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Musical medicine in the age of COVID-19

7/29/2020

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So here we are in an event unprecedented in our lifetimes. It’s a confusing, depressing and sometimes terrifying moment in human existence. This too shall pass, a wise person once said and I know in my heart of hearts that this is true. But in the meantime I feel oh so fortunate to have my music to carry me along. It is a balm for the soul. My guitars are my allies, my friends and they know how to reflect what I’m feeling, even if those feelings are sad. The thing is – and of course the great blues musicians always knew this – playing and singing about being sad has a wonderous effect: it lifts our spirits. Yesterday for example, when I was really feeling down for obvious reasons the classic song popularized by the Youngbloods back in the 1960s, Get Together came into my head. I’ve noodled around with that song for decades but never really worked out an arrangement that went beyond the basic I – bVII – IV – V that forms the basis of the song. I went into Drop D tuning and using my cannon, my Martin D-35 Seth Avett I dove into the song.
 
The results were a progressive exercise in opening up my musical mind to the possibilities of various voicings of those chords in Drop D. Each little addition or correction felt better and better. I wanted to be able to play the melody (which is quite simple and scale-wise with no jarring departures from the key) while I played an instrumental break at some point (at the beginning? In the middle? Both?). But the lyrics are oh so powerful and timely; they needed to stand alone with chord voicings that enhanced and lifted them, but not get in the way and draw too much attention to themselves. Those I found, I think. 
 
There will be some changes to my arrangement as time goes on and I play it in performance a few times; this almost always happens with the songs I arrange. The challenge for me it to always keep things fresh and avoid falling into an “auto pilot” kind of mode. Somehow, I don’t think that will happen with this one. It is just too powerful a song. I only hope my singing can do justice to the words, which they deserve. If I feel ready I will debut my new arrangement of Get Together on my weekly Facebook Live feed next Saturday or Sunday from my regular gig at the Daily Brew on my Cape Cod Acoustics Facebook page. If you happen to catch it I welcome your comments and feedback. If you’re a younger person who’s unfamiliar with the song, listen to it on You Tube in its original form performed by Jesse Colin Young and the Youngbloods. 
 
All this is a roundabout way of getting to the true subject of this post, which is practicing during these trying times. I confess that I haven’t much felt like practicing for practicing’s sake for a while. But when I have if even for only a few minutes and a song or two I’ve almost always felt better. 
 
As anyone who reads this blog knows, my guitar hero is the amazing finger-style jazz guitarist from the U.K., Martin Taylor. I subscribe to his Facebook page and a few days ago someone asked him if he’s been practicing much during these times of few or no gigs for professional musicians. Martin replied that he pretty much NEVER practices, these days or even before COVID-19. He said that he often thinks about music and how certain ideas would apply to songs he plays but he hardly ever puts them to use until he actually has a gig. Wow. But I guess if I had his chops I might not feel a need to practice either….I guess….  
 
I’ve heard this from other great musicians too. All I can conclude is that they have reached a place in their ability and musical consciousness that we mere mortals cannot really imagine. Conversely, I have known plenty of great players of a variety of instruments who feel it’s vital to practice hard and often. The analogy I would use would be professional baseball players, great ones, who always take batting and fielding practice every day to stay sharp. This makes more sense to me than hoping great things will happen spontaneously. On a personal level, I think of my late father, my brother, and my late uncle, very fine musicians one and all who would not think of NOT practicing. My dad was a truly great drummer who could play just about any style and I have very vivid memories of him tapping away on the rubber practice pad – never on an actual drum until it was time to perform – from when I was very young. And I know his brother, my uncle, took a very dim view of anyone who did not practice religiously. My brother John, who is an alumni of a number of famous symphony orchestras (trumpet) always bemoaned having to pick up his horn again after visiting us and not practicing. He felt that it would be days if not a week or more to get back to the place to be for performance. 
 
When the subject of practicing comes up with my students, and it always does, my standard response it to say that it’s really just physical exercise in the purest sense. Like all exercise, doing a moderate amount on a frequent basis yields much better results than doing a lot of exercise on an infrequent basis. This does not really address the question of comprehension of course but that can be dealt with; hey, that’s my job, to help the student understand the music and the right way to play it! Sometimes a student will be frustrated with a piece I give them and that’s perfectly natural. I encourage them to be sure to play something they enjoy playing during every practice session. If the current lesson is a struggle or (infrequently, thank goodness!) an outright disaster, keep trying but spend more time with the “good stuff.” It’s supposed to be fun, for goodness sake! This was a bit of a sticky point with my musical family, by the way. I sometimes think that part of the Bourque family musical heritage that goes all the way back to my great grandfather was based on the quote by one of the great Renaissance painters: “We must suffer to Create!”  I didn’t adhere to that, much to the occasional chagrin of my elder relatives in my younger days. Oh well!
 
So while we’re trying to cope and push back at the insanity and uncertainty of our world right now I think it’s vital to not even consider picking up the guitar to “practice.” Pick it up to PLAY, no matter what comes out. You will feel better, I promise. Maybe for only a little while but even a brief respite helps us regain our strength.
 
Peace & good music,
Gene

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Dispatches from COVID Cape Cod

7/1/2020

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Just a brief update on the goings-on in my tiny corner of the guitar world. 
 
No getting around it, the pandemic affects each and every one of us in ways so profound that we may never make sense of it all. Musicians and others in the arts have unique issues to deal with. Performance? Huge adjustments have to be made. My heart goes out to the musicians I know who depend upon performing as their primary source of income. The basic tenets of social distancing demand that even in best circumstances an artist’s audience is cut in half. And as most of the work-a-day musicians I know play primarily in bars and restaurants the bottom line for the venue owner comes into play. No surprise there; cutting expenses is the only way they are going to survive and suspending live music is a logical choice. No one blames them for that. As much as I hate to admit it, the old saw about music bringing in customers most likely is not true anymore. All things being equal, the risk of social interaction is not going to tilt in the direction of going to a venue just because they have live music. On a personal and local level all we can hope is that our friends and followers will support us as best they can after weighing the risk. I don’t think things are going to change anytime soon, even if a vaccine is found, which at this point is still a long way off.
 
For my part, teaching out of my studio again is going reasonably well. I take every precaution I can think of, from sanitizing every surface that I or my students come in contact with; requiring the use of masks (singing through a mask is a challenge, to say the least!); keeping a safe distance apart during the lesson; using hand sanitizer – both the student and myself – before each lesson; and requiring all students arrive with their guitars tuned up. I used to routinely take a student’s guitar at the start of a lesson, do a tuning, then give it back to them. No more. I’ve also been reiterating my long-time policy of demanding a student NOT come to their lesson if they have the slightest indication they may be getting sick, COVID-19 or anything else.
 
