Guitar Wisdom

Holiday wishes to all my friends!

2011-12-15T10:55:00.000-08:00

Aswe move from one year into the next, I wanted to take a moment and wish you alla Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Yes, you heard me right, “MerryChristmas!” I don’t go for the “Happy Holidays” routine – so sue me if I am notpolitically correct.

Musicallyspeaking, I have been working with a 6-7 piece jazz band called the “Paragons.”The band has a trumpet and a sax player, and plays mostly dance music such asswing, cha-chas, tangos, sambas and some vintage rock and roll. The musiciansin the band are very talented and experienced, so working with this band is alwaysa lot of fun.

I have a newhobby. I got back into ham radio (I got my first ham radio license in 1988) andI've taken tests the first Saturday of the last three months until I finallyworked my way up to the top level, "Extra Class'" which is as high asyou can go in ham radio. Now I am studying FEMA courses and am getting some"Incident Management System" certificates, and will be doing somevolunteer work with the Sheriff’s office and some ham radio emergencycommunications organizations. Whenever the next disaster comes, I should befully credentialed and will be helping out with disaster relief and emergencycommunications. I also built a web site (http://radio.tomsmerk.com) that I will be using toprovide news about local ham radio groups and clubs. If you are interested inham radio, scanners, shortwave listening, CB radio, GMRS or FRS, check out myweb site and see what you think!

So, back tomusic. When I play with the Paragons, I've been playing my big jazz guitar mostof the time, the Heritage Golden Eagle, and I’m using a neat little Fishman Loudboxamp, which is very small and light, but it has 60 watts of power so it workswell with the bigger band.

I still maintainmy performance schedule at http://musician.tomsmerk.com/gigs.html,so hopefully you will soon be able to come to one of my shows. Don’t forget tosay “hi” when you come. If I can ever do anything for you, feel welcome tocontact me at tom@tomsmerk.com.

Happy Holidays!(Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!)

Happy New Year 2011

2011-01-04T10:36:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year. The year 2010 got busy toward the end, so I had less time to be a blogger. The new Rightside CD I mentioned earlier was finished on-schedule and is available at http://rightsideband.com. I also finished (finally) my own solo CD of praise and worship music. I started writing songs for that one back in 2007. For more information on “For The Faithful,” see http://musician.tomsmerk.com/forthefaithful.html. It is a collection of twelve praise and worship songs, including four originals. The rest of the songs are popular church hymns from "a few years ago," before all the modern music took over the worship service in the church. We sang some great timeless hymns back then, and I hope you will enjoy hearing some of them again.

I am currently writing and recording songs for my new CD, which will be an instrumental jazz recording featuring guitar. You can hear some samples of the new CD at http://musician.tomsmerk.com/tunes3.html. So far, I have identified seventeen songs for the album. Now I am thinking that maybe I should find three more songs and then do two CDs with ten songs on each. Or maybe I will go ahead and record all seventeen, then pick the best twelve to fifteen songs to be included on the new CD.

Recently, I have launched a new Facebook page to promote my music. Please follow the page at http://www.facebook.com/tomsmerkmusic. If you are a Facebook user, be sure to click the “Like” button so that you will receive updates of all the posts. Also on Facebook, I am trying to promote a “Facebook Group” named “Backstage Chat.” It is intended to be a place where musicians, entertainers, songwriters, speakers, concert promoters and support staff, music teachers, etc. can have a place to hang out and share information, stories-from-the-road, tips, advice, useful information, announcements, etc. Picture yourself walking in to a room where many of your favorite local or national entertainers are sitting around on sofas or at tables, relaxing, and "talking shop." The Internet makes this possible, and I'm hoping a lot of entertainers find this page and are willing to share a sense of community, from seasoned veterans with a lot of advice to share, to newbies looking for all the resources they can latch on to. A group FOR musicians BY musicians! Please check it out!

I am going to be trying out a new way of delivering my music a local small venue concerts such as coffee houses and open mics. I just recently purchased a new acoustic guitar amplifier, a Fishman LoudBox Mini. It is actually more than an acoustic guitar amplifier – it is a 3 channel system that includes a connector to plug in my iPod (or CD player) for my backing tracks, a guitar channel with a phase switch for acoustic guitar, and a microphone channel with XLR input. Both channels have separate reverb level controls, and the guitar channel also has a nice chorus effect. Each channel has separate volume and tone controls, and the tone controls are active, meaning that if the bass knob is set half way, it is set to “neutral,” or effectively not in use, and then turning it up adds bass and turning it down cuts bass. This allows me to get a perfect tone out of both my guitar and microphone. The aux input for my iPod doesn’t have any controls, it goes right to the master volume, but the tone is perfect without any modification (a credit to the iPod) and I can regulate the volume on the iPod itself. The tone on the guitar channel is excellent for both acoustic and electric guitar. I plan to set up one of each – my Martin D42 K2 for acoustic and my Heritage Golden Eagle for jazz, and then connect them with an A/B box to switch between the guitars. The amplifier has 60 watts of power, and it actually sounds like 60 watts. The whole amp is very small and light, so this new setup should make it very easy to set up for gigs. Plus, my sound will be more consistent from gig to gig since I will be using the same rig and not have to rely on house systems. If I need more volume, the amp includes a direct output (XLR) to plug it right in to the house system! I’m very excited about the possibilities. I think people will be amazed when they hear how much sound comes from this small amp. I will be using it for the first time on January 14, 2011 at Friendly Grounds Coffee in Santee. Show is from 6-7:30PM – I hope you can make it!

My wife, Peggy, had some health problems just before Christmas, so we went to Las Vegas for a week to rest up and have some fun. The Aria Resort & Casino in the new City Center development comped us one of the nicest suites we have ever stayed it. It was a “corner” suite, and had great views of the strip from every room. Even the bath tub sat surrounded by windows for a nice view while you soaked, but I didn’t have time to try it out. After a few days at the Aria, we moved to the Wynn Resort. Next to Bellagio, the Wynn is probably my favorite hotel and casino in Las Vegas. We had a wonderful stay at the Wynn, and also spent some time looking at the nice Christmas decorations at the Bellagio Hotel. We also checked out the new “Cosmopolitan” Resort & Casino which opened just a few days before we arrived. This brand new addition to the strip looks like it is also one of the fanciest,

Back home from Las Vegas, we enjoyed Christmas at home by ourselves, and then enjoyed the company of friends at two different New Year’s Eve parties.

Plans for the New Year are simple – keep working on the new jazz CD until it is finished, play the gigs I have scheduled, and try to get more paid gigs with other bands. I’ve already begun to accomplish that goal by securing a dance job with the Paragon Jazz Band in February. I’ve worked with this band before, and am looking forward to seeing some of my old friends again.

Until I get a chance to write more articles for my blog, I hope you will keep in touch other ways. Here is a list of the many ways you can remain a part of my life:

Website: http://musician.tomsmerk.com
Other Websites: http://tomsmerk.com
Music Blog: http://guitarwisdom.blogspot.com
Personal Blog: http://tomsmerk.blogspot.com
Music Page on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tomsmerkmusic
Personal Page on Facebook: http://facebook.com/tsmerk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/tsmerk
Email: tom@tomsmerk.com
San Diego Reader Page: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/bands/tom-smerk
Rightside band web site: http://rightsideband.com

Keep in touch!

Your songs don't sound the same, why should they look the same?

2010-05-18T09:40:00.000-07:00

I was watching a Tom Jackson video recently. Tom Jackson’s work as a Live Music Producer has helped shape the public presentation of many of today’s artists from the stage. Originally from the LA area, he is now based in the Nashville area.

One of Tom’s comments from his video presentation was “Not all of your songs sound the same, why should they look the same?” After thinking about this observation for a while, I’ve decided that this is a big part in making the difference between an amateur music performance and a professional show.

Whether you work as a single or a band, there are many things you can do to keep your performance visually varied. If you are a singer, you have the choice of using a microphone stand or holding the microphone. M ix it up. Even within the same song, you could start out with the mic on the stand and then take it out and hold it as the song builds dynamically.

Another bit of visual variety that can be added is the use of a stool. Sit on the slow, soft songs, stand up on the more exciting stuff, and move around a little when the song really starts to build. You could start off a song sitting on the stool and then get up and place the stool behind you when the song picks up steam.

And when you decide to not use the stool or microphone stand, even the way you move it out of your way can show professionalism. Be quick and decisive about getting the stool or stand behind you, and don’t linger or stumble with the process.

Some props can also add visual variety. Hats, sunglasses, rubber noses, funny neckties or bowties, etc. are some examples. Don’t be corny, but rather, be tasteful when using prop gimmicks because they could backfire and make your act look cheap and amateur.

Move around on stage for visual variety. Sign part of the song from the right of the stage and part from the left. Return “home” to the center of the stage. Walk across the stage slowly as you sing on slower songs, of walk quickly and decisively to get from one point to another on the livelier songs. Or you can sing an entire song from the left, and then later in the show, sing an entire song from the right.

Body movement and “steps” can add some visual variety, but don’t try to do full-on Motown choreography unless that is what your act is all about. Just a simple side step to the left followed by a step to the right will suffice. Or you could just stand in one place and turn your body to the right or left. Little hand jesters such as a wave or a finger snap can help.

Where are you looking when you are on stage? Add visual variety by looking at different things and different places. Look at the front row of the audience. Look toward the back of the house. Look at another band member and share a smile or a head nod. Don’t just stand there all night looking at some noon-existent dead spot in the distance like a lot of performers do. Sometimes you can’t really see the audience because of the lights, but that shouldn’t change any of the above. Just try to see past the lights, or pretend that you can see.

There is more I could add, but I just wanted to get you started thinking about how you could apply this to your own band. Every act is unique and individual, so what works for one act won’t work for another, and not all this information I presented today will work for everyone. We can use the “comment” feature of this blog to share additional visual gimmicks that have been successful for you in the past. While I thank Tom Jackson for getting me thinking about this topic, I wanted to mention that all these ideas were my own from past experience, and although some are so common they might mirror things Tom has said, I had no intention of plagiarizing his teachings.

New CD project underway

2010-02-25T10:22:00.000-08:00

Saturday, February 20, 2010 found me in the “Upper Room” recording studio in Santee, CA to add the guitar parts to the new CD by “Rightside,” a local 9-piece gospel group that plays in the country rock style. I returned March 2 to finish the recording. The new CD is scheduled for release in April or May, and at this point, all seems to be on schedule. The CD will be titled "Living on the Rightside," and a special CD release party concert is scheduled for Saturday, May 22, 2010 at Pathways Community Church on Carlton Hills Blvd. in Santee, CA. A guest band (tba) will open the show.

The CD will include ten cover tunes, no originals, and the songs on the CD are:
Give It Away
Eagle Song
Rightside Of The Dirt
How Long
I’m Loving Life
Have You Traveled With The Lord Lately
Wine Into Water
Living For The Moment
Get Up In Jesus Name
Keep Walkin’

I listened to the last CD from Rightside, which was recorded at least two years ago, and this one should be significantly better for several reasons: one extra tenor singer, the last CD had no guitar player, plus the obvious fact that the musicians have gotten better over the last two years and the vocal blend is now much tighter and more rehearsed.

I was able to do two takes of all 10 songs in about two hours. I plan to make a return booking next month to re-do one of my guitar solos and to add acoustic guitar parts on three of the songs using my Martin D42. This first time, I used my Carvin AE-185 to play both the electric and the acoustic guitar parts, and I was impressed how well the Carvin sounded as an acoustic instrument because it has such a small, thin body. I used a BOSS GT-10 guitar processor to enhance the acoustic sound. I also used the GT-10 on the other tracks for amp and cabinet simulation. Rather than renting a selection of choice amps, the amp simulation on the BOSS GT-10 is so good, I just plugged directly into the mixer.

Another thing I did different is to record using the same GT-10 patches that I use for live performance. Usually I will record the guitar track “dry” (without any EQ or effects) and add effects and EQ during the mixing process. I decided to simplify the process this time by leaving the effects (compression, echo, reverb, chorus, EQ, etc.) in the patch because I had spent so much time setting up the patches in the first place. The recorded sound should be ideal, and will require no more of an adjustment other than leveling with the other tracks. The other thing I left off the recording was volume adjustments, which is the way I always record. I played the whole track at the same volume, and will trust the engineer, Jim, to work some parts into the background and to bring out the intros and the solos a little more.

Speaking of Jim Burnett, owner, engineer and producer of the Upper Room recording studio, he did an excellent job getting all the takes recorded. He obviously knew his equipment inside and out, and was very patient, cheerful and confident in doing his job. Beginning artists should trust the engineer and producer to make them sound as good as possible, and talented hands and ears can sometimes make poor musicians sound good. But when you’ve been around the block as many times as I have, you worry about just the opposite happening, you think “I played my butt off, now is this going to come through in the mix or is he going to muck it up somehow?” Well, if Jim does as good a job with the mixing as he did with the tracking, I’m sure I’ll be happy with the results.

The songs on the CD were all good choices and display a nice variety of vocal and instrumental talent. I enjoyed playing all the songs, and I hope this enthusiasm is captured in what you hear when the CD is released in April or May. We’ll be doing the photography on Saturday, March 27. The mixing should be almost finished by then. I can’t wait to hear the finished product, and I hope you all will pick up a copy also! All the profits from the CD will go to missionary work!

Develop a "Signature Sound" - Part 2

2010-02-10T10:35:00.001-08:00

As a follow-up from our previous discussion, I would like to discuss how equipment (guitar, amp, effects) could have a strong influence on your “signature sound.” To begin, let’s look at a few well known guitarists and see how their equipment was largely or partly responsible for the sound.

