Categories
Bluegrass Music

What Is/Isn’t Bluegrass? The Debate Continues

Last week, the online site Bluegrass Today posted a review of the Watchhouse Band performance at The Ark in Ann Arbor (https://bluegrasstoday.com/watchhouse-band-in-ann-arbor-mi/). This ensemble consists of the duo Mandolin Orange along with two additional acoustic guitarists and an upright bassist. While I am not a huge fan of Mandolin Orange, I do like some of their music, and this set-up allows them to do more eclectic material live.

As expected, a recurring debate on what is/isn’t bluegrass started up in the comments section. The Watchhouse Band does not have a banjo in its lineup, so of course, that brought a lot of traditionalists out commenting that the band was not bluegrass and probably should not be featured in a BT article. Others from the opposite end stated that many established bluegrass bands such as the Osborne Brothers and Doyle Lawson have used non-traditional instruments such as electric bass and drums in their recording for a number of years.

I did post one comment within the debate. I stated that while Mandolin Orange was not a bluegrass band by definition, much of their material and sound does pay homage to bluegrass music and artists. I also stated that BT has widened its coverage by including a Grassicana chart (charting artists/recordings that are on the fringe of bluegrass while having some Americana influence), and that the website The Bluegrass Situation covers only about 10% of traditional bluegrass music. One statement that I said that was taken out of context was that I felt that some “uneducated” music people do not fully understand what traditionalists view as bluegrass and simply lump any acoustic band into the bluegrass format. When I put that word into quotes, I meant that there are a lot of people that may not listen to bluegrass as much as the hard-core bluegrass fans, and thus, do not have such a hardline definition of bluegrass (must have banjo, no drums, no electric bass, no piano, etc.).

Of course, there were a few that took that quoted word out of context, and started an even bigger ball rolling. In short, this is an argument that will never have a happy ending, or an ending period! As I said at the end of my comment, “To each his own, I guess.” There are a lot of “beyond the walls” definitions and influences with bluegrass. Doc Watson played amazing flatpicking guitar doing old-time fiddle tunes. He wasn’t bluegrass by narrow definition, but his playing inspired thousands of bluegrass guitarists, and so many times did he perform with bluegrass bands at bluegrass festivals.

There are so many things to consider when defining bluegrass, but one thing that is definite – there is no definite answer. While there are distinctions that definitely do not fit any bluegrass mold, such as a metal band like Metallica or a rap artist like Eminem, the format of bluegrass has a few basic rules and branches out from those according to individual tastes. Some individuals parallel a long stretch, while other individuals break apart early.

Whether it’s Doc performing solo, or a full band playing, my thought is, does it give you a feeling inside that bluegrass music (by traditional definition) always seems to give you? If so, then perhaps it is bluegrass. Or perhaps one can say, “Can you clog to it?”

Check out this backstage performance of Doc jamming with a very young version of award-winning fiddler Michael Cleveland.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Acoustic Guitars Lutherie

String Slots for Better Tone

A while back I caught this YouTube video from Driftwood Guitars regarding a small saw-like tool from Stewart-McDonald that can provide your acoustic guitar with better tone.

The procedure involves cutting a slot in the string ball-end holes of the bridge so that there is more contact between the string and the guitar itself. Normally, the string comes out of the bridge hole and has the slightest contact across the saddle before traveling over the fretboard, nut, and to the tuning gear. This procedure allows the string to be in contact with the wood of the guitar as well as more contact with the saddle, providing more resonation of the guitar (the video shows how).

A few years back, I purchased a used Jasmine S35 acoustic guitar with case at a real cheap price (the cost was worth the case alone!). I noticed during playing it that, while the tone was not fantastic, it was quite loud, especially for a cheap acoustic that sold for about $150 new. After seeing the Driftwood video, I checked out the Jasmine’s bridge, and sure enough, there were slots in the string holes.

Now the tool from Stewart-McDonald costs about $25, and add to that shipping costs and having to wait for the package, I decided to make my own device. I took a hacksaw blade, cut off about an inch from the upper half of one side of the blade, then attached it to a smaller holder. Total cost was about $3.00.

