Sold - Tascam FW-1884 Mixer

Thanks to all who looked… 



Concert Review - Police in Dallas June 26/27th 2007

The Police returned to the stage on their reunion tour for the first time in over twenty years and we were fortunate enough to catch them both nights in Dallas. Playing to a sold out crowd in American Airlines Center, they offered songs from their entire catalog with a pretty comprehensive set list. The band was energetic, played well and Sting is still managing to hit the high notes (evenon Roxanne) without any serious difficulty. The songs mostly featured slight to large modifications in key, tempo, improvisation or a combination of the three.  In most cases the songs stayed true enough to the original to please the purists and I found myself liking them more on the second night. 

There a few exceptions where I think the original flavor of the song was lost, especially in a song like De Do Do Do where Andy changed the chorus guitar to more of a punkish barre chord version and I really preferred it the original way. Kinda took the Andy out of that song in my opinion. The band stretched out and let Andy take fairly frequent solos and Sting engaged the crowd in the standard call/response he is known for. It may be subjective, but I really think the second night crowd was more energetic as well as knowledgable (it may have been the difference of 1st tier seats the first night compared to 17th row floor on the second as well).  The view on the second night was definitely better in our case. We were close enough to see facial expressions and what the fingers on the instruments were doing.  

The band stuck to the reliables in the equipment area with Sting playing his old Fender Precision (it may have been a re-issue), Andy playing a red Stratocaster (swapped out once with an identical model that was capoed on the 2nd fret), and Stewart had his typical full complement of Tama drums and additional percussion on a riser in the back.  Andy had a very geometric appearing set of Mesa Boogies in a mixture of rectangular and square cabinets that appeared custom designed just to allow them to make an interesting stack configuration, otherwise I can't really say what the logic may have been. The same went for Sting and his Ampeg amps. Looked cool, anyway.

The show featured a fairly sparse stage setup with the only enhancements being a set of stairs that encircled the entire back half of the stage and allowed the players to walk up behind the drum kit and interact with the seats behind the stage (yes, those were sold out too).  On the video side they had three very large screens up near the ceiling in the front, one on each side and one in the back so that everyone had a decent view of the band no matter where they were seated. Below the screens was a sort of colored display board like you see in sporting events that was used to display various mood centric and album related color schemes. That along with a modest lighting scheme added to the overall ambiance very well. The video screens mostly showed the players but occasionally featured song specific videos like for Invisible Sun. They updated the context of this song by showing what appeared to be mostly Iraqi children. Funny how the song is still very applicable today, over twenty years later. Not to mention Driven to Tears.

Note on these pictures: I didn't try taking a camera in so I have copied these from other users on Flickr. Most of them are actually from the the two Dallas shows.

Set List:

• Message in a Bottle
• Synchronicity 2
• Walking on the Moon
• Voices in my Head (short intro)
• When the World is Running Down
• Don't Stand so Close to Me
• Driven to Tears
• The Bed's Too Big Without You
• Truth Hits Everybody
• Every Little Thing She Does is Magic
• Wrapped Around Your Finger
• De Do Do Do De Da Da Da
• Invisible Sun
• Walking in Your Footsteps
• Can't Stand Losing You
• Roxanne

      Encore 

• King of Pain
• So Lonely
• Every Breath You Take
• Next to You

We really liked the opening band, Fiction Plane. They were enjoyable the first night and even better the second since we were a little more familiar with their tunes. Featuring a similar setup to the Police (Trio with the bassist as singer) they are clearly influenced by groups like U2 and the Police with a healthy dose of reggae in the beat. I found out later that the singer/bassist is actually Sting's son (wonder if they would have gotten the gig otherwise?) who actually follows in his dad's footsteps fairly well. His vocal range is a bit lower than Sting's but otherwise pretty similar in all respects. I liked them well enough that I have bought their album "Left Side of the Brain" and I really like it. 

