Smashed the tip of the middle finger of my left hand with a 22 oz framing hammer yesterday. Looks like a firecracker was stuck in the end of my finger then lit. Might be a while before I'm back to pickin' again. 
DE
351 2016-10-23 23:48:35
Topic: Ouch!! (10 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
352 2016-10-23 02:16:53
Re: D'Addario Nickel-Bronze Acoustic Strings (5 replies, posted in Guitars and accessories)
Martin made monel (alloy made of about 67% nickel) strings up until the 70's. About 3 years ago they re-introduced monel/nickel in their "Retro" strings. I've been using them on some of my acoustics for about a year and a half. They are also silver colored and have less of a "brassy/ringing" sound which appeals to me. I haven't tried D'addario's version but will keep them in mind the next time I order strings.
DE
353 2016-10-11 05:21:51
Re: Your Opinion please? (9 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Zurf wrote:
I don't know how song-writing constest of "released" songs work. I do know of the songs that win the Country Music Awards, Dirty Ed's songs are consistently better. Songs that are good, and songs that are popular probably shouldn't be confused.
Wow! Thanks for the kind words Zurf. Guess I owe ya some bourbon the next time we meet.
DE
354 2016-09-30 17:13:37
Re: We have another birthday today (8 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!!!
Be careful Derek - alcohol and all the candles that are on your cake could be a volatile situation ........ 
DE
355 2016-09-29 01:10:56
Re: Chordie Pa. 2016 (27 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Jen and I have been pretty busy. Our new grandson is doing just fine but right after giving birth our daughter-in-law got real sick and was diagnosed with something called HELLP Syndrome. She was rushed to another hospital that was equipped to treat her and spent a week in the ICU unit before she was well enough to be released. She's still not recovered completely so Jen and I have been helping out so our son could go back to work. Its been 35 years since I've done late-night feedings and diaper changes but I was able to hold down the night shift (once a shift-worker, always a shift worker.... ) I don't see any way I can get away this weekend but I wish y'all sore throats and sore fingers on Monday morning from all the pickin' and caterwaulin'.
DE
356 2016-09-22 09:33:16
Re: CHORDIESTOCK V - 3/16/17 - 3/19/17 (60 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Topdawgz wrote:
I will be there with the Cowboy, Keith Fulp, and a truck load of equipment. And some new songs. And some brown liquor. I am looking for a condo near Topdown's house, so if anyone wants to split one with me and Cowboy for Thurs Fri Sat Sun , I will make the arrangements. Dirty Ed, you are welcome to bunk with us if we find a bunkhouse. And I will have Nashville tuned Martin guitar with me, DE,
Sounds like a good plan - I'm in ! We'll probably need to take turns being the designated driver from Jeff's back to the condo
357 2016-09-16 01:05:12
Re: New Picker (14 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Bass Viking wrote:
Congrats Ken! I would bet monies the fellow might end up with a fishing pole in his hand before a guitar!
Yeah Jim, it'll be a toss-up between a fishing pole, yak paddle or guitar.
358 2016-09-10 17:44:42
Re: New Picker (14 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Phill Williams wrote:
congrats to you and your family. i have 11 grandkids oldest of which is 21, youngest 3. cherish them.
With 11 grandkids you're certainly blessed Phil.
My oldest grand daughter is 19. Of my 5 grand kids, the three oldest have shown an interest in music and I've bought each of them the instrument of their choice and pay for their lessons. I'm looking forward to see if my 4-year old grandson and the latest addition will also want to play an instrument.
DE
359 2016-09-10 02:20:51
Topic: New Picker (14 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
A new guitar picker has been added to the Willis clan. Alden Alexander Willis (my son's first child and my 5th grandchild) made his appearance yesterday evening. 7lb 6oz and 19.5" so it might be a while before he can handle a dreadnaught, maybe we'll start with a soprano uke........
360 2016-09-05 13:55:29
Re: CHORDIESTOCK V - 3/16/17 - 3/19/17 (60 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Hey Jeff!!
If you've got room for me to crash somewhere I'll try to arrange my spring visit to my daughter in St. Cloud for that week.
DE
361 2016-08-17 17:50:52
Re: FEVER (22 replies, posted in Bands and artists)
Very well done Russell! Much bluesier and growlier than the 1965 McCoys version.
DE
362 2016-08-15 23:46:03
Re: Chordians (15 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Hey easybeat, every songwriter has their ups and downs - times when the muse seems to disappear, times when what we write isn't up to our own "standards", etc. In the last couple years I've went through spells of several months where I haven't had the inspiration to write any new songs followed by a sudden burst of energy and ideas which produce several new tunes.
