James Taylor Lessons

If there was any doubt that the Internet is an amazing place, let me present James Taylor guitar lessons - by James Taylor!

I like James Taylor a lot. He's too soft and mellow for some people, and I understand that. I don't want a steady diet of only James either. And his songs are *so* ubiquitous that I know some people have had enough - and I get that too. But I do like him - I like his songs, I like his voice, and I *love* his acoustic guitar playing.

Sitting down and trying to figure out what he's doing on songs like "Fire and Rain", "Carolina in my Mind", "Country Road", and "Something in the Way She Moves" is daunting. He's not just strumming chords - there are chord fragments mixed with some pretty fancy fingerpicking.

I've blogged before that "Something in the Way She Moves" is one of my all-time favorite songs, and one that I've been working on for a while. I basically understand what he's doing, and it's not conceptually that complicated - but it's tricky and damned difficult to play at speed. The thought of being able to play that so easily that you could go out every night in front of thousands of people and play it - oh, and by the way, sing the song at the same time - is boggling to me.

Anyway, that's a long intro to the fact that I just discovered that he's posted some guitar lessons for his songs. There's not a lot of explanation, but there's a very clear video of both his left and right hands. Very very cool.

You hear stories of some musicians who regard how they play their songs as a trade secret, and very much do not want anyone giving away their secrets, let alone putting tutorial videos on their own web site. Kudos to James Taylor.

June Wrap-up

Unbelievably, the calendar now says July. June was a very fun and very eventful month. Brief highlights, as follows:

* Annapolis is a fun little town. Playing on a sailboat for a small group of friends is a blast. Unfortunately there are no pics, but hopefully we'll do it again. And the next day, we discovered another very fun acoustic band: Sparks, Raymond, and McCoy playing on the street at an Arts Fest. They play Annapolis and Kent Island, and I'll see them again if I ever have the opportunity.

St. Peter's Bakery, 6/20/2014

* Rosewood gigs continue. We had another very fun gig at the bakery a week ago Friday, and the next one is coming up in just 10 days (Fri, July 11). Then we play the Craft Ale House in Royersford the next night (Sat, July 12). That's a new venue for us, and also a 3-hour gig (where we're used to playing for two hours at the bakery and the West End Alley.)

* I'm still playing mandolin every day, but my focus has definitely shifted back to the guitar. You can't have a Martin at your fingertips and not want to play it at every opportunity. The vibration that it gives off when you play a chord is something I *feel* as well as hear, and it's a treat.

* It's about six weeks to the Folk Fest, and I'm looking very forward to it. I'm specifically looking forward to seeing Tommy Emmanuel, Natalie McMaster, Sarah Jarosz, and the Steep Canyon Rangers. Our Buddha Shebang camp friends are starting to oil their already-well-oiled machine.

* I saw a couple of YouTube guitar lessons on REO Speedwagon's "Time For Me To Fly", and I'd forgotten what a good tune that is. It's a standard 1/4/5 song, but with some unique chord voicings. Here's a lesson on how REO's Kevin Cronin actually plays it (and yes, I verified via YouTube that he really does play it that way.) Here's another way to play it, which is how I've been playing it. It's a fun song to play, and the Martin just *rings* when you play those open chords.

* Here's a tutorial on John Mayer's "Daughters". It's a beautiful song with some jazz-type chords, and I've been playing it a lot.

Nazareth Music Center

(Continued from here)

We left the Martin Guitar factory with catalogs and information in hand, including the fact that there was a Martin dealer one mile away. We went across the street to a pizza place, and decided that we'd stop at the dealer after we grabbed a quick lunch. I was trying not to get my hopes up too high - but it suddenly did seem possible, that if all went well, I might actually be coming home with a Martin guitar that very day.

The GPS got us to the Nazareth Music Center with no difficulty. We asked if we could see some guitars, and they asked if we wanted to see Martins. We said we very much did, and they laughingly called their store, "part 2 of the Martin tour." I'm fairly certain we're not the first people to finish the factory tour and head directly for the nearest dealer. They had a whole room dedicated to Martins, with anything you could ask for in stock (there's a picture of the room on their Martin page).

The HD-28 I ended up coming home with.

The first thing they asked me to do was put on a shop apron - which makes sense, they don't want belt buckles or anything like that scratching the guitars. I asked to play a 000-28, which is what I thought I wanted - and they put one in my lap. But then they said I needed to also try...I forget the terminology, but a 000-28 with a different kind of internal bracing (maybe it was called a 000-28H?) The "H" is apparently an upgrade - and it did sound a little better to both of our ears.

