Lunch Report June 10th, 2014, The Woodshed

Lunch: Today is grocery shopping day, so whatever I can scrounge and a cup of coffee

G&L Question: Building on yesterday's question- I see some really sexy carved top stuff coming our of PRS and Carvin all the time, has G&L missed the boat by not continuing to explore new shapes or variations on their signature shapes like they did during the Dale Hyatt Era? Would a USA carved top resonate with you as a G&L enthusiast?

Non-G&L Question: I spent a long hiatus from guitar and have gotten back to it I the last couple years. Mostly play in the Sunday service band, 5 or six songs, the majority of which are new. I'd like to develop to the point where picking them up isn't a arduous and painful as it currently is. I hope to develop a workout regime that compliment the realities of my playing schedule- Rehearse Tuesday, perform Sunday, every other week.

So, here is the question, what kind of "woodshedding" activity have you found is best suited for quickly absorbing and playing new songs on a continuous basis?

G&L missed the boat by not continuing to explore new shapes or variations on their signature shapes like they did during the Dale Hyatt Era?
Yes , they could recruit someone who could build semi acoustics . I would love a 335 shape G&L . Leo recruited Roger R to help with semi acoustic Fenders back in the 60's

Would a USA carved top resonate with you as a G&L

No , I hate pretty guitars but I do own 1 PRS 10 top.

So, here is the question, what kind of "woodshedding" activity have you found is best suited for quickly absorbing and playing new songs on a continuous basis?[/quote]

Last week we had a gig where we learned 20 songs in 6 weeks. I was actually dreaming about chords and lyrics. I found driving in the car was a great way to get to know the songs .

Late reply from time zone away this week.

Greek salad for lunch today, going light.

Not so sure about the carved tops, but I do like varied shapes. Even if we can't do pointy Interceptors how about a Flying V?

My woodshed would be either plundering through sheet music or YouTube play pause and repeat.....

Sam, LeoF,

Thanks for weighing in. I've been listening to the set list as I drift to sleep and as I awake. In addition to the typical, playing along with the recording, I've also been charting all the chords and every position they can be made on the neck for each key are playing in for the week (six songs but only three keys this week). That, and each scale as well as its relative minor, running scale finger exercises. Helps me figure out the riffs and runs that recording artist is using without staring at someone's hands on YouTube. It sounds like a lot of work, but today's rehearsal was much better, trying out different licks that fit better with the band or the feel we were going for each song, rather than parroting the recording. It was confidence building, and most of all fun.

~JagInTheBag

Funny you bring up this G&L question now-- I stumbled upon a carved top L2000 the other day and was asking myself the very same question
I don't know that it's a bad thing (not going down the carved top road), considering the cost associated with R&D, then having to compete with the companies who have already become strongly associated with that niche. I'd say keep doing what you're doing, but continue to improve the quality (introducing the M-series basses for example). Also, it would be pretty tough to compete with Carvin selling their gems customer direct

Non-G&L:
Ahhh-- I'm in the same boat; we have three main services with contemporary music, and a "Softer Sunday" service for those who like the old standards. We throw in some contemporary stuff, but slow it down. We also have been known to take some of the traditional stuff and speed it up

Our worship leader is slow with choosing music and often leaves us with just a few days to prepare (our rehearsal happens 1hr prior to service) so you've got to be on your toes. Heres what I do:
- Rework the chord sheets. I struggle with sever dyslexia, so taking a jumbled page of print and reorganizing it into something easier for my eyes to track helps on many different levels. It helps me discover patterns and themes, and really gets me into the song itself. Most of our team laughs at this, but after the initial chuckles, they often find bits and pieces of what I'm doing useful in their prep as well.

- Play the set through a few times (mistakes and all). This helps me identify my strengths and weaknesses in each song. Then I can focus the remainder of my attention on understanding and correcting the mistakes.

- Different positions. Once I am comfortable with the set, I return to each song and look for one or two other positions to play it in. Here I dissever where octaves enhance the roots, and make riffs easier to remember. I've also found this kind of prep useful for those times when our leader decides to improvise between verses and bridges.

Time wise, I try to set aside about two hours after dinner each night to prepare. It's great when I have a full week, but those times when he drops the set list on Thursday evening means I've got to put more time aside on Saturday morning. For those weeks when I'm not on the schedule, I look back at previous songs that I struggled with and work on them. AND, because I've taken up playing the bass, I go through my collection of Motown records and learn from the masters

For exercise I play the old Otis Redding tune, "Can't Turn You Loose" at Blues Brothers speed (it was their opening tune). THAT gives my fretting hand a real workout, while training myself to stay relaxed (otherwise the hand cramps up).

~Monahan

The owners of any company have a vision of where they want the company to go - or should have a vision. If not, they will stagnate and decline. My assumption is, the owners of G&L are happy with the direction they are going, so whether or not they missed the boat is dependent on their business plan.

Now, ignoring all of that, take a look at, say, Tom Anderson guitars. They are loaded with guitars that break with traditional lines but still retain their roots in tradition. Their passive VA boost is a very cool feature - giving your pups an instant overwound sound. They have options for short scales on most models (the T model short scale is really interesting) and a nice array of top woods and pup options. Their offset model is also interesting. After looking at Anderson, you might say that G&L is missing the boat in some regard. Of course, they (Anderson) are pretty pricey too but that could be worked in for someone wanting the premium features.

As far as woodshedding, that is some serious time you are putting in Jag!! I am sure you will see the rewards.

For me, woodshedding is any minute I actually get to pick up a guitar, LOL. My favorite learning technique is to put on some music, radio, video (like LFDH) and play along with the musicians. Any genre - whatever happens to be playing. I try to figure out the key they are in and what scale might sound good for soloing or how the existing solo might be structured or what type of alternative "sound" I could bring to the song. Nothing on paper, just by ear, forcing you to get out of the box. It gives me insight into how the songwriter's mind works and many times, that particular artist will have a number of songs in the same key or style so you have already "learned" those as well. It is a great way to expose yourself to new styles and it pays off.

For example: a while back, I had an opportunity to jam informally with a local artist who I consider to be pretty good. He plays a lot of original stuff and we didn't have any charts. I was pretty nervous (and rusty) so I just told him to play a few of his tunes and I would add color. He was amazed how easy it was for me to follow him and come up with stuff to play. He said he wished he could do that!!! Too funny.... There is always something you can learn from someone else if you have an open mind - and not just guitars.

This ended up a lot longer than intended. Sorry for dragging on!

G&L missed the boat by not continuing to explore new shapes or variations on their signature shapes like they did during the Dale Hyatt Era?
Yes , they could recruit someone who could build semi acoustics . I would love a 335 shape G&L . Leo recruited Roger R to help with semi acoustic Fenders back in the 60's

Would a USA carved top resonate with you as a G&L

No , I hate pretty guitars but I do own 1 PRS 10 top.

Why do you keep it?

This ended up a lot longer than intended. Sorry for dragging on!

Thank you fianoman, your reply is well appreciated!

Good question lefty. I think I keep it in case one of my kids learns guitar when they are older . And its a terrible time to sell guitars and I hate losing and I hate losing money too.