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Random Monday

6/27/2011

Maybe it's age creeping up on me but getting the ol' engine started, mentally speaking, on Mondays is becoming more of an issue. I start my week with lesson planning for my students, which I do for a number of reasons. There was a time when I kind of winged it with students, having very little idea what I would do with them on a week to week basis - but no more. I suspect a lot of guitar teachers do that, assuming they're not tied into a sequential course of study. A few of my recent students have come from teachers who do things kind of by the seats of their pants and my students seem to appreciate that I put some thought into what they'll be learning. But the bigger reason may be the fact that for me anyway, it's just easier that way! In any case, that is on the agenda for later today.

My son Matt and his lady friend Amanda are still here after spending a few days away from the city and the stress of studying for their bar exams. I am quite proud of the fact that Matt has hugely diverse taste in music - I think at one point his MP3 player had something like 7000 songs - and he seems to have a mission of turning this old guy on to current music that he thinks I will like. No easy task there! But yesterday he was playing some music by a West Coast indie-type singer/songwriter whose album is totally self produced and on which she plays all the instruments. The influences are incredibly diverse, with hints of African rhythms and instruments, rock, jazz, simple folk and much more. Her "act" is called Tune-Yards (I have no idea what her real name is) and she is worth checking out. Thanks Matt!

In spite of the obvious and legit need for me to expand my musical horizons, Matt and Amanda and Kathy came to the Daily Brew yesterday morning and I was pleased that they could observe the small but attentive audience seeming to thoroughly enjoy what I was playing, the lesson being: yeah, he plays a lot of older music but it still resonates with at least some people. This does not take away from the fact that I need to do some practicing to expand my repertoire however!

One of the bigger things I'm thinking of taking on is finally learning at least the basics of playing the mandolin. Also, learning more about playing slide guitar, which I do a bit now but need to learn much, much more about. These are time consuming and daunting tasks for sure but it's never too late, as I tell my students. We'll see.

And for you guitarists reading this - and this should probably go in my tip of the week but here it is - don't be surprised if your guitar is starting to sound and play quite differently than it did a couple months ago. I'm talking to those of us who live in seasonally variable climates. While dryness is our enemy in the winter, now heat and humidity will affect just about all guitars. You may find that the action on your guitar is suddenly quite a bit higher than it was. This is due to the wood in the neck and elsewhere getting "softer" and more bendy with the humidity. On the other hand you may experience what I did last week, when the action on my primary guitar (Taylor 810) became so low that the guitar was buzzing all over the place. A quick half-turn of the truss rod fixed it but I don't really have an explanation of why it happened. Rosewood guitars seem to be affected much more by seasonal changes than mahogany The relative humidity in my studio has been in the 70% - 80% range lately with the windows open and I know this was the cause. Keep in mind that humidity is not nearly as potentially damaging as dryness, but the combination of direct sunlight shining on your guitar and/or case and humidity can lead to some problems with warpage and even cracks or loosening bridges. So do try to avoid that.

The other big affect is the sound. That wonderful bell-like chime you may get from your rosewood guitar in the winter has most likely disappeared and perhaps turned into a dull thudding sound that makes you wonder is your guitar is stuffed with old socks. Don't worry, it WILL return to its previous wonderful sounding state! Ah summer - I do love it, just not so much in how it affects my guitars!

OK, my brain seems to be up to speed. Out to the studio I go for lesson planning.

Peace & good music,
Gene

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Dreadnaught vs Grand Concert: The question remains

6/18/2011

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A while back I wrote in this space about the various guitar sizes and according to my stats page that entry remains my most-read. So I have to conclude that many people are confused or want to know more about the different sizes and shapes of guitars and how they relate to sound and ease of playing. I thought I'd boil it down to one of the most basic questions. Which body size offers the maximum amount of sound? Which one feels "right" in your lap and doesn't require something like a wrestling match to play? For me at least it comes down to D-size vs 000 or Grand Concert size.