The first that comes to mind is Duane Eddy. If you haven’t heard of Duane Eddy, he had some great instrumental hits in the late fifties and the early sixties such as Rebel Rouser, The Lonely One, Forty Miles of Bad Road, Peter Gunn and Because They’re Young. Many of his album titles contained the word “twang,” a word used to describe the crisp, clear hollow treble sound of his guitar as he picked out the melodies. This “twang” sound was due largely to the Gretsch Chet Atkins 6120 guitar that Duane Eddy used to record these hits. Later, when Eddy became an endorser for Guild guitars, the Guild Duane Eddy models took care to copy the characteristics of the Gretsch that gave the guitar this distinctive “twang” sound. Duane Eddy eventually returned to the Gretsch guitar. That same Gretsch 6120 “twang” would later become a trademark of rockabilly artist Brian Setzer, and George Harrison’s Gretsch Chet Atkins Country Gentleman tone could be easily recognized in early recordings by the Beatles.

Speaking of the Gretsch Chet Atkins guitar, Chet Atkins himself had a distinctive signature sound that was a combination of his intricate fingerpicking technique and the tone of the Gretsch guitar which he helped design.

Les Paul worked with Gibson guitar engineers to design the world famous Gibson Les Paul series of guitars, and it was the sound of the massively dense Gibson Les Paul guitar combined with the tape echo effects which Les Paul also pioneered in the recording field that made Les Paul songs instantly recognizable.

In the late sixties, John Mayall and Fleetwood Mac guitarist Peter Green became associated with one particular 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard guitar that had a unique sound because one of the pickups was installed backwards.

Contemporary smooth jazz artist Craig Chaquico gets his signature sound from a thin acoustic electric guitar that he helped design with the Carvin company, and his signature sound created by using this guitar is further personified by using effects such as chorus.

The sound that launched the career of legendary guitarist Carlos Santana came from early Mesa Boogie guitar amps, a company that grew from a Fender Princeton amp that was modified by Mesa Engineering founder Randall Smith.

Blues guitar legend B.B. King relies so much on his Gibson ES-355 guitar for his sound that he has given his guitar a name, Lucille, and treats it as a family member! Other guitarists that were associated with the tone of hollow body Gibson electrics were Chuck Berry (Gibson ES-350 and ES-355) and Elvis Presley’s guitarist Scotty Moore (Gibson L5, Super 400CES and ES 295).

Joe Walsh and Peter Frampton are associated with solos using the “talk box” effect, a rubber hose which is attached to a speaker driver and sends the guitar amp output into your mouth cavity to manipulate. Jimi Hendrix got much of his sound from the Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face while the whole “fuzz tone” industry was introduced to guitarists by Keith Richards’ use of the Gibson Maestro Fuzz Tone on the Rolling Stones hit “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”

Once you begin to recognize the importance of equipment on developing and shaping your signature sound, you should realize that jazz great Wes Montgomery would not sound the same if he played a Fender Stratocaster through a Marshall amp stack instead of his Gibson L5 CES, Merle Haggard and Buck Owens would not have achieved their signature sounds with Gibson ES-335 guitars instead of their Fender Telecasters, and smooth jazz guitarist Peter White may not have enjoyed the same huge success playing a steel string acoustic electric instead of his nylon string electric guitar.

Many guitar manufacturers such as Gibson, Epiphone, Gretsch, Fender, Paul Reed Smith and Ibanez have models in their line bearing the name of the artists that made them popular, such as the Ibanez Steve Vai JEM models, Joe Pass JP20 and George Benson GB10, the Fender Eric Clapton and Eric Johnson Stratocasters, the Gretsch Brian Setzer model guitars, the Epiphone Al Caiola, and the Gibson Herb Ellis and Barney Kessel guitars.

Some popular guitar amplifiers that are sought after because of their distinctive sounds that have been recognized by leading guitarists are the Marshall 50 watt and 100 watt stack, the Fender Showman and Dual Showman (Dick Dale and many other `60’s surf groups), Vox AC30 (Beatles), Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus, Fender “Blackface” amps such as the Princeton Reverb, Deluxe Reverb and Twin Reverb, and the older Fender Tweed amps.

If you listen to enough recordings, you will probably find a guitarist that you can associate with each of the popular guitar effects, such as wah pedal, flanger, echo/delay, overdrive/distortion, and others.

In closing out the series on how to develop a signature sound, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that many popular guitarists were associated with techniques or actions that became part of their signature sound, or at least part of the overall package. For example, I am referring to the famous Chuck Berry “duck walk,” the tapping technique of Eddie Van Halen, the touch tapping of Jimmy Webster and Stanley Jordan, the “octave” playing of Wes Montgomery, the “chicken pickin`” technique of many country lead guitarists such as Johnny Hiland, the speed of Jimmy Bryant, billed as the “Fastest Guitar in the Country,” the finger style technique of Merle Travis, the flat picking of Maybelle Carter, the string bending of Gram Parsons and Clarence White, the black clothing of Johnny Cash, the flashy stage wardrobe of Elvis Presley, the “Nudie suits” of many popular country artists in the `60’s, the tall hat of Slash, and many other examples or artists who partially relied on technique, actions and dress to achieve notoriety. Soooo, will you be able to play better if you wear a fancy hat? Of course not. I just wanted to point out that while you are going through all of this effort to establish a "signature sound," you might want to consider wherther a "signature look" is right for you or not!

If you are not familiar with any of the guitarists, guitars, amps or effects mentioned in this article, I urge you to do some online research to become familiar with the examples I referred to. To gain the most understanding of how guitar artists rely on particular guitars, amps, effects and techniques to achieve their signature sound, it is important to be able to recognize the association that was made through these examples.

Develop a "Signature Sound"

2010-02-09T12:02:00.000-08:00

I imagine most of you reading this can listen to a guitar player or solo on the radio or from a CD and instantly recognize the player as being Carlos Santana or Eric Clapton or Jeff Beck or B.B King or Duane Eddy or Scotty Moore. These are six great players that are not only well known, but they are well known for their unique “signature sound.” They don’t sound like anyone else and nobody else sounds like them.

How does one begin to develop a signature sound? Well, I have a few ideas to present to get you thinking along these lines. My theory is that there are essentially four ways a player develops a signature sound. Method 1 is without a doubt the best way to go about this. The guitarist is well schooled, well trained and well rehearsed, and has been developing the art of guitar playing for many years in a variety of bands and recording situations. Perhaps they have gone through a period of working as a studio musician and/or have become well known for being an important part of two of more well known bands. These players are so good that they can sound like anybody. The can imitate Santana or Clapton or Beck or King or Eddy or Moore. But they choose not to. Instead, they prefer to interpret the songs they record and perform in their own way, changing whatever is necessary about the arrangement until they arrive at a “feel” that is exactly what they were looking for on that song. This approach produces some great players who play with “feeling” and “personality.” The put a whole lot of themselves into the song, and the result cries “this is what I am trying to say and this is how I want to present this song to you.”

Needless to say, this method of developing a signature sound comes only with years of experience. Another method is just the opposite. In method 2, the player is very inexperienced and has not yet developed the ability to play as well as the other masters of his genre, but for some reason, his band became famous before they became accomplished musicians. This person’s playing is crude, unrefined and does not show an example of years of training and practicing. Yet, the songs are “catchy” and have become hits regardless of the lack of talent, and the guitarist is now famous for this “untrained” sound. Some of the “punk” bands of the `70’s are good examples of this “signature style.” We recognize the guitarist from the band and the song, the song is appealing, maybe crude and maybe not, but the guitarist’s style is a perfect fit for this band’s songs. Later, the guitarist might work with other bands and continue to use this “signature sound,” since it has been good to his career so far!

The third method I have in mind is rather unique, but you can easily find examples of players that have followed this approach if you do a little research. In this method, a player might be largely self-taught, perhaps getting help and advice from teachers along the way, or perhaps ignoring help and advice from teachers. The player creates original material, perhaps in combination with other players. They might form a band, and then rather than learning “cover songs,” they immediately go to work on original material, with each player contributing to what the end result should sound like. After doing this or a few dozen songs, the band begins to play some shows and perhaps gets a record contract. Now, for what makes this method unique; the members of the band don’t really care to listen to other music, and are not interested to comparing their music to any other artists nor do they wish to become part of a genre. The only music they recognize is that which they create. All other styles and influences remain foreign to them, unheard and unrecognized. They “shut out” other artists and are thoroughly engrossed in their own original, unique style of writing and performing songs. If they by any chance should happen to “cover” a song, it will sound very different from the original. Perhaps only the lyrics remain, or maybe also some of the original chord progression.

The fourth method of developing a signature sound is probably the most common. The multitude of players do not fit any of these first three methods because they (1) are not super talented and have many years of experience like the players described in method one; (2) they are serious students of the guitar and want to learn to play a combination of styles as well as possible, so they have progressed far beyond those described in method two; and (3) they don’t isolate themselves from other music and are open to many styles and seek influence from many great players, unlike those described in method three.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that any guitarist that doesn’t fit in any of the first three methods is automatically included in method four. Most of the remaining guitarists that do not fit any of the first three methods do not actually have a signature sound, so they are excluded from even method four because there is nothing unique to identify them from many other struggling guitarists. They are good players, but they are a dime a dozen. They are good enough that you would want this person in your band, and they would make your band sound better, but they simply don’t have a “signature sound!” Most guitarists go the whole way through their playing career without developing a signature sound. That doesn’t make them any less important, it only makes them less identifiable.

The fourth category of players has developed a signature sound as a “project.” It didn’t evolve naturally as in method one, by luck as in method two, or by design as in method three. The few guitarists that evolve from method four do so because they desire a signature sound, even though they haven’t “earned” one. They are skilled enough that they are aware what they sound like. They might be able to compare their playing to other musicians. The can probably lay down a good Clapton lick on one song and switch to a Santana feel for another song. The players in the fourth category are probably familiar with everything I’ve written about so far, they realize the importance of having an identifiable sound, and they simple set out to create a sound that will become their signature sound. Often, this happens along with the other members of the band changing their sound as well to fit the new signature sound. The new sound might be attached to a different style of playing, it might be taking the music that is currently being played and “bumping it up a notch” on the scale of musical standards, or it might just be a slight alteration of the player’s current style. Sometimes the new “signature sound” might be based on the sound of a favorite player, but with a “twist” that makes it unique. It is difficult to just sit down and “invent” a signature sound, but it can be done, and it has been done by many top guitarists throughout music history.

One last comment before I close; I’m not saying that you need to develop a signature sound in order to become a good accomplished guitarist. If nothing else, there is one concept I would like you to consider for each song you are playing now and also for each new song you learn, and that is this: “How would YOU play this song?” Think for a moment about what I just said. If this is an original song, YOU get to invent the guitar part. How do YOU think the guitar should sound on this song? What do YOU think the guitar should play? If it is a cover song, then the nature of your band will probably dictate whether you should play the guitar part note-for-note from the original recording, or better yet, will the band allow you to do your “interpretation” of the song? What I mean by that is that I already know how Clapton played the song, but I didn’t come to hear Clapton, I came to hear YOU! How will YOU play the song? What can YOU add to the song that Clapton may have overlooked? I have heard many guitarists cover a song from a super-star guitarist, and they have no chance of ever getting their solos and fills to sound as good as the original, but they we still able to make the song likable by being unique and putting a lot of their own feel into the song so that even though it might not have been a technical masterpiece of guitar wizardry like the original, it still sounds likable!

As always, I am interested in hearing any comments you might have about what I write. You may agree or disagree, but let’s have some fun and discuss these topics in the comments section! Thanks for checking in each week!

Getting the “Right Sound” – Part 3

2010-01-28T11:15:00.000-08:00

Picking up on where we left off last month, I have since moved up to the next level (well, actually the top level) and I wanted to share some of my thoughts about this. After working with the BOSS FDR-1 “Fender Deluxe Reverb” pedal, I became fascinated by how you can obtain the sound of a particular guitar amp without having to lug that amp around. The FDR-1 pedal did a great job of making my guitar sound like I was playing through a Fender Deluxe Reverb.

Now that I am learning a large variety of songs for this new band, “Rightside,” I discovered that most of the guitarists I am emulating (copying?) don’t play through a Deluxe Reverb. In addition to having to get the sound of 25 different amps, I also have to contend with the fact that they are all using different makes and models of guitars, and a variety of pedal effects such as delay, reverb, chorus, EQ and compression.

After doing some intensive research along with the band’s manager, we discovered the perfect solution – the “BOSSS GT-10 Guitar Effects Processor.” The GT-10 is a large pedalboard, AC powered, which contains a number of footswitches and a pedal controller. It contains “patch” storage memory which holds the original 200 factory pre-set patches, and room for 200 user created patches. The patches are stored in 100 “banks” (50 factory preset banks and 50 user banks) and each bank contains four patches. There is a wheel control to scroll through the patches, but since the unit was designed to be a floor board, the convenient method of changing patches is to step on either one switch to go forward from bank to bank, or a second switch to change backward from bank to bank. Once the correct bank is accessed, you will then step on one of four switches to access each of the four patches in that bank.

If that sounds complicated, it’s really not. I found that I really only needed about 32 different sounds, so I stored them in the first eight banks. I’m never more than eight pedal clicks away from my sound. To make it easier to change patches in the middle of the song, it stays on the previous patch setting until you do the very last step of activating one of the four patch selectors in the selected bank.

Now, for the fun part. Creating a new patch for yourself is like going to a music store and deciding what you need to have to get the sound you want – only the whole music store in built into the GT-10 pedal! You start by deciding what type of guitar you want to sound like – humbuckers, single-coil pickups, single coil “half-sound” (like a Strat), or acoustic guitar. Next, pick and amp “head” to play through. If you select a “combo” amp such as a Twin Reverb or a Tweed Bassman, you can either go with the “stock” speaker configuration, or you can select just about any speaker configuration from one 8” up to eight 12” speakers. Surprisingly, one 15” speaker (one of my favorites) is not available.

