Answers to some questions, and requesting more!
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- Опубліковано 8 лют 2024
- STANDARD DISCLAIMER : I DO NOT APPROVE ANY PRODUCTS MENTIONED IN ADS IMPOSED ON MY VIDEOS BY UA-cam VIDEOS!
Hi, I'm always being asked how many guitars do I have , rather than what guitars do I have so here's a brief summary.
Whilst I've been playing since the mid '60s , ish, Many have come and gone, but I think I really started to acquire a "collection" only in the 21st century, and certainly have not bought a guitar every year, nor spent anything like the cost would be now.
I take your questions seriously, and some give me ideas for more videos.
I'd really welcome yuor questions so let me have them ni the comments for this below. Thanks.
Oh, the cat says Hi!
![ОРБАН приехал к ПУТИНУ и "отчитался" о поездке в Киев 😁 [Пародия]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/_0ukDovOWq8/mqdefault.jpg)
Hi, I’d love to see some ‘how-to’ videos on your chord progressions and in particular the ‘fills’ and ‘licks’ please. By the way it’s s my wife that does a runner when I pick up a guitar.😅
X2
Exactly what I was a-gonna say! Your bass runs into chords are great. As are your voicings.
Hi, this afternoon, (Sunday) I made a vide to respond to you. I have yet to see if it is worth uploading. I try to keep my videos under 10 minutes so it is challenging. If it is OK It will go up soon.
My favorite guitar is the one I'm playing now. I have an Eastman E22SS-V-sb that has become the (MCare) house guitar (torrified Adirondack top, Walnut Back, varnish Sunburst (like a violin finish). I will bring other guitars as needed, depending on audience size. My favorite "size" seems to be 000/OM. I have a few other Dreadnoughts, 00 size and Taylor Grand Auditorium guitars: no Jumbo guitars...yet. The neck has to be right. The guitar voice has to be right. I know most audiences don't care about what I am playing, except those in memory care: they will oooh and awe over a fancy guitar every time. I am trying to have a NICE guitar that I play for every child and grandchild so they have and play a guitar "Grandpa played" as I discussed with my wife before she died: heirloom guitars, not investments. 6 of 8 children play. More grandchildren play. Yes, the right instrument for the job. Thanks, Andy
Excellent plan!
Andy. Id love hear your thoughts on how to keep your motivation going for learning guitar. As you know we all plateau every now and then. And it can get difficult to know what to do next.
Great suggestion! I am definitely "plateaued" at present . The best driver for me is to select numbers for a live appearance (ideally a 2 x45 gig) but even for a 2-3 song spot and a singaround or open-mic .
I tend to avoid open mics as I've found that you are playing to drinkers and talkers rather than listeners, so it's like a pub gig but unpaid.
Anyway - practice your songs in a way that will grab their attention. a while ago, I went to a pub open-mic and refused to plug in, just used their two dynamic mics and shock the "audience" with a different dynamic.
For my first song, the stopped talking,
For my second, the folk at the bar gathered round.
For the third - the guys playing snooker came into the playing area.
Any gig, of any sort to catch the attention of the crowd needs to be different and --interesting.
People in folk or other music clubs will know "something" about music.
Pub drinkers - unlikely. You have to attract and retain their attention.
as always, very enjoyable and informative .. . thanks!
Thanks.
I play my gsMini most of the time. Its sad because I've got some nice guitars, but its a lot more effort to dig them out of the guitar closet and care for them in the desert. I've also got cats and dogs for potential catastrophe's as well.
Hi, I kinda have a similar problem. That's why I did my series of "Back of the Wardrobe" videos. Thanks for watching.
Andy, hope all is well, I would love to see more playing style videos, chord transition base walks, turn arounds, and fills from easy beginner to advanced style. Take care and stay healthy! Cheers from Texas!
Hi, that is a great idea, I have done some stuff like that but I'll rework the idea and do some videos. I'd like to know your name so I can credit you with the idea, but it is your choice. Alternatively, if you like my playing style, I could do some one to one zoom meetings with you.
@@SillyMoustache This is Scott in Sherman, Tx. I always enjoy the content you put out.
