page contents Google

MUSIC FRIENDS STARTER KIT

August 30, 2021 by

Music friends find each other, but they need to be playing. Otherwise you’d never know if they are musical, or just like talking about it. Yesterday I spent time with one of my music heroes in the studio. I say hero because he can do things that seem impossible, like creating music from scratch, recording […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: , , , , ,

GUITAR GLUT: CRACK THE CODE TO FIND THE SOUND

March 17, 2021 by

The guitar glut includes too many guitars and too many names. I’m looking at you, Fender. How many names can you call the same thing. It seems simple enough. To the uninitiated there are two guitars in the world: big acoustics and smaller electrics with big sound. That’s like saying there are only two metals: […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

EMOTIONAL RESCUE? BUDDY, IT’S JUST A GUITAR

March 16, 2021 by

An emotional rescue always happens at the same time. Guaranteed. First, we go through some things, then some more things. Just to keep it interesting, we go through even more things. Sometimes good, sometimes not so good, sometimes in between. I’m focusing on ‘sometimes in between.’ Why? As a constantly adjusting guy in a constantly […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

GUITAR RELATIONSHIPS? IT’S NOT THAT COMPLICATED

February 18, 2021 by

Guitar relationships are like any other. Some are better than others, and we remember them all. The best part about guitar relationships? They last a lifetime. Can’t say that about every relationship, unless there’s a guitar link. There’s something about music creating the ties that bind. But where does it start? By making something that […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: , , , , , ,

PLAY MUSIC ON THE PORCH DAY HEALTH WARNING

August 29, 2020 by

“Take a stroll and listen to people play music on their porch,” they say. Sounds inviting to me. But what ‘they’ don’t say are the dangers of hearing others play music in such an inviting place as a front porch.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

USEFUL NOISE WHEN SKIP A ROPE IS THE SOUND OF COMFORT

August 28, 2020 by

The sound of useful noise is a comfort. Some find it in a guitar, others in a piano, still more in the song they sing in the shower. No one sings Skip A Rope for comfort. It’s a mean song that’s beginning to sound like a new national anthem. Hit the link to hear it. […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION MEANS KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

August 17, 2019 by

Have you ever tried reaching people, but instead of responding, they lay around like a bunch of logs? Effective communication says there’s two reasons for this: One, they might be logs, and two, you need to work on your presentation. Check carefully to know which is which.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

GUITAR SEARCH NEVER ENDS, BUT IF IT DID …

June 13, 2019 by

Every guitar search starts in the same place: sound. How does it sound the first time played? In different rooms? What’s it sound like when you thump the flat top? What does it feel like in your hands from fret to pick? Look until you can’t look anymore, or just get the same guitar Bruce […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

AXE WORK, PART TWO

April 15, 2019 by

Fair warning on axe work: Be Careful. With one you could get maimed pretty good. Sink a blade into your shin or foot and what do you get? Lots of noise, concern, and a feeling that you shouldn’t be trusted with sharp tools. But that’s not you, right?

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: , , , ,

Willie Nelson Brings More To Portland Than His Band

August 1, 2018 by

The old guitar picker takes the stage tonight at McMenamins Edgefield. Willie Nelson, all eighty five years of himself, takes the stage after opener Allison Krause.   More important, he’s on the cover of AARP magazine. Why is that important? How many public figures don’t want to talk about age? In a youth motivated culture, […]

Filed Under: BOOMER YEARS Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,