I’m done with remote lessons, thank God. It was a huge hassle for all concerned and marginally effective at best. But the feedback I’ve been getting is along the lines of: well, at least it kept me playing, and playing the guitar was the only thing that kept me from going crazy over the long weeks of self-quarantining. The amount of pre and post lesson work I had to do with remote lessons was at least twice what I have to do with face-to-face lessons. I do not miss that, and to be frank, it was hardly worth it money/time-wise. It was however the RIGHT thing to do when viewed in my rearview mirror. I just hope I don’t have to do it again…. or ever.
 
As I enter my second go-around of lessons since restarting them at my studio my sense is that my students are starting to feel more comfortable with the protocols, as I am. I know they are happy to be back and I’m happy to have them here and also appreciative. I did lose a few students permanently due to virus fears but I’m pretty sure new ones will appear. It’s important that all of us remember that relatively speaking, the whole situation is really quite recent, even though it seems to have been here for a long time. We’re all making unimaginable changes in everything we do and as more time passes and those changes are the new norm I’m confident that the love of making and listening to music will regain the level of importance it held only a few short months ago. I see many signs that it’s starting already, in fact.
 
Doing my weekly gig at the Daily Brew Café again has been wonderfully gratifying. Owner Kathy Hickey had always been wonderful to me and she totally “gets it” about the challenges facing musicians right now. She is a classy but tough lady whose staff is fiercely loyal and no venue owner, ever, has treated me with such respect. I have volunteered repeatedly in the last few weeks to play gratis but she insists on paying me, which has to be something of a stretch but shows what a class act she really is. Kathy loves music and knows that having live music at the Brew enhances the experience, especially now that customers can order their food and drink and sit at outdoor tables and chairs. She also understands what it means to me from a peace of mind perspective. Just as I have for the last eight-plus years, I look forward to playing there each and every week.
 
I have a couple weddings booked in September but who knows if they will be able to be held? I certainly hope so, not so much for the income (although that is nice to have!) but for the bride and groom and their families who must be agonizing over the choice of doing or postponing it. 
 
Sorry I don’t have any pearls of wisdom about guitars and playing guitar today. I just wanted to check in here an let you know that I’m fine, my family is fine and like all of us I am counting my blessings. Stay strong, stay well, saty safe – and keep on playing your guitar!
 
Peace & good music,
Gene
 
 

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The Quest for the Best (sound!)

6/9/2020

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Maybe it’s because my hearing is not as sharp as it once was but these days and for quite a few years now I have been obsessed with quality of sound. To paraphrase a U.S. Supreme Court Justice, when asked about his definition of obscenity in a court case, he said: I can’t tell you what it is, but I know it when I see it.
 
That pretty much defines my search for sound quality. In my guitars, amplifiers and most recently for my online live sessions that I’ve been doing weekly for about two months on my Facebook Cape Cod Acoustics page. This is not really something new with me on one level. I’ve known since I picked up my first guitar 50+ years ago that some guitars sounded better than others, and of course like all guitarists I wanted one that sounded good. The quest for the best sounding guitar has been long and filled with surprises, a few dead ends and a pretty much constant reevaluation of my definition of “good.” 
 
These days and really for the last ten years since I’ve been doing a single almost all the time – and therefor don’t have to worry about how others will sound when amplified – my focus and quest for sound excellence has been related to electronics. Oh, to return to the old days of just one microphone for the vocals, one for the acoustic guitar and a sound reinforcement system that was simplicity itself! Once in a while I’ll hear someone who still clings to that formula and sometimes the results are passable, even quite good. But usually there is one element that is lacking in terms of fidelity and issues such as feedback and/or being exactly the right distance from the mic are a constant battle.
 
Along with my diminishing hearing are other issues related to – gulp – my age. Gone are the days of carrying big amps and speakers. I just can’t do it, no matter how good the resulting sound may be. Fortunately, manufacturers of amps designed for acoustic guitar and vocals must be aware that a significant number of their potential customers are like me and they have been putting out some great compact and relatively light gear for the past few years. I have been using ACUS amplifiers for the last three or so years and I positively love the sound they produce. They are handmade in Italy and not too common in this country but like the great Italian sports cars, they are made with only the best components, built to deliver the optimum output and are also undeniably beautiful with hand-rubbed multi-ply birch cabinets. The one I’m using now is their top of the line model, the ACUS Onforstrings AD. It has all the power, inputs and sound shaping technology I could possibly need, although I do use a Red Eye pre-amp to boost the sound of my K&K pick-up equipped Martin guitars. It sounds heavenly.
 
Microphones are another issue that I kind of took for granted for decades. The old standby Shure SM58 and SM57 where standard equipment for just about every musician I knew and I owned them too, of course. Built like a tank, delivering reasonably good (if a bit muddy) sound and pretty good at rejecting feedback they served me well for a long, long time. But about ten or so years ago I noticed that when I did a gig that required a lot of singing my voice was pretty beat by the end of the gig. I figured that yes, this was probably another age-related issue. And then someone lent me a Shure Bets 87A low impedance mic and wow, all of sudden I didn’t have to work as hard, clarity I’d never heard was there and the overall tonality was much improved. I still use one from time to time but also like my Blue Encore 300 (even more clarity but slightly feedback prone) and my Ear Trumpet Edwina, a very cool mic that is good at picking up both vocals and guitar if placed correctly, plus it looks so retro cool! You can see this mic in action on any of the MPR Tiny Desk Concerts online.
 
I’ve talked a lot about pick-ups in past entries here so I won’t go through that again but in a nutshell, after trying many, many acoustic guitar pick-ups I keep coming back to the K&K Pure Mini for its pure, natural acoustic sound and absolute simplicity with passive output (no batteries to worry about). As I said earlier, I do use the Red Eye pre-amp to boost the signal at bit and add some treble as needed.
 
So I feel like for now at least I’m getting the sound I want. Based on what I’m hearing, anyway. But what about for those Facebook broadcasts? I won’t deny this has been a huge challenge. At first when I was doing them from my studio I tried using a nice mixer, that Ear Trumpet mic and running the signal into my Macbook Pro laptop. I tested it out with headphones and it sounded quite good. But then….. when I tried my first couple of broadcasts it turned out that what the listeners were hearing was sometimes distorted, bass-heavy and really not very good at all. I’d heard a few other online live broadcasts by both well-known musicians and some people I know and the results were variable, to say the least. After much research I learned that (duh!) what it really comes down to is how Facebook processes the sound. Apparently their equalizers and sound boosters are configured for speech, not music, and the best results are achieved with using only a smartphone! So a few weeks ago I started doing this, using my relatively new IPhone 11. Much, much better….not perfect by a long shot but much better balance and clarity with practically no distortion. I am still singing and playing through my ACUS AD, which is what the phone mic is picking up; I guess I just don’t trust a pure acoustic guitar and no amplification of my vocals. This past week I added a IRig Mic, a very cool little condenser mic that attaches magnetically to my IPhone and plugs directly into the lightning input. My phone recognized it immediately and the mic has a small gain adjustment on it that shows the optimum amount of gain before distortion. My son Matt who is a great drummer and musician and has a very critical ear (and does not hesitate to tell me where improvements need to be made, thank goodness!) said yesterday’s broadcast from the Daily Brew was my best yet in terms of sound. Hooray! 
 