Same thing happens to me when I play my mandolin., but it is the cats and little kids. George in Montana
Sad for me my last cat Rupert would always come and sit with me, this one is beautiful, but always shows me her least attractive aspect (if you know what I mean) when I play.
Maybe a video on mic amplification vs pickups. Pickups are getting much more natural sounding.
Hi thanks. I dislike pick ups but I have a K&K true mini in my Martin 12 string and in my Collings DS1ASB (it came with it added). I prefer to play with just one Rode NT1 -a large diaphragm condenser. Thanks for your interest.
And in response to your question " what would you like me to talk about " all I can say is just keep it up- Sting types, guitar types, and I always like watching guitar players doing their thing, I started of years ago with folk music Peter,Paul 'n' Mary, Serindipidy singers, an' progressed to Simon and Garfunkel ( records in those days) & today I love watching U/Tube guitarists & groups ( sometimes of their past hits ) & I loved the chords to ' walk right in ', I love that type of thing, BUT keep 'em coming, kind regards Don 😊😊😊
I'll do my best! Thanks.
As soon as I start playing in the afternoon my cat, Harriet, appears and starts head butting my leg until I pet her. The first chord is like yelling KITTY KITTY!
I need Harriet to come and tell Dobby a thing or two!!!
Hi Andy,
I know I’ve asked this before, but I’d like to hear in a bit more detail about what songs have stood out to you over the years; perhaps, for instance, a chat about an album with a favourite track, why you like it, and maybe even your own rendition if it’s in your repertoire…?
Good idea. OK (need to know yur "real" name to credit you!
@@SillyMoustache Tom 🙂
I'd love to hear you play and sing the Wayfaring Stranger.
Hi I did my version here on YT but it was 11 years ago. ua-cam.com/video/nBK3xeax1Bw/v-deo.html I reckon I could do an updated version! Thanks.
Hello, Don's my name from Hamilton NZ, I love your videos And,you have some nice guitar's too I might add, It's nice to listen to your style ( very musical ) Iv'e got 7 acoustic and 1 electric, an' Iv'e been playing since I was 12, I loved your question ' why do I have so many, and I know in My case, I buy them at the right price ( gotta have good bones) add bone nut 'n' saddĺe, do the minor fix, sometimes sand the damage, respray, and Try to sell 'em, but my favorite is probably my trans-acoustic Yamaha, Closely followed by the Martin, then my G/series takamine, an' my Recording King D/nought. Regards Don
Hi again Don, Thanks for te kind comments, Andy
Greetings Andy. I've recently discovered your channel and watched several of your videos. Scanning your titles together with what I've recently done to declutter my music room, I faced a number of questions and decisions about how best to store and/or display them. The room has enough closet space to store them in their cases, or hang them on the wall where they can be admired. I have 3 very nice Larrivee guitars, the remaining 5-6 are $500 imports, acoustic and archtop electrics. I know from a former home that hanging acoustic guitars on the wall invites a lot of sympathetic resonance when I'm playing one of them. Whenever I recorded or mixed a song, I had to damp all the guitars with an old sock between the strings and sound board. What are your thoughts and how did you set up your room for guitar storage / display? Thanks! Jack in Sequim (pronounced SKWIM).
I live in a small British three bedroom house with just the one bathroom. I bought it in 1980 intending to be here for 2-3 years. Then I met a skinny woman in a local pub and I've been here ever since. It is "relatively" cheap to maintain but I don't have the luxury of a music room. I have been thinking of mounting some wall hangers in my bedroom, ...I've been thinking about it for some years now.
My two cats come for my morning bedroom concerts, only one gets bored and leaves around halfway through. The other one smiles and purrs in dreamland. To each his or her own, I say.
Yup - cats are strange people.
how about an episode illustrating some guitar/tonewood/tone jargon schooling…defining (most likely subjectively i’m aware) terms such as:
Head room
Woody
Bell-like
Glassy
Bright/Brightness
Punchy
Dark
Warm/Warmth
Bloom
Reverb
Sustain
Focused
Dry
Versatile
String Separation
Evenness
Tonality
Overtones
Complexity
Chimey
Roundness (bass, trebs, etc)
etc etc.
on their own, many of these terms have well-known definitions, but in relation to guitar tone and tone woods (& for some of us laymen) they can seem convoluted or contradicting .. .
here’s a “for instance”: i’d like to think that brightness, in relation to light or the visual spectrum, would be synonymous with warmth, but i’ve heard many folks in guitar demos speak of warmth and brightness as opposing descriptors. it’s guitar jargon like this i think would be great to be educated on, and think it’d be really cool to have a show dedicated toward educating the guitar public on.
just some thoughts!
