Guitar thread

[Sky]

Hell of a lot better and slightly cheaper than Digi002's, M-Audio, and the like.

But the control surfaces = $$$. The reason I'm thinking the 002 is the motorized control surface that is included. Otherwise, I'd just go with an m-box and do stereo recordings.

To the admins:

I'll host in on my own website and link it here.

Reading comprehension is HARD ;)

I wub u 2.

Did you find a method to Verlaine's madness btw?

That was a great piece, their live album is up on my fye wishlist now :) My ears are out of shape, I couldn't tell you what he was playing over the top. If he's anything like me, though, he's not sticking to any particular thing, but just using whatever occurs to him as he's jamming. I'd like to get to the point where I can play 100% by ear, it's insanely difficult for me for some reason, but I do practice just closing my eyes and humming melodies, then play them on guitar. Good for the ear and the technique (but I'm pretty crappy at it, heh).

Got out to the local Fender dealer (I've known the manager for years). The only maple neck strat they had was the 50th Ann. gold-tone model, with the U neck. I've always played C necks, so it was like playing a baseball bat. Felt odd. Then when I got home, I noticed I arch my hand a lot, and there is room for a U neck in there, so I'm thinking I might spend some more time playing that one next week when I go up there. Downside is the garbage truss rod system, it's like the vintage models, you have to take the neck off to adjust the truss, but he showed me a cool trick - put a capo at the base of the neck and leave the strings on. Still, a pita. A nice bonus - he said they could get in any Fenders I was interested in (slowly, a few at a time) so I could try them out, no obligations.

Gave me some crazy gore-tex strings, they are supposed to keep that 'new string' feel forever. They are super slick, nice in a way, but I actually prefer playing on dead strings, I think. I like the rough texture and extra grippiness for bending. Totally weird.

[stray]

That was a great piece, their live album is up on my fye wishlist now :)

My guess is you're talking about the Blow Up, which is where that version of Little Johnny Jewel is from.

Anyways, yeah, great album, but fair warning: He's struggles a lot with vocals live. LJJ is one of the exceptions, for some reason. They're all great songs though....But most of them make better sense after listening to Marquee Moon imho. Marquee Moon = Best dual guitar album ever  :-D

Also, I have every "unreleased" live performance if you're ever interested.

My ears are out of shape, I couldn't tell you what he was playing over the top. If he's anything like me, though, he's not sticking to any particular thing, but just using whatever occurs to him as he's jamming.

Yeah, I'm the same way. But like I said earlier, I tend to hit those sour notes often. Trying to educate myself lately though. I ordered that book you suggested as well.
 

Got out to the local Fender dealer (I've known the manager for years). The only maple neck strat they had was the 50th Ann. gold-tone model, with the U neck. I've always played C necks, so it was like playing a baseball bat. Felt odd. Then when I got home, I noticed I arch my hand a lot, and there is room for a U neck in there, so I'm thinking I might spend some more time playing that one next week when I go up there. Downside is the garbage truss rod system, it's like the vintage models, you have to take the neck off to adjust the truss, but he showed me a cool trick - put a capo at the base of the neck and leave the strings on. Still, a pita. A nice bonus - he said they could get in any Fenders I was interested in (slowly, a few at a time) so I could try them out, no obligations.

C Neck guy here too. The old 60's "chunky C" though....Which would be mean Vintage models or reissues. I don't like the truss rod adjustment on those either, but I figure it's a tradeoff. That Jazzmaster I just got is the same way as well.

As for the arch in your hand, have you ever tried V Necks? Sounds like that may work, without it being too big.

Gave me some crazy gore-tex strings, they are supposed to keep that 'new string' feel forever. They are super slick, nice in a way, but I actually prefer playing on dead strings, I think. I like the rough texture and extra grippiness for bending. Totally weird.

I strung up some Elixers on a couple guitars recently, which are similar. I'll keep 'em on the acoustic and the baritone (which needs as much brightness to it that it can get), but I already took them off the other electrics. Pure Nickel all the way. Only problem is that I have to order them all the time, as the stores around here never carry them.

[Sky]

Marquee Moon = Best dual guitar album ever

You better smiley that shit! Priest, Allmans, Maiden, Mercyful Fate, Skynyrd, etc etc ad nauseum :)

[stray]

Marquee Moon = Best dual guitar album ever

You better smiley that shit! Priest, Allmans, Maiden, Mercyful Fate, Skynyrd, etc etc ad nauseum :)

Heh, the smiley was just another way of saying "imho". 

