This week there is 1 student in the Student Spotlight, the Question of the Week is from my student, Bridget, who wants to know if I've ever heard......, News is about the affordable, parlor sized Jim Dandy guitars in Gretsch's Roots line (the blue one looks like spring, to me) and Take Note is that you can win a PRS SE Orianthi. So cool!
Intro
So how was your week? Man, I was bludgeoned over my “playing favorites” when I mentioned Brownie last week. I know there are 2 other Clapton Crossroads Limiteds so I’ll mention them now and hope to redeem myself.
"Lucy," a 1957 Les Paul. was purchased by Clapton in NY in the 60’s even though he already had Les Paul at home. Clapton thinks he preferred the neck of the ’60 that he had, to the ’57 and at a point in time, he gave it to George Harrison, who played it extensively over the last years of the Beatles. Clapton did play it in the solo of the Beatles’ While My Guitar Gently Weeps. In ’73, the guitar was loaned back to him, to inspire him and get him out of a serious life decline. He wasn’t’ playing or doing much of anything. Some time later, Clapton returned it to George Harrison. After having been recovered from a robbery attempt, Lucy has remained in the possession of the Harrison Estate ever since.
Clapton gives glowing praise to the craftsmanship of the Gibson Custom Shop on the new Lucy re-creation, right down to the nuances of the sanded neck profile, the off-set seam on the top and the screw holes from its previous Bigsby vibrato. Admiring the work of the Gibson luthiers at his office in Chelsea, Clapton adds, "I'd like to say that this is a fantastic repro. It's spot on. It's a great guitar to play." There will be only 100 of these offered worldwide - the same goes for Brownie. Their MSRP is $14,999. I have no idea what "street" will be.
Then, there's the Martin, "Martin." Drawing from the legendary acoustics of Clapton's present and past (including the famed 000-42 on which he did his Grammy Award-winning work on Unplugged), Martin has created three exquisite models for the Eric Clapton Crossroads Collection, built to the master's own specifications: the 000-28EC "Crossroads" Madagascar Rosewood and the more ornate 000-45EC "Crossroads" Madagascar Rosewood and 000-45EC Brazilian Rosewood models, all of which have been hand-signed by Slowhand himself on the sound hole label.
According to Eric Clapton, "And it's always been - I hate to say it - but it's been my experience that the proper guitars, and therefore the most expensive guitars, are always going to be the easiest ones to play. Because they're just made for playing. The motive behind the making of the guitar is 100% right. [These Crossroads guitars] are great. They're beautiful. They're perfect-absolutely perfect. Fantastic figuring, colors are great, the top wood is beautiful and the grain on the backs is fantastic. And they are unique to one another. The '28 has got a rounder bottom, but the '45 is bright and a bit louder.
There will be 150 guitars in this limited edition. MSRP is about $6,000. Again, I have no idea what "street" may be, or if there will even be a "street" price.
We’re in recovery day 138 after Super Storm Sandy as I record. This week we had tree service personnel around the building for several days, cutting up the dozens of fallen old growth trees that were laying where they fell all those weeks ago. I can’t help thinking about all the returning birds, and how many of them won’t find their nests from last year. Then, if I take it one step further, I think of the still displaced shore residents who are coping with their day to day lives in circumstances they didn’t choose and that were beyond their control. Thanks for anything you have done or are doing. If you’d like to contribute to the Sandy NJ Relief Fund, know that the funds are getting out to the long term recovery committees that meet the application criteria. Thank you to everyone who has, does or will help with this most challenging task, to put masses of people’s lives back together and to re-create revenue producing businesses up and down the shoreline of NJ.
The DRs are leering at me from that console table. My arm is still hot and welted from that shot. I’m apparently among the 1 in 400 that gets the reaction I’m having to the tetanus/pertussis injection. I’m glad you don’t have to get it frequently. At night it gets itchy but it hurts too much to scratch. So, I’m playing on a few guitars with dead strings. Soon and very soon.
The countdown to Crossroads Guitar Festival NY is 26 days from my recording date. Likewise for the first of the 2 Coachella weekends and 33 for the second weekend, Anya. I hope you’re going this year.