Next step is to pick a microphone to put in front of the cabinet, decide if you want to center the mic on the speaker or put it off center, then set the mic volume. Now that you have a basic guitar and amp sound, you can begin turning the knobs on the guitar and on the amp to adjust the sound, including gain and volume combinations. You can even set a different setting for amp channel “B.”

Now you can add in the standard effect sounds, each readily available from a button on the top of the unit – compression, reverb, chorus, EQ, overdrive and delay. You can adjust the settings of each effect, and assign it to an off/on footswitch if you want it to be selectable. There are also two multi-effects processors available, FX1 and FX2, where you can select from a long list of just about every stomp box effect pedal ever made. Some examples of what is available is phase shifter, flanger, tremolo, rotary speaker, uni-vibe, octave, acoustic guitar simulator, sitar simulator, jazz bas simulator, wah pedal, auto wah, and many more, about 34 in all! You get to pick any two from the list in addition to the six “basic” pedal effects mentioned previously for a total of eight simultaneous effects! Think of what it would cost you to purchase eight of your favorite effects pedals, and the $499.95 street price of the BOSS GT-10 starts to look like a real bargain! Once you have finished the patch, you must press the “write” button to store the patch into memory. Free librarian software is available from the BOSS web site to help you backup, rearrange and manage our patches. There is also an online “user group” where you can download and exchange patches with other users. I tried some patches from other users, and they were nice, but they did not fit with the songs I am performing. I think every user will have their own unique tone requirements, and that is where this unit really shines – the ability to easily create or modify a patch!

The pedal controller can be used as a volume pedal, a wah pedal, a patch changer, or to vary one of the available parameters in any of the settings. There are two outputs if you want to run the unit in stereo through two amps or two channels of the mixer. You can have the amp “A” sound on one channel and the “B” sound on the other! Stereo effects such as echo would bounce between the two channels!

There are many more feature of this unit that may be of interest, such as a USB connector which allows you to either download or backup patches, or you can use the GT-10 at the front end of a digital recording (DAW) system. There are MIDI connectors so that the patches and parameters can be changed automatically from a sequencer, and there is a digital output as well as the two ¼” guitar jacks. There is a headphones jack (of course), and effects loop to allow you to use additional effects pedals, a connector that allows you to add two additional switches to turn effects off and on (for a total of four!). If you have a two channel amp that uses a footswitch to switch channels, you can even do your amp switching from within the GT-10!

You can create sound-on-sound loops with onboard Phrase Loop function. A loop can be up to 38 seconds in length.

I should also mention that the GT-10 is driven by BOSS’ latest custom-made DSP and proprietary sound-modeling COSM® engine, so the sounds that are “simulated” are very authentic. When not plugged directly into the house mixer, I usually play through a 1967 Fender Twin Reverb amp. Previous to the Twin, I was using a 1966 Fender Pro Reverb. When I “model” these amps using the GT-10, I can tell you from experience that if I didn’t know better, I’d swear that I was still plugged into the Fender!

Now, if the band throws a song at me and the guitar player has a distinctive sound that drives the song, I don’t have to sit back a listen to the complaint “your guitar doesn’t sound right for that song!”

More on "getting the right sound" (for electric guitarists)

2009-12-10T11:33:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share my experiences about an innovative set of pedals from Boss – the FDR-1 “Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb” and the FBM-1 “Fender '59 Bassman.” The Boss web site describes these pedals as “A pedal with the original tone and controls of the Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb-Amp” and “A pedal with the original tone and controls of the Fender '59 Bassman Amp.” Let me explain a little more about what this means and how I came to like these pedals.

I recently joined a new band. Part of the overall stage appearance of the new band was to have a “clean” stage, meaning no amplifiers all over the place. Everyone plays through the mixer using direct boxes. For my style of playing, I have always considered the guitar amplifier to be an integral part of the tone. My belief is that the guitar amplifier must be chosen with the same care and considerations as selecting the proper guitar. There are different types of amplifiers for different guitar tones, for example; old Vox amps are popular with the “British Sound” bands such as the Beatles, Marshall Stacks are great for the hard rock and heavy metal players, blues guitarists seem to prefer the older Fender tweed amps or similar tube amps from other manufactures, surf music requires a Fender piggy-back amp with reverb, such as the Dual Showman with the Fender Reverb unit plugged in, jazz players like amps such as Polytone, Roland JC-120, and the Fender Twin Reverb, and so on.

For me personally, my sound was developed around the Fender “blackface” amps from the years 1964-1967. Throughout most of my career, I used a Fender Vibrolux Reverb, Pro Reverb or Twin Reverb. The reason I chose these was because they were loud enough to be heard in a nightclub and could be mic’d for outdoor concerts. If I was going to mic my amp all the time, I would have gone for the same sound in a smaller amp, which is available in the Fender Princeton Reverb and the Deluxe Reverb amplifiers.

Back to the problem at hand – how could I get the sound of playing through my Fender blackface amplifier if I had to plug straight into the mixer and not use an amplifier at all? At one point in the past I had owned a Line-6 Pod, which is an “amp and cabinet” simulator. I bought it because I was thrilled that it could make me sound like I was using anything from a `57 Fender Champ to a Marshall stack to a Dumble Overdrive. After playing around with it for several weeks, it ended up on the shelf. I didn’t think that the sounds were as good as the “real thing.” Let me clarify that statement – what I meant was, the best way to sound like you are playing through a blackface Fender Deluxe Reverb amp is to play through a blackface Fender Deluxe Reverb amp! Why use a simulator when you can use the real thing? Well, the real thing was not an option in the case of the new band. I probably could have bought a little Princeton Reverb and hid it off to the side in a baffle box so it couldn’t be heard directly, only through the mix, but I wanted to see what other options were available.

I stopped by my local Guitar Center store and they showed me the Boss FDR-1 “Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb” and the FBM-1 “Fender '59 Bassman” pedals. These are small “stomp-box” pedals like a chorus pedal or a distortion pedal. Each pedal has knobs on it to match the original amp. Since I am more of a blackface aficionado that a tweed player, I chose the FDR-1 “Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb” pedal over the other. The controls on the pedal are Level, Gain, Treble, Bass, Vibrato and Reverb. This is an even better layout than the original 1965 Fender Deluxe Reverb amplifier, which didn’t have a separate “gain” control – only a master volume for each channel. Using different settings for the gain and the volume knobs, I could get everything from that bright clear sound these Fenders are noted for to a thick overdriven sound like a few players were able to get from their modified “hot rodded” Fender amps. I set the treble and bass controls the way I normally do, dialed in a touch of reverb, and left the vibrato turned off. The effect has a “bypass” switch which means I can choose to go straight into the board and bypass the effect, or I can step on the pedal to turn it on and the Fender amp simulation kicks in. The amp simulation is due to a new technology Boss is using called COSM (Composite Object Sound Modeling), which is a form of digital tone simulation through sampling and amp modeling.

To make a long story short, when I turned the pedal on, it really did sound like I was playing through a 1965 Fender Deluxe Reverb amplifier! Problem solved, and I don’t have to carry along a heavy amp to each gig! I am currently running it from the built in 9 volt battery so that I have a minimum of wires on the stage in front of me. I am not using any other pedals.

Sometimes I will turn off the pedal when I want a more natural guitar sound, such as acoustic guitar or for clean jazz. I set the master volume know on the effect so that the volume does not change when I turn the pedal on – only the tone changes.

You can read more about this pedal on your own by following this link http://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.php?ProductId=855 to the Boss web site.

I also tried out the Boss FBM-1 “Fender '59 Bassman” pedal while I was at Guitar Center. I have had the opportunity to play through some old and new tweed Fender amps, such as a `50’s Deluxe, a `59 Bassman, a Bass Breaker and a Blues Deluxe, and I must admit that the pedal does what it claims – it reproduces the tone of playing your guitar through a 1959 Fender Bassman amplifier! This would be a great pedal for those of you who like the old “tweed” tube sound!

As before, here we are one step closer to “getting that sound!” Enjoy!

Thinking back to my equipment in the "early days"

2009-09-25T12:32:00.000-07:00

As I was driving to work today, I heard a song on the radio that made me reminisce about what it was like to be playing guitar in the early 1960’s when I started learning guitar. My first guitar was from a record store that also sold musical instruments. It was a small, used Stella (made by Harmony) folk guitar. I think my father paid $15 for it. Harmony, Kay and Danelctro guitars were very popular, as were the “private brand” instruments the three companies manufactured for large catalog retailers such as Sears and Montgomery Ward. Sears brand was called “Silvertone,” and Wards was “Airline.” There were also a few Japanese guitars around, such as Teisco, Greco and Norma, as well as Italian guitars such as Eko and Swedish Guitars such as Goya and later, Hagstrom. USA made guitars were very desirable, but higher priced. The big names at the time were Fender, Gibson and Gretsch.

The performers on TV all seemed to have fancier guitars than mine, so I cut a fancy shaped pickguard out of white cardboard, removed my plastic pickguard which was attached with screws, and installed the fancy cardboard pickguard under it, then reinstalled the plastic pickguard to hold it on. I sold this guitar to a friend, and when I saw it many years later, it still had the cardboard pickguard on it!

My second guitar was a standard sized Harmony folk guitar. There were not too many dreadnaught guitars around at that time; I suppose it was because of the folk music boom of the late `50’s and early `60’s whose performers used the Grand Concert and Auditorium sized guitars instead. At the time, Harmony made a beautiful folk guitar called the “Sovereign.” I always wanted one of these, but it was the most expensive of the Harmony acoustics. Maybe it's just me, but I think the action setups of the new inexpensive guitars are much better than those in the 1960's which resulted in many sore fingers!

When I started my first band in late 1964, I used to stick a microphone in the sound hold and plug it into a rented PA or jukebox amp to make it into an electric guitar.

My third guitar was my first electric guitar, and it was a Danelectro-made Silvertone from Sears, Roebuck and Company, a single pickup model with a 5 watt amplifier built into the guitar case! Today, this model, as well as the two pickup version, is still popular with collectors. As my playing improved, in 1965 my father thought that I was worthy of a new two pickup Harmony made Silvertone Model 1478 “Silhouette” guitar from Sears, Roebuck and Company. It was sort of a copy of the Fender Jaguar and Jazzmaster guitars, which were very popular at the time with recording groups and local groups who could afford them. This was a nice guitar, very flashy looking with its red sunburst finish, clear plastic knobs and its vibrato tailpiece (whammy bar).

Along with the new guitar came a larger amp, a Silvertone Model 1482 12 watt combo amp with a 12 inch speaker and tremolo. It had both an instrument input as well as a microphone input, so I bought a cheap microphone and started singing. At the time, the popular amplifier that I wanted but could not afford was the piggy-back Fender “Showman.” I must have whined about the ordinary appearance of my “combo” amp because my father built me a two piece piggy-back amp cabinet set and then moved the speaker and amp into the new cabinets. We hadn’t thought about tolex covering at the time, so the new cabinet was covered with black and gold “contact” paper! As I started playing more for dances in local clubs and taverns, my father realized that I needed a more powerful amplifier, so he took me to the music store and we picked out a new Fender Pro Reverb amp. It was 40 watts with reverb and tremolo and two 12 inch speakers. It had two channels, so I continued using a microphone in the second channel. This was in May, 1966. An interesting side note about this amp was that I sold it in 1968 to my friend who was the sax player in our band. He kept it until he retired and then stored it in his attic. In 2005, I asked him about the amp and he gave it back to me. It didn’t work, so I had it restored and used it until I lost it in the big fire in 2007. About that same time, I was also able to purchase the same model Silvertone 1478 guitar and 1482 amplifier that I used in 1965 from an ad on Craig’s List!

Also in 1966, I received my first professional model guitar, a Gretsch Model 6119 Chet Atkins Tennessean. This would be the last instrument purchased for me by my father. By now, I was working steady every week in a band and was earning enough to start buying my own equipment.

I remember that the Gretsch guitar came with heavy gauge flatwound strings, and not knowing any better, I kept using these same model strings for years, wondering why my playing is not a “bluesy” as what I was hearing on the radio! Before the Gretsch, it seems like the only strings available for guitar were made by Black Diamond. Somebody told me that some of the professional guitarists were throwing away their 6th string, moving each string “down” one (the 5th string is used in place of the 6th string, etc.) and then using a thin banjo string for the first string. This was the beginnings of what cane to be known as “slinky” guitar strings. By the time I got around to trying this, Ernie Ball had already begun to manufacture “Slinky” and “Super Slinky” guitar string sets.

I also remember that most guitar picks at that time were thick and made from genuine tortoise shell or else made from gaudy sparkle plastic. Later on, thin guitar picks became popular, and I used those for a long time. I now prefer an extra-heavy pick, and I sure wish I still had some of those old tortoise shell picks!

My microphone during this time was a big Shure Unidyne II, the kind used by Elvis and the big band singers. It wasn’t until later that I graduated to the Shure ball mics. I sure felt “cool” with that microphone! I remember that the Electro-Voice Model 664 was one of the most popular microphones of the early 1960’s.

Thinking back to what other local musicians were using at that time brings to mind guitars such as Vox, Fender, Gretsch, Harmony, Old Kraftsman, and Epiphone; amps such as Supro, Gibson, Fender, Vox and Baldwin; and the ever popular Farfisa and Vox combo organs. Today it is possible to buy a fairly good quality guitar and amplifier for a reasonable price. In the early and mid-`60’s, it was more of a choice between cheap on one end and good on the other end.