It's much different from what those other bands are doing though (by virtue of Verlaine...Lloyd is the more rock oriented guy), that it's probably not even wise for me to make a comparison. There's also a subtle difference in how the guitars accompany each other -- instead of dualing and trading off each other with leads, Lloyd and Verlaine dual and layer over each other more in the rhythms. Like violin players would, for example, and not like guitar duos (or trios etc.) usually do. Plus, they play mostly in clean settings, which sets it apart somewhat.

[Sky]

Ok, then. I'll pull out the big gun.

Best guitar album EVER. Period. You must own this. If you do not, you know what to do.

[stray]

Ok, then. I'll pull out the big gun.

Best guitar album EVER. Period. You must own this. If you do not, you know what to do.

I don't have that one, but those three are some of my favorites. McLaughlin in particular. I'll take note. 

As for Marquee Moon, it's not anywhere near that territory. The only one who plays like that is Lloyd, and his acrobatics are kept to a minimum (he does let loose on the Matthew Sweet albums though). It's not a virtuoso guitar album by any means. It's romantic through and through.

I always liked the ending of that movie Crossroads (not the Britney Spears version!), because it makes that distinction between the two types of musicians. I don't really think Ry Cooder could own Steve Vai like the movie portrays though. I think they're equal -- just completely different, and can't be measured against each other.

[Sky]

Hell, I like Crossroads for a bevy of reasons, as a blues fan/musician. Robert Johnson is the father of modern rock music, imo, since everyone from Clapton to Pagey (hell, half the early Zep tunes were Johnson's) to the friggin' Blues Brothers movie (Sweet Home Chicago). Ry Cooder doing the music was just sweet, way underrated player. Having Vai during his (arguable) peak was great, too.

But it's even more personal for me now, because I feel it represents my own internal struggle of the classically trained shredder (such as my skills are now) against the feel player I'm growing into. I'd rather master a single bend than an arpeggio these days, and holding back the shred so it doesn't taint the music is damned hard (as in I can't seem to yet, heh).

Then again, I listen to a guy like Johnny Winter, who can shred tastefully through an entire SET, let alone a single solo. Put in some ear time with a couple of his live mid-70s albums, I love the guy. If I can't downplay my tendency to shred, I hope to channel it into this style. He uses a lot of lick-based stuff, too, which makes it easier and fun (less to remember :)).

And I do think Cooder could pwn Vai, because Vai lacks a certain soul (imo). That's what gives Cooder (who has great chops) the edge, Vai has great technique, and even great melodicity, but not very good feel. When I was a young woodchuck in shredding school, I always thought Jimmy Page was /sloppy/. Took me years before I came to appreciate the rough edges and despise overly clean studio work (which then led to many heated debates as I was in recording school at the height of ultra clean recordings...). Partly why I prefer live albums today.

[Miguel]

Some more details on modes and scales.

I discussed this topic (modes and scales, and how we decide which one to use in any given situation) with my bandmates and several interesting things came out.

First, a common practice for guitar players to learn modes is to memorize the fretboard patterns that are associated with each mode.  For example, check out this link:

Fret patterns for all seven modes

So if you know the root of the mode you wish to play (for example, C Dorian), then you align the root of the pattern with that root note (in this case, C), then you follow that pattern and out comes the scale!

The reason this method works well for guitar players is that it goes very well with matching a mode with any given key on the fly.  If I know I am playing a C7 chord, and I want to solo using a Mixolydian scale, then I know I want to play in the G Mixolydian mode.  I align the pattern to the root (in this case G), and away I go.

The problem with this method is that you need to learn at seven fretboard patterns!  And of course this does not even completely cover all the minor variations that one can play in a given situation.

However there's another way to think about it.  As I said before, all modes are based on major scales.  All scales are relatable by the circle of fifths, by adding sharps and flats to any major scale you can get to any mode.

Hence if you learn the pattern for the Ionian (or major) mode/scale, you automatically know the pattern to every mode possible!  All that is required is to know the major scale any given mode is based on, then you play that scale starting on a different note and you have the exact same modes as the patterns above dictate.  However in this case, I only need to memorize two patterns (one for starting on the low E string, and another for starting on the A string).  However these two patterns are based on the common Ionian scale (look at the first pattern on the link above to play the major scale).