With it, I dug into the bridge of a Yamaha F-325 that I was cleaning up. I figured that I would try this procedure out on a less expensive guitar than my Martin D-28. I learned a few things along the way:
– Hacksaw blades have finer teeth, meant to cut through metal. It takes a lot of time and effort to cut even a little slot, especially when two different woods and some glue are fighting you.
– I was working on this while quarantined at home during my battle with COVID. Do physical work, even light physical work, when you are healthy.
– It seems that while I could tell the difference in volume and tone, the normal (i.e., non-guitar geek) doesn’t care. I played a slotted Yamaha F-325 against a non-slotted Yamaha F-325 to a friend, and she didn’t hear any difference.

I do plan on doing this procedure on the other two Yamaha acoustics that I have, as well as one or two other acoustics that I own. Until I get really good at it, I will hold off on the Martin. This was a good lesson learned about improving the sound of an acoustic guitar, and I feel that it is worth the work. If you are still jittery about attempting it on your own, check with your local guitar repair person or a luthier.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Classical Music

Je t’Adore, Esther Abrami!

Last week, I received my copy of the debut album from classical violinist Esther Abrami. I have mentioned her a few times in previous blogs, and I wanted to talk more about her and her recording.

I came across one of Esther’s YouTube videos about four years ago, and have been in love with her spirit ever since. What first caught my attention about her physical appearance is that she looks so much like Audrey Hepburn, one of the most beautiful women to have ever been captured in motion pictures. Of course, Esther has done some professional modeling in her still young career, and she comes across so photogenically. She truly looks like a princess the way she holds herself.

Then I heard her playing. Amazing, to say the least! She was putting so much emotion into her bow technique that you would have thought that she had been playing the violin for 30 or 40 years. But no, this was a young woman of about 22 years of age! I had to see more of her videos, and almost immediately, I subscribed to her YouTube channel.

With each new video that Esther posted, I learned so much more about her personally. She comes across so beautifully for the camera. Although she is French, she has a wonderful control of the English language. This is due to the fact that she has done most of her musical studies in England, including at the Royal College of Music in London.

Esther’s passion for the violin and classical music began at the age of 3, and it was non-stop from that point. She was teased and made fun of by her school classmates for her intense interest and rigid practice schedule on the violin. It had an emotional effect on her growing up, yet she persevered.

Along with her musical education, Esther took a great interest in social media, promoting herself on all of the major outlets. This has resulted in gathering a large fan base in just a few years. She is often open about her dreams, hopes and fears as she progresses in her career. Her fan base has learned so much about her, and with that, has become her personal support group with whatever direction she takes. In 2019, she became the first classical musician to be nominated in the Social Media Superstar category at the Global Awards.

Her YouTube videos not only show her performances and practice sessions, but she also does reviews of violins and bows, as well as has some fun with the camera, including performing a duet with her “twin sister.” She recently started a vlog on her channel in which she interviews other women in classical music. We also learn of what a big and warm heart she has. She is a lover of animals, especially kittens. She has served as a foster parent for stray kittens and they have often appeared in her videos. One video went extremely viral, in which a kitten that is being held in the fanny pack around her waist is watching her practice the violin, then slowly falls asleep.

We have also learned how sensitive and emotional Esther can become in times of stress. We saw her sad and nearly broke down when the COVID lockdowns began, and she had to decide whether to continue to live and study in London or return to her family in France. We have also seen how the stress of a perfect performance can have an such a young yet talented musician. However, the reward of her work has shown in the past year, when she was signed to Sony Classical Entertainment Records, and most recently, being selected to perform at the Royal Albert Hall in London on April 11. Not bad for a girl of 25!

Since I have been following her, I have done what I can to help support her career. A few years back, I became a patron of hers on the Patreon website. In the short amount of time that I have been following her, we have also emailed each other a number of times, and she always thanks me for my continued support. She sent me a beautiful Christmas/New Year card recently that I will cherish immensely.

Yes, I have a crush on her. Not just because of her beauty, but because of her passion for music. Through her videos, I have seen a little girl of 10 years of age mature into a beautiful and extremely talented performer. There is no one that I know of that deserves the attention and accolades that she has received the past year or two. With every email that I send her or comment that I post on YouTube, I always sign it with “Je t’adore.” and I do, I truly adore this young lady. I am sure that she knows that she can call on me if she is ever in need of something that I can do for her. I also truly hope that 2022 is her year for amazing success, as I have seen how hard she has worked for it.

