Well dear people it has been a while. So much in my life has gone on . I lost my job teaching and fell into a low spot in my life. But the power of song saved me so to speak. As I told a friend " I wrote a song and now I'm all better" , But it is true. Writing music has been a life saver for me all of my life. It has allowed me to vent my frustrations and respond to the times that we go through. I wrote a good-bye song to the students and staff and it allowed me to tell them how I felt and how important they all are to me in a way that worked for all of us. So pick up a pen or pencil and just write or sing what you feel. It works for me, give it a try.

How many and how old ?

How many guitars do I have and how old is the oldest ? This was a comment question asked by a follower. How many ? well I have more than some collectors and not nearly as many as other collectors. This is not ment to be evasive. I have guitars in several locations and every time that I try to take a count or go to my recorded inventory I either forget to count some in different locations or realize that My inventory list is not up to date with my most recent purchases. The last time that I made a recorded picture inventory list it took all day to photograph, which is why I am now behind in this record. I probably need at least two whole days to do another full picture inventory( maybe more). Stopping and playing each guitar most likely does not help speed this process along. But what fun. The oldest ? That would be the 1928, The Gibson, tenor guitar that is posted on this blog. I do have older mandolins, but we're talking guitars here. That makes this guitar 82 years old. Not bad for guitar that was found in an attic in Vermont. In my next post I will talk about what criteria prompts a purchase for my collection. This is a 1966 Harmony nylon string, model 173 which I restored a few years ago . Not worth a lot of money by vintage standards or desirability, but it is a nice player ( if you play classical) and came out of a barn in central Vermont. The restoration included a neck reset, bridge re-glue and a few loose braces re- glued. The area just below the sound hole is well worn, but I do not believe that it ever had a pick guard as a classical is not suppose to be played with a pick, unless your Willie Nelson. Check out the hole on his classical guitar from years of playing. well that's it for today, but keep your eyes open for treasures that don't shine like gold, that's what makes them so much fun to find.

The Expert

Right out front. I am NOT an expert on guitars, guitar history, playing guitar or any other guitar subject that I write on. Nor do I have much faith in someone who claims to be. To tell me that you are an expert is akin to saying "trust me", not likley. I do reasearch, have multi guitar magazine subscriptions, talk to luthiers, investigate my own guitars in my collection, and absorb any and all guitar related subject matter. I continue to learn constantly, which is why I welcome input from all. We in the guitar world are always learning new facts on makes, models, luthiers, styles and all related subjects. It is a vast world, this guitar planet we orbit and touch down upon. In my opinion it would be pretty boring if new discoveries did not come to light off and on, even on makers that have been well documented . Just like finding a new guitar for my collection, and discovering a sweetness in tone, sustain, woods and construction. This is part of the joy of guitars, no two are the same even if they have consecutive serial numbers. And no matter how much you think you know, there is always something to learn. So, be open , question what you know and be willing to accept input. We might all learn something.

The song

As a song writer I am asked two questions over and over. What type of music/songs do I write and how do I write them or what is the process? After almost 40 years of writing I can finally answer these questions. I think it takes a while of doing music to be able to give a realistic answer to these questions. My music covers a broad spectrum which includes political, protest, gospel, folk, blues, country, bluegrass, ballads, story telling ,children s songs and instrumentals in jazz and blues including mandolin and dulcimer. You notice that I did not say LOVE songs. Didn't Paul McCarthy say something about "just another silly love song" ? But we all know if you play blues or country you write about love, usually lost or wronged or searching. And I do hit on these , but they are not directed at or for anyone. And no, I have not written one for my wife, sorry Dear.
How do I write , what is the process ? This is a little more complicated. I have written a complete song in less than half an hour and some are still not done after 20 years ( I do need to get back to them ). A song can fall out , in the case of a complete song being done never to be revised in minutes. This does not happen often but when it does it consumes me, every thing else is blocked out, nothing exists at that moment, only the song, the feeling, the need to release the emotion and get it down. Of course the right place and time help. Being married with a family, jobs and other commitments factors into it.
What comes first, the chicken or the egg, the words or the music ? They take turns so to speak and the type of song will dictate this. Political songs are almost always a response to a social/ political event, so words usually come first and then I find the music to fit those words. Story telling and ballads tend to work this way also. Blues tend to be music first and as I play words form. This is a great style for improvisation, both words and music. As Lightening Hopkins says " I do what I'm gonna do when I do it".
When the music comes first it is usually the result of just sitting around playing through various styles or genre and hearing a cord or note in a way that I have not heard it before and often the result of a mistake. Mmmm... what can I do with this ? I stretch it, bend it, play it in different positions on the neck, find cords or notes that compliment it and with a little music theory knowledge thrown in a tune emerges. Depending on the style it falls under will influence what type of words I will put to it.
Last but not by any means least is the recording method. I will often go down to the studio and play through my sets of songs switching from acoustic to electric, switching guitars , often pulling out six to a dozen different instruments. When these jam sessions take place I will improvise . When playing the recording back I will find that I have written or begun a new piece. you can play a note on one guitar and it will sound completely different on another guitar. That's why I have so many, Always looking for a different sound or tone. " Variety is the spice of life." So... until my next post, Bend those strings and let'em sing.

O.K. some guitar basics. Standard tuning from low (bass) to high is E A D G B E . Though there are multiple tunings that can be used depending on how you want to use them such as drop D, DADGAD, open G and so forth. Standard tuning is the best place to start for beginners as most cord books work off of this tuning. The use of a capo allows you to play in different keys. This device clamps onto the neck just in front of the fret, any where on the neck. I tend to write a fair amount of my music with a capo on the second fret. This seems to work well for my voice, taking the key from E (standard tuning) up to F# . I have been know to capo as high as the 9th fret getting a more dark sound . I tend to like the darker sound that a guitar is capable of and often work in minors keys for that reason . If using a capo or for that matter if you play the whole neck ( using the full length of the fretboard ) for lead , or often jazz cords it is vital that the intonation of the guitar be as close to perfect as possible. We will touch more on this in future blogs. I also will try to post more photos and diagrams to support my blogs. But for now here is a little eye candy. This is my early 80's red Fender strat. This is one of my favorite and most often players. The neck is like glass and the single coil pick-ups are great for lead guitar. She is a comfortable play and I can use it all night with out getting a back ache, unlike the Tour 24 Washburn. My black one is an early 90's in absolutely mint condition ( not a scratch on it ). But the red one I tend to play much more often so she has a few nicks here and there. Till my next post , keep those strings vibrating !

O.K. Here it the 1928 "The Gibson" tenor guitar.

O.K. the photo did not upload for my previous post. won't up load or even open . sorry. But the heading page features a late 70s Washburn guitar . This is when washburn first dove into the electric guitar market. It's a Tour 24, dual power sustain 2 humbuckers,bolt on rock maple neck, solid ash body, rosewood fretboard, dive bomber tremolo deluxe with string lock, Floyd Rose harmonic lock bridge with fine tuning at string base. This guitar is heavy, but a real blues power house. It is also, in my opinion, a piece of art work.