Guitar Musings

After a long night of great music at the Swallow Hill Folk and Roots Festival in Denver, Bruce Cockburn was the last to play.  We had quite a long wait after Nanci Griffith’s set, probably about 45 minutes.  Good thing the emcee’s Harry Tuft, Mollie O’Brien and Rich Moore had quite a few songs in the repertoire to keep us entertained.  But we were ready for Bruce and he was finally on stage, just him 3 guitars and a mic.

The show started off a bit tough because the mix was a bit hot and Bruce even mentioned it and asked for the mix to be turned down a bit.  A few songs in, the mix was pretty much dialed in and we were on our way.  As always Bruce’s playing was spot on and that thumb never quits.  Had some great solos on “Stolen Land” and “If a Tree Falls” and surprised me with “Kit Carson” and “Trouble with Normal.   Ended the night with “Rouler sa Bosse” and “Tie Me at the Crossroads.” 

Great show by Bruce, one of the better shows that I have seen him do.  The only thing that was different about Bruce, this time was that he didn’t really converse with the crowd all that much.  He would respond to some of the comments the audience made but wouldn’t offer anything on his own like he usually does.  So sometimes there was an awkward silence when he was tuning or switching guitars.  Maybe because of the long delay before he went on, bad day, etc…  Who knows?  Either way, his performance was awesome and he never fails to deliver.

Set List

1. Last Night of the World
2. See You Tomorrow
3. Lovers in a Dangerous Time
4. Pacing the Cage (wow!)
5. Trouble With Normal
6. Stolen Land
7. Kit Carson
8. Put it in Your Heart
9. If a Tree Falls
10. Wondering Where the Lions Are

Encore:

1. Rouler Sa Boss
2. Tie Me at the Crossroads

Other Bruce Cockburn Concerts I have reviewed:

1. 7.22.03  Boulder Theatre  - Boulder, Colorado (First time I saw Bruce Live)
2. 10.30.05 Gothic Theatre - Denver, Colorado (solo)
3. 8.17.06 Chautauqua Auditorium - Boulder, Colorado (Sarah Harmer, opening act)
4. 8.18.06 Denver Botanic Gardens (Sarah Harmer, opening act)

* I also was at the the November 12, 2003 show at the Paramount Theatre in Denver but didn’t leave submit a review.  Should-of though because he did a version of “Stolen Land” on electric guitar that was amazing.  I remember thinking that he was channeling the spirit of Jimi Hendrix during that song

Last night, I attended the Swallow Hill Folk and Roots Music Festival at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in Denver.  To be honest, the only reason why I bought tickets was to see Bruce Cockburn but I got so much more.   The show started at six and we got almost  6 hours of top quality folk music from southern spirituals to Australian indigenous music.  To top it off, it was all staged in the Ellie Caulkins Opera House that, by far, was one of the best venues I have visited.  The acoustics and mix of the music was amazing.

The show was emcee’ d by Harry Tuft(Swallow Hill Founder), Mollie O’Brien and Rich Moore.  Between each set they would perform one or two classic fold song to help pass the time.  I was really impressed by the guitar playing of Tuft and Moore, they both played together but it seemed as if it was one instrument.  The collaboration of their guitars were inspiring.  Moore was the nice surprise with his blues fingerstyle licks all over the fingerboard.  He more than once got the crowd going with his playing.

Other Acts:

• Souther Journey, featuring Emily Morgan Bates and Marta Burton:

Morgan Bate’s voice filled the hall with her voice with old time southern spirituals like “Wade in the Water.”  It was a great start to a wonderful evening.

• Fifth World:

Mix Australian didgeridoo playing with Native American flute and rhythm, you have Fifth World.  First time I ever heard them and I’m getting their CD now.  The rhythms of the didgeridoo and the calmness of the flute was intoxicating and I wanted more.  If you like good mood music with a cosmic feel, check them out.