I implore you to get a copy of Esther Abrami on CD, vinyl, or download. The music is light classical, easy on the ears, and is performed by a beautiful young lady that knows her way around the violin fingerboard. I also ask you to check out her website, as well as her YouTube channel. You will fall in love with her as well.

http://www.estherabrami.com/

http://album.estherabrami.com/

https://www.youtube.com/user/estherabrami

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Music

Roland White RIP

Friday, April 1st saw the passing of one of the true gentlemen of bluegrass. Roland White, mandolin player and teacher for over six decades, died at the age of 83 from the effects of a heart attack from a few days prior. Legendary does not begin to describe Roland, although he was not as observed in the bluegrass scene as other mandolinists in the past few years.

Roland started out in the late 1950s with his family band, including his sister Joanne and brothers Eric and Clarence. Joanne left shortly after formation, and the three soon became The Country Boys. The youngsters performed a number of times on the show Town Hall Party, a country music program broadcast out of California during that time. Through the support of guitar great Joe Maphis, the group changed its name to The Kentucky Colonels, and they became extremely popular in the Los Angeles area. They also appeared on two episodes of The Andy Griffith Show (still as The Country Boys).

Roland joined the service in the early 1960s, during which time Clarence took more instrumental lead roles with the acoustic guitar, and history was soon made on that part. When Roland returned to the band, it recorded the iconic album Appalachian Swing, containing a number of stellar guitar/mandolin lead trades between the two brothers. Bluegrass was losing fan interest by the mid-60s, and Clarence would switch over to electric guitar, playing in Nashville West and later The Byrds. Clarence declined an offer to play guitar for Bill Monroe, so Roland took on the guitarist role in The Blue Grass Boys.

In 1973, the three White boys would reunite as the New Kentucky Colonels with Herb Pedersen and Alan Munde joining. Tragically, after only a few shows, Clarence would be killed by a drunk driver while loading gear into a car, ending this last incarnation of the brothers’ band. Roland would perform briefly with Lester Flatt and the Nashville Grass, then form the influential band Country Gazette with Munde, and remain with that band until 1991. After that, he joined another influential bluegrass band (an one of my personal favorite bands), The Nashville Bluegrass Band. He stayed with NBB until about 2000, at which time he formed The Roland White Band with his wife Diane Bouska.

During these past two decades, his name could be found on a number of bluegrass albums as guest mandolinist, including with Marty Stuart, Clint Black, Bernadette Peters, Ricky Skaggs and Ry Cooder. He also dedicated much of his time to teaching, serving in festival workshops and publishing a number of mandolin lesson books. He never let the public forget about the influential work of his guitarist brother Clarence, publishing a book of guitar transcriptions entitled The Essential Clarence White – Bluegrass Guitar Leads.

Roland was always a welcome sight at Nashville establishments like The Station Inn. When he walked in the room, it was like royalty had just come in. Everyone was in awe of this man, and he was humble enough to appreciate the attention and warm accolades. Whether he was sitting in with a band or just enjoying the show, everyone knew that there was someone special in the room.

I have two wonderful memories of Roland. The first involved a workshop that he was overseeing. A few years back, Roland was visiting relatives in the Detroit area, and scheduled a last-minute workshop at The Ark in Ann Arbor. Word spread quickly, and about 30 people, including me, were in attendance. Roland was extremely friendly and helpful to everyone there, working with many who had just picked up a mandolin only recently. While the workshop turned out to be more for absolute beginners, those of us who had a bit more mandolin experience were grateful to be in the presence of the great man. I was even surprised that Thomas Sneed, mandolinist for The Reeltime Travelers, was sitting next to me soaking in the magic.

My other memory was talking to Roland on the phone for an article on Clarence that I was writing for the now-defunct Bluegrass Now magazine. Roland continually promoted his brother’s guitar work, and was gracious enough to afford me time to talk about Clarence’s work. After that call, we would occasionally email each other (or I would get emails from his wife) updating things going on in Roland’s career. I am blessed with the friendship of country music songwriter extra ordinaire Jim Lauderdale, and have always loved the work that Jim and Roland did when Jim first arrived in Nashville. If you ever get a chance, check out the album Jim Lauderdale and Roland White, recorded in 1979 at Earl Scruggs studio. Also, you MUST secure a copy of Appalachian Swing. It is a true teaching tool for all bluegrass musicians!

Roland will truly be missed, not only for his mandolin work and as a statesman for bluegrass, but for his warm smile and friendly demeanor. He is now playing with The Angel Band.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Songwriting

Songwriting Requires Inspiration (at least for me!)