Mantra of the Woodshedder…

I saw this quote on a forum and it's worth repeating:

"Amateurs practice until they can play something right… 

Professionals practice until they can't play it wrong"

That very succinctly describes the difference between learning something to where you can play it okay on a good day compared to imprinting it into your brain so fully that you can play it well on a bad day. I have too many songs that fit into the first category and  not enough in the second. Better practice some more…

A Note on the Ticket Collages…

It's not lost on me that the ticket collages are gushing fanboy a bit excessive, but I've acknowledged I'm OC about this and that's the first step, right? So, enough with the explanations; Since I can't see the shows again, I'm going to brag about them for all the world to see. PFFBBBTTTTT!!!!! (a raz fa all tha hatas…) (notice how I mixed Bugs Bunny and a warped interpretation of modern slang) (discuss)

Guitartastic… (Collage de Stubs 05/06)

were the years of 2005 & 2006. My "Triad of Guitar Ascendancy" (that's copyrighted, but feel free to quote it) includes Eric Johnson, Tommy Emmanuel, and Pat Metheny; in these two years I was able to see all three of them. Over one weekend I saw Tommy play twice and also attended a four hour workshop where it was Tommy and about fifteen of his truly dedicated fans in a small jazz lab.  He started the workshop off by saying "Let's bless the room" and launched into Amazing Grace, and I was overwhelmed. I can't describe what it's like to be sitting about 3 feet away from Tommy when he starts playing in a room so quiet you could hear a mouse breathing. 

The Pat Metheny Group show was the best I have attended out of the five times I've seen him. He started the show by playing "The Way Up" which is an entire album in one song. That song is among the most important American compositions of the last ten years and it's truly meant to be heard live. In a time of ever shortening attention spans, a single composition that lasts nearly an hour (and not by trick or gimmick, it's a fully developed piece that should be that long) is a criticism of the current culture and a perfect response to the hit single mentality of the music business. I think the song has relevance outside of music as well, since anything worthwhile in life takes time and attention.  Not one to short change the audience, the group commenced to perform for an additional two hours featuring songs from every era, including tunes like "Lone Jack", "Song for Bilbao", and "Are You Going With Me". It was a very satisfying experience and I was lucky enough to talk with and get an autograph from Antonio Sanchez (drummer), Gregoire Maret (harmonica, vocals, percussion), and Nando Lauria (guitar, percussion, vocals) after the show.  

Billy Idol is much better in a smaller venue as compared to when I saw him in 1986 at Reunion Arena. Having just released what I think is his best studio album thus far, his set list was quite good as well. It was general admission but we got there in time to have spots right against the stage on Steve Stevens side. Aeyong had her first near-groupie experience as she seemed to spark a little interest from Steve and he smiled at her several times during the show. I managed fist bump from Billy during "Dancing with Myself"  and was content with that :).  

Finally, in 2006 we got to see a full length Eric Johnson set at Juanita's in Little Rock. I have previously posted a detailed review of the 2007 show, and the 2006 set was similar. The sound levels were a little bass heavy and loud overall, but it was still great to see Eric live (from 5 feet away). As Eric was walking offstage, I was able to get him to sign a Guitar Player from 1986 that I had kept all these years (see honey, sometimes being a fanboy packrat pays off) (ok, it was just the one time). 

Oh, Sweet Nectar (Collage de Stubs 2003/04)…

Didn't realize how much I missed live music until Steely Dan took the stage at Smirnoff/Dallas in 2003. The notable shows were the acts we had never seen live before including Eric Johnson, Steely Dan, Fleetwood Mac, Sarah Mclachlan, and Norah Jones.  The most enjoyable show for me was easily the Rush 30th Anniversary Tour show. Well documented with a DVD shot in Germany, this tour show was over 3 hours long split into two sets and featuring deep album cuts from all their various eras. Just a great show on all levels from the set list, to the sound, to the production (lighting, sets, etc.) and as usual the videos were always entertaining, whether serious, atmospheric, or funny.

Also notable was the Eric Clapton Crossroads festival where I got to see Eric Johnson, Pat Metheny, John McLaughlin, Steve Vai, Robert Cray and many other great players.  Too bad it was a festival and all the sets were short. In a bit of self-indulgence (kinda the theme of the site just this once, promise) I pasted a screen capture from the Crossroads DVD showing me in the audience during the Saturday show which featured EJ among others. (That's me behind the Crossroads ticket stub) (Damn, I look good) Fleetwood Mac was also especially good, due in part to great seats, but mostly to the band just being really tight and well produced.  They also had a great set list and I must admit that I didn't miss Christine McVie as all of my favorite FMac songs are by Buckingham and Nicks. Steely Dan and Sarah McLachlan (MIA on the ticket stubs since they were internet tickets, wahhhh) were both great shows as well, and we were both very happy to finally see them live. I had been wanting to see Steely Dan for over twenty five years (FMac too) so it was great to finally get the opportunity.

