What a pisser.
My crew and I weren't to go on until 7 pm.
At 6:30 the guitar player for the main act was asking for,
"A guitar player, c'mon now...one of you plays guitar."
No one moved.
A half hour later and they had finished their set. The entire front row was wives and hangers on of various shapes and denominations. The clapper, the hoot and hollar'er...they were all there, in the front row.
So as one they ready to depart.
7 pm comes and the tear down/setup ritual begins. The talk back and forth is they have another engagement and have to go. No worries.
We set up and immediately launch into a lusty 'Waiting for the Bus.'
Their singer, Lefty Jeff comes running, at full tear into the room, vaults on stage and starts to sing. Never mind he is a verse early and we have the singing covered. It was really well received.
The more we played more the more he sang. There was no breach of etiquette, this is a road house and the name of the game is a huge jam.
Two more numbers and by that time Jim turned to his son Charlie, as if to say,
"Do you want to go?"
When no less than the entire opening act, was joining in. Their drummer, now playing on our drummers kit, their guitar player is singing backup, the bass player was making the tambourine tinkle, and Jeff was singing his little heart out.
"Gimme your number again, man?"
When the musicians spend more time talking shop and the audience is dancing, even though it is freezing...it is a good gig; a party, a blast.
And now to bed and to dream of my night at the ball.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
It's That Time Of The Year, Again
Come and dance with me.
This year, only one main act and then, "the rest of us."
If it works as in the past we'll be playing far beyond our allotted set. Last year it was four songs, this year six, perhaps seven. I am playing less and expecting more in the way of compensation...Merry Christmas.
But that's a rant better left for another moment.
For whatever reason this is the event I associate with the death of my father. I played this gig last year and then a couple of days later, he died. No connection, except in my head.
So I will think of him.
I am more of a friend to George than just a guy with a guitar that he knows. Even though to two are intertwined, deeply. I'll enjoy his company. And share what he offers.
I will not be sad to see the year go, so I will see this as the shedding of an awful year in which too many were taken from me, from us. And not enough time for the things that really matter.
A voice you long to hear.
A good book.
Some new music.
A touch that lets you know you are alive and that is a good thing.
To you Harry, dear young boy, I will think of you as I always do. And this year, my dad too.
Sigh.
While at George's I will be 'auditioning' this.
A guitar stand that makes use of the edge of any flat-ish surface.
A weighted, rubber hunk with a deep cutout for the neck of your guitar.
Allow the foot to hang over an edge - that's my amp in the shot, and lean the guitar against it. The slot behind holds picks.
A neat piece for the space conscious. About $18.
This year, only one main act and then, "the rest of us."
If it works as in the past we'll be playing far beyond our allotted set. Last year it was four songs, this year six, perhaps seven. I am playing less and expecting more in the way of compensation...Merry Christmas.
But that's a rant better left for another moment.
For whatever reason this is the event I associate with the death of my father. I played this gig last year and then a couple of days later, he died. No connection, except in my head.
So I will think of him.
I am more of a friend to George than just a guy with a guitar that he knows. Even though to two are intertwined, deeply. I'll enjoy his company. And share what he offers.
I will not be sad to see the year go, so I will see this as the shedding of an awful year in which too many were taken from me, from us. And not enough time for the things that really matter.
A voice you long to hear.
A good book.
Some new music.
A touch that lets you know you are alive and that is a good thing.
To you Harry, dear young boy, I will think of you as I always do. And this year, my dad too.
Sigh.
While at George's I will be 'auditioning' this.
A weighted, rubber hunk with a deep cutout for the neck of your guitar.
Allow the foot to hang over an edge - that's my amp in the shot, and lean the guitar against it. The slot behind holds picks.
Monday, December 24, 2012
Jesus, On His Birthday...Says - Swords into Plowshares
Gunman Ambushes Firemen - Kills Two
http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/24/us/houston-police-killed/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
The first couple of stories are about weapon related deaths - Christmas Eve?
Four people shot and killed today.
There is no rational reason for anyone to be armed.
Want to hunt? Fine.
Or if you really have to fire a handgun, may I suggest going to a range and renting same?
Second Amendment arguments fail in light of today's technology. The amendment was to protect from a failed government; the right to armed insurrection.
With what the government could bring to bear, we the People, would resemble Saddam's army, circa 1991.
Do any of the assault weapon proponents believe they could withstand the US Armed forces with an AR-15?
And then there is the National Rifle Association, who declined to show any leadership and concern for the welfare of anyone or anything but themselves. Wayne LaPierre blamed Hollywood and lack of armed guards for the tragic massacre at Newtown Connecticut. Conveniently forgetting the armed guard who did exchange gunfire with the two boys - "He was outside..."
It seems that money is the root of most evil. This is an outrageous display of what a dollar can attempt to buy - our silence while the massacre continues.
Over one hundred people have been shot and killed since the Newtown shooting. One Hundred.
The greatest threat to us, this country is not al qaeda, but ourselves.
Merry Christmas
http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/24/us/houston-police-killed/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
The first couple of stories are about weapon related deaths - Christmas Eve?
Four people shot and killed today.
There is no rational reason for anyone to be armed.
Want to hunt? Fine.
Or if you really have to fire a handgun, may I suggest going to a range and renting same?
Second Amendment arguments fail in light of today's technology. The amendment was to protect from a failed government; the right to armed insurrection.
With what the government could bring to bear, we the People, would resemble Saddam's army, circa 1991.
Do any of the assault weapon proponents believe they could withstand the US Armed forces with an AR-15?
And then there is the National Rifle Association, who declined to show any leadership and concern for the welfare of anyone or anything but themselves. Wayne LaPierre blamed Hollywood and lack of armed guards for the tragic massacre at Newtown Connecticut. Conveniently forgetting the armed guard who did exchange gunfire with the two boys - "He was outside..."
It seems that money is the root of most evil. This is an outrageous display of what a dollar can attempt to buy - our silence while the massacre continues.
Over one hundred people have been shot and killed since the Newtown shooting. One Hundred.
The greatest threat to us, this country is not al qaeda, but ourselves.
Merry Christmas
Sunday, December 16, 2012
History Is Revisionism
I detest revisionism as it is sometimes directed at the Holocaust, et cetera. I want to stand by history.
But I see that is not the case.
Not in comics, in which it is referred to as retcon or retroactive continuity - altering an established history of a fictional work.
Not in music...
I found a group of young people who wished to debate the origin of the term 'metal' as it pertains to music in general and guitars in particular.
There is a reference in 'Born to Be Wild.' And there were two band, Led Zeppelin and Iron Butterfly. These two bands were loud at times and on the then cutting edge of the guitar as it was being explored in the late 1960s.
Their names - two flying items made of metal...intentional contradiction in terms, rebels with long hair.
But where is this knowledge contained? The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame? The word is not disseminated anywhere. It is left to tribal knowledge and being relatively trivial, not maintained.
And I find it sad.
In an age where people put faith in Wikipedia as a purveyor of facts it serves to show we are losing touch with our history in very meaningful ways.
As a child I would pore over the Encyclopedia Britannica for hours. I would read the footnotes and the references. Look at the authors and wonder if I would ever be as knowledgeable as to be asked to contribute to what I considered the sum total of the worlds knowledge.
These people that authored sections were the leading people in the field, The people without peer. Or a collection of people so formidable in their insight and wealth of facts to share.
And now, we have the internet; where anyone can post something and claim it fact, and you know somewhere it will gain traction.Whether true or not.
But I see that is not the case.
Not in comics, in which it is referred to as retcon or retroactive continuity - altering an established history of a fictional work.
Not in music...
I found a group of young people who wished to debate the origin of the term 'metal' as it pertains to music in general and guitars in particular.
There is a reference in 'Born to Be Wild.' And there were two band, Led Zeppelin and Iron Butterfly. These two bands were loud at times and on the then cutting edge of the guitar as it was being explored in the late 1960s.
Their names - two flying items made of metal...intentional contradiction in terms, rebels with long hair.
But where is this knowledge contained? The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame? The word is not disseminated anywhere. It is left to tribal knowledge and being relatively trivial, not maintained.
And I find it sad.
In an age where people put faith in Wikipedia as a purveyor of facts it serves to show we are losing touch with our history in very meaningful ways.
As a child I would pore over the Encyclopedia Britannica for hours. I would read the footnotes and the references. Look at the authors and wonder if I would ever be as knowledgeable as to be asked to contribute to what I considered the sum total of the worlds knowledge.
These people that authored sections were the leading people in the field, The people without peer. Or a collection of people so formidable in their insight and wealth of facts to share.
And now, we have the internet; where anyone can post something and claim it fact, and you know somewhere it will gain traction.Whether true or not.
"The United Nations garden contains several sculptures and statues that have been donated by different countries. This one is called "Let Us Beat Swords into Plowshares" and was a gift from the then Soviet Union presented in 1959. Made by Evgeniy Vuchetich, the bronze statue represents the figure of a man holding a hammer in one hand and, in the other, a sword which he is making into a plowshare, symbolizing man's desire to put an end to war and convert the means of destruction into creative tools for the benefit of all mankind. "
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
2012, Goodbye and Good Riddance
I wanted a white persona, head to foot.
2012 has taken many people I cared for and about. It robbed me of father and friends. And in the musical world it tolled longer than I'd prefer.
So tonight, Ravi Shankar, the reference to the Concert for Bangladesh, left us, too.
I am angry at the loss. The guy was ninety two, so I mourn only a little for him. But his daughter and his daughter. Them, I mourn for.
The year was good for me but hard on me. It gave me gifts with one hand and took people with the other. It took my normalcy and left me wondering how much pain the fiscal cliff will cause me? I know the money dries up 12/29/12. I wonder how the bank will react to that news?
I am angry and yet grateful.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Thank You, Amen, Goodnight
We can bitch and moan, piss and cry...
Or we can dance.
A couple of pals have been resisting my attempts to put a band together. I call, I cajole, I wheedle...nothing.
"Wanna jam at Characters? The act is not showing." This is all it took?
We played for an hour and kicked it. It was really great playing and a buncha fun. If it never leads anywhere, I must be content.
So as I was walking off I leaned to the mic, "Thank you, amen and have a good night..."
And I meant it.
I am dancing as fast as I can.
Or we can dance.
A couple of pals have been resisting my attempts to put a band together. I call, I cajole, I wheedle...nothing.
"Wanna jam at Characters? The act is not showing." This is all it took?
We played for an hour and kicked it. It was really great playing and a buncha fun. If it never leads anywhere, I must be content.
So as I was walking off I leaned to the mic, "Thank you, amen and have a good night..."
And I meant it.
I am dancing as fast as I can.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Fenders, Like People Are Meant to Be a Little Out.
The dichotomy that is Fender.
If you set the action so that there is zero fret buzz and perfect intonation, the guitar sounds like shit. Perfect, but shitty.
To get the bottom thump that a tele or strat is known for you end up with the low E string fretting out at the 19th fret, not the 21st...Fix that and the thump subsides to the point of bland, generic guitar.
The same thing with the twangy upper end. Part of that sound is the melding of dissonance. Like wet tuning a mandolin.(Mandolins have 8 strings tuned in pairs, an octave apart - tune them perfectly and the instrument sounds awful, tune one of the paired strings a bit flat and it'll bring a tear to your eye)
If you set the trem properly, the bridge laying flat against the body, you sacrifice the "either up or down" action that a lifted bridge affords.
It is ironic? Weird?
Fenders are made to be a little bit out. Like the best people. Not perfect, but you love them.
Perhaps this is what affords a Strat with a soul a Les Paul doesn't possess? That a tinker came up with the Telecaster, not a luthier.
Jimi's birthday made me think about his sound. It was never perfect, but it was always the best.
"Any day is a good day for Hendrix."
Sunday, November 25, 2012
I've Touched My Soul...It's a Bit Like Jello
I learned my own self worth years ago. Most of us find this early, but we refuse to believe.
Music is part and parcel my life.
And I am pretty damned good at it. It is a question of sheer numbers that keeps me on the periphery. Since I am a student of statistics, I wallow in the numbers far too often.
But it led me to reexamine my "purpose."
I have none...other than sharing. That is the sole reason for my being here.
My love of the shared thought, giggle, or dislike means everything to me. It was my assumptions about other musicians and what they "had" to understand, that demonstrated how different and varied we really are.