I also am one of those that doesn't post my songs on chordie. For several years I hung out with a group of aspiring Nashville writers (Dayton/Cincinnati chapter of NSAI). We would present our new songs to the group to be critiqued. The goal was to push each of us to become better song writers so no punches were pulled when it came to discussions about each song's strong and weak points, areas for improvement, etc. At first I may have been a little thinned-skinned about the criticism but grew to appreciate the honesty and hopefully it made me a better writer. I know that chordians are very supportive but it seems no one dares to to mention a song's weak areas or offer suggestions for improvement. In the words of one of my song-writing friends its an "I love me wall" of expected praise but little criticism. Probably not a bad thing, as talking to someone face-to-face during a critique session is a lot easier to do than over social media where some of the nuances behind the critique are lost. For the same reason, I don't post my songs on social media, preferring to play them live to audiences where I can get honest feedback from facial expressions, etc.
However, thankfully just like in the differences in our musical tastes we are different in how we want to present our songs to the public if we wish to do so. I have some "pickin" friends who have written a few songs that are personal and although they are well written will only play them for family or close friends, while others can't wait to record their new work and put it out for the world to hear. Viva la difference!
DE
363 2016-08-13 23:23:46
Re: Backyard Gathering - 2016 - Chordie Friends - August 6th! (133 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
mekidsmom wrote:
I'm glad to hear everyone made it home safe and sound! Whew! 12 hours for a few of you. I hope Jen and Penny weren't too uncomfortable on the trip home with all the delays you had, Ken. JJJ - did you find a guitar with all those stops? Katie cried Monday night.
I think Penny misses Katie too. Jen has mentioned Katie's name a few time and each time Penny's ears perk up and she runs to the door expecting Katie to walk in. I'd be great if your family could get away for a few days next summer and come to "A-HI-A". We've got plenty of room at our house (5 bedrooms and 3 full baths, although one bedroom is now my music room) and y'all are welcome to stay with us. In fact, with my camper in the driveway and all the space to tent camp in my back yard we could support a chordie get-together if there is any interest in putting together a midwest shindig.
DE
364 2016-08-11 21:16:52
Re: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! (14 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Best wishes Joe
DE
365 2016-08-10 16:24:32
Re: Backyard Gathering - 2016 - Chordie Friends - August 6th! (133 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Whew! I've been out cleaning up my camper after 6 days on the road and decided to take a little break/catch up with the latest on chordie. Jen and I decided to combine a little camping trip with the chordie get-together at Amy and Jim's house. The round-trip was just over 1300 miles as we spent the first night at Tionesta Lake in PA before heading up to NY. The trip home should have only taken about 10 hours but road work, traffic tie-ups around Cleveland and two major storms (one even had semis pulling off to the side of I-71 as visability was down to 20-30 ft) made for a tiring 12.5 hour ride home.
Once again Amy and Jim did a fantastic job of sharing their home with us and hosting the event. It was nice get a chance to do some pickin' with UJB again and meet JJJ (and the lovely Chris) and the bread machine.......... A little Friday evening pickin' session with Amy, Jim and Joe gave me a chance to play some old covers I hadn't done for a while before the main event on Saturday when JJJ, EJ (Amy's friend), Stephanie (Amy's daughter) and Mike (Amy's dad) joined us. It was a great day of songs and fantastic food. I mostly did originals but occasionally teamed up with Jen to sing a cover or two she knew. My favorite time was late in the evening when all the recording equipment was shut off, most folks had left and Amy, Jim and I were the only ones playing, allowing me to play a few of the more personal songs I've written about family and life.
Sunday we returned for Jim's big breakfast and a lot of talking, meeting the neighbors, etc. I'll tell ya, Jim Wall is one heck of a breakfast chef! Jen and I hung around Monday and took Amy and the girls out to eat. I think Jen would have hidden Kate (Amy's youngest) in the truck and taken her home if she thought she could have gotten away with it. Jen and Kate hit it off as soon as they met, though I must admit everyone falls in love with Kate when they meet her. Stephanie is the shy one and it was great to hear her open up a little, play some songs and talk a little more at dinner. Having met Alex, Steph and Kate I can say that Jim and Amy have done a wonderful job of raising their kids.
Thanks to everyone that showed up, thanks for all the camaraderie, thanks for the great music and thanks to Amy and Jim for hosting the event, feeding all of us and sharing their home and family.