We all listened to the radio to hear the latest top 40 songs, then we were off to the record store to buy the “45” and take it home to our monophonic turntable (record player) and play it over and over until the record was worn out, but we had the “licks” learned from the record! For me, as a young music student, learned about rhythm and dance music from Elvis, I learned about quality rock arrangements from the Beatles, I learned harmony vocals from the Lettermen and the Beach Boys, I learned country music from Chet Atkins, Hank Williams and Johnny Cash, and I learned about jazz and improvisation from guitarist Johnny Smith. These were my early influences, and today, I can draw influence from all the greats from the past to the present as well as learning new tricks from all the great emerging new artists. What a great time to be in the music business! I hope you also have fond memories of your early days of learning music! Take a moment and reminicse!

Achieving a consistently good and accurate sound

2009-04-16T13:08:00.000-07:00

I was involved in an interesting discussion with another guitarist on Twitter, and it lead me to realize that this might be an interesting topic for a blog post. Here on the blog, I have mentioned from time to time about the characteristic tone of different guitars and different amps. Some players have developed a guitar tone that is highly recognizable, and it is due to the particular guitar and amp combination that they use.

There are times in a musician's career where just the opposite theory might need to be applied. Sometimes when you travel a lot and do many shows, it is impossible to carry your own equipment to every show. Unless you are the Rolling Stones and can load all the equipment into your own private jets, sometimes you can't cover the route as quickly as you need to if you have to rely on a bus of truck to move the equipment. You might have to do a guest appearance in the afternoon and then fly to a concert at night, so the equipment is being set up at the concert while you are at the afternoon show. The answer is, of course, to rent equipment as needed. I have a friend that used to own a musical instrument rental company, and I remember all the stories he told about musicians complaining about the gear they rented. He also told me some nice stories about the musicians that were easy to please.

If your choice of guitars and amps is common, you just might be able to get something from a rental company that compares to what you are used to playing. If your choice of gear is a bit more exotic, then you will have to settle for something different from what you would have preferred.

The secret to success is to plan ahead and develop a system of easily achieving your tones from a system that in independent of the guitar and amplifier. As much as I admire the sweet sound that comes from a fine vintage guitar and amp, I have to admit that I admire even more the performer that can sound good no matter what they are playing. Some guitarists are so fussy that they get upset if they cannot have things go completely their way. I would rather be the guy that you hand a guitar to, any guitar, and he makes magic with it.

I learned this lesson long ago at a young age through a very interesting experience. I believe it was in 1967. The band I was working with was booked into a night club dance in a small town called Barnesboro, Pennsylvania. I think it was a Saturday night. When we arrived to set up for the show, we were met by the road manager from "Tommy James and the Shondells," a group that was extremely popular at that time, with chart topping hits such as "Hanky Panky," "Say I Am," and "I Think We're Alone Now." We were told that the band was in town to do a concert, and their equipment had not arrived due to a vehicle breakdown or some other delay. The band's road manager had already arranged with the manager of the club I was working to allow us to start late if we would loan our equipment to the Shondells for their show. We were given a police escort to the recreation hall where the Tommy James and the Shondells concert was, and worked with their band to get the equipment set up quickly. Now the interesting part about this was that, at the time, we were a relatively unknown "local" band. I had only been playing guitar for 3 years at the time, and most of our equipment was still in the "garage band" category. We didn't even have a PA system - we plugged our high impedance microphones into guitar amplifiers. And the microphones themselves were not concert quality. When "Tommy James & the Shondells" played their set, my jaw dropped clear down to the ground! They sounded just like their records! How did they get such a great sound out of this cheap equipment? My band certainly didn't sound like that when we used the same equipment!

It was then that I learned that true music comes not from the equipment, but from the skill of the performer. One cannot rely on a guitar or an amp to sound good, but must rely on their own experience. This lesson was reinforced many years later through a different experience I would like to share. I was sitting in a recording studio in Hollywood. I think it was Britannia Studios (owned by Tom Jones), and I think the year was around 1983. Some friends of mine were recording an album after their demo effort was picked up by a backer. Some of the musicians were seasoned professionals, such as Tony, former bass player from the "Cascades" ("Rhythm of the Rain"). The producer for this recording session was Kim Fowley, an eccentric Hollywood icon who is best known either for his song "Alley Oop" by the Hollywood Argyles, or as the person who discovered and promoted one of the first popular "girl groups," "The Runaways" (featuring Lita Ford and Joan Jett). As a producer, Kim was usually hard to please. He made a comment while I was there that stuck with me all these years; he said "you can always tell the difference when you are working with professionals." That led me to realize that there are three types of musicians - those who are not professional musicians, those that are professional musicians, and those that are not professional musicians, but think they are! The musicians that fall into the last category are the ones that are impossible to deal with. It is possible that every one of use goes through this stage. Some of us move past it and become professional "for real," and some never get past this stage. I know a lot of famous musicians with great talent that fit into this category!

Now, let's talk about the solution to coming up with a sound that is consistently pleasing. One step along the way is to play several different guitars and amplifiers and notice that there is definitely a difference in the tone. Notice also some of the big differences, such as the difference between single coil guitar pickups and double-coil humbucking pickups, and the difference between a tube amp and a solid-state (transistor) amp. Hopefully you can find a distinguishing sound for your songs and your style that does not lean too far in any one direction. Now there are the different tonal "flavors" you might desire to use - reverb, echo, tremolo, or distortion. Tremolo, for example, is not available on all guitar amplifiers. It was a popular amplifier feature in the 1960's, but then it went away in the 1980's and is starting to reappear again on the "reissue" amplifiers being sold currently. If you have to rent an amp for a show, you might get one without tremolo, so if you play a lot of "Duane Eddy" type songs, you will need to carry a tremolo pedal effect with you.

Another popular tone guitarists use is to either take a low wattage amp and turn the volume all the way up to distort the tone by overdriving it beyond it's "headroom;" or to use an amp with two or more volume controls and set the input gain high and the master volume low. This give a nice distortion of the input stage of the amp, but can be done conservatively by keeping the master volume lower. Some musicians have also achieved this "wide open" sound at lower volumes by putting a control called a "power attenuator" between the power amplifier and the speaker which "soaks up" the output power before it reaches the speaker. Perhaps a better way to achieve this desired distortion is to experiment with distortion and overdrive pedal effects. Those that have three or more controls usually allow the user to make adjustments to get everything from a highly distorted "crunch" sound to the warm sound of a slightly overdriven tub amplifier.

One device that is a popular seller these days is called an "amp modeler." It uses digitally stored recordings of the characteristic sounds of several popular guitar amplifiers, and then allows you to achieve that sound no matter what kind of amp you are plugged into by using this digital modeling technique. You could even plug directly into the mixing board and not even need to run through a guitar amp. The tone that comes out of the mixer will sound like you are wailing away on your favorite vintage amp! Of course, the only thing that sounds like a 1958 Fender Deluxe is a 1958 Fender Deluxe, and you would want to use your preferred amp whenever possible, but this method might help you get by whenever this is not possible. (I remember one time I was experimenting with one of these amp modelers, trying to get it to sound like a `65 Fender Twin Reverb amp. My guitar playing friend who was with me said "Why don't you just buy as `65 Twin Reverb?" That made sense to me!)

Some of the amp modeling devices that are available to purchase also have some of the other effects we've mentioned built in to them, such as reverb, tremolo, and overdrive or distortion. If you get a unit that works for you, you might be able to get by just carrying the one pedal with you and it will help you to consistently achieve "your sound." Personally, I have taken a small piece of plywood about the size of a small suitcase, and mounted on it a pedal volume ("hands free!") control, a Pro-Co Rat distortion effect, a Danelectro tremolo pedal, a digital delay effect (although I think I prefer the sound of an analog delay pedal), and a "chorus" effect for that "swirling" sound. In the past, I have also used octave splitters, phase shifters, talk boxes, fuzztones, flangers, ring modulators, tape echo devices such as Roland or Echoplex, graphic and parametric equalizers, band filters, synthesizers, phase modulators, Leslie speakers and simulators, and perhaps a few others. The name of the game is that if you are playing "cover tunes" that has a particular guitar sound in it, you have to be able to recreate that sound, so you need to buy whatever piece of equipment the artist used. I remember playing in a band in 1966 and we were learning the Rolling Stones song "Satisfaction," which used a "fuzz tone" effect on the guitar. These were so new at the time that you couldn't even buy them. Fortunately, our keyboard player knew a little about electronics and he had one built from scratch for me to use. I also remember that when Peter Frampton used the "talking guitar" effect on some of his songs, many guitarists were epoxying hoses onto a horn speaker driver to create a "talk box" because these weren't readily available in the music stores yet.

I'm not a particularly big fan of effect pedals, and prefer to plug directly into the mixer whenever possible, or at least plug directly into a guitar amp, but I realized that effect pedals were a useful tool when I found out that Jimi Hendrix got his characteristic tone from pedal effects, not from guitars and amps!

So, to wrap this all up, let me just ask: If I were to hand you any guitar and any amplifier of my choosing, and asked you to play, would you be able to sound like you are used to sounding? If not, try some of my suggestions, and worry less about the equipment and instead, worry more about playing some good notes into it!

Equipment Notes - Part 9

2009-04-16T10:40:00.000-07:00

My nylon string classical guitar is a Garcia Grade #3. It was hand made in Japan in 1974. I used to play classical guitar in my first year of college, and then I haven't played that style at all for a long time. I recently had the desire to relearn some of the pieces and techniques form my classical guitar experience. I once owned a Garcia guitar, and I remembered what a great guitar it was, so when I saw one for sale on Craig's List, I knew I would be happy with it.

The Garcia guitars used to be made in Spain, and then production was moved to Japan in 1969. The last year Garcia guitars were manufactured was 1974. I have no problem with the fact that the guitar was made in Japan because it comes from an era where guitars from Japan were so excellent that Japanese manufacturers were being sued by American companies such as Gibson and Fender. It seems that they were copying American guitar designs and many people felt that the Japanese guitars were actually better. They certainly were cheaper!

This guitar better sounding than most guitars in the intermediate price range, such as Yamaha, Guild, Fender and Aria guitars. The range of tone, the depth of the bass, and the sparkling crispness of the high notes on the Garcia was far better the other makes. The intonation was accurate. I did encounter a high fret, but that probably due to age and was easily fixed with some glue and a hammer. The guitar has a solid pine top, and mahogany back and sides. I would have preferred Brazilian rosewood, but that would have cost me a lot more money!

Garcia guitars were distributed by the Antigua Casa Sherry-Brener company of Madrid, Spain, which also distributed Ramirez and Hernandez guitars. They have (or had) an American branch in Chicago. I have read articles that stated that the guitars were still being hand made, even after production moved to Japan. I feel fortunate to have found this guitar since they haven't been made for 35 years! I've listened to some classical guitar recordings, and I feel that the tone of this guitar is as good as anything I have heard. If you are looking for a good nylon string guitar, keep looking - there might still be a few more of these out there!

Here is a photo of the Garcia Grade #3 guitar:

http://tomsmerk.com/photo/Garcia.JPG

Equipment Notes - Part 8

2009-04-16T09:06:00.000-07:00

One more amp I would like to comment on is my Jay Turser Classic 25RC. I saw it in a music store and bought it because it was so darn cute. It had a certain "vibe" that was a cross between a retro-reissue and a boutique amp. After I bought it, I found out it had a great sound, and at 25 watts (solid state), it even had enough power for small gigs. The thing sounded so good, I even used it on large outdoor shows and stuck an SM57 in front of it. And it is sooo light!

The Jay Turser Classic 25RC guitar amp is a solid state (transistor) 25 Watt combo amp with a 10" Celestion speaker, reverb and chorus, and an attractive retro cabinet with a wood front and cream tweed back and sides. The hardware is gold plated, not chrome! It has two channels (clean and drive) switchable with a push button on the amp control panel. Controls include overdrive and master, volume, treble, middle, bass as well as reverb level and chorus speed and depth with bypass. There is also a line out for recording and a headphone jack for private practice.

Here are two photos of the amp:

http://tomsmerk.com/photo/jay_turser1.jpg

http://tomsmerk.com/photo/jay_turser2.jpg

Equipment Notes - Part 7

2009-04-15T12:30:00.000-07:00

While I was waiting for a blackface Fender amp to become available (at a reasonable price), I needed something to use on gigs. My friend, Sonny, had this Music Man RD-50 112 amplifier that I had heard him use before. I recalled that it was a good amp, so I bought it from him. I immediately blew out the speaker, so I had an ElectroVoice EVM12L 12" speaker installed. I now had an awesome guitar amplifier to use.

Leo Fender sold the Fender Musical Instrument Company to CBS in 1965. In 1971, Leo Fender, Forrest White and Tom Walker formed a new musical instrument company that became "Music Man" in 1974. All during this time, Leo Fender was being cautious not to take an active role in the company because his 10-year "non-compete" clause with CBS (due to the sale of Fender Musical Instrument Company to CBS in 1965) hadn't yet legally expired. In 1975 Leo came out from behind the curtain and announced he had been elected president of Music Man, Inc.

While CBS was making changes to the Fender Amplifiers that were not being well received by working musicians, Leo Fender and his new company seemed to be taking care of "business as usual" and were building some great hand-wired tube amplifiers, similar to the "blackface" Fender amps that were being produced when Fender was sold to CBS.

My amp has plenty of volume, headroom, and is reasonably portable, considering the excess weight of that massive EVM speaker. 50 Watts, more than enough volume for most gigs, point-to-point wiring, reliable, and all running from two 6L6GC power tubes.

The amp has a single input which is switchable between two channels, a drive channel and a clean channel. What is interesting about the design is that the amp circuit is a "hybrid." The pre-amp of the clean channel is solid-state, while the drive channel uses a preamp tube. The power section is all tube. The solid-state front end really tightens up the sound. You get a really crisp, clear tone that is a bit unique to Music Man amps. The built in reverb works on both channels. Somewhere along the line, the white grille cloth got replaced with black grille cloth. The footswitch controls channel switching and reverb.