Then I asked for a D-28 (the same guitar in a full-sized dreadnaught body.) It sounded fantastic, and a noticeably bigger sound. After playing each guitar, I looked over at Darling Wife, and she was smiling and nodding as if to say it sounded great. Then they put another one in my lap - the HD-28 (the "H" being the same upgrade as the 000-28H over the 000-28.) I played a chord and thought "wow!" Then I looked over at DW and she was nodding her head vigorously. It was *clearly* the best and biggest-sounding guitar.

One happy birthday boy!

I played them all again, one after the other, trying my best to compare. It was really a no-lose decision - they all sounded fantastic, and I would have been thrilled with any of them. But the HD-28 just sounded the best. So I said it was the one. They wiped it off, put it in the case, and sent me home with it.

There's a line from the end of my favorite movie, where Ralphie, after getting his Red Ryder b.b. gun, calls it, "the best present I had ever received - or would ever receive." That's pretty much how I feel. I'm still almost in shock to have such a beautiful instrument right here at my fingertips. My Darling Wife out-did herself, and I could not be more grateful. This is truly a lifetime guitar - it is not an exaggeration to say that I will never need to upgrade again in my life.

It's also not an exaggeration to say that it was a day I'll never forget. The factory and museum tour alone would have made it a memorable day - but actually picking out a Martin and coming home with it? That was completely unexpected, and made it an all-time day to remember. No, the birthday Martin wasn't really a surprise - but with Meadowood Music closed for the day, it never occurred to me as a possibility that it might happen the same day.

Thank you, Lori, from the bottom of my heart.

Martin Factory Tour

I recently had a round-number birthday, and Darling Wife suggested we go to the Martin Guitar factory and museum in Nazareth, PA for the day. She was working the actual day of my birthday, so I took a personal day on the day before, and off we went.

This is something we've talked about for a while. Martin is famous as a maker of high-end acoustic guitars, and they make them right here in Pennsylvania. It's not that far away (1.5 hours), and everyone I know who's been on the tour highly recommends it.

There has been talk of a birthday Martin, but that's not happening today. We've looked at Martin dealers, and the one we'll go to is Meadowood Music, up near Reading - and they're closed on Mondays.

We arrived around 11:30am after an easy drive up the Northeast Extension, and were assigned to the 12:30 tour. That gave us time to look through the museum - which was fascinating. Martin has been making guitars since the 1830's, and the museum was a history of the guitar in addition to the history of the company. Things got especially interesting when you got to the 50's and 60's up to today, as just about anyone you've ever heard of has played a Martin, and there were instruments from Elvis, Bob Dylan, Lennon and McCartney, Johnny Cash, Crosby Stills & Nash, Eric Clapton, etc., etc.

Our tour group was called at 12:25, and the tour lasted about an hour. You actually walk through the factory and workshops as they're making guitars. It was so interesting to see blocks of wood coming in, and the various stages as building and assembling guitars. There's machinery that does a lot of the precision cutting - but there's also a lot of it that's done by hand.

When the tour is over, they direct you to the gift shop (of course I now have a Martin Guitar t-shirt), and the Picking Room - a roomful of high end Martins that you can play (but not buy, you have to buy from a dealer.)

I played everything that had up on the wall. The D-18 sounded fantastic, with an especially strong treble sound. The 000-28 had a very satisfying fatter sound, and I kinda liked the smaller body "000" size instead of the full-size dreadnaught (the "D" in D-18 or D-28.) The twelve-string D-2812 had an *amazing* sound - I don't think I ever fully appreciated the big ringing sound of a good 12-string guitar.

So I had some ideas on what I'd potentially be interested if and when we finally found a time to get up to Meadowood. But it was past 2pm and we were hungry, so we got ready to go. It had been a *hugely* fun day. We grabbed some catalogs and information, including a list of area dealers. The nearest one was one mile away....

(Continued here)

Mavericks Concert, 5/16/2014

The long-awaited Mavericks concert was last Friday night at the Keswick Theater in Glenside. Darling Wife and I were excited - we enjoyed them so much at the Folk Fest.

Showtime was listed as 8pm, and there was no mention of an opening act, so we hustled to make it there by 8:00. Sure enough, the Mavericks came on around 8:15.

I was wondering what the band line-up would be. They were a 9-piece band at the Fest, but the publicity photos for this tour show five people. I was wondering if this would be a stripped down - but no, nine people came out - the same lineup as last summer. I guess the other four aren't officially "Mavericks."

