Blues-n-Rock Guitar

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posted by Guitarman @ 2:41 PM 0 comments

Blue, Blue, Blue Christmas

posted by Guitarman @ 4:54 AM 0 comments

Bum me out....

posted by Guitarman @ 4:34 PM 0 comments

Been gone way too long...

Folks, must apologize. I intended to post a good deal more then got wrapped up in schoolwork and work and didn't post - for months! I hang my head in shame.

Another blogger (Stiches) mentioned Ceddell Davis, Willy Dixon and Gatemouth Brown - all classic blues gentlemen. Ceddell reminds me a little of Robert Johnson with such a gritty sound. Johnson was just as gritty but perhaps a little more rehearsed. Clapton just released an album of Johnson songs - and indicated in the last Guitar Player interview that Johnson is the north he returns to when the music isn't working for him. Gatemouth has

That's funny because I guess (although I hate to admit it) I'm more derivitive. I came to the blues through Led Zeppelin and Hendrix, sort of a reverse mutation, so my music always has flavors of what Page, Hendrix, Clapton and Beck got out of Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Leadbelly, etc...

Now I had a Willie Dixon album when I was 15 and learned from that, but I don't find myself returning to roots blues as much as Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Freddy King, Albert King and Muddy Waters. I want to get more Bobby Bland too.

One of these days I'll make a pilgrimage to Chicago to the Blues festival (I get to Chicago regularly enough - just never when the darn thing is going on).

On an alternate note (a little off blues), I'm a big Genesis fan as well - and have always regretted being born just a little late to see "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" performed - I was 11 when that fateful last tour with Gabriel took place. Well, there's a group out of Quebec that got permission and endorsement from Gabriel to perform the lamb - and it's happening December 14 in West Virginia (and a number of other places on a tour - I read about it the DAY AFTER they were here in Pittsburgh - what a drag...but I'm going to W. VA to see). Gabriel gave them the costumes and the whole bit. See more about them at http://www.themusicalbox.net/ The video clips are remarkable - they do a very faithful job of reproducing the sounds - and sights and although it won't be Genesis, it looks likely the closest one who did not see the original will ever get to seeing it (since Genesis never filmed it).

Getting ready to lay down some new electric tracks for Christmas. Looking for a Christmas song (Merry Christmas Baby is attractive to me, but overdone). I'm thinking of "Ain't givin up on love" just to put it down on - well in bits...but want to add to the two tracks I did last year (Run, Run Rudolf and original lyrics done to the tune of sleepwalk called "It's Christmas". Suggestions?

posted by Guitarman @ 10:17 PM 0 comments

With my ES135 

posted by Guitarman @ 8:33 PM 0 comments

Stevie Ray Vaughn

Listening today to Stevie play "Voodoo Chile" and file figured out (well, got an idea of what he's playing) some of the incredible riffing he does after the second chorus.

Been looking to get back to some recording - perhaps this Sunday or Monday over the holiday. Need to find some time to work on it amongst school, work and trying to get the house done for Lynn's wedding shower.

Bought a few Kramer Focus's (strat copies) off of Music Yo.com a couple of years ago, just to mess around with - two of them are metallic blue and the necks are like tree trunks - not taper at all - interesting for slide work however and the fret jobs are decent (they're made in Korea). The other, a black one, has a very thin neck - almost like an ibanez and an excellent fret job (for a $70 guitar). It's a keeper. Thinking of taking the fender gold lace sensors out of my ibanez RS300 and putting them into the black one. Need to figure out what resistor to use with the tone pots or if I need to buy new pots for the pickup change. Anyone out there who does know, give me a shout.

By the way, the stuff I've gotten from music.yo has been great. The Steinberger Spirit has a fret job that kicks my Gibson ES135's ass. Of course, the 135 still plays better, but it's not due to the care in polishing the fret ends, let me tell you. The 135 should play better - brand new it was $1000 more than the Steinberger (I didn't buy it new and got it for about 50% retail). I also picked up a Tobias Pro 5 string bass and it's an excellent ax as well.

I'll be putting more actual stuff on music up here once I get me sea legs with blogging. In the meantime, I'm interested in comments and suggestions for this blog. Peace!

posted by Guitarman @ 5:49 PM 1 comments

Initial Post

Good day! In the coming days I plan to put a great deal of guitar based information up here, specifically focused around Blues and Rock. I've been playing guitar for 34 years now (35 in October!) and that's 34 out 40 years for me.

I started down this road when I was very young - I used to play brooms or anything else that looked like a guitar. I was given a "Roy Rogers" toy guitar and drug it around with me. SO my Grandmother, God bless her, made a deal with my parents. She would get the guitar, my folks would pay for lessons. Well that kicked things off. Thanks to some very good teachers and circumstances, I'm still playing today.

While purchasing school books with my daughter the other day, I noticed a Mel Bay beginners book. I opened it up - don't you know that there was etude #2, Red River Valley and The yellow rose of Texas. I hated those songs. Thankfully, Mike Houlihan and DOn Vicarel, my first teachers, alternated between Mel and The Beatles, making it tolerable.I was playing Day Tripper by 8 the time I was 8.

I'm looking forward to doing a bunch with this blog - let me know what you think! Cheers!

Bluesman

posted by Guitarman @ 8:16 PM 0 comments