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colder

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Posts posted by colder

    Is it possible?

    in Guitar Open Talk

    Posted

    Using a metronome would be great practice, but the jam along tracks (as well as any other backing tracks you can find online) would be a great way to simulate things. 

    When you’re among friends, everyone wants you to succeed. Keep it simple and I bet you’ll be fine. It’s better to underplay than overplay ?

    • Like 1

    Guitar Gathering 2018 - Wed June 20-Saturday June 23rd

    in Past Guitar Gathering Conferences

    Posted

    On 6/14/2018 at 9:39 AM, matonanjin said:

    And Doug it goes on to read "as long as there is room".  I've gotten in arguments with people on other forums that seem to think that the airlines, due to the new travel regulations, have to provide one with space for a guitar in the overhead or under the seat.  They do but only so long as there is room.  And it's up to the airline staff to determine "if there is room".  If you are not in early boarding "always be prepared to have them check it under the plane".

    Any more, when I fly, I just always check my Strat in luggage.    I have a TSA compliant locking hardcase.  I lock it up, close my eyes, and check it.  The first couple times, because I was afraid,  I put my "starter guitar" Yamaha Pacifica in the case and checked it.  But the last times (10?) that I have flown I checked the Strat.  So far.  So good.

    Yeah, what I take away from that is that a musical instrument seems to be exempt from the normal size restrictions for carry-on items. But they still have to fit in the overhead, and there is no guarantee that by the time you board there will be space in the overhead. In that sense they should be treated like any other piece of carry-on luggage... but it might come down to the whims of whomever is working that day as well. Kind of risky. 

    It seems like paying for priority boarding would be a good idea if you were going to try this! 

    Give us your one best practice tip!

    in Guitar Playing & Technique

    Posted

    If you could offer the Guitar Gathering family one practice tip, which one would you offer? What tip has helped you the most to advance your playing? What do you wish someone would have told you when you're just starting out? 

    I'll go first.


    For me, the ultimate practice tip was that if I can't play something, go slower and slower until you can play it perfectly. Don't be afraid of going turtle slow for a while. Then repeat and repeat, gradually increasing tempo with every few successes. It's so hard to play slowly sometimes! It can really help and save a lot of frustration. 

    That was the best tip I received early on: Speed is a by-product of accuracy. 

     

    So what one tip would you give the newbies of the world?

    • Like 2
    • Thanks 1

    Guitar case or not for an extended period ?

    in Guitar Care, Repair & Building

    Posted · Edited by colder

    When I lived in Florida, the humidipaks would last a long time and did just fine, but here in the upper midwest, they dried out too fast to be useful.

    I need to use two of the refillable humidifiers in the cases to keep the humidity around 40%. This year I bought a couple of Dampits and added those to the case too, and that keeps them happy around 50%. It's amazing how fast things dry out here. 

    Part of the issue is probably that I live in a loft downtown which is in a converted building that has all the drafts and radiator heat that come along with those old buildings and their "character" ? It makes for a low humidity recipe, but I've been through several winters here now without any damage to any of my acoustics using the oasis humidifiers and the dampits. Hope that continues! 

    • Like 2

    Guitar case or not for an extended period ?

    in Guitar Care, Repair & Building

    Posted

    On 5/24/2018 at 4:31 PM, Randy120 said:

    The case is the safest place for the guitar. I have seen humidity levels at 18% here in New England during the winter so the humidifier is very important. 

    Yeah, here in Minnesota in the dead of winter it can be just as dry - the humidity can be lower here in the dead of winter than it is in a desert. 

    I find the Oasis and Dampit humidifiers to work the best for me. I have to monitor them every day or every other day and refill them with distilled water, but they do the job even in pretty harsh conditions. 

    • Like 1

    Guitar Gathering 2018 - Wed June 20-Saturday June 23rd

    in Past Guitar Gathering Conferences

    Posted

    On 6/5/2018 at 9:56 AM, ShadowBoxer86 said:

    It was easier with so many people to use an acoustic during the classes.  I would think that if you had something like a battery operated Line 6 POD you could use earbuds so you could hear yourself play your electric it might be ok.  They had an amp in the classes that I went to that they passed the cord around during a few of the sessons.  I ended up leaving my electric in my hotel room until it was time for a set up with Greg.  I brought a music stand last time and if I can get one in time I'll bring a portable guitar stand.  See you all soon.

    That is another good question I suppose. I don't use guitar stands, I like them safe in the case :) However, should I bring a music stand? Will there be enough for everyone? I can bring my own if not. 

