2,901

(9 replies, posted in Acoustic)

Welcome to Chordie, Sooner!

Sorry to learn of your chainsaw accident, but the others have given excellent advice on how to work around it. A local blue-grasser (who was a first-class picker) lost his ring finger on his fretting hand in a wood shop accident. He resolutely relearned how to chord and fret with the three fingers left, and most would say he's even better now than he was before. Sounds like your own determination has brought you a long ways, and it will continue to serve you well as your abilities increase.

2,902

(5 replies, posted in Poems)

Thanks for the kind reviews, everyone.

It is a great comfort in life to wake up every morning with a tune going in the brain ... puts fuel in the motor for the day.

As I've mentioned before, I've never been happy with any attempts at putting music to any poetry I've written ... and there's lot of it. For the above words, I picture the main verses in something like Ab minor, then raising to an A major for the chorus, to accentuate the positive contrast to my complaining.

2,903

(5 replies, posted in Poems)

Getting enough sleep has become an ongoing struggle as the years accumulate. Yet there's always a tune going in the mind that keeps things flowing, so I thought of a few words to describe how grateful I am for this beautiful gift called music:

HUMMING MYSELF AWAKE

Here we go again, too early to be healthy,
Sun won't be up for a couple of hours yet,
The old proverb said this might make me wealthy,
Another old wives-tale I'd like to forget.

Cares about life tend to haunt at night,
Something quite tiny, becomes oh so immense,
And little things bother me, something's not right,
Can't put it down, it all makes no sense.

CHORUS:    A sleep-deprived stagger, yawn through the day,
        A job to get done and a dollar to make,
        But there's always a song, to lighten the way,
        Music sings within, as I hum myself awake.

My wife asks each morning, what's that tune?
She always hears the hum, always hears the whistle,
As the morning dawn brightens to blot out the moon,
A soft song flows out, while the day is yet still.

It might be a riff that I heard long ago,
Or a piece of a fragment that I can't quite recall,
As the harmony dispatches each anxious foe,
Blessed melody, rich harmony, conquers it all.

CHORUS:    A sleep-deprived stagger, yawn through the day,
        A job to get done and a dollar to make,
        But there's always a song, to lighten the way,
        Music sings within, as I hum myself awake.

Life without music, would be life without living.

2,904

(580 replies, posted in Bands and artists)

Thanks, Arkady ...

I gave a listen to some of your compositions on your site, and was mesmerized. "Lunar Earthrise" is gorgeous, and I certainly hear some Pink Floyd and Tangerine Dream influence there. Great material, my friend!

2,905

(10 replies, posted in Electric)

Thanks for all the great advice, folks ... you guys are the best!

I've ordered the Grover locking tuners (http://www.stewmac.com/Hardware_and_Par … uners.html), and picked up some guitar grease at the local music shop (http://www.bigbends.com/). Once the tuners arrive, I'll install them and the trem, lube the nut, and we'll whammy away to see how the new setup works. Again, thanks for the help fellow-Chordians ... much obliged!

2,906

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

The idea of drilling a hole in your guitar is a jittery experience, but it's not as big a deal as it sounds, if proper care is taken. I've put a couple on in the past year, on my Larrivee and my classical, and it went fine. Here's a "How To" video from Marguerite Pastella's excellent website (Fret Not Guitar Repair) that I followed. My motivation was that I dropped a guitar a couple of times (slipped off my lap) and didn't want to risk it happening again. I hope this is helpful:

http://www.fretnotguitarrepair.com/repa … button.php

Her tip about waxing the screw's threads is vital, although I used Paraffin and not beeswax. It'll make the screw go in effortlessly, and also seals the wood around the screw so it won't work loose over time.

2,907

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

Great shot, Roger, with a lot of passion showing. It's always a special day when one finds that guitar that's "just right" at the time.