So when two or more people can connect on some level, literature, weather, music, woodworking, whatever; it is a touching of the souls. Nothing less.
The soul is not a weather vane nor a moral compass, my conscience has that duty. No, my soul is the shared thought, word or deed.
A friend and I were talking about what does one do when the loss of that precise sense - vision, hearing affects your very soul. Some whither and die when their perceived worth is removed from them.
Others find another way to complete their purpose.
I am here to share. If I lose my sight, I can carry on. If I lose my hearing; the challenge would be greater, but my ability to share would still be intact. I would be whole.
This week is when we in the United States give thanks for what gives us hope and meaning. I guess, for once, I used the time for reflection and reevaluation...as we were meant to do. Only took fifty some odd years to find that truth.
Music is part and parcel my life.
And I am pretty damned good at it. It is a question of sheer numbers that keeps me on the periphery. Since I am a student of statistics, I wallow in the numbers far too often.
But it led me to reexamine my "purpose."
I have none...other than sharing. That is the sole reason for my being here.
My love of the shared thought, giggle, or dislike means everything to me. It was my assumptions about other musicians and what they "had" to understand, that demonstrated how different and varied we really are.
So when two or more people can connect on some level, literature, weather, music, woodworking, whatever; it is a touching of the souls. Nothing less.
The soul is not a weather vane nor a moral compass, my conscience has that duty. No, my soul is the shared thought, word or deed.
A friend and I were talking about what does one do when the loss of that precise sense - vision, hearing affects your very soul. Some whither and die when their perceived worth is removed from them.
Others find another way to complete their purpose.
I am here to share. If I lose my sight, I can carry on. If I lose my hearing; the challenge would be greater, but my ability to share would still be intact. I would be whole.
This week is when we in the United States give thanks for what gives us hope and meaning. I guess, for once, I used the time for reflection and reevaluation...as we were meant to do. Only took fifty some odd years to find that truth.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Noodling
Noodling
The epitome of noodling. I am just goofing around while twisting all knobs, trying all switches.
There are two disparate pieces that are spliced around the 1:40 mark.
I had a group of backing pieces queued up, the recorder was running (as it always is) and I was just jamming.
2:45 feedback - that HALO pedal is just amazing - the volume at the amp is set at TWO.
(Had to get that out of the way - I love my HALO)
Starts off with nothing but guitar.
At 0:24 I kick the wah...0:25 HALO is on 'channel one.'
Change pickup selector dwitch.
Another kick to the wah @ 0:35.
1:17 pickup selector change - try chordal noodles.
1:40 HALO is on channel two. Harmonics are oozing out.
I am just flipping the selector switch with impunity, now.
heh - that feedback - bedroom volumes, ladies and gents!
3:10 - I think of this as yodeling.
As a kid, an exercise I loved was singing - not lyrics, but the song. Bert, the bass player in the band would sing a bass line. Charlie the drummer made drumming noises, and I sang a guitar.
It made me think in terms that were both very familiar and yet foreign.
When I took guitar lessons, I had to push the same thing. To think in terms of a melodic line laid over a preset rhythm group.
So now when I hear a backing track I instinctively mentally whistle a solo on top. How closely the sound is to what I hear is where practice and muscle memory come in.
The last piece to the puzzle is being in the zone and paying attention. I tend to mentally wander off...if this is the second, third, fifth take - I find my mind wandering - guess what I sound like? Rote garbage.
Noodling. Not without thinking.
Stop me - Blue Cuz I Wanna Be
The epitome of noodling. I am just goofing around while twisting all knobs, trying all switches.
There are two disparate pieces that are spliced around the 1:40 mark.
I had a group of backing pieces queued up, the recorder was running (as it always is) and I was just jamming.
2:45 feedback - that HALO pedal is just amazing - the volume at the amp is set at TWO.
(Had to get that out of the way - I love my HALO)
Starts off with nothing but guitar.
At 0:24 I kick the wah...0:25 HALO is on 'channel one.'
Change pickup selector dwitch.
Another kick to the wah @ 0:35.
1:17 pickup selector change - try chordal noodles.
1:40 HALO is on channel two. Harmonics are oozing out.
I am just flipping the selector switch with impunity, now.
heh - that feedback - bedroom volumes, ladies and gents!
3:10 - I think of this as yodeling.
As a kid, an exercise I loved was singing - not lyrics, but the song. Bert, the bass player in the band would sing a bass line. Charlie the drummer made drumming noises, and I sang a guitar.
It made me think in terms that were both very familiar and yet foreign.
When I took guitar lessons, I had to push the same thing. To think in terms of a melodic line laid over a preset rhythm group.
So now when I hear a backing track I instinctively mentally whistle a solo on top. How closely the sound is to what I hear is where practice and muscle memory come in.
The last piece to the puzzle is being in the zone and paying attention. I tend to mentally wander off...if this is the second, third, fifth take - I find my mind wandering - guess what I sound like? Rote garbage.
Noodling. Not without thinking.
One day...
Saturday, November 17, 2012
And Still The Tail Wags the Dog
David Gilmour, too.
In 2009 when I tried, unsuccessfully to get back into strats I found a firm called OverDrive Custom Guitar Works who made the short Gilmour style arm...
In 2009, OverDrive didn't have the model on the bottom of that picture. They sent the model above it, which of course did not fit my Squier. So to rectify the situation, they fabricated a new line...for me.
That guitar and I did not bond. The neck radius was 7 1/4 inches - far too curved for me. And then it had a rosewood fretboard. This was an issue of the feel, not sound.
But now with my new, white, white, OLYMPIC White strat, I am again drawn to a shorter tremolo arm - one that I could actually use.
With shipping it was $20.20 - very reasonable.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
It's Funny When a Dog Chases His Tail...
It's funny when a human does it as well.
My first guitar...real guitar, was a 1971 Stratocaster, delivered into my hands early 1972.
Along the way I discovered Jazz, Fusion, Gibsons et cetera. I sold the Strat.
In 2011 a friend, to whom I will be indebted for forever and a day, turned me onto Telecasters.
I tried to bond with a Strat in late 2009, but made a few bad choices in it.
A Fender is only a Fender when it has a maple neck and fretboard.
It was the 1950s models when what I wanted was a 60s Strat...duh.
I loved the Candy flame top...ah well.
It left me and a Tele entered my life. Things were good. I got another Tele.
But...
Fast forward to last Friday night - Dave Edward was the opening act for Garland Jeffreys.
He changed guitars each song. A Les Paul, a 335-like hollowbody and a Strat.
A friend seated next to me picked up my vibe...I must have been sighing audibly.
In coming to the Emotional Rescue is Lou of Styles Music.
All I can say is Why the Face?
Olympic White...or blinding.
Brushed aluminum pickguard?...in gold?
It's gaudy...
My wife would be here tonight, but she went swimming wearing her jewelry and drowned - Don Rickles
It borders on ugly. It had a ding on the upper horn; the last person trying it out put it back without saying a word. I have said it may times before, aesthetics mean squat.
After all, you are the one to be staring at the guitar, not me, I'll be playing it and won't be able to see much.
It seems all I needed was a fretboard radius that matched my fingers...9 1/2 inches or better. I also like two point saddles.
I didn't like the 7 1/2 inch radius on the Candy model and blamed the guitar.
Changed the strings and adjusted the neck, pickups and saddles.
It is lighter than the Tele - sigh
It sounds like - whatever I imagine, but mostly a Strat - sigh
How can returning to ones roots make him feel as though he has evolved? Oxymoronic, eh?
My first guitar...real guitar, was a 1971 Stratocaster, delivered into my hands early 1972.
Along the way I discovered Jazz, Fusion, Gibsons et cetera. I sold the Strat.
In 2011 a friend, to whom I will be indebted for forever and a day, turned me onto Telecasters.
I tried to bond with a Strat in late 2009, but made a few bad choices in it.
A Fender is only a Fender when it has a maple neck and fretboard.
It was the 1950s models when what I wanted was a 60s Strat...duh.
It left me and a Tele entered my life. Things were good. I got another Tele.
But...
He changed guitars each song. A Les Paul, a 335-like hollowbody and a Strat.
A friend seated next to me picked up my vibe...I must have been sighing audibly.
In coming to the Emotional Rescue is Lou of Styles Music.
All I can say is Why the Face?
Brushed aluminum pickguard?...in gold?
It's gaudy...
My wife would be here tonight, but she went swimming wearing her jewelry and drowned - Don Rickles
It borders on ugly. It had a ding on the upper horn; the last person trying it out put it back without saying a word. I have said it may times before, aesthetics mean squat.
After all, you are the one to be staring at the guitar, not me, I'll be playing it and won't be able to see much.
It seems all I needed was a fretboard radius that matched my fingers...9 1/2 inches or better. I also like two point saddles.
I didn't like the 7 1/2 inch radius on the Candy model and blamed the guitar.
Changed the strings and adjusted the neck, pickups and saddles.
It is lighter than the Tele - sigh
It sounds like - whatever I imagine, but mostly a Strat - sigh
How can returning to ones roots make him feel as though he has evolved? Oxymoronic, eh?
Friday, November 2, 2012
Sandy and Her Aftermath
As a kid growing up in NJ I remember trees coming down in the fall when the winds and rains began.
In the intervening years, the destruction seems to have ratcheted up a notch or two.
In 1977 I recall a storm that made things incredibly difficult to get around. At the time, I drove a school bus. It was a nightmare. A two hour route became a four hour route.
But we had power, the schools were open, there was no gasoline rationing; in short, life went on.
Maybe it is climate change? Maybe the trees are aging along with the Boomers living beside them? But the difference in damage and effect between today and forty years ago is dramatic and heart wrenching.
And those making it a political football are blind. They did the same thing when the consulate in Libya was attacked.
Okay...what's all this, then?
I have a trip planned for NJ next week and the more I see, the more I wonder what I shall find.
I have noticed fewer people arguing against the notion of climate change. I have also seen the tendency for most people to react to these situations by thinking of others, by helping.
I've also noticed the Governor of NJ to be a character right out of the Sopranos. I may agree with what Mr. Christie said but I also recall we had the President of Princeton serve, once.
My, how things have changed.
On a positive note, I'll get to see Caleb Hawley, again. Truly a delight.
If you are not familiar, I suggest you delve right in. He is a talented lad, Berklee alum, and a whiz. Cherubic looks don't hurt.
Visit Caleb's Website
In the intervening years, the destruction seems to have ratcheted up a notch or two.
In 1977 I recall a storm that made things incredibly difficult to get around. At the time, I drove a school bus. It was a nightmare. A two hour route became a four hour route.
But we had power, the schools were open, there was no gasoline rationing; in short, life went on.
Maybe it is climate change? Maybe the trees are aging along with the Boomers living beside them? But the difference in damage and effect between today and forty years ago is dramatic and heart wrenching.
And those making it a political football are blind. They did the same thing when the consulate in Libya was attacked.
Okay...what's all this, then?
I have a trip planned for NJ next week and the more I see, the more I wonder what I shall find.
I have noticed fewer people arguing against the notion of climate change. I have also seen the tendency for most people to react to these situations by thinking of others, by helping.
I've also noticed the Governor of NJ to be a character right out of the Sopranos. I may agree with what Mr. Christie said but I also recall we had the President of Princeton serve, once.
My, how things have changed.
On a positive note, I'll get to see Caleb Hawley, again. Truly a delight.
If you are not familiar, I suggest you delve right in. He is a talented lad, Berklee alum, and a whiz. Cherubic looks don't hurt.
Visit Caleb's Website
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Learn How to Set 'Em Up Or Pay a Good Techie
The best guitar in the world will sound like drek if it is not properly setup.
Setup refers to:
Action - Height of the strings above the fretboard
Relief - The bow in the neck
Intonation - the open string and the twelfth fret notes match, an octave apart
Pickup Height - This is crucial...and how you arrive at it can vary wildly
I was playing with my PRS and I rotated the pickup selector switch as it had been at an "angle" to my mind. I always expected it one place and found it somewhere else.
Later while talking about this with a friend who had asked, "Which guitar?" I realized I fall into ruts and become a one trick pony. Each guitar has a unique voice.
I have the PRS for humbucker sound , the Tele for single coil and the Vox for P-90s/humbuckers.
But I seem to prefer the PRS or the Tele...so what's wrong with the Vox?