Using this second method is much easier from a memorization point of view, however we now have to think about what major scale each mode in any given key is based on.  We can do this fairly easily by remembering how many steps in the major scale we need to move down from the root of the chord we are playing.

Let's set up a hypothetical situation where we want to solo over a plain E power chord.  Our song is in E minor, so we get the following notes for the scale (this is the E natural minor scale, which is a major scale with flat 3rd, 6th, and 7th notes):

E natural minor scale:

E - Root
D - Flatted seventh
C - Flatted sixth
B - Fifth
A - Forth
G - Minor Third
F# - Second
E - Root

We know for a fact that all of these notes are 'good' notes for soloing, which means we can solo using the E natural minor scale.

However there are seven modes which we could theoretically play over this chord and would 'work out' (in the sense that the notes may be legal, but the scale may not fit the intended mood of the piece).

E - Ionian
E - Dorian
E - Phrygian
E - Lydian
E - Mixolydian
E - Aeolian
E - Locrian

Some of these modes we can throw out right away.  Since our song is in E minor, we should stick to the 'minor' modes, and not play any of the 'major' modes (since that major third would be dissonent with the minor third the song is based on.  Also, the flatted seveth would not match!).  The major modes would also be too 'happy' to go along with a song in a minor key.

If you look at this link, you'll see that we have four modes that are based on minor scale progressions:  Dorian, Phrygian, Locrian, and Aeolian.  So these we already know are going to be good choices for soloing in the key of E minor.

So based on the information above, I know I have four potential modes I can choose from, and I know that they have to be based on major scales.  I know the Ionian scale pattern by heart so I'm now ready to play my solo!  All I need to figure out now is what scale each mode is based on!

From my previous post, you'll see that the different modes can be related to major scale using the following pattern:

Ionian - based on major scale
Dorian - based on major scale one whole step below tonic
Phrygian - based on major scale two whole tones below tonic
Lydian - based on major scale 5 half steps below tonic
Mixolydian - based on major scale a perfect 5th above tonic
Aeolian - based on major scale one whole step above tonic
Locrian - based on major scale one third above tonic

If I super-impose these two patterns, here's what I get:

E natural minor scale:

E - Root - Ionian
D - Flatted seventh - Dorian
C - Flatted sixth - Phygian
B - Fifth - Lydian
A - Forth - Mixolydian
G - Minor Third - Aeolian
F# - Second - Locrian

So now I'm really close to the answer!  Let me throw away the 'major' modes, and I'm left with the following:

D - Flatted seventh - Dorian
C - Flatted sixth - Phygian
G - Minor Third - Aeolian
F# - Second - Locrian

So we have:

I want to solo in E Dorian, I play a D major scale starting on E.
I want to solo in E Phyrgian, I play a C major scale starting on E.
I want to solo in E Aeolian, I play a G major scale starting on E.
I want to solo in E Locrian, I play a F# (or Gb) major scale starting on E.

I now have the all the scales I need in order to solo in this key.

I am going to do my backing tracks and make some MP3 clips of all these scales in the comnig week and post in this thread so you can hear what I am talking about.

Stay tuned!

[Arnold]

The note you start on doesn't matter; that's just a bit of misinformation that has creeped into guitar lore.  Just play the right major scale and you will be playing the right mode.

[stray]

Screw patterns.  Just learn your scales and learn how they are constructed.  Patterns are a major roadblock that guitar players use as a crutch.

Did you guys teach yourselves? God, I've tried off and on since the time I started strumming, and just can't get a grasp on it. Patterns (and a good ear) are so much easier, and it's never been a roadblock for me.

I wouldn't mind learning more, but would I be better off getting an instructor?

Edit:

Also, would you guys indulge me a little and talk about gear and songwriting (as opposed to shredding) every once in a while?  I feel so left out with all this talk about scales and modes.  

[Sky]

Don't feel too bad. I don't have that level of theory any more. It was a nice refresher for me, too. As I've said, I'm much more of a feel player now. An instructor is always a good idea, no matter your level of playing. Randy Rhoades took classes in every city he played, iirc. I've been keeping my ear to the ground to find a decent instructor here that's not a long drive, but I mostly just self-teach. I had theory in high school and college, but that was 15 years ago and I had set the guitar down for 10 of those years.

