Garfield Park Disc Golf Course Review: Grand Rapid's First Disc Golf Course

Garfield Park in Grand Rapids is the oldest disc golf course in the area, dating back to 1977. The course was brought to mind again recently when I read an article about baskets finally being installed as well as a possible redesign of the layout. When we played there last summer, we played the original 70s layout. It was a course that we had both been wanting to try out for some time. With short tee to hole distances and wooden pole holes (rather than chain baskets) the place didn't sound like much, but was actually a very well designed and fun to play course.

The shorter than normal tee to hole distances (most being between 160 to 300 feet) made this a perfect course on which to play my favorite kind of disc golf: vintage style, with only a 1970s 141g Whamo frisbee. The disc ended up being a a perfect choice, as I came out ahead of my friend who brought his full bag of modern discs. Though the holes were generally short on distance, they required a variety of technical shots to get around trees and other obstacles to make it to the hole. Hole 2, for example, required a mandatory shot around a public restroom, which was actually quite fun! Each hole had its own shot requirements to end up under par, demonstrating to me that some thought and care went into the design of this course.

A 1970s Wham-o 141g Frisbee, like the one I played Garfield Park with.

The course played around the perimeter of the park and generally avoided getting in the way of other people and other activities. I'm sure this is still the case. The tee signs and poles were maintained, and all but one of the pole holes was easy to find. In that one case, the pole (14 or 15 I believe) had been moved about 30 feet to the left of its original location, but the tee sign did not reflect the change. The only other issue we ran into was that some of the holes require you to tee off from the sidewalk or driveways, which makes things a little ambiguous having no defined tee pad.

If you are in the area looking for a nice place for a quick putter round or a course that is ideal for Superclass and/or vintage style disc golf, try Garfield Park. I doubt the new layout is significantly different from the old one, especially given the limited space, but finally having baskets is a great addition to the course. It does not offer the huge distance holes many disc golfers are addicted to, but the variety of technical shots involved here make this course extremely fun and worth the visit. I know I will be back to try it out with baskets!

Putting Together A Vintage Stereo System Part 2: The Amplifier

When I began assembling my vintage stereo system, deciding on an integrated amplifier or receiver was much more difficult than deciding on the turntable. When it came down to deciding on a turntable, I knew what I wanted. The amplifier was another matter altogether. It took some time for me to find out what would work best, but I'm glad I spent the time making the decision, as the amplifier is possibly the most important component in a system.

As usual, I did quite a bit of research to find out what others paired their AR-XA turntables with. One amp that was consistently matched with the AR-XA was the Marantz 1060. By this time I was already thinking that a classic silver-face Marantz amp or receiver of one kind or another would be what I'd ultimately get, and after being indecisive between getting a receiver (an amp with a tuner built in) or just an integrated amplifier, I decided on the 1060. I really don't ever listen to the radio anyway, so eliminating any extra bells and whistles would help focus on what mattered- the sound.

And what a great amp it is! There is a warmth, richness, and clarity to be found in the old Marantz that I've never heard in any modern day amplifiers. The combination of this and my AR-XA is perfect. The sound of these two combined is hard to describe, but I would call it both "old school" yet liquid sounding. The 1060 cranks on classic rock yet can get oh so smooth on jazz ballads or classical music. Some amps were known for being only good for this or that type of music, but the Marantz really does it all, and does it very well. It truly has great tone and volume to spare.

My Marantz 1060

The 1060 is rock solidly built and has just the right amount of controls on the front. There are also plenty of inputs on the back to hook up almost any audio source that uses RCA cables. Though I am a firm believer in never using EQ, the amp does have very usable tone controls, and also has a classic feature not found on modern amps- a "loudness" button. These buttons send the signal through a circuit that boost highs and lows so that listening at low volume levels will supposedly sound more similar to listening at more normal volume levels. All I really use on the amp is the on/off button, input selector, and the volume knob! Everything else is left alone, as it should be, in my opinion.

The only downside to owning an amp this old is that sooner or later you will need to get the electronics refurbished or replaced. My Marantz is starting to show some signs of needing a complete capacitor overhaul, but this kind of thing comes with the territory of owning an amplifier that was made in the very early 1970s. The cost to have a shop do this can be from $75 to around $200, but after the work is done there should be no further need for servicing for the rest of your ownership of the amp.

The Marantz 1060 is a fantastic integrated amplifier that is still relatively affordable. The sound of the amp and its synergy with the other classic components in my system- an AR-XA turntable and Dynaco A25 speakers- make this a perfect amp for my needs. Though all of these amps will need some service work at some point, I'd still highly recommend one to anyone looking for that classic 70s sound. I agree very much with others that most of the best stereo components were made during that era, and the Marantz is a perfect example.

Disc Golf And Guitar

With late summer upon us once again, one of the things on my mind right now is how to get out and disc golf as much as I can before the inevitable winter closes in. Not only do I want to get in as many rounds as possible, but I also want to really put in the practice that will help me get up to a playing level I can be comfortable with. All this thinking about practicing disc golf has also led me to think about just how similar practicing and playing jazz guitar is to disc golf. From mastering fundamental techniques to performing under pressure, there really is a lot in common between these two seemingly very different activities! I thought I'd share some of these observations with you all.

Fundamentals

It all starts here. I remember thinking that disc golf had to be easy enough; its nothing more than throwing a Frisbee at a basket. How wrong I was! I soon realized that, just like playing guitar on a decent level, to compete well with others, disc golf needs to be practiced from the ground up. Whereas on the guitar I'll practice things like chords, triads, arpeggios, and scales, with disc golf my fundamentals routine consists of the basic types of shots: putting, approach shots, and different types of drives. This is the kind of stuff that I return to day after day. The old cliche about laying a solid foundation couldn't be more correct.

Situational Practice

I first came up with this term when I really got interested in disc golf. Basically, it means taking my discs out and creating little situations that I may encounter on a round. For example, I often go to a wooded are of a park and practice throwing different shots around certain trees or other obstacles. Or I might spend some time throwing a tomahawk type shot over an obstacle. What I'm trying to do here is get as much experience with the possibilities of playing around that I can. You are always going to end up with some terrible shots that land in the worst possible area for a decent throw. This is where you learn to deal with that situation among many others. On the jazz guitar, this is the equivalent of playing over certain chords or chord progressions so that you have material at your disposal to use whenever you need it. Its a matter of becoming familiar with the possibilities so that the possibilities don't become overwhelming when they come up in a round or performance.