Hi Firecracker, I had written a long answer for you but must have failed to press enter! However it will help me condense my response. You helpfully list a lot of often heard terms to describe tone and I WILL MAKE THIS VIDEO! However trying to describe tonalities brings to mind the saying -"Writing about music is like dancing about architecture". In other words such terms can be meaningless or even Nonsense, as we all hear differently, and strings, guitar player, environment are variables.
@@SillyMoustache yes-very true, but i believe you’re the man for the job! you have impeccable taste in guitars, a vast collection of wonderful instruments, years of experience with various tone woods, and your playing is top-notch! when you put out the request for video ideas, i thought you’d be the person to tackle the concept. i have 40 years of playing under my belt, and still find the ways in which we musicians describe sound (tone)fascinating, if not confusing! i’m excited for to see (hear) what you come up with!
Hi Andy. thanks for another wonderful video. As a senior (70) guitar student, what are your thoughts on learning the Pentatonic scales? Especially on the art of improvisation . Another question, have you added any pick ups to your acoustics, or just use a mic? Thanks, Harry
Hi Harry, when I first started playing guitar, (mid '60s?) I was into "da blooz" and soloing such as it was was really all minor pentatonics. Later, from about '75 in bluegrass bands soloing mainly on Dobro and mandolin i still relied on minor pents, as I wasn't very good at finding the melodies. Nowadays (or for the last 25 years or so, I have found the melodies within the cords progressions so the major and minor pents not so much.
When I got my first Collings DS2h in 1999, the first thing I dis was to have pickups fitted , initially USTs and such. On one occasion when I was having a Lloyd Baggs unit (UST and internal mic) the owner of the shop said (You have a very fine acoustic guitar. You should understand that pick up will suond like that guitar acoustically. I suggest that you buy a Takamine with a good sounding pick up system and leave your Collings at home. his recommendation was correct of course but I didn't take his advise .. or his Takamine.
Now I have one Collings that came to me with a K&K plus internal mic, and with the right preamp it sounds pretty good, when I HAVE to plug in. When I can control my sound, I prefer a single large diaphragm condenser, the Rode NT1 that I bought many years ago to record my last album. It picks up my vocals and guitar, and sidemen (when I had them). Should the need ever arise again, I have a box of mics AKG CS1000s SM58s etc. FX ? not really. On my Mixer, I use reverb, until I can hear it then one notch back. Hope that helps.
Guitar playing and the aging process. At 77 , I'm greatly frustrated, both physically and mentally. How does one cope? Thoughts on "inner game"? Compensating for physical limitations? It would be a great help, Andy.
Forgive incoherence. Meds, sleeplessness, in short, not a good day.
Bil
Sorry to hear that Bill, I recently turned 76, and had life changing cancer treatment a few years ago which I suspect has aged me five years or more, but every day when I awake, I'm grateful for another day. Just keep on keeping on.
Hey Andy, happy to lend you a Blueridge BR341, Yamaha FG365S and a Michael Messer Blues Duolian to review, plus many, many slides perhaps for a slide comparison.
Hi Lewis, the Messer might be a good one to compare and the Blueridge could box it out with the E20-P.
@SillyMoustache Sounds good, Andy. I'd be happy to drop them around one night after work or a weekend afternoon. Good excuse for a cuppa and catch up.
“…and that’s it! Oh! And two 12 string guitars”. lol! I’m sure you have forgotten another couple tucked away somewhere 😉
You got that right! It's three 00s and a Waterloo L-00 style!
you know what they say if it aint broke don't fix it.maybe a few tunes /songs on 12 string.
Ah 12 string songs, yuo restrung the old Martin this week so a good time to ask.
Your cat sounds bored. Cats at my house liked guitar. My wife's feral cat liked to sit on my lap in front of the guitar and lay back into it and purr while I played. Made an odd sound on some chords.
