I'm not a song-writer, but find inspiration for poetry just by observing. To prevent staleness, I try observing different things, people, places, events, etc. from unusual angles (imaginative, humorous, absurd, critical, cultural, etc.) and something will often come to mind. My trick is to avoid what is normal / usual / customary / commonplace. The more outside of my daily routine, often the better inspiration it will provide. I don't know if this any good to you, but might be worth a try.
2,852 2015-06-14 01:36:15
Re: Your Weather (281 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Our best thoughts & wishes to our west coast Chordians, who are suffering drought conditions so early in the summer. I was reminded of this 1972 song by Canadian songwriter Valdy, appropriately called "The Rainmaker":
2,853 2015-06-14 01:30:18
Re: Digitech Trio (60 replies, posted in Guitars and accessories)
I just looked around at some Canadian sellers of the Trio, and they're all sold out as well. Russell may have got the last one in North America!
2,854 2015-06-13 02:03:11
Re: Prog Rock Wednesdays (580 replies, posted in Bands and artists)
Wishbone Ash "The Pilgrim" Las Vegas, 2005
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bSul2pZnxI
This is Prog Rock's version of "Dueling Banjos" only it's Andy Powell and Jyrki "Muddy" Manninen doing some great pairings on the guitars. This song is from their 1971 album "Pilgrimmage".
2,855 2015-06-13 01:17:33
Re: Going under the knife, again (15 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Hope all goes well, NELA. There's some football-shaped bass that are just itching to meet you!
2,856 2015-06-12 01:31:16
Topic: Screeching EMG Pickups (8 replies, posted in Electric)
Every time I listen to a guitar solo that has a headache-inducing screech to it, I typically find the guitar being played has EMG 81's or 85's on it. What is it with those things? They say they're designed to "cut through the mix" but it feels like they're cutting through my skull. If I ever buy a guitar that comes with those stock, they'll be pulled immediately for Gibson 490's or some other Alnico Magnet humbucker. I just find the ceramic magnet pickups used in EMG's too shrill ... hurts the ears.
I know it's very subjective, but does anybody else find that some pickups just sound awful?
2,857 2015-06-12 01:22:44
Re: Strummerboy Bill, hope you're ok! (22 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
So great to hear from you, Bill! Good health to you, and I trust the docs will get your meds normalized. We're all still strumming along here, but we've saved you a seat at centre stage! 
2,858 2015-06-12 01:20:06
Re: Older new amp day (22 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Russell_Harding wrote:
Tenement Funster wrote:Mmmmmmmmm ... a Marshall tube amp! Delicious!
They could use you to write ads for them, Russell. Or maybe you need that "Drummer Silencer" pedal that I posted in your DigiTech Trio thread.
TF when I finish setting up my new recording studio/video layout it will get a lot of use
It looks like Marshall has replaced the AVTs with their DSL series. Is yours a full tube unit, or a hybrid? I've always preferred the sound of a Marshall tube amp over a Fender tube. I know the Fender Twin is a "go to" amp for a lot of players, but I just find the Marshall JVMs have more growl.
2,859 2015-06-12 01:16:17
Re: Your Weather (281 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
That's an amazing photo, MKM ... did you take it? You must have a fast shutter speed to capture that in mid-air like that. Very cool!
2,860 2015-06-11 10:08:32
Re: Effects Loop on Amplifier (5 replies, posted in Electric)
Rockclimber ...
I think the diagram they did was to show the two different groups of effects (Overdrive & Modulation) as suggestions for what to use where. Ultimately, whatever sounds best to an individual's ears is the "best" arrangement. I liked the extra detail my sound gained when I followed these suggestions. I certainly agree that having so many in a sequence, that weren't capable of totally bypassing each other, would create a muddle.
2,861 2015-06-11 10:02:29
Re: How much music theory knowledge is necessary to study medieval music? (15 replies, posted in Music theory)
Whether anyone's taking the course or not, this thread is terrific! Great info!
2,862 2015-06-11 09:58:11
Re: Older new amp day (22 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Mmmmmmmmm ... a Marshall tube amp! Delicious!
They could use you to write ads for them, Russell. Or maybe you need that "Drummer Silencer" pedal that I posted in your DigiTech Trio thread. 
2,863 2015-06-10 09:43:46
Re: Tubes question (2 replies, posted in Electric)
Hi BGD ...