Courses and Tunes

This analogy is very appropriate for a comparison between golf and guitar. Unlike most sports, where the playing area is generally consistent, golf presents players with the challenge of vastly differing holes and courses. Though they can be very different, each course also will have many things in common with other courses you've played, such as dogleg holes and certain obstacles. This is also true with tunes we play on the guitar (or any instrument for that matter). Each one is unique, but each also shares many similarities with others, such as specific types of chord progressions that recur quite often. This is where that "situational" practice really comes into play for both things.

Tournaments and Performances

Here is where all that work has to come together. We do all that practice so that the pressure of performance doesn't cause us to fail. For my case in disc golf, this doesn't mean tournaments at the moment, but rounds with friends. Similarly, with guitar this could mean a full on performance in front of an audience nor just performing a tune or two for a friend or loved one. In either case, the hard work has been done so we can let go and just plain do. And that's just what we have to let happen.


This kind of thing can also be practiced. With my guitar playing, I'll often record audio or a video to check my progress on a tune. It's a powerful practice tool. When that little record light is on, so is the pressure to perform. I know something is not really ready until I can produce a decent recording of it played all the way through. On the disc golf course, things are not as easy. What I try to do in that case is imagine I am in a round or tournament and block everything except my next shot out of my mind. Focusing only on the shot at hand seems to work quite well both as a practice tool as well as during actual rounds.

As you can see, disc golf and guitar playing have quite a bit in common! I think its safe to say that many things we desire to get better at also share many similarities. We can't just buy a guitar or walk onto a golf course for the first time and expect to be any good. Likewise, you aren't going to get into a good career just thinking about it! Its all in how and what we practice and work on to improve ourselves as we move toward our goals. In the end, to use another old cliche, you will reap what you sow.

Unusual Instruments #2: The Hohner Pianet T

Back when I was just getting serious as a piano player, one of the things I desperately wanted was a real deal electric piano. I wanted to hear that rich, sweet, metallic ring emanating from my amplifier as I played those incredible chord voicings I loved so much from Steely Dan tunes like "Peg," "Josie," "Time Out Of Mind," and many others. Being that I was (and still am) such a stickler for doing things the authentic, old fashioned analog way, an electronic Casio piano was not going to do it for me. But what to do? I didn't have the coin for a Fender Rhodes or Wurlitzer yet!

Thankfully, there was a solution. In the late 1970's, Hohner must have also seen a need for a low cost electric piano and introduced the portable, guitar case sized, black Tolex covered Pianet T. There were other Hohner Pianet models before this one, but this final T model was the true budget friendly version. Coming out at the end of the electric piano's height of popularity and the beginning of the electronic synthesizer era, I'm not sure how many of these were produced, but I managed to pick one up on eBay for around $250. With some work, these can be a pretty decent Rhodes sound alike. Thankfully, unlike the Wurlitzer I later owned, fixing these up is incredibly easy.

The main repair issue is in the "sticky pad" mechanism Hohner used to vibrate the reeds and, well, keep the cost down. The system is truly ingenious in some ways though, using sticky silicone pads that sit on the reeds. When a key is pressed, the pad pulls off the reed and vibrates it due to its inherent stickiness. When the key is let go, the pad falls back onto the reed stopping the vibration. This of course precludes the use of sustain pedals, but the simplicity of design is incredible. The problem- those sticky pads are all around 35 years old now, and if the reeds have rusted, the pads work even less. The result is notes or blocks of notes that don't sound at all or sound very quiet compared with others.

Thankfully, just as I was researching these things before buying one, I came across the website clavinet.com. This site has all the resources and info you could possibly need for all of Hohner's keyboards, in particular the much more famous Clavinet (feartured prominently on Stevie Wonders "Superstition"). Even more important was the fact that they had also begun selling replacement sticky pad sets! I ordered a set as soon as I bought my Pianet and waited for them to arrive.

A view of a Pianet T with the top taken off exposing the reeds, sticky pads, and pickup

The first thing I noticed about the Pianet is how HEAVY it is for its size! It is like a very small, thin guitar case in size, but probably weighs 60 lbs. Opening up the key lid reveals a 60 key keyboard. That's right, 60 keys. This unusual keyboard runs from F to F rather than the standard C to C found on 61 key keyboards. The feel of the keyboard is unusual as well. It is very "mushy" feeling compared to a piano keyboard, but is not as smooth feeling as an organ keyboard either. It is odd, but it works! The whole thing is extremely well built, with an outer case of plywood which I am sure accounts for some of that weight! The only other thing on the keyboard besides the keys is a 1/4" jack. Pianets really are as simple as you can possibly get!

As I mentioned before, the sticky pads generally have to be changed and the reeds checked and cleaned of any rust for optimal performance. This is incredibly simple as well. Unscrewing the screws holding the top on reveals a set of reeds over which the pads rest. I promptly took off all the pads and very gently cleaned off any rusty reeds. Don't go overboard here- you can sand or brush the reeds out of tune and will have to painstakingly re-tune them! After the reeds were clean, I simply slid the new pads onto their rocker arms and was good to go! I also checked for tone and volume balance between each key before reassembling the top. Each pad arm can be bent closer to or away from the reed to compensate for either too much or not enough volume on a note due to the pad not sitting just right against the reed.

Put back together, the Pianet was a whole new beast. They have an incredible amount of bass and a unique Rhodes like tone in the middle and upper registers. I played my Pianet for a few months with my basement rock band and it worked pretty well with a little Ampeg bass amp for amplification. The only problem was that when used within a guitar based band context, the Pianet T can sound muddy and indistinct. I imagine this is also an issue with Rhodes pianos, but not to this extent. In a less crowded sonic context, these keyboards can really shine, but in a classic rock setting, you really end up wanting something else- like a Wurlitzer.

That's exactly what happened, too. As soon as I could gather up the money, I got myself a Wurlitzer 200 series electric piano, the keyboard heard on famous tunes like Pink Floyd's "Money," "Time," and "Have a Cigar," and Supertramp's "Dreamer," among many others. The Wurlitzer really has a tone that cuts through a mix, but if you are on a budget and want to get into the world of real flesh and blood electric pianos, get yourself a Hohner Pianet T. They really can't be beat for the cost.

New Performance Videos!

This past Sunday I had some time to get another batch of four tunes recorded for YouTube. I've got quite a bit of variety going on with these videos. This time I've recorded Donald Fagen's classic post Steely Dan tune "I.G.Y.,"  a swing era standard, a 1960's Mose Allison tune, and even a classical piece by Schumann.

First off, here's "I.G.Y.:"

I've loved this tune for a long time, and just recently decided to get a swing/jazz arrangement together. The tune works very well as a jazz tune whether it has vocals or not. Its got some very nice chords, a great melody that fits nicely in my upper vocal range, and a fun, optimistic late 1950's perspective of what a perfect future would be like. I ended the tune with a reference to a familiar Steely Dan tune as well, which just kind of happened and stuck!