I think you are right. She had lived with two siblings but the owners kept one and put the other two up for adoption.
About the time my cat turned 15, he developed hearing loss. The sound of crumpling paper, my wife pouring glass beads in a decorative vase, frying bacon, sent him running from the room. He used to come running from the opposite end of the house whenever he heard me raid the cheese drawer. He was more tolerant of a nylon stringed guitar than steel. In the end (19) he was completely deaf.
Olá, este canal foi uma boa descoberta. Parabéns!!!
Qual seu percurso desde a 1`guitarra e como evoluiu?
Abraço desde Lisboa
Olá, obrigado pelo seu interesse. Parei de tocar bateria e comecei a tocar violão em meados dos anos 1960 porque queria cantar. Sou um cantor que toca violão, e não um violonista que canta, mas me apaixonei pelo instrumento. Sou inglês, mas prefiro material de cantor e compositor americano (EUA). Espero que você entenda meu português (via Google Tradutor!)
I always ask myself, why are Colling guitars so expensive? What differences would justify the price difference between, for instance, a Collings OM 2H and a Martin OM28.
I'd also ask, how precise should the intonation of guitar be? how many cents off is aceptable at the 12th fret?
I have a load of questions haha
Thanks for your fun videos!!
Hi, I'll not say anything negative about Martins - I sought them out and played them from the '70s until the late '90s. I believe they are somewhat better than they were back then but I plyed my d35 for 21 years - loved it. I bought my first Collings in 1999 because I couldn't find a Martin 12 fret dread.
Intonation? Should be dead . I have a 1964 Martin 12 string, that was rebuilt be Martin an 1998. Great guitar but the intonation is awful.
Hi Andy, I’d like to hear your thoughts about how you would go about learning to play acoustic guitar if you were just starting out now. Thanks for all you do.
Hi, I started teaching when asked during the first lockdown. I had helped friends occasionally, but never thought about becoming an online one-to-one teacher. Nothing teaches you like teaching and something I learnt was that no two people learn the same, and I have to watch and learn to best help them. The first thing that I would recommend that you think hard about what you want to achieve. For instance I started guitar because I wanted to sing, and the music style was contemporary folk, and country blues, so I had a "target".
Work out what you want to do, and focus. Select some players that you like. Do you want to play to accompany your vocals or play tunes? Then find a teacher, who can play like that and guide you. It helps if you know something about music, Keys, scales and chords and stuff but that doesn't have to be too boring. Hope that helps.
@@SillyMoustache hi Andy … thanks for your reply and thoughts. Be safe and well. How long did it take you to become an accomplished guitarist? What was your path?
I just realized how late it must be where you are. Thanks for staying up so late to answer my question. Be well.
@@vte4chg Hi, I can't remember when I started but it must have been about '68. I fooled around mostly, but got into a trio who taught me some stuff (before they dumped me!) I started buying and selling to work up to a Martin as of about '73. In '75, I moved out of London, and found myself in a couplse of bands playing bluegrass. I had to learn fast (and play fast) plus dobro and Mando. Moved down south in '79 and fell into another working band but life was difficult and I got seriously ill. The gear went into the attic until 1993, 2hen I started to relearn, and started as a solo singer-guitarist but soon got sidesmen. duos., trios came and went I went through heart failure (2006) and cancer (2017-19.), then covid shut the scene down in 2020. I'm fairly competent in my blues, blugras, country style but not s classical or jazz guitarist. Hope that helps.
@@vte4chg Yeah it's bedtime now 1:30 a.m. (I keep faded music stars time!
Fingerpicking videos.
On the list - thanks.
What happened to Rupert? Guitar/music question that may only be interesting to me in the area of music theory. I’m trying to learn/study more about musical modes; when to use them, how songs change keys et cetera. Hello and all the best from Paul in Ohio, USA.
Hi Paul, Rupert went in for minor dental work, and they over drugged him. He never recovered, and they put him down. They basically killed him and I'm still angry. Dobby goes to another vet! Good luck with all that musical witchcraft! Thanks for watching, Andy
So sorry about poor Rupert. Beautiful cat. RIP.
Cute kitty. My wife once asked me how many guitars I have and I honestly had never counted them. I could easily explain why, and why I was not finished buying. For example, I have no maple back guitar and not a single resonator.
