Fred_C

A new guitar is a source of great joy and excitement. ENJOY!!!

Have a great time and try to steal a few licks!

Bro. Larry, You're welcome. Glad you like it. It often seems apropos and pertinent to discussions like this one. Be well and play well, my friend

"It ain't the wand. It's the magician".

Welcome aboard. As requested by d, tell us about yourself. Musical interests, how long you've been playing, gear, etc.?

I don't agree. However, there should be an indicator of some sort (flashing, number in red, etc.) when there are new messages.

You're welcome. My pleasure, amigo.

Hey Scott, Click on the little envelope in the upper right hand corner next to your login name. (I found this by accident).

Agreed.

@P90: Is Hamer back in business? They used to make some nice guitars like the Monaco and the Newport.

I stand corrected amigo you are right. I know that there are players who.use sets that are light on Top and heavier on the bottom. I think that there are manufacturers who produce light/heavy sets. Hence, my question.

@DBM.Out of curiosity, what gauge strings are you using on your Strat clone? I use D'Adderio XL110's 10 through 56 on all of my guitars 10-56? Is that a custom set? The usual "10 set" is 10-46.

@DBM. Out of curiosity, what gauge strings are you using on your Strat clone?

I realize that my opinion is tantamount to sacrilege, but I have never been a fan of Strat tone. It has always sounded kinda' thin to.my ear. I greatly prefer the tone of a Lea Paul. The tone is bigger, better defined and more suited to the music I play. Better still, a semi-hollow or hollow body. This is simply a personal preference and is in no way intended to influence the opinion of others.

Wow some folks sure do like collecting. Aaaaannnd SOME of 'em can really afford it... ! 1. "It's only expensive if you can't afford it". 2. It's not fair. NOT FAIR!

Not my cup of tea, but nicely done.

Yes. I checked the box and have remained logged in

This is tragic news. Doc was a great guy and a friend to us all. He will be sadly missed. Rest in Peace.

I would be very interested in reading a summary of new features/functionality in the software.

@J Dan, An excellent and insightful post. Well said. Well written.

What the hell are you talking about?!!! No one has taken any of your comments out of context and no one has disagreed with your position regarding improvisation and tribute bands/classical repertoire. You argue for the sake of arguing. BTW: Winston Smith has quit the forum, thanks to you. Winston and I have communicated via email and he told me that he was so disgusted by your argumentative posturing during the WF/Surfergirl conundrum that he quit. So, we lost another knowledgeable, experienced, highly skilled member thanks to you. Winston was right. You're nothing but a godamned troll. I've had it. I'm blocking you. Go to hell!

I disagree. I was taught and strongly believe that the ultimate goal is to develop your own sound, your own voice. A MUSICIAN should endeavor to sound like himself, not like someone else. My attitude is a direct result of the genres I have chosen to pursue. Jazz and Blues place great emphasis on the improvisational abilities. Pick any Jazz standard and search for the title on YouTube. The results of the search will display dozens of performances, all of which will sound very different from the others. That's MUSICIANSHIP. I would love to sound like Joe Pass, Barney Kessel, Bucky Pizzarelli et. al., but I steal ideas from them and make changes to them in order to reflect my own personal aesthetic. I steal ideas, but I don't copy. "Steal, but don't copy". - Ella Fitzgerald

I know I've told this story before, but it speaks directly to WF's comments. As I've freely admitted, I don't "Rock". I am a Blues and Jazz player. When I was teaching I taught some rock tunes to younger students who wanted them. One day one of my students brought in a lead sheet and a CD of Ozzie Osbornes' Crazy Train and asked me to teach it to him. I took the chart and CD home and worked through it. I taught him what I had come up with. I asked him, "Well, is that pretty close"? My student smiled and replied, "Actually, I think it's an improvement". Several people have told me that they prefer my arrangement of When You're Down And Out to Eric Clapton's (my arrangement is much more melodic). I have an arrangement of Leadbelly's Blackgirl that is light years ahead of Curt Cobain's, who like other "grunge" players was actually proud of being unskilled. Do these things make me "full of myself"? I don't think so. I have invested years of formal study with four highly skilled and very demanding teachers and THOUSANDS of hours of practice into acquiring my guitar skills. Is it unreasonable or egotistical for me to take some pride in my accomplishments? Again, I don't think so. Professional musicians are just flesh and blood human beings. They might play a solo one way on Monday and differently on Tuesday. Their musical thinking on any particular take may me a function of how much/little sleep they've gotten, which intoxicants they've ingested and when they last had sex. Being famous and successful does not necessarily equate with skill or "talent". For example S.R.Vaughn was a brilliant guitarist. I really don't think his brother Jimmy is very good at all. I find his playing very predictable and sophmoric.

Because I'm a guitarist, not a poet. I couldn't write a song if my life depended on it. "We all steal. Steal, but don't copy". - Ella Fitzgerald "If you copy, that means you ain't got nothing to say". - Billy Holiday

@Eric, I completely understand your desire to add your own ideas into an arrangement. IMO this is not "hubris" nor is it "arrogance", it's "musicianship"! My acoustic Blues teacher, Jerry Ricks insisted that I play the music of Doc Watson, Mississippi John Hurt, Blind Blake et.al. exactly note for note, because the technique was contained within the tune. However, when we played electric blues, the emphasis shifted to improvisation. Of course, my Jazz Teachers emphasized creativity. In every case it was about applying theory and technique in the service of music. I strive to "sound like me". Afterthought: Blind Blake's stuff is a bitch to play. Real knuckle busters!