As much as I like Fender blackface amps, I do not mind using this amp at all It really does a nice job!

Here is a photo of the amp:

http://tomsmerk.com/photo/rd50.jpg

Equipment Notes - Part 6

2009-04-15T11:06:00.001-07:00

My favorite amp is a 1967 Fender Twin Reverb. This amplifier is from the magic "blackface" era, and any mystique about these amps is well deserved. I've used blackface Fender amps for most of my career. I lost a beautiful 1966 Fender Pro Reverb in the fire in 2007. There is a certain tone about tube amplifiers that suits my playing style, and the old Fenders seem to always have the sound I like. The Twin Reverb is one of the most desirable amps of all time. It has the right combination of volume, tone, class and mojo. You see these amps everywhere, from jazz shows to rock bands to country acts. They are a consistently good performer. The "blackface" era runs from late 1964 to 1967. During that time (1965), the Fender company was sold to the CBS corporation. CBS made some changes to the amplifier design, and these changes began to show up in 1968. To distinguish the newer series of amps, the color of the control panel background was changed from black to a bluish silver color, and these amps are referred to as the "silverface" series. Although the changes were minor, "purists" shun the silverface amps in favor of the older blackface series. Most amp repair shops will change the components in a silverface amp for you to have it perform more like a blackface model.

I had the amp shipped to me from Oregon, then I took it to Tim Pinnell at Top Guitar Guitar Pro Shop in La Mesa, California. Tim has a magic touch for servicing these old amps and getting them to operate and sound the way they should. He knows exactly which parts to change and which parts to leave alone. As usual, I was not disappointed with his efforts.

I had heard about a Modification called a "soul control" that was being done at the Bluetron amplifier shop in Nashville. It allows you to increase or decrease the negative feedback to the tubes. The results vary from a super clean tone in the low setting to a fat, rich harmonic sound when turned up. It also gives the amp a little more volume. Tim researched the mod and installed this control on the back panel of my amp. This type of modification should not decrease the collector value of the amp because it is such a useful modification, and a minor change.

The amp is fairly clean and in good condition for being over 42 years old. It is a lot heavier than I would like, but it has enough volume and headroom to handle any type of gig. I wouldn't mind having a smaller Fender tube amp, perhaps a Deluxe Reverb, for the smaller gigs so that I wouldn't have to lug the heavy Twin. Notice in the photo that the previous owner added removable casters. I'm happy for that!

Here is a photo of the amp:

http://tomsmerk.com/photo/67twin.jpg

Equipment Notes - Part 5

2009-04-14T13:41:00.000-07:00

My "jazz" guitar (deep-body f-hole arched-top acoustic-electric guitar) is a Heritage Golden Eagle. I have owned several nice jazz guitars in the past - a 1958 Gibson L-5CES, a 1961 Gibson L-7, a Hofner New President, an Ibanez 2355M and a Epiphone Emperor II). The Heritage is the prettiest, the best constructed, and the best sounding of all of these!

The history of Heritage guitars is very interesting. When the Gibson Guitar Corporation closed its Kalamazoo, Michigan factory in September of 1984 it moved all production to its other plant in Nashville, Tennessee (in operation since 1975). When this took place, some of the employees were asked to move to Nashville. However, since their families had spent many years in Kalamazoo, it made it difficult to uproot and move. Therefore 3 men, Jim Deurloo, Marvin Lamb, and JP Moats, decided to start a guitar manufacturing business. In 1985 when the company was incorporated, 2 other former Gibson Guitar Corporation employees, Bill Paige and Mike Korpak, joined as owners. Mike left the company in 1985.

The founders' biggest resource is and was the group of craftsmen they could draw from to begin operations. The owners themselves each had in excess of 25 years of hands on experience in making guitars. To this day each of the owners is directly involved in the manufacturing of each instrument.

Heritage started operations in the oldest of five buildings formerly owned and operated by Gibson Guitar Corporation. That building was completed in 1917 and has been a center for guitar manufacturing ever since. Much of the machinery that Heritage uses today was purchased from Gibson Guitar Corporation.

So essentially, the Heritage guitar is now what the Gibson guitar used to be during it's "glory days."

Here is a list of features from the Heritage catalog:
- 5 piece curly maple neck
- Multiple white bound head veneer inlaid with mother of pearl "The Heritage" and "Eagle & branch" designs.
- Back veneer inlaid with mother of pearl eagle and registration number (which was only used on the first 1000 guitars)
- 25 1/2 inch scale multiple white bound fingerboard with mother of pearl cloud inlays.
- 20 frets
- Single round Venetian cutaway
- Solid carved spruce top
- Solid carved curly maple back and rim
- Multiple white bound top and back
- Multiple white bound curly maple pickguard
- Single bound f-holes
- 17" body - 3" thick
- One Heritage humbucking jazz pickup mounted on pickguard
- One volume control
- Individual gold plated Grover Imperial machine heads
- Gold plated Heritage bail tailpiece
- Adjustable ebony bridge with mother of pearl inlays
- Mother of pearl truss rod cover

I found the electric tone of the guitar to be a little bright, so I added a tone control and mounted it on the pickguard next to the volume control (the tone control was added after the photo was taken).

What I liked best about this guitar (aside from the striking appearance) was the acoustic sound of the instrument. This guitar doesn't need to be plugged in to sound good - acoustically, it sounds as loud and as full as a flat-top guitar. The top and back of the instrument was hand carved like a fine violin. This is a very "live" sounding guitar, so I have to be careful about amp placement and volume or else it will feed back. I haven't recorded with this instrument yet, but I am anxiously awaiting the opportunity to do so because I believe the tone will be awesome!

Here is a photo:

http://tomsmerk.com/photo/heritage.jpg

Equipment Notes - Part 4

2009-04-14T12:29:00.000-07:00

The AE185's unique semi-hollow f-hole acoustic/electric configuration allows you to jump from electric lead riffs to acoustic tone with ease, giving you essentially two instruments in one. There are two humbucking (switchable to single coil) pickups and also a piezo ribbon pickup under the ebony acoustic bridge saddle. The Carvin Custom Shop allows you to order your guitar in any configuration that you like. Mine has a solid AAA Engleman spruce top because I wanted it to double as an acoustic guitar, and I know that most good acoustic guitars have spruce tops. Also, the top should mellow with age and turn a nice amber shade. The top is set of from the sides with tortoise style binding. The back and sides are a beautifully flamed koa wood from Hawaii. The neck is mahogany and the 25" scale ebony fingerboard has white dot inlays and 24 medium-jumbo frets. The tuning keys are Sperzel locking tuners.

The active electronics consists of a master volume, 3-way pickup selector & active tone control for the electric pickups, a separate active tone control for the F60 acoustic pickup, and a pan control to blend between electric & acoustic pickups. Dual output jacks allow you to separate the electric and acoustic signals to different amps, or combine them into one.

The great tone I get comes from special design Alan Holdsworth pickups with 22 pole pieces per pickup. The Holdsworth pickup incorporates some vintage design ideas along with some modern innovations to come up with the absolutely best pickup I have ever used in an electric guitar. Each pickup has a single/double coil selector switch, and there is an phase reversal switch for when both pickups are active.

One of my favorite features of this guitar is it's light weight - very comfortable on long gigs. Finishing off the special order features is a set of straplocks.

To sum it up simply, "I love this guitar!"

Here is a photo:

http://tomsmerk.com/photo/carvin.jpg

Equipment Notes - Part 3

2009-04-14T11:01:00.000-07:00

1966 Epiphone Riviera

The Epiphone Riviera was introduced in 1962. Mine is from 1966. This was during the period when Epiphone was owned by the same company that owned Gibson, and the Epiphone guitar was made at the Gibson factory in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The Riviera is the same as the Gibson ES-335 in workmanship and design. The single-parallelogram fingerboard inlay pattern and the headstock shape are distinctly Epiphone.

The original mini-humbucking pickups have been replaced with Seymour Duncans; a SH-1 `59 model in the neck position for PAF tones and a JB model SH-4 in the bridge position for a great lead tone.

The trapeze tailpiece has been replaced with a Gibson stop tailpiece. The Epiphone pickguard has been replaced with one from a Gibson ES-335.

Because of the modifications, the guitar has lost some of it's value as a collector's item, but the changes put the guitar in the same league as the coveted 1959-1960 Gibson ES-335 as far as tone and playability. I would not consider spending $50,000 for a 1959 Gibson ES-335, but I feel that I have here essentially the same instrument. It has a warm tone for jazz, a
powerful sound for rock, and a singing B.B. King tone for blues.

The guitar came with the interesting gray vinyl Epiphone hardshell case.

Here is a photo:

http://tomsmerk.com/photo/riviera.jpg

Equipment Notes - Part 2

2009-04-14T09:53:00.000-07:00

The next two guitars I will enter as a set because they were both built by the same luthier, and I purchased them together. They were both hand-made by Dan Altilio, who is also the owner of Top Gear Guitar Pro Shop in La Mesa and one of the founders of DiMarzio pickups. The guitars are both thinline acoustic-electrics. One is a steel string model and the other is a nylon string.
The bodies are made of alder wood from the Pacific northwest. The wood was hand-picked for tone and light weight. The tops of the guitars are Alaskan Sitka spruce, the most popular tonewood for acoustic guitars.

The neck of the steel stringed guitar is eastern rock maple with an ebony fingerboard. It has an adjustable steel truss rod. The neck of the nylon stringed model is made of 30-year-old seasoned California redwood. The fingerboard of that neck is made from pau-ferro, which is a type of rosewood known for its hardness. This neck also contains a pair of carbon-fiber stiffeners to prevent warpage.

Both guitars are fitted with L.R. Baggs bridge pickups connected to a single volume knob, which I requested.

The steel string model is finished in vintage sunburst and the nylon string guitar has a natural finish.

The wood in the guitars is carved and tuned so well that they have a lot of acoustic volume and tone for such a thin design, but when they are amplified, they are unmatched by anything else I have heard. Dan has only built a few instruments, and I have #3 and #4. I would recommend Dan's guitars to anyone that is looking for a lightweight, thin, easy to handle instrument with a full rich acoustic guitar tone without feedback.

Here are photos of the two guitars:

http://tomsmerk.com/photo/altilio_steel.jpg

http://tomsmerk.com/photo/altilio_nylon.jpg

A few notes about the equipment I use

2009-04-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

Since some of you have been asking about some of the guitars I have been using recently, I decided to write a few notes here on the blog to answer your questions and tell you a little about my current guitars. As a matter of record, I should start by mentioning that I had a large collection of guitars that were destroyed in the October 2007 "Harris" fire. I had some excellent guitars including a few vintage pieces. After the fire, it was time to replace some of the instruments so I could get back on with my life. I decided that this time around, I would go for "quality" rather than "quantity." As I selected guitars to purchase, I tried to make sure I was getting the absolute best instrument in each category, one that would suit my needs. Most of the guitars I have now are unique in this respect. I will begin with the acoustic guitar I use most often.

The guitar I use most often is a 2006 Martin D-42 K2, which is made from highly figured koa wood, top, back and sides. Koa is by far the most responsive, resonant and beautiful-sounding wood for guitar building, and it’s also the most expensive and rare. This particular model has been discontinued since 2006, and this is one of the last ones made. I've been told that the days of all (highly figured) koa guitars have passed, mainly because of the scarcity of top grade old growth koa wood, and the value of this instrument has already doubled since I purchased it.
The inlays and purfling are D45 style, and the fingerboard inlays are the vintage snowflake style, and there are also snowflake inlays on the solid ebony bridge. The tuners are Gotoh Gold with butterbean knobs.

The guitar has been fitted with a Fishman Ellipse Blend pickup system, which consists of a piezo bridge pickup and an internal microphone on a gooseneck which can be positioned through the soundhole for different tonal effects. There is a blend control to balance between the pickup and the microphone. This is the best system I have found so far for amplifying acoustic guitars, but unfortunately, it has been discontinued.

I use Elixir light phosphor bronze strings, .012 - .053. The tone of the guitar is bright but well balanced, full and loud. My previous guitar was a Martin 000-28EC, which was a more comfortable size, but it didn't have the big sound I get from the big dreadnaught body.
I often go to music stores and look at acoustic guitars to see if there is anything better, but I haven't found anything else I like. The only guitars that sound as good are a few of the models that are hand-made by Rob Ehlers, an American luthier living in Mexico.

Here are some photos:

http://tomsmerk.com/photo/martin1.jpg

http://tomsmerk.com/photo/martin2.jpg

Home recording can be fun!

2009-04-02T10:59:00.000-07:00

If you sing or play an instrument, you can enhance your learning while having some fun by using the freely available digital recording soft ware “Audacity.” Audacity® is free, open source software for recording and editing sounds. It is available for Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems. You can download and install it for free from http://audacity.sourceforge.net. You can use the program to record a performance, record accompaniment on one track and then solo on another track, record duets and quartets by yourself, or try your hand at multitrack recording. Audacity is also popular for recording voice, lectures and podcasts.

One of the things I like about the Audacity software is the availability of instructions and tutorials from the same web site. Click on “Other downloads” and then click on the “Help” tab, and you can access the FAQ, the user manual and quick reference, the Audacity Wiki, step-by-step guides on performing common tasks in Audacity, such as making ringtones, removing vocals, mixing, creating podcasts and transferring tapes and records to computer, tips, and even foreign language tutorials.

From the “Download” tab, after you select your operating system, you will have a link to download and install the software. You will also need to download and install the “LAME MP3 encoder” if you want to be able to save your recordings in the popular MP3 format.