• Santa Cruz River Band

A three piece band from Arizona playing traditional Mexican music with the and Arizona flair.  Tight rhythms and perfect harmonies during their set and thy topped it off playing one of my favorites, “Volver, Volver.”  I’m a sentimental fool, that song reminds me of my grandma.

• Dakota Blonde

Yet another first time listen and I will definitely get their CD.  There were so many things I could go on about them but what got my attention was the mandolin play of Ernie Martinez.  Worthy to note was their rendition of Men at Work’s “Man Down Under.”  I Highly recommend a listen.

• Steppin’ In It & Rachel Davis

These guys (and gal) totally surprised me.  Wasn’t sure to what to expect but they didn’t disappoint.  High energy Jazz in the spirit of the 30’s and 40’s, they got the crowd rocking.  Two brothers in the band were Andy and Joe Wilson and it was fun to watch them.  They would switch between instruments in the middle of the song and I’m not just talking 1 or 2 but three or four.  From fiddle, resonator, trombone, trumpet, harmonica and even a flute, they played each instrument like it was their main one.  A pleasure to hear.

• Nanci Griffith

A legend in her own right, Nanci Griffith was nothing short of magnificent.  Her beautiful voice resonated through out the hall and I was hooked.  She played for about an hour and her energy was infectious.  She chatted with the audience and told stories just like a true folk musician should.  

• Bruce Cockburn

Bruce was great but you will get a more detailed description of his set in my next post.

I have to say that the Swallow Hill Folk and Roots Festival was worth every penny that I paid for my tickets.  Swallow hill needs to be congratulated for bringing such a talented group of musicians to Denver last night.  Swallow Hill Music association is a hidden jem in not only Denver but all of Colorado.  I encourage you to check out their site at http://www.swallowhill.com/. 

Natural, picks, manicures, acrylics, etc…. What do you use?  I have tried many things to keep my nails healthy and happy because when I lose a nail, I’m not playing guitar as much because it throws off my timing and more importantly, my fingering becomes less effective. 

What Hasn’t Worked for Me:

• I read an interview with Bruce Cockburn where he said that he used to super glue his nails to reinforce them.  Even went as far as getting tissue or toilet paper and cutting them into small strips and glue them onto his nails.  Kind of a type of wallpaper or fiberglass type feel. I tried this and at first it seems to work but overtime it weekend my nails to the point where they would break and chip more often.  Bruce now uses a product called Nail Envy that he’s been using for a long time and swears by it.  I haven’t tried it myself.
• Haven’t tried acrylics but I did try the trick of cutting up a ping pong ball and shaping a fake nail and then gluing it to my finger.  It worked fairly well but you still run into the weakening of your organic nail because of the glue and I didn’t like the feel of fake nails because I felt a disconnect between me and the string.  It just didn’t feel right.  I didn’t think that acrylics would be any better so I didn’t try.  Plus I was a struggling college student and couldn’t afford them.

What Has Worked:

For me to have healthy nails was really more a lifestyle change rather than a quick fix gadget. 

• I changed the way I do things with my hands.  For example, I wear gloves a lot to protect my hands or when I’m opening doors or drawers, I make sure I have a good grip because I have some of my worst breaks when opening a door or drawer and my hand slips and my nail catches.  That really pisses me off when I break a nail that way.
• I learned how to manicure my own hands with a nail file and I never use nail clippers.  I can’t remember where I read it but I read that  your nails get stronger if you file them down.  It has worked bunches for me.  I also keep a nail file everywhere I am; car, work, bathroom, etc…
• When I break a nail, I resist the urge to bite it and I can go all day, if I have to until I get to a nail file.  This one was hard for me since I used to be a chronic nail biter.  If the nail isn’t to bad I use a band-aid to re-enforce the nail until it grows out enough or finally breaks.  This works very well and I can usually buy a couple of weeks with this.
• I take a good multivitamin, it’s a Costco equivalent of Centrum.  Had to try 3 or 4 different brands until I found one that worked for me.