Back in the 1960s when I started playing there was no question which guitar size most acoustic guitars hoped to own (or did own): the Dreadnaught size Martin or jumbo Gibson, with the Martin D-28 being far and away the most lusted after. This remained the case until the 1980s when some very fine finger style players began showing up on the music scene with 000 or OM size instruments by various manufacturers. The reason was pretty simple. As wonderful dreads are in terms of volume, they are unbalanced in sound in most cases, severely lacking in the treble end. Great for strumming and rhythm guitar playing, not so good for subtle and complex melody-driven finger style music.

Those OMs and 000 (and more recently the 14- and GA series from Taylor) sometimes had pretty decent volume but rarely could keep up with other instruments in a band situation without on-board electronics. They were much easier to hold though for most people, especially women. Martin even went one step further a few years ago and came out with the "Women in Music" series - a 00 size instrument designed for people with smaller hands.

On a personal level, my quest for the last ten or so years has been to find a Grand Concert or similar size instrument that has most of the volume and resonance of a dread. Not that I dislike D-size guitars, far from it. Right now I have a Taylor 810, which is the same size as a Martin D and it is an astounding instrument with that rare quality in Ds of sparkling, clear treble along with deep bass and solid mids. But this instrument is an extreme rarity in D-size guitars. As much as I love its sound I still would like to find a slightly smaller guitar that exhibited the same sound qualities.

I've come darn close a few times. For quite a few years I played a Martin 0000-28H that was great but it had the standard Martin 1 11/16th" nut width and I've come to like the 1 3/4" much more. I also had a recent Martin GPCPA1, one of their new Performer Series that had all the elements to achieve greatness with time but I was unwilling to wait. So the quest continues.

I've read that some Goodall guitars have what I'm looking for, but having never played one I'm reluctant to shell out at least $2500 (and in some cases, much more) to find out.

I guess it's all about compromise. But I hope I've pushed you toward asking yourself just what it is you want in a guitar before you plunk down your hard earned cash to buy one, based only on reputation, bling, or perhaps the fact that your favorite artist plays a particular instrument.

Peace & good music,
Gene

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How young is too young?

6/14/2011

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Happened to catch the PBS special with 10 year-old singer Jackie Evancho the other night. All I can say is - wow. I admit to being rather jaded about PBS "spectaculars" with the likes of the Irish singer ladies, Chris Botti (try as they may, making trumpet playing sexy is a tough task - sorry brother John!) and the like, but the pure amazing talent of this young singer transcended the tacky production values. It also reminded me what a wonderful song the Puccini aria "nessun dorma" is - making me revisit some You Tube videos of the master tenor Pavarotti doing it.... I defy anyone to be unaffected by his performance. But I digress.

Jackie was interviewed and her pure innocence and love of performing was apparent. I had to wonder though - what lies ahead for her? All I can hope is that her parents watch very, very carefully the people who will surround her in years to come. There are many well known stories of young musical talents being pushed too hard, too fast with very sad results. You can only hope she is able to find the balance between her talent and those who want to help/exploit her.

On a much more personal level, I'm frequently asked what the appropriate age is for a kid to start playing guitar. This is a very difficult question, to say the least. I've seen players as young as age 6 do very well, but alas, those are not common. Even though I'm certain is costs me business, my rule is to not start a kid on guitar until the age of 10. Here's why.

First and foremost, in the beginning learning to play the guitar hurts! Until fingers get strong and calluses develop the amount of time a person can practice is limited. Adults can understand this. Even if they find playing very uncomfortable they will suck it up and keep going, confident that things WILL get easier. Kids have a tough time with this however. Remember - their world is measured in much smaller increments of time than adults. A month or two is nothing to an adult; to a kid that amount of time is long indeed, for simple fact that they have not been on this planet all that long!