But I can't say much about gear, because I'm not a gear guy. When I was at the Fender shop the other day my buddy was laughing at me, he's way into gear (well, he does work at the fender shop!). For me, it's all about playing and making whatever you play through sound good, because when I was learning, all we had were crap amps. So I had to make those amps sound better, and that's where technique comes in (to a certain extent, some amps just sound bad).

The note you start on doesn't matter; that's just a bit of misinformation that has creeped into guitar lore. 

Right. That's why I can so easily play a B Mixolydian because it's the E minor scale started on a B. There are several ways to approach modes, as evidenced by this thread, heh. None are "wrong". Besides, all this talk of everything being based on major scale is funny to me, because I'm terrrible at playing major scale leads :) That's why my personal way of looking at modes is simply intervals. Because that's what modes are to me, an expression of intervals across an octave.

I like to focus on intervals partly because that's how I was taught in school. We'd be given a key signature and told to transcribe music by ear, and intervallic listening is essential. We spent a lot of time on training the ear to hear different intervals, and even with as much as I've forgotten and/or atrophied over the years, it's still the core of my playing. Whenever I'm successful playing what I hear in my head, it's because I'm almost 'transcribing' it, and intervals are how I transcribe (or used to, heh). I guess learning all the scales would be a huge boon, but I'm not all that disciplined these days :) So I learn little sections off intervals and then transpose it around the neck, after a while I have a decent mental map for that "sound", like a spanish sound, f'rinstance. I don't worry about the scales so much as playing the right intervals to make the "sound" or "flavor". Hard to explain, I guess.

Songwriting...that makes me cry. Miss my old songwriting partner, but I have been penning a few more tunes lately. Started one last night called Backstabbin' Blues, going to use it to write a more elaborate fingerpicking song than I've done in a while, I think. Songwriting is tough as hell, or easy as pie. My band's best songs were alternately written in the time it takes to play it, or broken down and restructured over the course of months to make an epic. Sometimes we'd have a concept we'd write to, sometimes we'd have a riff we'd have to make a concept for. Sometimes I'd be futzing with effects and stumble across something, because I always tried to write parts that fit effects when I was in futzing mode.

Hell, let's talk about pentatonics, I play them too much anyway! :) That's what has actually spurred my reinterest in learning some scales, the multitude of variations on the pentatonic scales I play leave holes when I try to do more styles of blues, and I used to suck at 7th chords. It's funny because they are so easy...and I remember them by an interval, actually (by remembering to play one interval down from the higher octave root, one or two steps depending on chord quality)! :)

[Samprimary]

I always liked the ending of that movie Crossroads (not the Britney Spears version!), because it makes that distinction between the two types of musicians. I don't really think Ry Cooder could own Steve Vai like the movie portrays though. I think they're equal -- just completely different, and can't be measured against each other.

Vai played everything, except for the slide parts, which Ry did.

Vai actually wrote and performed Eugene's Trick Bag in that movie, then he was pretending to be unable to play his own piece, so he's actually defeating himself.

Most people don't know about Vai's love of classical guitar, or his ability to do it so ridiculously well, as he had been practicing it since his time at the Berklee College Of Music in Boston.

/edit

http://epicrecords.com/g3/quicktime/

Vai on a tripleneck.

[stray]

Vai played everything, except for the slide parts, which Ry did.

Vai actually wrote and performed Eugene's Trick Bag in that movie

Actually, it came on yesterday, and I started suspecting that very thing.

He really should play a Tele more (or something besides an Ibanez). I'd probably buy one of his albums if he did.

[Samprimary]

Actually, it came on yesterday, and I started suspecting that very thing.

He really should play a Tele more (or something besides an Ibanez). I'd probably buy one of his albums if he did.

Oh yeah .. Vai took on Satriani's use of Ibanez. Hmm.

I love Vai, I really do. Great guy, family man, absolute master of what he does, etc. But I understand what is said when his music does not have 'feel'. I don't feel any aesthetic behind most of his pieces, but understand when listening to them that they are being constructed in a way that makes them amazing on a technical level. Problem is, I don't really like the way most of his music sounds, because he so rarely creates .. yeah, a .. I dunno, feel.

But he does have the technical amazingosity, which is why I love his live performances, and have the G3 DVD. His music, to me, is entertaining to watch. In fact, I was live at that concert in the clip I posted, just to watch that kind of stuff.