2,908

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

A very Happy Mother's Day to all Mom's in the Chordie family, Mekidsmom (the only Mom here that I know of), and to my dear wife of 36 years, Anna-Jane. Here she is with her "Jewel", her 14-year-old Morgan mare and one of her best buddies:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-q2DnqNJcrMU/VU8ldBB1JyI/AAAAAAAAAFE/x2V-OjK67DY/s576/Janie%2520%2526%2520Jewel.jpg

2,909

(10 replies, posted in Electric)

A while back, I mentioned that I'd removed the trem from my Les Paul, as it wasn't staying in tune well. Some of you recommended either locking tuners or a locking nut, and I have zero experience with either one. Some manufacturers use one or the other on their tremolo models, and I'd like to know which is the most preferable, and more importantly why.

My LP has regular, non-locking Grovers on it now, so I was going to switch to the Grover locking tuners, since the measurements are identical:

http://www.stewmac.com/product/images/928/Grover_Original_Locking_Rotomatics_106_Series_3and3_Tuners.jpg

A locking nut is less expensive, but it just seems from observation that it would create a stress point on the strings, that locking tuners wouldn't. So once again ... I'm calling on the collective expertise of the Chordie Universe, to give me some guidance. I miss having the trem, but don't want to keep retuning like I was before.

2,910

(580 replies, posted in Bands and artists)

Ian Anderson    "A Change of Horses"    Los Angeles, 2009

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV-UiDj_HwI

This great song has that modernized Celtic feel that I've always loved about so much of Jethro Tull's repertoire, along with some cool time signatures. With the conclusion of the long-time partnership of Ian and guitarist Martin Barre now in the history books, it appears that Anderson wanted "a change of horses" to keep his own musical career from going stale. Who knows? Apart from the fact that his voice is just a shadow of what it once was, Ian can still bring it musically, and this is (for me) as good as anything he's ever written.

2,911

(26 replies, posted in Poems)

So very sad for your loss, Pete ... thanks for sharing this extremely personal heartache with us.

2,912

(3 replies, posted in Poems)

I got goofing around with the ideas in the Chorus during a long drive yesterday, and decided to put a poem together. Pretty generic sentiments, but I hope the humour isn't lost:

THAT DIDN'T WORK

Going down the tubes, life's ebbs and flows,
No matter what gets tried, it's just how it goes,
We call ourselves smart,
Make plans that fall apart,
But the epitaph reads, "That didn't work".

CHORUS:    So I jumped out the basement window … that didn't work.
        Threw myself in front of a shopping cart … that didn't work.
        Shot myself with a squirt gun … that didn't work.
        Might as well keep trying … it might just work.

There's this thing I said, wish I hadn't said it,
There's this thing I did, wish I hadn't done it,
Against my own regret,
I wouldn't dare to bet,
But I can count on one thing, it usually doesn't work.

CHORUS:    So I jumped out the basement window … that didn't work.
        Threw myself in front of a shopping cart … that didn't work.
        Shot myself with a squirt gun … that didn't work.
        Might as well keep trying … it might just work.

My wife needs a tender word, 'cuz sometimes life gets tough
My boys need encouragement, 'cuz sometimes life gets rough,
There's a tune that needs hummin'
And my guitar needs strummin'
Laughter and my loved ones … that always works.

CHORUS:    So I jumped out the basement window … that didn't work.
        Threw myself in front of a shopping cart … that didn't work.
        Shot myself with a squirt gun … that didn't work.
        Gonna keep on trying … gonna make it work.

2,913

(26 replies, posted in Poems)

Great words and construction, Phill ... thanks.

Sometimes a poem just needs to stay a poem. I've never been any good at writing a song to go with words, and find that there's too much tweaking of the words to fit the music. That can sometimes interfere with what the poem was trying to say, and yours stands on it's own very well.

2,914

(1,560 replies, posted in Bands and artists)

Good morning, Badeye ... what a great way to start the day. I've been a big fan of the multi-talented Steve Winwood for a long time. Thanks!

2,915

(8 replies, posted in My local band and me)

That's very impressive technique, Boy ... nicely put together!