Unlike more modern incarnations (which use a screw and a spring) the Vox uses rubber tubing to provide the spring force to push and maintain the pickup height.
So when you back the height screws out and would like to see the pickup rise...it just sits there with the screw backing out, aimlessly.
So Gracie sat for a week or three with the screw head looming large but the pickups just as flat as ever.
And because of that, I could not get much more than muddy sound from her.
She sat.
Grrrrrr...
After futzing with a thin icing spatula and getting nowhere I decided to just pull the outer pickup rings themselves.
Voila...They may appear to be separate rings, but infact it is a one piece assembly much like a real P-90.
Her knobs are now black aluminum with purple abalone and her fretboard is ebony; she is my Gracie and sounds like a dream.
Setup refers to:
Action - Height of the strings above the fretboard
Relief - The bow in the neck
Intonation - the open string and the twelfth fret notes match, an octave apart
Pickup Height - This is crucial...and how you arrive at it can vary wildly
I was playing with my PRS and I rotated the pickup selector switch as it had been at an "angle" to my mind. I always expected it one place and found it somewhere else.
Later while talking about this with a friend who had asked, "Which guitar?" I realized I fall into ruts and become a one trick pony. Each guitar has a unique voice.
I have the PRS for humbucker sound , the Tele for single coil and the Vox for P-90s/humbuckers.
But I seem to prefer the PRS or the Tele...so what's wrong with the Vox?
Unlike more modern incarnations (which use a screw and a spring) the Vox uses rubber tubing to provide the spring force to push and maintain the pickup height.
So when you back the height screws out and would like to see the pickup rise...it just sits there with the screw backing out, aimlessly.
So Gracie sat for a week or three with the screw head looming large but the pickups just as flat as ever.
And because of that, I could not get much more than muddy sound from her.
She sat.
Grrrrrr...
After futzing with a thin icing spatula and getting nowhere I decided to just pull the outer pickup rings themselves.
Voila...They may appear to be separate rings, but infact it is a one piece assembly much like a real P-90.
That is a Gibson P-90
And for comparison, the Vox version
You can see what appears to be a separate ring surrounding the pickup when, it is all one piece. It is more like a top cover affixed to it than a surrounding ring.I went through the rest of the setup procedure and all of a sudden I have the guitar I was looking for.
If you don't know how to do a setup, there are many books on the subject, Dan Erlewine's comes quickly to mind.
If you'd rather not apply a hex wrench or screwdriver to your guitar, by all means go out and find a reputable technician and pay to have it done. (Reputable does not include any chain operation)
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
I Am Not Abe Lincoln
I try to please all the people all the time, and then wonder why it failed.
If failed is the right word? Two people out of a room of thirty five does not constitute 'fail.'
I've thought and spoken of embracing yourself. How one must be happy with themselves before tackling the rest of the world. And we reach a point where we think we have indeed, embraced our inner player...I have heard my voice and I like it.
Just not all the time? Why not? Who am I trying to satisfy?
That is a perfectly human reaction. So why fret?
I was playing my guitar with music I have sat "in on" many, many times.
I heard the sound I was after in my head and I pursued it. Nailed it, too.
Let's try this again. Pick another tune.
No rut? I was thinking "outside the box."
Actually I was just taking the time to think and then play, rather than react and play alone.
One of the wisest men I knew was very slow to answer.
To the point that people who were unfamiliar with his style would begin to step in for him, thinking he wasn't going to say anything.
But no, he was thinking. And his replies were the most well thought out replies you could imagine.
Gee, what? It works the way it is supposed to work? I am fast on my feet, glib. But that is a rut...a reaction and then a response - call & answer.
What if you think while playing? Stop reacting to and instead, think and react with what is happening NOW.
Live in the now?
Is that what they meant? Think as you live, not in reaction to what has happened, but with what is happening now...
So I stopped trying to do what would please someone else, and began to play what would please ME!
Selfish is a virtue.
http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/12/please-make-me-be-selfish/?hpt=hp_bn12
If failed is the right word? Two people out of a room of thirty five does not constitute 'fail.'
I've thought and spoken of embracing yourself. How one must be happy with themselves before tackling the rest of the world. And we reach a point where we think we have indeed, embraced our inner player...I have heard my voice and I like it.
Just not all the time? Why not? Who am I trying to satisfy?
That is a perfectly human reaction. So why fret?
I was playing my guitar with music I have sat "in on" many, many times.
I heard the sound I was after in my head and I pursued it. Nailed it, too.
Let's try this again. Pick another tune.
No rut? I was thinking "outside the box."
Actually I was just taking the time to think and then play, rather than react and play alone.
One of the wisest men I knew was very slow to answer.
To the point that people who were unfamiliar with his style would begin to step in for him, thinking he wasn't going to say anything.
But no, he was thinking. And his replies were the most well thought out replies you could imagine.
Gee, what? It works the way it is supposed to work? I am fast on my feet, glib. But that is a rut...a reaction and then a response - call & answer.
What if you think while playing? Stop reacting to and instead, think and react with what is happening NOW.
Live in the now?
Is that what they meant? Think as you live, not in reaction to what has happened, but with what is happening now...
So I stopped trying to do what would please someone else, and began to play what would please ME!
Selfish is a virtue.
http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/12/please-make-me-be-selfish/?hpt=hp_bn12
Saturday, September 22, 2012
A Day of Bad Jamming Is Better Than a Good Day At Work
I have a neighbor that through sheer grit, determination and no sense of when he is being a royal pain, hosts more jam sessions than the average bear.
I try to take advantage of these as sources of other contacts more than a chance to play...usually.
And while a good number of them eventually have become productive from my standpoint, there is still a fair amount of garbage to sift through.
Today was such a day.
It has been very warm this summer in California and having to endure withering heat and then to try to play is a tough road. Heat saps creativity. Causes drinking and excess of a cerebral sort that also sap the creative flow.
And this guy is so cheap - he thinks a fan and an open door will solve the air dilemma.
After some back and forth it was concluded to turn his window AC unit on...I could swear it belched dust, it hadn't been used in such a long, long time. After an hour or so, the heat in his living room began to dissipate.
Let the music commence! Ha...one participant was dozing...heat and beer, no doubt.
We began to play and the neighbors began to load up on Rics lawn, having a listen. Ric notices them and goes to open the door.
"The heat..."
"Oh yeah..." He waves. We go back to jamming. None of the invitees are spectacular, in my mind. Nothing clicks, and yet it had been a good session.
I learned something of my phrasing that was missing. I found relative keys without thinking about it...I sounded good at times.
Even the worst jam session beats a day slaving in the salt mines.
I try to take advantage of these as sources of other contacts more than a chance to play...usually.
And while a good number of them eventually have become productive from my standpoint, there is still a fair amount of garbage to sift through.
Today was such a day.
It has been very warm this summer in California and having to endure withering heat and then to try to play is a tough road. Heat saps creativity. Causes drinking and excess of a cerebral sort that also sap the creative flow.
And this guy is so cheap - he thinks a fan and an open door will solve the air dilemma.
After some back and forth it was concluded to turn his window AC unit on...I could swear it belched dust, it hadn't been used in such a long, long time. After an hour or so, the heat in his living room began to dissipate.
Let the music commence! Ha...one participant was dozing...heat and beer, no doubt.
We began to play and the neighbors began to load up on Rics lawn, having a listen. Ric notices them and goes to open the door.
"The heat..."
"Oh yeah..." He waves. We go back to jamming. None of the invitees are spectacular, in my mind. Nothing clicks, and yet it had been a good session.
I learned something of my phrasing that was missing. I found relative keys without thinking about it...I sounded good at times.
Even the worst jam session beats a day slaving in the salt mines.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Turn A Few Knobs, Why Don'tcha?
In the quest for perfect tone, one aspect we lose sight of is that the target is always changing.
I mean always.
Today I am listening to Weather Report, tomorrow it is The Nazz. How far apart can those two be?
No wonder people start to pull out their hair and begin thinking of capacitor changes, or a new amp. Maybe boutique pickups would solve this weeks dilemma?
I have an equalizer in my pedal-board...to shape the frequency response. How often do I adjust the ten bands? We tend to fall into patterns...ruts.
My OD has two sets of tone controls. I do move them every time I change guitars; but only to recreate the same sound with the different pickups. Another rut.
My amp has knobs.
I don't use the "Drive" channel, but there is one knob for treble middle and bass bands.
If you were to reflect for a moment you quickly see that I have many ways to shape the basic sound as I play.
How often do I try for the opposite sides of the rainbow?
Not.often.enough.
Once we catalog a sound we like, why move the knobs? With so many, it is entirely possible to never recreate exactly the same sound. Should I be logging an entry for each sound?
Nah...the answer is craft a sound that matches the sound you are hearing in your head...and they are not all the same. Wayne Shorter does not sound like Todd Rundgren.
Easy, actually...but humans like the easy way out.
When I bought the many OverDrive pedals I have acquired through the years, it was looking for a particular tone. Why expect one pedal to nail Eric Clapton today and Hendrix tomorrow?
(Actually, a HALO can...)
Harmonic Amp Like Over Drive
But it is a rare thing, indeed.
I tend to play Fender single coils, humbuckers or P-90s. Three very distinct sounds.
So why aim for the middle of the target only when there so many shades of sound and color if you vary from the center...think outside the box?
I mean always.
Today I am listening to Weather Report, tomorrow it is The Nazz. How far apart can those two be?
No wonder people start to pull out their hair and begin thinking of capacitor changes, or a new amp. Maybe boutique pickups would solve this weeks dilemma?
I have an equalizer in my pedal-board...to shape the frequency response. How often do I adjust the ten bands? We tend to fall into patterns...ruts.
My OD has two sets of tone controls. I do move them every time I change guitars; but only to recreate the same sound with the different pickups. Another rut.
My amp has knobs.
If you were to reflect for a moment you quickly see that I have many ways to shape the basic sound as I play.
How often do I try for the opposite sides of the rainbow?
Not.often.enough.
Once we catalog a sound we like, why move the knobs? With so many, it is entirely possible to never recreate exactly the same sound. Should I be logging an entry for each sound?
Nah...the answer is craft a sound that matches the sound you are hearing in your head...and they are not all the same. Wayne Shorter does not sound like Todd Rundgren.
Easy, actually...but humans like the easy way out.
When I bought the many OverDrive pedals I have acquired through the years, it was looking for a particular tone. Why expect one pedal to nail Eric Clapton today and Hendrix tomorrow?
(Actually, a HALO can...)
Harmonic Amp Like Over Drive
But it is a rare thing, indeed.
I tend to play Fender single coils, humbuckers or P-90s. Three very distinct sounds.
So why aim for the middle of the target only when there so many shades of sound and color if you vary from the center...think outside the box?
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Sharing...That's All There Is
The universal truth that all humanity has been searching hi & lo since time began. And we never felt that the answer was within our grasp. We are omnipotent, we went to the Moon, we fly with impunity. And yet, in our collective heart we know this to be a brave face towards mortality.
Here it is:
Be Selfish to Extremes.
Share Everything.
Follow these two things and you will be healthier and happier.
I was leaving a venue in which I heard music of my generation, done my way - No, not FreeBird - Watermelon Man...ala Herbie, by a four piece band in their kiddie fedoras?!
I was so impressed I began to enjoy myself.
I walked into an alley with a group of young people, one of whom had a joint.
"Nothing for me?" I asked.
He gave me the rest of his joint. We traded skin and parted. Sharing. Be it random or most intimate. If you are lucky enough to know intimate exchange...you are favored, blessed, well looked after.
Why we hippies shared everything...it was fun! It was so cool to share my food and since you have some weed, we'd take care of each other.
But those moments are what make life - Mick said it...Life's just a cocktail party, on the streets...
And the mix, is up to you!
Be a wallflower your entire life, or get up and dance.
I am out of breath, I dance so much.
Here it is:
Be Selfish to Extremes.
Share Everything.
Follow these two things and you will be healthier and happier.
I was leaving a venue in which I heard music of my generation, done my way - No, not FreeBird - Watermelon Man...ala Herbie, by a four piece band in their kiddie fedoras?!
I was so impressed I began to enjoy myself.
I walked into an alley with a group of young people, one of whom had a joint.
"Nothing for me?" I asked.
Why we hippies shared everything...it was fun! It was so cool to share my food and since you have some weed, we'd take care of each other.
