Oldjock

Thanks for posting the article Mandy. Recording myself play has really become one of my failures. I have such limited time to play and practice that I cannot commit more time to learning about recording systems. I have on occasion used the Voice memos app on iOS and have been disappointed with the results. I suspect the the replay points out to my lack of skills rather than the tinny sound coming from the phone. In the summary the author states, "Multitracking a song by yourself is one of the best things you can do to improve your musicianship." I cannot disagree, so I must begin moving in that direction to improve my skill set. Hopefully my children's houses will be completely renovated and more time becomes available. There are many small recorders on the market for less than $300. What are my fellow forum members using and why? Henk

@Gran Gran welcome to the beginning of a wonderful journey. One is never to old to start learning something new. I started at 68 and am thoroughly enjoying both the learning experience and the comradery of a nice group of guitarists in the L & M group with Steve. There are many different reasons for picking a particular guitar but Diane is right, "..it must be one that you use." Since you have already chosen your guitar, practice with it, learn with it and enjoy it. Don't feel that this guitar will be the final guitar in your journey, very few people still use the guitar they started with. You did not mention whether your guitar is acoustic or electric, a big difference in the learning curve as well as the sounds produced. As for the statement that a more expensive guitar will make you a better player, is in my opinion false. There is no doubt that there is a difference between a $200 guitar and a $2000 guitar but little difference between $1000 & $2000. Amps, modelers and pedals all change tones which you may be seeking. My advice, keep it simple and as you learn more about the music and the instrument, you will make a better informed decision as to which direction to proceed on your fantastic journey. Henk

Congratulations Wim, you can be very proud of your ability to build on your ability to play the guitar. Never stop learning. Henk

Diane, I always enjoy reading your blogs, trying to catch the subliminal message. Otis is right, there are more years behind us than ahead, so enjoy the moment. A wise scholar once told me that there is a reason why the car has a large windshield with a small rear view mirror. Enjoy the past but keep your priorities in front of you. You and Otis make quite a pair, making beautiful music, arm in arm heading into the future. Henk

@Six String you have made a great choice. The Boss Katana 50 is versatile, light and as boomy as you want to make it. There is now a version 4 update on the patches with Boss Tone Studio. I am thoroughly enjoying mine and it matches well with the Boss MD-80. Henk

Wow Diane, that was very impressive. It is a wonderful talent to be able to write music and this song could be the beginning of a new career. Someone once said, "never stop learning", hmmm. Henk

fingers crossed, stay safe Greg. Henk

What a great idea for a travel guitar in a small package. This hits all the check boxes for me except one, the price. The anticipated price point is 2200 EUR or $2600 USD which puts it North of $3000 CAN. I could buy a dozen beaters for that price but at a larger travel size. Someone will buy it. Henk

Great catch Randy, you will really enjoy this guitar. One of the guys that I play with has the same model "Grand Pacific 517", I think. He uses Martin strings and oh boy what a beautiful sounding guitar. Enjoy!! Henk

That's a beauty Greg. I see many hours of pleasure in your future. Henk

Interesting that you said, "...the birds are way too noisy". Four years ago, I could finally afford a set of new digital hearing aids and that was the first time I noticed. I had never been able to clearly hear the beautiful sounds of birds singing and made me realize how lucky I was. Henk

Great story Mike, thank you for sharing, Henk

Happy Birthday Steve! Thank you! Henk

Way to go Greg, that was excellent. Nothing is more special in life than bringing the Grandkids into a shared project. Henk

A good read Mandy but I suppose the composition of the list is dependent on the age of the participants making the requests. Personally I liked some of the songs but jazz is missing, perhaps that indicates my age group. Henk

Luckily for me, my audiologist is also a guitar player. She asked me to bring a guitar into the lab and play songs. My hearing aids are digital and allow for four different programs to use in various situations. My programs are standard, dining, wind/golf and music. While playing she designed a special program for music. Then asking me if the tweaks to the program were better or worse, she dialed in the response which sounded good to me. Unfortunately she could not make me sound like Carlos Santana. Henk

Well, I guess that makes me an extra old fart who wears two hearing aids. For me my best buddy is the Snark. Henk

Congratulations Mike, I love that dark cherry colour. Many hours of pleasure in your future. Henk

Ron, that was fabulous, a great song and better rendition. Henk

My campfire guitar is an old Seagull beater. I would never consider taking a Martin on a camping trip. Henk

I'm trying to stay with the "basic food groups". A six string acoustic, for the campfires; a 12 string acoustic for the folk songs and Gordon Lightfoot; and a six string electric which covers the blues and rock. I have been strictly adhering to the rule, "One guitar in means one leaves", of course that may all change with a lottery win. Henk

This is the same type of question as how a guitar sounds. It is completely subjective as far as your hearing or feel. I use the same strings which came with my guitars, 10 - 46 on the electric (PRS) and 12 - 54 on acoustics (Seagull). Henk

That is a beauty Ron, like you I am a big fan of Carlos. I can see in your future many hours of pleasure playing this wonderful guitar. Smooth!! Henk

No problem Steve, I could follow along with the worksheet. I was able to get the idea. Thanks for helping us with this downtime. Henk

For me two day in the early morning. Guitar Gathering and PRS Guitars Forum. Henk