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 …
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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 …
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 …
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. …