Occasionally, he manages to emulate the feel that his sensei Satriani has (Always With Me, A Train Of Angels, etc), and makes songs like Juice, which have wider appeal.

[Sky]

Most people don't know about Vai's love of classical guitar, or his ability to do it so ridiculously well, as he had been practicing it since his time at the Berklee College Of Music in Boston.

Don't forget his early gig as a transcriber for Frank Zappa. That's great ear and theory practice alone.

I'm not a fan of Vai, though I do hold him in great respect. To me, Vai is the guitar Yanni/Tesh.

In guitar news, I'm going to be getting an acoustic, I've decided. Relatively cheap, don't want to spend more than $500, if anyone has recommendations (or cautions/warnings). I like/enjoy using two words/concepts like this! :) Sorry.

I also grabbed a few books for some inspiration since I've done so much electric lead playing lately. I listen to a lot of old blues masters, but I've put in more time than usual with Robert Johnson the past couple weeks and I'm itching to work on my acoustic fingerstyle, which I used to be pretty good at (albeit classical style, not blues). Hoping to also locate my grandfather's banjo and apply some things to that, too.

[stray]

In guitar news, I'm going to be getting an acoustic, I've decided. Relatively cheap, don't want to spend more than $500, if anyone has recommendations (or cautions/warnings). I like/enjoy using two words/concepts like this! :) Sorry.

I'll keep my recommendations to Fenders:

Standard Tele or Strat. Mex made has become a good value in the past few years methinks. Even better, find a used 50's/60's reissue model (the MIM ones) -- fucking great guitars, and just as good as Am. Standards, but with vintage hardware (new, around $500-600...used, $300-$400 range). The 60's neck is sweetness.

EDIT: At least get that guy to order one so you can play it for yourself. Then decide.

If you don't happen to like those, the Jimmy Vaughn is a great value (similar to the 60's model, but with a modern radius and Tex-Mex pickups. He was even nice enough to put the "Jimmy Vaughn" signature at the back of the headstock, instead of the front).

The Deluxe Players Strat is in the same price range, and has some cool features as well. 12" radius, ala Gibson/SRV, Noiseless pickups, 7 way switching

If those don't entice you (I highly recommend that 60's reissue...I can't express that enough), I'm looking to sell a 2002 Gibson SG Special for $450 (paid around $700). No case, barely a scratch, and the only mods are (better) Schaller tuners.

I'll post pics soon...

[Sky]

Just watched the G3 stuff linked.

Vai. Meh. Could barely sit through the entire thing. I would sum it up as simply showing off without much thought toward making good music. This guy needs to learn songwriting and structure from more than a technical perspective. Good chops delivered in a boring and bland fashion.

Satriani. I put it there with Vai's piece, but with a band. He fit the music better and made a song out of it, but it wasn't a very good song, not memorable in the least. Good chops delivered in an unflattering medium.

Malmsteen. I'd never thought I'd say Malmsteen is the strongest songwriter of the bunch. It helps he's playing one of my favorite tunes (of his). But note how he integrates his shredding with the band, strong melodic lines and structure. Good chops delivered in a kick ass format with a shredding band. Everyone has huge chops and is using them to play to the song and unify the melodic movements. Song has hooks without rock cliche.

To sum up, I need to go get me some old Rising Force stuff. Hell, I was trying to remember how to play Black Star a while back...Yngwie is the man, he just don't like donuts (no-prize to whoever gets the reference!!).

I'll keep my recommendations to Fenders:

Acoustics, man, acoustics! :) Martin, Rodriguez, etc. Not sure whether to go steel strings for blues/rock or gut strings for flamenco/classical...seperate pickups, I'm thinking, though, rather than acoustic/electric combo.

[stray]

Those "3" could have benefited from a "fourth" imo. Like I mentioned before, I'm not a big fan of the shredder type of guitarists, but Eric Johnson kind of stands out to me. He's also one of the only ones that uses better (vintage) gear....Another plus for him in my book. If he happens to not play "soulful" all the time, his guitar will make up for some of it at least.

[stray]

Oops, didn't realize that you only wanted recommendations on "Acoustics"....At least that's what it sounds like on a second reading (?). Sorry for my rant on the Electrics.

Anyways, I've always been happy with Takamine. Then again, what do I know? I've never had anything but sub-$500 acoustics.

I know that Martin offers some guitars in the sub $500 range now (USA made too). I've only messed with some of those in store, but they sound and look great. If I wasn't already happy with my own acoustic, I'd probably get one.

