76

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

Maybe Rufus.     

77

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

I saw ZZ Top after Dusty's passing. They had a new bass player who had his own ZZ style beard.  I forget his name. It was a profoundly country name. Roscoe or something like that. They did tip their hat to Dusty by doing a kind of reverse karaoke wherein the band played live, but they used an isolated vocals track of Dusty singing Tush. They weren't trying to pull the wool over anyone's eyes. They were open about doing this and said why they were doing it. Apparently Tush was Dusty's favorite song to sing.     

78

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

Thanks for the recommendation. I have only recently started to listen to podcasts - say within the past three years or so. Mostly I have listened to Philosophy and History podcasts, but a music history/background podcast is likely to be interesting.     

79

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

If there are more than four chords, it's the song-writer's fault.     

80

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

I've said it before, and I got a whole lot of pushback including extremely rude treatment and accusations from people I had thought knew me better.

The site suffered from over-moderation when making an adjustment could have made a difference because there was still new traffic. I am not making this up. I am relaying what people I invited to join us and gave us a try had to say. Further, the treatment to which I referred in the first sentence was so severe three former moderators left the site over it. 

Sorry to be blunt, but it's no mystery why prior active members have left. As for failing to attract new members, the entire forum format is off worldwide. Attracting new members will be a distinct challenge at best, and given that the decisions that frustrated prior members to the point that they determined other venues were preferable have been reinforced and are unlikely to change, even in the unlikely event new people choose to visit it's unlikely they'll stay for long. 

This is my opinion on the matter. I will not be defending it or addressing any commentary about it given the foul treatment I received the last time I brought it up.     

81

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

Welcome to the new members.

Please tell us a bit about your musical adventure.     

82

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

Right?

"Oh, you know what song I'd really love to hear you play? The Al DiMeola Full Catalog Medley Featuring Placido Domingo and Al Jureau." 

"Uh, OK. Sure. That'd be great. What you'll get is Johnny Cash's Blue Train without the Carl Perkins solo."

I tracked it down, by contacting the guy who I bought the guitar from, who called the guy that he bought the guitar from, as to what strings were on it when I came into possession.

They were D'Addario flat wound jazz lights (.11-.42, I think). 

So I went the entirely wrong direction.  LOL! That's how we do what we do, I suppose.     

84

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

Thanks everyone for your well wishes and prayers.

Sis is at home and recovering better there than she would in the hospital. The county has set up regular visits from a nurse to come keep an eye on her. Sis says the nurse is very kind and very efficient and she likes her very well.     

85

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

Doctors now don't BELIEVE that she has cancer.

They BELIEVED she had cancer a few days ago and now they don't.

I do wish some facts were available, but given her troublesome health, perhaps this is the best they can do. Scope and fluid tests do not indicate cancer.     

86

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

Sis survived the initial surgery.

Now it's a waiting game on the biopsies.     

87

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

unclejoesband wrote:

Oh Zurf. You can't seem to catch a break lately. So sorry you've had to endure so much heartache in such a short period of time. I'm not quite local but if you'd like to get together for a little music therapy, let me know. It's less the 1.5 hours to your place and I'd be happy to make the trip. Seriously. smile

Thanks Uncle Joe. We're still playing it safe here for now. I will take you up on that soon, though.     

88

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

Thanks everyone for your concern.     

89

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

mojo01 wrote:

sorry to hear that zurf, lost a brother and both parents to cancer .  my oldest sister fell and broke her hip two weeks ago afraid its going to put her in a nursing home.

Dang it! A broken hip is a bad deal.     

90

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

We knew it was coming sooner or later.

It's looking like my sister is looking at her last days. I pray not. But I am a believer in math as well as the Lord.

She is suffering from pneumonia, which appears to be generated from lung cancer. She is not fully recovered from the bone cancer that was in her jaw from three years ago. She is over 60 years old. The recovery rate for third time cancer victims over 60 when the most recent cancer bout was under five years ago is very, very small.

I wasn't expecting this. COVID, sure. Car wreck because she's a terrible driver - any day. This? Nope.

I'd turn to my local friends, but there aren't any. I live in a highly transient area, and after a year of COVID shut-in, I have few locals left. 

Phill Williams wrote:

Fudge stripes? nope never heard of them Zurf. Pickled eggs and pig trotters (feet) are also consumed this side of the pond along with cockles (sourced locally) lava bread (seaweed)  cawl, and of course Welsh curry , then you will need reinforced seat belts as you may become rocket fueled...lol

I don't favor the pickled pigs feet myself, but I much prefer the term "trotters" for them.

I have no idea what a cockle is. Is it a rooster with a hard shell?

Not sure what cawl is, but I suspect it's something different than here, as here it refers to a placenta. I would hope you're not eating those in pubs.

I do like curry, but I prefer it made with goat or seafood rather than Welsh. They put up too much of a fight and then they sing you a song about it.     

1. No idea. Though we do have a cookie called Keebler Fudge Stripes. Those require a dunk in cold milk to make the chocolate harden, then I eat it chocolate coated side down.
2. I pick one up, shell it, salt it, sprinkle on some hot sauce, and bite into it. No silverware is involved. Nor plates. If this offends you, I recommend that you NEVER go into an Appalachian bar on account of the pickled eggs and their consumption. What they do with pig's feet may cause a more severe negative reaction.
3. After. But so long as you buckle up before driving off, that's what matters.     