There are things that can be done to ease the process somewhat. Having the appropriate guitar is of paramount importance. A big dreadnaught that belonged to an uncle, which has sat in a closet for years and has awful action is a sure formula for failure. That guitar might have even been a nice one at one point but a kid just can't handle the physical size of the instrument and trying to press down on the strings when they're a half inch off the neck is asking way too much. Fortunately there are quite a few 3/4 size instruments available today that play and sound quite good and don't cost all that much.

Some parents will suggest starting with a classical (nylon string) guitar and while those strings are certainly easier on the fingers, classicals have very wide necks and whatever advantage is gained in ease of pressing down compared to steel strings is negated by the fact that small hands have real trouble reaching around those wide necks. A somewhat viable solution is stringing up a guitar designed for steel strings with nylon but the sacrifice in both volume and tone quality is pretty substantial. It can work though, and I've done that from time to time, switching back to steel strings after the kid has developed some rudimentary technique. Another alternative is using "silk and steel" strings, which are kind of a compromise between all steel and nylon.

So what do you do if your 7 or 8 year-old says "I want to play the guitar!" My advice is to encourage his or her interest - it is a fine pursuit and playing any musical instrument has benefits way beyond the playing itself - this is well documented in music education. But it is vital to make them (as much as possible) understand that there is going to be some pain involved in the beginning and that they will be required to practice on a regular basis. I advise parents to designate a certain time every day, say just before or just after dinner when the guitar is the kid's total focus. If they still want to play after having this discussion, start the search for an appropriate guitar. I will be happy to take a look at Uncle Jack's old guitar and let a parent know if it is useable, without charge.

The next step is to perhaps utilize the internet. There are many good, basic beginner guitar web sites that offer at the very least some basic chord diagrams and even video and audio content. See what the child's reaction it to this - and help them with what you both see, in terms of taking written notes and answering any questions they may have, to best of your ability. Then see what happens. If the child picks up the guitar without being prompted the next day or over the next few days, you have some great potential on your hands.

Will your child be the next Jackie Evancho? Unlikely. But who knows? Encouragement is key and a few complements about a child's playing go a long, long way.

Then, on their tenth birthday, give me a call! Only time will tell if a child will succeed but having the right teacher is also very, very important.

Peace & good music,
Gene

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Avoiding shipping disasters!

6/10/2011

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I've talked a bit about shipping guitars in the past but this subject deserves more time. Woe to the guitarist who does a lousy job of packing a guitar for shipment!

I recently received a guitar that came to me in a shipping box with no padding in it whatsoever. I gingerly pulled the case out, noting that fortunately it was a very good quality hardshell model and there was no obvious damage. I put the case down on the couch, took a deep breath and opened the latches. Relief! The guitar fit in the case perfectly and the case had done its job. No problems, thank goodness!

But in spite of my good fortune - or rather the former owner's good fortune because if there had been damage he would have received that guitar back with a demand of a refund - it was a bit depressing to realize the previous owner's either neglect or ignorance of proper packing, or both.

I won't bore you with stories of broken guitars I've seen due to shipping mishaps. I'll just get right to what proper packing is all about. Let's say you need to ship your guitar. The first thing you'll need is an appropriate shipping carton. These can sometimes be had for free or for a small cost at the local music store. You can also order new boxes from the huge shipping container company Uline, but you'll have to buy a half dozen at a time and they cost about $9 each, plus the cost of shipping them from Uline. If you go that route be sure to order the LARGER version of the two that are available, as that one is designed for acoustic guitars and cases.

The first step is preparing the guitar for maximum protection inside its case. Of course we're assuming you have a decent quality, hard sided or hard foam case, not a gig bag. Although I know some of the big online retailers do ship guitars in gig bags I would never be comfortable with that. It you must do it, spend extra time with padding all around the guitar and even perhaps and extra layer of cardboard to stiffen up the box.