But those moments are what make life - Mick said it...Life's just a cocktail party, on the streets...
And the mix, is up to you!
Be a wallflower your entire life, or get up and dance.
I am out of breath, I dance so much.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
My Inner Emelda
There are many accessories that guitarists have use for.
Picks
Strings
String Winders
Patch Cords
Straps
Most of these objects have very little to do with fashion...with the one exception of straps.
Levi is one of the larger manufacturers of guitar straps.
Of every material, length and price.
And like Emelda Marcos, I have a collection of straps that far outweighs my needs as dictated by the number of guitars I have at any given moment.
Why?
Certainly NOT because I like the way they look. I couldn't care any less. I don't see them. They are to hold my guitar, the more securely, the better. The best strap I owned was a gawd awful looking Ernie Ball strap that was stiffer than a Victorians collar. It was a gaudy, silly looking thing.
Gold color with black outlined stars and the name "Ernie Ball" done the same as the stars.
I was disappointed when it finally broke.
I buy straps because of how long they will last. The stiffer, the more hard plastic, the better I like it.
I also need a strap that has a range of adjustment. I like my guitar held rather high, so the minimum strap is more important than how low it'll go.
I was recently playing at a fair setting and the bass player spoke about the strap I had brought.
"Dude, it doesn't go with your shirt."
I was ready to dismiss the thought when it struck me.
I do dress for gigs. I look good when I play dress up - don't we all?
So if I care about my own look, shouldn't I try to match the strap, much as I would match my shirt and tie?
Yes, it is low on the priority list, but it does mean something.
Picks
Strings
String Winders
Patch Cords
Straps
Most of these objects have very little to do with fashion...with the one exception of straps.
Levi is one of the larger manufacturers of guitar straps.
Of every material, length and price.
And like Emelda Marcos, I have a collection of straps that far outweighs my needs as dictated by the number of guitars I have at any given moment.
Why?
Certainly NOT because I like the way they look. I couldn't care any less. I don't see them. They are to hold my guitar, the more securely, the better. The best strap I owned was a gawd awful looking Ernie Ball strap that was stiffer than a Victorians collar. It was a gaudy, silly looking thing.
Gold color with black outlined stars and the name "Ernie Ball" done the same as the stars.
I was disappointed when it finally broke.
I buy straps because of how long they will last. The stiffer, the more hard plastic, the better I like it.
I also need a strap that has a range of adjustment. I like my guitar held rather high, so the minimum strap is more important than how low it'll go.
I was recently playing at a fair setting and the bass player spoke about the strap I had brought.
"Dude, it doesn't go with your shirt."
I was ready to dismiss the thought when it struck me.
I do dress for gigs. I look good when I play dress up - don't we all?
So if I care about my own look, shouldn't I try to match the strap, much as I would match my shirt and tie?
Yes, it is low on the priority list, but it does mean something.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Tension Is What Causes Change
Big Trouble Little China - there is a scene in which the troubles of the world are boiled down to this:
"But there is one thing even David Lo Pan must acknowledge. All movement in the universe is caused by tension between positive and negative furies."
Without tension there are no dynamics, no movement...entropy.
Musically, in life...this can be applied anywhere.
I am currently very content with my music, with my guitar, with my sound. And then it takes effort to sit and play take after take to achieve perfection. To even attempt perfection.
A rut is the outcome when one is content.
Tensions are to be savored. No, not conflict. But tensions. Two desires working in different but not opposing directions. They can be made to work in harmony...another musical term.
But it takes effort and it doesn't always directly affect music. You have to have a long term outlook.
A sense of patience.
This works...in a piece of music as well. No, really?
Dynamics are life to music. And seemingly everything else.
This is why I dislike compressor pedals.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Two Drunken Monkeys?
One is the voice to listen to and garner sage advice.
The other is nothing but the sum total of all your fears. That is the one to ignore, completely.
I am not advocating that you discard healthy fears - I would never suggest sticking a fork in an electrical outlet; that is a very healthy fear.
I am talking about the easy schmuck. The one that fears to show what resides inside. We wear masks and fear having the mask taken away.
The mask limits you. And in return it doesn't protect you from anything but life and enjoying yourself.
Fuck it, fuck that...fuck you.
When I was in fifth grade I was tapped for a solo spot in a choir show. My voice cracked. I was mortified.
One bad note and I wanted to shrink and hide.
Why? What the fuck for?
I am human, and freely admit it; so why pretend to be infallible?
About ten years ago I learned to tell my fears, the irrational and silly ones, to go fuck themselves.
I started wearing shit I would never have been caught dead in before - it just wasn't cool. That perception of what is cool has changed dramatically.
What is cool is authenticity.
Dylan's voice sucks. So does Springsteen's. So many of my absolute favorite musicians have various flaws and faults. Who am I to pretend to be better than that group? Whatta schmuck.
Parenthetically, I have a decent voice. Not great, but serviceable.
A year ago I got to play a number with a guy I consider a friend. He graciously accommodated me with a simple tune and a solo in the middle. He was talking to someone and absently doing the chords, so I began to noodle around. He asked if I was soloing already...we laughed and began the song.
In the audience were people who had been present in my fifth grade recital as well as many good friends...and my mother. She had tried to console me forty years earlier.
A) We nailed the song.
B) When the first chorus came up, I belted it out, and nailed it. There was no fear, no thought of the past, I was in the moment playing, doing what I love. And it showed.
C) The solo was secondary, what mattered was we sounded good, really good.
Nothing about it was perfect, but I was able to show myself to thirty people and not fear that.
The other is nothing but the sum total of all your fears. That is the one to ignore, completely.
I am not advocating that you discard healthy fears - I would never suggest sticking a fork in an electrical outlet; that is a very healthy fear.
I am talking about the easy schmuck. The one that fears to show what resides inside. We wear masks and fear having the mask taken away.
The mask limits you. And in return it doesn't protect you from anything but life and enjoying yourself.
Fuck it, fuck that...fuck you.
When I was in fifth grade I was tapped for a solo spot in a choir show. My voice cracked. I was mortified.
One bad note and I wanted to shrink and hide.
Why? What the fuck for?
I am human, and freely admit it; so why pretend to be infallible?
About ten years ago I learned to tell my fears, the irrational and silly ones, to go fuck themselves.
I started wearing shit I would never have been caught dead in before - it just wasn't cool. That perception of what is cool has changed dramatically.
What is cool is authenticity.
Dylan's voice sucks. So does Springsteen's. So many of my absolute favorite musicians have various flaws and faults. Who am I to pretend to be better than that group? Whatta schmuck.
Parenthetically, I have a decent voice. Not great, but serviceable.
A year ago I got to play a number with a guy I consider a friend. He graciously accommodated me with a simple tune and a solo in the middle. He was talking to someone and absently doing the chords, so I began to noodle around. He asked if I was soloing already...we laughed and began the song.
In the audience were people who had been present in my fifth grade recital as well as many good friends...and my mother. She had tried to console me forty years earlier.
A) We nailed the song.
B) When the first chorus came up, I belted it out, and nailed it. There was no fear, no thought of the past, I was in the moment playing, doing what I love. And it showed.
C) The solo was secondary, what mattered was we sounded good, really good.
Nothing about it was perfect, but I was able to show myself to thirty people and not fear that.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Fit In and Make Yourself Feel Better
Yeah, not exactly what James Brown meant. Not what he said, either...but.
Can you name any of the musicians in the James Brown Revue?
Not a one. They were made to sound like a singular unit to showcase the dancing of the Whirling GodFather of Soul.
It's the annual July Fourth at George Harrison's. Three bands worth of music. A pig and a goat for food. There is more going on than a three ringed circus. People to-ing and fro-ing. On the concrete patio which is covered by a huge tent there are kids (20 somethings) on bikes, toddlers running and playing. There is a pool off to the side by the parking.
A road house atmosphere, through and through.
We begin to play. The standards come out first. Someone plays Lynyrd Skynyrd...and we're off.
One of the bands, in fact - the headliners, are a no show.
After the tongues stop wagging, Neil Young comes out...When You Dance and Down By The River.
And on it goes.
Throughout this Mark, a saxophone player of the Kenny G variety and Shotgun, the sixty something who still thinks he is at recess are playing incredibly loudly. Both arrived late and had to set up further from the action. So to make up for this they cranked their volume. Shotgun, I suspect is deaf. Literally.
He is honking that guitar SO loudly that people start to look to see what the ruckus is about.
Is that a car alarm going off? Nope...Shotgun found the sound effects on his pedal board.
(Insert facepalm here)
I turn my volume down. The drummer matches me, which is the greatest hurdle in most bands and suddenly Mark and Shotgun are too loud for what we're doing.
After the second set I was able to remove my ear plugs and just play.
Here is the lesson for today. If everyone works to make the band sound good we all come off as musical geniuses. But one deaf guy playing too loudly is enough to sour the entire performance for everyone.
This is not a new rant, but merely my annual revisit.
We endure because we enjoy the company. Even if they are nuts, ill mannered and deaf.
And...I have to say, I sounded great.
Can you name any of the musicians in the James Brown Revue?
Not a one. They were made to sound like a singular unit to showcase the dancing of the Whirling GodFather of Soul.
It's the annual July Fourth at George Harrison's. Three bands worth of music. A pig and a goat for food. There is more going on than a three ringed circus. People to-ing and fro-ing. On the concrete patio which is covered by a huge tent there are kids (20 somethings) on bikes, toddlers running and playing. There is a pool off to the side by the parking.
A road house atmosphere, through and through.
We begin to play. The standards come out first. Someone plays Lynyrd Skynyrd...and we're off.
One of the bands, in fact - the headliners, are a no show.
After the tongues stop wagging, Neil Young comes out...When You Dance and Down By The River.
And on it goes.
Throughout this Mark, a saxophone player of the Kenny G variety and Shotgun, the sixty something who still thinks he is at recess are playing incredibly loudly. Both arrived late and had to set up further from the action. So to make up for this they cranked their volume. Shotgun, I suspect is deaf. Literally.
He is honking that guitar SO loudly that people start to look to see what the ruckus is about.
Is that a car alarm going off? Nope...Shotgun found the sound effects on his pedal board.
(Insert facepalm here)
I turn my volume down. The drummer matches me, which is the greatest hurdle in most bands and suddenly Mark and Shotgun are too loud for what we're doing.
After the second set I was able to remove my ear plugs and just play.
Here is the lesson for today. If everyone works to make the band sound good we all come off as musical geniuses. But one deaf guy playing too loudly is enough to sour the entire performance for everyone.
This is not a new rant, but merely my annual revisit.
We endure because we enjoy the company. Even if they are nuts, ill mannered and deaf.
And...I have to say, I sounded great.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Happy Canada Day - Buy Band In A Box 2012
I like Band In A Box. I have since late 2009. It is a wonderfully functional, feature packed piece of software.
The initial buy in is not cheap.
$129 for the Pro version - which is actually the starter kit. And from there it goes up. The Audiophile edition which includes everything PGM has to offer, comes installed on a hard drive. No set of DVDs for you! It also runs $669.
However, once in, you are able to get steep discounts for the newer versions and upgrades in the future.
Their installation is not seamless. They have split the files into eleven files of nearly a gigabyte a piece. In and of itself that is not a huge deal. I have downloaded and installed programs of that size without a hitch.
But for whatever reason PGM wants you to go through the installation process multiple times, clicking, "Yes, I Agree..."
This is one area PGM should really have worked to "upgrade." The cost is there servers would have to be more robust, hence the reason for this method of file handling.
This makes the install process a long and laboUred one for those who are used to plug and play.
So I have been pretty good about upgrading when needed. PGM does include updates and bug fixes free of charge. But they are constantly rewriting the program. These are not patches as much as updates.
To update from 2010 to 2012 is $79.
And when you open the program you can see the myriad of additions. Now I see why they include a video tutorial among the files.
What Band In A Box does for you is allow you to write a tune and have a full band play it back for you. A full band accompanying you. Cut, edit, change tempo, transpose keys, pretty much whatever you want it to do, it can do.
Along with MIDI support, (natch) it also supports a host of VSTs and also sports RealTracks in which real samples of human musicians are used, it delivers a far more organic backing track.
If you have ever used backing tracks, then you'll understand that this will allow you to make your own, original backingtracks.