Sting was a bit of a snoozer, unfortunately.  He was good on his first solo tour in 1985, and I imagine the "Soul Cages" tour would have been great as well. At this point he is going on about 3 albums in a row that have more forgettable than great songs, so the highlights were mostly his older material and the Police stuff of course.  He did play "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic", so that was great to hear.  

The End of an Era (Collage de Stubs 87-92)…

Here are the dying gasps of my teenage concert going years and a lone Metheny show from 92 when I was stationed in Kentucky and lucky enough to attend a show in Louisville. With the exception of the Metheny show, I wouldn't attend one concert from 1988 through 2003, mostly due to the remote bases where I was stationed. After transferring to Oklahoma for school in 2003, we decided to try and start seeing more shows in OKC and Dallas. I've now decided that no matter where I'm posted, I will try very hard to attend shows with bands/artists that I really like.

Metheny, Hedges, Punk-o-rama, (Collage de Stubs-86)…

Highlights for this year were seeing Metheny again (I had seen him in 84 with the group and on New Years Eve 85 with Ornette Coleman but have since lost the stubs), seeing Michael Hedges twice, and seeing Rush in a better concert environment (Reunion Arena vrs the Cotton Bowl) for their Power Windows tour.  PIL and Big Audio Dynamite were a blast, and I enjoyed all the Bronco Bowl shows. REM was a bit of a snoozer and Michael Stipe was in full prick mode.  He was unhappy about some fans getting a little rowdy in the front and said something like "you guys are going to calm down or I'm stopping this show right now".  A bit full of himself to say the least.  

Jimmy Page, Rush, Police, Yes, et al(83-85)…

After posting the tokalicious (that's a medical term, don't trouble yourself…) Rush stubs, I realized I had kept most of my concert stubs over the years and they were just languishing in a dark box for none to grow envious of see. I decided to give them a little photoshopin' (worthy of the arts & crafts club if I do say so) so here is the first collection of stubs from the 1983-85 tour seasons. I must add that I have unfortunately lost a few of my ticket stubs over the years (most notably from this time frame would be Van Halen on the Diver Down tour with Dave instead of the Samster).  Nevertheless, most of the most notable shows I saw in those years are on display here. Please share your concert photos, ticket stubs and hemp clouded memories from back then if you care to.

 

Read ‘Em and Weep…

Here it is folks, proof that I will be close enough to pinch hit on Alex's Taurus pedals if needed. Check out which row we're on if you doubt that assertion. Can I get a hell yeah? Yes, yes I can.

A co-worker I'll refer to as "Mike" (not his real name)  (that would be Michael) "wanted to see them" so I am honoring that request. Suffice to say that they are under more security than the gold at Ft Knox (if you believe in that sort of thing) and any attempts to displace them from the possession of yours truly would be catastrophic for all concerned (we're talking biblical; you know, cats & dogs living together, total chaos)…

(and now we do the dance of the gloat)

(what's the gloat, you ask?)

(it's a very rare species of north american mammal with a predilection for smoky environments and dangerously high decibel levels)

(the first pic is of the gloat's natural habitat)

and zee tickets… 

Police in Dallas? Make that a double…

I think it's fairly well known that the best time to hit Ebay for concert tickets is at the last minute when desperation has set in on the part of the seller who needs to make a sale but has probably got a limited field of truly motivated buyers since most dedicated fans get their tickets well in advance.  We already had tickets for one show but had heard about so many people attending multiple shows (I know one guy in California who's seeing them three nights in a row) that we decided to take advantage of their two night stint in Dallas. We had good floor seats for Wednesday, so we figured we could get some less premium seats for Tuesday which would make the second show still something to look forward to.

Part of this rationale is also based on this potentially being the last time we'll ever see them (it's been over twenty years between shows already). Since tonight was the last realistic night to get tickets that could be mailed fast enough to reach the buyer in time to make the show, I figured it was worth a look. And yes, there were several good options available, and we managed to get two tickets in the lower stands at half the box office price. Ebay can take away, but sometimes it gives. All I know is I am going to triple the number of times I have seen the Police live, and I never thought I'd be able to say that. I've heard very positive reviews from the other longtime fans who have seen the most recent shows, so I'm stoked to say the least. 

