OK. so we are on our first Alaskan tour and all is going well but the songs that I play Mandolin on just doesn’t seem right. Intonation is off; either me or the guys in my band were off but it was noticeable. Dave, our bass player and lead singer keeps looking over to me with the look of “are you in the right key”. I stop in the middle of the song and do a quick check and yes, I’m in tune.. Finish the song and I pick up my guitar and all is well, it only seems to be with the mando. I’m actually getting worried that there is something physically wrong with the instrument and it will need to be repaired. Tensions run high After a couple of shows, the tensions are running high. I’m getting the looks of frustration and annoyance because of this issue. I literally showed my tuner to the guys and said “look, it’s showing in tune.” Perplexed, we decide it might be the venue we are at; they can definitely distort the sound. The problem is, we are now facing this problem over the course of multiple shows. All The venues can’t …
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Furch Little Jane On It’s Way! Well, I did it. I’m not the proud owner of the order of a Furch Little Jane 11-SR. I will not say that I am a proud owner of the guitar until it gets to me from the CZECH REPUBLIC fully intact and playable; you never know what international shipping will bring us. I have seen unboxings of Little Janes on Youtube and I’m hopeful and fairly confident that Furch will pack and ship my Little Jane well. *Note: I should mention that I emailed Furch about 4 or 5 times asking questions about care, setup, humidity, maintenance, etc.. They responded within a day and were very helpful with all my answers. They even set me up with a free leather guitar strap (hundred dollar value). Should be at my door in about a week or so which would be pretty impressive since it’s coming from so far. More to come…
I’m going to be doing quite a bit of traveling this summer and I don’t leave without a guitar. For past trips, I have outfitted my Larrivee OM with a Calton case and I’ve never been scared that my guitar would end up in pieces. Been to Alaska for two tours with my band, trips to California a and Oregon. My Calton case was a smart investment but the tradeoff with a sturdy Calton case is the weight and size. It’s quite heavy and tough to lug around the airport and small rental vehicles. My wife and I will be traveling to Scotland this summer and I’m looking to keep it light so no Larrivee but I still need something to play on the trip. Furch Little Jane Travel Guitar In my quest for a guitar to take to Scotland, I stumbled upon the Furch “Little Jane” travel guitar and I have to say I’m intrigued. A solid wood acoustic guitar that can be taken apart and put in a backpack that fits in the overhead compartment of an airplane. Yes Please! I’ve checked out youtube videos and been on forums and the overall consensus is that this is a …
It’s that time of year again! The time where all the guitar manufacturers and musical instrument dealers have sweepstakes for us to enter! I can tell you I have entered to win a Breedlove, Gibson, sweetwater, Adams Audio, Yamaha, Rattlesnake Cables… You name it, I’ve entered. Have I won? Well, I’ve won a lot of email in my inbox but that’s OK, can unsubscribe pretty easiliy. Why Bother Many say, “why even try, I never win” and I get it but what the hell. I haven’t won either but it only takes one time. My question to you is have you won? Do you know anyone that has one something pretty cool in the musical instrument realm. I figure, I’m due so why the hell not. I’ll keep you posted if I land something! Lemme know if you have won, want to hear about some good news!
Can’t Remember? I’ve heard and read many artists state that some of the best performances that they have given were ones that can’t even remember. By this, I mean they give into the music/performance and go into a sort of trance, I guess you can say. I’ve seen this in many guitarists that I admire from Eddie Van Halen to Bruce Cockburn and the result is usually a performance that strikes awe in my heart. I say to myself, “how can I play like that?” Let the music take control: I’ll be honest, this is something that I still struggle with. Two reasons: 1. I want to remember my performance so I actively think about it while playing. This hinders me because then my mind isn’t doing what it’s supposed to do; play the guitar. The outcome is that I will either have a brain freeze and forget a passage or my playing because sloppy. Either way, it’s a performance that I would rather forget rather than remember.2. I want it to be perfect so I over think and critique myself as I play. Same result as above. Play For Yourself: Why is it that when we practice, we are …