Next up is "Tangerine:"

This is an old jazz standard dating from the early 1940s.  I've been working on this one for a very long time. Getting both the chord melody at the beginning and the improvised choruses of this tune together were tough due to the constant chord movement. I think things came together pretty well in this recording. 

"Traumerei:"

 I came across this arrangement of the Schumann piece in Mel Bay's "Masters Of The Plectrum Guitar." This arrangement was done my Mel himself in the late 1950s. I like doing an arranged or classical piece every once in a while to break things up and give me a different type of challenge.

"I Don't Worry About A Thing:"

I've recorded this Mose Allison tune a few times, but not yet for this blog or my new YouTube channel. I love the humorous lyrics in this one, as I do in most of Mose's tunes. Being a basic blues its fun to just "let loose" on the improvised choruses. I look forward to doing a few more of his tunes in the near future.

Hope you enjoy!

The CAGED System And How It Changed The Way I Play Guitar

One of the strangest things I've realized about my guitar playing journey is how long it took for me to discover what the "CAGED" system is all about. CAGED is a way of organizing the guitar's entire fingerboard by basic chord shapes. The concept is not new by any means, although the catchy name is of fairly recent origin. In all the method books, lessons, and learning I've done on the guitar I never really knew what the concept was all about and how powerful it can be for a guitarist. I'm very glad I finally learned more about it!

I'll try to put it as simply as possible: CAGED refers to the five basic open position chord forms we all learned within the first month or so playing guitar. These five chord shapes also form the foundation of everything we can possibly play on the guitar. Chords, scales, arpeggios, and anything else you can play on a guitar are all connected to these five basic chord forms. Knowing how CAGED works can clarify so much about the way the fingerboard is laid out you'll be blown away. The crazy part is just how simple it is.

As a former piano player, I like to think of CAGED as the guitar's equivalent to the repeating layout of black and white keys on the piano keyboard. Like the layout of the piano's keys, CAGED provides a solid reference to where you are and what you have available to play under your fingers at any particular moment. The other great thing about CAGED is that the shapes occur up the fingerboard only in that order and reverse when going back down: DEGAC. For an example, the E shape always follows the G shape when ascending the fingerboard, and C always follows A when descending.

Here are the basic open chord forms for reference:

I've highlighted the roots in this chord diagram to show what I call the basic "root shapes" of each; this is what I'm really using with CAGED anyway, as it allows all the other types of chords such as minor, diminished, and augmented, to be used within this system.

Next is a diagram of all the CAGED shapes up the fingerboard where the roots are all C.  Remember, when we talk about CAGED we are not referring to the names of those chords. We are only using those names as references to the basic shapes the provide for us. Notice how all these shapes connect up and down the fingerboard. This is where the magic of CAGED becomes apparent. No longer are you boxed in to playing only things that lay across consecutive strings; you can now see how they relate up and down the fingerboard as well:

The way this works is so simple and yet so profound in the way it organizes everything for us. Its a great way to understand the fingerboard, and it seriously changes the way you look at the guitar from the time you see those patterns fall into place. Next time I post about CAGED, I'll show how it works more in depth with the things we actually use: chords, scales, and arpeggios.

Review: Grand Rapids Rotary North Disc Golf Course

This past weekend I finally got up north of town and played the Grand Rapids Rotary North Disc Golf Course in Belmont MI. I went with a friend who had played there before and had said it was one of the better local courses he had played. I definitely have to agree. It may be one of the best disc golf courses in the Grand Rapids area.

The 18 hole course is laid out on an former ball golf course. First pulling into the parking area shows this course to be mostly open, playing through and around many marshes. The course has a nice clean look and there is no trouble finding the first tee.

Being that this is an old ball golf course, the course has a professional feel to it, with a nice layout and a logical flow from hole to hole, and markers to show where to go next. The tee signs are fantastic here and are very professional looking. The tee pads, while just rubber mats for the time being, were surprisingly effective. Due to the many marshes on the course, you really have to strategize and plan each shot, an aspect I liked a lot. Each hole we played was well thought out and fun to play.

The course had a few minor issues. It was clear that even though we have been in a fairly dry weather spell, there was evidence of dried mud in certain areas, leading me to believe this course could flood quite a bit in the spring. There was also one hole out of commission, I believe number 13, due to poison ivy overgrowth around the basket. This messed up the flow trying to figure out where to go next. I've heard this has been an issue for some time now, and I hope they get this hole fixed or moved to another location soon.

Grand Rapids Rotary North is a great course. I can definitely see this being one of the courses used for the Masters Pro Worlds when it comes to Grand Rapids next summer. All that really needs to happen is getting that poison ivy cleaned up! With a great variety of shots, a great layout, and a generally well kept, neat look, this is truly a must play course, no matter your level of skill. I know I'll be back to play it again soon!

Practicing Guitar: How I Get My Routine Together

Reading through one of my favorite books, "Golf is not a Game of Perfect," as well as getting back out practicing my disc golf game after months off due to a broken leg had me thinking recently of another area of practice in my life- guitar. It can take so many years to develop a good, results producing practice routine that too many people dread practice and never really improve as players because of it. With all this practice and goal oriented thinking going on in my own mind, I thought I'd take some time to share with you my own guitar practice routine.

First of all, lets talk about routine and commitment. Practicing should become a habit after a while, and ideally it should become a habit that we enjoy doing. If you truly dislike what you are practicing, your practice time will be far less effective than it could be. For my own needs, one hour and 45 minutes to two hours a day is my perfect amount. I also usually take a day off during the week to take a little break from the routine and focus on other important things. Commitment to a practice routine is important, but obsession with it is obviously unhealthy. Consistency is the key here; find a routine that works and stick to it as often as possible. One half hour every day is better than six hours a day sporadically.

My practice session is split into two parts: "technique" and "tunes." I've done this for years, and it has a simplicity that I like. I generally do the "technique" session first; its the 45 minute to one hour section. This is where the "raw material" gets worked on and refined into things I can use for playing the tunes. "Tunes" is just that- the repertoire part of the equation, and the most important.

Technique

My "technique session" is also divided into three basic areas. I spend the first 10-15 minutes working on sight reading both notation and chord charts/ lead sheets. Though some might not need to worry about reading notation, I'd recommend at least working through chord charts. You never know what kind of situation you may find yourself in someday where you'll need to have at least the ability to read chord symbols, and reading notation opens doors that remain closed to those who can't.