Audacity is very easy to use. Just plug in a microphone or instrument, start the software, click the record button, and you’re in business. Click the stop button when you are finished recording the track. The next time you click the record button, it will open up a second track and you can record a second part while listening to the first part. You can continue to add as many parts as you need. I could not find anything in the documentation that explains how many tracks are available in total, but I imagine that the number of tracks would be limited by the amount of memory you have in your computer, the speed of the CPU, and the amount of available free space on your hard drive, not to mention common sense which dictates that the more tracks you have, the easier it is for something to go wrong! The tracks can be either mono or stereo.

You can plug microphones or instruments into the microphone input on your computer’s sound card, but the sound cards on computers tend to add a lot of hiss and noise to the mix. If this is something you are serious about or want to do on a frequent basis, you should invest in either a USB microphone which converts the signal to digital before it enters the computer, therefore, less noise, or even better, get a digital microphone mixer such as the Digidesign M-Box or the more capable (and more expensive) Presonus FireStudio.

Once you have recorded your tracks, you have many built in “filters” available, such as a noise removal tool, equalization, reverb, echo, and even pitch correction tools to fix bad vocals. You can change the volume of any track, or “normalize” all the tracks so that they are balanced with each other. You can save your project and add more tracks later. When you export your finished work as a WAV or MP3 file, it mixes it down to two-track stereo. You can control the placement of the tracks in the mix before you export.

Once again, there is a lot you can do with this program, and fortunately, there is good documentation and a lot of great tutorials to help you master the process.

I’d sure like to hear what you’ve done. When you finish your project, export it as an MP3 file and email it to tsmerk@sdccd.edu or tom@tomsmerk.com .

Enjoy!

The all-time best guitars

2009-03-12T13:20:00.000-07:00

(Not ranked or in any particular order)

While this list is largely personal opinion and many others might have other suggestions, it is also based largely on what guitars were widely used by popular players since the introduction of the electric guitar in the 1940’s, and also on what models are consistently good sellers and highly in demand in both the new and used guitar markets. I’m sure that most players, collectors and retailers would agree on my choices for the most part. Feel welcome to leave comments!

The “A-List” of electric guitars:

1. Gibson Les Paul

Tied with the Fender Stratocaster for the all around most popular electric guitar. What else needs to be said about the Gibson Les Paul? Hundreds of rock and blues players have used this guitar. The 1958 through 1960 models have become legendary and are selling at prices that only rock stars can afford. This is a good quality, good looking, solid, versatile, good sounding and easy to play instrument. The standard model is preferred by most rock and blues players, but the custom model offers some extra appearance features and lower frets for easy fingering and is used by some jazz players. There were many other Les Paul models over the years, and this is one of the guitars that has so many models, so many endorsers and so much history that several books have been written about the Gibson Les Paul. My only complaint is that it is a very heavy guitar.

Runners-up:

Ibanez 2342 “Deluxe `59er” – This is an Ibanez Les Paul copy from 1974/1975. It came in several finishes. My favorite was the sunburst. These guitars were so good that Ibanez was sued by Gibson and forced to change their design.

Gibson SG Standard and SG Custom – For those people who could not afford a Les Paul or wanted a lighter Gibson guitar, the SG was another very popular solid-body Gibson. Some of the SG’s most famous users were Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton and John Cipollina. Les Paul and Mary Ford are also pictured on at least one of their record albums holding a 1961 SG. It 1961, it was called the Les Paul model.

2. Fender Stratocaster

Tied with the Gibson Les Paul for the all around most popular electric guitar, the Fender Stratocaster was less expensive than the Gibson Les Paul, but was still a solid, good looking, versatile, good sounding and easy to play instrument. The Stratocaster has a wide variety of sounds, and is used by rock, blues, surf, pop, country and jazz players. Like the Les Paul, the list of “Strat” endorsers is too long to even begin to include. Many books are written specifically about the Fender Stratocaster. The Stratocaster had two advantages over the Les Paul; a third pickup, and lighter weight. The disadvantage of the Stratocaster is the lack of “humbucking” pickups, which made the tone a little thinner than the Gibson guitars, and the “single coil” pickups were sometimes to a buzz from electronic interference. Many of these problems have since been solved by introducing new models with stronger pickups or humbucking pickups.

Runners-up:

Music Man and G&L are two companies that were started by Leo Fender, the developer of Fender Musical Instruments. Since one of the original designers of the Stratocaster guitar was involved in Music Man and G&L production, these two companies offer guitars that are similar to the Fender Stratocaster. Many even say that the Music Man and G&L instruments are even better because they made improvements on the original Stratocaster design.

3. Fender Telecaster

The Telecaster is a great example of a simple, inexpensive, versatile and useful guitar. It has a definitive sound that is easily recognized because it has such a strong characteristic tone that is loved by many famous blues, rock, country and jazz players such as Roy Buchanan, Steve Cropper and James Burton. In the hands of the right player, the Telecaster can produce just about any electric guitar tone that you are seeking. It can cut through on the treble side for country licks, sound smooth and warm like an arched top for jazz, and scream and wail for rock and blues. Personally, I like the Telecaster better than either the Les Paul of the Stratocaster, but that is one of the reasons the “Tele” is so popular, it has its own list of devoted users. However, a new player entering a music store would probably be more inclined to buy the Les Paul or Stratocaster.

Runners-up:

Music Man and G&L (see notes on Stratocaster above) build some guitars which are based on the original design of the Fender Telecaster.

4. Gibson ES-335

Introduced in 1958, the Gibson ES-335 had some new features that were popular with guitarists; it combined the hollow body of an acoustic “jazz” arched top guitar with the tonal dense-wood sound of the solid body guitars by placing a solid block of wood in the center of the instrument with both “sides” being hollow. For easy accessibility to the higher playing positions, the body had a double cutaway instead of the single cutaway of the other ES guitars of the era. It also featured the new Gibson humbucking pickups which gave it the powerful sound preferred by rock and blues players. Because of the “semi-solid” design, it was not susceptible to feedback like the hollow body electric guitars were. This was the guitar of choice by many blues players such as Elvin Bishop, Larry Carlton and Alvin Lee.

Runners-up:

The Gibson ES-345 and ES-355 guitars were upgraded models of the “335.” While you would think that the extra features would make them more popular than the original 335 model, the ES-335 model was probably preferred because of its simplicity and no-frills design. Blues legend B.B King is probably the most famous user of the Gibson ES-355.

5. Gibson ES-175D

This is the definitive “jazz guitar.” While not the fanciest or most deluxe model of the Gibson arched top electric guitars, the ES-175D offered a warm jazz tone without the extra-cost design appointments and at a cost that was more affordable. The ES-175D had a 16” wide body which many players found to be more comfortable that the 17” body of the Gibson L-5CES or the 18” body of the Gibson Super 400CES. The “175” was used by popular rock guitarist Steve Howe as well as jazz artists Joe Pass, Herb Ellis and Jim Hall. For jazz, I prefer the single-coil pickups of the earlier models (pre-1957), but many people prefer the humbuckers currently available. The ES-175 was also available with a single “Charlie Christian” pickup, similar to the pickup on the Gibson ES-150 player by early jazz guitar pioneer Charlie Christian.

Runners-up:

The Gibson ES-175 is a single-pickup version of the ES-175D (the D stands for “double pickup”) and, for most jazz players, one pickup is all that is needed to get the desired sound. Epiphone currently offers a “Joe Pass” model guitar that is a good low-cost alternative to the Gibson. I have owned this guitar, and I have found it to be of good quality with a good tone. Ibanez used to make a Model #2355M in the late 1970’s which was a high-quality guitar built of highly flamed laminated maple. I owned one of these and I still think it was one of the best guitars I have ever owned. I wish I still had this guitar!

Also, the Gibson L-5CES, Super 400CES and Johnny Smith model are all much better guitars than the ES-175D. They use solid carved wood while the “175” used laminated woods. The level of workmanship and ornamentation is much higher on the L5, Super 400 and JS. But for some reason (probably the higher cost of these guitars), the ES-175 show up more often on more stages and recordings. For the same reason, the extremely desirable D’Angelico jazz guitars didn’t make the list. Although they are of the highest quality and are great sounding jazz instruments, they are not as widely used as the ES-175. If the list was based on quality only, no one would be able to afford any of the guitars on the list!

The Gibson ES-295 offered in the early 1950’s resembles an early Gibson ES-175D, except that it has a Bigsby vibrato tailpiece and it has a gold sparkle finish. Like the ES-175D from the same era, the pickups are single coil until 1957 when the pickups were replaced with the new humbucking design.

6. Paul Reed Smith

It is difficult to pick any one model from the Paul Reed Smith line of guitars. None of these guitars have achieved the “legendary” status of the other guitars on the list, but they are an extremely well made and good sounding guitar, and are a good alternative to the Gibson Les Paul, so I thought they deserved to be included on the list one way or another. In time, perhaps one or two different models might rise legendary status as the Les Paul and ES-335 did in the Gibson line.

Runners-up:

Carvin recently introduced a new solid-body electric guitar called the “California Carved Top” that is like the Paul Reed Smith in many ways; premium woods and meticulous workmanship. In addition to the California Carved Top series, several other Carvin guitars are worth a look. I personally use a Carvin AE-185 thin acoustic-electric, and it is one of the finest guitars I have ever owned. In addition to the premium pickups designed in conjunction to innovative guitarist Alan Holdsworth, it also has a piezo bridge saddle pickup system for a fairly good acoustic tone. The pickups are selectable between single-coil or humbucker, and the fit and finish of the guitar is flawless.

7. Gretsch 6120

This single-cutaway thinline acoustic-electric guitar is more popularly known as the original "Chet Atkins" model guitar. The most popular models are from around 1959-1960. In the 1970's, this guitar becamome a double-cutaway and was then known as the Chet Atkins Nashville model. Some guitars that are closely related to this guitar are the Gretsch White Falcon, Country Gentleman and Tennessean, all popular guitars of good quality that have stood the test of time.

The “A-List” of acoustic guitars:

1. Martin D-28

Unquestionably the most popular, most desired, and in many cases, the best sounding acoustic flat-top guitar of all time. While Martin offers premium models that are above the D-28 in the model line, the D-28 is popular because of it’s “no frills” approach. It was built to be a “work horse” of a guitar – lower cost, good woods (rosewood back and sides and a solid spruce top), and a good design (dreadnaught) for both volume and tone. The Martins built before the onset of World War II (called the “pre-war” period of acoustic guitar lore) are considered to be superior and more desirable than the models built after 1944 because of design changes. Pre-1969 models using rosewood imported from Brazil rather than the later models which used Indian rosewood are also more desirable and more expensive.

Runners-up:

The Martin D-18 is similar to the D-28 except that it uses mahogany rather than rosewood for its back and sides. While rosewood is usually more expensive, some players prefer the brighter sound of a mahogany guitar.

Other Martin models in the D, M, 00 and 000 series are also a good choice, such as the D-35, D-41, D-42, D-45, 000-28, 000-45, etc.

2. Gibson J-45

A round-shouldered “jumbo” design with a solid spruce top and rosewood back and sides, this guitar was one of the most popular guitars in the 1940’s and 1950’s. An extremely well made guitar with good tone and a fair price was just what the country & western, folk and bluegrass players were looking for. The J-45 was discontinued in 1984, but has since been reissued and is currently available.

Runners-up:

Gibson Dove, Gibson Hummingbird, Gibson J-200. Each of these guitars is a well made, good sounding and extremely popular acoustic guitar. It seems that in the world of acoustic guitarists, there are only four choices: Martin, Taylor, Gibson or “other.” In the other category would be makes such as Collings, Gurian and Gallagher acoustic guitars. If a player prefers a Gibson acoustic guitar, chances are they would choose one of these three instruments if not the J-45 or J-35.

Epiphone Excellante

From 1958 to 1969, Epiphone was owned by the same parent company as Gibson, and there was a lot of similarity between the Epiphone and the Gibson guitars. The flagship of the Epiphone acoustic guitar line was the Excellante, which actually cost $100 more that the Gibson J-200. This guitar is now extremely scarce and is sought after by collectors as well as players. Many people prefer the Excellante to any of the Gibson models.

Guild F-512 12-String

This model seems to be the one that is most preferred by players of the 12-string guitar. The F512 is a large guitar with a Jumbo style body, and it was made in the United States from solid woods (rosewood back and sides and sitka spruce top).

3. Taylor Guitars

Taylor acoustic guitars have only been around since the late 1970's so no one model has become an outstanding favorite, but all of their guitars are quality instruments, and they compete favorably with Martin and Gibson. Like the Martin lineup, Taylor offers a range of instruments from modest to deluxe, and also offers a nice choice of tonewoods. These guitars are definitely worth looking into!

The “A-List” of Electric Bass:

1. Fender Precision Bass / Fender Jazz Bass

So popular that some people still call any electric bass a Fender” bass. These instruments set the standard that all other electric basses are judged by.

2. Rickenbacker 4001

The Rickenbacker was lighter than the Fender bass and had a smaller neck and a unique pickup blending system. It was a solid-body, like the Fenders. These basses were a good choice if for some reason you did not want a Fender bass.

Runners-up:

Hofner Beatle Bass – made popular by Paul McCartney, this is a small body light-weight bass, which causes it to be a little top-heavy. Good low tones, but it is prone to feedback because it is a hollow body.

Gibson EB-0 and EB-3 – For those that prefer Gibson over Fender, the Gibson basses never seemed to me to have the sound and feel of the Fender basses, and they were a little late getting their basses to market. By the time the Gibson bass was introduced, Fender already had a lock on the market, and there was no good reason to choose anything else.