I haven't had to replace tubes in my amp yet, which has the stock Peavey 12AX7's in the preamp stage, and 6L6's in the power stage. I was talking to a guy at the local music store where I do most of my business, and he said he likes the Electro-Harmonix tubes best for clean sound (he's a jazz guitarist). They have a line with gold-tipped pins, and apparently that makes for a cleaner signal transfer. And he also said if I wanted more crunch, that the 6L6's could be swapped with EL84's. But like you, I want to be able to control the distortion, and not have the tubes do it on their own.
Always something to learn!
2,864 2015-06-09 09:40:45
Re: GFS Acoustic Pickup System (11 replies, posted in Acoustic)
MKM and MKD ...
Thanks for letting me know about the K&K Mini pickup system. As it turns out, GFS was out-of-stock with the pre-amp I was considering, so I began looking around. I got to hear a friend's Seagull guitar with K&K's in it, and was very impressed. So I bought it an installed it in my Larrivee, and it's excellent. Very natural, full sound ... unlike any other transducer system I've ever heard. The magic is in having three transducers, and the pure simplicity is genius.
The only complaint is that the system is $165 CDN, due to exchange rates and so on. I'd like to see the whole Stock Exchange, Commodities Exchange, and Money Market Exchange systems dismantled. It's a false economy that enables the wealthy to abuse the rest of us ... but that's a pointless rant.
So many thanks for the introduction / recommendation!
2,865 2015-06-08 09:54:39
Re: Your Weather (281 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Spring has finally arrived here in Nova Scotia!
The leaves are out, the dandelions are taking over the yard, and the blackflies are in "mass assault" mode every time I've gone fishing. But the trout have been biting every trip I've been out, all kinds of birds were singing in our back yard this morning, and all of the farms in our area are growing great. The cattle farmers are starting to take their first cut of hay off of their fields, and that sweet smell of fresh cut hay is all over our Valley.
Love this time of year!
2,866 2015-06-08 09:33:15
Re: Effects Loop on Amplifier (5 replies, posted in Electric)
Good observation, Russell ...
The actual instructions that came in the amp's manual were pretty vague on what types of effects would work best using the effects loop, which is why I never really injected anything into the signal path until now. This ProGuitarShop article was very helpful in explaining what types of effects were best used at the start of the signal path, versus ones to be used within the path. Understanding "why" makes all the difference.
2,867 2015-06-06 22:58:37
Re: Prog Rock Wednesdays (580 replies, posted in Bands and artists)
That's an all star lineup of favorites, Ark ... excellent!
Like you, I'm also a fan of classical music, with some favorites being Saint-Saens, Mussorgsky, Stravinsky, Katchaturian, Respighi, Holst, and Copeland. I started looking for newer Prog groups a couple of years ago, as I couldn't imagine that the whole genre had been abandoned by the mid-80's. To my surprise and delight, there are a whole slew of new Prog bands active, with several really good ones coming out of Poland (Believe), Wales (Magenta), Sweden (Anglagard), as well as others in the UK. I've found this particular website very useful for finding & researching Prog groups:
2,868 2015-06-06 22:43:29
Topic: Effects Loop on Amplifier (5 replies, posted in Electric)
I'd been staring at this Effects Loop part of my amp for quite a while, and never really bothered to figure it out completely. I thought I had a rough idea what it was for, but was never really sure how to use it ... so I didn't:
This article from ProGuitarShop's website explains the whole setup very well:
http://proguitarshop.com/andyscorner/fx-loops-explained
So waking up to pouring rain this morning, I re- cabled everything to my amp using this diagram as a guide. My guitar is now going to the Morley pedal and then direct to the amp. This is where my Volume/Wah/Distortion will come from, used in combination with the Peavey footswitch to go between the Clean and Lead channels.
Guitar >>> Morley >>> Amp
The Boss ME-80 is now plugged into the Effects Loop, since most of the effects I use on it are Modulation and Delay effects:
Effects Loop SEND >>> Boss ME80 >>> Effects Loop RETURN
And the whole thing now has much clearer sound, especially now that the Modulations effects are being added after the Gain / Drive effects. I hope some of this info is helpful to anyone else who has been timid about using their amp's Effects Loop.
Always satisfying to learn something new!