DE
366 2016-08-02 23:14:15
Re: Backyard Gathering - 2016 - Chordie Friends - August 6th! (133 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
I've almost finished packing the camper (right now there is a rain delay which I hope doesn't last long). Jen is downstairs baking cookies to bring for everyone and I'm still trying to decide which guitar to bring. I've got a couple new tunes which were well received at a gathering on the Shenandoah River in VA last week and I'm curious what my fellow chordians will think of them. If everything goes as planned we'll be camping at Tionesta Lake in PA for a couple nights before arriving in North Bay Friday afternoon. I had a ball last year and am looking forward to seeing everyone again. I was hoping Zurf could make it but at least I got a chance to spend an evening pickin' with him last Friday.
DE
367 2016-08-02 22:59:17
Re: no name yet (7 replies, posted in Songwriting)
Those are some of the best lyrics I've seen posted on this site. I agree that the chorus is a little weak in comparison to the verses, but a little tweaking may turn what is a very good song into a great song.
368 2016-08-02 15:52:35
Re: toast! (12 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Now if there were some bacon and eggs to go along with that toast..................
369 2016-07-08 02:49:48
Re: "Swamp Rock" (14 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Thanks for posting this thread Bill.
My brother (10 years older than me) and I listened to "Randy"s Record Shop" and "Ernie's Record Mart" on WLAC out of Gallatin TN in the late 50's/early 60's. (Although I usually had to go to bed before Randy's came on). It was mostly rhythm and blues but occasionally there would be some cajun songs played called "swamp pop". I'm guessing this was the precursor of the "swamp rock" of the late 60's and early 70's that you're talking about.
I've never heard the Ventures "Swamp Rock" album before ( I checked their discography - it came out in 1970), although in the early 60's I wore out their "Surfing" LP. For a midwest kid, songs about surfing and beach parties were things I could only dream about.
DE
370 2016-07-04 03:38:05
Re: Dreary singer songwriters (13 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
IMHO, it seems that for several generations, young people have tried to deal with the anxiety and insecurity of teenage years by burying themselves in alcohol, drugs and loud music in an attempt to avoid dealing with their angst. Death by overdose or alcohol-induced auto accidents were a form of suicide that the public seemed able to deal with. These days it seems that kids face the angst head-on instead of avoiding it. Their music is more reflective (and dreary to the rest of us) and their methods of suicide are more direct. I may be over-simplifying the issue but I feel this new generation deals with life differently. I'm not sure if its better or worse - but definitely different.
DE
371 2016-07-04 03:12:39
Re: Restring a right to lefty? (5 replies, posted in Acoustic)
Because bridges are slightly angled, re-stringing as a lefty will mess up the intonation. Also the nut is cut to accommodate the different string gauges, so stringing it "backwards" may also cause a lot of string buzz. However, replacing the nut with a "left hand" one should be pretty easy to do and If she doesn't capo or play up the neck the guitar will probably be close enough to being in tune to not deter her from learning.
A couple buddies were lefties - they just turned the guitar around to play it "lefty" and learned all the chords upside down.
DE
372 2016-07-03 15:41:09
Re: NGD- From an old guitar. Only the neck is the same. (6 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
THAT is a beauty!
DE
373 2016-07-03 03:19:50
Re: Officially Retired (4 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Congratulations Kevin! I retired 4 years ago and as Roger said, it seems there is never enough time to do all the things I'd like to do.
374 2016-07-02 19:18:43
Topic: Interesting Read (3 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
Per the suggestion of my son I just finished reading David Teie's book "Human Music". Teie is a cellist, composer, lecturer and Fulbright Scholar who has performed over the world in concert as well as performed with Metallica. His exploration into the emotional side of music led him to studying sounds in the womb of various animals as well as humans, his theory being that the sounds we hear in the womb help determine our taste in music. He has produced species specific music for cats and tamarin monkeys and "Human Music" is the result of his studies on human fetal sounds.
For example, the breathing rate for a mother is about 1/4 of the resting heartbeat, with inhalation being the loudest sound and exhalation slightly quieter, producing a 4/4 time with accents on 1 (inhalation) and 3 (exhalation). This may explain while the development of drums around the world has pretty much followed the same path, while variations in language and how it is heard in the womb has resulted in Asian, African,European, middle eastern (etc) styles of music and melodies.
He also delves into why the angst of youth leads teens to listen to heavy metal, how and why different musical sounds elicit different emotions, etc. How genetics affect our musical appreciation and emotional reactions to music. In all, a pretty interesting read, especially to those who compose and write songs.
DE
375 2016-07-02 03:20:42
Re: Calling Dirty Ed (4 replies, posted in Chordie's Chat Corner)
mekidsdad wrote:
Are the chords the same as on a guitar? Ken I too am looking forward to seeing you, catching up, playing some music and maybe even drinkin a little bourbon huh?
Fingering is exactly the same as a six-string guitar.
I'll be bringing a bottle or two of Devil's Cut with me - just for medicinal purposes of course and to cleanse the vocal chords as needed.............