The second part of my technique session is dedicated to transcribing whatever it is I'm working on at the moment; right now its the chords and solo as played by Steve Jordan on his recording of "It Happened in Monterrey." The premise here is that I am learning something by ear that intrigues me in order to further my own abilities and thinking on the guitar. I'm very old school about transcribing. I literally tape the tune from a record and play it back on a little Sony cassette recorder, working bit by bit to get the material I want to learn into my fingers and ears. There are many more technologically advanced methods to do this too, of course. Use what works for you. Transcribing is essential for improving as a player. Do it! We have to copy others who came before so we can take things to the next level. There's no sense re-inventing the wheel in music.

The last 25-30 minutes of my technique session is spent on, well, technique, plain and simple. I'll usually start off with some right hand picking exercises to gain and maintain picking speed. I generally find that tremolo picking, arpeggio picking, and single note scales work well for this.

Next I'll work on what I'm going to call "method" or "etude" material. This would be material that is designed to help further your technical abilities on the instrument. For example, right now I'm working on the six harmonized major scale forms from George Van Eps' "Method for Guitar." I think of this type of thing as a way to force us to think and play in new and better ways, rather than rest on our laurels, which is far too easy to do as a musician.

The final portion of my technique session usually involves working on chord forms, chord inversions, triads, chordal improvisation, scales, arpeggios, and related things. Many times if I'm not reviewing or expanding upon a concept, like say ways of improvising over a minor 7th chord form, I'll be working on getting missing or weak fundamentals together. Right now that means getting more familiar with the half diminished chord and related chord scales because I have been having trouble with that chord type when I'd run across it in tunes.

Tools of the trade...

Tunes

This is where it all comes together. I spend one hour on tunes every practice day, and for good reason. Tunes are what we play and do all that technique work for. When I perform, I'm playing tunes, not scales or chord forms!

I basically work on tunes on two levels. First, I learn the tune and get it to what I consider to be a good performance level, then I work on reviewing, expanding upon it, and generally improving on it. For the learning part, I try to learn the tune by ear from a classic recording or a recording I like. If a recording I like is not readily available, then learning it from the Real Book will have to do. First I'll learn the chords and structure of the tune, and when that's memorized, I'll get the melody together, either vocally or as a chord melody on the guitar. Next, I'll work on the improvisation, and when it's all up to a level I'm happy with, I move on to learning a new tune. The process can take weeks or months depending on the tune. The most important thing is that the tune is in my head. The same goes for the occasional classical or arranged piece I'll do: It's got to be memorized and feel easy to play.

Now I can make that tune my own. I take those tunes I know well and continue to expand upon them- trying new ideas in the improvised sections, playing different rhythm voicings, adding intros and endings, and various other little details. I'm never really done with a tune; there are always more possibilities, especially in jazz where improvisation is continually producing something different each time the tune is played. In a typical session I'll work on between three and six tunes, depending of course on how much work they all need. Sometimes it is only a matter of quickly reviewing a tune just to make sure I still know it!

Hopefully this outline of my own practice routine can be helpful to some of you out there who are still struggling to make something work. What it really comes down to in the end is having a goal in mind and knowing what is needed out of your practice time to achieve that goal. The goals and what it takes to achieve them will become more clear the further into your musical journey you are. You just have to be persistent and keep a positive outlook!

P.S. For Beginners:

Be prepared to spend a lot of your time becoming a jack of all trades. It's going to take a while before you have the skills to really delve deeply into what your passions are, and its tough to have a sharply focused routine until that time comes. Enjoy the journey and realize that with time and a good practice attitude you will get where you want to be, even if where that is changes over time!

Swing Guitar Album Review: "Here Comes Mr. Jordan"

One of my favorite swing guitar albums has to be Steve Jordan's "Here Comes Mr. Jordan." The album features only Steve on guitar and vocals accompanied by Billy Goodall on double bass. This stripped down instrumentation allows the listener to really hear what great swing rhythm guitar playing is all about without piano or horns to get in the way.

The tunes on this album are mostly swing era standards with a few more obscure tunes thrown into the mix. Steve also plays one solo guitar piece composed by himself. Everything is performed by Jordan and Goodall in a fun, relaxed, swinging way. Steve also sings on all but a few of the tunes, allowing us to hear him as a vocalist as well.

For guitarists, though, the real highlight of this record is hearing Steve strumming away on his Gibson L-5. Though Steve always had a sweet tone on recordings he did as a sideman, that gorgeous acoustic sound of his is on full display here, unencumbered by any instrument that could get into its sonic space. I have always thought Steve Jordan had the best tone I have ever heard come out of an acoustic archtop. He has a wonderful ability to coax out such a sweet yet punchy and powerful tone from his Gibsons. Its the kind of tone that could make any acoustic guitarist envy the tonal possibilities of a well played archtop.

The album also gives us a chance to hear Steve as a chordal guitar soloist. Nearly all of the tunes here feature a chorus of Steve soloing in his own unique way. The only way I can describe his soloing style is to say it sounds like a dedicated rhythm guitarist taking a rhythm guitar solo! His soloing style is not really like the more virtuoistic chordal soloists such as Van Eps, Kress, or Reuss. His solos mainly consist of the rhythm chord forms he has been using in other parts of the tune as well as upper register forms of those chords. Steve's soloing style does, however, have its own charms and is certainly worth transcribing and learning from for those who are interested. It is simply a different take on chordal soloing on the guitar.

This album should appeal to all fans of swing oriented jazz, not just guitarists. In place of the standard jazz group setting we usually hear these tunes performed in, the ears are greeted instead with a stripped back, fresh approach to tunes both familiar and unfamiliar. This unique and simplified instrumentation lets the songs themselves really shine through. If you like classic swing music and get the chance, pick up this album. Its really a nice change of pace!

Choosing an Acoustic Guitar

Buying an acoustic guitar can be a daunting task for those with little or no experience with the instrument. Whether you are an experienced electric guitarist or an absolute beginner looking to start playing acoustic, chances are you aren't really sure what to look for in an acoustic instrument. With nearly limitless choices in price, woods, size, style, electronics, and more, a bit of guidance can go a long way toward helping the aspiring acoustic guitarist decide what he or she would like in an instrument. Having personally spent a great deal of time trying to find the right instrument for myself over the course of a decade, I would like to offer my perspective on choosing an instrument based on what kind of music you intend to play.

Knowing what kind of music you would like to play on the acoustic guitar goes a long way in helping you decide which style of guitar might work best for you.  Most types of music that feature acoustic guitar playing have a preferred style of guitar that has been used by many performers in the genre. Often, the reason for this is that a certain sound works better for some styles than others. Lets take a look at each of the available types of acoustic guitars within each genre of music.

