday night titled "The History of the Guitar", watched it last night and for a novice, it was very interesting. It went into the acient history and the development of the instrument.

Interview with Bert Weedon who is still alive and playing and clips of Sergovia and Jango Rhinehart. Next week it is about the electric versions with Jimmi Hendrix et.al.
Fordson Tractor Pages, now officially linked to: Fordson Tractor Club of Australia, Ford and Fordson Association and Blue Force.
Brian

Post Reply