276 Reply by Zurf

(5 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

Classical Guitar wrote:

Don McLean has always used  a thumb pick, and in this interview he is also using finger picks too. Does any one else use them on a steel string?
Here is a link to how you can see his finger picks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHJH-NQnyrc

I've tried several different varieties. I just can't get used to them. The Alaska Picks were the closest to something I could see myself using regularly. There was a neat wire based design I ordered. I didn't know they were coming from China! It took quite a long while for the package to arrive, and when it did... well let's just say that my fingers appear to be a good bit larger than the Chinese fingers the picks were designed to fit. A shame.     

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277 Reply by Zurf

(8 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

topdown wrote:

Score is right! Very cool. Would love to see the picture of Roscoe on that album if you don't mind texting it to me.

I'll see if it will scan.     

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278 Topic by Zurf

(8 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

Before auctioning everything off, we kids are siphoning off the things we want from Dad's estate. Mom loved Country music and I have scored some of her excellent CDs. If you aren't interested in old Country, stop reading now.

Some of the titles: "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash," "Chet Atkins - the RCA years," "Bill Monroe Country Music Hall of Fame Series*," "Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs & The Foggy Mountain Boys," "Sons of the Pioneers Country Music Hall of Fame Series," "Red Foley Country Music Hall of Fame Series," "Willie Nelson Healing Hands of Time," "Patsy Cline Walkin' After Midnight," and "Merle Haggard Good Old Country." As a special bonus, "Neil Diamond Tennessee Moon" 

* Includes our dear old friend Roscoe Jones (in a big white hat) playing with Vassar Clements and Jimmy Martin! None of the songs he co-wrote though. 

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279 Reply by Zurf

(21 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

TIGLJK wrote:

Zurf

Sara is awesome
that cover of Dock of the bay is fantastic !
That led me to watch about 5 other videos of her. She is awesome.
Elton John said her cover of Yellow brick road was the best he had ever heard.
Thanks for sharing
Jim

She does have some originals too, and I think she wrote or was involved in writing them, but not having the liner notes to check I'm not sure.
"King of Anything" and "I Choose You" are the ones I think she's had the most commercial success with.     

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280 Reply by Zurf

(21 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

I like story telling songs that have a good story to tell.

I like melody with a tight rhythm group and a bass groove. Even mellow music, which is primarily what I listen to, should have a bass groove if I'm going to like it. The better the groove and tightness of the rhythm section, the less I need the lyrics to tell a poignant story. The ultimate example of this is that I love Tower of Power's instrumentals.

I don't need the performer to have written the music. There are many good covers out there (example: I prefer Jose Feliciano's version of Light My Fire to The Doors version and I prefer Joe Cocker's version of She Came In Through The Bathroom Window to The Beatles' version), and there are some excellent song-writers I'd just as soon not listen to (Leonard Cohen comes to mind) and some excellent performers who don't write their own music (Randy Travis' big hits early in his career were written by Paul Overstreet).

Much modern Pop music does not have these features, and so I don't much care for it. Vanessa Carlton and Sara Bareilles are two current "radio" pop singers whose music I do like - or at least some of it. However, the music has the features I've mentioned.  Here's a cover by Sara Bareilles where she just knocks it out of the park, in my opinion. She is the rhythm section and bass, but still...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTvnL1j … TvnL1jWNao     

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281 Reply by Zurf

(8 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

Here's another that I play. It's also from John Denver.  It is typical of me that I recognize that the math only works in narrowly defined circumstances.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Li8GrxE1jfg     

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282 Reply by Zurf

(8 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

Dirty Ed wrote:

Here's one I play every Christmas. Originally recorded by John Denver, I like this version.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3YgqVeHRBE

DE

That's one of the few Christmas songs that I play. Here's another that breaks my heart every time I listen. I play this too, but without the grace, skill, or aplomb of Mr. McCutcheon (a Charlottesville, VA fellow).  There are two lines that really get me "these sons and fathers far away from home," and the second one is in the second to last verse. Listen to it and I think you'll know which it is if you know me at all. It ends with the word "sights".  I guess the very last line of the song also gets me right in the feels, too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJi41RWaTCs

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283 Reply by Zurf

(18 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

beamer wrote:
Tenement Funster wrote:

Looks like you two had a blast, Beamer ... you're obviously "into it", but Paul looks like he's about to doze off ... funny how a pic can capture a moment in time like that. Hope you guys enjoy many more great gigs together.

Yea i was telling him he needs to work on it. because he looked and sang bored.
he was nervous and did not want to admit it to me.and his stance is what i am working on.  It is NOT singing a song from a TV, thats for sure! stage presence.  At first I was nervous but once I started playing i was good.     

Thanks Chordiestock! big_smile

That's exactly what I'm working on right now. The difference between playing and performing. Awesome that you are getting that across to him - now get it across to me.

Or, as Miles Davis said, "It's 10% musicianship and 90% the attitude of the person playing."  Miles Davis did not use the word "person". His quote had a distinctly more Samuel L. Jackson vibe to it.     

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284 Reply by Zurf

(18 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

Dirty Ed wrote:

I have the opposite problem Scott.  I play at home, with a dry signal and even prefer to record with a dry signal, but some of the open mic venues I play at a couple times a month add effects until it sounds like I'm singing from the bottom of a well............ Come to think of it maybe most folks would prefer I sing from the bottom of a well. sad 

Last week I was in Florida visiting one of my daughters and her family (also attended my oldest granddaughter's college graduation). The Days Inn we stayed at had a bar that hosted an open mic on Mondays.  It was a strange set-up with a band (drums, bass, guitar) that expected you to play songs they knew so they could play along. It seemed like some sort of "live" karaoke to me so I passed.

https://www.chordie.com/forum/viewforum.php?id=16

You should have done the "follow me - a standard I, IV, I, V in G" and gone ahead with whatever you had in mind.     

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285 Reply by Zurf

(18 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

TIGLJK wrote:

what is a wet signal ?

All I can imagine is you spilled your beer on the amp, and I know that's not right.

smile

LOL!     

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286 Reply by Zurf

(18 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

SWEET!

Now do more. The way Jets60 keeps telling me to do open mic nights and I don't.     

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287 Reply by Zurf

(3 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

Thank you Mojo. May your Christmas and New Year be blessed and all your pickles rhyme.     

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288 Reply by Zurf

(12 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

Baldguitardude wrote:

I love heavy bottoms.

...and I cannot lie.     

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289 Reply by Zurf

(5 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

Geez BlueJeep - sounds like an un-fun situation to me. Good thing you had all that wood and fuel and were prepared for the situation.     

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290 Reply by Zurf

(16 replies, posted in Electric)

beamer wrote:

I could have used a weekend like that!  Had I enough advance notice (Zurf Really man you got my phone number!) I would have really tried to get there!
just send that Squire to get the intonation adjusted and you will be happier.

my Strat (Betty) is an Affinity Series HSS.

You'd have been on a plane each way for longer than we played. Next time I have a weekend gig like this, I'll let you know. Probably be until the Spring and I'll hopefully have a new camper by then and it will be outdoors.     

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291 Reply by Zurf

(16 replies, posted in Electric)

Doug_Smith wrote:

Well say "HEY" to the gang !  Especially Detman.... he's been scarce for  quite awhile and some of us do miss his contributions to the Community.  smile

Sounds like a fun gathering, looking forward to some audio/video or at least a few photos...... Please ?

Detman has gotten deeply involved in the outdoors and has not been playing guitar as much. The Judge is already out because of weather. Jets is concerned. It may wind up just being me and BGD, and if it is that'll be fine too and I'm sure we'll have a great time. I wouldn't want anyone to risk his hide just to hang out.     

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292 Reply by Zurf

(16 replies, posted in Electric)

Baldguitardude wrote:

Can’t wait! Do I need to bring an axe?

Nope. I've got 3 6 string acoustics in standard tuning, a 12 string acoustic in standard tuning, a six string set up for lap steel (probably will retune to open G) in addition to the new Squire this thread started off with. So I think you'll be able to find one you like.     

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293 Reply by Zurf

(16 replies, posted in Electric)

He's a friend to us all. It's Detman101. He hasn't been on Chordie in a long time, but still.     

If the weather holds, there will be five Chordie people jamming in my basement. Detman, Topdawgz, me, Jets60, and BGD. A local friend or two is also expected.

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294 Reply by Zurf

(17 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

I enjoyed that a lot.

I have only one recommendation for improvement, and it's only because you asked and not because I thought it was bad. But - when you make a mistake, power through. Don't stop and restart to get it "right."  Power through. No one notices that way.     

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295 Topic by Zurf

(0 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

Electric? Zurf in Electric?  I know!! 

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296 Reply by Zurf

(16 replies, posted in Electric)

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_5Wdu … 44-h967-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/v7D0f … 44-h967-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/4k41z … 44-h967-no

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297 Topic by Zurf

(16 replies, posted in Electric)

So Detman and Jets60 and a couple other friends are hopefully coming over on Sunday evening. Detman has all his guitars in storage at the moment, so I said he could use one of mine. The thing is that he plays a strat and acoustic is his second choice. Maybe third.

Anyway, on Facebook Market or whatever it's called a Squire Strat came across my feed for $20. I contacted the guy and he said it needed work but the electronics were sound. So I told I'd take it - sight unseen. I met him 10 minutes later and bought a Squire Strat for Detman to play on Sunday night.

It did need work. It was all marked up. Everything that could be loose was. Two strings were missing. But...the neck was straight and the frets were in great shape. This evening I cleaned it thoroughly and tightened up everything that needed it. I oiled the fretboard several times. I polished the frets and the rest of the metal. I scrubbed and scrubbed to get the pickmarks off the pickups. And once everything was scrubbed, oiled, polished, and tightened, I strung it up with some electric strings I found in my string drawer. Each string height is adjustable and three of them were very low and rubbed the pickups. Once I adjusted those, it sounds really good. I'm not much for electrics, but I think I might have fun with this one for a while.

Photos are on my phone. I don't know how to get them on here from there - but it happened. I promise. 

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298 Reply by Zurf

(12 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

The story about chasing a bad drum around a dance floor is very funny.     

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299 Reply by Zurf

(12 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

I haven't been kicked out, but I did have a band change the practice venue and time and 'forget' to tell me. I guess I only thought I was in that band, despite playing gigs with them and helping with set up and sound all those times.     

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300 Reply by Zurf

(12 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)

Scales practice, and what to do with the scale once you know it. And what it means to "know" a scale.     

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