July 3rd - Wednesday

[blargfromouterspace]

Lunch today was leftover pasta, again, but this time with Bolognese sauce. I use an equal quantity of finely diced fried mushrooms and pork/veal mince, along with several fennel seeds in my recipe. Turns out great.

Poll
I'm sure everyone has had a string break on them and hit them, painfully, at least once while tuning to pitch. I still wince for fear of it happening. Steel-string acoustic guitars, where the added danger of them pin popping out at bullet speed, make me even more fearful.

The Art of Rhythm Guitar
Recently my attention has shifted onto rhythm guitar, and I’m finding it equally as fun, if not more so, than lead. I’ve been studying Ry Cooder’s rhythm technique for a while now, it’s not easy. The Rolling Stones once said that they “try to do with four hands what Ry does with two”. Higher praise is there not. Here’s a particularly nice example – the audio is AWFUL, but you get the idea. That phrasing!
[youtube]vstn5v-v5Is[/youtube]

Savannah Collection and the CCD
They’re very similar to the Korina Collection, aren’t they? Gotta admit that my reaction to the CCD’s newest addition was “oh”. The Korina models were a pretty radical departure from what they usually make, and I guess I was expecting something equally different and exciting when the Savannah Collection was released. What’s your opinion?


Last Friday the GF and I went for a celebratory lunch at my favourite near-by winery. It’s such a great place. No flashy cellar door tasting area here - this one is in a shed. The restaurant is a trestle table on the winery floor, and the food is excellent, home-style Italian that doesn’t cost much more than your average Chinese take-away, and the wine is superb - we took 18 bottles of wine home Here’s a photo of myself posing next to a machine I’ve spent many, many labour intensive days using when I worked on vineyards. I'll steal Elwoods great 'guess the thing' idea here - Any guesses as to what it is? (Hint: it goes on the back of a tractor). Anyone know what kind of trees those are in the background?

[meursault]

well... no fear, since i never broke a fresh set of strings when winding !

i don't know what to think about lead and rhythm... what i know is that i don't like lead when it comes to solo, with a couple of exceptions... and in the music i make with the guys, that distinction is irrelevant...

about the guessing game this is not fair because we don't even see the full stuff ! how can we guess if we are not from the deep deep country ?

[blargfromouterspace]

about the guessing game this is not fair because we don't even see the full stuff ! how can we guess if we are not from the deep deep country ?

Fair call. The bit out of shot is a long metal arm (the curved bit over my head) ending in a hook shape. There's one on the other side too. They're each about 4m long. If you'd used one, you'd know what it was from this shot.

[meursault]

Fair call. The bit out of shot is a long metal arm (the curved bit over my head) ending in a hook shape. There's one on the other side too. They're each about 4m long. If you'd used one, you'd know what it was from this shot.

no doubt indeed !

ok my guess... This machine is used for tensioning a net over vines or bushes to protect them ! ...

[supereiv]

Rhythm is 99% of time you play when you're a guitar player, at least that's what a teacher told me long ago. I think he's right, but I really feel it since a couple of years I admit .
One stellar rythm guitar player is Robben Ford, he impress me much more with is rythm playing than is lead playing.
I put a lot of work into rythm guitar lately, and it's an endless quest.

I have mixed feelings about the savannah collection, a bit meh...

[suave eddie]

In over 40 years of playing I don't remember ever breaking a string while changing and bringing up to pitch. I can't even remember the last time I have broken a string under any circumstance.

Ry Cooder--One of the greatest players ever.

Here's a complete show from '87 that was supposed to have been released on DVD but never was, AFAIK.

(I can't figure out how to get this one to embed)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRxW3zj4 ... A&index=94

[yowhatsshakin]

(I can't figure out how to get this one to embed)

Here you go:
[youtube]iRxW3zj4mcg[/youtube]

[suave eddie]

Which portion of the URL did you place between the brackets? I tried several variations. Usually there is only one string after the "=" sign.

[ellengtrgrl]

The last time I broke a string while tuning up, was at least 20 years ago.

Ry Cooder's pretty cool. A little bit of trivia for those who do not know this - Ry played guitar on Captain Beefheart's 1st album, "Safe As Milk." The 'Captain did some cool tuneage.


As for the machine you're standing next to Blarg - hmmmm, the trees behind you look like apple or cherry trees. So, the machine is an apple or cherry picker.

Ellen (who ate nuked mac and cheese for her lunch today),
Finishing up her workday (then a 4 day weekend for me!)

