Cape Cod Acoustics
  • Home
  • Your Lessons
  • Performance services offered
  • About Gene
  • Contact
  • Guitars, Ukes & Accessories
  • Acoustic Guitar Blog
  • Tips for guitarists
  • Guitar Gallery
  • More...

Summer time, scary times, a great song

6/28/2016

0 Comments

 
Judging by the number of out of state cars loaded down with by bicycles, beach toys and chairs, coolers, and the unpredictable driving habits of their drivers it’s safe to say summer has arrived here on Olde Cape Cod. While I absolutely love the warm weather I’m not so fond of what it does to the sound of my guitars. My recently acquired Martin 50th Anniversary D-35 is showing the affects of the humidity; my Martin 000-18 a bit less so. Fortunately the affects are in sound only. Rosewood bodied guitars are especially susceptible to damp, warm air and even the best ones temporarily lose much of their wonderful resonance and overtones. The 000-18, being mahogany bodied shows some reduction in those attributes but not as much as the D-35. I’ve seen/heard this in many fine guitars over the years. If you live in a similar environment don’t worry, your guitar will return to its sonic glory sooner or later. In the short term, a new set of strings will help for at least a few playing sessions. Just be sure to avoid the combination of direct, hot sunlight and humidity, which can literally bake the wood into warping or things like lifting bridges, loosening braces and radical differences in action.
 
But in spite of all that I still love summer. Sitting out on my front porch in the evening and playing is a wonderful way to usher in the end of the day.  Most of my summer gigs are played outside too but I always make sure I’m under some sort of cover. There was an interesting thread on one of the guitar forums recently in which one person said that his band specifies in their contracts that cover must be provided outdoors, which may be a bit of an unreasonable expectation but I get where they’re coming from. I played a wedding ceremony a couple weeks ago on at a farm where I was set up under a big oak tree. Plenty of shade, yes, but in that location in Connecticut they are suffering from a huge gypsy moth caterpillar invasion and the tiny beads of gypsy moth poop were almost like rain coming down. Eeew!! I would have liked a cover for that one!
 
Some guitarists have what they call a “beach guitar” – a much less expensive instrument compared to their primary one that they can take camping or anywhere outside without worries. I’ve owned a few that would fit that description over the years but I guess it’s kind of like trying to drink a cheap wine when you know how a good one tastes. You put up with it but you must ignore the difference. In any case, it really makes you appreciate your good guitar when you pick it up again. 
 
On a much more serious note, I am very concerned about the world situation on many levels. I won’t get into politics in this space (although I’m sorely tempted….) but something that has been on my mind is how the present world-wide economic situation and the upcoming election – and its economic implications – will affect guitar prices and even availability. Worst case scenario might be big increases in costs of both the materials used in the manufacture of guitars and labor costs to make them. Call me paranoid, but I’m beginning to think the time may be now to buy that new guitar because it is possible that a year from now imports may be severely restricted and/or premium instruments will see big price increases. I hope I’m wrong.
 
To close with something more up-tempo, I highly recommend a song I’ve been using with students lately by singer-songwriter John Gorka. It’s called “The Morningside.” You can find it on ITunes and other places. Not too difficult to play (no barre chords!), Travis-picked, nice simple melody. But the best part is the lyrics. They convey a sincere message of hope and acceptance of aging and all that implies. I urge you to check it out. Lord knows, it’s a message we can all use in these times. I’ll even send you a PDF of the lyrics and chord changes if you’d like.
 
Peace & good music,
Gene


0 Comments

Lookin' Good!

6/7/2016

0 Comments

 
Faithful reader and guitar enthusiast Tony from Down Under emailed me yet another interesting idea for a post. Tony has been performing more and more (good on you, Tony!) and he made some interesting observations about a subject that doesn’t get mentioned much by performers: what to wear.
 
I have some definite opinions on this subject! After playing in dozens of bands, trios, duos, and as a single performer in just about every venue you can imagine I’ve come to conclusions about what works and what doesn’t for performing musicians when it comes to their overall “look”.
 
