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Post by bod on Nov 22, 2009 9:08:02 GMT
A lot of beginners are worried about being in the company of others, and exposing their playing technique, but my recommendation is that you have got to get out there and share some time with other players. Most people are only too willing to share tips and advice. The sooner you do this the better..I've seen too many people who have been playing for years stuck in their bedroom or sitting room with a £2000 guitar, with absolutely no technique, and yet thinking to themselves that they can play a bit. It does take a lot of nerve to get out there, but every time I've paid good money for lessons or workshops, it's been worth it. I have to say I reckon that's top advice, Deano. Aside from the value of the guitar, that little scenario is uncomfortably close to what I've spent a long time doing. I'm kind of embarassed to admit it, but after rather too long of shying away from playing a note in front of anyone (other than my wife and kids) I, just last week (!), finally forced myself to confront the issue and had my first ever guitar lesson. This was, frankly, a crazy situation to ever let myself get into and it was heeding what gets said here that finally made me look it in the face. The lesson went well - of course I was nervous as hell, when the guy asked me to play something so he could get a sense of where I was up to I could barely play at all for shaking, but the guy was very understanding about this - as a guitar teacher should be - and we got past it and just half an hour later I'd made some progress (seriously, I've been working on some chords all week that I gave up on ever learning ages ago). Now I'm really looking forward to more lessons - much better value than some more accessories or another book or dvd to gawp at shut away all on my own (it's the 'all on my own' bit that is the issue here, not the books or dvds as such). Listen to Chickenbone (and the others) on this, really, it makes the best sense. Do not shut yourself away on your own (like I did), that's a bad way to go. Cheers Dave
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Post by bod on Nov 21, 2009 21:58:04 GMT
Hi Deano I'm pretty much a begiiner myself, so the advice I can give is very limited. I have Michael's dvd and so far as slide goes it starts from the very beginning. You'll probably want to learn other stuff too, but (rightly or wrongly) I don't see why you shouldn't start right in with slide if that is what you want to do. There is a lot of useful info here on this site if you dig around, I'd suggest you do some searches, follow some threads, see what you find, There is a whole thread on the dvd you ask about, but you might also find this one useful michaelmesser.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=talkingblues&thread=2525&page=1Dave
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Post by bod on Nov 21, 2009 14:01:04 GMT
Interesting discussion - I guess we all have our own criteria and choose accordingly.
For my part, I'm not too worried about the aesthetics of the interior finish on my guitars, unless it impacts on function. (On which note,, the "finish" on the inside of the string holes on my Martin 00015s was just as rough and splintery as that on my Recording King RD27, despite the differences in country of origin and price)
Can't help thinking, though, that, whatever one's criteria, comparing companies with countries (e.g., National ResoPhonic with China) seems a bit odd. (Sorry, no offence intended, it just seems to me a funny way to come at the issue - comparing companies with companies or countries with countries seems less problematic, 'like with like', as they used to say.)
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Post by bod on Nov 13, 2009 18:05:22 GMT
Thanks for the comments... After some reflecting, I decided to try some 13s as a first step. They arrived today, so I put them on and gave it a try and that's it! The job's done, a new lease of life for an old guitar Suddenly it's over an hour later and I'm here grinning like an idiot ;D MM Slide Classics, they're grrrrrrrrrrreat! Ain't they just!
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Post by bod on Nov 12, 2009 13:40:16 GMT
Hi - just double checked to make sure, but I already have the latest flash player updates, so in this case at least that is not the explanation...
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Post by bod on Nov 11, 2009 13:50:22 GMT
Hi, I'm looking to set my electric up for slide, I've read some threads and come to some conclusions but thought I'd outline the initial plan here in case I'm missing something... So, in the first instance at least I'[m going with what I've got the guitar is a DeArmond Starfire Special (a Korean-built "Guild") - just like this one: www.premonition.co.uk/photos/010myGuitars/Pages/0.htmlNot sure what matters, so here is some basic info: It's semi-hollow and weighs a bit (darn great plank of maple up the middle), maple laminate body and single coil ceramic pickups (saw 'em described somewhere as P90-lite), scale length 24 3/4". It had flatwound Thomastik Jazz 11-47s on it when I got it and they are still on it now, nice enough in their own way but once you go for slide it seems unduly boomy on the bass, too light on the lighter strings and altogether lacking growl on the 1st string.. I did wonder if I'd need to change the nut, but from the threads here I get the impression that I will probably get away with just putting on some suitably heavy strings - Newtone MM Slide Classics, 15s if it'll take it (? I'm planning to say in low open tunings, Vestapol in D and Spanish in G, probably) - and that this will make the strings sit higher anyway.. then jack the bridge up a bit and perhaps find a way locking the vibro tailpiece (although I read these need fairly heavy strings to behave themselves anyway) Any comments / suggestions / cautions anyone? (My other main option would be to move the DeArmond on and spend some of the money on a budget "Tele" or something....) Cheers Dave
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Post by bod on Nov 11, 2009 12:42:08 GMT
Hiya
Percy thought this worth a mention on the SlideFest threads:
Provided you can give them your card details, the Red Lion in Atherstone don't need any money in advance to book you a room, they'll just charge the card afterwards (and charge even if you are not there, unless given more than 48 hours notice).