By the end of June, the Les Paul in Mahwah: a Tribute exhibit will end in its current form. You shouldn't miss it if you will be anywhere in the NY metro area for recreation or business. Hours are 1 - 5 Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.
Lou Pallo, the Les Paul Trio and several jazz luminaries have created a terrific homage to the genius guitar player and inventor. Check out, Thank You, Les.
Student Spotlight
In the warm glow of the Student Spotlight is Arno. He did great work on something he’s been intent on conquering and he has. Excellent, man. The discipline to charge headlong into the things that are bothersome and holding back your progress is the mark of dedication. It's the least appealing thing but the most necessary. Kudos to you.
I was with my student, Bridget, who is playing far less than a year, but she’s playing so enthusiastically and she love love loves her guitar, and she relishes every achievement. She slogged through her first nasty bar chords and now, she nails them. It’s a beautiful thing to watch a young player bloom.
Anyway, she mentioned her music class and she asked so sincerely and inquisitively, “Have you ever heard the Star Spangled Banner on guitar?” to which I replied in the affirmative - not knowing where she was going with it. She then said, “My music teacher played us the Star Spangled Banner by some guitar player, and it was really awful.” I asked her, “Was the guitarist Jimi Hendrix?” and she said, “Yes! You’ve heard of him?!” She was genuinely surprised - almost shocked.
It was strange but it was so funny too. Bridget is the 3rd of 4 kids in a home where the parents’ music tends more along the lines of The Eagles than Hendrix. I told Bridget how funny it was to me that she’d never heard of Jimi Hendrix because often when I have my student play the Star Spangled Banner by ear, they timidly ask if they can play it straight and not like Jimi. Her eyes opened wide in disbelief. She told me that no one in her class liked that version. I have an idea that it wasn’t all the distortion, although that may have played a part. Rather, I think it’s that most of what the genres she and her friends listen to don’t have much in the way of melody. The vocal lines are often extremely uninteresting and musically a bore, with a series of 5 or 6 syllables having the same droning note. I know she likes the music she likes, mainly for the what they lyrics are - and that’s great. Clearly, it would lean her ear away from an rendition of the Star Spangled Banner as performed at Woodstock.
Oh, that was the other thing. She wondered if I had ever heard of that concert, where was it? Maybe Rhode Island or New Hampshire? I asked if it was Woodstock. Again, she was flabbergasted that I had a clue. Maybe even more than a clue. Her naivety was actually rather precious. I was smiling for the rest of that day, just thinking about it.
News
This week the news is about Gretsch's Jim Dandy flat tops from their Roots Collection.
Crackerjack quality at a sober price! Faithful to the Gretsch "Rex" parlor guitars of the 1930s, '40s and '50s, the all-new G9510 Jim Dandy Flat Top parlor-style model embodies everything that was great about everyone's first guitar. Everything and then some, that is, because the G9510 is crafted with select guitar woods and is fully lined and braced for warm and pleasing tone, with a 24" scale for endless hours of playing comfort.
You know how fixated I am on one's guitar actually fitting them. Well, smaller guys and petite chicks, this is a fine little blast from the past. Not only is a very vintage-looking guitar, but its MSRP is only $239, so it will make a fine entry level guitar for a beginner who needs a smaller profile guitar. I would guess that "street" will come in at about $199, but I don't have anything to back up my assumption. I think it's cute, retro, vintage and considering Gretsch quality, I will play one as soon as I can, and if the action is acceptable, I'll be recommending them for small players on a budget.
Take Note
My take note topic this week is that you can win a PRS SE Orianthi guitar! This is excellent!!
To celebrate the release of Orianthi’s new solo album, Heaven In This Hell, PRS Guitars and Guitar World have teamed up with the guitarist and Robo Records to give fans the opportunity to win a PRS SE Orianthi guitar.
Don't know who or what Orianthi is? She's a 24 year old Australian phenom, with a very bright future and plenty of notches on her playing belt. She has opened for Steve Vai, traded solos with Carlos Santana, opened for Carrie Underwood and she was offered a spot in Michael Jackson's band, She worked with the pop legend, even though the tour in which she was scheduled to play never took place. She came to worldwide notoriety after her appearance on the 2009 Grammy Awards show.