With this in mind, I would value your thoughts on resonator guitars. You mentioned a National and a Dobro, biscuit and spider cones I assume? Or do you have a tri-cone? Wood, brass,or steel bodies, which and why? ...and of course I would love to hear you play a bit.
I will add, my last purchase was a Martin in the image of a Gibson ironically, the CEO 7.
Enjoy your weekend!
Great guitar the CEO-7. My wife "negotiated" the price. Too bad the leukemia got her.
Hi I made videos about both - here is the National : ua-cam.com/video/TtSvpw3-2Fw/v-deo.html
Here is the Style "o" I had before : ua-cam.com/video/0y7tJtqh89w/v-deo.html
Here is the Dobro : ua-cam.com/video/88COuktQyPo/v-deo.html
I would say it might be interesting to hear your thoughts on the differences between round shouldered and square shoulder dreadnaughts and also if you play at clubs do you use any electronics-amp, pedals etc. if you do it would be interesting to know your preferences
Hi Barry, I have been thinking how to do this, as I no longer have any 14 fret square shoulder dreads, but I'm hoping to get together with a friend that has one or two 14 fret dreads. For me, it is not about tone as both can be excellent or "meh", but it is about the neck dimensions - I prefer a nut width of 1b & 13/16" (46 m/m0 and a string spacing of 1 & 3/8" (60.3 m/m) . The scale length on dreadnoughts is almost always 25.4" (Martin) and 25.5" (Collings) . when I used to play in clubs, (I run my own) but don't expect any gigs any more) I either play fully acoustically, or with one large condenser mike placed 24-30" away from me a little higher than the sound hole which picks up the guitar and the vocals cleanly. On the mixer I do the old fashioned thing of turning reverb until you can hear it then one notch back - gives a little presence. My p.a. systems have shrunk over the years and now I have one Bose L-1 and a Yamaha mixer.
However I'll try to arrange that dreadnought video! Thanks.
@@SillyMoustache Thanks for that. I have a Standard length Martin D28 and a shorter scale Hummingbird and my other guitars are both Gibson jumbo's standard length
I only got the Hummingbird a few months back but I really like the shorter scale and was thinking about a J45 or a Southern Jumbo which are round shouldered
There is a difference in sound between the Hummingbird and J45 but both sound very good to me and very much have a "Gibson sound" if that makes sense
I'm happy enough with round or square shouldered a used to have a Lowden O35 and that was a lovely guitar but I do like the Gibson and Martin tones and for all the stuff I (badly) play and sing I think they are more in tune with that time
So I was interested in your thoughts, it's always good to have other views and your comments about neck width, shape, string spacing is well considered.
I've had a couple of guitars who's necks didn't feel right and it can muck your playing up worse than normal
Living in Spain and not being that near to a guitar shop with a big choice I tend to have to read and listen a lot, so if you do get a chance it would be great, If we were local I'd gladly send my Martin round but it seems that it would be a bit of a distance
In my group of guitars I have three OOO's and a 14 fret Martin OM28. Two of the OOO's are Collings and one is a Santa Cruz. They are all patterned after Martin. All are 12 fret guitars. If I'm not mistaken, all guitars were 12 fret until Martin brought out the OM series guitar. The OOO was the forerunner to the OM. The OM and the OOO bodies are supposedly the same size. The bridge is positioned differently in the lower bout on a OOO than on the OM. I now see new OOO 14 fret guitars on the market. Can you comment on how that is possible?
(as information, my Martin OM 28 is the only 14 fret I own. All others are 12 fret models,)
Hi George. Yes all Martin (and many other brands) were 12 fret until Martin redesigned their largest model e 000 Auditorium to attempt a rhythm guitar for a guy called Perry Bechtel who wanted a guitar as much like a tenor banjo - as dance music was changing to swing. It was intended to compete with Gibson archtops, but it couldn't project as well so it was discontinued in 1933. They had introduced the dreadnought in 1931 which didn't sell well so they turned them into their "OM"!
The original 000 was the first Martin with the 25.4" scale as was the first OM. For reasons I'm unsure of they introduced a 14 fret 000 with the shorter scale in about 1934. Martin was a pretty conservative government, and had some problems trying to cope with rapidly changing customer demands in the1930s, as popular music demanded that guitars became rhythm instruments. As you may have seen I only play pre 1934 designs, mainly for the wider fretboards.
