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Make it easy on yourself!

1/29/2014

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I’m going to revisit a subject I wrote about some time ago because I continue to see students from time to time who struggle with basic physical technique, and these struggles can be pretty easy to eliminate with some simple adjustments. I’m not talking about adjustments to the guitar (although those can certainly help) but something that is more prevalent.

How you hold your guitar, and yes, that annoying thing your mom kept reminding you of – your posture – are hugely important. I get many students who have been playing for a while but want to take things to the next level. We’ll call them advanced beginners. Many men (not women, for some reason) have the very bad habit of resting their forearm on their thigh when sitting and playing. What they’re doing without realizing it is supporting the weight of the neck. The problem is, this totally restricts the hand. Being able to arch the wrist and “roll” the fretting hand around the neck is absolutely essential for finger arch, which of course is absolutely necessary for clear, clean tone from every string. Keeping the forearm on the thigh when sitting and playing also totally restricts the act of radically dropping the wrist, which together with correct thumb placement (centered behind the neck and beneath the 1st finger) allows a nice, straight 1st finger when playing barre chords. Even worse, with this bad habit it’s impossible to move your hand up the neck to that never-land above the 5th fret! There are a whole lot of nice chords and notes hiding up there, folks!

So – how to solve this? If it seems awkward and fatiguing to keep your legs together and your forearm away from your thigh when you sit and play you should start using a guitar strap to support the weight of your instrument. Many people seem to think that straps are only for when you stand and play but this is false. Assuming you have a strap button installed in the correct position on the heel of your guitar (and you should because a strap tied onto the head of the guitar above the nut can get in the way of your hand when playing in 1st position), adjust the strap length to slightly shorter than it would probably be if you stood and played. If the length is right you should be able to release hold of the guitar with both hands and it will stay in “playing position.” Remember to keep your legs together and your forearm away from your thigh.

Neck angle when this is accomplished is a personal thing - although some advanced guitarists might argue this and classical guitarists surely would – but I think keeping the neck at an angle of a few degrees above horizontal works best for most people. Someone with short arms and long necked guitar will have to increased the upward angle of the neck, perhaps even to about half way between horizontal and vertical but these players are the exception and perhaps they should think about buying a guitar with a smaller body and/or a shorter neck. There is a point of diminishing returns in increasing the upward angle of the neck.

The other aspect that affects ease of playing is basic posture. Sure, it’s fun to sink back into a couch and hold the guitar more toward flat on your lap but just think about how far this makes you reach around the neck. Select a straight backed but comfortable chair, with no arms of course, and sit straight up with the body of the guitar upright against your body, not sloping toward your lap. This makes seeing what your hands are doing a bit more difficult but learning to look OVER the neck rather than angling the guitar for a better view makes for much easy playing – easy movement of your hand that results in more concise and cleaner chords and single notes. Now, if like many of us you’re dealing with the results of too many nights bellying up to the bar and too many helpings of decadent food this can be problematic but resist the temptation to slide the body of the guitar away from your middle regions and having the neck in front of your body. Women, even those who are fit may have to deal with physiological realities that are an attribute in a slinky cocktail dress but make playing a guitar a bit of a challenge. Sorry, I don’t have a solution for this….um…problem!

Getting a clear, clean sound from a guitar is challenging for all of us, all the time. Good playing technique is what it’s all about, so why make things more difficult than they have to be? Holding your guitar correctly and good posture is where it all starts.

Peace & good music,

Gene  

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Snowy thoughts

1/21/2014

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Random observations while waiting for the blizzard to start here on Olde Cape Cod.

How accurate do we have to be about chords and the overall structure of a song? I recently heard a professional player who took great liberties with changes in some jazz standards. There is a long-standing tradition of tweaking the changes in jazz tunes to add some originality and interest to tunes. OK, I get that. I do it myself to a certain degree with my own arrangements. However, crossing the line too far is fraught with danger, in my opinion. You can easily end up with something that sounds just too far “outside” what the composer intended. Now I know some advanced players would argue this but what I’m talking about is the player who is weak in knowledge and ability. Omitting important (vital?) chords weakens the song. I guess all I’m saying is, spend the time to learn the tune RIGHT, then add what your ear leads you to. Otherwise the result is something that can be downright boring.

On the other end of the spectrum, there is absolutely nothing wrong with playing simple pieces and in fact, a simple song played to perfection can be a joy to hear. Right now I have a young student who has learned to play very well in a relatively short amount of time. She pays attention to details and takes great pride in her playing. My guess is that she’s a “lifer” – someone who will play the guitar as long as she’s able. Her joy in discovering her potential is gratifying and students like her are one of the reasons I love teaching. Yes, the songs she plays may have only four or five chords and the rhythmic structure is simple and straight-ahead but she accomplishes those things so well that I would put her playing up against more than a few guitar bangers I’ve heard in bars over the years.  My task in the weeks and months to come is to subtly but progressively move her forward. I’ve written before about the conundrum of so-called “natural ability” but if there is such a thing, I think she has it.