PG Music Inc.
29 Cadillac Ave Victoria BC Canada V8Z 1T3
Band In A Box 2012
An emphatic, Buy This.
The initial buy in is not cheap.
$129 for the Pro version - which is actually the starter kit. And from there it goes up. The Audiophile edition which includes everything PGM has to offer, comes installed on a hard drive. No set of DVDs for you! It also runs $669.
However, once in, you are able to get steep discounts for the newer versions and upgrades in the future.
Their installation is not seamless. They have split the files into eleven files of nearly a gigabyte a piece. In and of itself that is not a huge deal. I have downloaded and installed programs of that size without a hitch.
But for whatever reason PGM wants you to go through the installation process multiple times, clicking, "Yes, I Agree..."
This is one area PGM should really have worked to "upgrade." The cost is there servers would have to be more robust, hence the reason for this method of file handling.
This makes the install process a long and laboUred one for those who are used to plug and play.
So I have been pretty good about upgrading when needed. PGM does include updates and bug fixes free of charge. But they are constantly rewriting the program. These are not patches as much as updates.
To update from 2010 to 2012 is $79.
And when you open the program you can see the myriad of additions. Now I see why they include a video tutorial among the files.
What Band In A Box does for you is allow you to write a tune and have a full band play it back for you. A full band accompanying you. Cut, edit, change tempo, transpose keys, pretty much whatever you want it to do, it can do.
Along with MIDI support, (natch) it also supports a host of VSTs and also sports RealTracks in which real samples of human musicians are used, it delivers a far more organic backing track.
If you have ever used backing tracks, then you'll understand that this will allow you to make your own, original backingtracks.
PG Music Inc.
29 Cadillac Ave Victoria BC Canada V8Z 1T3
Band In A Box 2012
An emphatic, Buy This.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
My Drunken Monkey Is My Pal
Instead of seeing your inner critic as an adversary...see it for what it is. A critical voice.
What is it trying to tell you?
Why do you see it as evil?
A friend who is immersed in a class, came running home from school one day to explain to me how my drunken monkey is trying to tell me something and that it is worth my time to listen to what my inner critic has to say.
It is there for a reason.
It has a point.
So I need to embrace the message I have been ignoring. What is it trying to tell me?
I haven't a clue...yet. But at least now, I am listening.
What is it trying to tell you?
Why do you see it as evil?
A friend who is immersed in a class, came running home from school one day to explain to me how my drunken monkey is trying to tell me something and that it is worth my time to listen to what my inner critic has to say.
It is there for a reason.
It has a point.
So I need to embrace the message I have been ignoring. What is it trying to tell me?
I haven't a clue...yet. But at least now, I am listening.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Bliss, Faith and Their Sister, Baddass Attitude
A friend once taught me the need for the right attitude; not just a positive one...the right one.
What a huge difference a slight movement in vision can make.
2012 has been the pits from a strategic, rational mind.
I've Lost:
My Father
My Job of eleven years
My FaceBook account - the nefariousness sneaker hackers have struck me twice
So many people in the world of music
On a ledger, there is not much to speak for 2012 as a good year.
And yet...I am happy. I am satisfied with my sound - I like my guitars voice. I acknowledge my inner saxophone player. It is who I wanted to be since I heard from the Dave Clark Five.
I am not Beppe Gambetta - I can't flat pick worth a tinkers dam.
But I can channel my inner Coltrane, my Bird.
Shit, what's wrong with that? Absol-fucking-lutely nothing.
I was rehearsing for July 4th and I found myself just smiling.
"Are you okay, man?"
"You look goofy..."
Everything is pretty damned good. I have more to be grateful for than to piss about.
Embrace the inner you. I knew this when I was fifteen (I think we all hear this voice) and it submerged when I married. Only to resurface with a vengeance.
By digging the guy, the musician I am, I am free to enjoy everything around me.
Even if it hurts a bit.
What a huge difference a slight movement in vision can make.
2012 has been the pits from a strategic, rational mind.
I've Lost:
My Father
My Job of eleven years
My FaceBook account - the nefariousness sneaker hackers have struck me twice
So many people in the world of music
On a ledger, there is not much to speak for 2012 as a good year.
And yet...I am happy. I am satisfied with my sound - I like my guitars voice. I acknowledge my inner saxophone player. It is who I wanted to be since I heard from the Dave Clark Five.
I am not Beppe Gambetta - I can't flat pick worth a tinkers dam.
But I can channel my inner Coltrane, my Bird.
Shit, what's wrong with that? Absol-fucking-lutely nothing.
I was rehearsing for July 4th and I found myself just smiling.
"Are you okay, man?"
"You look goofy..."
Everything is pretty damned good. I have more to be grateful for than to piss about.
Embrace the inner you. I knew this when I was fifteen (I think we all hear this voice) and it submerged when I married. Only to resurface with a vengeance.
By digging the guy, the musician I am, I am free to enjoy everything around me.
Even if it hurts a bit.
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Gigging is a Blast...Audience is the Crux of the Biscuit
Ever watch Grey's Anatomy?
Most of the cast act as if surgery defines them...is what makes them tick. Is who they are.
And to a degree I can see their point. I have thought about what I would do were playing guitar taken away from me and have generally thought of composing or teaching - finding another aspect of music to find fulfillment.
But I think now, I see how that would be somewhat lacking.
I was called to an informal jam session yesterday and found myself having a blast because and solely because I was doing what I love and doing it well with a group of people.
The music was old and tired, the crowd...much the same. Far too much beer and burgers and not enough mineral water and carrots...listen to me. But we are an older crowd, right? So act our age? I wanted a martini, anyway.
But in any case, I was having fun. Because I had a guitar in hand and a source of energy to feed from.
Audience is crucial to a good performance. In my studio, I sound okay. In front of a crowd, I sound great.
I thought it a matter of discipline but instead found it to be energy driven. By myself I can become uninspired. It takes effort to explore a new sound to play something new at all. The rut of 'alone' is deep, whether it is musically or in life in general.
But a crowd? An appreciative crowd? Now I am very energetic and incredibly inspired. I feed off of the crowd. They tell me what to play through energy level alone. One person clapping and whistling drives you, a room full and you are flying.
So for the thirty of so people that were drinking too much and barbecuing the neighbors into submission...thanks. I needed that.
Learning to please oneself is not easy, but I am working on it.
Most of the cast act as if surgery defines them...is what makes them tick. Is who they are.
And to a degree I can see their point. I have thought about what I would do were playing guitar taken away from me and have generally thought of composing or teaching - finding another aspect of music to find fulfillment.
But I think now, I see how that would be somewhat lacking.
I was called to an informal jam session yesterday and found myself having a blast because and solely because I was doing what I love and doing it well with a group of people.
The music was old and tired, the crowd...much the same. Far too much beer and burgers and not enough mineral water and carrots...listen to me. But we are an older crowd, right? So act our age? I wanted a martini, anyway.
But in any case, I was having fun. Because I had a guitar in hand and a source of energy to feed from.
Audience is crucial to a good performance. In my studio, I sound okay. In front of a crowd, I sound great.
I thought it a matter of discipline but instead found it to be energy driven. By myself I can become uninspired. It takes effort to explore a new sound to play something new at all. The rut of 'alone' is deep, whether it is musically or in life in general.
But a crowd? An appreciative crowd? Now I am very energetic and incredibly inspired. I feed off of the crowd. They tell me what to play through energy level alone. One person clapping and whistling drives you, a room full and you are flying.
So for the thirty of so people that were drinking too much and barbecuing the neighbors into submission...thanks. I needed that.
Learning to please oneself is not easy, but I am working on it.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
We Each Weigh Life In The Scales of Our Own Making
Or - How to Have Two Competing, Diametrically Opposed Ideas Exist In Your Head
A friend mentioned that I haven't been seeing as many acts as I had in years past.
I thought for a second...But I have played twice as many gigs.
Perspective...as a good friend put it, is what you marinate in. If you live to see acts then yes, I have been slacking. If you live to rack up miles in your car I am an abysmal failure.
We each have a unique perspective.
I live to integrate all the other perspectives...however foreign or distasteful they may be...initially.
I find I am quick to react - a true kneejerk reactionary. Yep.
No...I don't like it...more to read?...learn something new?
And then...something magical occurs.
Mr. Hyde goes away. Given a minute to reflect and I find I am now saying...
Yes, I love it, more to read! I want to learn more! Fill me.
Why the face is that?
I am completely schizophrenic to harbor both schools of thought within the same head inside of five minutes...aren't I?
Okay, so I learned twenty years ago to let any initial negative reaction sit and simmer for a minute. I still slip now and then, but by reflecting and finding the change, I am centered and I know I am right.
I need to change my sauce!
------------------------------
I am really not enjoying 2012 - too many people taken from me. And yet I find myself intensely thankful for what I have.
(See the title)
I think what I ask for most often, more than than guidance or money or happiness is perspective to see the world as it is.
A friend mentioned that I haven't been seeing as many acts as I had in years past.
I thought for a second...But I have played twice as many gigs.
Perspective...as a good friend put it, is what you marinate in. If you live to see acts then yes, I have been slacking. If you live to rack up miles in your car I am an abysmal failure.
We each have a unique perspective.
I live to integrate all the other perspectives...however foreign or distasteful they may be...initially.
I find I am quick to react - a true kneejerk reactionary. Yep.
No...I don't like it...more to read?...learn something new?
And then...something magical occurs.
Mr. Hyde goes away. Given a minute to reflect and I find I am now saying...
Yes, I love it, more to read! I want to learn more! Fill me.
Why the face is that?
I am completely schizophrenic to harbor both schools of thought within the same head inside of five minutes...aren't I?
Okay, so I learned twenty years ago to let any initial negative reaction sit and simmer for a minute. I still slip now and then, but by reflecting and finding the change, I am centered and I know I am right.
I need to change my sauce!
------------------------------
I am really not enjoying 2012 - too many people taken from me. And yet I find myself intensely thankful for what I have.
(See the title)
I think what I ask for most often, more than than guidance or money or happiness is perspective to see the world as it is.
Sweetwater & Alex Aguilar Rock Hard
The replacement HALO arrived from Sweetwater, a day ahead of schedule, no less.
I don't know how much hand holding one should expect with a fairly pricey pedal, or any other piece of equipment. I am a low maintenance customer for the most part. If the equipment works as advertised, I am generally happy. I know what I want before I go shopping. I don't pepper the vendor with questions or opinions or requests.
After signing the FEDEX guys autograph book, (I can dream, can't I?) I took the package inside and opened it. Yep, the same type of box with the same packing material.
Deep breath.
I plugged in the patch cables and yes, it lit up on the internal battery. I grabbed my shiny new Dunlop 18 VDC power supply and plugged it in and then inserted the cylindrical connector into the HALO.
Thank you God it lit up a bit brighter. I took the battery out and reinserted the power supply connector.
Oh gud gawd...it lit up. (I just love these happy endings)
So kudos to Jorge and Eryk at Sweetwater for taking the steps to keep me happy.
That is customer service.
And to Alex Aguilar, not only for thinking up this miracle in a box, but he too, kept in touch throughout the entire episode.
And Rick who introduced me to the pedal.
And so friends, that concludes the story of Sweetwater and the Halo.
I don't know how much hand holding one should expect with a fairly pricey pedal, or any other piece of equipment. I am a low maintenance customer for the most part. If the equipment works as advertised, I am generally happy. I know what I want before I go shopping. I don't pepper the vendor with questions or opinions or requests.
After signing the FEDEX guys autograph book, (I can dream, can't I?) I took the package inside and opened it. Yep, the same type of box with the same packing material.
Deep breath.
I plugged in the patch cables and yes, it lit up on the internal battery. I grabbed my shiny new Dunlop 18 VDC power supply and plugged it in and then inserted the cylindrical connector into the HALO.
Thank you God it lit up a bit brighter. I took the battery out and reinserted the power supply connector.
Oh gud gawd...it lit up. (I just love these happy endings)
So kudos to Jorge and Eryk at Sweetwater for taking the steps to keep me happy.
That is customer service.
And to Alex Aguilar, not only for thinking up this miracle in a box, but he too, kept in touch throughout the entire episode.
And Rick who introduced me to the pedal.
And so friends, that concludes the story of Sweetwater and the Halo.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Update of All Updates
Sweetwater emailed to say the replacement will arrive next Wednesday and provided a tracking number.
