Musical distancing

With cabin fever setting in, it felt good to go outside today and serenade the neighborhood from our deck.

That's a nice looking 12 string, Tom, along with the blue sky. We've had 3 70? days in a row, now, but tomorrow they're calling for snow. It's been nice to sit on our deck and watch the sky, the sheep, goats and horses our neighbors have, or even just to read and enjoy the outdoors. And it's been great to get out on the bicycle, too.

Do you have your voice back, or were you just doing instrumentals, or...

Thanks Larry, that's the Martin I bought a year or so ago, and is my go-to guitar. Of course, there are genres/songs it shouldn't be played on, but that's a big gray area for me. It's a parallel to my 8-string ukulele.

Do you have your voice back

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Regrettably not. My next vocal therapy session with the folks at UCSF wiil be a tele-health session via Zoom.

I deeply regret selling my Takamine 12 string.  It was a nearly perfect copy of a D-35 12.

As I remember it it was a bit of a pain to put in an alternate tuning and that had something to do with it.

Tom said:

With cabin fever setting in, it felt good to go outside today and serenade the neighborhood from our deck.

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This picture is haunting me. It is telling me I need a 12 string. How do you like your Martin 12 string, Tom?

Tom, you need to change your screen name to "full circle", as in been around the guitar/ukulele loop before   

I love the Martin, although it's not a high end instrument. When I played it against several other brands at Guitar Center (multiple times), I kept coming back to the Martin. I saw a documentary featuring their CEO, and he made a big deal of the fact that you can expect 'Martin quality' and 'the Martin sound' from any of their models, whatever the price and wherever they're made.

The 12S Martin "fills out" the music, just like my 8S Kala uke. When I play a 6S guitar or 4S uke, the music sounds 'empty'.

SeilerBird said:

This picture is haunting me. It is telling me I need a 12 string. How do you like your Martin 12 string, Tom?

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Tom (S), you've heard my Takamine 12 string at Quartzsite, though it was several years ago and not used by the most proficient person in the world, but it sure sounds sweet.

Tom said:

Regrettably not. My next vocal therapy session with the folks at UCSF wiil be a tele-health session via Zoom.

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An interesting video just showed up on my FB feed through Eric Whitacre, an incredible vocal conductor and composer. It doesn?t correct vocal issues, but it has some great things to think about when the physical corrections can be done. Doing things ?right? saves a lot of stress on the voice, and it becomes even more important as age.

https://youtu.be/c9n5SRWpMc8

Thanks for that link. Very interesting, and resonates (no pun) with things I've read, been told, and learned. The beginning of the video is also very relevant (to me) right now.

Tom said:

I saw a documentary featuring their CEO, and he made a big deal of the fact that you can expect 'Martin quality' and 'the Martin sound' from any of their models, whatever the price and wherever they're made.

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That makes me want to ask the guy what exactly is the point of buying one of their expensive guitars if the cheap ones are identical.

[quote author=SeilerBird]That makes me want to ask the guy what exactly is the point of buying one of their expensive guitars if the cheap ones are identical.[/quote]
He didn't say they were "identical", but feel free to give him a call and let me know how he responds.

I see that you use an iPad for a songbook.  It's the best invention ever for this, and SO much easier and more convenient than the old three-ring binder.

Last year, I picked up something that makes it even better.  A bluetooth page turner!  I have the one from Stomp, and I LOVE it!  https://www.codamusictech.com/products/bluetooth-page-turner-music-pedal-for-tablets

Makes it SO easy, and took around 15 seconds to get it connected and working perfectly.  No more struggling to find just right scroll timing or trying to use your elbow to scroll down.  When you reach the bottom of the song, another click (step?) goes to the next tune in your playlist.  It quickly became my favorite accessory, after the iPad itself.  If you haven't seen one, I highly recommend giving it a try.

While I'm at it, does anyone else use a folding instrument stand?  After a VERY unfortunate accident involving the Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly of the headstock on my previous guitar while on vacation, I went looking for a lightweight, packable but still secure stand.  I found this one https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XPFJ89J/ref=cm_sw_r_em_tai_c_9iwZEbM42F2H0

It's great!  Very secure and stable, even moreso than I thought it would be.  Folds up quite small, and fits in the pocket of my gig bag.  Only costs around $16.  I got two, with one staying in the RV.  I like it very much.  A few photos are attached.

