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I remember trying to learn blues harmonica at uni... it's easy to get some noise out of it in key, but much harder to get any kind of decent tune! Fun though.
Harmonica is a weird instrument, isn't it. So many professional musicians play it really poorly that when you hear a properly talented player it really stands out.
Welcome back to the fold! 😊
There’s always something good about winding a guitar up to send the blues away. Big open G chord and all is good…
I’m a similar 30 (hmm 40?) year rubbish guitar player, but I recently found that one of my neighbours, an unassuming retired lady has been learning blues harmonica, but had only ever practiced on her own to YouTube videos, so I volunteered to be her live backing track on acoustic guitar. We had our second session last night and it sounded pretty good. Music is fab, even if you’re not a virtuoso…
thank you @chipps 🙂
This evening’s 10 minute guitar doodle: an ode to ITV coverage of the TdF in its final ever week
Shouldn't we all be contributing something from Ozzy and Sabbath. I've no doubt posted this before but under the circumstances:
Loved that throwback @superficial - and @edukator always delivers. I remember (finally) being in a band where we played Paranoid, with two guitars, loud drums and a half-decent singer. I knew I'd arrived 🙂
And now Superficial's vid has appeared and makes his post less confusing - good stuff, Superficial. Junior "lost" our looper. 🙁
I remember trying to learn blues harmonica at uni... it's easy to get some noise out of it in key, but much harder to get any kind of decent tune! Fun though.
Harmonica is a weird instrument, isn't it. So many professional musicians play it really poorly that when you hear a properly talented player it really stands out.
Coincidently I saw three harmonica players Friday - one supporting a solo resonator playing blues guitarist/singer for one song at "Ain't Nothin But the Blues" bar, one as a member of the Mustangs (supporting Kenny Wayne Shepherd) and the 91 year old Bobby Rush playing with Kenny Wayne Shepherd. The Mustangs player was good, but Bobby Rush was so clean in his playing - my favourite.
This looks an awesome bit of kit.
and following on from the harmonica conversation, I am looking at horner chromatics on ebay, I wonder how long it would take me to learn to play the theme from midnight cowboy.
I had a play around with making another pedalboard (I do this far more than I practise guitar - anyone need a guitar tech?) with the newish toy - a Victory Kraken V4 pedal amp and some other bits and pieces. I discovered that the 500mA 9V 'courtesy outlet' on the Kraken appeared to power my TC Plethora, so that means I have a 180W, two channel amp and a fridge full of effects in the space of a biscuit tin...
The other bits are a wireless, as my life is cluttered enough, a cheap A/B switch so I can switch to a cable easily if needed, a random drive pedal (because you always need a 'more' option, right? Besides, if you see my 'Box of Drives' below, I need to justify having so many drives...) and then the Little Twins pedal is just a remote switch for the Kraken (Ch 1/2 and Reverb on/off) and finally the Leech pedal which is just a passive volume dropper pedal, as even on 0.1, the Kraken is too loud for late night noodling... Oh, and there's a Voodoo Labs power supply underneath as it was bolted to the board anyway and I needed the 9V for the other bits and pieces.
It all went together surprisingly well. I just need this and my Barefaced 1x10 and I've got a massively loud and pretty versatile outfit. Doesn't quite fit into a rucksack, but it's not far off...
I'm sure I'll pull it apart and add/swap things next week, but it was a fun Monday night project.
(I've just realised there are a load more drive pedals upstairs... Ah well, gotta have a hobby, right?) 🙂
@chipps yes you definitely have a hobby alright with all those pedals lol.
i took a photo of my new guitar rig hopefully the link works?
ah never mind it won't let us post the link to photo.
@racefaceec90 - Do you not have the linky icon on your text box? (Or is that just a subscriber/member option?)
i think it's sub only (i do plan on re-joining again just a little short of funds atm lol (pats guitar and multifx pedal)
Ahh, well you could always email me the photo and I'll upload it... 😉
@chipps that would be very kind of you thank you 🙂 will try to email/message you the link (it's google photos).
btw i also wanted to add that i live in devizes wilts which is around 15 miles from where you grew up in bradford on avon i believe. it's still a beautiful place. i will shut up now lol.