As a little sidebar here, a tip for anyone who’s going to be playing in public. Even after all these decades of performance I still get a bit nervous when I play out. I figured out long ago that this is really a good thing – it keeps me focused and as long as I don’t screw up too badly I can channel that nervousness into an even better performance. Strange thing though. Doing these live remote broadcasts on Facebook are even more nerve wracking than playing in front of a big audience because I have no idea how many people (and who) are watching! So here’s my tip of the day.
 
If you start playing and find you’re a bit nervous, try strumming or fingerpicking farther back toward the bridge. Because the string will feel tighter there and you have to exert more force, you can channel that nervousness into playing harder. This totally works for me and after a couple songs I can shift back up closer to the sound hole and all is well. Try it!
 
Peace & good music! Stay strong, stay well, stay safe,
Gene

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Making Music in the time of Covid-19

5/29/2020

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Three months. That’s how long it’s been since most of us began to realize our lives were changing forever. It feels like a lifetime ago, and in many ways it was. No matter how much things return to normal, whatever that really was, none of us will ever again feel totally at ease. Sooner or later – sooner, I hope – scientists will come up with a vaccine that will halt the advance of Covid-19 but there will be warnings, no matter how effective that vaccine might be in the short term. Corona viruses figure out pretty quickly how to evolve and make vaccines less effective. But maybe we’ll be able to have a respite, for a while anyway. 
 
We’ve all had plenty of time to reflect on just about every aspect of our lives and our place in the world. That’s something that is very, very scary for many people. It gets to a central question of self-worth. Am I really all that important in this world? Who would miss me if I’m gone, and how quickly would they move on and naturally begin to bring the focus totally back to their own situation? We all have only so much emotion we can give to any aspect of our lives and with this being such an emotional time many of us realize that even among the people who love us, it would be easy for us to become not much more than a footnote. For my part, assuming I buy into this way of thinking, I think I understand and accept that. Life will go on.
 
So here is how I’m coming around more and more to that acceptance, which I guess is also a way to mitigate my fears. Music. Playing music, listening to music, sharing music, writing music, thinking about music. I’ve always had a deep emotional attachment to music, more than most people I think. It soothes my soul, it excites me, it frames moments in my life. My love of music was nurtured very early on by my parents, for which I will always be more grateful than I can express. I wish I had told them that when they were alive. 
 
There’s a line from a song by James Taylor that goes: “Me and my guitar, always in the same mood.” Always brings a smile to my face because regardless of how I’m feeling at that moment it is so, so true. And here’s a strange thing. I’ve found that lately I’m a lot less critical of my playing and singing than I was not all that long ago. That doesn’t mean I don’t try to play and sing as best I can, I just don’t get as frustrated as I used to. Maybe that’s because some part of my brain has come to terms with my mortality and the fact that in spite of my best efforts I too could become a statistic in the war against Covid-19. So I rejoice in every moment I play, no matter what comes out. 
 
I know a few of my students feel the same way, some of my musician friends too, because they’ve told me as much. Doing remote lessons via Zoom has been a challenge for both my students and myself, I readily admit that. Between technological issues and the fact that I can’t play along with them due to latency (lag time) using remote video and audio platforms it has been very frustrating at times. But I do know that the students who have been doing the remote lessons with me have appreciated having new material to play and having something out of their daily routine (scheduled lessons) gives them something to look forward to. That is something that’s absolutely vital in this challenging and unprecedented time we are living in. Like most people, I often don’t even know which day it is without carefully thinking about it so anything that breaks the monotony of our current day-to-day existence has great value. About half my students opted to not do the remote lessons for various reasons and I hope they have continued to play and find joy in doing so.
 
Starting next week I will be welcoming students back to my studio. I made this decision after careful thought. There will be protocols in place including the use of hand sanitizer before and after lessons, wiping down of all surfaces that could be touched or handled before and after each lesson, plus more detailed cleaning at the end of each day I teach. Masks will be worn at all times; I will separate the chairs we use farther apart and will no longer tune each student’s guitar at the beginning of a lesson. Most of my students including most who were not taking remote lessons will be returning. A few have opted to discontinue lessons; my guess is that those few have not been playing much and I hope they will decide to return sometime in the future. But I do have three new students starting in the next two weeks, which is great. A few have opted to continue remote lessons for various reasons. 
 
I’ve been doing something I call my Sunday Morning Live Coffee Music Sessions on Facebook Live for the last six weeks. This was another major technological challenge and it took me a few weeks to get a reasonable decent sound, fidelity-wise. I’ve learned a lot doing it – starting with the simple fact that no matter how fancy your own equipment may be, you are still at the mercy of the sound reproduction values imposed by Facebook. This coming Sunday I will be doing it from the back deck of the Daily Brew Café, my favorite place to play, continuing my string of eight years performing there. I’m really psyched for this and if you’re inclined to check it out, go to my Cape Cod Acoustics Facebook page at 11 a.m. this coming Sunday, or better yet if you’re in the area, order some food and drink and stop by. The sessions are always recorded for viewing later, too. Although restaurants are still closed in Massachusetts for anything other than take-out, the idea is to offer some music while people are waiting to pick up their orders. As always, I am very grateful to owner Kathy Hickey for giving me this chance to perform live even if the playing is only for a few people at a time. Hopefully, in a few weeks our governor will allow restaurants to reopen (with social distancing protocols of course) but in the meantime I’ll continue to do my live sessions on Facebook Live every Sunday, whether at the Brew or here in my studio. Who knows? If the reception is good about doing it at the Brew I may continue to do Facebook Live thing there even when the café reopens. Time will tell.
 
I was the subject of an article in our local newspapers (Falmouth, Bourne, Sandwich and Mashpee Enterprise) a week or so ago where I explained my live broadcasts and what I was hoping they would accomplish. Some very nice feedback and comments have come my way since the story came out, which is very gratifying. Basically what I said was that like so many musicians in these trying times, all I really want to do is play. As I said earlier, it soothes the soul. I’m more grateful than ever that guitar playing and singing are a big part of who I am. It really just comes down to this: making music takes our minds to some other place, a place of joy and constant amazement, something we need now more than ever. 
 