Cheers
Dave
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Post by bod on Nov 11, 2009 12:29:18 GMT
Turns out I can make it after all ;D
Travel will likely be by train (or lift, should any kind soul with room to spare be passing through Lancaster on their way). Probably will be bringing a guitar but not sure what yet. Staying over at the Red Lion on the Saturday night.
Also, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the Red Lion don't need any money for a room booking, so long as you can give them card details you don't get charged until afterwards. This is probably common practice, but either way I didn't know and when I mentioned it to Percy he suggested that I mention that here.
Cheers - looking forwrd to it already, it'll be good to meet some of you good people
Dave
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Post by bod on Nov 11, 2009 8:02:41 GMT
Hi LR,
First time around I got as far as seeing the log in / sign up screen fro Vimeo and backed out again, which kind of goes along with what Growler was saying.
Reading that you'd sorted that, I went to have another look. Straightforward access this time, but - and this might well be due to my ageing machine - the Vimeo didn't play as smoothly, sort of slightly jerky visuals and the sound, well, again a tiny bit jerky - if it had been an olde worlde record deck, I said have said the arm was skittering ever so ever so slightly. Didn't get either of these issues with the other one. Might it be that Vimeo's no compression approach places extra demands on ageing and/or ropey pcs?
Pretty sounds, by the way
Dave
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Post by bod on Nov 7, 2009 20:11:48 GMT
Many will no doubt already be familiar with it, I but only became aware of Buddy Guys Sweet Tea album yesterday, browsing around the web as you do, bought it as a download on the off chance and ain't hardly stopped playing it yet So, thought it worth a mention. Here's the url for the page that prompted me to try it www.nyrocker.com/blog/?tag=north-mississippi-blues (Funny digging this thread out again and seeing that I could have cottoned on to Danny Gatton best part of year before I did)
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Post by bod on Nov 5, 2009 23:11:57 GMT
It's always bugged ne. Young Musician Of The Year. Where are the rock guitarists and the folk banjo players? Asian kids with sitars? Or am I being cynical in viewing it as Young Middle Class White Kid Of The Year? .... But perhaps that's just me ;D Sadly, I don't think it is just you - not so long ago I was gobsmacked to be told (in all seriousness) that Chuck D (of Publilc Enemy) had erred in calling himself a musicologist (as he does, for example, in the course of the excellent Godfathers and Sons, from the fab Scorcese Blues series). Why so? Because "musicology" is the study of Western Art Music (what I would usually, if mistakenly, call 'classical'), only such music is music in the unqualified sense, it seems !! The stuff that Chuck D was interested in, I was told, falls under something called 'ethnomusicology,' and is not properly speaking music in the essential sense at all (I kid you not) Took me weeks to stop fuming - and now I'm off again - Grrr! (see)
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Post by bod on Oct 31, 2009 14:17:44 GMT
This souds great - well done for getting it organised, Percy.
I'd love to be there, but it's not looking at all possible (just bad luck on the timing). Maybe next time...
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Post by bod on Oct 24, 2009 6:35:12 GMT
Prompted by comments in another thread (distracted by Squier 51s), I found myself searching around for treatments for my general ignorance once more (What's a Gatton tele then? ... Ok, so who is Danny Gatton? ...The Humbler? etc) and so came across the following, which I thought fun...
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Post by bod on Oct 22, 2009 19:42:26 GMT
Blimey, Perce - got to admire your self-discipline, man, waiting to see if "Mrs WonderAnt" happens upon the thread like that. I'm afraid "Mrs Bod" has not been only been kept appraised of my new reso aspirations but also of the projected timeline for the revelation of new MM models. "Roundabout Xmas, then?" says she, as a prelude to pledging a contribution... (some of us have no shame - me, I do have a little, but I'm saving it for a good cause )
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Post by bod on Oct 19, 2009 15:07:44 GMT
Hi Niall
That's nice, enjoyed that - also interesting for me personally, both to hear an RD40 coming out the speakers rather than up from my lap and to hear something a bit different (to the sort of thing I usually try) being played on one. (Sent me reaching for mine straightaway... )
Cheers
Dave
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