Dad3353

Have you no buddies with a Strat that they get to sound well..? A joint session (no, not that kind of joint, dummy..!) might show up a trick or two. He/she plays something sounding good, passes the guitar to you to see what you can make of it. Any good..? With so many variables (light strings and a vibrato, for instance, ring warning bells...), I'd suggest that one-on-one might be instructive.

I drink tea, we've been drinking tea in the family since before I was born. There is a sort of ritual to making a pot of tea, with the goal, every time, to be able to drink what we call a 'magic cuppa'. How does one create this delight..? I don't know (I wish I did..!). Our tea is excellent, and litres of it are drunk daily, but only once in a while does a 'magic cuppa' appear. Is it the water..? The 'standing' time..? The temperature of the mug..? A combination of dozens of subtle factors..? It's wonderful when one comes along; all the more so for it being a surprise. Why do I relate this..? I rather think that, with music in general, and guitars in particular, there's similar 'magic' at work. Why is it suddenly 'there'..? Again, I wish I knew. I'm of the opinion that these maestros that play so well have, each in their own way, 'cracked' the code, and are able to (most of the time...) bring out this 'magic'. How to acquire this skill..? Maybe it's in one's DNA, maybe one has to sacrifice black goats on mountain tops at midnight, maybe ... If you enjoy trying, carry on with your researches and experiments, but it's not given to everyone to have all the abilities in all domains. Keep cracking on with what you succeed in, too; there's doubtless at least some 'magic' in your other guitars that needs to be brought forth. Your call.

Fixed.

It's not really that fast-moving for now (this could change, of course...), so there's only really two pages to consult to see all the ads for the whole year past. Everything posted in the last month or so is in the first few lines. If business picks up, it could be reconsidered, though. Thanks for the suggestion.

Well, it's not a 'Framus' 'F' (it's reversed, which they never did...); it's more like a hand-scribed copy of the 'Fender' reversed 'F'. A one-piece neck, with no truss rod, so very old, and inexpensive when new. I can find nothing for the two distinctive 'clue' features, i.e: the tuner bushings nor the tailpiece. This last seems to be a five-string tailpiece..? For a banjo..? Maybe the photo is fooling me. No other clues as to manufacture, and it's only worth restoring from a nostalgia perspective (that's to say: not much money to be spent on it...). It's a project, and good for learning how to restore, but the result would be, I'd suggest, rather modest, musically. On the other hand, it's always a shame to put an instrument on the fire. A bare minimum then, to get it playable, but there's no monetary value in there, I suspect, and nothing that needs preserving as 'original'. Hope this helps; let us know what is decided..? Meanwhile... Have a splendid day. Douglas

An excellent video, well filmed, and well paced. Instructive, with some very useful tips of what (and what not..!) to do; very pertinent. Good Stuff; well done.

Up or down..?

@ShawnE : Betterer and betterer..! It might seem like slow progress to you, but objectively you're doing very well indeed. No need to burden you with more wisdoms and advice; you're right in deciding to allow the current dose to sink in over the next week or so. One thing, though, that you might like to try (if you're not doing it already...) : just spend a few minutes a day, outside of the allotted 'practice' time, to pick up the guitar and 'noodle' a little. Play around just picking out any little ditty that comes to mind, or finger the 'D' chord shape and move it up the neck, playing just the top three strings. The 'Am' chord works, too, moved up and playing the top four strings. It's not a strict 'learning' thing; just a fun way of hearing new sounds, exploring the instrument and relaxing some of the strict rigour of the exercises. Messing about is fun, too..! Just a thought; meanwhile... Have a wonderful day. Douglas

Have a look here, maybe..? Guitar Ear Training ... I always recommend singing the note that you're playing when playing scales or melodies etc, and singing the arpeggio notes of chords. It doesn't have to be operatic singing standard, but should be the right pitch. It's not always easy at first, but soon becomes second nature. Try it..?

And there goes your tap-tuning..! ... No, seriously... Splendid work, Sir; respect.

Good evening, @invisiblewasp, and ... ... Plenty to read and amuse you here, and lots to learn and share.

Definitely getting there; well done..! I see the thumb in its right place, and the strumming is quite a bit more relaxed, especially towards the end of the session. So much more to learn; all the 'great' masters say this, even after reaching virtuoso status, so you're in good company from that point of view. No specific advice, even less critique, this week; you'll be assimilating your achievements for the next few days, and it must be becoming apparent that it is, indeed, all coming together..! Oh, yes; one word of advice (if you're not already doing it...) : Go back over the totality of your lessons, from Day One, and do 'em all again, just as you did those first days. This will, firstly, encourage you to recognise your progress, and also 'fix' much of the notions gleaned back then. I think you'll be pleased with the result. Good Stuff. Douglas

The thumb on the back of the neck will help a lot with everything, I'm sure.