I remember when I was playing in roots-rock and alt-country bands 20+ years ago. I could easily write a song each week that I was happy enough to perform live with the band. If I were to have taken one of those “song a day” challenges back then, I would have had no problem with the task at-hand.

For the past few years, more like the past decade, that talent has slowly left me. I still write, or try to write, but it is not as easy. A lot of it has to do with inspiration. Back then, I was hitting bars, visiting places, working with a lot of other musicians, and soaking up the experiences. Ever since I started caregiving my mother when my father passed away seven years ago, which is a full-time job along with my regular full-time job, I have lost a lot of creativity. I am lucky to go out to a show once every three months, my employment is most of my social life, and other than weekly church attendance, I do very little for myself as far as outside activity is concerned.

I started to realize that the need to “get out of the house” for my songwriting a few years back, but it has really hit me within the past few months. COVID took away a lot of that socializing for two years, but the problem was, I got used to staying home and doing very little to stimulate my songwriting. You can only write so much about staying home, and no one wants to hear about that in a song anyway.

I have a songwriting notebook, and right now there are about a dozen bits and pieces of songs in it that I try to re-visit every few days to get re-inspired. I was actually inspired a few days ago with a new song idea at work yesterday. A few lines are floating around in my head, but nothing big. But today (Saturday) is my busy day shopping for mom and the week’s food/supplies. Add to that I have a colonoscopy exam on Monday, so Sunday will be spent taking laxatives and starving. I may get some songwriting done in between trips to the bathroom!

I have tried the route of disciplining myself to sit and write for a few minutes each day no matter what the situation. For a while, I would wake up every morning, randomly open up the dictionary and put my finger down on a word, then write about it for 10 minutes non-stop. Even that didn’t help after a while, I seemed to be writing about my same complaints no matter what word came up.

I definitely need more inspiration. Hopefully this summer things will change. I plan to hit more bluegrass festivals, and perhaps attend a songwriting camp that I believe I mentioned a few blogs back. I need to just jump in my car and drive somewhere. I haven’t visited Nashville in over two years. I would love to go back, I should plan on it this summer. My Songwriters Anonymous group plans to start meeting up live again next month (it has been on Zoom for the past two years, and I do not have a great connection for it on my computer internet system), so perhaps that will motivate me in some way.

I hope to find a co-writer that I can work with regularly soon as well. The few good co-writes that I have done have been with people out of town, and our work has been over the phone or emailing back and forth. I have not found anyone in my area that I am compatible with and is determined to write quality bluegrass music. I am not saying there are not great songwriters in my area. Honestly, I get humbled many times when I go to the Songwriters Anonymous meetings and someone performs a song that floors me. I am just not finding anyone that meshes with my style.

I end this blog with a video from my Kitchen Koncert series. The song is “Brown-Eyed Soldier,” co written with my “bluegrass kid sister,” Vickie Vaughn, who is currently the bass player for bluegrass bands Della Mae and High Fidelity. Recorded during the pandemic lockdown, I attempted to give it a Jerry Garcia acoustic feel.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Music Music Programs

CJAM-FM Deserves More Respect

CJAM, the college radio station out of the University of Windsor in Ontario just across the river from Detroit, has been one of my favorite stations ever since its inception in 1983. When other stations in the Detroit area were playing commercial-friendly music, CJAM was playing underground bands that ears like mine were begging for. I learned about so many punk, new wave, and Goth bands from that station. As I got older and tastes changed, CJAM became the only terrestrial radio source for bluegrass music in Detroit with the Sunday morning program “Daybreak in Dixie.”

As the years have gone by, it seems that this little oasis of a radio station has never really had great luck. When it started, CJAM would broadcast at a lowly 50 watts at 91.5 FM. If you had a really good antenna on your home radio, you were lucky to pick it up, dealing with fades and static. To hear it better, you had to get in your car and park somewhere along the Detroit River in a not-so-great neighborhood. In 1995, the station was boosted to 456 watts, so Detroit and immediate suburbs could get the station if the wind was right.

In 2009, the station was granted permission to transfer to 99.1 FM due to a station near Port Huron, MI was also using 91.5 FM. It was hard to pick up on a radio that used digital tuning because of competing Detroit stations at 98.7 FM and 99.5 FM forcing themselves over. Thank God for old analog-tuned radios and sensitive fingertips! Fortunately in 2014, CJAM was permitted to raise its power to 2,084 watts, so it could be heard at least 20 miles away from the riverbank.

