After the first application, I immediately noticed the difference in strength of my nails.  It not only protects my nails from cracking and breaking, I have noticed the tone in my playing has improved with a fuller sound similar to using an extra thick guitar pick.  I’m able to attack the strings with authority and without worry.  Nail Envy leaves a shiny finish, once applied so if that is something that concerns you, buy the matte.  That’s what I did because I got tired of all the “girly” nail jokes and seriously, my nails were reflecting light like mirror. The matte finish is just as effective as the original, in strength, but applying it requires more patience.  It takes a bit longer to dry and until then it has a rubbery like consistency for about an hour or so and was easy to scuff or damage during that time.   After it completely dries, no problems at all.

Definitely give Nail Envy some consideration if you need to strengthen your nails.  I have been using for 3 weeks now and am completely satisfied with the results.

Links:

Nail Envy Original Finish
Nail Envy Matte Finish

First Impression?

While removing it from the box, I was surprised how compact it all was, about 15’’.   I don’t know what I was expecting but I still envision those huge consoles in the studios that you see in the magazines and TV.  I ended getting the black unit which, aesthetically, is more pleasing to my eyes.

Knobs and Buttons

The overall unit is pretty impressive with man buttons and knobs but not too much to make it intimidating.  Keeping consistent to the Fostex claim of keeping it simple to let you get inspiration down.  The sliders for the main volume and each track feels a bit cheap to me.  I’m not saying that they are cheap, it’s just that I’m more used to the “weighted” feel of other consoles that I’ve worked on.  The screen seems a bit small to me but is probably enough to do the job. I’m just the type of person that prefers more real estate.

Powered on

Powered it on and heard the 40 gig hard drive spin up.  At first I was afraid that the noise of the hard drive would interfere with the quality of the recording.  After the unit completing booted up, I could barely hear the hard drive, thus taking my worries about noise away.  The unit comes with a sample song called “ Fostex Fever.”  It’s your basic 80’s style keyboard, multi-vocal groove song to show you what the unit can do.  Pretty cheesy song but it gave me the capability to mess around with the levels, EQ and effects for each track;  a good tutorial to get me started.

Now it’s time for me to record something. More thoughts on the functionality of the unit in future posts so stay tuned.

Links:

Fostex MR-16HD 16-Track Digital Recorder at Musicians Friend.  Already fifty bucks cheaper than what I paid last week.

Official MR-16D information from Fostex

I’ve been working on a piece that I’ve toyed around with for years but was never really comfortable with it.  I learned the it using tab and a recording that came with the songbook.  At first glance, the piece appears to be easy learn but it has to be played at a fairly high tempo (200bpm) so frustration began to kick in.  No matter how much I practiced it never sounded or felt right.

So what did I do?  I decided to look at the standard notation part of the transcription and noticed something that the tab doesn’t show.  I was not separating the melody with the bass line completely.  In short, my index and middle were playing notes my thumb was supposed to be playing.  The result of this mistake was the melody was getting muddied up with notes that weren’t supposed to be there.  So I made my thumb do it’s job and the song began to fell better; there is now a clear separation between melody and the bass line.  Only problem is that I now have to re-learn a bit a of the song to un-learn some of the bad habits I developed.   A small price to pay to get it right.

What’s better? Tab or standard notation?  For me, it’s both.  I can learn a song much faster using tab but the musicality comes out using the standard notation.  The separation of voices, dynamics subtle nuances that only standard notation can provide.  Tab is ideal with the help of standard notation but if you can read music well, then there is no need for tab, theoretically.  So maybe the edge goes to standard but that takes nothing away from tab because I owe of ton of my repertoire to tab.

Maybe not….

This year I wanted to do a guitar themed carving but for the life of me, I couldn’t find any stencils at all, except one.  It’s a Les Paul type of stencil and not as hard to do as I thought. Now that I have carved my first guitar, I think I might be able to work out an acoustic version next time.  If anyone has found any good guitar stencils for pumpkin carving, please leave a comment and share where we can get them. 

Happy Halloween!

Links:

Les Paul Stencil compliments of Doeringer Guitars

Meet My Friend

I’d like to talk about my good friend, the big red button. By this, I mean the Record button. Now, I’m not talking about recording in the sense of producing CDs, videos or demos. That comes later. For now, I’m talking more along the lines of creating a progress report.