Please make a video on how to learn pieces by heart. I believe I am probably younger than you are (I'll be turning 59 in a few weeks), and in the past 5 years or so, I have found it becoming more difficult to learn instrumental pieces or even song accompaniments by heart. I can still play pieces I learned when I was taught classical guitar in my teens, but new ones are a problem. Do you have suggestions for techniques to do that? Thanks, Alex
Alex: Andy may make a video on this, or perhaps he will respond here in the comments, and, if so, I would follow his advice. He is very good at this stuff. But I have been playing for 60 years, almost always without visual aids or chord charts, so I thought I might just chip in. I’m afraid I have nothing to tell you when it comes to classical guitar. But when it comes to folk guitar I think the trick is not to rely as little as possible on rote memory Rather, you want to train your ear so that you can pick out a melody without any visual aids and simply hear the chord changes as they come. You may think his requires talent on the savant level, but I assure you it is mostly a matter of practice. I play with many folks at jams who have no trouble picking out melodies or backing songs they are hearing for the first time, and many of them are modest musicians at best.
Here are a few tips: 1. Get away from chord charts as fast as you can. All they do is build up neural networks between your eyes and your hands. You want to build networks between your ears and you hands. Stop looking and start listening. 2. If your ears tell you a new chord is required, try to figure out what that chord is before resorting to the chord chart. Many folk songs only have three chords (the I, IV, and V), so the possibilities are limited. 3. Stick to playing in one or two keys to start with. I like C and G, but it really doesn’t matter if, for example, you prefer A and D. The idea is to learn where the scale notes are on the fretboard for those keys and practicing the chord shapes over and over. Also, after a while, your hand will just automatically find the notes and the chords. I know this sounds weird, but if someone asks me where a chord change is, the only way I can do it is to make an “air” C and hum the song until my hand just jumps to an “air” G, and I say, “Oh, there it is!”. Capo up if you need to, but keep practicing the same chord shapes in those two keys. 4. Look for patterns. Songs often follow common chord progressions. Recognizing common progressions helps you predict what is coming next.
Having said all that, there are some songs that have such strange chords that memory is the only way. In those cases, all I can say is repetition, repetition, repetition.
Hope that helps.
Hi Alex, 59 ? Youngster! never too late to learn (most of my online one-to-one clients are "mature". something that teaching one-to-one is that no two people think exactly the same and my job it to work out how best to help each one. My memory for lyrics is shot due to old age and the covid time reducing my opportunity to play gigs etc., but my hands"remember" far better. So its difficult to answer all aspects of your question in one short video. Perhaps some zoom meetings might help?
@@SillyMoustache Well, thank you for the suggestion, Andy, but this is technology for which the "youngster" has no talent at all. It is mental. 🙂 Although I am well versed in everything else concerning computers, video conference calls stress me out. I can only do the ones I have to do at work, because I have an assistant, who techs care of the technical side of things, and I avoid them for private matters.
@@alestev24 Alex, do you have a laptop and an internet connection ? If so, you have all the technology you need, I do the reasy ... I send you an email, which you open and click on the "link" and suddenly we are looking at and talking to each other. My first client showed me in 2020. Usually, we have to faffg abut a bit initially, but it is very useful, and you don't have to have zoom membership because I do.
@@SillyMoustache Well, thank you again, Andy. I do have a laptop, although it is usually used like any other computer, hooked up to external everything. It would be great to learn from you personally. But as I tried to send you and e-Mail, I just failed (as always) at confirming that I am a human by clicking on "all fotos with busses". I never seem to be able to see all busses or motorcycles or wastebaskets in these püictures, beacuse they are so darn small and hav such bad resolution. I will try again a little later.
Perhaps repatriating some “lessons learned” over a wonderful career and life of music….what lessons did you learn that transformed or helped you progress, trivial concepts you picked up along the journey with your guitars that made you the player you are today?
Hi thanks for the kind thought. It makes me sound more important than I am, but I have sought to pass on what I have learnt, and will revisit this aspect again, Thank you.
Promo sm
Huh?