[Kit]

I've been playing guitar (and changing strings) for something like 40 years and seldom have I broken a string while changing string, but about a year ago it did. I use a digital tuner when I tune up. I must have spaced out while I was tuning up one of the high strings and thought I was still almost an octave low. Of course the string snapped. Now when I tune up I always have another guitar around so I can tune up at least one string relatively close by ear before I use the digital tuner to get them right in tune.

I think good rhythm playing can really make a song stand out. When I first got hooked on pop music was around the time the Beatles burst on the scene. John Lennon's rhythm playing made me pay attention to the role of his guitar in the mix, which lead me to paying attention to Paul's basslines, Ringo's drumming, and George's solos. As my ears got good at figuring out who's playing what I became aware of how most Lennon's solos were actually based on chord shapes, which was very different than the mostly single note runs by Paul or George.

[repoman]

Jamie -

I think I may have broken a string once or twice when winding new strings. I attribute it to faulty manufacturing and NOT user error.
But I've never lost an eye or anything so I'm not gun shy about it yet.

Savannah Collection? meh, they look pretty enough but nothing that really gets my motor running.

The machine you're standing next to looks like a Flux Capacitor.
That looks like apple country so I'm gonna guess those are apple trees.

Got a few vineyards an hour or so north of me. I've been a couple times to one that has an awesome Sunday brunch. But it ain't cheap!

Jeff

[Elwood]

Any guesses as to what it is?

Maybe a Tree Shaker ?

Listening to Dire Straits alot I'm impressed by how solid and unassuming the 'other' guitarist plays.
More-so impressed by the drummer. Him just practicing in the hotel room shows how solid he is.

What gets me real excited is when a single guitarists holds down both rhythm and lead almost
imperceptibly. Hendrix is one of the few I can think of that just flows and really fills the air when things are right .
The folks that play harp guitar or the stick or those 8+ stringed full spectrum instruments
also come to mind.

Last time a string didn't take while tuning up was with a EB slinky .009 that had bad windings.
You know what to expect as you turn the tuner tighter and the string goes up for a second then dips lower than before. EB sent me some of those reinforced strings for free...but that was in a world long ago .
I don't use EB's ( or D'dorito's ) anymore.

Sorry I've been mia this week, I'll do my best to catch up.
elwood

[louis cyfer]

i don't think the rolling stones can do with 4 hands what ry does with his left thumb. check out the sound track for last man standing

[youtube]TH-0jGsl0vk[/youtube]

[blargfromouterspace]

I'm surprised that so few have you have sustained injuries while changing strings! What am I doing wrong?!?!?!

Meursalt - Got it in one. It is indeed a netting machine.

Xavier - I've just picked up a whole bunch of Joni Mitchell albums, one of which Robben Ford plays on. I can't remember which it is at the moment, but will track it down later today and listen more carefully.

Eddie - I'm going to put that show on very soon. How good is it that there are all these full length live concerts on Youtube now!

Ellen - You got it, they're cherry trees. Mmmmmmmmmm, cherries...

Kit - that's how I've broken strings too, not concentrating while using a string winder.

Jeff - Wrong on both guesses, but there are several apple orchards nearby, so it is apple country.

Elwood - Hendrix is the undisputed master of that. Jimmy Page is kinda there too, IMO - not the same style or as good as Hendrix, but there's a lot going on in Led Zep tunes.

Louis - Great tune, from a great movie. Though the film it's a remake of - Yojimbo - is even better.

[Elwood]

I'm surprised that so few have you have sustained injuries while changing strings! What am I doing wrong?!?!?!

The ones I get, not oftn...used to be everytime, is getting poked by the tuner end before bending it over.
( What do you all think is the best way to trim/bend/terminate the tuner winding end ? ).
I think of it now as an unplanned but probably needed accupuncture/bloodletting treatment .

[Kit]

Louis - Great tune, from a great movie. Though the film it's a remake of - Yojimbo - is even better.

I never heard of "Last Man Standing," but I am well familiar with "Yojimbo." Akira Kurosawa has to be considered one of the best movie directors ever. And it is not only his samurai movies either, his 'modern day' Japan movies are also excellent. I have a copy of his autobiography and have read it 3 times since I bought it about 20 years ago.

[zapcosongs]

I'm four in on the eve of the Fourth of July, so forgive me.

The machine looks like a "chronic invaginator." Write me for my address, and you can send me my biscuits.

Seems to me there is one great rhythm guitar player for every twenty-six lead wankers. A rare breed, and much appreciated. This is why Martin Barre and Brian May are my two favorite guitarists. They are the only six-stingers in their respective bands, and they do both driving rhythm and tasty leads for their outfits with such confidence and aplomb, often at the same time.

What the hell day is it, again? - ed

[blargfromouterspace]

Louis - Great tune, from a great movie. Though the film it's a remake of - Yojimbo - is even better.

