Right-hand Technique

I started to write a post about right-hand technique and holding the pick...and then it occurred to me that maybe I'd already written about it. And what do you know, I have (here.) That was exactly the post I was starting to write. And now, 18 months later, I can say that I actually do hold the pick that way, for both guitar and mandolin - and it finally feels natural and right, for both strumming and flat-picking. And it's been my conscious focus for that whole time. I pretty much had to dismantle many years of bad habits and replace it with proper technique - and it took a *long* time before it felt natural.

The final hurdle was strumming - just the easy up-and-down playing of a chord on the guitar. Even after playing single notes felt good with the new way, strumming didn't feel good - and I always had the urge to go back to the old way. But I kept at it, and have tried to go through some repetitions of some strumming songs every day (recently from among the following):

• "Old Man", Neil Young
• "Sugar Mountain", Neil Young
• "Melissa", Allman Brothers Band
• "Ramble On", Led Zeppelin
• "Time For Me To Fly", REO Speedwagon
• "Daughters", John Mayer

On a related note, last Sunday was this month's acoustic jam meetup. That's a great chance to strum for three hours, and it was also the public unveiling of my new baby. Our friends ooh'ed and aah'ed appropriately - although the guy who most wants to see it wasn't there. Hopefully next month.

There weren't meetups in July or August, and I'd missed the June session, so this was my first jam in four months, and I'm pretty sure this was the first time that I'd held the pick the right way for the whole jam.

The song I brought to the jam was Neil Young's "Sugar Mountain". Here's the song, a good tab (though tuning down is only necessary if you want to play along to the studio recording), and a good guitar lesson.

NMD: Breedlove Premier OF Mandolin

Yesterday, just one day after NGD, it was New Mandolin Day. The Breedlove Premier OF mandolin I'd ordered on trade arrived via FedEx, after an interminable week and a half without a mandolin in the house.

I unpacked it, tuned it up, played a chord - and I'm pretty sure I heard a choir of angels sing. Okay, that's a slight exaggeration, but it sounded *fantastic*. I played some chords, scales, arpeggios, and tunes, and continued to be very impressed. It's a clear upgrade over the Eastman, and by far the best-sounding mando I've ever played.

That actually isn't saying much, as I've played very few good-quality mandolins. The problem is finding a music store that actually stocks an inventory of decent instruments. Guitar Center and guitar and band instrument-oriented music stores usually have a few mandos on the wall - but they're usually cheap instruments that are poorly set up.

I've just recently found a music store in Reading that sells and services good-quality acoustic instruments (guitars, mandolins, fiddles,etc.) To get a *great* selection of mandolin inventory, I'd have to go to Mandolin Brothers in Staten Island. That would be a cool trip, and maybe I'll get there one day - but it would be a full day trip, and I just haven't had the time.

The other alternative, which is what I've used, is online. The Mandolin Store is widely regarded as very reputable, and that's my experience. They'll ship you anything you want, and they accept returns or trades. Yes, of course it's better to actually play an instrument before buying. But I've done plenty of research before ordering, and it's worked out.

Back to my Breedlove. I've had it for a day now, and I'm *extremely* pleased. I already mentioned that I love how it sounds, which was my hope. A pleasant surprise is that I also find it easier to play than the Eastman - some passages that I sometimes struggled with on the Eastman, I'm finding that I can play much more cleanly. The Eastman has a 1 3/32" nut, which I think is standard, and I never regarded it as too narrow. The Breedlove has a slightly wider 1 3/16" nut, and I notice the difference in a good way.

I'm happy, and I think this is a keeper. Though Darling Wife shakes her head and says, "You always love an instrument when you first get it." And she's right, only time will tell. But my only desire now is to play the instruments I have.

NGD: Recording King RO-310

Yes, yesterday was New Guitar Day. I wrote recently about wanting a second acoustic - a decent quality instrument that would have a niche between the Martin and the travel guitar. When the Seagull didn't work out, I stopped actively pursuing that - but I look at the Craigslist classifieds every day as a matter of habit. I enjoy following what people are trying to sell.

Early this week, I saw an ad that piqued my interest. A mint condition Recording King RO-310. From some reading I've been doing, I've been looking at two brands, Recording King and Blue Ridge, as possible good candidates for a second acoustic. They're both making reasonably-priced, good quality guitars - and in many cases, basically to Martin specs.