Bluegrass And Related Styles

For example, in bluegrass and related genres, a large "dreadnaught" style guitar, such as the classic Martin D-28, is the preferred choice of many performers in the style. This type of guitar is designed to produce a good amount of acoustic volume along with having a tone that places emphasis on the bass range of the instrument, both of which are important for providing the powerful rhythm accompaniment so essential to the bluegrass style. Though the Martin D-28 is the gold standard model for this genre, the "dreadnaught" body type found on this guitar also happens to be the most popular acoustic guitar design, meaning that many manufactures offer similar sounding instruments at a variety of price points.

Fingerstyle

For those interested in playing music more focused on fingerstyle playing, including folk, acoustic blues, and solo fingerstyle guitar, a smaller bodied guitar, such as an "OM," "000,"  "00," or smaller body size is often preferred for these styles.  The main benefit of the smaller body size, other than playing comfort, is the fact that smaller bodied guitars tend to have a more balanced tone; that is, compared to a large bodied guitar like the aforementioned "dreadnaught," these guitars are neither overly bassy sounding nor are they overly bright sounding. The clarity of sound that results from this design is what makes them ideal for the genres they are most often used in. These types of guitar are VERY versatile; you can hear them being used in everything from country to pop, with a pick or fingers. I even personally used one for playing jazz for a few years.

Another Side Of The Blues

Perhaps the haunting, metallic sounds of players like Son House or Bukka White are what you seek as a blues player. If this is the case, you may want to look for a resonator guitar. These metal bodied instruments were popular in the 1920s and 1930s for one obvious reason- they are LOUD. There are two main types of this guitar you will run into: the single cone and the tricone. The "cone" is a speaker shaped device made of spun aluminum and acts as an amplifier for the strings. Single cone guitars are both less expensive and more suited for blues playing; they tend to sound more punchy and "in your face" than their tricone cousins, which have a sweeter tone often associated with early Hawaiian and jazz music.

Classical, Flamenco, and Brazilian

If you are interested in playing Classical, Flamenco, or traditional Brazilian music, you will probably prefer a nylon string guitar. Keep in mind, though, that there is no one "nylon string guitar." The majority that you will encounter will either be designed and built for classical playing or for flamenco playing. The main differences here are in wood choice and construction. Classical guitars are almost always more heavily built than flamenco guitars, hence the often richer, sweeter tone. Flamenco guitars also have a few other unique additions, including the "golpeador," a pickguard attached to either side of the strings on the body to prevent wear and tear from the often vigorous and intense flamenco playing style.

Jazz, Swing, And Gypsy Jazz

For acoustic jazz guitar styles you'll find two different instrument designs that are popular with each school of playing. For swing and early big band playing, the guitar of choice is an archtop. With its elegantly carved cello like body and F shaped sound holes, this type of guitar is an icon of the 1920s through the 1940s. Modern versions of this type of instrument are hard to come by, with only two companies (that I am aware of at the time of writing) making instruments of this type for under $2000.00. Most people are familiar with the electrically amplified version of this type of guitar, but those are not acoustic instruments.

The other type, the gypsy jazz guitar, is easier to find, still being produced by a variety of manufacturers. This type of guitar was made famous in the 1930s by Django Reinhardt, one of the most famous jazz guitarists of all time. This design, like that of the archtop's, is simply a different approach for making a louder guitar prior to the advent of amplification.  It is surely due to the perennial popularity of the style of music Django pioneered that instruments of this type have remained easily available.

Guitars For Rock And Pop

So what about guitars for rock and pop music? This is where choosing an acoustic guitar becomes purely a matter of player preference, as there is no single classic design used in these genres. A more important factor here is the inclusion of good electronics on acoustic/electric guitars so they can be used on stage at loud volumes. Probably one of the most popular manufacturers of this type of guitar for the past twenty years or so is Taylor. These guitars are good sounding acoustically, and the on board electronics on most models offer good amplified tone. There are many acoustic electric guitars available from a wide variety of manufacturers at different price points.

Choose What YOU Like

There are many other things to consider when buying an acoustic guitar, including wood, presence or lack of electronics, price, and more. Hopefully this guide has helped point you in a general direction towards the type of guitar that might suit your favorite type of music. Remember though, you can use ANY of the guitar styles mentioned here in ANY type of music. That part is up to you and your ears to decide. Good luck on your search, and have fun getting started on the acoustic guitar!

Putting Together A Vintage Stereo System, Part 1: The Turntable

Putting together a nice yet budget friendly vintage stereo system has been a goal of mine for many years. Being both and avid music listener AND a musician has caused a bit of a conflict of interests though. It seemed like whenever I had the extra cash to get a new piece of stereo gear, I'd also be in the market for a new instrument or piece of recording equipment. The music gear almost always won out, and I never got to put that vintage system together until recently. The first part of that system I got was a vintage turntable.

For me, the turntable was the most important piece to start with. If it wasn't going to work, I would probably reconsider the whole vintage thing. I'd had problems with old gear before (see the "Vintage Guitar" post and read about my Wurlitzer). After some Ebay scouring I found and bought the table I had read so much about and wanted to try so badly- a 1968 or '69  AR-XA. This particular turntable is considered one of the most important of all time; it was, I believe, one of the first suspended chassis turntables on the market when it first came out, and influenced the design of many turntables to follow, like the Thorens line. The suspended chassis, by the way, means that the platter, arm, and motor float on an inner metal chassis that is spring mounted to the wooden base. The reason for this design is to isolate the important stuff from small vibrations from the motor and what may come through the base.

My AR-XA, with a George Van Eps album ready to spin!

As luck would have it, right after getting the turntable, my car needed a very expensive repair. All further vintage audio gear purchases had to be pout on hold for almost a year, so I ended up using the 'table with a $10 flea market amplifier and some $100 Best Buy speakers. Despite the, well, crappy setup, the turntable proved to me without a doubt that there is some absolutely impressive vintage audio gear out there that doesn't have to cost thousands to sound good. This turntable is so basic and simple but works so well, anyone who has never used on will be surprised!

Gear that works well is only part of the equation. How a turntable sounds is really the most important thing, and this turntable sounds fantastic! Its tone is similar to the aforementioned Thorens tables of the 1970s. Words like liquid, rich, warm and sweet came to mind immediately when I first heard this table in action. To me, this type of design just plain sounds better in comparison to the British-style suspension-less planks that I had used before, and which flood the current new turntable market.