In the Beginning

When I was a young lad, one of my favorite things to do was plug my amp into a dual cassette recorder with a mic input, play anything, record it, then take the tape to school to generally irritate all of my friends. Later, I figured out if I took the tape and put it in the other deck, recorded its contents onto another blank tape with a drum machine plugged in and going, I could multi-track. After I repeated the process with multiple guitar tracks and a borrowed bass, the line noise had built up so much that you could barely hear the instruments. Plus, it was a one shot deal per recording so I learned to either live with the occasional mistake, or just don’t make mistakes. But I had a recording that not only captured a song idea for later use, but also a small snapshot in the development of my technique.

Monitor Your Progress

Now I’ll shift gears for a second. One thing that I find as I practice is that day to day, I never get better. It’s like a body builder who lifts, looks in the mirror, and sees no change. This can be very discouraging. But one thing that body builders are encouraged to do is have pictures taken of themselves periodically during their development. Over time, the changes are more noticeable. The same is true with playing and developing technique. This is why I highly recommend getting a big red button.

Resources are Everywhere

These days, with a computer in every home and a plethora of affordable recording hardware and software, there is no excuse not to push the big red button every now and then. That is, except for one; nerves. Very few things, save for live performance, can bring sweat to palms like knowing that the button has been pushed and it’s time to do your thing. Just remember this; it’s just you and the button. The button doesn’t judge, it just captures. You be the judge. But you have to put something down to judge.

Mistakes are OK

Also with most systems, along with a big red button comes a big Delete button. There’s no shame in using the big Delete button. You want to capture your best effort at that time, so don’t be afraid to try again and again and again until it’s as good as you can get it. If you can’t get it as good as you want it, step away from the button, work it out, come back, and push the button again.

It Gets Easier

The two things that I’m thankful for after years of using the big red button are, one, that I have something to listen to and say “Wow, I actually have progressed since then!”, or “That’s an area I’m still not happy with, I should focus on that”. The other is that I’ve become proficient and confident enough with the recording process that I can create real projects, make my own CDs inexpensively and on my terms, and help others with their projects.

So like The Chemical Brothers say “Don’t hold back, the time has come to galvanize, push the button”.

Links:

www.herculescastro.com  (Home page of our guest writer)

I’ve been trying to find accurate Bruce Cockburn tabs for you play.  Unlike my Tommy Emmanuel Tabs post, it wasn’t as easy to find good tabs to find and I found many sites that were nothing but pop-ups and deceptive links, so beware because those types of sites are the kind you get spyware from.  Here are a few for you to try and if you have any other recommendations, please leave a comment and share with us.

Sunwheel Dance:  I’m not a fan of ASCII tab but it’s fairly accurate/close to the version I have in my “All the Diamonds” songbook.  This version has you tune to open E(EBEG#BE) but I believe it’s tuned to open D (DADF#AD).  Both with the capo on the second fret.  The song is surprisingly easy to learn but incredibly hard to master, especially at the correct tempo.

• Pacing the Cage:  I couldn’t not find a free tab that was worth mentioning but I did find two versions that you can pay for.  Both are very accurate and are in a tab/standard notation form.
  Version 1: $5.50 to download from musicnotes.com
  Version 2: $3.95 to download from freehandmusic.com
• Foxglove:  Tuned to open C, this is transcribed to power tab and is almost identical to my “All the Diamonds” songbook.
• Wondering Where The Lions Are:  ASCII tab again but gives you the main motive pretty accurately which is pretty much 90% of the song.
• Dear Dancing Round a Broken Mirror and Water Into Wine:  Very good transcriptions, one in Powertab.  You will have to subscribe to the Bruce Cockburn musicians group in Yahoo groups and the tab can be found in the files sections.  Many other good tabs and ideas that will set you in the right direction in learning other Bruce’s songs.

I used to be extremely uncomfortable being alone up there or any place away from the distractions of technology because I was forced to face the many thoughts/ideas/rants rattling around in my head.  It could be quite nerve racking and I preferred to drown it out with iPods, computers or conversations with friends.  Over the past couple trips, I have found that this “alone time” was an opportunity to face the cacophony of thoughts in my head and I was forced to organize and purge; getting comfortable with myself and in turn, more comfortable, with my playing.