[stray]

I'll just post pics of the Gibson anyways, just in case you're interested. My camera is broken, so I had to take pics with DV. I'll find something else later if you want.


Gibson's pic





The only difference between mine and the one at the top is that I have better tuners and moon inlays.


Couple scratches too.

EDIT: Actually, $450 is probably a little too much. $400 (that's with shipping price) sounds better.

[Sky]

Nice SG, those inlays are a nice touch. Wish I were in the market for an electric! Got the $500 in my pocket right now, goign to hit up the local El Cheapo shops and see if I can find something with decent sound and construction (the acoustic I referred to), I'm going to attempt to ignore branding and whatnot.

Nice way to slip in a pic of that Jag, heh. And the Apple/Jesus Hawk board, heh. My favorite board back in the day was a funky Christian Hosoi design (shark or mako or something). I did tigerstriped grip tape over the top of it, bought it in Long Beach, CA in summer '86, iirc. I'm so not a skater anymore, heh. Fall and bust my ass kind of skater, maybe.

Good luck on that SG, though, damned fine guitar! I'd be embarassed to post my guitar, but I just might for fun and grins (it's pretty bad, heh).

[stray]

Nice SG, those inlays are a nice touch. Wish I were in the market for an electric! Got the $500 in my pocket right now, goign to hit up the local El Cheapo shops and see if I can find something with decent sound and construction (the acoustic I referred to), I'm going to attempt to ignore branding and whatnot.

Good luck then 

My favorite board back in the day was a funky Christian Hosoi design (shark or mako or something). I did tigerstriped grip tape over the top of it, bought it in Long Beach, CA in summer '86, iirc.

Sweet. I know exactly what you're talking about. My brother always skated those.

edit:

I'm so not a skater anymore, heh. Fall and bust my ass kind of skater, maybe.

That Hawk board you see is the last I've stepped on...So far. Chipped my 4 front teeth skating that thing, and had to get a bridge. Don't feel bad -- I'd give anything if I had simply "busted my ass". That was more of a "Face" --- Meet your new friend "Concrete" ordeal.

[Sky]

Well, that was pretty easy! Hit up the local shop (they have a great tech there) and played through their acoustic guitars. They had a decent selection of acoustics (yay school music programs), played some Deans, Yamahas, Alvarez, and Washburns (and a few El Cheapos I've never heard of). Since I tend to downplay my guitar experience, he started me on starter guitars, which was cool to get a feel from the bottom up.

As soon as I'd played through a few starters, I had a much better feel for what I was looking for, indeed, the neck I was liking the most was the cheap Alvarez. But I didn't like the electronics, nor the finish and inlays. He said, oh, here's the higher quality version, and I swear it had a little halo when he brought it down (could have been beer+sunlight). Had everything the cheaper model didn't, decent electronics, all natural finish with maple side/back, and just an inlay at the 12th fret. Alvarez AJ60-SC. The maple back is perfectly matched with a nice knurl on each side, a beautiful piece of wood.

Sound is nice and bright with good low-end punch. Loud. The electronics are good, some tone control beyond the 3 band eq and two gain stages. Running through the electric rig, it's serviceable with only a little mud at the very bottom and twang up higher. And the action is so nice, besides bending I forget I'm on the acoustic. Bending whole steps is a grade-A bitch, but that's the nature of the beast with acoustics, in my experience.

Paid $500 on the nose for the guitar + case + tax (which is nearing 10% in New York, yay).

[Sky]

Oh, yeah. I was checking prices on a few things, and noticed this mandolin was going for $40! Sure, it's cheap....but $40! Less than a damned console game. Think I'll grab one for the hell of it.

[stray]

Nice choice! Is that as big as it looks? Kind of looks like a Gibson Jumbo shape, except with a cutaway.

Btw, have you ever tried Silk and Steel strings? They give a quicker feel, like electrics or classical nylon, in my experience. Good for bending too.

[schild]

I like men, i'm also a little girl.

[Sky]

It's pretty huge. Kinda feels like playing a Gretsch with a thicker body.

Downside is I now have to buy another guitar, because I wanted to take this one hiking/camping with me, and it's too nice ;)

Schild: yeah, it's no secret.

[stray]

It's pretty huge. Kinda feels like playing a Gretsch with a thicker body.