The AR-XA sounds great playing any kind of music; my record collection spans jazz to rock to classical to world to folk. They all sound great on this 'table. For the absolute best classic AR turntable experience, get a vintage Shure M97x cartridge when you get the table. I'm glad I did, as I had heard that no current cartridge has such great synergy with this 'table. I believe it! They make a great combo.

A side view showing the very basic tonearm setup. Notice the complete lack of an anti-skating mechanism!

The AR-XA certainly performs well and sounds great, but it does have its flaws. Most notable would be the tone arm. First of all, the headshell (where the cartridge and "needle" go) is made of plastic that is over 40 years old, and no replacements are available that I am aware of, short of buying an expensive old stock one. In other words, be careful when screwing in the cartridge! The other issue with the tonearm is the damping mechanism. When new, this prevented the arm from slamming down to the record surface. 40 years later it causes the arm to hang up and not sit on the record surface as it should. The fix is a little complicated but not difficult. It involves removing the pin that works the mechanism, therefore letting the arm move freely again. For any AR repair info, go to vinylnirvana.com. It is a great resource for all things AR.

Though it has a few issues, the AR-XA is truly a great turntable even today. It out performs any of the current budget tables in the $300-$500 range. This 'table is a true example of "they don't make em like they used to." The sound, the simplicity and the classic look add up to a great table that should get consideration from anyone looking to put together a nice, budget friendly vintage stereo system. Put a classic rock album on the AR, sit back, relax, and let the music transport you back to a different time.

Swing Jazz Guitar- What The Heck Is It?

If you've looked at this blog even one time, you'll notice a good deal of my posts and info are dedicated to my musical passion of swing jazz guitar playing. But you may be wondering what exactly "swing jazz guitar playing" is.  For those who are interested, I'll show you! I'd love to take this time to let people in on one of the most enjoyable jazz guitar styles that has ever existed.

Sadly, these days, and for that matter, since Charlie Christian made the electric guitar so popular in jazz in the early 1940s, the acoustic, chordal style of guitar playing I like to call swing jazz guitar has become almost entirely an underground phenomenon. Sure, there have been swing rhythm players who continued to play in big bands, like the famous Freddie Green, but many of the other player's contributions have gone mostly unnoticed except by those intrigued enough to dig deeper. I'd like to unearth a few YouTube gems for you as well as talk more about the style I've come to love.

In swing jazz guitar,  rhythm playing is really the most important thing. The main job of guitarists of the era was to provide solid rhythm accompaniment for the bands they were with, and only infrequently took solos. This type of rhythm guitar playing really requires an archtop guitar or Selmer style gypsy guitar with a heavy pick and attack to get the right sound. Feel is important too; I've heard many electric guitarists try to mimic acoustic rhythm playing, but its always just that, mimicking.  For the first example, I'll give you a video of an unusual, modern small group that has Rod McDonald on rhythm guitar. Notice the percussive, driving quality the guitar brings to the group, as well as his chord solo:

A perennially popular form of swing music still exists to this day called gypsy jazz. This style was made famous in the mid 1930's by the European gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt, a fantastic single note soloist whose groups usually consisted of three guitars, a bass, and a violin. Notice how different the gypsy rhythm feel is compared with Rod McDonald's more straight-ahead, classic American swing feel. Oh, and Django's wonderful solo:

This next example, "Kay's Fantasy," from a compilation of studio recordings made in the late 1940's by George Van Eps, is, as far as I'm concerned, one of the absolute finest examples of melody arrangement and improvisation in this style of jazz guitar playing. It's a recording that really showed me that the seemingly impossible truly can be possible, with enough work of course! I am always blown away by this set of recordings; they are the apex of Van Eps' work, in my opinion. One of the best features of these recordings is that we have a rare opportunity to hear the acoustic guitar accompanied by only drums and bass, without a piano or second guitar to get in the way:

Notice in the comments section, if you do end up on YouTube, the amount of people who can't understand that this is ONE guitarist playing with only a PICK. That's right, this is the "impossible" being made possible by one of the fathers of the style. You really have to be a guitar player to truly appreciate what is going on here. Van Eps basically turns the guitar into a piano, and does it well. I'd like to see any modern bebop jazz guitarist try to attempt something like this!

The basis of this style of improvisation and melody arranging is fairly simple: take triad and 7th chord forms and put the melody and/or solo on top. The key is knowing your chords inside and out, up, down, and across the neck, and in every inversion. It takes work, but getting started is quite easy. I hope to do a post and hopefully a video series later on where I can go more in-depth about the techniques and thought processes needed for playing this way.

As you can hear from the last example, this style of playing really makes it possible to do everything on your own. This became one of the major selling points for me back when I decided to commit to playing in the chordal swing style. It is just as effective for playing solo as it is for use in group playing where you are both laying down rhythm chords and taking solos. It is also great for singing accompaniment where you also want to do a guitar solo. A great aspect of the style for those who sing and play is that you don't have to give up the rhythm and harmony while you solo. Here's an example of Steve Jordan singing and playing:

I love this style of jazz guitar playing, and do my best to keep the tradition alive while also playing my music in an individual way. I hope the examples and explanation offer you a bit of insight into what all the excitement is about! I don't think you have to limit this way of approaching the guitar to just swing style jazz, either. Knowing a thing or two about chordal soloing could certainly benefit many guitarists who may be looking for an alternative to electronic gadgets to provide background accompaniment when they perform solo. It is possible to do it all on one guitar with only a pick! All it takes is some knowledge and practice!

New Swing Jazz Guitar YouTube Performance Videos!

Here's a new batch of tunes I recorded on May 26th. As you can see, I finally found a pickguard bracket that works on the old Kalamazoo! Hope you enjoy!

'Taint No Sin (To Take Off Your Skin And Dance Around In Your Bones):

Here's an old relic from the late 1920's, but its got some great, silly lyrics and a cool melody and chord progression. I first heard the tune on Marty Grosz's record "Take Me To The Land Of Jazz," and have loved it ever since.


Blizzard Of Lies:

Another humorous tune, but in this case much more modern. I came across this one by jazz lyricist, singer, and pianist Dave Frishberg on an album called "Dave Frishberg Songbook, Vol 2." I think we can all relate to being constantly assaulted with a blizzard of lies! The harmonic structure is quite interesting too, complete with some slightly more exotic chords that I usually don't come across in my rhythm playing, including a few 13 and #4 chords. That little minor key intro that reappears between each chorus is pretty neat too.


Satin Doll:

Here's one of Ellington's later classics, frequently learned early on by jazz players including myself, where I first played it back in my piano days. I've since had a place in my heart for the tune, and here I present an arrangement/improvisation on solo plectrum guitar.