With all that said, I feel the constant use of a nail file is what has helped the most for me.  I don’t go more than a day or two before I use it.  It keeps my nails clean from snags, chips and I do believe that it has made my nails stronger.   What do you do, please leave a comment and let me know. 

In my conversations with guitarists over the years I have mentioned a web site that I thought was well known but maybe not as much as I thought.  The site that I am talking about his the Eythorsson Guitar School web.  Based in Iceland, Eythorsson offers an incredible amount of free classical guitar music for people to download.  From studies to sonatas, ensembles to duets, there is something for all to enjoy.  The catch is that the music has to be in the public domain for it to be on the web and free.  You will find works of Sor, Bach, Carcassi, Scarlatti, Tarrega, etc…  I have dabbled with Classical throughout my trials as a guitarist and I have found they studies and methods have helped a great deal, especially with working on the independence of my thumb and learning new voices for my writing.  I haven’t worked on too many of the solo pieces but I did download some of the Scarlatti sontas and they were arranged wonderfully.  Too bad my playing couldn’t do them justice.

I have been using this site as resource for as long as I can remember and am surprised how much it has grown over the years to have such a library of music.  Check it out and see what you think.

Links:
Music for classical guitar
http://www.eythorsson.com/

I live on the Colorado Front Range and any that either lives, lived or visited here can attest to how dry it gets in this state.  Under 10 percent humidity can be common and can be very damaging to your guitar if left unchecked.  For example, I have a 97 Martin SWD certified wood guitar and I love it.  It’s actually my brothers guitar but it was rescued by me because the guitar was rendered useless because proper humidity wasn’t maintained in the care of the guitar.   By rendered useless, I mean the neck contracted in a way to render many of the frets dead.  It also developed a crack right blow the bridge of the guitar. (see pic) What was the solution to this?  Proper humidity applied to the guitar.

According to Martin, it is ideal to keep 45-50% humidity and around 72-77 degrees Fahrenheit in temperature.  It’s very tough to maintain those constants in Colorado, especially in the winter.   Temperature was fairly easy to tackle.  I just purchased an oil room heater and that was enough to maintain the proper temp.  Humidity was a bit harder and I tried many different contraptions.  Below is a list of what I tried to humidify:

1. Room humidifier:  Tried a couple of models but they were too loud and I had to refill water over and over, sometimes daily.  I was able to keep decent humidity levels but the Martin still wasn’t happy.  I also had to keep the door shut in my office all the time to keep the humidity in. If it was open for 15 minutes or so, the humidity would drop 10 to 15 percent.
2. Planet Waves System: With it being suspended on the strings, I thought this would be sufficient enough to do the job.  It fell a bit short in the aspect that I would have to keep the case closed for 2 or more days for it to revitalize the guitar.   The reason being that there was nothing to cover the sound hole to keep the moisture in.  It also didn’t seem to last very long either, maybe a few months and then I would have to buy a new one.  Seemed pretty wasteful to me.
3. Grover guitar humidifier system:  This one is almost the same as the Dampit system that I have used in the past.  Basically a sponge in a green tube attached to a piece of plastic that seals the sound hole pretty well.  This unit worked perfectly.  My Martin was back to normal and playing well within 24 hours.

There are many other systems out there that should work like the Grover and Dampit systems.  The Keyser system comes to mind.  The only draw back with the Grover system is that it slides under the strings and if your action is low like on my Martin, there is a chance the plastic will scratch your guitar over time.  Just by the shear repetition of removing and reinserting the system every practice.  That’s why I’ll probably try the Kyser someday because it looks like it might be a bit softer on the guitar.   I’m sure the Planet Waves system works well for others who might read this but the combination of how sensitive my guitar is and the dry weather of Colorado makes that system pretty useless for me.  If anyone who reads this has any insight on other guitar humidifier systems, please share them with me.  I would rather learn from everyones experience instead of figuring out for myself.

Guitar Humidifiers

Related Posts:
Kyser Humdifier System
Guitar Maintenance Thoughts