I am upset somewhat that I have to "replant" my old set up for the pedal board for the gigs this weekend.
Ah well, I will make this sacrifice...sigh.
This thing is worth a few clips.
See you on Wednesday.
Sweetwaters Website.
Ask for Jorge. Tell him 'e' sent you.
I am upset somewhat that I have to "replant" my old set up for the pedal board for the gigs this weekend.
Ah well, I will make this sacrifice...sigh.
This thing is worth a few clips.
See you on Wednesday.
Sweetwaters Website.
Ask for Jorge. Tell him 'e' sent you.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Sweetwater Update
I contacted Sweetwater concerning the HALO pedal that I had received.
Within a day I had a shipping label in hand and got to drop the package off and send it on its way.
To their further credit Sweetwater offered to refund my money for both the pedal and the power supply. I declined as I'd rather have a HALO and the recommended power supply on my pedal board in the end.
I have a couple of gigs upcoming and my big disappointment is that I won't have my HALO with me.
Alex Aguilar makes a great pedal, he is also making amps. I smell one in my future.
Within a day I had a shipping label in hand and got to drop the package off and send it on its way.
To their further credit Sweetwater offered to refund my money for both the pedal and the power supply. I declined as I'd rather have a HALO and the recommended power supply on my pedal board in the end.
I have a couple of gigs upcoming and my big disappointment is that I won't have my HALO with me.
Alex Aguilar makes a great pedal, he is also making amps. I smell one in my future.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
High End Boutique Stomp Pedals
I have a large collection of stomp pedals. Enough to fill two pedal boards.
Most of the pedals I own are low end, mass produced products.
$30 DanElectro pedals - A Chorus and a 10 Band EQ
Three Vox pedals - a 847A Wah and an ICE-9 OverDrive And a Satchurator distortion pedal. $90, and $130
twice.
A couple of Marshall pedals I found on eBay since they are no longer made - The Guv'vor and a BluesBreaker. $50 and $50.
An MXR Compressor - $80
You get the idea...relatively inexpensive pedals. Hell, I play relatively inexpensive guitars.
So why did I get genuinely interested in a $400 pedal?
A friend I have known for forty years had invited me to his house last year to try one. I liked it, but could not see the need to replace my ICE-9 and my Satchurator, and certainly not for $400. No pedal is that good.
Then I start watching YouTube videos for the pedal.
A bit of OD on one and a bit of OD and Clipping on two. And what kind of clipping? Symmetrical, asymmetrical or none.
And then apply that clipping to either channel or both.
A tone knob, and then three more knobs to fine tune the bass, middle and treble.
True bypass and two volume knobs to set levels across the board - off and channel one and two.
$400.
But it is the first pedal I'd be able to call an amp in a box.
I got the chance to play with one while doing some Stones tunes and the ability to dial in the exact sound I knew I wanted was unsettling.
And easily.
The trouble with many pedals is once you introduce them into your chain, they so alter the sound that they take you back to changing all the settings on your amp and the other pedals. They set you back to square one.
With this HALO installed I got to remove three pedals - the ICE-9, the Satchurator and the Guv'nor. As they became redundant, adding nothing but noise.
Tune in next time when we find out how well Sweetwater handles the issue with the pedal - it doesn't work with the power supply on my pedal board reducing it to battery only.
Not a real option in my world.
A new power supply is arriving tomorrow, failing that I'll send it back and we'll see how well they provide customer service. This is a hallmark of Sweetwater and it is on test.
When I called Sweetwater to let them know I had a problem, they in turn emailed Alex...who called me while I was on the road. The guy that designed & made the pedal called to assure me it would be taken care of!
Un-freaking-believable.
As my pal who first demo'ed the pedal for me said, "Insanely good customer service company calling..."
The Harmonic Amp-Like OverDrive has passed all tests so far with flying colors.
Alairex HALO
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Does This Guitar Make My Ass Look Big?
Okay, first a correction - contrary to what I had printed in the previous piece, the guitar is a true semi hollow body with a block running down the center third of the guitar - and I suspect the block is solid...from tailstrap button to headstock.
And then there's this...
"So I have a new tool. Why does this one fit better, feel better, make me play a bit better?
"So I have a new tool. Why does this one fit better, feel better, make me play a bit better?
I guess a carpenter may have a favorite awl with which he can get a better line. I don't worship my tools, but I am regaining a sense of attachment for the tools that make me a better craftsman."
In a fit of clarity, I saw the truth of the words. This tool fits my hand better. Fits my body better. These are aspects that draw me to a guitar and tell me that this is the one.
But, how does it sound you ask. Sounds? I sound like me. I have my own voice. A sax player on a six stringed wooden approximation.
So it is not the pickups nor the pots and capacitor inside that make a guitar mine.
There I was sitting, watching television when I perched the bottom of the guitar on my knee and I held the neck canted about forty five degrees vertical.
This just sits against my body in the most perfect way, whether I am standing or seated. Even if I am not striking a classical pose - the guitar fits.
And the neck? It is glass. Fender necks are coated and glossy, but this neck is different in that the frets seem to be one with the fretboard.
Running my finger up and down the neck feels like a memory of skipping along a wet street. When the street and the sky and six year old e were one. Every move was poetry...even if the truth was "slightly" different, that's the way it felt.
Waxing poetic? Yeah, I guess so.
I haven't felt like this since I was 16 and cradling my new Stratocaster. Then, the aesthetics were important, now they aren't. Then, fit had nothing to do with it, now it is everything.
What did the ad say? "Like an old pair of jeans..."
This guitar fits.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Tools of the Trade
Some people view guitars as works of fine sculpture or furniture or even art. They polish and preen and spend hours looking at and photographing their babies. My guitars are tools. My fingers are the magical things that make the sound that is my voice. Or rather, the connection from brain to fingers. But in any case, not matter what guitar I play, it always sounds like me.
I took a bunch of pedals I had not used in a very long while and made a trade that resulted in this.
A PRS - Paul Reed Smith - or as I have dubbed it, Pacific Rim S'mojo.
PRS are known for quality of construction, use of fine woods and craftsmanship. Frankly I think them way overblown. They are very nice guitars. But still, they are just a tool to be used.
However, some tools just fit your hand better than others. When that happens you find the sweet spot quicker, hit fewer poor notes, generally play better. It may be a placebo effect...I dunno.
When I try a guitar for the first time I will sit it upon my knee in a classical stance. The lower edge of the body on my knee, the neck canted at a sharp angle upwards. My Jaguar was very comfortable this way - an offset guitar. My teles, not so much. Even the Vox, which is technology personified is not cut out for play in this fashion.
I sat in the store and jammed with Robben Ford; it quickly became apparent the guitar was very comfortable. It fit my hands well.
It has some nods to technology - the inverse heel joint like that on the Vox, so access to the upper frets is easy. It also sports retro touches? Why a wrap around bridge/tailpiece? I do like fewer holes on the body, fewer pieces of metal...it feels cleaner to my picking hand, fewer things to "run" into on the way to adjust a knob.
It is "semi-hollow." How they decided upon this, I'll never know. It is solid except for the third of the body above the pickups. Most semi hollows are hollow with a block of wood in the middle that acts as both brace and filler - it kills feedback from which most hollowbodys suffer.
This carve allows for a resonance not found in a solid hunk of guitar. The guitar feels as though it is about to start feedback anytime now...anytime now. Thankfully, it never does.
Issues - The cats eye F hole has two burrs that should have been sanded or removed. And in a nod to Fender, it seems PRS will use whatever parts are laying about. In pictures I have seen yellow knobs, red knobs, zebra bobbins for the pickups and different colored pickup rings.
The wood itself? A mahogany guitar with a maple cap - with a flame maple veneer. Does that qualify as a laminate? The veneer is about 1/32 thick and easily visible in the F hole.
Make no mistake - perfect these things are not. But a very nice Korean made guitar, it is indeed.
So I have a new tool. Why does this one fit better, feel better, make me play a bit better?
I guess a carpenter may have a favorite awl with which he can get a better line. I don't worship my tools, but I am regaining a sense of attachment for the tools that make me a better craftsman.
I took a bunch of pedals I had not used in a very long while and made a trade that resulted in this.
PRS are known for quality of construction, use of fine woods and craftsmanship. Frankly I think them way overblown. They are very nice guitars. But still, they are just a tool to be used.
However, some tools just fit your hand better than others. When that happens you find the sweet spot quicker, hit fewer poor notes, generally play better. It may be a placebo effect...I dunno.
When I try a guitar for the first time I will sit it upon my knee in a classical stance. The lower edge of the body on my knee, the neck canted at a sharp angle upwards. My Jaguar was very comfortable this way - an offset guitar. My teles, not so much. Even the Vox, which is technology personified is not cut out for play in this fashion.
I sat in the store and jammed with Robben Ford; it quickly became apparent the guitar was very comfortable. It fit my hands well.
It has some nods to technology - the inverse heel joint like that on the Vox, so access to the upper frets is easy. It also sports retro touches? Why a wrap around bridge/tailpiece? I do like fewer holes on the body, fewer pieces of metal...it feels cleaner to my picking hand, fewer things to "run" into on the way to adjust a knob.
It is "semi-hollow." How they decided upon this, I'll never know. It is solid except for the third of the body above the pickups. Most semi hollows are hollow with a block of wood in the middle that acts as both brace and filler - it kills feedback from which most hollowbodys suffer.
This carve allows for a resonance not found in a solid hunk of guitar. The guitar feels as though it is about to start feedback anytime now...anytime now. Thankfully, it never does.
Issues - The cats eye F hole has two burrs that should have been sanded or removed. And in a nod to Fender, it seems PRS will use whatever parts are laying about. In pictures I have seen yellow knobs, red knobs, zebra bobbins for the pickups and different colored pickup rings.
The wood itself? A mahogany guitar with a maple cap - with a flame maple veneer. Does that qualify as a laminate? The veneer is about 1/32 thick and easily visible in the F hole.
Make no mistake - perfect these things are not. But a very nice Korean made guitar, it is indeed.
So I have a new tool. Why does this one fit better, feel better, make me play a bit better?
I guess a carpenter may have a favorite awl with which he can get a better line. I don't worship my tools, but I am regaining a sense of attachment for the tools that make me a better craftsman.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Hallmark Shakespeare
Why do I always write lyrics as though I were pursuing the Pulitzer prize? Never satisfied...never.
And while writing cleverly and scholarly is a skill to be learned and practiced, it is secondary when writing lyrics.
That bears repeating...
And while writing cleverly and scholarly is a skill to be learned and practiced, it is secondary when writing lyrics.
When I find myself in times of trouble
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
Lennon/ McCartney
And while writing cleverly and scholarly is a skill to be learned and practiced, it is secondary when writing lyrics.
That bears repeating...
And while writing cleverly and scholarly is a skill to be learned and practiced, it is secondary when writing lyrics.
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
Lennon/ McCartney
And while writing cleverly and scholarly is a skill to be learned and practiced, it is secondary when writing lyrics.
No part of that song is worthy of the Bard; not as examples of the WRITTEN word. But the Bard that plays a tunes and sings a rhyme? Indeed those words are gold - they are no longer words. They are lyrics.
Yes, I am my own worst critic. I know this. But to be able to focus on what matters versus what is important is a critical line to observe. Being clever and witty is important, but not what matters in a song.
Any suggestion for an app to aid me in this would be a welcomed suggestion.
Inspiration strikes at the most inopportune times...places.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Through My Daddy's Eyes
A year or so ago, my father sent me some photos; I could tell they were special to him. They were of my brother and I as youngsters. The iconic picture of his was a shot of my brother and me on a sand dune in Truro.
I am bare chested and smiling...Danny is giggling with glee, his hands behind his head...he didn't know where to put them.
We were looking at a precipitous drop behind dad...we were preparing to leap the twenty feet of freefall and then tumble down the side of the dune.
This was years before the state began to enforce Kennedy's naming half the town a Cape Cod National Seashore. At this time you could still drive dune buggies all over the face of the dunes.
I am looking at the photo and I realized that my perspective is through Dad's eyes.
What wonderful things photographs are...can be.
Perspective is what makes new music fresh, what keeps it exciting.
And what really makes it new is that we each have a unique way of seeing the world around us. The same scene, but you see it one way and I, another. Maybe this is why I enjoy surrealism? Do my musical proclivities walk in step with my perspective? Can I play outside my existence?