Our seats: 

 

 

(yes, I am gloating)

(no, I wasn't the first person to come up with the seat diagram idea)

(yes, they were gloating too) 

(no, I'm not ashamed)

(funny how much our seats look like the Grand Canyon and the inside of our car)

(yes, my head is that big. it has to be to house my enormous brain)

(yes, I can continue to parenthetically answer unasked questions for as long as it takes)

(yes, I meant it)

(no, I won't do anything for love)

(Meat Loaf will)

(but he won't do that)

(he's a bit of a hypocrite)

Concert Review - Eric Johnson in Little Rock, June 14 2007

Eric played Juanita’s restaurant/club in Little Rock, which I think has become a running summer gig for him as this is at least the 3rd year in a row he’s played here. We got here early again like last year and I made sure I posted myself in front of his mic/pedals for the next 1:45 until the show started. It was worth it as I was able to stand about 5 feet away for the whole show.

Eric’s stage and pedal setup is the standard that most of us have seen. It’s really not much different from the guitar geek circa 2001 diagram, although specific models may change he’s still using the same sorts of pedals, etc. In the amp dept. he had the two Fender Twins and the Marshall double stack with apparently new Hendrix signature heads based on other reports, although I couldn’t see well enough to tell (wouldn’t know what I was looking for from a distance anyway). He didn’t have the Allen/Heath mixer on stage this year, but he did have a couple of echoplexes on the floor (which I didn’t see last year, but they could have been obstructed by the mixer).

I couldn’t figure out all his pedals but he did have the memory man, fuzz face, a Radial Tonebone Tube Overdrive that was labeled as an “Eric Johnson Custom” and looked like a modified classic model by the coloring/size. He had a small mxr pedal with script text that may have been a phase 90 but I couldn’t read it well enough; a TC electronic chorus/flanger, the cry baby, and the multitude of a/b boxes. He had another pedal sitting over by his jbl eon monitor (stage right) that may have been the chandler tube driver but I couldn’t see it well enough to tell. I may be leaving one or two things out here.

He played the black signature model for the whole set except for the three song acoustic set in which he played his Martin EJ signature model. He used his Dunlop Jazz III picks for the whole show as far as I could tell. It was nice and loud again although I think I benefited by not being in the direct axis of the amps this time (they were aimed a little more off center this time). I still think the bass was mixed too loud, but it may have been where I was standing. Eric’s tone was a little lost in the mix for me. I brought my earplugs but never felt like I needed them, and they would have just accentuated the bass more so I left them in my pocket.

Performance:

Set list (there may be an omission or two and the song order may be a bit out of sequence, but it’s relatively close as I tried to write these down during the set):

1. Soulful terrain - great opener, just a classic EJ tune
2. My Back Pages
3. Trademark - he opened this by joking about the show featuring jugglers, acrobats, monkeys, and snake oil salesmen. He then alluded to how that was what this song was about but I think I may have missed something
4. Country - (the unnamed as yet instrumental) commented on how they had seen George Jones’ tour bus and it got them in the mood for some country
5. Morning Sun - my sequence may be slightly out of order here
6. Brilliant Room - i think he introduced this by saying they had just finished recording this at home and he hoped they would be releasing the album in the next 6-7 years (he was joking). he said they hoped to have a new album out “soon” (so, that means 2-3 years probably )
7. Manhattan - very well played, and I was glad to hear it as he didn’t play it last year
8. Dusty - beginning of three song solo acoustc set
9. Song for Life
10. Once Upon a Time in Texas (?) - hadn’t heard that before, but I think that is right. This set was played on the Martin EJ signature and he sounded fantastic. I was thrilled to see him play Dusty from that close and those of us in front we’re probably the only ones who could really see what he was playing as he was sitting down. Unfortunately the crowd was well inebriated and growing restless during the set so I don’t know if he’ll want to continue this.
11. Columbia
12. New Song - couldn’t understand him when he said the name, but I liked it.
13. SRV
14. Austin - great tune, beautiful chord changes and a great melody, I hope it appears on the next album. He played the coolest arpeggio sequence during the solo.
15. Desert Rose - he had played fast all night but I guess he was warmed up at this point because he was really wailing on this guitar solo, although I know he typically really goes for it on this one
16. Guitar Solo - similar start to last year with a very beautiful slow intro with some great melodic chord changes with a clean, warm tone which eventually fused into a faster portion with a little overdriven but more punchy and not so sustained tone which eventually culminated in the classic lead tone and the intro to Cliffs. I’m not sure but I think he cut off early because he faced Tommy Taylor (who had been playing some light percussion as texture) and waved his arms out to the side like he was saying stop. He started playing a more lead tone and it looked like Roscoe had to hurry to get his bass back on and get ready for Cliffs
17. Cliffs Of Dover
18. (Encores)Spanish Castle Magic - very extended jam and Eric and Roscoe had some great interplay where it looked like they were goading each other on a bit. Whatever problem he had during the guitar solo seemed to have been forgotten by the end.
19. Righteous