@chipps thank you (and apologies again for me being an idiot 🙂
speaking of ozzy i do plan on trying to learn planet caravan as it is one of my fav ozzy/sabbeth tunes. love the dream like quality of the song.
@chipps it's cool to see you're back with a Victory Kraken 🙂
The one I bought from you is still going strong and making loud doomy noises weekly at band practice. In more recent times it has been supplemented by a 2x12 Zilla cabinet (used -- there's an argument for it having belonged to Periphery which is quite exciting if entirely irrelevant) and an Actual Gibson SG.
speaking of ozzy i do plan on trying to learn planet caravan as it is one of my fav ozzy/sabbeth tunes. love the dream like quality of the song
Ha.
Just remembered I performed that for my Higher Music exam way back in the early 90s. I don't think the fuddy duddy examiner had a clue who Black Sabbath were, but I still got an A grade!
Follow up on the Harley Benton DIY kits - the Strat copy I dodged together was enough to pique the interest of a colleague so I painted a Jazzmaster kit for him and he's building it now instead of concentrating on work. First time spray painting anything and I reckon it looks alright:
Obviously not perfect - mainly because I never thought to fill all the little wood imperfections before I painted it - but I'm pretty sure I know how to get it right next time, and after seeing this I've got orders for a Pacific Blue Tele-style, a red burst Gibson LP-style and a hand-painted "Hawaii silhouette" resonator.
Anything to avoid actually practicing guitar 🫣
that looks very nice @TheFlyingOx 🙂
i have just had delivered this bad boy today (apologies for the link to the thread on fretboard forum)
it's flippin awesome i have to say (i just wish that i could shred and do it some justice lol) my first charvel also. no more guitars now for me ha.
Anything to avoid actually practicing guitar
Having made a few guitars over the years, I now have the same affliction with pedalboards. 'Got a new tune to learn? How about swapping all of your drive pedals out and cramming a Phaser pedal in there just for that one song instead? It'll take you a good couple of days and you can play with zipties and soldering irons!'
Ahem...
And racefaceec90 - that's a mighty fine looking shred machine!
I really hope there's a link between the Charvel San Dimas name and Bill and Ted.
In other guitar changing news, finally sold my Jason Isbell Telecaster and bought a £499 PRS SE NF3, which I much prefer.
Random question about what electro-acoustic to buy of my sons. He's a proper guitarist (grade 8 can actually play though insists he's nowt special, does so in pub sessions, open mikes, and now the occasional gig and has some recording booked). Mainly folky type stuff I'd call it. He needs and can justify a better guitar. Has played Martins he's liked. I could run to £500. There's an obvious bit of a gap. Grateful for any thoughts...?
You can get a basic Martin (with pickup!) for £500+VAT if you want the name on the headstock.
https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/240108417570020--martin-x-series-d-x1e-koa
The tone purists will scoff at the HPL (posh plywood. Though plywood is lauded by the same purists on the Gibson 335...)
Or, if he's open to other brands, I'd recommend going to a decent guitar shop and seeing what they have. Explain what you're after and play everything until you find the one you really gel with. You'll get massively better value secondhand, even from a shop, so that's always worth a look
Thanks. I was hoping he'd have a few more positive ideas fwiw based on being a good player (far better than me) but I guess neither of us is hugely interested in kit. Hence asking for thoughts on here .. 😁
£500 should be plenty to get a decent enough guitar. He'll need to think about whether he wants a pickup, whether he needs a cutaway to reach the high frets, that kind of stuff. After that, it's a case of finding something that makes you want to play. It's just the same as bikes... Getting one that fits you and inspires you is better than the name. Sigma might be good to look at - it was (AFAIK) started to be the budget arm of Martin and as such, they make copies of every Martin model for not much cash at all...
I've got a couple of Sigma Martin DM-2. 100% plywood, even the top, but well made and nice to play. Ply or solid makes little difference to sound at the cheaper end, you have to pay for very thin solid wood guitars to get a significant improvement and they cost lots. I quite like the Fender acoustics at the cheaper price points, the necks are a bit slimmer than many acoustics. Epiphone too though their cheaper all solid models area bit dead to my ears. I've got an all solid Epiphone Frampton Texan and it's not a patch on the American one.