Then, a few months ago, I noticed that tuning in the station was difficult again, and there was interference from another station. At first I thought that CJAM was forced to lower its power, but NO! It turns out that there was a new sports-talk station in the Detroit market (isn’t one enough?). “The ROAR” broadcasts on 93.5 FM AND 99.1 FM. The thing is, if you look at the broadcast map of these two stations, the smaller-powered 99.1 FM area is covered by 95% by the more powerful 93.5 FM. Why the complete overlap? Greed, most likely. The other sports-talk station here in Detroit is at 97.1, so while they are competing for that audience, they are stomping out those of us who would rather listen to music, especially styles that we cannot receive from commercial stations.

I never understood having sports-talk radio stations on the FM frequency. Does it really matter what the aural tone of the voice is if it is on AM radio? It’s talk, for God’s sake, not music. By the way, CJAM not only broadcasts underground alternative music, but also classical music and programs highlighting a number of ethnic groups. The local NPR station WDET used to offer a good variety, but as of the last decade or so has become a left-wing news-talk station with some free-form music programming during the weekend afternoons. I stopped donating the that station years ago, but I continue to support CJAM as much as I can.

Terrestrial radio lost a lot of its status and reliable reputation back before the turn of the millennium when they refused to listen to the consumer wants and needs. Satellite radio then became the alternative resource, but that turned lackluster within 10 years as the programming there began to mirror terrestrial commercial radio (I quit my subscription about 5 or 6 years ago). There are the internet radio alternatives like Pandora, but as soon as I learned that they were not paying proper royalties to artists while still broadcasting commercials, I turned my back on them as well.

I was raised on radio. In my pre-teens, I cherished my transistor pocket radio picking up the Top-40 AM stations during the day, like CKLW out of Windsor, then tuning in out-of-state stations at night. The underground and college stations were a must-hear in my teens and young adult days. Even as I have gotten older, the stations playing non-commercial programming like folk, bluegrass, Celtic, and classical music are for what I continually search. CJAM is still an oasis for me, especially “Daybreak in Dixie” as I relax and write on Sunday mornings as well as Saturday evening alternative music. These terrestrial stations keep disappearing, it seems, year by year. I pray that CJAM will be around for many more years. Check out its programming at www.cjam.ca/ .

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Music Musical Instruments

Yes, It Is Time To Sell Some Music Stuff

Yes, I have to face the facts. In my 20s, 30s, and even into my 40s, I was obsessed with making music. Thus, my house was full of musical instruments and recording equipment. At one time, I had about 30 guitars and basses, along with a few mandolins, a banjo, and a dobro. The fiddle came later, after the guitar count went down by way of selling, trading, and theft.

Look, I’m 57 now, a diabetic, overweight, a bit arthritic, and my knees aren’t in the best of shape. I don’t see myself hitting the stage of some dive bar banging my Stratocaster through my Twin Reverb amp playing with others who are in the same questionable shape, to an audience that would rather drink than listen to us. While my listening tastes have not changed much over the past 40 years, my playing tastes have dwindled considerably.

It hit me a few days ago. My blog last week talked about the baritone guitar that I built from an old Fender Squier Telecaster. I pulled the guitar out of the closet and plucked around on it for a few minutes. I realized that I am never going to play it again other than what I was doing then and there. Why should I have this thing gather even more dust when I’m now trying to clean out my house for sale as well as take a load off of my mind?

I looked around the house at other equipment that I have. Lots of vintage recording equipment. I’ll never use it again, as I have no desire to be in a rock band nor record one. Everyone is going digital anyway, and I use a small digital 4-track for my demos. At the time I bought it, the Tascam 238 8-track Syncaset was the go-to recorder for making decent band demos. I also have a Fostex 12-channel mixer and patch cords galore. Maybe someone out the is interested in that vintage stuff.

A couple of amplifiers that I have are worth something. The already-mentioned Fender Twin Reverb from the mid-70s is still sought after by guitar tone freaks, as well as a super-vintage Ampeg V4 head. I got them both at reasonable prices, so I should be able to make some money getting rid of them.

I also have a few old Kustom roll-n-tuck amps and speaker cabinets from the late 60s. I was totally into the Kustom stuff years ago. I sold a few things off, but it’s time to rid myself of the rest.

I’ve been only playing bluegrass these past few years, and even then, mostly songwriting. I ‘ve jammed a few times with others, but I have lost interest in being in an actual bluegrass band. As a songwriter, I am interested in hearing my work performed. However, most bluegrass musicians tend to want to just play the same 20 standard songs.

