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Post by slasher on Dec 17, 2014 14:43:41 GMT
Well done FFJ! You must be so proud of them. The feeling of achievement they will have had will have been a "Cloud Nine" experience thanks to your endeavour.
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Post by slasher on Dec 17, 2014 14:35:07 GMT
Information overload with so much going on, and I think I'd feel inadequate with so much in such a short period. Just done a one day "Guitar for song accompaniement" course organised by Folkus. A helpful course but I think I might have peaked! Folkus is a Folk Arts organisation in the north west of England and run one day courses at various venues for various instruments.
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Post by slasher on Dec 12, 2014 17:13:03 GMT
At one of the sessions I attend a pal plays a Larrivee. The tone is beautiful. Yours looks great if it souds as good as my friends guitar then you are sure to have a wonderful playing experience. Enjoy!
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Post by slasher on Dec 11, 2014 14:35:25 GMT
Read somewhere that Tommy Emmanuel puts new strings on before each gig as part of his routine. He really pulls and works them when fitting before really working them hard in performance. A change every couple of months for me
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Post by slasher on Dec 10, 2014 12:02:21 GMT
I used to have lots of problems with broken/split nails. For a while I had them coated at a nail bar which worked well but you have to keep going back. When they eventually come off your real nails underneath are shot. A benefit (the benefit?) of old age is that my nails seem to last much longer now. If an edge gets chipped or ragged I smooth down and coat with Sally Hansen Hard As Nails which seems to work for me. I use my thumbnail to pick. I have used a thumbpick in the past but tend to produce an unbalanced sound with too much bass
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Post by slasher on Nov 17, 2014 18:16:57 GMT
I went to see a pal gigging on Saturday last. He has a new small Brook. He has made it un-nickable* by having his name inlaid at the 12th fret.
* except by nutters that is!
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Post by slasher on Nov 17, 2014 18:02:03 GMT
A minor change, so what! A play is a play. Congrats!
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Post by slasher on Nov 14, 2014 14:25:31 GMT
Violet, if your "new" busking guitar is loud and stays reasonably in tune as well as being cheap then it is perfect for the job. Tried a Vintage Gordon Giltrap in Merchant City, Glasgow. It was brilliant. I was listening to a lad busking in Lancaster last month on a Moon 0003 Pau Ferro which was brand new. Best part of £2000. Boy did it vanish quick when the rain started!
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Post by slasher on Nov 13, 2014 13:28:36 GMT
I'm with arthurp on this one. Some descriptions of woods and guitars seem to be OTT and similar to some of the wine bolloxspeak used at wine tastings. I went to wine tastings every month for twenty years (Shombody had tooo..) The problem is that it is very difficult to define a sound or a taste in words. It is also noticeable that in certain magazines some of the articles are direct lifts from advertising copy.
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Post by slasher on Oct 27, 2014 15:54:37 GMT
I started on an almost unplayable guitar back in the 60s. The action was horrible. I kept thinking "Is it supposed to hurt like this?" I eventually had a go on a borrowed half-decent guitar and realised how a guitar should be. Many low end guitars back then were truly awful I think we are now in a Golden Age of quality and value for money.
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Post by slasher on Oct 24, 2014 13:05:43 GMT
Saw Kris Drever and Eamon Coyne at The Platform, Morecambe a few weeks ago. Superb concert and for me more enjoyable than Lau. KD handles an audience well and I would imagine him being a good workshop tutor. I attend four folk sessions locally and am never the best guitarist and never the worst though I feel they are the wrong and judgemental way to think about how I play and others play. I think perhaps "middlin'"would best describe my "abilities". Its about backing a song and having fun for me.
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Post by slasher on Oct 16, 2014 13:28:59 GMT
The Music Room, Cleckheaton, W. Yorks has friendly staff a good stock of acoustic guitars and many other folk instruments. When I last called the first thing mentioned by them was --- a brew! Promenade Music Morecambe. Again a good stock, friendly knowledgeable staff, and the clincher for me--- I can walk there!
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Post by slasher on Oct 7, 2014 13:33:53 GMT
Wow! A real can of worms here. I believe in paying for recorded music. Large numbers of the musicians on youtube have set-up the "shoot" and are willing participants, though there are some obvious pirate type postings. Some musicians have a higher regard for their value than perhaps they should. To see how much you are worth try self-promoting a little tour of local venues. After venue hire,advertising and ticket sales commission the local public thinks you are worth what is left. I think that this would be a happy exercise for some and a very sobering one for others. The "pub problem" is raising its ugly head here. Pubs are closing at a large number per week and have been doing so for quite a while so the number of venues for local live music is shrinking. If a pub takes £500 on a mid-week night but takes £600 if there is live music the the musician(s) are not going to get £100 are they, as the Landlord wants to make a proffit by taking a risk with the music. Ultimately it is a market place you are worth what you can get. It is nothing new, there always have been loads of semi-pro musicians not bothered about a "professional" wage because they have a day job and enjoy performing as a hobby. In a perfect world pro musicians would be better paid, but it is how it is--market driven.
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Post by slasher on Oct 1, 2014 14:16:01 GMT
Yes, we have all been here. I used to shake when performing in public, even just at sessions. Do keep on trying, but not too hard. Try to relax (I know-easier said) Try to make sure your blood sugar level is ok (ie that you have not just eaten, or are feeling starving) Don't drink alcohol to try to relax. Remember that everyone wants you to succeed (apart from very few mean-spirited gits who are well worth ignoring!) Good Luck, Keep on keeping on.
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Post by slasher on Sept 23, 2014 10:28:10 GMT
Like Leo I can't read music and use TAB a little. I learn new songs by ear and attend 8 or 9 folk sessions a month. I've picked up the ability to join in easy stuff through this. I have a repertoire of about 40-50 songs and usually have a new song "on the go" to avoid boring myself! I think the 'net has been a real door opener for non-readers.
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