The most important aspect should be – but sadly is often not – comfort. How hot or cold will the performance venue be? Will those conditions change over the course of your performance? Many years ago when I was involved with a local folk music venue that featured an un-insulated performance space heated by a big old pot belly stove, I watched virtuoso guitarist Guy Van Duser perform an entire show wearing wool fingerless gloves! Conversely, I have played shows when it was so hot that sweat made fretting the neck of my guitar a huge chore. I now know to always have a handkerchief or a dry wash cloth close by when I’m performing in hot places.
 
But what about clothes? I don’t want a shirt with tight sleeves to impede my playing so I always wear something loose or sleeveless if the temperature permits, or a comfortable sweater if it is cooler.  Pants – same deal, the more comfortable the better, within reason. But hardly ever shorts (more on that in a minute). Footwear is often overlooked but if you’re going to be standing while you play (and you should – more on that in a minute too). Tony is partial to Crocs apparently, setting himself up for some interesting comments from his friends but if that’s the worst good-natured criticism a performer gets, consider it a victory!
 
 The much larger question I think is this: just what kind of image do you want to project? I will break this down into men’s outfits and women’s outfits and at this point I’m pretty sure I’ll offend someone. But here goes.
 
Let’s begin with what men wear when they perform. Now, I’m not talking about rock stars who take things to extremes (think Steve Tyler vs. Iggy Pop), no, I mean the average performing guitarist whether it be a non-professional or a work-a-day musician in your local bar, coffee house or at a local festival of some sort. Their clothes choices are often a reflection of the type of music they are playing and their audience. Some extremes that I see all the time are the guys who do singles at various bars and think it’s just fine to wear baggy cargo shorts, flip-flops, a baggy wife-beater shirt (usually with big numbers on it) and a baseball cap on backwards. Their clothing statement is most likely – hey, I’m a regular slob just like you! Keep drinking, shout out the chorus to “Wagon Wheel” when I play it and we’ll get along just fine! More power too ‘em, I guess. There is certainly an audience for this judging by the dozens of these type performers who play every day and night in places like Key West. Are they taken seriously? Hell, no. But that’s not what they are all about. I get it. I just don’t choose to do it.
 
On the other end of the spectrum are classical guitarists who almost always wear ties and jackets when they perform. “This is serious music!” they seem to be saying with their look. This too is fine. A concert featuring classical guitar music is a world apart from a rowdy bar. I guess I just wonder about the value of being so darned uncomfortable when you play? Or maybe they’re just used to it. But jazz players who adopt that look exude coolness. Curious, yes?
 
OK, here’s where I’m really going to get into trouble. What women wear when they perform is a weighty subject (no pun intended. Damn. I’m in trouble already.) Women most definitely give much more thought to what they will wear in front of an audience. I once played in a band with a woman lead singer who would routinely change her clothes at least once right before every gig we ever played because something was just not “right”. She looked fine to me, but being married for many years I have learned that there is basically no correct answer when a woman asks you how she looks. Some women performers I’ve seen seem to think they need to show a bit too much, perhaps to keep the interest of the audience? Others go in the opposite direction and wear things like baggy, faded overalls. I know I said earlier that comfort is all-important but there are ways to accomplish this without looking like you just left the barn after mucking a few horse stalls.
 
You can make the argument that all this really doesn’t matter much at all. It’s all about the music, right? If your performance is solid and your audience responds then who cares what you look like? To me the bottom line is demonstrating respect for your listeners with every aspect of your performance and how you look up there is part of it.
 
But I must confess that I finally found a vest I like that I often wear when I perform these days, with a white shirt and nice jeans. Because Marcus Mumford just looks so damn cool.
 
Peace & good music,
Gene

0 Comments

    Author

    Gene Bourque

    Archives

    November 2024
    September 2024
    July 2024
    June 2022
    May 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed