3,151 Reply by mekidsmom

(11 replies, posted in Acoustic)

THANKS GUYS!  My husband was surprised that I didn't jump on Chordie before I left to tell everyone I was doing this.  LOL!  I appreciate all the comments!  I am really proud of myself.  If someone had asked me to just show up for this, I would have told them no.  I think the fact that I had to "prove" myself the night before made this a MUST DO.  Yeah... the old "you can't do that" always gets me and I become immediately determined to prove them wrong.

Pete and Tony... I'm not sure about being a star ... I don't think I'll ever be that "great", but it sure was fun... having some people around to enjoy the music that I enjoy making is really very cool!

Geo... I would LOVE to put in my signature "I officially have balls" ... LMAO! smile Alas, somehow, someone will get offended by it.  I told my hubby about that.  He said, "Your famous now!" ... I said "no I'm not... I just have balls now."  I've been giggling about that all day!  Thank You! 

I'm hoping that the guy who's kind of organizing this takes some time to make some "rules" for the next time.  I guess there were some folks there that wanted to do a little more Redneck Karaokie and were a bit put out that my Dad and I were hogging the mics (there were some others that jumped up and sang along too).  I tried to tell him... but when he gets on a roll sometimes he doesn't hear anything except for the request someone in the corner shouted out!

Alvee & Zurf... You have GOT to try it!  I wish I'd have looked up a little sooner to see what was going on while I was playing on my own.  It was really awesome when I stopped for a second there and found that people were singing along!

BASS VIKING - WELCOME TO CHORDIE!  I haven't seen any of your other posts so here's my official welcome!  The open mic you went to sounds like some serious business going on there!  I was at the corner bar... it's like Cheers where everyone knows your name.  LOL!  We just had two microphones plugged into an amp (and one of the microphones was missing half of the top... so it was really loving all the p's and s's ha ha).  CUDOS to you for getting up in front of everyone, especially in that type of setting!  If you ever get YouTubed up there make sure you share the link with us!

Cam - I've sang into microphones with spotlights on me... I've sang in competitions... been judged with others... even sang at a couple weddings ... and of course lots of karaoke.  My knees always knock and I always get a tickle in my belly.  I thought for sure this would be the same.  NOT AT ALL!  I felt far more comfortable with my guitar in hand, playing and singing then I've ever felt standing there holding a mic.  I'm sure that having my Dad next to me and there supporting me made a big difference and I am eternally grateful for the gift of music that he has given me.  This has REALLY encouraged me to get better at my playing so that the next time I won't fumble so much with some songs that I don't really have down so great!  This is a really cool stepping stone!

TOOTS... YES!  That is exactly it!  I feel pretty blessed to be able to have inspired my Dad and he knows very well why I started.  He was SO supportive last night, and I could tell how much he appreciated just being able to talk "guitar" with me!

Go to forum: Acoustic

3,152 Reply by mekidsmom

(11 replies, posted in Acoustic)

Mike, I actually just started playing last September after a campfire where I saw my Dad was having issues with his hand cramping up (he's got back issues that are affecting his arms and legs) and didn't seem to be able to play so much.  THAT was what inspired me to start playing ... I grew up with Dad's guitar playing and was determined to keep the guitar involved in campfires even if it had to be me playing.  He hasn't really played much since then... except for a few times when he was visiting and I "accidentally" left my guitar and music sitting out.  I think me picking up the guitar encouraged him to push himself a little more and not give up!  I'm really excited to see what will come of this.  I haven't seen him have such a good time with his guitar and the crowd in a few years.  I've always been his singing partner, so this was a really cozy transition!  I never appreciated his guitar playing as much as I do now though.  Man can he change chords fast... and TRICKY ones too!  smile

SO much fun!  Yes, I know I need to look out at people... singing solos with piano and watching my Dad work the "crowd" has showed me a lot over the years, and I will... it was weird tho how I looked down at my guitar and was able to "remove myself" from the eyes looking at me and just play.  I'll be sure to take a peek up at those eyes next time tho... I promise!

I did bring my recorder along, but I didn't really set it up in a good spot so the recordings I got weren't that great (and I only have a couple songs on it).  I'm going to see if I can clean any of them up a little and maybe put em up to share.  We'll see.  LOL!

Go to forum: Acoustic

3,153 Topic by mekidsmom

(11 replies, posted in Acoustic)

My husband and I were out at the local bar Saturday night and were approached by a friend.  Actually, he was approached and invited to take part in an open mic that the guy was trying to start Sunday.  My husband insisted that the friend should talk to me and not him.  My husband plays around on his guitar, but hasn't actually played any songs all the way through and isn't yet capable of singing and playing at the same time... honestly, I'm not sure if he really WANTS to sing and play at the same time smile  It took a little convincing via "redneck karaokie"... but shortly thereafter I was officially invited to take part.  I guess, women aren't expected to be able to play guitar and sing ... or at least this "friend" didn't think we could.  It was quite comical how the whole thing evolved.  Somewhat annoying with the chauvinistic attitude, but amusing in the end!  "Redneck kaaokie" by the way... includes the Jukebox running while singers are holding mics plugged into an amp.  Amusing, cheap, and it actually works pretty well!  LOL! 

So, this "friend" is my father's brother-in-law (would be if dad was married)... so my father was also invited.  I called him up to make sure he was coming with his guitar because I had a feeling that I might be the only one showing up to this last minute open mic with a guitar.  GOOD thing he did because I was right!  WOW... my first time at an open mic and I was the only one with guitar in hand until my dad showed up.  YAY DAD for saving me!  Another guy did show toward the end of the evening... but he couldn't play a song all the way through, he was there for the jam.

So what followed once Dad showed up was pretty much a TON of fun campfire music in a bar with microphones!  Ha ha!  This was the first time I ever played in front of anyone other than my kids, husband, or the camera.  NERVOUS doesn't begin to describe how I was feeling!  I've never played with my dad either (my dad is my original inspiration for playing the guitar for those that don't know my story).  So, we picked a song for him to play and we sang together.  That went well.  Then he played one.  Then we picked one to play AND sing together.  Yeah... strumming with someone that's doing a TOTALLY different strumming pattern and fingers chords totally different ... not so good. 

So he did a lot of playing, we did a lot of singing... and then every here and there he'd take a rest and I'd do one of my songs solo.  Playing and singing at the SAME time in front of people wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  I just kept my eyes on my guitar and the mic... it felt like I was at home and I think the Cranberry juice and Vodka helped A LOT (Zurf, I thought of you and my quote in your signature)!  There were lots of screw ups... but I just kept going.  I did "Crazy" by Knarls Barkley... my playing suffered pretty terribly but everyone seemed to like it anyhow!  There was a hullabuloo of conversation when I was finished with that one.  I also did "Black Is the Color" ... no one really knew that one so it was a good place to try it out.  I'm finger picking the entire song, and it went better than I thought it would!  I didn't screw that one up as much as the Gnarls Barkely... but no one knew better with this one anyhow.  When I did "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and screwed up for a second, I stopped VERY briefly to compose myself and I was WOWED to find that everyone was singing along!  I could not hear them over the amp!  It gave me hope... hope that next time I'll be a little more confident on my own without my Daddy holding my hand!  smile  Ha ha!  I did a couple other songs that I've worked on here and there... they were pretty raw, but then... it didn't seem to matter.  Everyone was having a good time and it was a little more like jamming at home with friends... not so much showing off.  Again, that Cranberry and Vodka came in handy... and the "friend" that invited me was buying!

The other guy that stopped in with his guitar jumped in here and there jamming along.  He seemed to particularly enjoy the songs I finger picked.  He was pretty cool.

All in all it was a really fun time.  It was really cool to be playing and singing and have someone come over and adjust the mic because they WANTED to be able to hear me better.  It was also really cool to see my Dad having such a good time.  I laughed every time he said to the audience, "This is an oldie you probably don't know... unless you were born before me"... as I said to myself, "or you were raised on it".  I could tell he was really proud of me, and he said, "We'll have to sit down and get our repertoire together for next time"  When I left the bar, I commented that I'd be in next Saturday with my friend for a girls night out... I was told to bring my guitar.

Go to forum: Acoustic

3,154 Reply by mekidsmom

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

Pete that sure is an amazing story.  It's pretty awesome when you see someone that thinks they are done on this earth and watch how they choose to spend their time and last few dimes... and to see him do it in this fashion is just ... I am in awe.  Thank you very much for sharing.

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3,155 Reply by mekidsmom

(10 replies, posted in Recording)

Beans, Beans the musical fruit, the more you eat, the more you toot, the more you toot the better you feel so eat beans at every meal!

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3,156 Reply by mekidsmom

(10 replies, posted in Recording)

Deadstring you have me laughing so hard!  You are fantastic!

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3,157 Reply by mekidsmom

(4 replies, posted in Electric)

I don't know anymore than you do honestly Butch.  My husband set his electric up himself by doing a bunch of reading... however... his was brand new!  If you click "back to main page" on that link there's a bunch more info.  Absolutely listen to Jerome's advice, he knows a LOT about guitars!  smile  I just know how to find stuff online quick wink LMAO!

Go to forum: Electric

3,158 Reply by mekidsmom

(2 replies, posted in Recording)

Sure there is Doc... but you sacrifice quality for simplicity at the same time.  The easiest way is to just record a video with a digital camera using removable media (like an sd card).  Pull the sd card out, pop it into the computer, get on YouTube and upload the file.  That's how a few of my videos were done. 

Or... if you've got a "Smart Phone" (cell phone that apparently has more brains than most people)... you can record a video with that and upload directly to youtube from the phone.  Doesn't get any simpler than that!  I "could" do that as I do have a smart phone, however...

I've got the Zoom H2 now because I was looking for better quality.  So... now I'll have to do a new song... put it on the puter... edit a touch... add some video to it or pictures... turn the whole thing into a movie file with the audio... and then upload!  LOL!  The worst part is, anyone listening with cruddy speakers will still hear a similar sound to those quick video files I talked about earlier!

Go to forum: Recording

3,159 Reply by mekidsmom

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

No problem Mike!  I'm glad that you at least have SOMETHING up and running for you well!  It can be so frustrating to have a fast connection but not be able to utilize it!  The nice thing is that these routers aren't "too" expensive, so at least you're not out hundreds and hundreds of dollars... although no one likes to throw money out the window!  I know that frustrated feeling of "just toss it and start over" too... rather than keep messing with it and getting super frustrated!  smile  The G will probably be plenty fast for you... it's when you get into doing a LOT online at once that you MIGHT notice it being a little slow, but for the most part it should be fine for you.  ENJOY your new found internet freedom without interruptions!

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3,160 Reply by mekidsmom

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

The Picks didn't go too far this time... still in Canada... where to next?  Here's the link to the updated map friends:  Click to View Map

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3,161 Reply by mekidsmom

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

Mike... did you try going into the router settings and try to set it up for just the G connection and see if your laptop will work with it that way? 

I hope HP gave you a suggestion of a router to get that will work with your laptop.  You might want to hold onto that router for the heck of it... just in case you upgrade your laptop sometime soon and suddenly have the ability to connect at the faster N speed!  smile

Good luck!

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3,162 Reply by mekidsmom

(4 replies, posted in Electric)

Here's some info. about Ibanez bridge set up:  http://www.musiciansworkshop.com/ibanez_bridge.html

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3,163 Reply by mekidsmom

(1 replies, posted in Bands and artists)

whoops...you meant to post in this thread here:  http://www.chordie.com/forum/viewtopic. … 24&p=8

send an email to me with some basics on your location by either clicking the email link or to my gmail (its in my signature below) and I will update the map!  smile

Go to forum: Bands and artists

3,164 Reply by mekidsmom

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

Today is expected to be a cool day, and it works out well because it's also the day I decided to do a bunch of baking!  I cleaned my oven yesterday and replaced the bulb.  I am very proud of how clean it is... cuz it was pretty gunky!  LOL!  Homemade pizza tonight (and I actually bought some bread flour to try out instead of the standard all purpose, it should be excellent and I'm excited) ... making some breadsticks to go with salads for the next few days... and I'm going to try my hand at that Irish brown bread!  Oh... and cookies in some form or another.  The last couple days I've been making smoothies for dessert for the kids.  They LOVE smoothies and I love the idea of them!  The kids feel like they're getting a "milkshake"... yet it's so healthy and good for them compared to a milkshake.  I "let" the girls have smoothies with their lunch yesterday and they thought I was just the best mom in the world!  ha ha!  smile

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3,165 Reply by mekidsmom

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

CONGRATULATIONS!  I feel pretty loved that you popped on Chordie to share with us the great news!  This is such a reminder of what a great site and special people there are here.  Delivering babies is hard work for sure... remember to tell your wife how proud of her you are, how amazing she is, and how much you love her... as I'm sure you already have... but heck... do it again!  Be sure to ask her if there's anything she'd like special to eat and grab some take out for her.  Hospital food is so blah, and after babies there's no need to have to stay on a strict "blah" diet like other's in the hospital. 

8 lbs 10 oz.... he's a big boy!  His big brother will love having him around and within a year or so he'll be harassing AND taking care of him!  My little ones are 2 1/2 years apart and it's amazing how one minute the older one is picking on her little sister (and the little one fights back!) and the next she's "mothering" her! 

Happy Birthday to your Daughter Wayne... my son's birthday was the 4th ... April is a great time for babies!

Hope your tooth isn't in a ton of pain there SouthPaw... make sure you get that taken care of ASAP friend... mouth pain can be so agonizing!

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3,166 Reply by mekidsmom

(19 replies, posted in About Chordie)

If you are going for an android based phone, you'll want to set up a gmail account before you get it.  It's easier to work on putting all your contacts in that now in your spare time using your computer keyboard... then they will just auto update into your phone and you'll be ready to go!

Go to forum: About Chordie

3,167 Reply by mekidsmom

(19 replies, posted in About Chordie)

Good question!  LOL!  I don't know... I'm using whatever came installed on my phone.  It's a Motorola Droid running Android operating system (currently 2.1 WHOO HOO got my update and now I can pinch to zoom) ... so I guess it's something like an android browser?  I really don't know!  I did a search, and can't find a "name" for it other than "stock android browser".  I know when I use my phone 90% of the time a mobile site just comes up automatically and then I have the choice to "view as desktop" and sometimes if the site supports it (like on facebook) I can view the "touch" version.  The version of Chordie that's popping up on my phone now is JUST like the version I see on my computer.

Go to forum: About Chordie

3,168 Reply by mekidsmom

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

Only three?  I have a bunch that I work on all the time, and then one will stand out to me and I'll get it down pretty good... then back to the bunch that I'm working on all the time again!  LOL!

Black is the Color - is the one I'm working on pretty steadily right now
Even God Must Get the Blues - I fiddle with a lot
Killing me Softly - I've been working on for a while... I can't quite get it to where I'm happy enough yet (and it's the easiest to switch cords on of these three)

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3,169 Reply by mekidsmom

(19 replies, posted in About Chordie)

Interesting... I didn't even see the mobile version today when I was on my droid... hmmm...

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3,170 Reply by mekidsmom

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

I have to assume that all of it came originally from soda bread... transformed into scones, and further more transformed into "Southern Buttermilk Biscuits" ... and then NELA had another similar recipe they do down in Louisiana ... we all have Ireland to thank I'm sure for starting the whole thing... so I'm glad to have given it back to Ireland all "new and improved"!  LOL!

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3,171 Reply by mekidsmom

(1 replies, posted in Electric)

Happy NGD Crevs!  Enjoy the heck out of it... and I hope you play it plugged in more than you played the Squire unplugged!!  smile

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3,172 Topic by mekidsmom

(12 replies, posted in Recording)

So... I had been looking for a better way to record than with my camera or computer microphone.  I looked into USB microphones, computer interfaces with mics, better computer microphones, and personal recorders.  Lucky for me, we got our tax return and we decided to splurge a little.  I was going to go for a cheaper unit, but the hubster insisted on getting me the one I really was looking it more... the H2 (it's not that expensive... but dropping money on "toys" is something we don't do too often).

WOW!  This thing is AWESOME!  smile Goodbye to all the tinny sounds from the computer mic and camera... hello beautiful bass.  This unit has encouraged me to do a lot more with my finger picking!  Of course, I can hear all my screw ups more... but I never knew how good the finger picking sounded sitting in front of the guitar (from behind... I can't get the full effect!).  Did I say yet that this is awesome????   big_smile

My "review" is long... so get ready to read a little!  roll

Ok... so from a lot of my reading all over the place, it looks like there's been a bit of confusion going around about the H2, so I'm going to clear a little of it up that I learned before my purchase in the hopes that it'll help someone else.

cool there WAS an "original" h2 that only had 3 mics (or that was the original concept), but the company ditched that.  The H2 has 4 on board mics that are hidden by a screen.  You can record from the front (2 mics - 90 degree angle), from the back (2 mics 180 degree angle), from both in stereo mode (4 mics one file), or from both in surround mode (4 mics - 2 sound files).  If you record in surround mode, you still need some type of software to turn those two files into true surround sound, otherwise it's the same thing as the 4 mic stereo mode.  What IS cool however is that in the surround mode, you can adjust which mics pick up more and which pick up less!

cool the H4 was actually before the H2 (I'm not sure about the H4N) ... there's an H1 that will be coming out soon that only has 2 mics (so I hear... there's nothing about it on their website tho).  The H2 is smaller than the H4, reviews say the sound quality is the same, but there's some upgrades to the H2 compared to the H4.  You CANNOT listen to something and record at the same time on the H2 (you can on the H4).

cool similar priced recorders generally only have 2 mics and don't come with as many accessories as the H2 (I like accessories!).  My H2 came with a 1 GB card (it generally comes with a 512 mb card), wind screen, mic stand adapter, foot (screws on bottom like a tripod but it's just a little plastic piece to hold it upright on a table), USB cable, AC adapter (most of the other ones didn't come with this and sold them for $25-$50), nice stereo earbuds, a little soft carrying bag, and an RCA cable.  It does NOT come with software (the h4 does I believe). 

yikes yes, it is a plastic outside shell.  It is VERY light.  The on/off switch feels "cheap"... I'm concerned that dropping it could easily cause something to break.  I didn't handle any other recorders, but I wonder if some of the other ones in the same price range with less goodies are built tougher.  Ahhh... I will take the technology, accessories and 4 mics for the price and happily sacrifice being very careful not to drop this!  The display is small also.  My mom would have to use her "granny glasses" to be able to read it.

cool It's really easy to figure out how to use this.  The menu is simple.  They've written the user guide in a "quick start up" style.  Read one page and you can record... read a few more pages and you'll understand more... keep reading and you'll get into the serious meat and potatoes of it.  You can even download a full guide from their website and read all about the unit before purchasing!

cool mine came all up to date with the latest updates already done and ready to go.  They continue to make updates that you download on your computer, transfer to sd card, and install on the device.  I'm happy to know that they are updating and fixing bugs... it's not just something that you get and that's that.

cool you CAN use this as a USB mic.  You CAN connect a mic to this and power it from the batteries in the H2.  Once you've done that, you CAN use this as an interface and record directly to your software of choice on the computer.  You can monitor while recording as well (no speakers, you need to monitor on the supplied earbuds, your own, or hook it up to something with speakers).

Ok... so that's the stuff that I found to be really important about this and what helped to make my buying decision.  I throughly researched this thing!  There's a lot more to it, like what formats you can record in and so on... using 2 AA batteries is nice too for on the go stuff!  I recorded my voice just speaking into the front of it about an inch away from my mouth while the TV was going behind the unit in the same room and I could barely hear the tv, I sounded like I was on the radio... impressive quality!  smile  If you want to hear something in particular recorded and I can oblige, let me know.  I hope to have a song ready soon!

Go to forum: Recording

3,173 Reply by mekidsmom

(6 replies, posted in Recording)

Size is a big issue when it comes to sending anything back and forth via email... check with the person you're sending the file to.  I know my ISP (road runner) will only allow a max file size of 5mb at a time.  I'm sure there's online places to share files with others if you need to upload and download bigger files than that. 

edit Just looked this up quick, and this one looks like a good one:  http://www.mediafire.com/  ... they'll allow file sizes of 200mb each which is HUGE... and the site is free (you can upgrade and pay to share files up to 2 gig).   That is, if you need to send the file in a different format or can't email it due to size issues.  I haven't used this myself... any time I've needed to share a file that's huge, I usually do some sneaky stuff on my website hosting plan and do it that way cuz then I have FULL control.  LOL!

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3,174 Reply by mekidsmom

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

if you are interested in blues at all... guitar center is holding a contest and they have free backing tracks available on their contest page (so you can practice for your contest entry)... here's the link to the free tracks (I wouldn't normally post links to GC, but this is for a freebie and contest)
http://gc.guitarcenter.com/kingoftheblues/tracks/

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3,175 Reply by mekidsmom

(5 replies, posted in Guitars and accessories)

There are also apps for the droid based phones... and I'm sure the iphone as well.  Hmmm... not sure about the phone you have Flester... if it's not a "smartphone" then I think you're limited by whatever your cell company has to offer, but I just got into apps when I got my Moto Droid, I didn't even know that there were apps for blackberries before I started this venture (been behind a bit, yeah). 

Of course... you "could" record some tuning notes, convert to MP3, and load that as a music file onto your phone (I assume your phone can play mp3s) ... and then at the very least you'd have a portable reference!  smile

Go to forum: Guitars and accessories