The Honorable Mentions:

Rob Ehlers handmade acoustic guitars

Rob is an American who builds acoustic guitars in Veracruz, Mexico. They are made one at a time, all by hand. It is my opinion that these are the finest acoustic guitars currently available. The woods are awesome, the workmanship is impeccable, and the tone is full and balanced. The setup is extremely easy to play. The price range is in the $4000 to $9000 range, but this is a guitar that you will want to keep for the rest of your life, and then pass on to someone very special!

Guild Guitars

There were several Guild guitars that never achieved legendary status, but deserve to be included. The Johnny Smith Artist Award guitar is a nice, large jazz acoustic-electric that rivaled the Gibson instruments, but for some reason, Johnny Smith gave up his Guild endorsement and switched his loyalty to Gibson. The Duane Eddy model, Bert Weedon model and Starfire IV were good thinline acoustic-electrics, but never achieved the widespread popularity of the Gibson ES-330, Epiphone Casino and Gretsch 6120 and Country Gentleman. Likewise, the Gretch flat-top acoustic guitars, such as the F50R, D35 and F-40 were all great instruments, but never achieved the glory of the Gibson and Martin instruments.

Alembic Guitars / Alembic Bass

Only used by a handful of players such as Jerry Garcia and Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead, these instruments were hand-built and utilized innovative experimental electronics. In the 1970’s, these were popular because they well designed and well made instruments, but the price was higher than most musicians were willing to pay.

Handmade custom order guitars

I particularly like the Gibson style guitars made by Scott Lentz in San Marcos, California, the Fender style guitars built by Michael DeTemple in Van Nuys/Sherman Oaks, and the thin-line acoustic-electric guitars built by Dan Altilio, owner of Top Gear Pro Music Shop in La Mesa, California. These guitars are for the discriminating player who feels that an “off-the-rack” guitar just won’t do!

A guitar for the rest of your life?

2009-02-06T11:51:00.000-08:00

This message is mainly for guitar and bass players because most other instrumentalists already agree with what I am about to say. Once a violinist or a cellist reach a certain level of expertise, they purchase a quality instrument, usually expensive, that responds to their playing style and offers everything they are looking for in an instrument. Then they usually keep this instrument throughout their career and use it for all of their performances. But for some reason, most guitar and bass players seem to always be trying different instruments, never happy with what they have, always looking for something better or something different.

I am also speaking from experience – all the wrong kind of experience. I must have owned around 100 different guitars during my career as a musician. There were a few guitars among these that I never should have owned, and there were a few that I should have kept. It is a good experience to find a guitar that meets both your present and future needs, and then to continue playing the same instrument until it becomes a part of you, and extension of your musical whole being. I’m writing this hoping that you won’t have t go through all the “wrong turns” that I had to.

In the beginning, it is difficult to know exactly what you want, and you may have to experiment with a few guitars until you find one you like. This will be easier if you access your needs and decide if you are going to play guitar as a hobby or are you going to play professionally. If you are going to play as a hobby, when the hobby becomes serious, almost overwhelming, you are ready to choose a lifetime instrument. If you will be playing professionally, you need to find an instrument that will fill your needs on-stage.

When considering the purchase of a “keeper” guitar, give some consideration to the following questions:
1. What is it about this guitar that led you to consider purchasing it as an instrument you will desire to play for as long as possible? Think a lot before you answer and try to be specific about what exactly drew you to this instrument.
2. Is this guitar cosmetically appealing? Is it the color you wanted? If used, does it have any damage or blemishes that you would be concerned about?
3. Is this instrument suited to your playing style? Are there other guitarists that use this model of guitar to get good results playing the same type of music that you will?
4. Is this a versatile guitar? If your style changes, will this guitar be suitable for other styles of music? There are a few “classic” guitars on the market that seem to do well in all styles of electric guitar playing, such as the Fender Telecaster and Stratocaster and the Gibson Les Paul and ES-335.
5. Is the guitar you are considering just a passing fad, or something that will withstand the test of time. Is the guitar likely to appreciate in value or perhaps become collectable?
6. If this is not a “brand name” guitar, is there anything about the manufacturer that would eventually make you feel like you were playing an inferior instrument? There are some manufacturers such as Yamaha and Ibanez that were once unknowns, but have risen to the top because they have built a reputation for building instruments of superior quality.
7. How does guitar “feel” to you? If you can’t come up with an answer immediately, then this is probably not the right guitar for you. When you find the “right” guitar, it will immediately feel better than you could have ever imagined. It will be a feeling that you have never experienced in a guitar, a good feeling that you feel fortunate to have discovered.
8. What do other players have to say about the instrument you are considering? It is unlikely that you will ever hear any negative comments about a 1959 Gibson Les Paul, a 1953 Fender Telecaster, a 1960 Gibson ES-345, a Paul Reed Smith Custom 22 10 top, a Guild F-512 12-string or a pre-war Martin D-28. Is the guitar you are considering worthy of this sort of notoriety?
9. Is this a “quality” instrument?
10. One last, but important question – what other guitar would your “rather” have than this one? Think hard, there must be something you would rather have if only you had the opportunity. Maybe you can’t afford it. Maybe there are none available. Maybe someone else owns it and won’t part with it. If so, go back to step one, and let’s keep reconsidering until you find a guitar that will be the right one for you, a keeper, a guitar for life!
Once you find the right guitar for you, you will eventually wear it out. A good guitar repair shop can adjust the neck when it warps or bends, remove the buzzes that develop, level out your frets when they start to wear, replace your frets when they wear out, repair structural damage, and keep the electronics in good working order. Your guitar will probably develop a few nicks, scratches and dents. Maybe it will even wear out a spot or two through the finish down to the bare wood. A glossy finish could become “checked” or cracked from the effects of temperature and humidity. The edge binding might yellow or crack. You shouldn’t let any of this bother you. Gibson, Fender and a few other companies are now marketing guitars that are brand new but appear to be well used and worn. They call these “relics,” or “road worn.” Sometimes these guitars even cost more than a shiny brand new with no blemishes! There is pride in owning a guitar that shows that you have enjoyed playing this instrument over a long period of time. If it bothers you, you could always have the guitar refinished (but don’t do this to a collectable instrument as it is likely to decrease the value of the instrument).

I hope you find the guitar of your dreams. If an when you do, please post a comment – I’m anxious to hear about your good fortune!

Play with feeling!

2009-02-06T10:23:00.000-08:00

If I had to identify any one thing you could work on to improve your playing and singing, I would have to say “play with feeling!” When you listen to music, does it “move” you? Do some songs make you cry and other songs make you happy? Does a song with a good beat get your toes tapping? Does the music “carry you away” to a better place? Can you imagine what it would be like to listen to music that was so “bland” and mechanical that it did nothing to capture your attention or entertain you?

If the music you listen to evokes feelings and moods, what feelings and moods are experienced by the people that are listening to you? Are you just mechanically playing a song, or are you interpreting it, putting a little (or a lot) of yourself into it, and then presenting it as a message? Are you trying to capture the interest and attention of your audience? Is your audience enjoying the music or just listening to it? Are they evening listening, or are they ignoring you? Are they feeling the emotions that you want them to feel? Are they becoming part of the whole musical experience you are presenting?

You don’t have to be doing original songs to put your own feelings and emotions into the music you are playing. Even if you are covering other peoples songs, your audience would like to hear how “you” interpret that song. What does “your” version sound like? Are you trying to sing it live the recording artist, or are you allowing yourself to sing it the way “you” think it should be sung? Maybe your version sounds better than the original!

When you are playing music, let yourself get caught up in the music. Let yourself go, let yourself loose. Feel the music. Experience the music. Become part of the musical experience. Put a lot of yourself into the music, and “play with feeling.” Once you start doing this, you will be twice as good as you were before you read this.

Comments? Let me know how this works for you!

Develop a relationship with your local music store

2009-02-06T09:48:00.000-08:00

The college district I work for serves the city of San Diego, and has six Continuing Education campuses, each serving a different “neighborhood” in the city. During my beginning folk guitar class last Tuesday, we had a surprise visit from Mark, the owner of a local music store just a few blocks away from the campus. Mark brought some guitar picks for everyone as a “getting acquainted” gift, and talked about adjustments a repair shop can do to make your guitar easier to play.

This got me thinking about how important it is for music students to have a relationship with at least one music store in their area. As the owner of an automobile, you probably are very happy if you have found an auto repair shop that you trust to service your car. Why not have the same considerations for your instrument? If you are a beginning guitar player, for example, a guitar shop or music store can put on a new set of guitar strings for you when your old strings need replaced. A neck tension adjustment can lower the action on a hard-to-play guitar or eliminate annoying buzzes. Pickups on an electric guitar can be adjusted for best response. When it comes time to amplify your acoustic guitar, a good music store can install a pickup system in your instrument and recommend an amplifier to suit your needs. If you need a particular book or piece of music, the store can order it for you. Your music store can also take care of all your accessory needs such as picks, effect pedals, microphones and stands, cables, cases, straps and a whole lot more.

There are so many things a music store can do to make your playing more enjoyable. Find a store that treats you with respect, has a friendly staff, and has a reputation of serving professional musicians in the area. Get to know the owner and employees on a first name basis. I have one store that I deal with so much that they recognize my voice when I phone them. If you decide to get a better guitar, a second guitar or an amplifier or PA system, it would be wise to consider buying from the store that has been doing their best to meet your needs. If they have had the opportunity over time to get to know your playing needs, they would be better able to make recommendations. Also, since they know that they are the ones who will be servicing the instrument, they might be more likely to sell you something reliable that fits your needs exactly. They might even be willing to trade in your old instrument or help you sell it on consignment in their store.

A local music is also a good place to make connections. You can meet other people and start a band, get referrals for wedding and dance engagements, find out about local workshops, seminars, classes, concerts and other events, or get opinions about music equipment from other customers. Some stores have a bulletin board where you can post ads. Most stores also offer private music lessons.

I always tell my classes to make frequent visits to several music stores to see what new and used equipment is available. New things to make your playing more fun are constantly being developed, and you need to stay aware of what is available. It is difficult to walk into a music store and not find something you want to buy! As a guitarist, I have always delighted to see older “vintage” instruments hanging up on the wall. These fine old guitars are a part of music history. Even though I have been playing guitar for 45 years and teaching for 40 years, I don’t claim to always know about the “tools of the trade.” Playing an instrument is on one level, teaching is on another, and music merchandising is on a completely different level.

Another person to get to know well is your music teacher. Between the owners and employees of your favorite music store and your music teacher, you will always have a willing person to answer your questions and concerns and to make recommendations.

As always, I enjoy hearing your comments on my posts. It is reassuring for me to know that some people are actually reading these messages that I put a lot of work into creating! Enjoy!

Practice makes perfect!

2008-11-13T11:50:00.000-08:00

As I watch the students in my guitar classes progress at different rates, it has become obvious that playing a musical instrument to the best of one's ability requires dedication and a rigid practice schedule. Those that play and practice the guitar more from week to week tend to progress faster than those that practice rarely. Unless a person is a professional musician, it is difficult for many guitar students to find enough time during the week to invest the necessary amount of time. The same is true, in many cases, of the matter of physical fitness. Those that don't have the time to exercise on a regular basis tend to be weaker and fatter than those how somehow find the time to walk, jog or go to the gym on a regular basis.

While some academic subjects require a lot of time to study and memorization, learning to play an instrument requires more of a physical conditioning. There are, of course, things that a music student must know about music, but virtuosity comes from many hours of moving fingers on the neck and strings.

Why would a guitar student assume that less effort than this is required? Would you let your doctor treat you if they didn't have time to study medicine? Would you let a mechanic fix your car if he never found time to study and practice mechanical skills? Would you allow a contractor to build you a house if they only found time occasionally to do this?

Sometimes I joke with my class and ask if they all practiced 8 hours a day like they should. But when I think back to some of the more productive periods of my own life, maybe this is not really such a joke. When I was studying music in college, I had to practice many different instruments several hours each day, plus keep up the study for my general ed courses. When I was on the road working as a professional musician, I began the day with a 3 hour band rehearsal, practiced privately in my room for another 2-3 hours, and then play a 4 or 5 hour show at night, sometimes even 2 or 3 shows per night. Naturally, with my teaching commitments, I cannot afford to practice like that anymore. But I also have to acknowledge the fact that I am not progressing on the instrument like I was at that time.

To sum this all up, if you want to become a better guitar (or any musical instrument) player, you need to practice more each week. There is no substitute for daily rehearsal. This is a fact, and I challenge anyone to tell me otherwise!

The Best Guitar Players To Listen To

2007-04-25T02:17:00.000-07:00

In my July 19, 2006 posting titled “Learning is Important,” I mentioned the need to listen to recorded works of other musicians as an aide for creating a background of experience in developing your own style.

Today, I would like to expand on that article by making suggestions from my own personal experience of who to listen to in a variety of styles. I remember on time that I went to a Bluegrass Guitar workshop, and the workshop presenter, Mike Nadolson, handed out a list of “essential listening.” I found this list to be useful and bought most of the albums on it. Since I am a guitarist, I will limit the list to guitar music. If other instrumentalists want to add to it, either by expanding the guitarist list or adding recommendations for other instruments, I think that would be a great service!