Be safe, be well, hug those you love if you can, be strong and stay sane. “This too shall pass.”
 
Peace & good music,
Gene
 
 

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A New World....Coping.....

4/4/2020

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It’s been a long time since I posted here. In that time, the world has changed forever. I wonder what I would have thought a year ago if I had a crystal ball and could see myself writing those words today?
 
Would I have wondered if the government had hatched some draconian plan to deprive us of our rights? With the present administration in the United States that might have seemed a very real possibility. Perhaps I might have meant the world had changed on a more personal level. Maybe I would have wondered if we had been invaded by aliens. Most likely I would have assumed world was at war.
 
And it is.
 
None of us will ever live our lives quite the same way we did before the virus. Even if an effective medicine is found to combat this insidious thing none of us will ever feel completely safe again. Our daily routines are being adjusted constantly and none of our solutions are 100% foolproof, only marginally satisfactory at best. Each day seems like the last but a bit scarier if we keep up with the news. And how can we avoid the news, and even should we? As Americans, we have always been proud of our heritage of freedom. Freedom of movement, freedom of our dreams and aspirations, and to a greater or lesser extent, freedom from fear. Now all those things and many more are being torn away and the big picture seems to indicate it’s unlikely our everyday lives and those freedoms will ever return to what they were before COVID-19. 
 
For now, the issue is coping. Small and large projects in our homes that we used to conveniently ignore or put off for another day have become more compelling. But for all of us the most important part of coping is maintaining – or strengthening – relationships. Our families are our support system, our lifelines, and friends near and far help us all realize that we are not alone in this struggle even if we often feel lonely.
 
Those of us who are fortunate enough to have creative interests are truly the lucky ones. After the Dark Ages when plagues and wars had ravaged Europe for a thousand years the Renaissance burst upon Western civilization and the arts flourished in ways that are still celebrated and cherished today. Breathtaking music and fine art burst upon the world, proof that humankind understood the healing nature of creativity and the need to express the beauty that is in the soul. Perhaps when today’s world has evolved past the fear and devastation we are presently experiencing there will be another Renaissance. But this time it will involve not just the creative arts but the fundamental aspects of humanity, in how we treat each other and how we view and care for our planet. That is one of my deepest hopes and wishes.
 
Of course as I’m sure you know, the most gratifying and rewarding way I know to help cope is playing my guitar. But here’s the interesting part. Quite suddenly I find that I’m not nearly as interested in playing songs that were frustrating before in hopes of improving them. Call that lazy if you want; I’ll probably get back to the hard stuff at some point in the not too distant future. No, now I just play things that allow me to totally immerse myself in musical moment. These things might be simple chord progressions with simple finger patterns, simple and pretty melodies, anything that allows me to really listen to my guitar. Sometimes I even just slowly strum a big-sounding chord like a first position CMaj7 or an E Major and allow the guitar to ring with the sound slowly fading away. The feel of the vibrations coming through the back of the guitar against my body is one of the most soothing feelings imaginable.  
 
A friend of mine is in the medical field and the stories she’s shared with me about what she’s dealing with on an hourly basis are chilling. I truly believe that when this crisis finally subsides all the wonderful people who put their own health on the line to help others will be viewed as the true heroes they are. My daughter is one of them.
 
That friend has also told me playing her guitar is one of the only things she has to help release the stress she faces and must deal with. It gives me a great joy knowing I’ve helped her find that release. I’ll always be grateful for not only her noble work but that she let me know her guitar playing is making her life more bearable.
 
So…..play. Play often and without any value judgements about the quality of what’s coming out of your guitar. Just rejoice in the creation of music. 
 
Be safe, be strong, be kind and try as best you can to be positive.
 
Gene

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It's movie time!

2/14/2020

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After my last post, which got a bit philosophical about the relative merits of competition in music I thought I’d lighten things up a bit. I love movies about making music, about musicians, and movies that have fantastic musical soundtracks that are integral to the film itself. Here are a few of my favorites and I highly recommend all of them. Some are well known and easy to find, some less so, but all are worth your time and effort. In no particular order…..
 
Some comedies first.
 
“Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story”  This is a take-off on the Johnny Cash biopic but so much more. Sometimes crude and a bit juvenile, John C. Reilly is wonderful as a rise/fall/rise country star. The puns and inside jokes come a mile a minute, with riffs on country music of course but also Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Brian Wilson, punk rock and more. You’ll laugh your ass off, I promise.
 
“A Mighty Wind”  A lesser known gem from director Christopher Guest, and like all his comedies it does not mock his subject but laughs at and with it gently. Folk music is the theme with riffs on all the greats of the 50s and 60s, including the great Eugene Levy as a Dylan-like character. I particularly enjoyed the details, including period correct instruments.
 
“O Brother, Where Art Thou?”  Not a movie about music – it’s a comedy based on Homer’s The Odyssey (!) set in the Depression era South, but the music is absolutely sublime. And it’s really, really funny. I’ll bet I’ve watched it ten times.
 
“This is Spinal Tap”   Directed by Rob Reiner, this “mockumentary” made me literally fall out of my chair laughing the first time I saw it and I still watch it when it happens to come on. About a dimwitted but loveable fictional heavy metal band, it has become part of the music culture with many quotable lines. 
 
A few documentaries:
 
“Standing in the Shadows of Motown”  I positively love this movie and own a copy of it. It is the story of the legendary Funk Brothers, the anonymous studio musicians at Motown who created the soundtrack of our lives if you’re a Baby Boomer like me. Fabulous players all, their story is told with interviews of the surviving members (a few of who have died since the movie was made), and interspersed with footage from a concert that was held with them plus some younger singers doing classic Motown hits. Check out Joan Osborne singing “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted” and “Heatwave” – the pure joy she and the Funk Brothers exhibit will bring a tear to your eye. And the amazing Chaka Khan singing “What’s Going On” is an absolute masterpiece. I can’t recommend this one enough if (like me) you love classic Motown. And along with the great music, you will shake your head in amazement at the details – and wonder why the Funk Brothers never received the accolades they deserved.
 
“Good Ol’ Freda”  This is a small movie but fascinating. It is recollections of Freda Kelly, who was the first president of the Beatles fan club in Liverpool and went on to become their office manager and secretary at Apple Records. She was also something of a mother to all of them and if you’re a Beatles nut like me you’ll find her stories wonderful.
 