    Guitar Gathering 2018 - Wed June 20-Saturday June 23rd

    in Past Guitar Gathering Conferences

    Posted

    5 hours ago, Beatup6String said:

    A question to the gang (its probably been asked many times!).

    This will be my first Guitar Gathering and I'm really looking forward to it. My question is what do you recommend as far as bringing an Acoustic vs an Electric? I have a small practice amp that really wouldn't be a problem lugging around. What is the 'norm' for these events? I'm guessing that most bring Acoustic...

    Thoughts?

    Dale

     

    Hi Dale,

    I asked that question in another thread, and most people responded that either one will be fine, but acoustic seemed to be the preference of those responding to my question. 

    I'll probably bring my acoustic but I'm still kind of on the fence. In a way I want to bring my electric because I spend a lot more time playing electric, but the idea of going acoustic for a week of intensive study seems natural too... stripping things down to just the mental side of things. 

    Who knows, for me it'll be a game time decision which one I bring but I think either will work just fine.  

     

     

    Boss Katana Amp Product support

    in Guitar Gear, Amps, Effects, Pedals

    Posted

    I have heard many great things about the Katana series. I would check one out for a practice amp, but I absolutely love my Yamaha THR10. My favorite practice amp I've ever owned, it sounds pretty nice for its size but with headphones on it really sounds great. (I usually practice at night with headphones on so it's a perfect fit.) 

    Very light and portable, battery powered if you want, runs on AC if you don't. Check the Yamaha THR's out. 

    Changing Barre Chords

    in Guitar Playing & Technique

    Posted

    Yeah, it's hard to avoid all that string rattling at first. Eventually you develop the muscle memory to where your hand can find a barre chord shape without you even looking, and when you have that, you can move your hand from barre chord to barre chord without needing to keep your fingers attached to the strings. 

    Then the economy of movement thing comes in, you can do the chord change by lifting your fingers just barely off the strings as you move your hand to the next position, so there's no noise, but also to minimize movement. 

    I hate this answer to questions, but it just takes a lot of practice :) 

    Then again, even on some famous recordings you can hear a lot of string noise. Some people think it sounds cool or just don't care!

     

    • Like 1

    Have you built a guitar?

    in Guitar Open Talk

    Posted

    I once bought an empty tele body and neck and built it up. Other than some pickups and cheap parts from allparts, it only involved basic soldering which is about the limit of my mechanical ability :)

    It didn't sound bad at all. A tele (or an esquire!) might be a good place to start - super simple. 

    You won't save any money over buying something new though. At least I didn't. But I was paying for the fun.

    Help Me, Help You - Steve

    in Guitar Open Talk

    Posted · Edited by colder

    Finally - and this was something I LOVED and wished I had for guitar -

    I had another resource (for bass guitar) that had a feature I really, really liked. It was like a L&MG course in most ways. 

    In the book after each lesson there were several songs that used what you'd learned. You had a chart for those songs in the book, and then on the DVD there was a full band playing each of those songs, once with the bass, and once without. So I could pick up my bass in the living room, put the band up on the screen, and play along with them. First with the bass player, so I could follow his interpretation of things, and then without him, like I was the bass player. 

    This could have some really cool applications for guitar I think. It could teach us to stay in time with the other instruments, to watch the others for cues, just... a realistic situation that let me simulate being in a band. Maybe sometimes you're the lead player, sometimes you're playing rhythmn. 

    It was quite fun! I would totally be in for something like "Band packs" where you got 2 or 3 songs to learn that included video to play along with like what I described. I felt like a real bass player when I was using them :)

    Help Me, Help You - Steve

    in Guitar Open Talk

    Posted

    Hi Steve!

    I know you'll get all kinds of answers because everyone's objectives are different. I came up with some ideas for future resources, blog posts, etc. 

    I LOVE the learning material that you do. I would also like to see your experience in some application type of resources. Just some brainstorming:

    -How should I play when I'm playing with others vs alone, when I can do whatever I want? 

    -How do you vary your playing when you're with specific other instruments? Piano, bass, drums, other guitars, vocalists, etc. 

    -What about gigs? Where do I find them and how do I prepare for them?

    -How can I be someone that other people want to play with? 

    -What are good places for an advancing player to start when looking for live opportunities?

    -How do you know when you're advanced enough for a certain playing situation? 

    -What do you consider an intermediate player and what would be an advanced player? 

    -How do you sculpt your live tone, versus what sounds good in the practice room? 

    -What's the life of a musician really like?

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