Comments

In response to a request for a comments page. I am providing this brief blog. If you have anything you want to say about me, say it here, as a reply to this particular blog. I will even let negative comments appear unless they are downright hateful. Of course positive comments will be appreciated very much. I react well to encouragement.

Thanks Pedro

I’d just like to thank Pedro for incredible patience in guiding me through the set-up of this blog, amidst all kinds of viral attacks and other hitches.
Cheers Mate !!

Lap Slide in D6

Having fun with lap slide in D6 tuning, both in key of D and key of A. The tuning is DADF#AB. If you wanted a guitar left in this tuning you would use a heavier string for the B note.

The Boroughs

When The Boroughs (Wine Bar and Restaurant, Scarborough, Qld. Australia) recently won the catering industry’s award for Best Enterntainment Restaurant in Queensland, it was particularly sweet that this restaurant features original music. Odin, the manager takes a genuine delight in exceeding customers’ expectations, and deserves special recognition.

I have to say the Awards Night reminded me, once again, how widespread is ignorance as to the importance of room acoustics. The venue had the sound of a concrete barn, so an irksome, harsh resonance made comfortable listening impossible.

Giant screens remained on all night. I think screens instantly cheapen the atmosphere.

Whingeing out of the way, I wouldn’t have missed it; the food and service were excellent, the company was jovial, and that moment just after “..and the winner is..” YES!

Krishnamurti

I have been reading Krishnamurti. (The Penguin Krishnamurti Reader). He was raised to be some kind of Messiah, but had enough sense to reject that whole concept. He has some extremely interesting things to say about creativity. A central theme is the concept of not being ruled by the mind. I highly recommend his work.

excellentleads.com

I found a good site for those who want to know a little about basic electronics for guitars, for example how a simple electric guitar tone control works, and why different leads change the sound of the guitar.

www.excellentleads.com

John Martyn

I’ve been watching some YouTube clips of John Martyn. He proves you don’t need a faked accent to sing with soul. He’s a very tidy guitarist and great songwriter as well.

Guitar Effects Line

My current guitar effects line consists of (in order)…

From guitar…

• TC Electronics Dual Parametric Equalizer.
• Boss TU-2 Tuner
• Boss CS-2 Compressor
• Boss BD-2 Blues Driver
• Boss OC-2 Octave Divider
• MXR Auto Q
• Dod FX100 Even Harmonic Overdrive
• Boss RC-20 Loop Station

(in rack, with tap tempo pedal on floor) Lexicon MPX 100, usually on tape delay setting,

…to mixer.

Back to Steel Strings

I went back to steel strings on the my main guitar. I use Dean Markley mediums. I was breaking a lot of phosphor bronze strings, and actually found even phosphor bronze super lights to be stiffer. I had to reset the pole pieces on my Sunrise pickup. I am now getting a good round tone. I also had to reset the action, which took most of a day.

Ahimsa House

Last night’s Ahimsa House gig was a ripper. Aaron Hopper started the night with some magical delicate guitar playing and truly beautiful original songs, with lyrics of moving honesty about feelings of growing up. A piece called “The Sprinter” by a Japanese guitarist (whose name I will find out) combined unusual techniques like fret tapping, tinkling behind the floating bridge, and airy chords, sometimes fretted from above the neck.

A funny, almost rappy, precis of Aaron’s life up ’til now, saw Eddie Thompson join in on flute with his trademark ingenuity and good taste in improvising.