The Lady's In Love With You:

A simple but fun little tune dating from the late 1930's, I came across this one on yet another Marty Grosz record of mine, where he does it in a trio context of guitar, bass, and clarinet. The improvised choruses are fun to play on a basic tune like this; there's not much to get in your way as far as complex chords, and its easy to just let go and see what happens.

Loud Music and Apparel: Finally, a Record Store in Port Huron Again!

While I was back home visiting my parents last week, my dad alerted me to the presence of a new record store that had recently opened in downtown Port Huron, MI. That area has been without a record store since well before I left in 2012. I was a bit skeptical, but had to see it myself. Besides, what if they had some good albums? That Tuesday we headed down to check it out.

The store, Loud Music and Apparel, is so new that it didn't even appear on a google map search. This made finding it a bit of a challenge, but thankfully we were familiar with the area it is located in, which happens to be the main street of Port Huron's downtown area. After backtracking a little, we did find it. There didn't appear to be a sign on the building yet, but there was one out on the sidewalk near the entrance. Not knowing what to expect, we headed inside.

The store itself is basically one long room, with clothing in the front and the records along the right wall. Though it appeared they were still setting some things up, the place had a nice record store feel to it already. The guy behind the counter, I believe one of the owners, was very friendly and knowledgeable. My main concern though, was what they might have hidden away among the stacks of records.

My finds at Loud Music and Apparel

For a new store they had a pretty impressive selection, especially in the rock department. There was also a section of new releases and a smaller section of jazz and blues albums. I checked those out first, and not finding much of interest, made my way to the rock stuff. This was where I found some very good albums I hadn't yet come across in the wild at my local Grand Rapids area haunts. Most of the time the good classic rock stuff is sold as soon as it gets into the store, but that was not the case this time. The only real limit here was my budget!

I ended up finding four albums I had been keeping my eyes open for: Aerosmith's "Rocks," Little Feat's "Waiting For Columbus," Jethro Tull's "Thick as a Brick" (complete with all the newspaper inserts intact!), and Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Bayou Country." All of these records were in very good condition and all were very reasonably priced. I was certainly happy to have them!

My trip to Loud Music and Apparel was definitely worth it. From the looks of things, this store can only get better from here, and they appear to be doing a very good job so far. I hope Port Huron, which has a pretty poor history of keeping local businesses open, will continue to support this store. Don't let another nice record store fall by the wayside! I just hope I can get back there before too many people DO discover it and buy up all the good stuff!

Vintage Budget Archtop Guitars

Vintage archtop guitars. Heck, archtop guitars in general. Nowhere else in the world of guitars is there more misunderstanding and confusion. Most guitar players even mistakenly call hollowbody electric guitars archtops. Archtop guitars are actually acoustic guitars that were the dominant style of guitar from the 1920s to the 1950s. Being the owner of a 1935 Kalamazoo (the one shown on the sides of my blog) archtop acoustic guitar for the past several years, I hope to shed a little light on the subject of at least budget level archtops. These still plentiful vintage lower end models are many people's first experience with the world of archtops, and knowing what to be concerned about (and what not to) can be a big help!

I first came across my old Kalamazoo totally by accident while visiting Elderly Instruments in Lansing, MI. At the time I was quite happily playing a Martin 000-15m, but a few minutes with the Kalamazoo had me thinking twice about the guitar I was playing.  I was also getting more and more interested in the playing styles of the early jazz guitar masters that would eventually lead me to where I am today, and that Kalamazoo, man, did it have the tone my ears were craving! It was even far better sounding than some of the more expensive archtops they had there at the time. About a week later I went back and traded in my much nicer Martin for an old beat up guitar that would change and grow with me in the most tumultuous times of my jazz journey.

Before that time I had never owned a vintage guitar, let alone one that was nearly 80 years old! The oldest instrument I had owned up to that point was a 1971 Wurlitzer 200 electric piano (for those who care to know, its the keyboard heard on Pink Floyd's "Money" as well as many other classic rock tunes). I had such a terrible time getting that piano restored that I didn't think I'd ever go vintage again! The tone and mojo of that Kalamazoo guitar had me hooked though. Over time I've learned a few things about vintage guitars, especially the fact that they are not as delicate as one might assume!

One of my major concerns was the fact that this guitar had NO truss rod whatsoever! The neck did not even sport a non adjustable one as found in many later lower end models. The lack of a truss rod was not because they hadn't been invented yet, rather, it was a cost cutting measure by Gibson to be able to sell guitars as cheaply as possible during the depression era. The lack of a truss rod is made up for by having a VERY thick neck. This guitar's neck is the definition of "baseball bat" thick! It is one of those things you get used to though, and I never really had trouble adjusting to it. I've also never had trouble with neck bow, even using medium gauge (13-56) strings. This was my real fear with not having an adjustable truss rod, but the neck has not changed in the three years I have had the guitar!

Another concern for many players is whether or not a guitar is made of solid woods. Though some argue the Kalamazoos are not made with solid woods, I am here to destroy that rumor. My KG-31 is most certainly has a solid top. How do I know? Well, the top has a repaired crack! Laminated wood cannot crack due to drying out like solid wood does, obviously. I think the confusion arises because these guitars, keeping in line with Gibson's cost cutting, have PRESSED solid tops, rather than the hand carved tops and backs found on up-market vintage Gibsons and Epiphones. Many people seem to equate pressed with laminate, but that is certainly not always the case. Many mass market solid top archtop guitars today are made with pressed solid tops. One thing to look out for on ALL archtop guitars, though, is a sunken top. This happens when string pressure causes the top to bow under the bridge. It can cause issues like decreased volume, the wrong string angle, and more.

The only other area of concern with a guitar like this for me is hardware. My Kalamazoo came equipped with newer tuners as the old ones (which were included with the guitar) were worn out and the plastic buttons were rotted from age. I would think that replacing the original tuners on any vintage budget guitar like this would be a very common and useful upgrade. Another thing to be aware of with hardware is pickguards. Many vintage archtop guitars have ruined finishes due to off-gassing of their original pickguards, and should be replaced regardless. Many have no pickguard included at all.  My Kalamazoo did not have this problem, but it had one that is nearly as bad. My guitar had a pickguard included but no hardware to attach it with. Due to the non-elevated neck on these old budget Gibsons, special hardware is required to attach the pickguard as normal archtop pickguard hardware will not work. Its simply holds the pickguard too high in relation to the strings. I am currently looking for a solution to this problem, and as of this writing have ordered a Les Paul style pickguard bracket to see if that works.