Thanks for posting that link.

[quote author=FunSteak]I see that you use an iPad for a songbook.[/quote]
Actually, I don't own an iPad, but have 3 Samsung Android tablets. I have a lot of my music online, and use one of the tablets to view my lead sheets, and a second tablet to view chord charts (for the fingering of chords I don't remember). 

... more convenient than the old three-ring binder.

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Actually, at band practice and in our performances, I can't use a tablet (or iPad), although a number of folks in our band do. The tablet screen is too small (some folks use larger screens), and the issue you correctly highlighted of not being able to easily turn pages. I have the added issue that I have "very greasy skin", which means the screen of a tablet/iPad.smartphone doesn't respond well to my touches or swipes. My solution was to buy a small bluetooth mouse, but of course this is tough to use in the middle of a performance. So the Stomp box offers a solution, although it's a little pricey.

One thing I wonder about is stability on the floor. Some years ago I hooked up with several uke bands in Southern California, and one of the 'leaders' used a foot pedal to control a drum backing. He'd get so frustrated with it moving &/or not responding to his foot, and he'd kick it across the room in frustration.

I have a number of those small folding stands, a couple of different brands. I've used them as uke stands, but gave up. based on my experience, and watching several band members who use  them, I wouldn't trust any of my guitars or banjos to them. But, whatever turns you on (or floats your boat).

Tom said:

Thanks for posting that link.
Actually, I don't own an iPad, but have 3 Samsung Android tablets. I have a lot of my music online, and use one of the tablets to view my lead sheets, and a second tablet to view chord charts (for the fingering of chords I don't remember). 

 

Actually, at band practice and in our performances, I can't use a tablet (or iPad), although a number of folks in our band do. The tablet screen is too small (some folks use larger screens), and the issue you correctly highlighted of not being able to easily turn pages. I have the added issue that I have "very greasy skin", which means the screen of a tablet/iPad.smartphone doesn't respond well to my touches or swipes. My solution was to buy a small bluetooth mouse, but of course this is tough to use in the middle of a performance. So the Stomp box offers a solution, although it's a little pricey.

One thing I wonder about is stability on the floor. Some years ago I hooked up with several uke bands in Southern California, and one of the 'leaders' used a foot pedal to control a drum backing. He'd get so frustrated with it moving &/or not responding to his foot, and he'd kick it across the room in frustration.

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I believe the Stomp works with any OS.  I use Chordpro Songbook, and it works perfectly.  There is a reasonable "click" (but not loud) so it's pretty easy to feel whether you hit the button correctly.  Plus, on the occasion I have other musicians using the same app, we can link the scrolling so if you move the view, everyone else's tablet follows.  Now THAT is pretty cool. 

Regarding stability, I only wish I had skills enough to play out and really give it a hot supper.    That said, it seems very stable.  It's got some weight to it, and feels just like a good effects pedal.  Somewhat chunky rubber feet keep it firmly in place in my experience so far.  It costs a few bucks because they made it just as robust as other gig pedals, which take quite a beating. 

If you were to "miss" it and not advance the page, no biggie.  It leaves the last few lines of the previous page visible after scrolling, so I usually hit it about two lines before the end of the page.  That helps me not to get lost and also gives an extra few seconds for another click if needed.  This is rare, though.

Yeah, it seems a bit cashy at first glance, but IMO it's well worth it and solves some tough problems.  There are cheaper ones out there, but they are plastic, lighter weight and don't seem nearly as tough.  Whichever one you choose, it's just a dandy accessory that certainly makes life easier. 

Side Note:  My lovely wife got me a very nice Cordoba Uke for xmas last year.  It's fun!  Really makes me wish I'd learned to play guitar properly, with correct fundamentals.  Self teaching a bunch of terrible habits hasn't done me many favors...

Thanks for the explanations.

While I'm at it, does anyone else use a folding instrument stand?

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I use a Jam Stand (that's the brand name) as a portable stand for use on the road. I use more conventional ones at home, though.