The show was a little shorter this year with a few less encores, but I think it ended up running about 1:40 total. Tommy and Roscoe both played fantastically as usual. I apologize to them both in admitting that as a guitarist I can’t resist the call of Eric’s fingers on the fretboard, but I did try and pay a little more attention to their playing this year. The only downers were the people who were there more to party than to listen to a great band. I had a drunk middle aged woman behind me who tried to shove her way to the front and then was upset because no one wanted to let her up (everyone up there had been standing there for almost two hours to reserve their spot. She would periodically let out a scream which just showed that she wasn’t listening at all to what was being played. Unfortunately about half the crowd was that way. There was one guy who held up a napkin which said “Play Cliffs of Dover”, which he unfortunately held up right after Eric had played Cliffs. Don’t know if he was so drunk he didn’t realize what he had just heard or if he was that clueless about EJ. I don’t know if EJ and the guys cared about that or if it made a difference. It was still a great show and they all played fantastic. I think Eric said they would come back next year. (the two pics are from the Birmingham show the next night, courtesy of ByTor1975 from the EJ forum. I didn't bring my camera, so this as close a pic as I have now. The biggest difference is the stage there is a bit more roomy than Juanita's).

Concert Review - Norah Jones in Little Rock, June 7 2007

We saw Norah at Robinson Center Music Hall in Little Rock last night, and came away impressed.  She brought the cast of regulars with Adam Levy on guitar, Lee Alexander on Bass, Andy Borger on drums, and Daru Ota on nearly everything else.  She opened her set solo, singing a more West Texasish version of "Come Away With Me" while playing a red Fender Mustang through a Fender Princeton amp.  It was a statement of confidence in her ability to play guitar that she would start off that way, although the band did join in after the first verse.  She continued with "Those Sweet Words" another favorite of ours from her second album before launching into several songs from her new album with the occasional tune from her first two albums thrown into the mix.

Many of the older songs have been altered like the aforementioned opener, which is a characteristic of many bands with jazz backgrounds. Underneath the pop pinnings and glamorous looks, she is really a player and has a great band to back her up.  "I've Got to See You Again" was even more jazz-centric and featured her spreading her improvisational wings on the keys. All the players impressed, but we were especially captivated by the versatility of Daru Ota. We had seen this same lineup in OKC in 2004, and at that time she mainly provided backing vocals and the occasional incidental percussion (at least as far as I remember it). This time she played bass (very well, mind) on several songs, as well as keyboards, flute, percussion and of course vocals. She reminded me of one of the multi-instrumentalists in Pat Metheny's band that has to cover all the additional instruments that the others can't. 

The band shined as usual with Lee Alexander holding the bottom line on electric and acoustic bass as well as several songs on guitar. Andy Borger was predictably good and added some variety to the mix with vibes and some other percussion. Adam Levy was usually his understated self but let go with some Scotty Moore-ish wailing on "Creepin In".  I wish he would do that more often, but I guess his style is primarily understatement. 