2,916

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

NELA ... I agree 100% with what you say about the outdoors. Been at it all my life, and would go insane if I had to live in a "concrete jungle". Here's a short quote from a 1964 book by Robert Traver (Anatomy of a Fisherman) which sums it up nicely:

I fish ...
... because I love the environs where trout are found, which are invariably beautiful, and hate the environs where crowds of people are found, which are invariably ugly.
... because of all the television commercials, cocktail parties, and assorted social posturing I thus escape.
... because in a world where most men seem to spend their lives doing something they hate, my fishing is at once an endless source of delight and an act of small rebellion
... because trout do not lie or cheat and cannot be bought or bribed or impressed by power, but respond only to quietude and humility and endless patience.
... because I suspect that men are going along this way for the last time, and I for one don't want to waste the trip.
... because mercifully there are no telephones on trout waters.
... because only in the woods can I find solitude without loneliness
Finally, not because I regard fishing as being so terribly important, but because I suspect that so many of the other concerns on men are equally unimportant, and not nearly so much fun.

2,917

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

I saw this pic of an owl doing his best camouflage job, and thought it would be worth sharing:

http://rstorage.filemobile.com/storage/22363582/1085

Spring has arrived in Nova Scotia, which means lots of trout fishing, kayaking, and outdoor activities. After the winter we just endured, it's been more than welcome.

2,918

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

Zurf ... that's very clever! LOL

2,919

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

She's a real winner, alright ... sheesh!

All woods - as we all know - have slight variations throughout, in color, texture, density, etc. If she didn't want those variations, she should have bought one made of plastic. The trouble with most of these "reality" shows, is that they reveal a side of people that's disturbing to acknowledge.

That looks like a beautiful guitar!

2,920

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

That's quite the raft you've got yourself, NELA! Oooooooo, baby!

2,921

(5 replies, posted in Guitars and accessories)

I just watched this again, and noticed he also has an old Wilson Rappier 44, which we discussing in another thread. In fact, he's got a lot of cool looking vintage guitars in that room.

2,922

(5 replies, posted in Electric)

It's a good thing she already said "Yes!" to the big question, BGD. I'd say if you have a gal who'll let you buy a brand new Fender amp because a couple of $65 tubes got broke, she's a keeper. Oh yeah ...

2,923

(8 replies, posted in Bands and artists)

That's very well done, Curt!

The beauty of any song (especially if it's your own) is you can play any version or style of it you want. I'm partial to the clean, "big room" sound w/ Phaser often used by David Gilmour, but don't think if it would be very good for your composition.

2,924

(5 replies, posted in Guitars and accessories)

Hi Jimsanj ...

I'd never heard of your guitar before, so did some digging and found this YouTube video ... is this what yours looked like?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eajnGV-10fU

I guess when I think of Hofner, the first thing that comes to mind is Paul MacCartney's bass. Bruce Welch and The Shadows made some great music, and I guess Bruce is still kicking / picking at 73 years old.

My first "decent" guitar was an ivory 1971 Ibanez 2352. This pic isn't mine, but it looks identical ... same case even! I sold it in 1978 due to cash flow problems (we've all been there!) and often wonder where it ended up, or if it's still being played:

http://i1224.photobucket.com/albums/ee368/householdsaint/Ibanez%202352%20Telecaster%201971/Ibanez2352and2392011.jpg

2,925

(580 replies, posted in Bands and artists)

Pink Floyd    "Echoes"    Pompeii, 1971

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKtgWx6e0hs

Here's an oldie but a goodie. The acoustics in this ancient ampitheatre must have been incredible, and it made a cool setting for them to play / record / film this rendition of one of their early classics. This was from their 6th album (Meddle, 1971) which was 2 before "Dark Side of the Moon". Nevertheless, it's easy to see where their style was heading.

An interesting note, is that they considered filing a copyright lawsuit against Andrew Lloyd Webber, for his opening movement for "Phantom of the Opera". The opening pipe organ section of Phantom is identical to the main riff of Echoes, i.e., same notes, same time signature, same structure, etc. They didn't proceed, but they certainly have a valid argument.

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/y3pL4CNfIRo/hqdefault.jpg