“Searching for Sugarman”   This small movie became a cult classic. It is the story of a minor league Mexican-American singer songwriter named Sixto Rodriguez who made two albums in the 1970s that quickly faded into oblivion. Except in one place: South Africa at the height or apartheid. There, his albums were known and loved by every young person. A film maker found out about this and in spite of the rumor that Sixto had died in a terrible accident, made it his business to see if Sixto was still alive, and what had become of him. After a long search he was found living a modest life in the U.S., totally unaware that he was a legend in South Africa. The film maker takes him to South Africa thirty years after his records were released and the pandemonium and adoration that followed are heartwarming. The movie won a number of independent film awards, and rightly so.
 
“The Other One”  This is a  film about Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir. If you’re a Dead Head you should see it. Lots of interesting stories and some great music.
 
“20 Feet from Stardom”   The story of the fantastic but unheralded women who backed up bands like the Rolling Stones. It is a story of bias, perseverance, and pure musical talent that only now is being recognized.
 
“Living in the Material World”  A quite long and detailed doc about the “quiet Beatle” George Harrison. It’s taken a while, but George has finally come to be recognized as an equal to the “other” songwriters in the group. George’s deep religious beliefs and sincerity come through, along with some fantastic singing and playing. You’ll learn of the deep respect many other musicians, both old and much younger have for this departed genius.
 
“Miss Sharon Jones”   A modern soul powerhouse, also sadly gone, she almost single-handedly with her band the Daptones revived the interest in and performance of classic (but new) soul music. 
 
“Gimme Shelter”   Of all the movies about the Rolling Stones, this one captures the pure rock and roll core and mystique of the band. Filmed before, during and after the tragic and seminal Altamont Rock Festival, I truly believe that decades and generations from now when people want to know what pure rock music was all about, this will be one of their references.
 
“Bob Dylan – Don’t Look Back”  Another period piece that defines (as much as that’s possible) what Dylan meant and his influence in his early years. There are quite a few other docs about him focusing on his various stages of withdrawal and reemergence in the music scene but this one sets the stage for the legend. 
 
“Beware of Mr. Baker”  In the history of rock music there have been few characters as gifted, complex and sometimes despicable as drummer Ginger Baker. He never accepted the term “rock drummer” and was quite disdainful of anyone who insisted on labelling him as one; he always viewed himself as a jazz drummer. But there is no question that his drumming in the rock idiom was some of the most powerful and revolutionary ever made. 
 
“The Last Waltz”  Some call this the greatest concert film ever made and who am I to disagree? Interestingly, except for Robbie Robertson who was the one who insisted on the breakup of The Band, the other players in this greatest of all “Americana” bands hated the movie. But the performances by guests from Joni Mitchell to Eric Clapton to Neal Diamond (???? Wha?????) are great. My favorite is the blues powerhouse Muddy Waters, whose performance of his classic Mannish Boy is so powerful the other musicians on stage (including Clapton) are almost blown into background scenery. This is another one that I can’t resist watching again and again.
 
Feature films:
 
There are so many of these that I can’t come close to listing them all but here are a few of my favorites.
 
“A Hard Day’s Night” and “Help”  Nothing more can be said about these two classics that feature dozens of the Beatles best songs. Both are little dated and hokey but especially “Hard Day’s Night” captures what Beatlemania was all about. It was filmed on only about 60 days on a budget of only $150,000 in 1964. This was because the record executives were convinced that the Beatles phenomenon would quickly fade away and they wanted to cash in while they could! “Help” is pretty silly and very dated but the music? Oh, the music. There never will be anything that comes close.
 
“Crazy Heart”  Jeff Bridges plays a down in his luck former country star and he absolutely nails what it is to be on the road playing small bars and the price of fame. I love this movie so much. Not easy to find but see it if you can. And marvel at the great music and playing, and the fact that Bridges sang all the songs of his character.
 
“Love & Mercy”  This recent fictional accounting of the life of genius Brian Wilson may or may not be totally accurate but the acting is superb and the music is wonderful. Apparently Brian didn’t hate it, so it must be OK!
 
And there are so many more movies related to music I could mention. “Verlon Thompson: Sweet Dreams Do Come True”; “The Wrecking Crew”; “That Thing You Do”; “Almost Famous”; “Buena Vista Social Club”; Ken Burns “Country Music” series; “Echo in the Canyon”; “Muscle Shoals”; “Inside Llewyn Davis”….. Get inspired to pick up your guitar. Start watching!
 
Peace and good music,
Gene  

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Competition in guitar playing

2/12/2020

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Yet another interesting thread going on one of the guitar forums, this one regarding the reality and relative merits of music viewed as competition. The person who started the thread cited a story about Bach being challenged to some sort of musical contest and when his competitor heard Bach rehearsing his piece opted to slink out of town, knowing he could never compete with the master. People had lots of opinions on the thread about just what is competition between musicians. Is it purely a function of ability or “chops?” When musicians are judged by their peers or the general public is it even possible to say who’s the best, whatever that means?
 
On another thread in that same forum someone posed the question: Who is the greatest living acoustic guitarist? And of course there are many replies. 
 
Competition is part of our genetic makeup. The caveman who could bring down an animal before some other caveman was going to eat that night. And then somewhere along the line people realized that on some level competition (hopefully, not the life and death kind) could actually be…..fun. Taken to its modern extreme, that’s where we are today in just about any human activity you can name. Talent judging reality shows are hugely popular on television. So it’s just fine to judge musicians against each other and attach labels like “best” to some of them. Or is it?
 
Back when I started playing the guitar and began listening to and seeing many experienced players I certainly was one of those who would compare players and confidently conclude that he or she was better than someone else doing the same thing. The certainty of youth was to blame of course, plus the need to be viewed as having some higher sense of knowledge and taste. As the years passed I became more and more certain of my opinions and on some level I was passing judgement based on many facets of the competitive urge I thought I saw in those players – and in myself. Without being able to verbalize or even recognize it I just assumed that one thing that made a player great was his or her need to be better than their peers. Boy, was I wrong about that.
 
What started to change my mind about the relative merits of competing with other musicians became something more personal. Slowly but surely I began to realize that I never was going to be as accomplished as some of my heroes. That may sound logical and a little bit naïve but anyone who’s serious about playing a musical instrument has to get to that place if they are going to progress. In any case, it’s a bitter pill to swallow for anyone and I’ve known some very experienced guitarists who outright quit playing when that realization took hold. It saddens me to think about players I’ve known who could have taken their playing in whatever direction they wanted but took the easy way out with vague excuses like, nah, I don’t play anymore, it just doesn’t turn me on like it used to. 
 
