Play Most Any Song in Open D Tuning

Why So Many Guitars? Acoustic Edition: The Taylor 814ce

Why So Many Guitars? Acoustic Edition: The Lowden F-22

How many times have I heard the joke - "Why do you have so many guitars? You can only play one at a time."?  Too many to count.  Maybe this series will help explain.

Why So Many Guitars? Acoustic Edition: #1 The Gibson Dove

Why So Many Guitars? Acoustic Edition

I didn't get my first acoustic until I was 30.  It was a 1990 Gibson Dove.  I chose it over everything else I'd played at the time because of the price ($1000) and that it was the loudest of the all the guitars I tried.  I was going to be leading worship for a Sunday school class of about 100 without a PA so that was my criterion. At the time I couldn't tell much of a difference between acoustics.  I was an electric player.  

Five years later, I purchased my next acoustic. A Lowden F-22.  As soon as I played it I loved it’s tone.  But mainly because it was different than the Gibby.  Way different.  Brassy, not as woody.  Still my ears were relatively inexperienced.  I bought it to take on the road for some clinics I was hired to teach starting that Spring.

I didn’t have the guitar two weeks when I got a call from Taylor guitars asking which model I would like as they were one of the sponsors of the clinics and wanted me to have one.  I didn’t know anything about Taylor models and they told me everyone else was getting an 814-ce.  Sure.  Two days later one arrived at my door step.  And it was very different sounding from my Lowden and Dove.  The 814 was definitely brighter than my Dove but not as brassy as the Lowden.

It was about this time in my mid-30’s I started to notice the difference between Martin’s and Gibson’s on recordings.  Getting to the point, where I’m sure so many of you are at, where I could listen to a record and say “that sounds like a Martin.”  Or Gibson.  Taylor’s were rarer on recordings and harder to pick out. 

Then when I was working on a session for a major Latin artist, the producer, whom I’d never worked for before, grinded me on my guitars.  One after another he told me my acoustics were too bright.  Isn’t that what EQ’s are for?  I thought.  Self-conscious I powered my way through the session thinking I need to get a dark guitar.

It was beginning to make sense what my teacher in the 80’s, Carl Verheyen, told me… “You can’t have too many acoustics.”  I didn’t have any at the time, and remember thinking… really?!?!

I determined that I needed a Martin.  So the hunt began.  At the local Guitar Center, of all places, I spotted a tattered, abused, orphaned 70’s Martin D-35 for $1100.  It played great and had a familiar tone.  But not flashy.  Subtle.  Serious.  And dark.

Now I had 4 very different guitars.  Plus a Taylor 655 12-string that I had gotten from Taylor from their B stock.

The Martin has been my go to guitar for sessions.  One thing I noticed, over years of playing on records, is that when I use the Martin, my guitar is hotter in the mix when I get the final product.   The Taylor sounds like a Taylor. The Dove definitely sounds like a Gibson.  The Lowden is very unique sounding.  But the Martin just sounds like a guitar.  Like a guitar we’ve all heard on recordings from the beginning of time.  My Martin at least, doesn’t demand too much attention and shares the sonic landscape with singers quite generously. 

I’ve since acquired two more Martins, a new Baritone, the prototype actually, that is serious times ten, and a 1924 O-28k, a small bodied, koa instrument that is so tender and sweet.  Great for fingerpicking and soft strumming.

I also acquired a 60’s Gibson Folksinger in trade for playing on a friends record.  It has a decidedly “boxey” quality that I’ve found is useful for that “hipster” sound.  Whatever that is.  You know like a Target commercial.

Win More Stuff...

Why pay for it when they are giving it away!

Win an Andrew White Guitar

Win a Takamine Guitar

Win a Katana Blues Drive (I may enter this one)

Win a Rainsong Guitar

Win all the Red Witch pedals

Giuliani Arpeggios pdf

Click here for the 120 Giuliani Arpeggios

Great for classical guitarists and for finger-style guitarists alike.

How I Played "Turn To You" by Justin Bieber

Here's the tune...

And here's the lesson...

..

Verse chords...

Capo 5th fret...

x24430 - Em4

x02200 - D2

Chorus chords (two takes of the Martin and two takes of the high-strung)

No capo

x35050 - C

x79080 - Em7

x35050 - C

x57070 - D2(add 4)

Bridge chords (no capo) - Am, Em, G, D/F#, Am, Em, G, D

Cool Site - Play DADGAD

Play DADGAD for the Celtics out there.