They were everything we remembered. It's hard to describe exactly what they do. There's a rockabilly feel...and a bit of a Latin feel...and there's such an infectious beat that you simply have to get up and move.

They announced before the show that dancing wasn't allowed in the center aisle - but it was allowed in the side aisles. Well, after a few songs, there was no containing Darling Wife - she got up and went down the right-side aisle (we were seated about half-way back toward the right.) I lost track of her, as I was enjoying the show.

Two and a half hours later, after about six encores, they finally said goodnight for the last time and the house lights came back on. I waited for Darling Wife...then waited some more...then finally saw her. It turns out that she got pretty much right in front of the stage, and pronounced it the best time ever. I'm pretty sure that if Raul Malo had beckoned, she would have jumped on the tour bus, and I'd now be getting postcards from the road. But sadly, it wasn't to be.

The Mavericks are seriously the funnest band out there. Not to be missed.

Nickel Creek Concert (Part 2)

(Continued from here)

I'm finally getting around to writing a review of the concert. First of all, a few people, when I mentioned that I was going to the show, asked what kind of music they play - and I struggled for a response. I wanted to say "bluegrass" - but that's not entirely accurate. They play bluegrass instruments, and they do play a few traditional bluegrass songs. "Modern acoustic"? "Americana"?

Their Wiki page describes them as "American progressive acoustic music trio", which is probably the best you can do in summary - but still not an answer that rolls off the tongue in conversation.

The tour is advertised as the 25-year anniversary of the formation of the band - which is boggling, since they're all in their 30's now.

I'll start with this note. I follow a few people on Twitter, and Steve Martin is one. He's funny (obviously), and is also a respected bluegrass banjo player who tours with the Steep Canyon Rangers (who, as an aside, are on the bill for Folk Fest '14). Anyway, I saw this Steve Martin post on my Twitter feed last night:

Flabbergasting concert with Nickel Creek tonight. Musicianship reigns supreme.

Yep, that pretty much sums it up.

The band is three people: Chris Thile on mandolin, Sara Watkins on fiddle, and (brother) Sean Watkins on guitar. They all sing - and they were accompanied by upright bass player Mark Shatz.

So yes, flabbergasting. They're all incredible musicians, and they're as tight as can be. It was pure pleasure to watch and listen to. Chris Thile is regarded as not only the best mandolin player, but one of the very best musicians, and I can't add any accolades beyond saying it was jaw-dropping to watch. But what I really enjoyed were, 1) how much fun he seemed to be having, and, 2) how *easy* he made it look.

Of course, it's a band, not a Chris Thile solo show, and each of the four musicians commanded attention. The fiddle and guitar work were top-notch, and the vocal harmonies were very impressive. Mark Shatz on the upright bass fit in very nicely, and he was prominent without being overpowering.

They played for two hours, and had us clapping our hands, stomping our feet, and yelling for more. If you have the chance to see them, they're not to be missed.

Musical Week in Review, 5/16

As usual, there's more going on than time to write about it. I know I still have my Nickel Creek concert review to write (spoiler - it was *awesome*!) Here are a few random notes:

* Here's something I blogged last year after the Folk Fest:

The Mavericks: I had never heard of these guys, but they blew the place away. Totally fantastic. They were a 9-piece band, including horns and accordion. They had a swing that almost sounded Latin at times - and the program said the bandleader is a Cuban-American guy based out of Miami. His voice had almost a Roy Orbison sound. Almost everyone we talked to later said some variation of "Holy smokes, did you see the Mavericks?!?" I would absolutely see them again if they came locally.

Well, they're in town tonight, and Darling Wife and I will be there. We've been looking very forward to this. If you're not dancing, swaying, clapping your hands, or tapping your feet when the Mavericks are playing, you're most likely dead.

* Speaking of the Folk Fest, I saw on a friend's FB that it's 90 days to Folk Fest '14. Darling Wife and I have our "all festival camping" tickets. The initial line-up is here. I won't say I'm super-excited about anyone specific (though Tommy Emmanuel will be a highlight), but in my limited experience, part of what makes the Folk Fest really cool is that you discover fantastic people you never would have heard of otherwise. I was really hoping Nickel Creek would be on the bill, but they're not (at least not in this initial line-up.)

* Rosewood has a gig tomorrow night at the West End Alley in Pottstown. We've played here a number of times over the past year, and it's always been a very fun evening. We've been working on some new songs, and a couple will be in the set. More details in my gig write-up afterwards.