It happens quite often that a customer will come in to the shop telling us that playing guitar hurts their fingers, or with a story of how they tried to learn guitar years ago but it was too hard on their hands. Now, this is true: playing guitar can hurt because your hands and fingers aren't used to contorting into the odd shapes required to form certain chords, and the strings can cause your finger tips to be sore after practicing. This is normal and natural; just keep it up and eventually you're muscles will adapt and you'll form calluses and, before you know it, it won't hurt!
The flip side of that coin is that sometimes the pain is the fault of the instrument. When instruments are not set up properly, the height of the strings can be too high, causing the instrument to be almost unplayable, and your fingers and hands to hurt more than they should. Often a beginner won't be aware that their instrument can be made to play easier and just figure that it's too hard and they give up. A 'Set-Up' is like an oil change and tune up for your car; it's something that every instrument needs from time to time. So if your fingers are hurting, bring your instrument down to us for evaluation. We can help to make sure your instrument is as playable as possible so that it keeps you playing and enjoying every minute of it.
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I've never understood it when musicians smash their instruments on stage. I get that it's part of the show, in the moment, and maybe an expression of passion that can't be contained, but why destroy the outlet for your art? With the recent news of Kurt Russell accidentally smashing a priceless 150 year old Martin guitar on the set of Quentin Tarantino's new movie "Hateful Eight", I thought I'd express my distaste for acts of violence against instruments. Lets get this straight; most of us treat our instruments like children, if we knick it on the edge of the kitchen counter, or it falls from its stand we spiral into a deep depression, or spew streams of four letter words not suitable for mixed company or those with weak hearts. Is it because most of us could never imagine smashing our instruments that doing so is seen as 'punk rock'? Or is it because most of the artists who desecrate their instruments could have them replaced instantly and have no emotional attachment? Whatever the reason, I'm not a fan. Why not donate that perfectly functional instrument to a kid who can't afford it so he can have a shot a being a rock star himself? I guess the answer is 'because it's not cool'. Cool or not I think its a slap in the face to the people that made the instrument, and all the little dreamers that can't afford to have a nice instrument. Kevin is a veteran Sylvan Music employee, with a profound love of usually four stringed instruments like bass and ukulele. He's also an accomplished jaw harpist. You can find him playing shows around town in his folk/rock band Sun Maiden, or his metal band Rat King. If he's not at work he's probably covered in grease working on one of his motorcycles. Let's face it; everyday should be women's day. Where would any of us be without them? They say behind every great man is a great woman rolling her eyes, and today is the day we celebrate those patient, loving, smart, powerful, beautiful women in all of our lives. What better way for a guitar shop to celebrate than with some songs by some fem-nominal female musicians. A long awaited day has arrived with a much needed win for equality. Today the Supreme Court voted to legalize gay marriage nationwide. In honor of this momentous event lets recognize some gay/lesbian musicians of past and present. I'm also going to add this Beatles song because I think it's fitting. Congratulations America, you're heading in the right direction.
I have two passions in my life; Music and Motorcycles. When I'm doing one I'm thinking about the other. If I'm in the garage working on a bike, I've got rock and roll blasting. They go together so well that it seems fitting to make a blog post about music and motorcycles, so here are a few songs that are either about motorcycles or make me think of motorcycles. Enjoy. In the musical world women are not often associated with the double bass or bass guitar. This week I thought I would highlight some amazing female bass players. Tal Wilkenfeld is probably best known for playing with Jeff Beck, but has also shared the stage with other notables like Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Macy Gray, and Toto. With her smooth style and mixture of chording and tasty licks, she left Australia and landed New York at age 18 to make a name for herself. Esperanza Spalding is an Grammy Award winning solo bassist that draws on many different genres for her own compositions. She experimented with many instruments growing up but finally landed on the bass in high school. Not only did she become a phenomenal bassist, she can also sing in 3 languages! Bridget Kearney is the bassist from the up and coming soul quartet Lake Street Dive. Being in a band that doesn't have a full time guitarist makes the bass player work over time to fill in the gaps, but Bridget has no problem picking up the slack, all the while providing back up vocals. I thought I'd attempt to tickle your funny bone this week so here's a list of some good music related jokes. Most of the musicians or instruments in the jokes are interchangeable, so you can change them to rib whichever bandmate shows up late for practice. "Whats the difference between a large pizza and a drummer?" "A large pizza can feed a family of 4" "What did the banjo player get on his exam?" "Drool" "How many bass players does it take to change a lightbulb?" "One Five One Five One Five" "How can you tell if the stage is level?" "The banjo player is drooling out of both sides of his mouth" - A man walks into a music store and says to the clerk, "I'd like to play that big red saxophone". The clerk replies, "You must be a banjo player". The man says " I sure am, how'd you know?" Clerk scoffs, "Because that's a fire extinguisher." "Whats black and blue and lying in a ditch?" "A guitar player that told too many drummer jokes" "How does a lead guitarist change a light bulb?" "He holds it and the world revolves around him" "What is a gentleman?" "Someone who knows how to play mandolin but doesn't" "What does a mandolin player use for birth control?" "His personality" "How can you tell there's a mandolin player at your front door?" "They can't find the key, the knocking speeds up, and he doesn't know when to come in" "Whats the difference between a ukulele and a trampoline?" "You take your shoes off to jump on a trampoline" "Whats the difference between and ukulele and an onion" "Nobody cries when you cut up a ukulele"
In the wake of the recent loss of another music legend, B.B. King, I wanted to talk about the legacy musicians leave behind when they depart this tiny blue marble. When I was younger I used to be confused by the reactions of people to the deaths of famous musicians or actors, not understanding how someone could be so affected by losing someone they didn't know personally, never met in real life. It's always sad when anyone dies, but the reasons we loved them are still around. When a musician dies, his/her music is still around, and an actor still has their movies. We can always revisit and re-live the music that made us fall in love with the musician. In this way the artist never dies, but lives on through the fans that they've moved. Now that I've got a few more years under my belt I realize that we get upset when musicians we like pass on because whether or not we knew them personally, the impact of their music on our lives is very real, and losing them can sometimes be a crushing blow. So go home and put on your favorite album, crack open a cold beverage, and remind yourself why you love music.
I've been asked countless times by prospective customers whether or not a instrument is easy to learn. I know it may seem like a simple straight forward question, but its more difficult to answer than you think. The short answer is no, it isn't easy, otherwise everyone would know how to do it. Regardless of what instrument you decide to play, there is a certain level of commitment that comes with it. Some instruments, like bass guitar and ukulele, have a shallower learning curve to begin with, while guitar requires a little more effort up front. In the end, however, it takes just as much fortitude to be proficient in any instrument, as long as you still have the passion. As much as we would love to have them, no guitar we sell comes with talent. We try our hardest to match you with the right instrument, as to increase the likelihood that you will continue to play it. We also offer lessons from skilled teachers to help you on your journey, but ultimately, whether or not something is easy depends on you.
Kevin is a veteran Sylvan Music employee, with a profound love of usually four stringed instruments like bass and ukulele. He's also an accomplished jaw harpist. You can find him playing shows around town in his folk/rock band Sun Maiden, or his metal band Rat King. If he's not at work he's probably covered in grease working on one of his motorcycles. |