Cheap Guitar God - Stella

Made by the Oscar Schmidt Company originally. Played by Leadbelly and Charlie Patton. Doc Watson and Kurt Cobain started on Stellas.

Merle Travis - The Real Deal

Baby, Acoustic Version Voicings

I played the guitar on Justin's acoustic version of the song "Baby". The producer wanted me to emulate the keyboard part. This is what I did...

Now here is how I voiced the chords...

Voicings I used...

D - xx0775  D6 - xx0777

Bm - xx4432  Bm(b6) - xx4433

G - 3x003x  G6 - 3x005x

A - x0765x  A6 - x0767x

Justin Bieber  - My Worlds Acoustic

One Session, Two Lessons

I use to carry a little black book around with me to all my gigs and sessions. And no, not to register phone numbers of groupies (that book was blue). It was my log of things to work on or get or just something that I could learn from the job I just finished. I try to make everything be a teachable moment for me. So not only am I getting paid, I'm getting a self-prescribed lesson.

For example, I might write in my little black book... "practice playing over Imaj7-VII7 progression" or "listen to some James Brown to get some rhythm ideas" or "tighten up the bottom end on patch 298". Something to work on on days when I didn't have any work.

This one particular session was for a major Latin artist at a major studio with some major session pros. I was already feeling like the low man on the totem pole. I was playing acoustic and was an overdub after the other musicians had already laid down their tracks. The song wasn't a song, but a medley of this artist's greatest hits. A dozen pages of music. The producer was one of my best friends, so on that I rest my confidence. The engineer I didn't know but more importantly, he didn't know me. For some reason he had it out for me. Some people build themselves up by tearing others down. This engineer was one of those people.

I had brought 3 acoustics and my nylon guitar. He set up the mic and went into the booth. I pulled out my Taylor 814, strummed a little, and into my headphones I heard, "Do you have another guitar? That one is too bright." I grabbed the Lowden F22. "That one is even brighter." Uh-oh. Last chance. The Gibson Dove should do the trick. "Nope." "It's the last one I have." I confessed and received a dismayed look and... "I guess it'll have to do."

I hadn't played one note and I was already feeling like a rank amateur. But with the Dove in my hands I forgot my insecurities and began tracking. Often I don't think I can play until I have the guitar in my hands, and then I know I can. We worked our way through the chart. My friend the producer knew the songs very well and is a good guitarist himself so he told me the feels and grooves for each section. After we tracked the steel string we took a break before tracking a little nylon. I headed into the booth, sat down exhausted on the couch, turn to the man on my left and said, "hi, I'm Tom, what's your name?" It was of course the famous Latin artist. Hey, I'm really bad with faces.

There are so many lessons that I could pull from this one session, I could probably fill up an entire black book. But here are a mere two...

1. I needed a darker guitar. Maybe the engineer was just exhibiting his insecurities or maybe he had a point. From that day forward I was on the hunt for a guitar darker than any of the ones I currently owned. And thus I found my 70's Martin D-35, which I love and is now my main acoustic.

2. Know who you are working for. I didn't even know what the artist looked like, let alone know his catalog. I should've known all of his hits at least. Then I would've known every song in the medley I was tracking that day. From now on whenever I get called to work with a new artist I research them. I especially study and memorize their face! I have worked for that artist since by the way.

Epilogue - I hadn't been in that studio again until just last week, five years later, when I was tracking acoustics for Justin Bieber's new record. I had a flashback and recounted the above story to the amazing engineer and friend on the other side of the glass. He was mad and wanted to know who this guy was. I wouldn't tell him. Every one in the room thought this unnamed engineer was crazy. "Oh I don't know," I said, "that session is why I got this Martin I'm playing right now." Then I took a break and sat down on the same sofa. I knew who was sitting on my left that day.

Sing-a-String

Cheater way to create simple harmonies for any song.

Mine's an F22, here's an F25...
Lowden F25

Why I use Elixir Strings.

PLEASE NOTE: I endorse Elixir strings.  They didn't come to me though, I went to them because I really like their product.

There is, or at least was, a bit of a debate about coated strings.  Which I completely understand on two levels, first, coated strings, especially early on were not as bright as non-coated strings.  And second, one method of advertising is to disparage your competition. That quieted down significantly when many other manufacturers offered up their own versions of a coated, long lasting string.

So why do I use them?