I have a lot of acoustic instruments, especially guitars. I have bought a few of them to do lutherie work on, and will probably sell them off much later in time. I do want to keep some PA equipment, at least a small set-up and some microphones, just in case I get called to do a sound job or plan to do a show. And I have always been and still am a vintage microphone collector, so the ones that I have will be sticking around for a while.

It will take some time to sort through the stuff, and it will be hard parting with some of it, but it is time for this to happen. I may do a spring garage sale, who knows? I do know that it is a crap shoot running ads on Craigslist. I am currently selling a student violin that I repaired for $70, and one person offered me $20. Heck, I invested more than that in repair parts! I have had some good luck with CL, but also some idiots wasting my time (the same violin, one woman wanted to buy it for her kid, and as I was driving in the snow to meet up with her, she texted me to say she changed her mind).

I’ll have to self-appraise the stuff before I sell it, and that will take time as well. If you do check out the Detroit Craigslist site and see someone selling in the “Dearborn/Hamtramck” area, most likely it is me. Hey, if you are interested, contact me and perhaps we can work something out. I’m actually selling a lot of non-musical stuff as well.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Musical Instruments

Do You REALLY Need a Baritone Guitar?

Maybe it is the algorithms, but this past week when I logged onto YouTube, I was blasted with dozens of videos from the guitar bloggers (including Casino Guitars) about baritone guitars. The good, the bad, the prices, the uses, the history, and more. Why all of a sudden this interest in the baritone guitar, especially the electric ones?

While I don’t follow today’s harder rock music, from what I learned, a lot of these punk, death metal, and other hardcore sounding bands are using the baritone guitar to get that deep grungy sound to go with the bowels-of-hell vocals. Where 7-string electrics were the thing a decade or two ago (with a low B string), these bands want even lower sounds to quake the stage and eardrums.

A little history. The baritone guitar began to gain interest with popular music back in the late 1950s/early 1960s. Danelectro was the main manufacturer. Guitarslinger Duane Eddy used one on a number of his songs, and they were also used in Nashville to copy the bass lines of songs by artists such as Pasty Cline and Jim Reeves (where it was commonly referred to as a “tic-tac” bass).

As for rock music, its use was sporadic to say the least. Two classic rock songs that have a prominent baritone guitar sound are The Beatles’ “Back in the USSR” and Aerosmith’s “Back in the Saddle.” These two songs featured the Fender Bass VI, which was also occasionally used by Cream’s Jack Bruce.

Baritone guitars made a slight comeback in the 1980s with a few of the neo-traditional country artists. A great example is Pete Anderson taking a lead on one with Dwight Yoakam’s “Little Ways.” During this time, Jerry Jones Guitars was producing replicas of the Danelectro baritone guitars, as well as a few original styles. Alt-country bands in the 1990s and 2000s were also implementing the baritone into some of their music, such as Dave Alvin with the reunion of The Knitters.

However, it never achieved a common guitar status. This is probably because of the specifications of the guitar. The neck scale is anywhere form 26 to 30 inches, and the string configuration is usually tuned down a fourth from B-to-B or a fifth from A-to-A. Picking a note on one of these with normal guitar pickups gives a springy, clunky sound that is somewhere between the regular guitar and a bass guitar. It has its unique sound, but playing a chord on one of these sounds horrible (at least to many).

Then we have today, where those metal-style bands WANT that earth-shaking low-end sound of distorted chords from a baritone guitar. To each his/her own, but I value my hearing, as well as my sanity.

This leads to the modern production of baritone guitars. Fender stopped producing the Bass VI years ago, but has now come out with the Squier Paranormal Carbonita Telecaster Baritone Guitar. Other manufacturers include ESP, Jackson, Reverend, and still Danelectro. Other than the Dan-o models, these are definitely geared to that metal crowd. They also range in price from $450 to $2,100 (on the Sweetwater website).
So would you consider paying at least $450 for a guitar that is not much more than a novelty? I guess if you have money to burn, then burn away. However, even when I was playing in roots-rock and alt-country bands 20+ years ago, I can only think of a few times when I wished that I had a baritone guitar. Fortunately for me, I was able to find an alternative.

About 20 or so years ago, Guitar Player put out an issue highlighting baritone guitars. This was about the time Jerry Jones started putting out its Dan-o copies, and they were getting great reviews for a short time. One article in that issue, however, caught my attention. It discussed creating your own baritone guitar from a regular electric guitar.

