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.
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Question: What piece of gear is equally essential to both beginners and pros alike - regardless of what kind of music they are learning and playing? And what could it be that has great computing power yet costs only $20 or so? Answer: It’s the electronic tuner! This key piece of equipment does so much yet costs so little. It makes it possible for players to quickly and accurately tune their instruments. This makes practicing and playing much more enjoyable. The electronic tuner even makes it possible for large groups of musicians to sound in tune. What would a gathering of ukuleles sound like without the inexpensive clip-on tuner? The evolution of the tuner has come a long way. In the 1930’s Conn introduced the first electronic tuner. It worked on an optical/strobe synchronization principle and was very large, heavy and cost hundreds of dollars. Not portable by any stretch of the imagination. Most of today’s clip-on and pedal tuners work on a frequency-counter principle. A microprocessor counts and clocks the incoming signal, analyzes it and translates the data and displays the results as a note. Pretty amazing for as little as twenty dollars! There are also more expensive clip-on tuners that combine microprocessor and strobe tuning technologies. These offer more extensive features such as alternate temperament tunings and drop key settings. Regardless of what music you play or what you play it on, playing in tune makes music more enjoyable for players and listeners alike. David Robin got his start in the 1960's Chicago rock n' roll scene and has built up an impressive, lengthy musical resume in the years since. After all these years, his love of the guitar is as strong as ever. Strings are very important, don't let anybody tell you otherwise. From ukulele to double bass, the kind of string you use is a huge factor in the sound that will come from your instrument. Finding the right gauge (thickness) is the first step in finding your perfect string match. Make sure your instrument is setup properly otherwise you may be dooming yourself from the get go. I always recommend starting with light gauge since that's right in the middle of the gauge spectrum. If you feel like you want a thicker, heavier feel then you can move up to mediums, heavy's, or some kind of hybrid set. If you want a looser, slinkier feel then you can go to a thinner set like custom or extra lights. As with the instruments, there are more string companies now than ever before so, once you've found your gauge, try a different brand of that gauge every time you restring your instrument. Some companies use different mixes of metals in their strings and some have different core tensions so take note of what you like and dislike about each brand and use that as a reference for your next choice.
Until you settle on the perfect brand and gauge, always keep the empty pack of whatever strings your currently using in your case/gigbag so you don't forget what your using. I can't tell you how many times people come in the shop and say "I love the strings on my guitar but I forget what I used. Can you tell me what these are?" Unfortunately most strings look the same so it's very hard to accurately answer this question so the best we can do is measure the thickness and get you something that's the same gauge. As always, consult your friendly guitar store employee to get a good recommendation and to answer any string questions you might have. Burgundy to Beige, Silver to Sunburst; the color of your guitar is more important than you might think. You can't just choose your favorite color, because sometimes that doesn't fit right with that type of guitar. I know that when I purchased my Fender Jazz bass, white was the last color I wanted. Yet somehow it fit and I was in love. With all the color options, as well as an infinite number of other variables, its a wonder any of us every find a guitar we are happy with. Now back to color. Sometimes the color can make you think of a specific company, or even guitar model. I know when I see Tobacco Sunburst I think of Fender. When I see an orange burst or "Fireglo" finish I think of Rickenbacker. When I see a solid orange guitar I think of a Chet Atkins or Brian Setzer model Gretsch. You can even associate color with a musician. Eric Clapton is known for playing "Blackie" his black Fender Stratocaster, Angus Young from AC/DC is known for playing a cherry red Gibson SG, and Eddie Van Halen has is own unique criss cross Jackson Pollock-esque design. The next time you walk in to Sylvan, or any other music store for that matter, take note of the array of body colors, hardware finishes and pickguard colors. You'll realize that when it comes to color combinations, the sky (blue) is the limit. - Kevin 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. |