1.  I have acidic hand sweat.  You should see up close some of the hardware on my guitars.  Particularly the gold ones.  Not pretty.  You know the alien blood from the movie Alien?  Now you know what I'm taking about.  Prior to Elixirs I used Ernie Ball strings on electric, and within and hour of playing time they became tetanus wires.  I was always changing strings.  At a few bucks a set it wasn't that big of a deal, just the time it took to change them, but time is money and once I switched to Elixirs I found that I could keep strings on my main electrics for weeks instead of days.

2.  They don't corrode in storage.  I have a lot of guitars.  Many are rarely played.  But the last thing I want to do is restring my Rickenbacker 12-string the night before a session. Especially if, despite being told to bring it, I never actually use it.  But with it strung up with Elixirs I know I can confidently grab it on my way out the door and if needed it will be ready to track.  I always keep extra sets in every case just in case.  Pun not intended.

3. The immediate vintage tone.  Truth be told, as nice as brand new strings feel, they can sound a little brittle or bright.  Normal strings sound better once worked in.  For me that may only take an hour, for others a week.  Even still I change strings on my acoustic(s) the night before a session so they have time to settle in.  With Elixirs they immediately have that worn in sound and I like that.  Many players don't and that's why they came out with the nano-web versions to provide that closer to non-coated experience.  To me both the electrics and acoustic sets are ready for the red light (to record) as soon as they are on the guitar.

4.  They tune up fast.  You know how when you string up a guitar you have to tug the strings and tune them a bunch of times until they settle?  Maybe between every song for a set?  Not with Elixirs.  Tune, tug, tune, play, tune... and that's pretty much it from my experience.  This is important when you have several guitars out for a session and you are going from one to the other twenty times in an hour.

5.  They are quieter.  When I'm in the studio recording acoustic instruments, ie. acoustic 6 or 12 string, nylon/classical guitar, mandolin, etc., I am often playing before a very sensitive condenser mic or maybe two.  They pick up everything: heavy breathing, toe tapping, chair squeaking, humming, counting aloud,  a hole in your septum (that's another story for later) or SQUEAKING STRINGS.  Well Elixirs can't help with any of those except those pesky squeaks one creates when one slides fingers up and down the fretboard.  There are ways to reduce that noise; mic placement, lightness of touch, swiftness of hand movement.  But another tools to reduce this unwanted noise is to string up your instrument with coated strings.  I prefer the polyweb (classic) over the nanoweb for this reason.

6.  They are easier on the finger tips.  There are days where I have a guitar in my hands for 14 hours and Elixir strings really allow me to play longer without pain or discomfort.  Often I'll pick up someone else's guitar and within minutes be feeling the deep ridges of a non-coated set of string.  Ouch.  OK, I'm a baby.  This is also a reason why I prefer polyweb over nanoweb.

Do I have something, anything bad to say about Elixirs?  Hmmm, the packaging hurts my eyes.  Oh yeah, and that they discontinued the classical guitar sets.  They are well aware of my objections.

Elixir Strings Electric Guitar Strings, 6-String, Light NANOWEB Coating

Elixir Strings Acoustic Guitar Strings, 6 String, Light POLYWEB Coating

Elixir Strings Mandolin Strings, 8 String, Light, Acoustic NANOWEB Coating

Elixir Strings Electric Guitar Strings, 12-String Light

The high-strung/Nashville tuned guitar

Go to page 10 of this pdf to read an article I wrote for Taylor Guitar's Wood and Steel magazine about high-strung guitars.

Here's a Larrivee Parlor guitar - Larrivee P-03 Parlor - Used

This string set you can break up into two sets, one normal, one high strung -
Elixir Strings Acoustic Guitar Strings, 12-String, Light NANOWEB Coating
or
Elixir 11150 Elixir Poly Acous 12-Stg Lite

Sound Better for Free (or next to nothing) - Tip #1

There are many ways of improving your sound. Not the least of which is buying all new gear. But before you rush out to "Gear R Us" and max out all you creditcards, including the gas card, I'd like to touch on some ways to do it for free or for pocket change.

Increase Your String Gauge
The next time you're going to music store to buy a set of strings, buy a heavier set.  Heavier strings sound better.  They provide more mass or more tone and they tend to ring longer.  If you're playing your electric with 8's or 9's try bumping up to 9's or 10's.