2,869 2015-06-05 09:01:12
Re: Prog Rock Wednesdays (580 replies, posted in Bands and artists)
Yes "The Gates of Delirium"
Part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_nf2bPfgYE (7:19 minutes)
Part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xscf7hgewA (9:01 minutes)
Written in 1974, and released as a 21:00-minute track on Yes' "Relayer" album. This magnum opus piece of music contains all that Prog Rock critics dislike about PR. It's too long, it's too complicated, the message is unclear, there isn't a toe-tapping hook, and the group is being too pretentious to think that anyone would want to sit through such a thing. My reply would be that, if anyone can compose, write, play and perform like this ... why wouldn't they?
TGoD is one of Yes' signature compositions, and this slightly shortened version, enhanced with the European Festival Orchestra, is a showcase work by one of the top PR groups of all time. I hope you enjoy this song about humanity's predilection for conflict, and the always regrettable outcomes:
"Stand and fight we do consider,
Reminded of an inner pact between us,
That's seen as we go,
And ride there,
In motion,
To fields in debts of honour defending."
"Stand the marchers soaring talons,
Peaceful lives will not deliver freedom,
Fighting we know,
Destroy oppression,
The point to reaction,
As leaders look to you attacking."
2,870 2015-06-04 09:12:06
Re: windows 10 (70 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Thanks for the link, Uncle Joe ...
It would seem from the article that this "upgrade" is more for Microsoft's benefit than the consumer's. I for one like a couple of the features which will be removed, and don't like the stated intention that they'll be in full control of upgrade probes that I receive from them. I have Windows 8.1, and although it has a few glitches (like retaining Print Driver settings) it's preferable to opening the door for more down-my-throat marketing.
Now the dilemma will be, that if a person decides not to upgrade to Windows 10, how long before Windows 8.1 users will have software services eliminated?Microsoft has become extremely wealthy with this donkey-and-carrot marketing strategy ... drives me nuts.
2,871 2015-06-04 09:02:34
Re: Foot Pedal (1 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Hello, EasyBeat ...
I'd never heard of Red Witch gear until you mentioned it. After looking through their website, it seems like they've got a very nice assortment. But the part that really got me grinning is the write up about founder Ben Fulton ... it's incredibly funny:
http://www.redwitchpedals.com/index.php … p;Itemid=2
This sort of thing hits every funny bone I have ... brilliant!
2,872 2015-06-04 08:48:24
Re: Digitech Trio (60 replies, posted in Guitars and accessories)
Great stuff, Russell!
Your demonstration of how to use these various effects together is fantastic. I was joking with you a while back about that outdoor music festival you were thinking about attending. I'd mentioned (in fun) that you could do a full performance of "In-a-Gadda-da-Vida" if you attended. After watching you in action, I believe you really could do it!
Impressive work, my friend!
2,873 2015-06-02 10:11:55
Topic: $10,000 for Guitars (1 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Grah1 mentioned something in the "He Must be Mad" thread, that got me to thinking. If I had $10,000 to spend on guitars, what would I buy? Here's my shopping list:
1) Larrivee LV-03RE 6-string (http://www.larrivee.com/instruments/acoustics/LV3RE.php) $2000
2) Larrivee L03-12-E 12-string (http://www.larrivee.com/instruments/acoustics/L312E.php) $1600
3) Fernandes Monterey Elite Tremolo (http://www.fernandesguitars.com/montere … emolo.html) $2000
4) Hughes & Kettner Switchblade TSC100 combo amp (http://hughes-and-kettner.com/products/switchblade-tsc/) $3000
Anything left would be spent on effects pedals, straps, cords, etc.
Dream on, Rick ... dream on!
2,874 2015-05-31 11:07:57
Re: He Must Be Mad (18 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
I'm gob-smacked, 'cuz I'll never get my head around a guitar being worth $11,000. It's a real beauty alright, but ...
2,875 2015-05-29 09:20:48
Re: Prog Rock Wednesdays (580 replies, posted in Bands and artists)
Believe "Beggar" Katowice, Poland, 2008
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_USAZWNM4d8
Believe's founder Mirek Gil had the idea to invite acclaimed violinist Satomi Noriko to be a part of his new group. The result certainly gives their music another level of feeling and soundscape than a typical rock ensemble would have. Ms. Noriko also appears to enjoy this change of direction from her usual career as a classical & jazz music violinist. This is a group that I just discovered last year, and have enjoyed their work very much.
This is a day early, because the Mayfly hatches are on, and I'm heading out later today for a weekend of trout fishing.