In all aspects Norah was even more polished, confident, and articulate than when we last saw her. And she was great then.  Her voice was full, pristine and mesmerizing during the whole show. She is more and more willing to stretch out and improvise the melodies as time passes without falling into the diva trap (vibrato, ridiculous scales up and down) so common with popular singers.  She was very competent on guitar and got a very pure fender tone out of her equipment. She shined on keys, mostly piano with a little Fender Rhodes thrown in.  During "Election Day" (the melancholy anti-dubya tune which got a lot of approval and laughter) they brought out a tiny little piano that set on top of her Yamaha, and she played a few lines on it while playing chords on the full size. It added a little sonic cheekiness as well as displaying her talents without showing off too much.

I should also mention that the production was spot on. Everything from the sound mix (with the exception of about 30 seconds of fender amp distortion/moodiness) to the lighting to the stage design was excellent. The stage design/lighting did a great job of conveying the moods of the songs. I recall one tune where they had the band in monochrome grayish spots and they doubled the same spot on Norah while she was also lit from a foot spot that was orange. It made her more three dimensional against the silhouettes of the band. These kinds of techniques were continuous throughout the show and really help set the mood. Concert production has really advanced in the time frame since I first started attending shows over twenty years ago.  I've especially been impressed by the shows of Norah, Sarah McLachlan, Rush and a few others over the last few years. It makes the ticket prices much more tolerable when you consider how complete a show you're getting.

With this tour, Norah has proven that she continues to grow in all aspects as well as adding new abilities to her repertoire.  The band is a very well oiled and polished machine that has benefited with such an extended period of time together. Definitely worth seeing if you're a fan of either Norah or adult contemporary with some jazz & country thrown in.

Musician - Muscle Memory

This is a concept that has application in every aspect of our lives, from tying shoes to writing your name to even more specialized activities like playing an instrument or flying a plane.  Perhaps more appropriately called "Motor Memory" this process is what happens when you repeatedly engage in some movement or activity to the point where you can do it without thinking any more. It starts the day you're born where you gradually learn to form words and speech based on hearing others talk. Later you use it to learn how to walk, throw a football, drive a car or type on a computer. We can all remember when we first learned how to type by hunt and peck until we hopefully learned the standard typing position to the point that we can type without looking at our hands.

It's been discussed and studied a great deal but it is still not fully understood. One theory contends that motor meory actually involves several different processes involving the brain, motor neurons, skeletal muscle, neurotransmitters like acetylcholine and serotonin, and other undiscovered processes.  One study found that brain trauma patients suffering from a degree of amnesia could be taught a new procedure they would retain while they forgot the process of learning it. For example, they could be taught to shuffle a deck of cards, but they wouldn't remember learning how. This lends credence to the idea that multiple systems are responsible for motor memory and not purely the brain. 

My specific interest in the topic is how it applies to learning and improving on the guitar. I find that learning new techniques or songs on the guitar is not only dependent on the amount of practice but also on the total duration in weeks, months, and years that I am regularly pursuing this new technique.  I think most experienced players and teachers agree that 30 minutes of daily practice will do more to reinforce new concepts than 3 hours once a week.  However the process works, it takes the body time to react to the mental and physical changes that are occurring to facilitate the new movement. Although there is a great deal of commonality in guitar techniques compared to the difference between playing guitar and needlepoint, there is still usually some degree of new learning involved in any new song. It's especially obvious when learning a completely new technique like an Eddie Van Halen or Tommy Emmanuel song when all you've been playing before are Bob Dylan tunes. 

Usually learning new things on the guitar is very gradual and it's often hard to tell that you're making progress even if you are.  One of the great joys is when you seem to make a sudden jump in capability overnight. Whether or not this phenomenon is more a subjective interpretation of the player, it does still seem to occur occasionally.  I liken it to the process of wiring a house during the construction process. The payoff is obviously instantaneous between the days or weeks of work and the first time that you switch on the lights after the wiring has been completed. The interesting thing is that it seems that the motor memory process continues to work after you stop practicing a technique. I feel this must be true because I have had some unavoidable gaps in practicing due to travel and temporary duties but I have often found that I am able to make a jump in my progress once I return to practicing again. 

The other great thing about motor memory is that it seems analagous to paving roads in your nervous system.  I played guitar (albeit poorly) for a few years as a teenager, but essentially didn't play at all for over fifteen years. When I decided to start playing again, I found that I was still able to form chords and play certain songs that I had learned all those years ago and although it took me a little while to get calluses on my fingers, the process of "re-learning" chords was nowhere near as difficult or time consuming as the first time. It seemed like I still had those neurological pathways in my body, but that they just needed to have some weeds and debris cleared off before they were as good as new.  Within a month of dedicated practice I think I was back to my original level of competence (not saying much, but even so) from when I quit playing all those years before.