@ShawnE : OK, good. You're making very good progress, and you'll find, as we all do, that progress can be appreciated in steps, or plateaux. You'll think that nothing's happening, until suddenly it happens, and you realise that you've progressed. This is where the Patience part kicks in; one has to continue to do the mundane, daily routines, assiduously, in the certain knowledge that it all pays off, and handsomely, and faster than one thinks..! One little test to do every now and again (three months or so..?) is to turn the guitar round, and try to play the exercises left-handed (or right-handed, for lefties...). That's the level of control you had at the very beginning. Now turn it back to your normal playing fashion and appreciate the difference..! One more little thing (well, not so little, really...), concerning the right hand, or rather, the right arm. Swinging the arm up and down, strumming with a piston movement, is a technique that's useful for some styles of playing, but it's not really conducive to good right-hand technique. Can you try relaxing the right arm completely, and using a wrist movement instead..? A relaxed hand and wrist, too; just enough effort to have the pick brush the strings. Adjusting the force of this brushing is what gives life to the strumming, with only very slight effort, so it's not tiring. Light, measured strokes, with a relaxed arm, will bring much benefit. The swinging piston can come later, if context calls for it; a more delicate approach allows the music to come through for most playing, though. Worth trying..? In any case, keep it up; you're doing very well, and the videos are very useful, for us to see what you're doing, and certainly for others treading the same path. Good Stuff.

GET THAT THUMB TO THE BACK OF THE NECK..! It'll all become so much easier..!

It sounds interesting, and I'd like to give it a shot, but I'm wary of the term 'app'. I'm an old, retired, IT person, and am stuck in the 'PC' era. I have a 'smartphone' thing, but I only use it for replying to bank SMS messages for validating purchases (some new security thing...), and have no clue about 'apps' and stuff. If your 'app' runs on a PC, I'd give it a serious work-out; if it's for iPhones or Android stuff, I can't. Any use to you..? Douglas

Have a look at this explanation. Does it clarify things for you..? How does coil-splitting work...

The JC120 has an Fx Return Left and Right, so the o/p from a 'stereo' fx pedal could be fed into those to give a 'stereo', or 'bi-phonic' effect. Does that answer your needs..? Douglas

A Good Question, fuelled by a somewhat misleading name for amps of this sort. It's not really 'stereo' in the HiFi sense, as it doesn't have two separate channels. It's a bit more subtile than that; the 'stereo' aspect really only concerns the 'chorus' effect for which the Roland is famous. It's not designed to be truly stereo in the sense of having, itself, a wide sound spread, and the chorus effect is most effective in a more intimate environment than a festival stage (and doesn't really work that well if it's twin-mic'ed up to a stereo PA...). As it happens, it's one of my favourite solid-state amps, and excels in crystal clarity, even at high volume (and it's capable of very high volume..!). Don't think of it as 'stereo'; just enjoy the shimmering effect 'live' from the chorus. Yes, it can be recorded, but not by hard-panning it right/left. It's more subtile than that. Be warned : the JC has a built-in 'distortion'/gain/overdrive' effect wich is about as ugly as one could wish for. If anything like 'dirt' is required, use a suitable pedal. Just my tuppence-worth. If you want to have true 'stereo' (really 'bi-phonic', as a guitar is mono...) for splitting and treating two distinct amps, use a 'real' stereo amp and a pair of speakers. It's a quite different animal. Hope this helps. Douglas

You will surely get an answer from here... Taylor Guitars, Contact Us...

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Do you only have a Samsung tablet..? If that's your only option, at least tell us which model. Over to you again...

I'm not quite sure what you're wanting to do, but, for most possibilities, I'd be very surprised if your Samsung doesn't already have all you'll need, at least for starters. Of course we don't know what model it is (given that, we could probably look up the doc and guide you more...), but I'll assume that it has basic video camera functions..? If so, choose a well-lit room, and place a chair before a neutral background (a closed curtain, or a plain wall..?). Set up the Samsung to be able to film the chair, then set it to 'Record', go to the chair with your guitar, and play. When you've finished, end the recording and see (and listen to...) what was captured. Would this be a good enough starting point..? If not, what else are you wanting to achieve..? Over to you... Douglas

Shawn... It's with great pleasure that I see you progressing so well. Once again, the video itself is excellent, and nicely balanced between your playing and your explanations. I approve, of course, of the new leather strap (although it could be shortened by an inch or so, so that the guitar is always suspended from it, freeing up the body for playing...). You have your routine of exercises, which are definitely producing results, so continue with the method that's working for you. I don't want to put spanners in the works, or distract you from your method. I would like to add a couple of ideas you may like to think about, and maybe try..? When you're 'sounding out' the chord ('D', 'A', 'E', whatever...) Try 'sounding out' the strings in a different order (highest note to lowest..? Or even alternating the strings, so 4,2,3,1 for the 'D' chord, or 1, 4, 2, 5, 3, 6 for the 'E' chord...). The idea is to get used to playing the strings individually, and not just a a routine 'low to high'. You'll get exactly the same need to finger cleanly, of course, as the notes must still ring out 'true'. I might also suggest thinking about your 'reward' strum (an excellent invention...), and try to stroke the strings with less tension, more gently, in a sweeping motion, as an alternative to the steam piston with which you're presently bashing out the reward. Just an idea; the end result of all this wonderful effort is, after all, music, and having a variety of strokes will be a part of that as you continue to progress. The Blues Bros riff is fine; you can play it through four times, then play it exactly the same but on the 'A' string, twice, then back to the 6th string for two more. Enough from me; you're doing very well indeed. Douglas

Any use..? Marshall JTM60 issues... Reading through, it sounds like quite a risk, unless you're prepared to put up with problems (usually when you want them least...). As several have mentioned, there are better amps out there.