I never heard of "Last Man Standing," but I am well familiar with "Yojimbo." Akira Kurosawa has to be considered one of the best movie directors ever. And it is not only his samurai movies either, his 'modern day' Japan movies are also excellent. I have a copy of his autobiography and have read it 3 times since I bought it about 20 years ago.

I agree Kit. I've seen most of Kurosawa's films and there isn't a dud amongst them, I'll have to get hold of that book, I love a good autbiography. His go-to leading man, Toshiro Mifune, is one of my favourite actors ever - if for nothing else than his rage filled performance and outstanding death scene in "Red Beard".

[blargfromouterspace]

The machine looks like a "chronic invaginator." Write me for my address, and you can send me my biscuits.

Don't think I'll google that item...

[suave eddie]

Ry Cooder's pretty cool. A little bit of trivia for those who do not know this - Ry played guitar on Captain Beefheart's 1st album, "Safe As Milk." The 'Captain did some cool tuneage.

A bit more related trivia--
When the record label signed them to record that album, they were going to buy equipment for the band--Ry Cooder was told to pick a guitar--He picked out the famous blue Strat because "He liked the color".

[louis cyfer]

[youtube]4jjf1ugYXLc[/youtube]

[supereiv]

Xavier - I've just picked up a whole bunch of Joni Mitchell albums, one of which Robben Ford plays on. I can't remember which it is at the moment, but will track it down later today and listen more carefully.

try to get you ear on whatever album he recorded with his band "the blue flames" in the 90's, it's Roscoe Beck on bass and Tom Brechtlein on drums, stellar trio ! especially on the album "handful of blues"

[sirmyghin]

I have never had a string break while tuning. Infact, I have broken a string in at least a decade. Had a fun one that had me a bit worried with my bass last string up though. I was tuning to pitch and kept slipping as I approached D , back down to B. So I tried again ,and was watching, I trimmer the string a bit short and despite being jammed down the vintage tuner it wasn't gripping (has the center hole, etc). Tried bending it harder, pushing it in further, etc, no dice. So I took it up and made it wind over that end opposed to putting it through the hole, got a bit of overlap, been tuned to pitch since. The string goes under the wind at about 11 o clock.

Savannah collection does nothing for me. It feels like they are just trying to flood the market with all these 'special' or 'limited' runs, as we are getting at least 2 a year. Something truly creative opposed to a different body wood would be welcome. Not using ToM's would be a start ( why regress so heavily), but overall they are the same axes over and over again, just with a wood swap or a finish swap. They don't qualify over just giving you that option at purchase anymore, imo.

[darwinohm]

Just back from a gig trip.

I do not have a problem with new strings breaking. If I do a neck shim, sometimes the high E will break from detuning a lot. Otherwise, no porblem. I do wear glasses so the is a safety plus.

Great guitar work on the videos. I did not know of him but he is fantastic!

A good rhythm player is hard to find and my daughter Kari is really mastering the art. Kind of like getting a good backup singer.-- Darwin

[The Black Page]

Robbed ford's basically as good as it gets.love ry's stuff as well.
As far as rhythm players go them Motown cats are just the bomb.nolan with James brown,McKay with earth wind & fire & obviously Nile Rodgers who skanked up many a hit.so much nuance...

[KenC]

As far as rhythm players go them Motown cats are just the bomb.

+1. I was working out James Jamerson's bass line from "Someday We'll Be Together", and had to skip over the the guitar to figure out something that was escaping me (a diminished chord in the verse). The "Funk Brothers" (as Motown's 1960s studio crew called themselves) had two rhythm guitars going - one strummed a chord every four measures or so, and the other played a three-note arpeggio every time the chord changed. They also worked every bit of guitar into beats where the bass was resting. So simple, but absolutely perfect for the song.

I'm sure everyone has had a string break on them and hit them, painfully, at least once while tuning to pitch.

A couple of years ago I bought an oud for some world music gigs. I don't remember why my wife was so crabby that afternoon (especially since she hadn't heard me play it yet ), but she was standing about two feet away and griping at me non-stop. I suggested that she at least move away from the instrument while I tuned up. She said something along the lines of "you just don't want to listen to me", turned to walk away, and...PING!!! A string broke at the bridge and caught her square on the rear end. She jumped about three feet. I reminded her that I had just suggested she back up. To this day she still can't see the humor in the whole situation.

Ken

[meursault]

I'm surprised that so few have you have sustained injuries while changing strings! What am I doing wrong?!?!?!

Meursalt - Got it in one. It is indeed a netting machine.

wooohoooo ! what did i win ? what did i win ?