Most of us don’t quit though and that brings me back to the competition thing. Every year there are dozens of big guitar, fiddle and banjo contests around the country. Back when I played and toured with fiddler Marie Rhines we took part in quite a few, most of which Marie won. At the time I thought it was pretty cool. Players who win the big contests at places like the National Championship contests in Winfield, Kansas and Weiser, Idaho are venerated by fellow players. This is all well and good and there is no question that these players are world-class, in a league that few of us will ever enter. The danger I think comes from believing that those winners have some God-given super powers, and that if I practice my ass off perhaps He will grant me those powers too. And how will I test those powers? By comparing myself to and competing with my fellow musicians, of course! 
 
That competition takes many forms for the passionate but misguided guitar player. Sometimes you can see it when a guitarist fires out his fanciest licks when he knows there is another guitarist listening. A player who speaks arrogantly to other players, or orders them around in a group setting is just trying to win some competition that the others may not even know they are in! A guitarist who is playing with others for the first time and has no patience with lesser players and will never stop to explain what he is playing or why he played it at that moment in time. To his way of thinking, if he did take the time those other players might become his equal and that is definitely not what he wants. He wants to win.
 
You could say these are basic ego issues, and you’d be right. Insecurity plays in the equation too. If you boil those two problems down, how does a misguided player deal with the situation? By viewing everything he plays as a competition. 
 
But here’s the kicker. Without exception, every truly great guitarist I’ve ever met, people like the jazz legend Pat Martino and blues guitar master Duke Robillard are the nicest, most modest and sincere people you’d ever want to meet. From everything I’ve seen online, my hero the British jazzer Martin Taylor is the same way. A good friend of mine who plays mandolin related a wonderful story to me recently about having a long and stimulating conversation with mandolin great David Grisman. All these players have entered the realm of knowing they are not competing with ANYONE. On the other hand, in my experience, the most insufferable guitarists I’ve met were ones who were pretty good, even excellent, but were obviously threatened by any other guitarist they may come into contact with. That threat did not exist but that didn’t stop them from acting like it did. After all these years of playing I can pretty much pick those guys out instantly and I avoid them whenever possible. 
 
I’m not naïve enough to think anything is going to change in the world of competitive guitar playing. I just don’t choose to be part of that world. The only competition I allow myself is competition WITH myself, and even that gets tiresome after a while. 
 
The player who allows himself to fail once in a while and doesn’t let it bother him too much has a much better chance at success than one who assumes a listener (whether that listener is a guitarist or not) takes some sort of pleasure or gets satisfaction in witnessing those small failures. 
 
I guess this is a long-winded way of saying I put very little stock in guitar competition in any way and on any level. To me anyway, it’s just not important. And really, it doesn’t prove very much.
 
Peace and good music,
Gene

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The phenomenon of "opening up"

2/10/2020

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A hot topic on the guitar forums from time to time is the validity of a guitar “opening up” after some amount of playing time. This is the idea that a brand-new guitar needs to vibrate for a while to reveal its voice. I fall in the camp that believes this is true, although you can find plenty of players who put no faith in it whatsoever, i.e., what you hear is what you get.
 
I’ve experienced this opening-up with lots of guitars and right now I’m finding that my relatively new Martin M-36 is starting to come into its own. Sustain, depth of sound, resonance, clarity and the oh so Martin overtones are developing nicely. Plus, I’ve always loved the comfortable size of this model, once known as the 0000 series. So for the last few weeks my equally wonderful Martin Custom Shop D-35 Seth Avett model has been a little lonely but I’ll be picking that one up again before long. It’s just too nice to neglect.
 
Opening up is a phenomenon that occurs with premium guitars, which are all solid wood and less so in inexpensive instruments that have laminate backs and sides. The variables that encourage the opening up are complex but pretty easy to understand. A brand-new guitar has never vibrated much so things like glue and finish haven’t loosened up (for lack of better description) to their maximum. So sometimes it’s difficult to get a clear idea what a guitar will sound like when auditioning it at a music store. But there is a trick to that; more below.
 
This is why some true vintage guitars cost many thousands of dollars. After 60, 70, 80 or more years of playing a premium guitar reaches its maximum potential sound-wise. That, combined with the natural aging of the wood, which is often of a grade that is no longer available makes the magic that acoustic guitarists dream about. When trying to explain the panache of vintage guitars to students who have done some research in preparation of buying a premium instrument I often use the wine analogy. The subtle but very real attributes of a legendary variety combined with age are very important and worth the money to the true wine lover. Can the average person taste the difference between a 1960s vintage Chateau Lafite Rothschild and a $10 bottle of some California cabernet? Probably, to some degree anyway. But is that Chateau Lafite worth 100 times more? Only the wine enthusiast can decide.
 
Is a fully opened-up 1937 Martin Herringbone D-28 worth a hundred times more than a stock D-28 made this year? If your pockets are very deep and you are obsessed with sound, maybe. There aren’t a whole lot of those folks out there so I can’t comment on that. I do know after playing a few pre-war Martin D-28’s and D-18’s there is certainly something very special about some (but not all!) of them. I confess that if I ever won Power Ball I’d be making some trips around the country to try a few more out!
 
So what can you expect from a premium guitar that’s brand new and when – and how much – can you expect it to open up? A really good guitar will sound really good right from the get-go. For quite a while some makers like Dana Bourgeois have been speeding up the opening-up process by “baking” the wood used for the tops of guitars and at least in the case of Dana’s instruments the results are quite extraordinary. Known as “torrification,” the process slowly dries out the wood and what you get it is the sound of a guitar that is quite old and broken-in. I’ve played a few other guitars with tops that have been “baked” and the results were less dramatic than with Dana’s. I briefly owned both a Martin and an Eastman that had torrified tops and neither sounded very good, brittle and almost raspy to my ear. 
Many years ago one of the manufacturers made a big thing of advertising their guitars were subjected to some weeks or months of sitting on stands in a big room with music blasting at them from big speakers. They claimed to be a great way to open up a guitar using musical sound waves. I have no idea about the validity of this claim and that process has faded into the archives of guitar history. 
 
I believe that playing a guitar often and for long periods of time when it’s brand new is best way to hasten the opening up process. But here are some variables that will affect how long that process takes.
 
Humidity, or lack of humidity affects the sound of both new and older guitars (another source of debate on the guitar forums but I stand by my opinion of that!). If a guitar lives in a very humid climate it is difficult if not impossible to get an accurate idea of how good it really can sound. That’s simply because the wood absorbs the humidity and cannot vibrate to its full potential. If you live in such a place, try using a room dehumidifier to give the guitar a chance to dry out. You’ll like what you hear.
 
