thoughts
Weird Musician Stuff #2
Don't you find it weird when someone doing a pedal demo on You Tube says "Here is my clean tone." And then when they play, their "clean" tone has more overdrive than a typical AC/DC song? I think "clean tone" should mean "no distortion or overdrive." It kind of makes the pedal demo useless unless you plan to use the pedal with their brand of amp set on the same "crunch" setting. Weird.
New Relics
I have watched the "relic" guitar trend for several years now, but personally, I’m still not sold on spending thousands of dollars on a new guitar that looks like it has been beat up. Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I have to admit they do have a certain appeal. And they certainly wouldn’t keep making “relics” if they didn’t sell. Plus if you really like the looks of old, well-worn guitars, or you want an exact replica of a famous guitar player’s road-weary guitar then “relics” are a good option. Old guitars often have issues, but a new “relic” guitar simply looks old, yet plays like new.
Personally, I would rather buy a pretty, shiny new guitar and play it for 30 years to make it look 30 years old. I actually have a couple of those and they are my favorites. I like the fact that the battle scars were created by actual use, not fabricated. The guitars have the scars and I have the stories to go along with them. Of course this method takes time. A lot of time. If you want that old look now, then you really have three choices: buy a new “relic” guitar, buy a new guitar and “relic” it yourself, or buy an old (used) guitar.
So here is some old guy advice. If you like the looks of a relic, get one. Especially if you are older and can afford one. But if you are a teenager now, try your best to buy a good quality guitar now and keep it no matter what. Guitars come in and out of fashion like clothes, but hang on to that guitar even if it becomes unpopular. Don’t trade it in or swap it for the latest trend. Les Pauls were hot in the 70‘s but not very popular in the 1980’s. Hot rodded shredder guitars were big in the 80’s but not as much now. Only country guys played Teles in the 70’s (with a few notable exceptions) but now they are popular in many styles of music. Whatever you buy, it will always be a guitar, and as it gets older it will get cooler. Trust me. And when you are 50, that old guitar may be like a cherished old friend. Instead of buying a relic, why not make one?
Pedal Dreams
Like most guitar players, in addition to astrophysics and molecular biology, I also studied electrical engineering. So as a side job I have decided to create a line of boutique guitar pedals. I am looking for feedback from my fellow guitar players. Here are my first two designs. What do you think?
Weird Musician Stuff #1
Don't you find it strange when someone says "This song is super easy." and then you listen to it and it has 30 different guitar parts. I do.
Perfect Imperfection
You have probably heard the saying “Practice makes perfect” and, in a sense, it is true. If you practice something enough times you should be able to play it well consistently. But should perfection be the ultimate goal for music? I don’t think so.
Many great guitar players of old where not “perfect” players. If you listen to John Lennon’s (The Beatles) rhythm guitar parts, there is not much consistency and even the occasional “mistake” in his playing. But his playing and the songs are “perfect” in the sense that people still react to them emotionally and still enjoy them 50 years later. This is a perfect example of feel trumping perfection.
Teaching Guitar Is A Lot Like Teaching Shop Class
I may sound strange, but I think teaching guitar is a lot like teaching shop class. Some kids come in with a little experience, which they usually got from using their Dads tools (guitars), and others are completely new to the subject. It is my job to take them how I get them and turn them into craftsmen (guitar players.) Craftsmen is a generic term, I have plenty of female students also, and I teach them the same things, the same way.
If you have ever been to a well-equipped shop you will know there are various types of tools. It is my job to introduce students to the tools (chords, music notation, rhythm guitar, lead guitar, music theory, etc.) Some tools are more general purpose (chords) and some have more limited, specific uses (tapping.) But they all are used to create a final product (music.)
Learning Songs
Most people learn to play guitar because they want to be able to play songs. That is the fun part of playing any instrument. There are several ways to go about learning songs on guitar. The most common are printed music and videos, TABs on the internet, video lessons on YouTube (or paid websites), private lessons with a teacher, and by ear.
Each method has its advantages and disadvantages, and usually to get the best results you need a combination of several methods. Let’s break them down into two categories — free and paid — and see what each has to offer and how to get the best results from each.
Previous Thoughts
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