The RO-310 is very close to the specs of a Martin 000-18. The "000" body size is smaller than the standard dreadnaught, and it's a solid wood guitar, not a laminate. The top is Adirondack spruce, and the sides and back are mahogany. It has a slightly wider fingerboard (1 3/4" vs. the standard 1 11/16"), which is considered ideal for fingerpicking.

The seller bought it a year ago from Elderly, a reputable dealer, and one that would give the instrument a proper setup. He said he got it to try the 000 size, and didn't like it. I went and looked at it yesterday, and his story checked out. It really is mint condition.

We had negotiated a price before I went there. I haggle in advance - if the condition is as advertised, and I want it, we've already agreed on the final price. So I went and played it, and it really did seem mint. So I gave him an envelope of cash and brought it home.

To questions of why this was necessary, my answer is, "it isn't." I saw the chance to get what should be a good guitar at a *great* price. I'm interested to see how the 000 body size and the wider fingerboard feel. I'm interested to see how the Adirondack top and the mahogany sides and back sound, as that's the combination that's made Martin's D-18 and 000-18 famous. I think I'll have a niche for it as a second acoustic, and as a travel guitar for when it won't be exposed to the elements (the River, absolutely...the Folk Fest or a campground, no.) And if I decide to unload it, I'm near certain I can sell it for at least what I paid for it.

I think it was a great deal for a good guitar. Between this and the mandolin that's on the way, my music fund is pretty much empty. And that's okay, I'll replenish it with sales and with gig earnings. I'm happy. Happy NGD to me.

Now about that new mandolin....

A Few Acronyms

GAS: guitar acquisition syndrome

MAS: mandolin acquisition syndrome

NGD: new guitar day

(Just in case, purely hypothetically speaking, I have the opportunity to use any of these in upcoming posts.)

Monday Catch-up

So much going on, and so little time to blog. Here's a quick catch-up. Each of these points could be a post of its own, but a bullet point will have to do for now.

• After many years of Tuesday night rehearsals in the basement, the aikido band went out and played an open mic. Our lead guitarist couldn't make it at the last minute, so we played as a trio. It was a blast, and we were tentatively offered a paying gig. We'll see what happens. Of course, the band has a FB page, here.
• 
  Rosewood gigs continue, one after the other, and it still seems like this much fun is probably illegal. Occasionally it's so much fun that I even crack a smile.
• The Mandolin Store has received my trade and has shipped me the Breedlove. It's supposed to arrive on...Thursday. Thursday?!? I have to wait until Thursday!? Sigh.... :-)
• I discovered The Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum, and if there was ever an online place for me, this is it. And as I laughed to Darling Wife, a better bunch of enablers never existed. If you have 19 Martins and are wondering if you should get #20, you can find a whole bunch of people ready to help talk you into it. I shared my own Martin story on the forum, here.
• YouTube guitar lesson of the week: acoustic guitar version of Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes", as performed by Heart's Nancy Wilson. Gorgeous.

Mandolin Trade

In my last post, I mentioned that I had second thoughts on using my "music fund" for a second acoustic guitar. One possibility was trading my mandolin.

I got my Eastman last Christmas, and it's a good instrument. It was a very nice upgrade from the entry-level Kentucky I had before that. I've played it a *lot*, and I generally liked it...but there was always a nagging unhappiness. It has a good sound, but seems "small". When I've played with other folks, the sound seems to disappear. Maybe that's the fault of my playing...I don't know. And I always seemed to have a hard time keeping it exactly in tune.

I decided to give it one last chance. One night last week, I took it to a shop in Reading that's highly recommended. I had a great time talking music and gear with the proprietor as he looked over my mando, changed the strings, did some little adjustments, etc. He pronounced it in good shape.

So then, the test. I took it to the river with me last weekend. Would the new strings and the setup make a difference? Sadly, no. So I decided that I'd sell it and get another one. Not to do a big upgrade, just to get a good solid instrument.

My first thought was that I'd list it on the classified of Mandolin Cafe. But then I looked at The Mandolin Store (the highly reputable place where I bought both the Eastman and Kentucky), and I saw that they do trades. So I phoned them, and we did a trade. My Eastman is currently en route to them, and as soon as they get it and verify its condition, they'll ship me a Breedlove Premier OF.

I'm hoping, if all goes well, to have it by the middle of next week. I'm very much missing having a mandolin in the house. I really do play it every day.

