I didn’t have to work today so I met up with my wife at her work to have lunch. The beauty of this, besides being able to spend some time with my wife, is that she works across the street from a acoustic guitar store full of Martins, Larrivee’s, Blueridge’s, etc…. My GAS (Guitar Acquisition Syndrome) always tends to flare up during these times.
After lunch, we had about 5 minutes to kill and I wandered in to by a thumb pick and some strings. I also had just enough time to noodle around with a beautiful Larrivee and a Blueridge Parlor guitar. I’ve been in love with Jean Larrivee guitars for quite a while and this one was a joy to play. Nice bright tone and my fingers seemed to glide over the strings and frets.
I’ve become a fan of the Blueridge parlors just recently and if I had to choose, I would take both : ). Seriously, I would probably pick up the Blueridge. Reasons being:
The Parlor is a better guitar for me ergonomically
I just love the 1 7/8″ neck width. My fingers have room and feels a bit like a classical in that sense but not too wide so I can still use my thumb in fingerings.
It has a V neck. A lot of electrics have V necks and I thought this might be new for the acoustics. I asked the owner of the shop about it and he said that V necks were very common for acoustic guitars, especially parlors.
I went home empty handed but got my fix for a while. One day, one of those suckers will come home with me.
Just got finished re-stringing my Martin with a set of Martin Fingerstyle SP Strings I found in my office. Wasn’t impressed when I first tried these out but the second go around was a little less disappointing. First impression was that they sounded a bit shallow and tinty on the high end. After trying them a second time I find their tone still lacks something but maybe not as bad as I first thought. Would I recommend these strings? Probably not because I don’t see the benefit in the “fingerstyle” label it has. I asked the music store and they really couldn’t give me a answer on why these are better for fingerstyle players and after playing them, I couldn’t either. I think I will just stick to my normal Martin SP Guitar Strings . They have been solid for me the last couple of years and don’t see any reason to switch.
What’s your favorite strings? Do you go for price, brand or whatever is available?
I was sitting on the porch enjoying another beautiful Colorado evening and decided to bring out the guitar for the first time this Spring. I have to say that a change in venue, as little as it seems, really does help get the creative juices flowing. Playing outdoors gave me some new ideas and my playing felt fresh. I was reminded of a couple issues, however, that I fight with constantly.
I need to make a real attempt to finish/develop an idea. I was playing well and was happy but I was playing a bunch of licks and nothing else. My playing was all over the place.
When playing a song, I must finish it. My wife noted that I will play the first minute or so and then stop. It definitely annoys her and is a pretty big reason why I struggle with the endings of songs.
One more lesson worth noting, not on the list, but still worth mentioning is that Adirondack chairs were not made for guitar players. They are comfortable but there is no way to play a guitar with those arm rests getting in the way. Regardless, it was a good guitar day and it’s days like this that motivate me to keep on playing.
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.
were not made for guitar players. They are comfortable but there is no way to play a guitar with those arm rests getting in the way. Regardless, it was a good guitar day and it’s days like this that motivate me to keep on playing.