I went out and bought a cheap used Squier Telecaster, which has a 25.5-inch scale (just an inch or so less than a regular baritone) for about $100, and got to work. Work entailed filing the nut slots a bit as well as filing a little larger string hole at the tailpiece where the low E string resides. I used medium-gauge electric guitar strings but only used the thicker five strings. For the sixth string, I used a D string for a short-scale electric bass (this was why I filed a larger hole in the tailpiece). After re-setting the intonation, I had a decent baritone guitar! The Tele pickups gave it a bit of the old-school Dan-o sound.

I used it on a few recordings for other bands, and a few more people had borrowed it for use on their recordings. Basically, I saved hundreds of dollars. I still have that thing buried in my closet, and I doubt that it will ever be used again except to plunk around with at home.

The thing is, these guitars are not going to be used all of the time. I am not sure that even the metal bands will continue to use them as a rhythm guitar alternative for a long time. As for the original use in country music, they are a once-in-a-while flavor. Even use live with a country or Americana band would mean a one- or two-song change or perhaps a third guitarist (along with the rhythm and lead guitars).

My advice: don’t go out and buy one unless you have the money to spare, or are really serious about using it regularly in the studio or on stage. If you want to try a novel guitar project, convert one like I did for a lot less money.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Bluegrass Music Musicians

Bluegrass Jamming

Another Casino Guitars video, another comment from me.

This time, Baxter and Jonathan discuss ways that musicians can meet other musicians to jam with or form bands. They recommend the usual options, such as guitar stores having a bulletin board, open mics at bars, and searching the internet. They also suggest hitting community colleges that have music programs and talking your friends into learning an instrument.

My one and only gripe about these guys is that they are too electric-centric. They never really look at the acoustic side of guitar music. Within the video, they talk about finding the local blues music society for seeking musicians. Now Casino Guitars is a store located in North Carolina, which is in a region big on bluegrass music. There are loads of festivals in the area, and there is a rich bluegrass history from North Carolina (Earl Scruggs and Doc Watson for starters).

As for bluegrassers, we are a well-informed community regarding musicians. Even up here in Michigan, which is definitely not a hotbed for bluegrass business, there is still enough communication going around to know what is out there. There are three viable bluegrass associations in the southern part of the Lower Peninsula that spread news as well as make available to their memberships scheduled jam sessions.

Best of all, bluegrass festivals are a fantastic resource for musicians looking to play with others, whether it be to just jam or perhaps start a band. This has been going on for decades, and will surely continue now that restrictions from the pandemic are slowly being lifted. Bluegrass festivals are unique regarding these amateur parking lot jam sessions. You never see anything like this at rock, country, or jazz festivals. People go there to listen to the music, period. Bluegrass audiences have a high percentage of people that also play musical instruments. Many show up at the festivals with the only intention of jamming, not really caring if they see a band on stage.

I have mentioned it before, that the professional bluegrass musicians performing on stage also like to walk in the parking lots and jam along with the amateurs. There is a great bond with professional bluegrass artists and their audience members. They all get to know each other personally, and part of that is jamming with one another after shows. That is something you do not see at other music festivals.

A few weeks back, I posted a video of a jam session at the SPBGMA conference that happened in January. This is a great example of what makes bluegrass people unique. Music is in the blood, heart and soul of bluegrassers. At SPBGMA and IBMA conferences, jam sessions happen in every corner of the sponsoring hotel. Rooms are set up just for late-night jamming. Old friends reunite, and new friendships are created continually. I miss the early days of the Americana Music Association’s conferences. There would be a number of jam sessions going on, but that seemed to disappear as the organization grew. Fortunately, jamming is still encouraged at SPBGMA and IBMA.

Jamming has become so much a part of bluegrass that Pete Wernick, whom we all know as Dr. Banjo, created three jamming videos and has established a classroom setting program to instruct people on the principles and etiquette of bluegrass jamming.

So if you are beginning to learn guitar, banjo, mandolin, or violin/fiddle, and want to learn what it is like to be in a ensemble situation, consider bluegrass music. We bluegrassers are a welcoming community. I leave you with a great example of this community feeling. Alan Bibey (mandolinist with Grasstowne) is having a great jam session with some very young pickers.

Chew on it and comment.