I can understand a woman's argument without being one.I understand racial perspectives, although I am (mostly) one race?
Music is a language in which I can wander without having perspective. In fact, I can gain perspective by that wandering. I can explore the nooks and crannies - why you saw it one way, and I - another.
When we listen to new music we measure it in the broth we ourselves have been marinating in.
Evil people assume all motives are evil.
When I hear a new piece I color it with my glasses.
Now, to try and see it through Daddy's eyes.
Neo?
I am bare chested and smiling...Danny is giggling with glee, his hands behind his head...he didn't know where to put them.
We were looking at a precipitous drop behind dad...we were preparing to leap the twenty feet of freefall and then tumble down the side of the dune.
This was years before the state began to enforce Kennedy's naming half the town a Cape Cod National Seashore. At this time you could still drive dune buggies all over the face of the dunes.
I am looking at the photo and I realized that my perspective is through Dad's eyes.
What wonderful things photographs are...can be.
Perspective is what makes new music fresh, what keeps it exciting.
And what really makes it new is that we each have a unique way of seeing the world around us. The same scene, but you see it one way and I, another. Maybe this is why I enjoy surrealism? Do my musical proclivities walk in step with my perspective? Can I play outside my existence?
I can understand a woman's argument without being one.I understand racial perspectives, although I am (mostly) one race?
Music is a language in which I can wander without having perspective. In fact, I can gain perspective by that wandering. I can explore the nooks and crannies - why you saw it one way, and I - another.
When we listen to new music we measure it in the broth we ourselves have been marinating in.
Evil people assume all motives are evil.
When I hear a new piece I color it with my glasses.
Now, to try and see it through Daddy's eyes.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
I See Beauty...Everywhere...
I was reading a book and went outside for a breather.
I was struck by the tree to my left and the the tree in front of me and then the moon behind that tree and then I said, "Thank you."
I hear music in white noise. Although I have to be in the proper mental frame of mind.
I see beauty everywhere. Although I have to be in the proper mental frame of mind.
What does it take to steer the ship of my mind clear of the icebergs out there?
Being aware of them is a first step.
I have also noticed that a particular talent is balanced by a particular deficiency of equal and opposite reaction, yin to your yang.
Someone who is very self aware is at the same time very unaware of their doings. Very strange dichotomy we humans. I wonder if other animals suffer this joy?
When I am happy I see beauty and when I am not I hear music.
I would guess my subconscious is trying to lift me via that which provides a charge like no other...music.
For now, I am content and I see a clear path before me; even allowing for unknown things to enter.
When you find yourself on a wave, ride it.
We can question it later.
צֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים
I was struck by the tree to my left and the the tree in front of me and then the moon behind that tree and then I said, "Thank you."
I hear music in white noise. Although I have to be in the proper mental frame of mind.
I see beauty everywhere. Although I have to be in the proper mental frame of mind.
What does it take to steer the ship of my mind clear of the icebergs out there?
Being aware of them is a first step.
I have also noticed that a particular talent is balanced by a particular deficiency of equal and opposite reaction, yin to your yang.
Someone who is very self aware is at the same time very unaware of their doings. Very strange dichotomy we humans. I wonder if other animals suffer this joy?
When I am happy I see beauty and when I am not I hear music.
I would guess my subconscious is trying to lift me via that which provides a charge like no other...music.
For now, I am content and I see a clear path before me; even allowing for unknown things to enter.
When you find yourself on a wave, ride it.
We can question it later.
צֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Be Selfish
If you do things that you do not enjoy, eventually you will stop doing it, won't you?
The exception is your form of employment; we'll suffer many slings and arrows and derive no real sense of joy or satisfaction in what we do. And we do it in exchange for the paycheck.
The paycheck becomes the means to do what we want to do. The means to be selfish.
So people who do what they love for a living are the epitome of selfish. They are doing it to satisfy themselves. Someone will argue a caregiver is aiding their fellow man first and then perhaps themselves, but no - they enjoy helping. That act is enough to release the endorphins.
If you are a writer, write. A musician, play. And find a way to secure income from it.
BE SELFISH.
The connotation is a negative, but if done with joy and passion it actually becomes a most empowering thing.
The next thing you know you are passing your joy to another aspiring musician, or sharing a shoulder with one who needs it or making hearts soar...SOAR with your words in your book. Inspiring people with your acting.
How is that a negative thing?
A teacher, a good teacher loves to light a fire under his or her charges. If they can ignite the spark of learning, the profound and deep joy must be almost overwhelming...or maybe it's just me?
A writer expressing ideas and sharing feelings, an artist putting their own emotions on canvas or in a sculpture, a very selfish act.
Love is a selfish act, you do it to please yourself first.
It seems all the best things begin when you think of yourself first. With PASSION and JOY. An honest love of what you do. Selfishness without the two is evil and self defeating.
So how did the word come to be seen this way?
Sinister - it means left hand, nothing else...it became the Left Hand of God...ah, that is a bad thing.
Language, be it music or words or mathematics is ever evolving and without knowing the beginnings we lose perspective on the present. The future falls from our hands.
Lets all be selfish! Do random acts of selfishness!
The exception is your form of employment; we'll suffer many slings and arrows and derive no real sense of joy or satisfaction in what we do. And we do it in exchange for the paycheck.
The paycheck becomes the means to do what we want to do. The means to be selfish.
So people who do what they love for a living are the epitome of selfish. They are doing it to satisfy themselves. Someone will argue a caregiver is aiding their fellow man first and then perhaps themselves, but no - they enjoy helping. That act is enough to release the endorphins.
If you are a writer, write. A musician, play. And find a way to secure income from it.
BE SELFISH.
The connotation is a negative, but if done with joy and passion it actually becomes a most empowering thing.
The next thing you know you are passing your joy to another aspiring musician, or sharing a shoulder with one who needs it or making hearts soar...SOAR with your words in your book. Inspiring people with your acting.
How is that a negative thing?
A teacher, a good teacher loves to light a fire under his or her charges. If they can ignite the spark of learning, the profound and deep joy must be almost overwhelming...or maybe it's just me?
A writer expressing ideas and sharing feelings, an artist putting their own emotions on canvas or in a sculpture, a very selfish act.
Love is a selfish act, you do it to please yourself first.
It seems all the best things begin when you think of yourself first. With PASSION and JOY. An honest love of what you do. Selfishness without the two is evil and self defeating.
So how did the word come to be seen this way?
Sinister - it means left hand, nothing else...it became the Left Hand of God...ah, that is a bad thing.
Language, be it music or words or mathematics is ever evolving and without knowing the beginnings we lose perspective on the present. The future falls from our hands.
Lets all be selfish! Do random acts of selfishness!
Friday, March 30, 2012
Before You Panic - Check Your "Stuff"
Last weekend we were playing a cowboy venue and during 'Up On Cripple Creek,' I heard my volume cut in and out. More amp issues? "Noooooo!..."
I went to the gig bag and pulled out another cord - same thing.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooo!"
We finished the set and I took my stuff home. Last night as I was playing the volume cut out again..."Oh yeah."
I swapped cables...again. (Never learn, eh?)
It turns out that both cables were bad. I thrash my cables - pull them from the guitar unintentionally all the time. And yet, as a group we tend to overlook the little things that keep the ship of music afloat.
But here I am swapping back and forth and hearing the same symptom when using both cables. My heart sank.
Amplifier issues are not cheap - even when they are easily detected and fixed. Just bringing the amp to some one for service means dragging seventy five pounds from point A to point B.
The chain is only as strong as the yadda yadda. And in this case an overlooked piece of the chain caused major consternation.
My pedal board requires a ninety degree angle plug to mate with my noise gate and not lay atop the adjoining pedal. And that, of course makes it slightly more expensive.
Considering how many times a year I gig and how much abuse my cables suffer, I certainly got my money's worth - C.B.I. makes wonderful and relatively inexpensive cables. And I will certainly pick up a couple of replacements from Styles Music , but I decided to be brave and try another brand, Spectraflex .
Ordered on Friday for $22 shipped and I'll have it by Monday.
Oh, and if you have not done so, you should consider a Prime account from Amazon. For $79 a year, you get free two day shipping, free television programs and movies that you can view on your Fire, it also has a lending library for ebooks. It's March and I am sure I have saved the yearly fee, already.
I went to the gig bag and pulled out another cord - same thing.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooo!"
We finished the set and I took my stuff home. Last night as I was playing the volume cut out again..."Oh yeah."
I swapped cables...again. (Never learn, eh?)
It turns out that both cables were bad. I thrash my cables - pull them from the guitar unintentionally all the time. And yet, as a group we tend to overlook the little things that keep the ship of music afloat.
But here I am swapping back and forth and hearing the same symptom when using both cables. My heart sank.
Amplifier issues are not cheap - even when they are easily detected and fixed. Just bringing the amp to some one for service means dragging seventy five pounds from point A to point B.
The chain is only as strong as the yadda yadda. And in this case an overlooked piece of the chain caused major consternation.
Considering how many times a year I gig and how much abuse my cables suffer, I certainly got my money's worth - C.B.I. makes wonderful and relatively inexpensive cables. And I will certainly pick up a couple of replacements from Styles Music , but I decided to be brave and try another brand, Spectraflex .
Ordered on Friday for $22 shipped and I'll have it by Monday.
Oh, and if you have not done so, you should consider a Prime account from Amazon. For $79 a year, you get free two day shipping, free television programs and movies that you can view on your Fire, it also has a lending library for ebooks. It's March and I am sure I have saved the yearly fee, already.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
But I Had Fun
Usually, when I expect a gig to be sub par, it exceeds all expectations. I've walked into dives; replete with the smell of urine...knowing I was going have a bad time of it, only to be very pleasantly surprised.
Last Friday I received a call to play the Annual Farmer's Market - the twist this year...as an opening act. The Market in LaVerne is a weekly event throughout the summer months.
(As Day Light Savings Time ended later than was usual and was begun four weeks early, the effect of everyone's clock has been noticeable)
Last year and the year before that, I had played during the height of activities. This year, would I like to be one of the five acts to help kick it off for the year?
Sure. A gig is a gig. And I have been here on a somewhat regular basis...might as well.
But this year, I had heard the coming weather report. A veritable deluge of Biblical proportions. This is SoCal...it doesn't rain, much. But I do remember that it was not a waiver concerning fire season that I had to sign when purchasing the house, it was that we live in a Flood Zone. I've not seen that much rain in the eight plus years we have lived here.
Friday was grey and rainy and nasty. And Saturday began with some of the heaviest rain I have ever experienced...ever. I grew up in N.J., I am used to rain.
I just knew the gig was going to be very cold and very wet. And that meant it would stink.
As I started to load my equipment, the sun came out. The rains stopped.
The eye of the storm? The lull until the onset of the second predicted storm?
Who cares?
Yeah, it WAS colder than comfortable. Mid fifties and very windy. We set up inside of a three sided tent that was to keep the rain off us and our electric equipment. However, these tents were not made to stop the wind.
I live at roughly one thousand feet of elevation. These are the foothills, there is wind more often than not. And at times - very strong winds.
But the sun shone, it did my heart good to be out and play in God's own venue. Huge pines, mountains in the background...it was beautiful.
The music wasn't bad either.
Last Friday I received a call to play the Annual Farmer's Market - the twist this year...as an opening act. The Market in LaVerne is a weekly event throughout the summer months.
(As Day Light Savings Time ended later than was usual and was begun four weeks early, the effect of everyone's clock has been noticeable)
Last year and the year before that, I had played during the height of activities. This year, would I like to be one of the five acts to help kick it off for the year?
Sure. A gig is a gig. And I have been here on a somewhat regular basis...might as well.
But this year, I had heard the coming weather report. A veritable deluge of Biblical proportions. This is SoCal...it doesn't rain, much. But I do remember that it was not a waiver concerning fire season that I had to sign when purchasing the house, it was that we live in a Flood Zone. I've not seen that much rain in the eight plus years we have lived here.
Friday was grey and rainy and nasty. And Saturday began with some of the heaviest rain I have ever experienced...ever. I grew up in N.J., I am used to rain.
I just knew the gig was going to be very cold and very wet. And that meant it would stink.
As I started to load my equipment, the sun came out. The rains stopped.