Andertons have a Faith Hi Gloss Saturn 2nd hand for £389
https://www.andertons.co.uk/second-hand-faith-hi-gloss-saturn-359/
This isn't the more basic naked range but a much more durable version, ideal for gigs etc. Its an £800 guitar new and even then Faith are known for their tone sounding extremely good for the price. Its probably cheap because everyone wants matt satin finish these days and cutaways.
I've no affiliation with the shop but I do have a cheaper Faith Naked Neptune and its better than I'll ever be!
I've tried cutaways. Problem is I use quite heavy wound strings and light steel strings with a steel G so intonation is so far out by the time I'm using the cutaway it sounds crap. I've learned to find alterantive ways of playing some songs and given up on things that use the high e beyond 16
Thanks folks - some ideas! Appreciated. .(And no one buy that Faith...🤔)
I think you need to let him choose his muse… it’s a very personal choice.
personally I have quite an open affair with mine….
Yamaha electro-aucoustics are certainly vfm.
As others have said, go to your local music shop or guitar fair and get some advice.
Do they still do Music Live Show at the NEC?
I plan to continue learning guitar this coming winter following a break for a few years I'm still a beginner having previously followed the Justin Guitar course reaching Beginner Grade 2 before work/life got in the way. I plan to continue with Justin Guitar, probably repeating some sections, but are there any apps, tools etc that I may have missed that fellow beginners have found particularly beneficial? Dare I ask whether AI has found its way the guitar learning world yet and if so, in what way?
Many thanks.
Yamaha electro-aucoustics are certainly vfm.
Bought one for myself a year or so ago (APX/cpx I forget) really solid tuning, easy to play and makes a nice noise and is absolutely all the guitar I want .
But I think he wants something more, er, characterful without being quirky, and would like me to do the work as in getting the lad a present not telling him to go round guitar shops like he did in his early teens. Now, 15 years later he's the proper.musician (albeit one clearly a lot less interested in/knowledgeable about actual instruments than most people on this thread) and his being in Edinb complicates things a bit. Anyway I just meant to say thanks for the ideas...
I think it sounds like only he can make the decision. If you're looking for a forever guitar, it's going to be such a personal choice. I'd head up there for the day with a wodge of cash and spend the whole day trying every guitar that appeals in all of the shops*. A good shop won't begrudge that. And then he'll get the guitar he deserves.
* My wife has done exactly the same to me, trying to find the perfect pair of boots... 🤣
If I were buying a proper musician an instrument and only had a budget of £500 I'd fail and spend more or hand over the cash. The most expensive acoustic I've got is an all solid Yamaha LL16 dreadnought, that's about the cheapest guitar I'd put in a proper musicians hands as a present. However if you look at my vid on the previous page you'll note that when I want a guitar that's easy to play I pick up the old Sigma Martin rather than the Yamaha.
I'd fail and spend more or hand over the cash
All of which options are very much on the table, bar that of me spending more 😁
Dare I ask whether AI has found its way the guitar learning world yet and if so, in what way?
I was noodling around with a basic Em, Bm, Am fingerstyle progression, adding in riffs, moving the shapes up and down the fretboard, etc, and was quite pleased with how it sounded, but with only the three chords started getting fairly bored and looking for a way to extend it. Lazily, I thought let's use some basic AI to find something REALLY good.
The reply I got was something like 'this is a basic I, V, VI progression..' Obviously computers don't have fingers to count their chords on, like wot I do, but this was a fail in the first sentence.
I don't hold any faith in the LLMs being able to build a learning plan because it's not a single route or single destination ..... I would say keep doing the Justin lessons and supplement them with stuff like using youtube playalong streams, get yourself a looper pedal, just put the radio on and try and play along, find simple solos to learn (Something by the beatles, Chasing Rainbows by ShedSeven, all the oasis solos...)
My girlfriend of the day taught me this 45 years ago:
Hammy Hamster would approve 🐹
Found this neat little nerd tool yesterday
It lets you compare the tone profiles of drive pedals. Absolutely nerd territory, but interesting!
A physical teacher is worth thier weight in gold - they can taylor stuff to your interest whilst also sneaking in a bit of theory, learning scales, and how to improvise using scales, etc.