There are many more great players that should be on this list. These are just a few of my favorites:

Jazz:
Jimmy Bruno
Kenny Burrell
Joe Pass
Johnny Smith
Wes Montgomery
John Pizzarelli
Hank Garland
Jim Hall
Barney Kessell
Herb Ellis
Charlie Byrd
John McLaughlin
Larry Coryell
Al Di Meola
George Benson
Buddy Fite
Grant Green
Tal Farlow
Martin Taylor
Russell Malone (w/Diana Krall)

Smooth Jazz:
Larry Carlton
Jeff Golub (Avenue Blue)
Norman Brown
Tommy Emmanuel
Peter White
Craig Chaquico
Russ Freeman (Rippingtons)
Chris Standring
Zachary Breaux
Lee Ritenour
Ronald "Boo" Hinkson

Blues:B.B. King
Eric Clapton
Hubert Sumlin
Roy Buchanan
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Alvin Lee
John Mayer
Gary Moore
Buddy Guy
Eric Johnson
Danny Gatton
Joe Bonamassa
Susan Tedeschi
Derek Trucks

Rock:
Carl Verheyen
Steve Vai
Carlos Santana
Eric Clapton
Joe Walsh
Jimmy Page
Saul Hudson (Slash)
Yngwie Malmsteen
Joe Satriani
Jeff Beck
Keith Richards
George Harrison
Steve Howe
Jimi Hendrix
Jeff “Skunk” Baxter
Terry Kath (Chicago)
Rick Derringer
Rik Emmett (Triumph)
Brian May
Jerry Garcia
Ritchie Blackmore
Leslie West
Peter Frampton

Rockabilly:Brian Setzer
Scotty Moore (Elvis)
James Burton (Ricky Nelson)
Chuck Berry
George Harrison (Beatles)
Danny Gatton

Country:
Albert Lee
John Jorgenson
Vince Gill
Jimmy Bryant
Hank Garland
Chet Atkins
Merl Travis
Danny Gatton

Bluegrass:Bryan Sutton
Ricky Skaggs
Tony Rice
Dan Crary
John Moore
Raul Reynoso

Folk:
Doc Watson
John Fahey
Woody Guthrie
Ramblin’ Jack Elliott
Phil Ochs
Paul Simon
Norman Blake
Doyle Dykes
Bert Jansch
John Renbourn
Gordon Lightfoot
Leo Kottke
Ritchie Blackmore (Blackmores Night)

Pop:
Duane Eddy
Bert Weedon
Les Paul
Roy Clark
Tommy Tedesco
Tony Matolla
Howard Roberts
Al Caiola
Buddy Fite
Steve Cropper
The Shadows
The Ventures
Paul Johnson (the "real" king of surf guitar!)

Swing, Be-Bop, Gypsy Jazz:
Django Reinhardt
Raul Reynoso
Charlie Christian

Classical:
Andres Segovia
Fernando Sor
Pepe Romero
John Williams
Julian Bream

Flamenco:
Sabicas
Ramon Montoya
Paco de Lucia
Charro

Once again, I know that there are a lot of really great guitarists that are not on my list. I had to end the list somewhere! A lot of the guitarists mentioned are older. These are probably some of the guitar players that influenced the current crop of guitarists. Read interviews of your favorite guitarists and find out who influenced them. Sometimes it’s fun to go way back and listen to the “original” group of guitarists that shaped music for all the generations to follow!

As always, your comments are appreciated. If you would like to know certain specific albums or songs for one of the artists listed above, email me at tom@tomsmerk.com and I’ll see what I can recommend.

Developing Rhythm and Timing is Important!

2006-08-03T10:47:00.000-07:00

One of the advantages of taking music lessons is that you get to play once a week with someone who knows how to “keep the beat.” It has been my experience that self-taught students have a hard time keeping a steady beat going, and will tend to concentrate only on the music and not as much on the beat.

While the melody to a song is of primary importance, and the chords set up the harmonic structure for the song, the rhythm, or “beat” is what makes the song fun and easy to listen to. Listeners have been known to tap their feet while listening to a song.

Here are a few hints for developing a strong sense of rhythm:
(1) Take private music lessons
(2) Take class music lessons
(3) Practice with a metronome
(4) Practice with a drum machine
(5) Practice with “accompaniment software” such as “Band-In-A-Box”
(6) Practice with a keyboard that lets you record songs into memory
(7) Practice with karaoke tapes or CDs
(8) Play along with CDs
(9) Play along with “Music-Minus-One” CDs.
(10) Join the school or community band or orchestra
(11) Join a dance band
(12) “Jam” with other musicians
(13) Listen to records and attend concerts

Some of the above points may require an explanation. If you haven’t heard about a metronome, it is a wind-up or electronic device that “ticks” off the beat. Playing along with the ticking of a metronome is an excellent way to develop steady rhythm and learn how to “stay on beat.” You will hear your note sound the same time the metronome ticks. If you hear the note before or after the tick, you are “off the beat.”

Playing with a drum machine is like playing with a metronome except the beat is more exciting. Drum machines also let you develop a natural sense of phrasing for different types of music, for example, you wouldn’t play a swing or blues song with the same stiffness as a march or polka.

Band-In-A-Box is a computer software program that allows you to type in the chord progression to a song, and then pick an accompaniment style from a list. It will then generate a “backup band” accompaniment for the song consisting of bass, drums, piano and guitar, or sometimes will use strings, brass, organ or other instruments. You could accomplish the same thing with a portable keyboard that allows you to record music into memory or a disk and then playback the recording. Yamaha and Casio make a wide variety of these instruments, and most of the models are inexpensive.

“Music-Minus-One” is the name of a company that markets recordings of popular songs with the melody part left off the recording. The record, tape or CD comes with a book that contains the sheet music so you can play the missing part. Over the years, there have been many variations on this concept. One of the significant variations of Music-Minus-One is karaoke. There is a huge availability of karaoke “tracks” on cassettes, CDs and DVDs. The melody is omitted from the recording so you can sing along. You could also play along on an instrument if you had the music. Karaoke recordings usually come with the words to the song, but not the sheet music. A professional karaoke playback system will allow you to change the key or change the speed of the song.

The rest of the tips are self-explanatory. The best way, outside of lessons, to improve your timing and sense of rhythm is to play frequently with other people that have a good sense of timing themselves. If you play with people who have trouble playing “on-beat,” your timing and rhythm may actually get worse.

As always, I am available to discuss these issues that are so very important to your advancement as a musician. Feel welcome to email me at tom@tomsmerk.com.

How to practice

2006-07-19T17:59:00.000-07:00

Practicing a musical instrument is best done under the direction of a qualified music teacher. If that is not possible, you can get more benefit from your practice time by following the rules below:

If you cannot practice 60, 90 or 120 minutes at one session, remember to make up the time later the same day or the very next day. Also, if your practice sessions must be shorter, you may not have enough time to get through all the study areas listed above. You might have to do half of the list one day and the other half another day. Remember, cutting back your practice time also cuts back your progress.

If you cannot devote at least this much time to practice, you may not be able to achieve the level of playing you desire. While a short practice session is better than none at all, you get out of the business what you put into it. The more you practice, the better you'll get; the less you practice, the worse you will remain!

When you get very tired (it's ok to get a little tired), sore or extremely frustrated (it's natural to get a little frustrated), then STOP for now - your practice will no longer be productive and you are just wasting your time (not completely - everything helps!)

If you have a music teacher, feel welcome to discuss this plan with your teacher. Your music teacher might be able to work out a customized practice routine that will work for you.

If you practice following this plan or a similar plan, you will get more benefit from your practice time than practicing for a long time with no goal or method in mind.

Enjoy!

Sincerely.
Tom Smerk
http://tomsmerk.com
tom@tomsmerk.com

Listening is important!

2006-07-19T15:52:00.000-07:00

One of the best things a musician can do to advance their playing is to listen to other players, both live and recordings. A jazz guitarist, for example, should listen to as many CDs as possible from trendsetting and influential jazz guitarists, both current and past masters. A bluegrass guitarist should listen to all the important and influential bluegrass guitarists. For each genre of guitar music, there are certain guitarists, certain albums and certain songs that can be identified almost universally by all others in the field as a "must hear" list of influential guitar playing. As I said before, while it is good to listen to a lot of different songs by standout players, most musicians have certain songs that they are "known" for, songs on which their playing is at an all-time high, and they are able to achieve an emotion in their playing that has previously been elusive.

If there is enough interest in this topic, I could put together some "starter" lists for certain types of guitar playing, such as jazz, smooth jazz, folk, classic rock, bluegrass and blues. Other users of this site could maybe contribute to some of the more modern styles or contribute lists for instruments other than guitar.

There are two additional rules to help make this experience successful:
(1) Do not just listen to one style of music; listen to all styles, or at least a wide variety of styles. Haven't you recently read interviews where certain bluegrass players base some of their licks on jazz scales, or where many of the best guitar pioneers listened mainly to old blues recordings?
(2) Do not listen exclusively to your own instrument. Listen to people playing your style of music on other instruments. When I was learning guitar, I played a lot out of clarinet books because it has the same range of notes as a guitar, but the exercised tended to be more technical and more advanced than most guitar books. I heard some guitar players who are praised for their unique style, and then hear them explain that they listen to horn players (trumpet and sax) and then try to play their solos as a horn would!

If you are not sure where to start, try spending some time on the Internet with your favorite search engine. I went into "Google" and entered the keywords "best bluegrass guitar players," and in two clicks of the mouse, I had a list of all the best bluegrass players.

See if your local library has a collection of records, cassettes and CDs that can be checked out. It would cost a small fortune if you had to buy all this music at the store. You will probably hear some outstanding music along the way and will end up buying a few anyway!

If you watch music DVDs instead of listening to CDs, you can also learn a little about stage presence and performance skills by watching the entertainer. Most top performers strive to make a visual connection with the audience. Even the ones that just seem to stand there and play have a way of looking good while just standing there!

This advice is not just for beginners. All musicians at all levels who realize how important listening is will continue to listen to other players their whole life long.

I remember three events in my career that really proved the value of this lesson:
(1) When I was very young and first learning to play guitar, my father used to take me to nightclubs so I could listen to my guitar teacher play. I liked the way my teacher played, and this was helpful because, as I studied my lessons, I could imagine how he played the same piece.
(2) When I was in my junior year of college, I was studying tuba with a professor that ate, slept, and breathed tuba. He had his students over to his house one evening for a party, and we listen to a wide variety of tuba playing from his record collection. He would explain what to listen for and why certain passages were significant.
(3) When I first started to learn bluegrass guitar, I went to a seminar where this whole concept was discussed and highly recommended by the seminar leader. He was nice enough to give everyone a list of all the best bluegrass players and the best CDs to listen to. I went to the store and spent a lot of money, but I now know good bluegrass playing when I hear it, and more important, I know what I have to sound like.

Well, that's it - very simple but very important to your advancement. Why not get started right now?

Getting a guitar with the right "feel"

2006-07-17T16:55:00.000-07:00

Before you purchase a guitar you plan on keeping a long time, you have probably given a lot of thought as to what type (acoustic or electric; flat-top or archtop), and style (solidbody, semi-hollow, hollowbody) of guitar you want, perhaps you have even the make, model and color decided on. But independent of your decision, have you played enough different guitars to know which ones fit your hand best? There are many factors that affect the "feel" of a guitar:

Neck width
Neck thickness
Neck shape
Fingerboard radius
Fret height & width
Fret shape
Fingerboard material (ebony, rosewood or maple)
Bound fretboard or unbound
String gauge
String composition
Etc.

It is possible that two different models of the same style guitar, or two different years of the same model feel completely different.

You can always "force" yourself to adapt to the feel of the guitar you choose, but it may never feel quite right to you. Another guitar might feel much better the first time you try it, and this would allow you to be more comfortable with the guitar, therefore making you a better player.

I notice this a lot because I have many different guitars. I usually have reasons for owning each of my guitars, but I must admit that some of them feel "right" and some feel "wrong." I make fewer fingering mistakes when I am playing a "comfortable" guitar.

Please try out enough different guitars before you sink a lot of money into a guitar that you might hate the feel of. Once you can tell the difference in feel from one guitar to another, you are ready to pick one that feels "right."

There are three other factors that affect the feel of a nice, comfortable guitar:
1. Body width, particularly in the lower bout
2. Body depth
3. Weight

For example, I love the sound of the large bodied guitars, such as a dreadnaught flat-top acoustic or a big 17" Gibson L-5 or 18" Gibson Super 400, but I cannot get comfortable with these guitars, so I personally choose smaller bodied instruments, in both width and thickness. This is why I play the 000-28EC Martin acoustic. It is thinner than and not as deep as other acoustic guitars. This is also why I play the 16" Hofner New President jazz guitar and the Epiphone Emperor Joe Pass model - smaller, thinner bodies!

As far as weight goes, I recently purchased a Carvin AE-185 thin semi-hollow acoustic-electric guitar as my main axe. It has all the features I want, can do all the sounds, and it is extremely light - one of the lightest guitars I ever played! After playing this instrument for four consecutive hours, I can't imagine ever plying a super heavy Gibson Les Paul guitar or something similar.

Let me know if this article has been helpful!

You got questions? I've got answers!

2006-07-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

When I was young and learning to play guitar, I had a million questions. I couldn't ask my guitar teacher because that would have used up all my lesson time. There weren't many other guitar players around to ask. There weren't any guitar magazines available for info. "Guitar Player" magazine started when I was in my teens, and I used to read every issue cover-to-cover. I also subscribed to "Sing Out" magazine.

I also enjoyed receiving monthly newsletters from major used guitar stores such as Gruhn Guitars in Nashville and Guitar Trader in Red Bank, NJ. I drooled over all the fancy guitars that were played by the pros, and then sat down and practiced on my Sears Silvertone guitar and amp.

When I started playing in bands, I was lucky to find work, because no one in the band knew how to put on a professional show. My father helped us select songs when we played for adult nightclubs, and his choice was remarkably good.

I created this blog as an extension of my web site, tomsmerk.com. While tomsmerk.com is primarily for promoting myself and my music, this blog is where I hope to be able to answer questions, give advice and guide the musical careers of any musician at any level that wishes to ask for my opinion. Feel welcome to ask about equipment, lessons, practicing, song selection, playing technique, accessories, or anything at all. I am here for you - I am on your side, and I've been there before, right where you are now.

How can I help?