My week of Lunch Reports is done. It always seems to take up so much of my time, yet the week always goes by so quickly. I love talking music and gear, girls, and guitars. I hope you enjoyed it, and maybe even learned something.
Don’t have a huge report today, mostly just some random thoughts, so comment at will.
Probably going to go out for lunch today. I have no idea where, maybe some Mexican food.
And I just read that Katy Perry just broke up with what's-his-name.
(Katy, if you're reading this...call me!)
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I miss the days of TV’s old variety entertainment shows, like Ed Sullivan and The Hollywood Palace. A little comedy, some acrobatics, and some music all rolled into one show. I used to love “Hee-Haw” with Buck and Roy (and I think I still tell some of those corn-pone jokes!) I hate the awards’ shows—the Emmys , Oscars, CMAs—hey, they won’t nominate me, so I don’t go and I don’t watch! LOL! The late night talk shows are still good and the guys usually have pretty good monologues and a decent band. I loved hearing Kevin Eubanks when he was the leader of “The Tonight Show” band, what a great player. Paul and his band on Letterman are top-notch, and I loved Jimmy Vivino and drummer Max Weinberg on the old Conan show.
But one show that is fairly new to me is Later With Jools Holland. I am rapidly becoming a fan of that show. You probably won’t see a lot of the great, established rock artists, but you do get to see some of the rising stars perform. Highly recommended.
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Guitar Ear-Training Tip Of The Week:
Noodle! Yes, Noodle! (No, not pasta or ramen you idiots!) NOODLE!! (A verb!)
Yes, you can noodle on your guitar in a constructive way. Sit yourself down in front of the TV some night, and….PLAY ALONG WITH THE MUSIC!!!!
See how fast you can pickup the key, and then learn the melodies of the jingles as they come on the air. Many of the shows still have theme songs that you can try to learn. And some of these songs have been really great. Anyone remember “The Rockford Files” or Larry Carlton’s guitar on “Hill Street Blues”?
It’s great ear training. If you really want to get somewhere, then transpose what you’ve learned into different keys, and play the melodies in as many different places on the fingerboard as you can find.
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I take several guitar magazines, couldn’t really live without them. But I spend too much time on the gear reviews and not enough time on the lessons that most of the mags have. Lately I’ve been concentrating more on them, and actually learning some things. And most of them have the lesson videos available online.
There’s a lot of information to help you improve your skills, and it is relatively inexpensive. Every little bit helps.
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What is a guitar? Is it a work of art, or a tool? Well, I think of a guitar as both. Sometimes, tools can be downright sexy as some of you car guys may know. Snap-On tools are not only practical, but they have an aesthetic about them, too. I know guys who practically get hard-ons talking about their newest table saw or cordless drill. (You know who you are!)
But I love just LOOKING at my guitars too. I love the simplicity of the black dots on a maple neck, the grain of the maple. When I pickup one of my Martin D-28s, looking at that perfect seam of the neck where the stark, black ebony is fused to the rich, brown hues of the mahogany. I can stare at the spruce tops of these instruments all day long, awestruck by the “silk” in the cross-grain. A couple of my Les Pauls have such rich color, as the burst goes through the spectrum of yellow to orange to tangerine to the cherry red edge. And the depth of the quilt or flame is so three-dimensional, you could drown in it.
Like sex, of course the real thing is best, but looking at pictures is almost as good. That’s why it’s called guitar porn.
Do any of you have “coffee table” books on guitars? I have quite a few. My fav is probably “The Beauty Of The Burst”, Iwanade’s excellent resource on the Les Paul Sunbursts of the late ‘50s. I have other books on Les Pauls, Firebirds and Explorers, Gretsches, Fender Teles and Strats, and Martin. And I have a couple that just show a variety of guitars from the various manufacturers. (There’s some very strange stuff out there, kids!) Andy Babiuk’s book on Beatles’ gear was a total delight for me.
I’ve also got some of the rock biographies. I read Clapton’s book, and I’m currently working through Neil Young’s book. I’ve some big books on the Beatles and the Stones, with lots of history and lots of photos.
Got any of these in your collection that you use as a resource, or use to simply stare at the pics and fuel your GAS?
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Couple of years ago, I did a set of three LRs on the 50 things you need as a guitarist. Some found it practical and helpful, others controversial. Craig was kind enough to archive that, a great compliment. Thank you.
Do me a favor, if you have the time, track that down and give it a read. Wondering if it stands the test of time. Does anything need to be added to that list in 2013?
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Doesn’t look like there is going to be a stampede by the members of the G&LDP to go buy the Fractal Audio AXE-FX II that I wrote about yesterday. Coincidentally, in the January 2013 “Guitar Player Magazine” there is also a review of the James Tyler Variax guitar.
Now, there’s a guitar for the guy who wants his one guitar to do everything, if there ever was one. Here’s a guitar that actually CAN do Tele, Strat, Les Paul and 12-string tones in one package. They are just advancing this technology so rapidly. I’m too traditional I guess; I’d rather have a roomful of cool guitars that just one computerized plank.
With several manufacturers now installing piezo bridges (Godin and Parker come to mind), Roland synth pickups, and hybrid guitars like the Taylor T-5, is this something you’d like to see coming from the G&L factory as an option? Or would build a dedicated model?
Like I said, I’m old school and would prefer to get my acoustic tones from a Martin. Perhaps it would be more practical in certain situations, but for now I personally wouldn’t get much use from such a system. But I think it would be a good idea to offer some kind of piezo bridge pickup. How about you?
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And now our hero rides off into the sunset on his trusty steed. His work here in this town done, he’ll look for other adventures—standing on the side of law and order, truth, justice and the American Way—backed by his Colt .45 riding on his hip. (Actually, it's a Glock .40 S&W!) He’ll remember the gratitude of the town folk, and the kiss of the fair young maiden he saved will linger on his lips for eternity…
Vaya Con Dios, amigos. This is not goodbye, just until we meet again.
Happy trails,
Bill
Last edited by Boogie Bill on Fri Apr 05, 2013 2:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.