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Man, you know what really grinds my gears? Merriam Webster's definition for harmony: "the combination of different musical notes played or sung at the same time to produce a pleasing sound" First half we're doin' alright, different notes, same time. Yes, I am on board. However, I take issue with the concept of "pleasure" being included in this definition. I very specifically enjoy harmony others (of perhaps less refined palettes) might find displeasing. Maybe it makes them cringe in their seat a little, maybe there isn't that safe cadential figure leading back to "one." Guess what friends, there is no "one." Western music theory and harmony, and everything we listen to in this tradition, while a very neat and impressive collection of rules and ideas concerning organization of sound, is totally arbitrary. One may contend that the overtones in the harmonic series (those perfect 5ths and 3rds) are why we hear certain combinations of notes and sounds and we be like, "oh hey that sounds nice, what sweet pleasing sound." But naw dawg! The early Christian church (from which pretty much all contemporary music theory is derived) just had to control everything and codify things into rules, because God loves rules. So that really "dissonant" harmony, the one where there's two notes separated by six semitones, we're gonna call that "diabolus in musica," and you are NOT allowed to play it because it is so ugly and gross. Well, fortunately musicians quickly determined that the church was a goofball, and the "tension" present in this harmony (commonly referred to as the tritone) was resolvable, and as such could reflect the ebb and flow of life, like an exhale after holding your breath for too long, it could become something expressive. And it's true, to the Western ear, hearing an F against a B resolve into a C and E, sounds pretty satisfying, but also... saccharine. Why does that tritone have to resolve? Why can't it just hang out there and sound nice, be fine on its own, I think it sounds nice. Here are some of my favorite pieces of music that dare to subvert these Western traditions, as well as some resources if you're curious about some of the subjects mentioned: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overtone http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritone http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atonality Schoenberg was a German composer from the Late Romantic period and began composing in that tradition before switching gears entirely, and inventing his own serialized approach to harmony organization. This piece predates his more organized 12-tone serialism, but it does a pretty beautiful job of ignoring a tonal center while remaining particularly Romantic in its expressivity and dynamics. Portal is a death metal band hailing from Australia. While this piece of music has trace elements of tonality, particularly around a minute and a half in, there is a very purveying sense of dissonance and atonality. The deliberateness in which they do not pander to Western tonality I find both hauntingly beautiful and terrifying. Also the video. Honestly I should've put this first. Ornette Coleman, and all pioneering Jazz musicians, were immediately pushing harmonic boundaries (all boundaries for that matter). This is an example of "free jazz," a musical movement with which Coleman was strongly associated. I will not begin to try to explain "free jazz" beyond mentioning that it is rooted far more in independent improvisatory melodic lines, but the resulting harmonies as we can hear in this piece are supreme. That poor lonely woman tho :( 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. 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. Today I would like to talk about EQ and specifically how it relates to acoustic guitar amplification. I should note that these are solely opinions that I have gathered through my own personal experience and the various research I have done on this topic. Let's take a given range of frequencies produced by, say, an acoustic guitar--the way that our ears naturally interpret those frequencies offers us some clues as to how we might make EQ adjustments on our amp or preamp box. The frequencies that our ears are most attuned to exist in the midrange. Thus, when we plug our acoustic guitar into an amp or PA system (with the system's EQ set to flat), typically a cut (or decrease) somewhere in the range of 200hz-1500khz will yield a more natural and balanced response. Of course there are other factors to consider when tampering with your EQ--at what volume are you playing? Are you a singer songwriter, or are you playing in a group/ensemble? (More on this in my next post!)--however, I have found through personal experience that most acoustic guitars have what I might call a "naughty zone" in the middle frequency range (more often than not in the high-mids) that can be managed adequately with a bit of tone shaping. Try sitting down with your Fishman Loudbox amp or LR Baggs DI sometime and listening carefully to what those little EQ dials do. They were put there for a reason, so why not use them? -McCoy McCoy Tyler is a salesman at Sylvan Music with an aptitude towards acoustic guitars, amps, and pickup systems. When he's not spouting musical knowledge on the sales floor, he can be found doing some hot picking and sweet singing with his group The McCoy Tyler Band. 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. I'm building my version of a Jumbo Acoustic guitar and in the last week, I built this jig to perform the operation of routing out the end strip channel on the guitar. It's made of a plexiglass base, two oak clamping rails, two 1/4" all thread metal struts , and 4 screws to hold the plexiglass base in position.
Just a little reminder about basic instrument treatment. We're coming up on the warmer months, and the glue that holds most instruments together is usually heat soluble. This means that if you leave your instrument in a hot car for a while, you'll probably be bringing it in to us for some sort of repair. So even though we'd love to see you, please don't leave your instruments in your car on hot days. It's probably not a good idea to leave your instrument in your car ever. - Alan Alan is the newest kid on the block, but a welcomed addition to the Sylvan family. You can find him in the repair shop working on a variety of stringed instruments that need some TLC. If you have any questions or concerns about your instruments call or just come on down and Alan will be more than happy to assist you. 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. Choosing the right acoustic guitar shouldn't be difficult, even if you’re new to the world of guitars. There’s just a few things to consider that will help you select the perfect instrument. First and foremost: nylon or steel strings? The type of music you want to learn and play makes a difference. Nylon string guitars are generally used for classical, flamenco and sometimes folk music. They are not as loud as steel string acoustics and they are almost always played with the fingers rather than with a pick. They produce a wonderful warm and intimate sound. In recent years the sound qualities of the classical guitar have been finding their way into pop and jazz as well. This has given rise to a newer kind of classical guitar called a “hybrid” or “crossover” guitar. This instrument features electronics, nylon strings and a neck and fingerboard that more closely resembles that of a steel string guitar. Acoustic guitars - also referred to as “steel string” guitars - are louder, brighter and are great for strumming, picking, playing in a group and accompanying singing. Remember, you can’t put steel strings on a nylon string guitar and, though you can put nylon strings on an acoustic guitar, the resulting sound will be undesirable. Different acoustic guitar body styles and shapes produce different kinds of sounds. One of the most popular steel string guitar styles is the large dreadnaught size. It produces a rich, loud, full-bodied voice that favors the lower end (bass) frequencies. Another popular size is the OM which stands for “orchestra model.” This style features a smaller body that for some players can be more comfortable to hold than larger sizes. The OM produces a more refined, balanced tone and is not as loud as the dreadnaught. Some beginners are attracted to nylon string guitars because the strings are softer than metal and they’re concerned about sore fingertips. This shouldn’t be a consideration since a properly set up (adjusted) steel string guitar will be just about as easy to play, and callused fingertips are an asset to every guitarist. In addition, nylon string guitars usually have a wider fingerboard that may be challenging for some players. Finally, talk to the folks at your local music shop. They can answer all your questions and help guide you to the perfect instrument. -David 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. |