I also finally finished the Zurf Pbass Model One by putting on lighter gauge strings 0.40-0.95. They're GHS strings that are round wound but with a light buffing to knock down the roughness. I think they call the Brite Lites or something like that. I added a pushy-downy thing above the nut for the D and G strings. With the lighter strings I had to do another setup, but it went smoothly. At some point I'm going to need to route out the area where the bridge goes so that I can get the strings a little lower action. They're all the way down in a Kick-Ass Model 4 and still slightly too high. And I have in the lower inserts.

Anyway, it sounds much more even across the strings now. I can play at and above the 12th fret on the D and G strings for some nice little riffs and it is the same volume and feel as elsewhere, which with bigger standard round wound strings did not sound good.

But more importantly, my fingers aren't torn up by the strings.     

So I bought an archtop guitar. I had a post about this a while ago. It's a thin body archtop acoustic with a P90 neck pickup. The top is maple, like you'd find with a violin. The tone is completely different from anything I have.

When I got it, the strings were just perfect. They were light gauge and had me wanting to play lead licks and do bends and stuff that I don't generally do or even want to do. Well I wore those strings out and put on a set of NY XL 0.10-0.46 strings and it's much tighter feeling.

I'm assuming that lighter gauge strings have less tension when in tune, so I ordered some sets of lighter strings to try with it. .09-.42 and even some 0.08 - 0.38. They'll sound not so great acoustically, but I generally play this plugged in, so it shouldn't matter much.

Wish me luck.

I also need to change the strings on like three guitars, so I bought an electric screwdriver and a bit that holds tuning knobs. SO much easier to restring guitars!!! 

mojo01 wrote:
Phill Williams wrote:

can we change Wichita lineman for Texas lineman?
if it snows that stretch down south wont ever stand the strain. just a line from one of my all time fav songs

guess you could  but it was a crew from Alabama  who repaired our line today after 5 days in the dark

I'm glad you got your power back.

Unintentional randomly scheduled camping at home is no fun at all.     

96

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

Phill Williams wrote:
Zurf wrote:
Phill Williams wrote:

That's a very sad story, please accept my sympathy. I had to look up what Percocet was, more sympathy. I'm glad you're now clean? and planning to get back in the saddle as far as writing is concerned.

The Percocet was prescribed for after surgery care. I had had a surgery on my shoulder which involved carving bones. It's as unpleasant as it sounds. I only used the Percocet for a week, under care of a physician, for an acute situation.

Zurf, I meant no offense as I wasn't aware of your operation, sounds awful,

No offense taken. Just thought I'd clear up what appeared to be a misconception. All clear.     

97

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

unclejoesband wrote:

Well Zurf. Might I make a suggestion to help open up and free your mind from past challenges.

OK. I will anyway. big_smile

Zurfapalooza 2021!!!

What better way to break free from the mind block than having a handful of friends over to help unlock that long repressed creativity gene. smile

I would be absolutely delighted to make that happen.  My camper has more or less fallen apart since you were there when that widowmaker branch tore the awning off. I am hoping to purchase a new one relatively soon, and then Zurfapalooza sounds like a great way to break it in.     

98

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

Phill Williams wrote:

That's a very sad story, please accept my sympathy. I had to look up what Percocet was, more sympathy. I'm glad you're now clean? and planning to get back in the saddle as far as writing is concerned.

The Percocet was prescribed for after surgery care. I had had a surgery on my shoulder which involved carving bones. It's as unpleasant as it sounds. I only used the Percocet for a week, under care of a physician, for an acute situation.     

99

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

The past five years or so I have been scarcely present.

I got a call about five years ago from a government official who had determined that my father (a bit weird of an individual) was no longer capable of seeing after himself. I'm still not convinced that the government official was right, but it was time for me to step in.

Dad survived another three years under my care, and then I had two more years of administration of nonsenses. When he passed, Dad was 86 years old. That's not a bad longevity. He was as comfortable as I could make him in the final years.

Just recently I have sold off the last of his assets. I'm relying on the attorney to resolve things.

Five years not my own. That's 10% of my life - more or less. On the other hand, Dad spent a lot more raising me. So I figure we're square as I wasn't that hard to raise and the government made taking care of him very, very hard.

This past Christmas, my wife bought a book for me to record songs in. Here's hoping I have the mental bandwidth to start writing again. It's been almost ten years since I wrote a song. And then I was stoned on Percocet and couldn't read what I had written and was far too stoned to remember what it might have been. 

100

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

The past five years or so I have been scarcely present.

I got a call about five years ago from a government official who had determined that my father (a bit weird of an individual) was no longer capable of seeing after himself. I'm still not convinced that the government official was right, but it was time for me to step in.

Dad survived another three years under my care, and then I had two more years of administration of nonsenses. When he passed, Dad was 86 years old. That's not a bad longevity. He was as comfortable as I could make him in the final years.

Just recently I have sold off the last of his assets. I'm relying on the attorney to resolve things.

Five years not my own. That's 10% of my life - more or less. On the other hand, Dad spent a lot more raising me. So I figure we're square as I wasn't that hard to raise and the government made taking care of him very, very hard.

This past Christmas, my wife bought a book for me to record songs in. Here's hoping I have the mental bandwidth to start writing again. It's been almost ten years since I wrote a song. And then I was stoned on Percocet and couldn't read what I had written and was far too stoned to remember what it might have been.