Last weekend I visited a fairly new guitar shop not far from where I live. Met one of the owners and had a very nice conversation with him about the guitar business and also about the teaching situation in his area. He had some interesting observations. There is a privately owned music school in his town and it sounded like what they are doing there confirmed yet again that I’m pretty certain the way I do things is the right way. The school is well attended but highly structured in their methods and mode of operation. Lessons are half-hour long, which I’ve always felt is much too short an amount of time to give an effective lesson. Between getting the student settled, tuning their guitar, and then reviewing what they practiced the week before I just can’t imagine there is much time to introduce new music and have it be understood. This leads to too many weeks spent on a single piece of music. Again, this is my opinion but I think it makes sense. Further complicating things, the school schedules lessons a half-hour apart. If a student is late, his or her lesson must naturally be even shorter to account for the next student who (hopefully!) arrives on time. I know I could make more money if I scheduled this way but it would be just too stressful for all concerned!

But to end on a more positive note, that store was pretty cool. They only carry used instruments but already have a solid following and seem to have a handle on repairs. It’s just kinda nice to see a small, local music store being successful in today’s internet-driven, big box marketplace!

Peace & good music from snowy Cape Cod!

Gene

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The wood would know....

1/3/2014

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I am often asked by students and potential buyers of the guitars I sell just why some guitars cost so much more than others. This is a complicated question and without getting into the intangibles (long term value, reputation of the manufacturer, emotional involvement with the instrument) what is comes down to in the simplest sense is what is used in construction of the instrument and expected longevity, both of which contribute heavily to the sound and “playability” of the guitar.

Acoustic guitars are mostly made of wood of course and different woods have a wide range of sound. I’ve written about the differences in tone of guitars with bodies of rosewood and mahogany – the two most commonly used woods – and less common woods such as maple, birch and Tasmanian blackwood. Some manufacturers have begun using a hardwood called sapele, which is similar in looks and sound to mahogany and with mahogany becoming much more expensive in recent years, sapele is a very viable and commonly available alternative.

But today I’m going to talk about the most basic difference between expensive acoustics and cheaper ones. Most high-end guitars from American and Canadian makers are made of all solid wood bodies, with solid spruce or solid mahogany tops. Lesser priced models have bodies of composites of those woods. Composite is a nice word for – plywood! A few companies such as Martin and Taylor offer lower end guitars made of “high pressure laminate,” which is a type of composite pressed together under high pressure. The idea there is that HPL is a denser substance, therefore better at transmitting and amplifying the vibration of the strings resulting in a more resonant sound. My experience is that this is mostly true, compared to basic laminate sides and backs. In the case of the X-series Martins and Taylors such as the very popular GS Mini the sound is surprisingly good and the durability of HPL is outstanding.

Higher end guitars made of all solid woods in most cases do sound better than ones made of laminates, but not always. I have played some solid wood (and very expensive!) guitars from famous makers that were dull and lifeless sounding, although that is not usually the case. I have also played some “plywood” guitars that sounded downright amazing. Many years ago I sold a basic Yamaha FG-165 to a student that rivaled any Martin D-18 I’ve played before or since. I wish I knew what happened to her and that guitar – I would buy it back in a heartbeat if I could!

Of great importance is the wood used on the top of an acoustic guitar. There is no question that solid spruce transmits string vibration more efficiently than a composite. This just makes sense – a composite with a layer between two thin veneers has trouble vibrating evenly. A solid top with grain that goes all the way through to the braces allows for a more direct transmition of string vibration and the result is better resonance and sustain. Thankfully, even many lower priced imported guitars are available with solid tops and I strongly recommend buying one of those. There is a whole world of argument among guitar geeks about the relative merit of tight-grained solid tops versus wider grain, but I won’t get into that now!

Getting back to the price issue, making a guitar with all solid woods is just more expensive for the manufacturer and this drives up the price. The wood itself is much more expensive and solid woods are somewhat more difficult to use in construction. More skilled labor is required to correctly assemble a solid wood guitar and to shape and bend it for use. This too drives up the price.

So is it worth dropping a considerable sum on a guitar made from all-solid wood? My opinion is yes – with some qualifiers. An all-solid wood guitar from a respected maker is a “solid” investment (excuse the pun!). These guitars maintain much of their value for many reasons but the expectation that the wood will “open up” and the guitar will sound even better in years to come is a big consideration. Laminate bodied guitars are pretty much a what-you-hear-is-what-you-get proposition. But as I said before, that doesn’t necessarily mean the sound will be bad. It could be quite good in fact!

With most of us it just comes down to money of course. What you have to decide is how much the satisfaction of playing a quality instrument is worth. Don’t reject the idea of a laminate guitar out of hand because you may be surprised. And don’t assume an all-solid wood guitar is going to sound fantastic from moment one. If possible, play as many guitars as you can, take all information offered by musician friends, salesmen at stores, and yes, even rambling guitar teachers into account but with at least a small grain of salt. And remember – no one has made the perfect guitar….yet!

Peace & good music,

Gene

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    Gene Bourque

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