Downside is I now have to buy another guitar, because I wanted to take this one hiking/camping with me, and it's too nice ;)

Live on the edge, man!

Seriously, it's meant for playing. Play it. Heh. Just don't let it fall of a cliff or something.

I like men, i'm also a little girl.

Well, don't feel left out. Little girls can play the guitar too.

[Sky]

Nah, they didn't have a hardshell case, I'm not going hiking with a huge fragile instrument in a gig bag. Maybe you have to know me in person...it's just not a good idea, I'm way too impulsive and hyperactive. I know in no uncertain terms I'd break it within an hour if I were out in the wilderness with it.

[Arnold]

I don't worry about the scales so much as playing the right intervals to make the "sound" or "flavor". Hard to explain, I guess.

Now that's the essence of modal playing, IMO.  The Phrygian mode isn't a scale to me, it's a sound.  I love it, so I throw the flat 2 into my playing a lot, just for that sound.

You obviously understand modes, but what I was trying to say is the way most method books teach students about modes is wrong.  If you play the C major scale, starting on F, over a C chord, you aren't playing in the Lydian mode; you are playing the C Major scale.  If, however, you played the C Major scale over an F chord, you would be playing in C Lydian.

[Arnold]

Those "3" could have benefited from a "fourth" imo. Like I mentioned before, I'm not a big fan of the shredder type of guitarists, but Eric Johnson kind of stands out to me. He's also one of the only ones that uses better (vintage) gear....Another plus for him in my book. If he happens to not play "soulful" all the time, his guitar will make up for some of it at least.

I saw the first G3.  Johnson followed Vai and got booed by the crowd, but he had a really hard act to follow.  Vai put on an amazing set with great showmanship.  Johnson had major problems from his vintage equipment and because so, wasn't that good.

Vai was my favorite of the night (missed the KWS set).

[Arnold]

It's pretty huge. Kinda feels like playing a Gretsch with a thicker body.

Downside is I now have to buy another guitar, because I wanted to take this one hiking/camping with me, and it's too nice ;)

Schild: yeah, it's no secret.

Get a Baby Taylor.  I got one for when I was travelling for work and it kicks ass.  When you get your hands on one, it looks very cheap and delicate, but it can take a beating.  And they sound HUGE for their size.  I've played with people who had cheap, full sized acoutstics and the Baby kept up, and in some cqases, sounded bigger.  Oh, and because of the short scale, they almost play like an electric.

The only downside is that because of the short scale, the intonation isn't the best.  You have to tune the B string a bit flat to get all your basic, open chords to sound in tune.  Playing chords up higher on the neck is annoying too, because they sound out of tune.  I need new strings for my regular Taylor, so I'm using my Baby and it annoys the hell out of me when I sing "No Excuses".  Luckily, I'm just singin' for myself :P

[Samprimary]

I saw Vai on Tuesday at the Fox in Boulder.

Y'know, I wasn't expecting much. His music is not stuff I consider to be interesting, and I hadn't enjoyed his performance at the Fillmore at G3 in Denver (The performance in that video I posted was taped there and then)

Buuuut this performance was dynomite. Absolutely wonderful, including a wonderful opening show by Eric Sardinas. It was incredibly cool, and far more than I would have expected given the fact that Steve and co. had picked up a bug and were performing sick.

Even though I have no particular interest in his CD's still .. I now thoroughly reccomend seeing his performances.

[stray]

Those "3" could have benefited from a "fourth" imo. Like I mentioned before, I'm not a big fan of the shredder type of guitarists, but Eric Johnson kind of stands out to me. He's also one of the only ones that uses better (vintage) gear....Another plus for him in my book. If he happens to not play "soulful" all the time, his guitar will make up for some of it at least.

I saw the first G3.  Johnson followed Vai and got booed by the crowd, but he had a really hard act to follow.  Vai put on an amazing set with great showmanship.  Johnson had major problems from his vintage equipment and because so, wasn't that good.

Vai was my favorite of the night (missed the KWS set).

Hmm, well that's a shame. It's not like I'm a big fan of his either, but I think I think he just stepped up a notch in my book. Anyone who gets booed by the Vai/Satriani crowd that easily is OK with me. 

[Sky]

I've only seen Vai once, with David Lee Roth on the Eat 'Em And Smile tour (Tesla opening behind their debut album, they kicked all kinds of ass, too), with Sheehan and Bissonette. Great show.