Practice makes permanent

We've all heard the old axiom that practice makes perfect, but that's only true if your practice is perfect.  Most people associate practice with repetition, and it's true that some is necessary when working on a part that is technically challenging.  But it's vital that you are repeating the right parts and for the purpose of improving your weak points, and not just going through the motions. 

The best advice I have ever gotten about practicing is that you should take a song you're learning, and only play the song at the speed which you can execute it flawlessly. Think about that for a minute.  When you practice a song you will eventually get to a part of the song which is difficult for you. Instead of trying to play the song at full speed and fumbling over the difficult passage each time you go through it, you need to slow down. 

A good phrase to describe this is "isolate the difficulty".  You should choose a difficult section and focus on playing only that section at a much slower speed over and over until you can play it perfectly with the correct rhythm even if you still can't play it a full speed. You will be amazed how quickly your fingers can learn to go from half speed to full speed once you learn the part well at half speed. It's certainly much faster than trying to learn something at full speed and fumbling over it every time.  Steve Morse wisely expresses the idea as "To play fast, first you must play slow". 

My two favorite tools for "isolating the difficulty" are an audio player program called the Amazing Slow Downer and a tab program called Guitar Pro.  The ASD allows you change the tempo without affecting the pitch, although you can change the pitch if needed to match your tuning. It also  allows you to isolate any section of the song you want to practice repeatedly.  I'll save those sections so they are always easily brought up for practice, e.g. the solo section of "Back in Black".  Guitar Pro is primarily a tab based tool for learning songs, but it is also has the capability to import midi, powertab, tabledit, and ascii files. It also features a sample engine called the RSE or realistic sound engine which results in more realistic guitar and bass sounds.

June is shaping up to be Jam-tastic…

with the afore-mentioned Police show in Dallas, and now with the added bonus of Norah Jones and ERIC JOHNSON (CAPS INTENDED) both playing in Little Rock. Yee-Fricking-Ha is all I can say. We have 6th row center for Norah and Eric is playing at Juanita's like last year (general admission, woo hoo), so I should be close enough to help him with tone control adjustments and brow wiping.

Juanita's is a small club about equivalent in size to an Applebee's (yeah, I've quite the discerning palate, get off me) with the stage taking up the corner.  Last August we saw him there and I was about 5 feet away from him for the whole show.  The downside is that I was also in a direct line of sight to his dual Fender Twin Reverbs and not far off the downrange hazard area of his Marshall double stack, all of which he had cranked loud enough for an arena sized show.  I had a hard time communicating with my wife on the drive home, my ears were so fried. I even felt kind of sick and hung over the next day and listening to electric guitar and similar frequency sounds was painful for a few days after. This time I'll be taking an assortment of earplugs and hopefully they won't kill too much of the dynamic range. Amazingly enough, my hearing hadn't deteriorated on my annual audiogram this year, but I'm not going to push my luck again.

Last year I got him to sign a guitar player magazine from 1986 that I had kept all these years (his first cover article) and I'm debating on taking my Fender EJ Strat to have him sign this year. I hesitate because Juanita's isn't necessarily in a bad part of town, but it isn't right next to the police station either. I realize that's borderline fanboy behavior, but I'm not embarassed when it comes to my guitar idols. Eric is the closest thing to an exact model of how I would like to sound (most people don't realize how great he is at fingerstyle and other genres, knowing only his electric lead sound). Not to mention that he is a great pianist as well.

Cheerful Humidity Moment

is going to be my band's name, I've decided. Once I get one, that is. Or maybe "Ninth Vegetable Quartet".  Of course, I am particular to "Timely Gargoyle Mutiny" as well. Decision, decisions. Need some help with creative inspiration? Check out the Band Name Generator for some rather amusing word combinations that seem to work pretty well as band names.