If you do as I suggest and play a new guitar often and for long sessions it makes sense to invest in a quite a few sets of guitar strings and change the strings fairly frequently. This will give a more accurate result compared to using old, dead, lifeless strings. One side note here, though. Some people LIKE the sound of old strings, especially Gibson owners who feel the “woody” sound of guitars like the classic J-45 when strummed is heavenly with broken in strings and exactly what guitars are supposed to sound like. I don’t happen to agree, I love the sound of fresh strings and I change my strings often. You’ll have to decide what type of sound you prefer but I think we can all agree that really old, grungy strings do nothing for the sound of a premium guitar.
 
Some people opt for a device called Tone Rite that is secured to the top a guitar for a few days or longer. It vibrates with a low hum and this is thought to loosen up the glue and finish resulting in a more “open” sound. I had one a while ago and used it on a brand-new Martin OM-28. I left it running for about four days and yes, there was a subtle difference in the tone but nothing particularly remarkable. Some people claim astounding results however. If you do decide to try one of these things, be sure to either suspend your guitar while it’s being used or at least leave it on a guitar stand with as few contact points as possible to encourage maximum vibration. Leaving your guitar in its case while using a Tone Rite will not yield very much if any difference in sound as the case absorbs most of the vibration.
 
Last week I had another wonderful visit with internationally renowned luthier Steve Connor, who lives only a few miles from me. It’s always an amazing treat to spend time with Steve and see his latest breathtakingly gorgeous creations (he makes primarily classical guitars) and talk guitar geek stuff with him. I brought my D-35 over for him to see and he was very complimentary of its sound and construction. At one point he began tapping on the bridge and said, yeah, that’s about a G. I asked what he meant and he went on to explain the process of “tap tuning,” which string instrument makers have used for centuries to predict what an instrument will sound like before it is completed. All wood vibrates at a certain frequency and knowing that certain frequencies will be more apt to be bass or treble focused lets the builder modify things like braces to accentuate or diminish those tendencies. And checking with Steve’s Peterson tuner app, he was dead-on. I love the sound of that guitar and the next time I’m in a guitar shop I will definitely use this tap method to judge how a brand-new guitar will sound when it opens up!
 
So, how long will opening up take? Sorry but there is no absolute answer to that. In my extensive experience with new Martins I can say that it may be anywhere from a couple months to a year, taking into account the variables above.
 
But, sad to say, I may have given up on some guitars too soon. I can’t help but wonder if a few of those Martins I sold because I didn’t care for the sound now are the Voices of the Angels!
 
Peace and good music,
Gene 
 
 

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Sing it loud, sing it strong!

1/24/2020

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I’ve never pretended to be a great singer even though I was a voice major when I studied music in college. That was purely a function of having to declare a “major instrument” to study music and at that time at little Wilkes College (now Wilkes University) in Pennsylvania the guitar was considered about as legitimate as a kazoo. But I could carry a tune, took voice lessons and was even selected to be a part of the elite choral group in the music department. But I never thought I was all that good, and I probably wasn’t.
 
I do remember a few things from those voice lessons though and lately I’ve been trying to put them into practice to at least get back to the place I was 20 or so years ago when I sang with groups and gigged and practiced regularly. The unfortunate truth is that for the last 20 years while teaching I’ve been neglecting the techniques I learned way-back-when and it shows. I do have a bit of an excuse, though not a very good one: when recording lessons for my students to practice I unconsciously began singing softer and in a more constricted fashion so my voice didn’t overwhelm the guitar, which of course was what I wanted my students to hear most on the recordings.
 
That doesn’t mean I had to abandon what I knew to be correct singing technique. It’s certainly possible to sing softly and also sing well but that comes down more than anything else to breath control, NOT constricting the throat – and that’s what I was doing. For a long, long time. And I paid the price.
 
Breath control does not come from the throat, it comes from the lungs and especially from the gut. In order to exercise control from those regions I should be standing up when I sing and my posture should be relaxed but straight, not slumped over. Any good singer will tell you that, trained or untrained. But while I’m teaching and demonstrating guitar method that is just not practical. I don’t want to be standing while my student is sitting….that looks awkward and bit silly and possibly pompous, I think. And I cannot expect my students to stand with me and play. Although I encourage them to use a strap even when sitting and playing, 99% of them would find it very difficult to stand and play. If I could get them to do that when they are practicing at home perhaps they would accept it at lessons but my guess is that is not going to happen. So there is my dilemma as it relates to correct breathing/singing technique.
 
So for the last few months I’ve been trying to be aware of my breathing at all times when I sing. Little things that I remember from voice lessons, like taking a breath the moment before I sing a phrase and varying the depth of that breath to be sure I won’t be struggling at the end of the phrase. Sitting up as straight as possible. The natural tendency with every guitarist whether sitting or standing is to slump forward because the depth of the guitar makes it very difficult to see the front of the neck if you don’t slump. But slumping is very bad in terms of keeping a straight line for the air to escape in a controlled fashion from your lungs and slumping while sitting is even worse. 
 
Opening the mouth wide is crucial too and this is definitely something I have to remind myself to do. Part of my unconscious attempt to sing softly over the last 20 years while teaching has involved keeping my mouth much more closed than it should be. I’m trying to remedy that but it’s hard to do. A mouth that is open wide, regardless if you’re singing softly or loud is the “open gate” for the breath to escape. This also helps in keeping the throat relaxed.
Then there is the hurdle of pitch. No matter the overall quality of our singing, if you sing “in tune” you will sound much, much better than if you are flat or sharp. There are many exercises to help with this but two things that have worked for me in the past and I’m trying to re-establish are practicing singing while picking out the melody to a song; this allows me to focus purely on the notes I should be singing pitch-wise rather than trying to find the melody buried in chords. The other thing – and this is crucial where harder passages in a song is concerned – is to kind of “sing” that note in your head a moment before you go for it. Just like when playing a guitar solo while improvising, if you have an idea what the next note will sound like BEFORE you attempt it, you will find far more success. I think the vast majority of singers who are not professionals just kind of listen to what’s coming out of their mouths rather than having an idea what it will sound like before they sing it. Then, to a greater or lesser degree they adjust their tonality as needed. If a singer is having a rough time, you can hear this happening. 
 
Knowing your real range rather than just your comfort zone is an essential part of the process. Those darn high notes are tough for everyone but some singers seem to hit them with ease; this is because they are employing the techniques I mentioned above, especially breathing deeply and remaining relaxed. Most of us can hit notes that feel out of our range if we work on it and you know what? Believe it or not, most people sound best in the upper part of their singing range. When I listen to recordings of myself singing I know this to be true. The trick is to not make it sound like you’re straining. Remember to breath! If you listen to a recording of yourself in your comfort zone I think you’ll be surprised to hear that everything you’re singing sounds too low, in terms of overall vocal quality otherwise known as timbre. Forcing yourself to stay relaxed might seem to be an absurd concept but it is essential for good singing but if you’re relaxed those high notes will come, with time.
 