So here’s to getting more comfortable and getting better!

New Features Include:

• More time signatures for the metronome, including subdivision.
• Support for left handed players
• Support for 12 string guitar
• Support for Scales and there are a ton of them (Currently my favorite)
• Fretboard can be resized using the pinch feature
• The chords are now strummed (great for ear training)
• Improved slider bar for the metronome
• Much More!

Like I said before, I love it when developers listen to their customers and Guitar Tools for iPhone is now a must have for any guitar playing iPhone or iTouch owner.

I look forward to the next updates. 

Links:

http://guitartoolkit.com/

I will turn to the charts from time to time,  especially when I’m spinning my wheels and I find it useful.  I hope it helps you as well.

Links:

Guitar Suite Chord Progression Primer

Chord Progression Books

I’ll admit that I’ve let a few stories pass my lips.  Just recently, I caught myself telling a guitar version of the “fish story”.   I was in a conversation with another musician who plays fiddle/guitar and I exaggerated my daily practice routine.  I let it slip that I practice at least four hours a day or more.  Over the next couple days, I replayed that conversation over and over in my head and wished I hadn’t said that but no one’s perfect.  I do practice quite a bit but lately, I’m lucky to get 40 minutes of practice in, let alone 4 hours.  It’s been pretty busy at my paying job. 

So why do we let out these little white lies?  I can’t tell you why this one slipped out of my mouth.  I would like to think it was my way, subconsciously, to motivate my ass back to practicing more.  Who knows?  I’ll leave that up to the Psychologists or others to figure that out but  I can tell you one thing; I’ve practiced a heck of a lot more the last couple of days just to keep me honest.  Four hours a day?  Well… I won’t go there.  Especially in writing.

So what’s your guitar tale?  Leave a comment and get it off your chest.  You will feel better after you do.

Keep Practicing!

Highlights:

• Cliffs of Dover:  The best song on the CD and probably the most recognizable.  Fast runs, great phrasing and that incredible violin like tone sets the stage for a terrific listening experience.  When I was in High School, I learned how to play the into to this and it wasn’t too bad.  If you asked me to play it now, I am afraid how much damage I would do to myself and to your ears.
• High Landrons:  A great guitar song where Eric throws lick after lick and there never seems to be a place to rest until the end.
• Trademark:  A smooth, easy listening song where Eric doesn’t show too much flash but the phrasing and tone is incredible.  The song features great bass lines provided by Kyle Brock and I find myself listening to him instead of EJ.
• Song For George:  His only acoustic song and once again, not too flashy but great phrasing and use of the occasional harmonics.  I have a bit of a soft spot for this song because it was the song that I played on my first solo performance in a High School talent show. 

About 18 years ago, my brother handed me a tape of “Ah Via Musicom” and he told me that I had to listen to it, a must listen.  Now I’m doing the same to you.  If you play guitar or a fan of great guitar, get it!

Features and Thoughts:

• Tuner:  Has many different tuning modes from standard tuning to modal or open tuning.  Initially, I tried the tuner on the 1st Gen iPhone and it didn’t work so well. The response was terrible and wouldn’t register the low E string and was rendered useless.  I now own the 3G iPhone and the tuner is working much better.  I’m thinking that the 3G has a better microphone.  Any thoughts on this?  As a test, I set my Korg tuner next to the iPhone to see how close they responded and the tool kit did very well.  The tuner does not work on the iTouch because of the lack of a microphone.  But you can use the “Tones” option which is a graphic representation of the six strings and you can run your finger over each string to act as a reference.
• Metronome:  My first impression of the metronome was annoyance.  The tones for the beats sounded like a trash can and there was no way to change those tones to something more pleasant.   After I  installed the update, the option to to change the tone was there so now the  metronome is usable and quite nice to have.  The current version of the tool kit only offers 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 and “no time signature” as options for time signatures.  I would like to see a way to customize the time signatures and even an option on where you want the accents within the measures.
• Chord Chart:  Very handy little program with lots and lots of chords for you to reference.  What is nice is that you can move up and  down the fretboard to get your desired chords in different positions.  I would like to see is an option to illustrate where the root of the chord is located on the chart.  Even better, the 3rd, 5th, 7th etc… location as well.