Rush is Back

The new album is out (well, technically it's out on May 1st) and I have been listening to it over and over and over again.  So far this album is exactly where I hoped the band would go in all aspects. The songs are all medium length, medium tempo, but that doesn't indicate the variety of sounds and textures. The acoustic guitar is very prominent, possibly due to the satisfaction they had from playing the acoustic sets during the last few tours. The influence of "Feedback" seems to have bled into this album somewhat as they have looked back towards their influences in the instrumentation and production. 

One great change from their last album "Vapor Trails" is the production. This album, in a word, is sonically HUGE.  The mixes are pristine and the separation of the instruments is perfect. I find myself torn between just rocking out to the songs as opposed to listening to the mix. Having experimented with recording, I know enough to realize that just taking different instruments and maybe adjusting volume and pan won't get you anything near a good mix. There's an art to taking a certain instrument tone and laying it into the mix so that is distinct, yet doesn't overpower the other instruments and vocalist. The producer,  Nick Raskulinecz, who has also produced Foo Fighters, Velvet Revolver and other great bands just did a fantastic job on this album. He has a short interview, where he discusses the new album.

We have to wait to get concert tickets since I'm not sure where we will be this summer. Suffice to say, we will go, oh yes, we will.



Line 6 Variax 700 Acoustic Review

I have had this guitar for a few months now and it's become my main guitar acoustic guitar for practice and recording. All the current samples (as of April 07) on my songs page were recorded with the Variax acoustic. I was so impressed with this guitar that I splurged on a Variax Electric 700, despite having another great electric guitar in the Fender EJ Strat. The ability to change tunings by rotating a knob is about the coolest and most useful (esp. for fingerstyle players) tech advance I can think of. Sure, you could have 5 different acoustic guitars sitting around in different tunings, but cost and care start to get overwhelming. This guitar also models many different brand guitars including classic Gibsons, Martins of different size/shape as well as steels, and even a banjo and a shamisen.  I have found that it's a little difficult to really hear the difference between some of the models, although the primary reference point for me is headphones and they may color the sound a bit when compared to a good pa system or through a better preamp than I have. The ability to play the various songs I love on acoustic that require different tunings (DADGAD, Nashville, that weird open C-ish tuning for the Rain Song by Zep, etc.) is such a convenience for me. This guitar is actually a solidbody but it appears acoustic and is very  convincing when amplified, but don't take my word for it, listen to one of the songs I uploaded. That's one of the few drawbacks. Since it uses electronics to change the guitar sound and the tuning, you can't play them unamplified. In fact, you need to make sure they are amplified loud enough that you don't hear the strings or it could get distracting.

Line 6 Variax 700 Electric Review

I bought this guitar after playing the acoustic model for several weeks and I haven't been disappointed. This guitar is actually even more versatile in it's own way than the acoustic model. I found on the acoustic that there were only a few models that I really liked, but I have found a greater of variety of useful tones on this guitar.

I must admit to being stuck on the 58 Les Paul Standard since that was one of the main guitar sounds I had been lacking. I absolutely love my Fender Strat, but it doesn't quite work for more modern hard rock and metal tones. You can get close with enough processing power, but if you want your tone to approximate that of Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads or pick you're favorite humbucker-centric player, then you need a guitar with humbuckers or one that is good at modeling the tone. The interesting thing is that I have a Brian Moore guitar with Dimarzio hums in it, but I have never been thrilled with the tone.  That's not the case with the Line 6.

This guitar was the missing ingredient in my arsenal. The ironic thing is that the Strat sound is pretty good as well and since I can switch back and forth I haven't been playing my strat that much lately.  This thing has pretty convicing models of Teles, Strats, Pauls, Rick 6/12 strings, Gretschs, ES-335, ES-175 and even includes a couple of acoustic and steel models. I really like the Danelectro model that is based on the one Jimmy Page played on Kashmir and other tunes. I think it sounds pretty good for "Ten Year's Gone" although he played a Tele on the live version (not sure what he played in the studio).  This guitar looks great and actually is very playable. It has a more Gibsonish radius (meaning flatter fretboard) in my opinion and just seemed really comfortable and familiar as soon as I picked it up. I posted my attempt at a Pat Methenyish tone (ES-175 model on neck pickup with some chorus/delay) on the "Time in a Bottle" cover. I intend to post more tunes featuring the overdriven and distorted tones this guitar is very adept at modeling. I truly am only limited by my ability at this point. With this guitar and the acoustic model I can get convincing close to any tone out there.