The eye of the storm? The lull until the onset of the second predicted storm?
Who cares?
Yeah, it WAS colder than comfortable. Mid fifties and very windy. We set up inside of a three sided tent that was to keep the rain off us and our electric equipment. However, these tents were not made to stop the wind.
I live at roughly one thousand feet of elevation. These are the foothills, there is wind more often than not. And at times - very strong winds.
But the sun shone, it did my heart good to be out and play in God's own venue. Huge pines, mountains in the background...it was beautiful.
The music wasn't bad either.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Sideman
In 2010 I was one of two names in the bands with which I was associated. More than one hundred gigs that way.
2011 dawned and I started playing backup for people who couldn't make the gig for one reason or another. I acquired a mandolin and that added a new dimension. But my writing and composing had slowed down. I found myself working on technique.
While it is never too late to learn something new I had lost faith in my core abilities and wanted to fulfill those perceived shortcomings.
I think watching Jimmy Vivino had a lot to do with cementing that mindset. While I could do a couple of things better than he I was lacking in many others. Trying to expand the repertoire is fine, punishing yourself for what you studied is foolish.
I was neglecting what I did well. We should always play to our strengths.
I took a step back and examined what I was trying to achieve. I want a musical career, rather than a hobby that supplements my nine to five.
How was embarking on an entirely new tack going to accomplish this? It wouldn't - it would adds years to the learning curve. I don't have the time to waste.
2012 and the gigs I have had have all been sideman jobs with one exception. A message?
I thought to return to my "roots" and expand in any way that can be immediately felt and used while learning new things at the same time. But to prioritize and focus on my core.
I think, more than anything I am someone's sideman or an entertainer.
I will think on this, but not too long.
2011 dawned and I started playing backup for people who couldn't make the gig for one reason or another. I acquired a mandolin and that added a new dimension. But my writing and composing had slowed down. I found myself working on technique.
While it is never too late to learn something new I had lost faith in my core abilities and wanted to fulfill those perceived shortcomings.
I think watching Jimmy Vivino had a lot to do with cementing that mindset. While I could do a couple of things better than he I was lacking in many others. Trying to expand the repertoire is fine, punishing yourself for what you studied is foolish.
I was neglecting what I did well. We should always play to our strengths.
I took a step back and examined what I was trying to achieve. I want a musical career, rather than a hobby that supplements my nine to five.
How was embarking on an entirely new tack going to accomplish this? It wouldn't - it would adds years to the learning curve. I don't have the time to waste.
2012 and the gigs I have had have all been sideman jobs with one exception. A message?
I thought to return to my "roots" and expand in any way that can be immediately felt and used while learning new things at the same time. But to prioritize and focus on my core.
I think, more than anything I am someone's sideman or an entertainer.
I will think on this, but not too long.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Rants And Raves
My aunt's book is out in both Kindle and paperback formats.
The title says it all...
I have been to a couple of shows...Jimmy Vivino and Ari Hest this month and enjoyed both immensely.
Shows are the life blood of the business these days; what with download theft et cetera. The artists can sell CDs and other memorabilia to make up for the loss of sales through piracy.
Some lowlife managed to swype Ari's tee shirts and robbed him even further.
We have to show up in order to support our music.
Otherwise it'll die.
I've been taking life lessons from the 1970s television series, 'Kung Fu.'
Comparing myself to others is foolish. They do something well, and so do I. We compliment rather than detract from each other. Make harmony between us, rather than discord.
And I have been reading a lot on my Kindle.
The Sisters Brothers
Bonding with the newer guitar, Gracie.
And dealing with life.
What else is new?
You tell me.
The title says it all...
I have been to a couple of shows...Jimmy Vivino and Ari Hest this month and enjoyed both immensely.
Shows are the life blood of the business these days; what with download theft et cetera. The artists can sell CDs and other memorabilia to make up for the loss of sales through piracy.
Some lowlife managed to swype Ari's tee shirts and robbed him even further.
We have to show up in order to support our music.
Otherwise it'll die.
I've been taking life lessons from the 1970s television series, 'Kung Fu.'
Comparing myself to others is foolish. They do something well, and so do I. We compliment rather than detract from each other. Make harmony between us, rather than discord.
And I have been reading a lot on my Kindle.
The Sisters Brothers
Bonding with the newer guitar, Gracie.
And dealing with life.
What else is new?
You tell me.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
I Rock...I Blues...I Salsa
I am good.
A blues band that has a decidedly Latin flair, And I rocked them.
This was a last minute thing. There was a band named Salsa Bluesa and then one day their guitarist left. A phone call and I got the gig that was already a done deal.
The club was already packed at 6:30 p.m. which is something of an anomaly. I had lead sheets and I knew the guys playing so I had a sense of the rhythm they liked to keep.
It was unknown whether we'd do two sets or three. It turned out to be three.
Nice.
I rocked it. Carlos Santana was an influence since 1971. I felt it. I can dance this stuff.
After we finished and were relaxing off to the side the inevitable invitation came.
I thanked them for the interest and assured them I'd fill in anytime , but covers were not my thing...anymore.
I felt good about it.
I dumped up. I could have earned an extra $100 - 200 a week with these guys, but the repertoire is extremely limited and the audience is limiting as well. And this would be an extra twenty hours or so.
Yes, I am torn, but not that badly.
Upcoming gigs in town and one or two out and about and I'll be more than happy until I can play my material and nothing else.
Or at least a tasteful mix...hmmmm.
I have a blues persona I use to good effect.
Damn...now I am thinking...to be continued.
A blues band that has a decidedly Latin flair, And I rocked them.
This was a last minute thing. There was a band named Salsa Bluesa and then one day their guitarist left. A phone call and I got the gig that was already a done deal.
The club was already packed at 6:30 p.m. which is something of an anomaly. I had lead sheets and I knew the guys playing so I had a sense of the rhythm they liked to keep.
It was unknown whether we'd do two sets or three. It turned out to be three.
Nice.
I rocked it. Carlos Santana was an influence since 1971. I felt it. I can dance this stuff.
After we finished and were relaxing off to the side the inevitable invitation came.
I thanked them for the interest and assured them I'd fill in anytime , but covers were not my thing...anymore.
I felt good about it.
I dumped up. I could have earned an extra $100 - 200 a week with these guys, but the repertoire is extremely limited and the audience is limiting as well. And this would be an extra twenty hours or so.
Yes, I am torn, but not that badly.
Upcoming gigs in town and one or two out and about and I'll be more than happy until I can play my material and nothing else.
Or at least a tasteful mix...hmmmm.
I have a blues persona I use to good effect.
Damn...now I am thinking...to be continued.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Gracie, the Smart One
Sometimes there is an aesthetic about a guitar that just GRABS you. There is an irrational side to music, emotionally speaking.
Vox SDC - 33 (Solid Double Cut, there are three models 33, 55, 77)
Okay, I like horns for cutaways, SG, Yamahas, anything with a curvy point and hips at the bottom, and I like 'em. So by shape alone, I liked this when I saw it.
I began to read about them...introduced in 2010, changes made to address issues raised by users. Offshore made - (Indonesia, Korea, Japan - respectively) the body is produced by used of computerized CNC machines. Which means a body made in Korea should be identical to one made in Japan. Same program, same machines used to cut the wood. Pickups are all manufactured in the same place as are the tail/bridges.
So the wood and the labor are what differentiate them in this regard, model differences, notwithstanding.
Little touches, all over the guitar are calling the geek in me. The ergonomics to the tuners keys aside, they are very "accurate" tuners - I am at a loss for the proper term. Normally, any guitar, Gibson, Fender, no matter - you tune a bit past the note and slide down, just the way tuners hold the wrap of the string.
Notice there are only 1 & 1/2 wraps on the A string. I turn my tuner on, move the key until the strobe says in tune and let go...it stays? No variation? Okay.
An inverse heel? And the joint between the mahogany neck and Ash body is a Vee? The geek in me is excited. Some designer spent time thinking of innovative ways to improve the basic design of the guitar.
The one I acquired is a 2010 model when it was first introduced. It was a representatives demo model that was hauled from shop to shop. The strap peg is mounted on the upper horn on the back of the guitar.
This causes the neck and body to level out rather than remain with the neck elevated. 'Neck dive' is the term used. In 2011, Vox addressed this by moving the peg from where it is in the shot at the lower red arrow to the upper red arrow, the new mount is a vee shaped piece of metal draped across the top of the horn, itself - which moved the fulcrum making the guitar less "neck heavy." It also changed the presentation of the peg - where it was parallel to the body before, it is now perpendicular. This makes the strap sit traditionally. The original placement was a new way to wear a strap. (You attached the top of the strap to the peg, not the bottom)
Two things: The company responds to input and the geek is really excited, now.
The one piece bridge and tailpiece. Lower the action and you are also lowering the tail.
i.e the angle of the strings over the bridge doesn't change when you raise or lower the action. It is made from one piece of aluminum, which is then mounted directly to the body. One set of holes for both pieces. Vox claims the bridge results in greater sustain...I am skeptical but have nothing but a gut feeling to go on.
The real star of the show are the pickups. They are single coil P90s essentially, with an added coaxial coil outside the rails. Utilizing a two position switch you can access P90 sound or humbucker double coil sound. And in both positions the outer coil cancel 100% of hum. This is one of the quietest (noise wise) guitars I've played.
Um, black binding on the neck and white on the body? Zebra binding? This, I do not get.
The body when viewed from the side makes the curvature very apparent. There are further contours, belly cut, et cetera, but they are not as deep nor extreme. This guitar is incredibly light. Six pounds?
Vox SDC - 33 (Solid Double Cut, there are three models 33, 55, 77)
Okay, I like horns for cutaways, SG, Yamahas, anything with a curvy point and hips at the bottom, and I like 'em. So by shape alone, I liked this when I saw it.
I began to read about them...introduced in 2010, changes made to address issues raised by users. Offshore made - (Indonesia, Korea, Japan - respectively) the body is produced by used of computerized CNC machines. Which means a body made in Korea should be identical to one made in Japan. Same program, same machines used to cut the wood. Pickups are all manufactured in the same place as are the tail/bridges.
So the wood and the labor are what differentiate them in this regard, model differences, notwithstanding.
Notice there are only 1 & 1/2 wraps on the A string. I turn my tuner on, move the key until the strobe says in tune and let go...it stays? No variation? Okay.
The one I acquired is a 2010 model when it was first introduced. It was a representatives demo model that was hauled from shop to shop. The strap peg is mounted on the upper horn on the back of the guitar.
Two things: The company responds to input and the geek is really excited, now.
The one piece bridge and tailpiece. Lower the action and you are also lowering the tail.
i.e the angle of the strings over the bridge doesn't change when you raise or lower the action. It is made from one piece of aluminum, which is then mounted directly to the body. One set of holes for both pieces. Vox claims the bridge results in greater sustain...I am skeptical but have nothing but a gut feeling to go on.
The real star of the show are the pickups. They are single coil P90s essentially, with an added coaxial coil outside the rails. Utilizing a two position switch you can access P90 sound or humbucker double coil sound. And in both positions the outer coil cancel 100% of hum. This is one of the quietest (noise wise) guitars I've played.
The higher models allow for a third position, the combination of P90 and humbucker. The top of the line is also semi hollow with cats eye F holes.
I'll need time to properly evaluate them, but my initial impression is a very Telecaster sounding P90 and a very Les Paul sounding humbucker. As Murph from SonicState put it,
"Being really critical...Although it can sound like a Telecaster and it can move toward the sound of a Les Paul, I don't know if it actually's got its own sound..." That was the worst thing he could come up with. He may be right.
In a nod to the "tonewood means nothing to an electtric guitar" school Vox uses Ash for bodies in which the grain can be seen and mahogany for opaque paints.
Um, black binding on the neck and white on the body? Zebra binding? This, I do not get.
The body when viewed from the side makes the curvature very apparent. There are further contours, belly cut, et cetera, but they are not as deep nor extreme. This guitar is incredibly light. Six pounds?
The geek in me is beside myself. Look at all the little toys and touches they put into this!
The musician looks at a quality instrument at a very nice price, and notices that little by little Vox products have found their way into my life.
It started with a wah-wah pedal, and then a Saturchator followed by an Ice-9 and now this guitar. I still don't like their amps but we'll see how long until I fold.
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