So would I recommend this program? Definitely!  It’s not going to replace your current equipment but at only $9.99, it’s nice to have when you’re on the go and need something in a pinch.

Links:

Guitar Toolkit Homepage

Haven’t had much time to play this past week because I decided to paint the room I practice in.  I needed change.  The nice thing about tooling around the house is that I turn on the iPod and jam on some tunes.  I’ve had Colin Hay’s “Man at Work” CD on my mind a lot lately, so it’s my next in my “what’s in my CD collection” recommendation list.

If you are a fan of the 80’s, you are probably familiar with Colin Hay and his  band Men at Work.  With songs like “Overkill,”  “Down Under” and “Who Could it be Now,”  I remember watching them on MTV back in the day when MTV actually played music videos.   The 80’s were over and Colin Hay seemed to have disappeared.

Maybe Not…

A couple of years ago, I was watching an episode of Scrubs and Hay played an acoustic version of “Overkill” and it was amazing and much better than the 80’s version.  Which leads to the  “Man at Work” release which such acoustic versions of some of the 80’s Men at Work classics like “Overkill” (my favorite) and “Down Under”.  He also has some new stuff that is reflective and thought provoking like e “Waiting for My Real Life to Begin” and “Beautiful World.”  If you don’t have this, you won’t be sorry if you get it.  These are also great to learn to play and sing along.  I’m working on “Overkill” and “Waiting for My Real Life to Begin” myself.

9.13.08:  For those of you that are trying to figure out “Waiting for My Real Life to Begin,”  the song is in standard tuning, played in G with the capo at the 4th fret.  Most of the song is C-Maj - D-Maj to G-Maj.

I first discovered Manzer guitars about five years ago I saw Bruce Cockburn in Boulder, Colorado.  I have heard many times that when it comes to guitars, we listen with our eyes.  Let’s just say that with a Manzer guitar your eyes won’t be disappointed.  They are beautiful!  The tone is exquisite and a joy to listen to.  I also helps that  Bruce really knows how to make it sing.  Other notable Manzer lovers are Pat Methany and Carlos Santana.  Methany owns the famous Pikasso(Pictured right),  which is an intimidating instrument to look at it, let alone play it.  As you can see, the craftsmanship on these guitars are first rate and with such high quality of guitars made, the popularity and demand increases.

When I first dreamt about owning a Manzer, there was about a 12 month waiting list because she only makes about 15 guitars a year.  Next thing you know, it’s an eighteen months and today, the waiting list is closed so she can “catch up.”   One day, I was tooling around on the Internet and stumbled on the Dream Guitars site.  I noticed that they had a Manzer in the used list.  For grins, I checked it out and see how much it would cost.  $17,000!  Now you know why it’s only a dream.  Whether or not this is a ridiculous price or not is best left for a different post.  You can bet that you will not see a post about my new Manzer unless I get the winning lotto numbers.

So what is your dream guitar?  Is it attainable or will it always be a dream?

Links:

Manzer Guitars

Dream Guitars Manzer Listing

I would like to remind everyone of a resource that is free, full of information and is usually within minutes of your home.  I’m talking about your local public library, a wonderful resource that many in the Internet age forget.  I had the day off and found my way to our local branch that is only a few blocks away, with the goal of finding some books to help me with my playing and broaden my musical knowledge.  When I arrived at my branch, I was pleasantly surprised by how many were waiting to get in.  A scene that contradicts my earlier, “Internet age has forgotten libraries” statement.  Lots of moms and their kids and people like me looking for little inspiration.  

Our local branch is a bit small so the music section didn’t have too much but I did find a few books that peaked my interests.

• “Bernstein, A Biography” -  One of my favorite composers and not because of West Side Story, which is great, but because of his Mass.  I was privileged enough to be part of a performance of The Mass when I was in College and it was an incredible experience.
• “Written in my Soul” –  I’m always looking for insight in songwriting and this book contains stories from some of the great songwriters like Paul Simon, Sting, Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, to name a few
• “John Renbourn, Fingerstyle Guitar”  -  I was going to buy this book and still might, but I get to try it out for free first.

So if you got a couple hours spare time, give your local branch a try.  You might find something there that you might have never thought about otherwise.