Review and pics when it arrives.

From Canada...and Back

A note about how I fund gear purchases. A well-known fact is that I'm a frugal soul - to the untrained eye, that is often mistaken for being a cheap bastard - but I can assure you there's a (sometimes extremely) subtle difference. In my own mind, that difference is crystal clear. Anyway, I like getting new gear, and through the wonders of Craigslist, I've sold many things, and bought many other things with the proceeds - the overall net cash outlay has been very small.

Darling Wife has also suggested that I should keep my Rosewood proceeds separate, as part of my "music fund" with Craigslist sales proceeds. She has occasionally raised an eyebrow at my accounting methods - for example, a few weeks ago we had a paying gig. I made $55. Darling Wife was there (as the most supportive wife ever), and both my daughters had nothing going on, and came out to see us. Their bill at the end of the night was $51. So how much went into my music fund? $55, of course.

I've made some recent sales, and we've been gigging regularly - so the music fund has grown to a level where I've been thinking about what I want to buy. I decided on a mid-range acoustic guitar.

I have my Martin, which I like better every time I play it - which is every day. I still regard it as a lifetime guitar, and would only sell it if that's the only way I can get a kidney that I need to stay alive. I have my travel guitar, which I love for what it is. But I thought that I might be able to get something in the middle for somewhere in the $300-400 price range. Another guitar to have around the house (because you can never have too many), and something I could travel with, though maybe not to the beach or the campground.

I decided on the Seagull Entourage Rustic Mini Jumbo. I already have a Seagull acoustic - my Canadian beauty - which is a great instrument, and is now my younger daughter's. Many people consider Seagulls to be the best bang for your buck out there, and that's been my experience. The mini jumbo size would fit in my travel guitar's case. So with a Guitar Center 15% off coupon in hand, I ordered it, and it arrived three days later. I unpacked it, played it...and tried to convince myself I liked the sound.

I played it again later...and tried to convince myself I liked the sound. Then Darling Wife walked through the room as I was playing it, and simply said, "Rin Tin Tin." Meaning that it had a very thin, tinny sound. And she was right.

It occurred to me that maybe it was a bad set of strings. So I called Guitar Center and asked if I could still return it if I changed the strings. They said I could - so I put a new set on, played it again...and there was no difference. Rin Tin Tin.

The next day was Saturday, so I took it to Guitar Center, and they took it back and credited my card with no questions. It turns out it was surprisingly easy to send an ill-behaved Canadian back where it came from.

I'm sure I can get a good second acoustic in that price range - but, sadly, this wasn't the one. With my slush find restored, I started having second thoughts about what to use it on.

Stay tuned to find out what I decided.

Natalie MacMaster

Saturday night, Main Stage

The slot in the Saturday night concert before Tommy Emmanuel was Natalie MacMaster, who was at the top of Darling Wife's "must see" list. She's a fiddler from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia who plays traditional maritime/Celtic music. According to DW, she's a former child prodigy from a family of musicians from Cape Breton who all play the traditional style. DW said she saw her on TV from a young age, and was looking forward to seeing her in person.

She hit the stage like she was shot out of a gun - very high energy, backed by a five-piece band. The musicianship was impeccable - but the most noteworthy thing to me was how she moved. She was never still - she danced the whole time she played. I'm sure it was some kind of traditional step dance, and it was mesmerizing to watch her move while the musical pyrotechnics were happening.

Sunday morning, Camp Stage

Darling Wife loved her the most - but the rest of us weren't far behind. Everyone at the campground later was raving about the back-to-back sets of Natalie and Tommy Emmanuel. And people were laughing and shaking their heads over the fact that she said she's had six kids over the past eight years - including a four-month-old.

Sunday morning, there was a Celtic lineup at the smaller Camp Stage, and Natalie was on the bill for that, so all of our camp went to see it. We were excited to see her in a small, more informal setting, and she didn't disappoint. She came out with just a drummer and a keyboardist, and started out sitting down. But by the second song, she couldn't help herself and got up and started moving. She played for 45 minutes, and left us yelling for more.

Seeing her, and so many other good fiddlers, gave me strong desire to learn the fiddle. But I have to resist - there are only so many hours in the day.

A quick YouTube search doesn't turn up any footage of her performance at the Folk Fest, but here's a good example of her playing.