Stuck? Try Tuning Your Guitar to Open "E"
We all know Dolly Parton. Singer, songwriter, performer, actress and brilliant business woman.
Always dressed to the nines, not a hair out of place, perfect make up and lipstick - and painted finger nails....long painted finger nails!
Have you ever watched Dolly play guitar? If so, have you wondered how she can sit down with a guitar and play it without those long, claw-like finger nails getting in the way?
Sure, it's possible to play guitar with long finger nails, classical guitarists do it all the time. But with Dolly, we're talking about daggers, nails that can do some real damage!
Saggy Pants and Low Slung Guitars
Throughout history, every new generation is responsible for instigating and adapting trends and habits that are particularly designed to bug the living crap out of the previous generation.
My dad came up in the "Happy Days" years when slicked back pompadours and cigarette packs rolled up in T-shirt sleeves were the rage. Coupled with the early days of rock and roll - "the devil's music" - my dad's generation was accused by his dad's generation, of nothing less than representing the eventual destruction of mankind.
I came up on the tail end of the "hippie" generation. Known for free love, mind altering substances, long hair (on men) and rock & roll (the "devil's" music). It was a great time to grow up, but I still remember the look of confusion and
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A "Shocking" Experience For Guitar Players
You're all tuned up, your amp is tweaked, the lights come up, you hear the drummer click the sticks with a four count, and the band fires up the opening measures of the first song.
As you play through the song intro, you approach the mic to start singing the opening line. You get close up on the SM58, open your mouth, your lip touches the windscreen, and suddenly - BAM!
You see the spark as your mind slowly registers that you have been zapped, and then comes the pain. Audience members stare at your head jerking back thinking you have added a new move to your performance, and your band
Playing Guitar and the Ripple Effect
You stand on the shore of a glassy smooth lake on a calm, windless day, and toss in a stone. You watch as the ripples break the serenity of the water top, and follow a small swell as it quietly makes its way across lake.
The swell continues on until it finally appears to fade away into obscurity. But does it really go away? What about the "vibration" of the swell? Does the vibration continue on, across the lake and into a stream? Does it travel an unchartered path into a river, and eventually on to the ocean, where it joins others in a relentless pounding of the shore?
When we play guitar we produce a similar effect. We pluck a note and the vibration of that note is released from the string as the vibration spreads outward, like the ripple of the stone, blindly through the air to parts unknown and unforeseen. Sometimes these vibrations spread out and touch others in the most curious and uplifting ways.
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Playing Harmonics on the Guitar
The summer after high school graduation was a magical one for me. Living in an area of southeast Pennsylvania, close to the home of world famous Clair Brothers Audio, there were occasional sightings of big name acts coming through town to test out various sound systems and audio equipment for upcoming tours.
That particular summer, the progressive rock group "Yes" came to town to work out the kinks on a new in-the-round stage and sound system designed for them by Clair Brothers. They stayed for a week, practicing in an elementary school gym. The rehearsals were open to the public and I was glued to the bleachers every day.
On the final day, as a tribute to those of us who had hung out with them all week, they played "Roundabout". I still get chills remembering Steve Howe hitting that first chime of harmonics, with Rick Wakeman laying down the cascading keys.
Harmonics on the guitar are an interesting anomaly that can be put to good use from time to time. They can loosely be described as playing notes on the guitar by lightly resting the fingers over certain frets to produce a "chime" sound.