The crucial support point are the upper neck/head and the bottom of the instrument. Those are the areas that must absorb or deflect the force of the box being dropped on its ends, which I suspect is all too common in Fedex and UPS shipping facilities. Carefully wrap the head and upper neck with plastic bubble wrap, endeavoring to fill the entire cavity in that area of the case. If the guitar has a strap button on the bottom, remove it if possible. That can be a severe stress point during a drop. If you can't remove it, place some more bubble wrap down there between the bottom of the guitar and the inside bottom of the case, if possible.

There is controversy about whether to ship a guitar tuned up to pitch or tuned down. Martin says you should ship with the guitar tuned up because that "stiffens" the entire instrument, making it stronger. I'm not comfortable with that line of reasoning, although I realize they ship way more guitars than I do! I still tune the strings down quite a bit, but not all the way because I feel that removing all the string pressure from the neck and then reapplying it when the guitar is tuned is not a good thing. I think the neck just has to deal with too much variation in stress doing that.

Now the really crucial part: what goes in the box with the guitar in its case. Many people opt for those super annoying plastic peanuts, which work pretty well but be sure to check with your carrier about the use of these things. Some companies are not in favor of their use and using them may in fact negate a claim you would have against a shipping company for a broken guitar.

Some companies use neat little folded and shaped pieces of cardboard that support and hold stationary both the top and bottom of the guitar. I like those things and always use them if I have them from a guitar that has been previously shipped to me. Keeping the guitar stationary is essential for safe shipment. Then it's a matter of filling in the voids. I often use those annoying peanuts for this, or broken up pieces of styrofoam or if nothing else is available, loosely crumpled newspaper.

Then securely tape the top and bottom of the box, remove all labels and cross out any addresses if the box has been used before, and be sure to apply "fragile!" stickers on all sides. You can buy these at an office supply store, or go to Google Images, type in "fragile" and you'll find many you can print and tape on.

I'm knocking on wood (no pun intended!) when I say this, but up until now I've never had a guitar I've shipped arrive damaged. In some cases the box was thoroughly beat up and dinged, but that's the way it goes.

Most of all, don't rush through the packing process. Think things out, take your time and do it right. No guitar deserves to be broken due to simple neglect.

Peace & good music,
Gene

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The first tune you play

6/6/2011

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One of the big guitar companies posts questions on their Facebook page and I thought I'd steal their idea today: what is the first tune you play when you pick up your guitar? And I'll go one step further - is that necessarily a good thing?

I've noticed an interesting thing with my playing over the last few years. Perhaps the most creative period of time when I practice is the first ten minutes or so. Some pretty astounding little musical ideas have just jumped out of my guitar during that time period, things that lead me to either learning a new tune or adapting and (hopefully!) improving tunes I already know. But if I'm in a lazy kind of mood my fingers just seem to want to revert to the same old, same old right off the bat. Then what seems to happen is I quickly grow tired of what I'm playing and try to force the creative process, which of course NEVER works! So instead of playing for a long time I end up putting the guitar down after a few minutes.

So what I'm getting to is this. Maybe it's a good idea to take a minute or so before you start playing and just hold your guitar and think about things. They really don't even have to be musical things. I once came up with the changes to a song long buried in my memory by doing just that. It came to me as I was reflecting on playing with a friend long ago and the fun we had and the songs we played.

This is necessarily a private time or moment; if you're in a performance situation or sitting down to play with others you don't have the luxury of being introspective for very long. Enjoy those private moments!

There are other factors that impact that crucial first few minutes of playing, things like your overall mood and how energetic you are. If you've been doing something with your hands that is physically taxing it might be wise to wait a while before you play because the results will most likely be unsatisfactory.

What we all strive for is having the playing experience be rewarding and fun. Why the heck do it otherwise? So if that "first song" you always seem to play is one you really like, by all means, don't abandon it. Just think about maybe pushing it back for a while. You may find something pretty remarkable comes out in those first few minutes.

Peace & good music,
Gene

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Random Monday

Dreadnaught vs Grand Concert: The question remains

How young is too young?

Avoiding shipping disasters!

The first tune you play

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