She's a powerful guitarist, it the fashion of Joan Jett. Her riffs are powerful and she shreds with ease, grace and intentionality - when you listen to her, she's not just trying to impress you her dazzling speed - she has something to say and makes it clear. She's a guitarist with fabulous talent and an attitude that exudes confidence way beyond her years. She doesn't "play like a girl," and I love it.
The SE Orianthi model features a beveled maple top, korina back, 25”, 24-fret scale length Wide Thin neck with ebony fretboard, PRS bird inlays, a PRS-designed tremolo, and a push/pull tone control with three-way blade switch. You know I'm really fond of PRS guitars. They are probably my favorite electric guitars. PRS has NEVER made a bad guitar, so if you're looking for something with power and style, and you aren't the winner of this beautiful guitar, you just might want to purchase one.
10 runners-up will receive an autographed copy of her new album, Heaven In This Hell, a voodoo rock inspired album produced by Dave Stewart of Eurythmics.
Outro
So sorry for discriminating against (not) the other 2 Clapton Crossroads Collection guitars. Man, I didn’t mean to get any of my listeners so inflamed! But I like passion. Check out Lucy and Martin quickly if you’re in the market. There will be 100 Brownies and Lucys and 150 Martins, WORLDWIDE. I think they’re going to go quickly. If you’re interested, you better move on it
I’m hoping to have happy pink DRs on my one of my axes by Episode 100.
Gretsch’s Jim Dandy parlor size models are just right if you like a parlor sound or you’re a smaller person and want a guitar that fits you. They’re pretty, too.
You can win a gorgeous PRS SE Orianthi guitar. It doesn’t guarantee you her titanic talent or success, but it will be a beauty to play. Paul Reed Smith hasn’t EVER made a bad guitar.
If you’d like to further assist SuperStorm Sandy victims, Sandy NJ Relief Fund will put 100% of your contribution to excellent use. The recovery here is going to take years.
Don’t forget the Les Paul in Mahwah exhibit at the Mahwah Museum in Mahwah, NJ which is open Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, and the marvelous tribute to Les Paul by Lou Pallo, the trio and other musical friends, called Thank You, Les. If you’ll be in the NY metro area over the Easter/Passover weeks, check with the Museum. I can’t find anything posted yet but last year I think they might have been closed on Easter Sunday, which, this year, is March 31st. If you are thinking about going on that day, I’d recommend calling to be sure they will be receiving visitors.
You can follow me on Twitter, where I'm GuitarTechnique. I'm not a tweeting maniac.
Over the coming 2 weeks I have some medical things to take care of and there are serious holidays, so rather than trying to scramble for time to do a show - and not just any show, the 100th episode of this podcast, I’m going to skip the next 2 weeks. I hope to have episode 100 recorded and live on the net and in iTunes by around the 7th of April. I appreciate your forbearance with this. I’m still in the process of ironing out the show notes subscriptions, too. I’ll sort it out eventually.
I’ll keep you appraised of my progress making the switch from the podcast page on the web site. I’ll be doing a little more site overhauling, too.
If you’re not comfortable, your guitar isn’t either, so don’t leave your guitar in a cold car or basement, or a hot car or attic. Humidify if your guitar lives in an environment in which there is less than 40% humidity.
Raptor Picks USA
Once in a great while, something comes along that's literally revolutionary. The Raptor™ R Series guitar pick is just such a creation. It affords its user a sublime quartet of sounds which can be summoned with a mere rotation of the brilliantly designed Raptor™ pick. Not only is it a beautifully executed, ingenious idea, but the first experience of playing with it is almost impossible to describe because it’s so different from anything you’ve ever employed.
Get past the unusual feel of the Raptor™ guitar pick and the door to faster, cleaner and more creative playing swings wide open. Your grip will be sure. Your attack will be silent. Your projection will be enhanced. Add to that the technology that enables the pick to glide over your strings, rather than bluntly striking them and the genuine Raptor™ “R” Series pick stands alone as an asset to every guitarist who uses one.
Whether you are a beginner guitarist, a gigging professional or at any level in between, a genuine Raptor™ guitar pick will catapult your playing forward. Visit RaptorPicksUSA.Com to order yours today.
No comments:
Post a Comment