I was poking around Digg today and I came across a Rolling Stone article titled, “The 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time.” Some items on the list made sense and others made me wonder, “What the hell were they thinking?” Here’s the top 6:
“Johnny B. Goode” - This I can agree with. As soon as you hear that intro guitar solo, you know what song it is. The guitar makes the song, not the lyrics or singing. You could argue that this was the first “guitar song.”
“Purple Haze” - Classic Jimmy Hendrix, I can’t argue with this.
“Crossroads” - No familiar with the song as much as others so I won’t “yay” or “nay” this. But it’s Eric Clapton so I’m thinking that it’s probably a pretty good choice.
“You Really Got Me” - I can see why they chose this because it has great groove that is instantly recognizable. I prefer the Van Halen version instead of the Kinks, however.
“Brown Sugar” - Like “You Really Got Me” I can see the choice but I wouldn’t consider it a top 5 guitar song of all time.
“Eruption” - I had to include this because this is the song by the man that inspired me to learn the guitar. Eddie Van Halen transcended guitar throughout the 80’s and “Eruption” was his calling card. Easily, should be 3 or 4 on this list, at least.
I won’t go through the complete list but many songs seemed to be chosen because of popularity instead of how it influenced guitar. I agree with some choices but cannot believe some of the choices on the list. Most notably, “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” which was rated at #10.
What!!!!!
OK, I get it. This song spoke to a lot of people and many loved/loves the mysteriousness of Kurt Cobain but a top 10 guitar song of all time? I don’t think so. Nirvana has it’s place in music history but this isn’t the list.
Anyway…..
I’ve seen this before. From sports, movies to music there will always be controversy/disagreements in these types of lists. Who knows? Maybe Rolling Stone did this to create a buzz on the article. If so, then it worked. I have a piece of advice for Rolling Stone, create a “Top 100 Guitarists of All Time” list and put that eight year old kid who got a perfect on Dragon Force in expert mode on Guitar Hero at #10. That should generate some buzz.
Happy day after Memorial Day! I hope you all had wonderful holiday. I was lucky enough to have an extended holiday up in the mountains at my parents cabin where I could just relax and have fun. No Internet and no guitar and I needed to take a break from both.
My thumb on my left hand has been really hurting lately, probably because I’m gripping the guitar too tightly when I’m playing, so stepping away from the instrument help me re-evaluate some technique like I vowed in a past rant, “Back to the Basics.” Anyway, I just picked up the axe this evening and it felt good! Didn’t really worry about how well I played because I broke a nail last week and still getting used to picking with skin instead of nail. I did become aware that I’m contorting my thumb a bit behind the neck which is possibly contributing to my problem. I read somewhere that when you play, you should keep your thumb in line with your index and middle fingers. For a better analogy, act like you were holding a piece of paper between your fingers. What I was doing was moving my thumb way out of place putting a strain on the muscles. That along with gripping so tight, I did a little bit of damage but I’ve had these issues before and must have fallen into bad habits again. Yet another reason why I should start taking lessons again.
So the mantra this week is to play relaxed, play relaxed, breathe in, breathe out…….. Ahhhhhh…… much better.
Guitar Musings is now three months old and I would like to ask you how I am doing? Below is a brief survey, about 7 questions, and your answers will help me improve upon what I feel is a good start. If you fill out the survey, you will also be entered to win a copy of Tommy Emmanuel’s “Live Center Stage.” Please, only one entry per person. The survey will be open until Wednesday May 28th 8:00 PM MST.
Once again, thank you for visiting my site.
Larry McDowell
(5.28.08: survey is closed. Thanks to all for your responses)
Purchased an Acoustasonic a few weeks back because my old Peavy BackStage practice amp finally died and I must say I haven’t been disappointed. A nice little package with enough effects and drive to please most guitarists.
First thoughts:
I was happy to see that the Acoustasonic had the ability to sit on the floor at an angle. Makes it so much easier to adjust my settings without having to hunch over to see the controls. I plugged my Seagull S6 in and was impressed with the nice clean sound. It did feel a bit punchy at times , I’m thinking it was because the LR Baggs system on my Seagull was driving the sound too much. After working on both the amp and guitar, I found a tone that I liked. Since I don’t currently play live, I can’t really give an opinion on how it would perform out in the field but it does have a line out so you can plug right in to sound reinforcement. This makes me think that the possibilities are only limited to the mixer you plug into. I was also skeptical with the claim that this was specifically designed for acoustic players. I see that a lot and used to think that was just a gimmick. To test, I plugged in my Stratocastor and it sounded like crap. I could never get a tone that I liked and eventually gave up after about 15 minutes or so.
The effects are solid and fun to play with. You get a Vibratone (slow and fast), Chorus, Reverb/Chorus combo, Chorus Delay combo, Delay, Reverb/Delay(combo) and Reverb (hall, room and plate). The only problem with this is that these are preset channels and if you want to customize your effect or try different combinations, you are out of luck.
Summary:
I love this amp. It’s small enough to where I can keep it in my living room without getting in trouble and but it’s not wimpy sounding like a lot of practice amps. If you are in the market for an affordable acoustic guitar amp, the Fender Acoustasonic 30 is worth taking a look at.
Pros:
Clean sound and easy to dial in
Nice array of effects to play with and can switch between effects quickly
Line out for recording and playing live
Ability to tilt amp to view controls (helpful on the old back)
Cons:
Can’t tweak the effects at all. This can be a deal breaker for many.
My Stratocastor sounds like crap on it. (not really a con, maybe)
A few weeks back, I wrote a post about a guitar repair shop finder on the web, mentioning that I purchased the book “The Acoustic Guitar Adjustment, Care, Maintenance, and Repair,” so I could get a better idea of the inner-workings of my post about a guitar repair shop finder on the web, mentioning that I purchased the guitars. I have become a firm believer that the more you know about your instrument, the better you will play. At least that’s one reason why I feel I have improved.
First Thoughts:
After I started reading this book, I began to think that I might have went a bit over my head. With some chapters like “Disassembly and Reassembly of Guitar bodies,” “Pearl Inlay Technique” and “Finishing and Refinishing”, I was wondering whether I would be able to use any of this information. This book was definitely meant for someone with some experience in woodworking.
What I Found Useful:
After getting over the initial intimidation, I did find some chapters that I could use for myself. I was able to utilize “String Action and Tension Rod Adjustment” and “Intonation and Bridging” to tune up and lower the action on my Seagul S6.
Final Thoughts:
This book is obviously meant for a more experienced repairperson with more than a basic knowledge of guitar repair. If you are curious about some of the techniques and tools used for some of the more extensive repairs, you might find this a good reference. It has certainly increased my knowledge/appreciation of my instrument and the Luthiers who repair them.