But what about that delicate subject, our age? There is no doubt that even the best singers lose some of their range as they get older. I’ve heard reports of some bands like the Eagles, known for their crystalline high harmonies have recently begun playing some of their songs in slightly lower keys, and I know for certain that some individual singers like Bonnie Raitt are doing that. But that’s just fine! Better to learn a song in a more comfortable key than the original version and have it be more comfortable to sing than the key that was used by someone much younger with greater range. I’ve been doing this with quite a few songs lately and I like the results, although in some cases I can’t exactly replicate the chord inversions on the guitar that were found in the original. So it goes.
 
I’m determined to keep working on my singing, no matter what. Because I know that when everything works as it should it is oh so gratifying to know you nailed a song, both in playing and singing.
 
Peace & good music,
Gene 
 
 

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Quality of sound & a great option for home recording!

1/15/2020

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To expand a bit on the previous post: OK, I admit it. I am obsessed with sound. Or more accurately, the quality of sound. There is a bit of irony here I think because with my hearing not what it once was (due in no small part to electric guitar amplifiers turned up WAY too high) I have focused more and more on sound reinforcement rather than the pure sound of an unamplified acoustic guitar. Put more simply, it’s become more difficult for me to recognize the very subtle qualities of one good quality acoustic guitar compared to another. I still know a good one when I hear it, thank goodness, but with this diminishing of my hearing range those “wow” moments I used to experience on the first strum of an incredible guitar have become fewer and fewer.
 
Probably because I have three fantastic sounding Martins, M-36, Custom Shop D-35 Seth Avett and Custom Shop Sinker D-18 I have become less and less affected by the affliction we guitarists call GAS:  Guitar Acquisition Syndrome. That is the never-ending search of the perfect guitar that probably doesn’t exist. All three of those Martins have distinct and fabulous voices and they are all quite different. Each suits an aspect of my playing style very well but in reality any one of them could cover my bases just fine. All are equipped with passive pick-ups, K&K in the two dreadnoughts and Dazzo in the M-36. So they all sound terrific either acoustically or amplified. But the final link in the amplification chain is where I’ve really been obsessing for the last couple of years: the amplifier.
 
I think in the last five years or so I’ve tried most of the higher end amps and quite a few lesser ones. Most had strong points and weak points, whether in design or sound. About the only brand that I just do not like is Fishman. To my ear, all their amps have a very artificial and unnatural sound. I know they are very popular however and many guitarists like them just fine. In the higher end makes that I’ve owned such as AER, Schertler, Henrickson and a couple others I’ve found that while the bass end is BIG and deep, the treble end – which is feel is so important in performance – is lacking. I’ve tried to mitigate that through the use of a LR Baggs Align Series Equalizer and that works reasonably well but that means one more piece of equipment to worry about and bring to gigs. Simplicity is almost as important as sound to me; the fewer pieces of gear I have to carry to a gig, the better. 
 
In that regard, it looks like I will be playing at least a couple of gigs at a really nice facility in Boca Raton, Florida when we head down there in a month or so. The dilemma is space. My Tacoma truck has a pretty big back seat but considering we are driving down (and need colder weather clothes for a while), going on a cruise and then staying in a couple places for an extended period of time the packing challenge must be dealt with. I also like to fish, so those toys have to come along. My music gear will consist of my M-36 in a gig bag, my Bose S1 Pro amp, a (collapsed) mic and IPad stand, and a gear bag with various devices, cords and spare parts. My wife and I each will have a large suitcase plus a smaller bag or two. You can see what I’m up against!
 
But getting back to sound. That Bose S1 is a pretty good sounding amp considering its size and with three inputs I can cover all my amplification needs. However, compared to my primary amp, an ACUS OneForStrings 8 it sounds pretty bland. Not bad, just not rich and sonorous like the ACUS. But that one, while still small enough to be manageable around here is just too big to take on the trip. I am hoping that these gigs at the very fancy place I think I’ll be playing will lead to others, hopefully next year. I would dearly love to get enough work down in Florida in the winter to justify the expense of being there. So you see why I’m so concerned with sound quality in this particular instance. 
 
Am I done buying sound reinforcement gear? Probably not. Many of the big and smaller players in the music world are cranking out new and better amplifiers and devices to improve the sound of an amplified acoustic guitar. I read with great interest my monthly copy of Music Trades magazine, the main publication of the music manufacturing industry. Right now the huge NAMM show is going on in Anaheim, the one I attended last year and I’m sure many companies will be introducing fantastic gear. I couldn’t justify the expense of going to the show this year but I anxiously await reports.
 
Another piece of equipment that has entered my musical life is an amazing little recording device call the Spire Studio. It is a stand-alone recorder that is paired with a smart phone or tablet (I use my IPad) and some amazing recordings can be done. Among the many great features the Spire has are a built-in, high-quality condenser mic (or inputs with phantom power for other mics, which is what I do), and a built-in compressor/limiter that during a brief “sound check” phase before recording self-adjusts to eliminate distortion even when strumming pretty hard. Eight tracks are available for over-dubs and there are two channels. During the mixing phase you can bring up a track (such as a lead guitar break) and also adds effects such as reverb if needed or wanted. I have finally stopped using CD recording with my students and gone completely to using this device. I record what the student will be practicing and then email them a sound file, which they can then open and save to whatever sound programs they have (such as Itunes) on their phone, tablet or computer. 
 
Almost all my students seem to love this convenient way to get recordings of what they will be practicing. The sound quality is superb and no more worries about CDs that only work for a few songs (or not at all), scratching or losing the CD, and funky things like sound files on supposedly “new” CDs – woo boy, I could tell you stories about that (!!). One or two students have resisted a bit as they are older and somewhat intimidated by the technology knowledge required but if I carefully and patiently explain how the process will work I’m sure they will be fine with it in a short amount of time. And I’d dead certain they will appreciate the quality of the recordings compared to the CDs. Younger students who have grown up with rapidly changing technological advances have no problems whatsoever.
 
Another cool aspect of the Spire. If you send files to a person who also has the Spire recorder, they can add tracks and send it back to you! I’ve been doing just that with one of my advanced students and we are having a ball. His playing has also improved as he recognizes the importance of getting the “little things” right in his playing….a recorder doesn’t lie or cover up mistakes!
 
So as time passes and I learn more and more ways to optimize both sound and the use devices that help with it I will let you know. It’s all very exciting!
 
Peace & good music,
Gene
 
 

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