Categories
Musical Instruments Musicians

Musicians Gifts from Non-Musicians

Last year, Baxter and Jonathan of Casino Guitars put up a video debating what are good and bad gifts for someone to give a guitar player for Christmas. They were talking accessories, not buying the guitars themselves (who wouldn’t love having a relative or friend buying him/her a Fender Strat or Martin acoustic for a gift?).

Overall, they were comically correct. However, I did disagree with them on one item – the guitar pick maker. They called it the worst gift to give. While it isn’t the greatest musical item to give, it does serve a great purpose. First off, rather than throwing out those expired credit cards and fake ones that companies like Xfinity send through the mail, you can cut the waste in half by making four picks out of a normal-sized credit card. Then you can quickly sand the edges and you have some picks that cost you nothing. The maker will pay for itself after a month or two. Also, if you have some moocher asking you for a guitar pick, you can give him one of the credit-card ones and keep the good ones for yourself.

This leads to a thought that I have had for years. If there is a musician in the family, be it son, daughter, husband, wife or other, and you really care about them as well as know his/her love of music, be a bit more learned about his/her passion. My father (God rest his soul) used to buy me loads of cassettes and CDs from the dollar store because he knew that I loved music. However, there was a reason these albums were at the dollar store – it is crappy music.

Now I admit that if I’m at the dollar store and see a bin full of CDs, I will definitely check it out. I remember snagging a half dozen CDs by NRBQ (one of my favorite all-time bands) and giving them out to people. However, 99.9% of the time, it is music that I have absolutely no interest in.

Now I will only get into stringed instruments here. However, I am sure that keyboard players, woodwind and brass players, and percussionists have similar paths that are followed.

There are some things that stringed musicians always appreciate: strings. Just make sure that you are purchasing strings that the musician can and will use. Don’t buy electric guitar strings for an acoustic guitarist, tenor banjo strings for a five-string banjo player, or electric bass strings for an upright bassist. Even if it is not the exact brand that the musician prefers, he/she will appreciate that you considered the correct instrument.

Picks: These are a lot more personal than even strings. Everyone has seen the bargain ads on Wish and eBay of a box of 1,000 guitar picks for a reasonable price. However, the picks vary in thickness, and unless the musician is one who uses thick picks on guitar, thin picks on mandolin, etc., most of them will never be used. Instead, get to know the particular pick used, and buy a dozen of those instead. Banjo and dobro players are very particular about the finger and thumb picks that they use, so if considering a purchase, really get to know what brand is preferred.

Clip-on tuners: These are a Godsend, especially if you can have one in each instrument case. They are becoming affordable, as low as $10.00, and they are now being made to tune other instruments besides guitar (bass, ukulele, violin) as well as tune chromatically. Also, musicians never fail to lose or misplace them, so having an extra one around is great.

Instructional books/videos: This is a really shaky area for gift giving. If you have a musician who has been playing for a dozen years in a number of bands, you wouldn’t want to give them a copy of Let’s Learn to Play Guitar, Volume 1. However, if the young one has just gotten a guitar as a gift and doesn’t know where to start, that would be the perfect present. This line of accessories has lost a lot of marketability with the rise of YouTube and online lessons, but it is still viable. Here is another area where I am open to if it is a bargain. While I may not pay the full $29.95 for a video on playing heavy metal guitar, I would most likely pick it up if I saw it at a rummage sale or used book store for a dollar or two. My theory on that is, even though I am not into heavy metal guitar playing, I may learn a thing or two about technique that I could translate into my bluegrass guitar playing. Moreover, I can always pass it along to someone that is starting to learn electric guitar.

Guitar polishes and cloths: This is something that a lot of musicians do not consider but truly appreciate if gifted to them. Guitars, basses, mandolins, fiddles, and other stringed instruments get dirty from sweat and hand grime over months of use, and musicians tend to forget that part of maintenance. Besides the body needing cleaning, fretboard and fingerboard cleaners are appreciated. This is an area that one would want to talk to a guitar repairperson or at least do some online research.

Other accessories: Case humidifiers, rosin and shoulder rests (for fiddlers), string winders, musicians tools (like the Roadie Rench), velcro cable ties (found at dollar and discount stores), and even maybe a metronome are bound to be used eventually. If it means sitting down for a few minutes to ask the musician what he/she needs as far as “the little things” and putting it down on a list, the next time there is a gift-giving situation, there will be smiles and not embarrassment.

Chew on it and comment. And pray for the people of Canada.

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