Stevie Ray Vaughn sometimes used heavy-gauged strings as thick as .013-.060.  You'd be hard pressed to argue than SRV wasn't a tone king.  Now to be fare I have to tell you he did detune his guitar a half-step to Eb-Ab-Db-Gb-Bb-Eb, making minor 3rd bends almost doable.

Now if after years of playing with 9's that set of 10's just feels way too heavy, then try a set of 9.5's.  You can find them if you look.  You could use that as a transition set.  Or you could use a "light top heavy bottom" set to transition.  One trick I did recently was when I ordered my last guitar, I had it strung up with heavier strings then I normally would've used, but now I've only known that guitar to feel that way.  In essence I fooled myself.  I play that guitar all the time and it sounds great.

For some reason like Starbucks' "tall", "grande", "venti", nomenclature for string manufacturers is "extra light" means light, "light" means medium, and "medium" means heavy.

Acoustic players could switch from "extra lights" to "lights" or from "lights" to "mediums".  There is an even more dramatic metamorphosis with acoustic guitars when you increase the string gauge.  With both acoustic and electrics it's a workout at first but later pays in "tonal dividends".

Acoustic strings -
Elixir Strings Acoustic Guitar Strings, 6 String, Light POLYWEB Coating
Elixir Strings Acoustic Guitar Strings, 6-String, Medium NANOWEB Coating
Ernie Ball 2003 Earthwood 80/20 Bronze Acoustic String Set, Medium Light (12 - 54)
Ernie Ball 2004 Earthwood 80/20 Bronze Acoustic String Set, Light (11 - 52)

Electric strings -
Elixir Strings Electric Guitar Strings, 6-String, Light NANOWEB Coating
Elixir Strings Electric Guitar Strings, 6-String, Medium NANOWEB Coating
Ernie Ball Regular Slinky String Set (10 - 46)
Ernie Ball 2627 Ernie Ball, Beefy Slinky String Set (11 - 54)

Sound Better for Free (or next to nothing) - Tip #2

Raise Action
A guitars "action" is the heigth of the strings from the fingerboard.  Guitars with low action play easier, but when when the strings vibrate against the frets they cause "fret Buzz" or "fret out".  This causes a thinning of your tone.  As little as a 1/4 turn counterclockwise at the bridge can held elivate minor buzzing.  Truss rod adjustments can also eliminate buzz on both acoustics and electrics, but please consult a professional guitar repairman and make minor adjustments and live with them a couple of days.  There are several books on guitar repair that make it easy to understand and measure truss rod adjustments.

Here is a video on truss rod adjustment by guitar repair guru John Carruthers...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpphzkj4Wh0

Sound Better for Free (or next to nothing) - Tip #5

Take Your Pick for Example

Picks are another good tool to experiment with both electric and acoustic.  There are probably more than a hundred shapes, composites and thicknesses of picks each with their own tonal fingerprint.  There are even expensive boutique pick manufacturers like Wegen picks.  I prefer the Gypsyjazz pick for Django stuff and some acoustic soloing and the bluegrass picks for, um, bluegrass.

When I play acoustic on a recording session I'll have as many as twenty different picks to choose from.  All different shapes and thicknesses and made of varied materials (not to mention my fingers).  It's a cheap way to vary the tone of the same instrument.  Eventually, your ear will become increasingly able to tell which combinations of picks and strings bring out the best your guitar has to offer.  Try recording your guitar using different picks to hear the variations in tone.  You could do a "blind taste test" of sorts.

Video from previous post...

A peck of picks for your perusal...
Dunlop Nylon Standard Picks, Black 1.0mm - my preferred acoustic strumming picks
Dunlop Jazz III Pick Pack, Black Stiffo, 1.38mm
Dunlop Tortex Pitch Black Standard Guitar Picks 1 Dozen, 1.0Mm
Dunlop Big Stubby Picks, 3.0mm - these are pretty thick
Dunlop Delrin Pick Packs, 1.14mm/Light Pink - the 1.5mm versions of these I use on electric

Reinventing the Guitar #1

 A story of intrigue and peril.  No actually it's a story about playing a grouping of five sixteenth notes over a 7/4 meter, plus a little more.

Here's the actual movie...
Revolution Os - might be of interest of you techies out there

My strings of choice -
Elixir Strings Acoustic Guitar Strings, 12-String, Light NANOWEB Coating

My 12-string -
Taylor Guitars 655-CE Jumbo 12 String Acoustic Electric Guitar