Buying a vintage guitar can be both a thrilling and frightening experience. I think a good frame of mind and perspective is a prerequisite to getting one. You cannot expect perfection on a guitar older (maybe several times older!) than you are. Look the guitar over well, and buy from a seller who knows a thing or two about archtop guitars. If you can overlook some flaws, these old Kalamazoo and other vintage budget archtops can be a great way to get into the archtop game without spending a ridiculous amount of money. Remember, too, that just because they are old does not mean they are fragile. When you do the kind of heavy playing I do on an 80 year old guitar with no issues, you know its a decently built instrument!

New YouTube Performance Videos! "Love Is Just Around The Corner" and "So Danco Samba!"

Since my leg breaking incident in February I haven't done much musically other than put in lots of practice time while laid-up on the couch. I've slowly gotten back to feeling more normal and decided to finally record some tunes.  That practicing seems to have paid off though: Here are a couple of videos of tunes I recorded on May 8th. I was really only expecting to use the video to see what my practicing and playing was sounding like currently, but I ended up pulling off a couple of good performances of two of the most recent tunes I've learned. I hope you enjoy them both! They are both very different tunes from very different periods in time and styles within jazz!

First of all, an old swing era tune with a vocal: "Love Is Just Around The Corner:"

I fell in love with this old 1930's tune just over a month ago when I stumbled across one of Marty Grosz's versions on YouTube. Its a fun, cool little tune with silly lyrics and I really like the chord progression. It is just different enough to be quite interesting, particularly during the bridge (the "Venus de Milo" section). The toughest part of the whole tune was getting the improvisation together. As many other jazz musicians will attest, it can be very hard to get variety out of fast moving two-chord-per-bar progressions like this one has. I think it has come together really well though.  As with most things, the more you do it, the better you will get at it!

The other tune I did was a bossa nova tune called "So Danco Samba:"

This is one of my favorite bossa nova tunes. I learned it quite some time ago from the classic album "Getz/Gilberto," the 1965 release that also features the famous original version of "The Girl From Ipanema." But it was this summery tune, "So Danco Samba" that got stuck in my head again even after not hearing it in many months. I actually remembered enough of it to be able to re-create the whole thing from memory. Maybe it was inspired by my yearning for warmer weather, I'm not sure! The chord melody arrangement required a bit of octave transposition and some creative chord forms (OK, more like simple triads) to make it possible in this style of guitar playing, but I like the results very much. The improvised choruses are always a blast to play through on this tune as well. Now I just need to find a small group to play it with so I can play the rhythm chords too!

What The Four String Banjo Taught Me

The banjo in jazz. These days, its almost an oxymoron. Outside of a very few examples, the banjo is nonexistent in modern jazz. Its connection with its close cousin, the guitar, has also become distant in the genre. In swing music and classic jazz, however, that connection remains very strong. Many of the most celebrated swing guitarists previously played plectrum or tenor banjo before it went out of fashion around 1930. Carmen Mastren, Carl Kress, George Van Eps, Freddie Green, and many others first played banjo before switching over to guitar.

A couple of years ago, I decided to discover this connection for myself. In the process I learned a bit of tenor banjo and an enormous amount about techniques that came from the banjo to the guitar. While I didn't play banjo for very long, the discoveries I made changed my guitar playing forever, and opened up doors I never even knew existed. There were four major things that I gained from the time spent learning banjo: Right hand picking technique, tremolo and duo style playing, chord melody improvisation, as well as vast potential for solo playing on plectrum instruments.

A large portion of the things I learned came from Buddy Wachter's old VHS video "Beginning Plectrum Banjo." Yes, I ended up playing tenor, but the material in this video is mainly right hand technique anyway, and that stays the same on both four string banjos. Buddy Wachter is one of the finest four string banjo players who ever played the instrument, and thankfully is also a superb teacher. There is an in depth section of the video where Wachter describes the correct way to hold the arm and pick for maximum play-ability. The way I had been holding the pick was very limiting, and now I saw why I had hit such a wall in right hand development. Let me just say that anchoring in any way is no good for pick playing! I knew Wachter's way had to be the way the swing guitar guys played as well.

My suspicions were confirmed several times over. I searched for videos of 30's players on YouTube and found they all played this way. Nobody played with their hand resting on the bridge like I did. What was even more eye opening was a section in George Van Eps' "Method for Guitar" where he describes the correct way to hold the pick EXACTLY like Wachter does, right down to the angle of the pick against the index finger. It took me a while to adapt, but when I did, I never looked back. There's nothing you cant do playing this way.

Not only did studying tenor banjo change the way I approached the right hand, it also changed my mind about what is possible playing with a pick. In that same Wachter video he goes into detail about the tremolo, a common technique of rapid picking used to sustain a note or notes on the four string banjo. You rarely hear it done on guitar nowadays, but it was more common in the 20s and 30s. Django Reinhardt is probably the best known guitarist for using tremolo, and he, not surprisingly, started on banjo too (albeit a 6 string). Another related and really fascinating banjo technique is called duo style. With this technique, a tremolo is played on the first or melody string and the notes of the underlying chord are played either all at once or arpeggiated to give the illusion of a melody with accompaniment. I use this technique a bit for intros and endings. Check out the Wachter video I've included below to see it in action. Its another one of those musical devices that is nearly impossible to describe in words.

Another very common four string banjo technique that was popular with guitar players during the swing era was chord melody playing and improvisation. This style of playing was probably inspired by Eddie Peabody, who was well known for it on plectrum banjo. From what I can gather, Carl Kress was one of the first to bring the style over to the guitar. George Van Eps was probably the biggest proponent of this style; he taught it to Allan Reuss who in turn taught and inspired many others during the era. This banjo style chord melody is the foundation of the style I play in as well. It allows a guitarist to perform solo pieces, harmonized melodies or improvisation in a manner that is not unlike that of a piano player providing his own harmony.

In a related way, learning and playing tenor banjo opened my eyes to what was possible for a seemingly simple instrument in regards to solo playing. Though the plectrum banjo is more well known for players who do a large solo repertoire, the tenor too has a smaller but still respectable library of composed pieces and classical adaptations. It has also been influenced heavily by plectrum banjo chord melody solo virtuosos, and chord melody is done just as often on tenor banjo nowadays. I think about it like this: If that kind of solo repertoire can be played on only four strings, the plectrum style guitar is even more capable!

Learning and playing tenor banjo was a fantastic experience for me as a guitar player. I didn't spend too much time with it, but I learned a wealth of new technical devices and playing styles that fundamentally changed my guitar playing forever. I really think all swing oriented guitarists could learn a thing or two from studying four string banjo. It can truly offer a different approach to what is possible with plectrum style playing!

Check out the videos below for more information!