Needle and the Damage Done
Date: June 29th, 2009 Category: People, Things Tags: guitar, music, neil young [ View Comments ]
“Needle and the Damage Done” is by far my favorite Neil Young song. I’m teaching myself to play it on guitar as a matter of fact. I’ve watched the video below like 150 times (no joke) trying to get the changes and chords down properly.
Anyway, the more and more I watch/listen to it the more and more I relate it to my own life in a lot ways. Sure, I’m not a heroin addict but the angst he must of felt and the inability for him to help some things/people in his life I can relate to.
It’s a sad song but definitely one of the greatest I’ve ever had the pleasure to listen to…
“Folsom Prison Blues” Guitar Tab
Date: May 11th, 2009 Category: Things Tags: guitar, johnny cash, music, tablature [ View Comments ]
Here’s another seemingly simple song by Johnny Cash that I wanted to learn but, yet again, I couldn’t find a decent/complete guitar tab for it. So, after listening to the song 20 or so times I pieced this guitar tab together for “Folsom Prison Blues” along with some help from YouTube.
Thanks to “YourGuitarSage” on YouTube for his video lesson. I’ll also try to tab out the guitar solo that’s played twice during the song. I’ll update this post once I finish it.
Epiphone EJ-200 Acoustic Guitar
Date: May 6th, 2009 Category: Things Tags: ej-200, epiphone, guitar [ View Comments ]
I just bought an Epiphone EJ-200 jumbo acoustic guitar the other day from Guitar Center. I’ve always liked this guitar (and it’s Gibson counterpart) for a couple of reasons. For one, just look at the thing! It’s one of the most beautiful/unique looking acoustic guitars out there. As you can see, I chose the vintage sunburst finish but natural and black are also available. In addition to the finish, the painted pickguard, pearl inlays, and gold Grover tuners also add to the guitar’s overall beauty.
Another reason I liked this guitar was for the full sound it produces. The jumbo style body really kicks out nice loud lows and it’s able to produce crisp clean highs as well. Overall good balance… I haven’t played this guitar a ton yet, but out of the gate I really do like how it sounds.
Finally, I liked the price of this guitar. Its MSRP is around $650.00 I believe but Guitar Center sells it for $400.00. Compare that to its Gibson counterpart (J-200) at around $4,000.00! I actually picked mine up as a “factory second” for $300.00 which is a great deal. Especially when no one, including myself, at the store could find the flaws which Epiphone deemed below their quality standards…
If you’re in the market for a rich sounding, punchy, well balanced, and beautiful acoustic guitar for under $500.00 check out an Epiphone EJ-200. It’s a lot of guitar and it won’t cost you an arm and a leg.
“Hey Hey What Can I Do” Guitar Tab
Date: March 22nd, 2009 Category: Things Tags: guitar, led zeppelin, music, tablature [ View Comments ]
The Led Zeppelin song “Hey Hey What Can I Do” is one of my all-time favorites. It was recorded in 1970 and appeared as a b-side to the “Immigrant Song” single. Anyway, when I decided to learn a simple acoustic version of the song I could not find an easy to follow tab with all the lyrics. After watching some guys YouTube video lesson I created my own tab for the song.
Notes: I am not an expert tab writer and this tab is no where near perfect. Also, the YouTube lesson and this tab are in standard tuning. The original recording of the song is using a non-standard tuning (not sure what it is). Finally, I use this tab as a simple chord guide to help me while I learn the song. You’ll need to listen to the song and figure out the changes and strumming on your own.
Bob Log III’s “Boob Scotch”
Date: January 8th, 2009 Category: People, Places Tags: guitar, live shows, music, the casbah, video [ View Comments ]
I hang out from time to time at this music venue downtown called The Casbah. Really cool place. If you’re ever in downtown San Diego and you love live rock/punk/you name it, check it out.
Anyway, I was bored the other night and I went up there to check out the bands playing and I experienced something truly special. That something special was the one man band Bob Log III. His mix of blues slide guitar and shiny gold jump-suit with matching helmet / mic apparatus was mind blowing. Here are a couple of pics from the show.
Finally, here is the music video for my personal favorite Bob Log III track titled “Boob Scotch”. I couldn’t believe there was actually a music video for this song… Oh, and since the song is all about girls stirring his scotch on the rocks with their tits (lol), it’s definitely not safe for work.
Guitar Boat Hero (Music Video)
Date: November 18th, 2008 Category: People, Things Tags: funny, guitar, music, video [ View Comments ]
After work today I was checking out what’s new on YouTube and I ran across a music video for a song titled “Make You Happy” by Josh Pyke. I have no idea who he is and, if you want my opinion, the song was just sort of OK (at best). BUT!! The music video was funny so I thought I would share.
There’s just something about giant guitar boats and mediocre pop songs that instantly brighten my day…
Playing Guitar
Date: November 7th, 2008 Category: People, Things Tags: guitar, music [ View Comments ]
I’ve had a few friends and family members ask me why I started playing guitar and how I got started. I’m hoping this post will quickly answer those questions and maybe help a few guitar noobs just starting out waste less time on the really basic stuff and spend more time on actually playing.
I’ve always loved music. More so than the average person I must say. But, for some reason I didn’t pick up the guitar, my favorite instrument, until my late 20s. So, about a year and a half ago I decided to finally give it a try. I had no knowledge of the guitar itself or how to play it so I went online and researched the shit out of everything. Guitars, strings, picks, amps, instructional books, you name it. I spent all that time researching because I simply wanted a decent “start-up guitar” that wouldn’t cost me a ton but wouldn’t suck either.
I also didn’t know if I should start with an acoustic or an electric. Some people say electric guitars are a bit easier to start with since it takes less pressure to fret notes on the neck and for a couple of other various reasons. But, acoustic guitars are less hassle and easier to pick up and practice with whenever which is good. I personally chose to start with an acoustic guitar. I love the natural sound of it and figured it was the least expensive way to start playing. No added crap to buy like wires, amps, etc…
Once I knew I was buying an acoustic I started learning about what makes a good sounding guitar, well, sound good. There’s the type of wood used in the construction of your guitar, if it has a solid top or not, the shape of the guitar, and a 100 other points that factor in to making a great sounding instrument. But, I found that the basic items that differentiate good/decent from crap are as follows:
- Type of wood used in the neck, body (back, sides, and top), and fret board
- If the guitar has a solid top or not
- Quality hardware (bridge pins, tuners, etc.)
- The manufacturer
If you can afford a solid top guitar of a decent brand you’ll be all set starting out. If you can’t there are options in the less than $200 range. I used these guides on about.com and justinguitar.com to figure out what I should get while staying within my budget.
I originally bought an Ibanez JamPack IJV50 Quickstart Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar Pack for $100. I quickly tore off the strings and replaced them with decent ones and never touched the rest of the garbage that came in the box with the guitar. Later I also bought a cheap black and white Yamaha Pacifica electric and a small practice amp to mess around with.
Both were inexpensive and made noise. But, that was about it – they sound/feel horrible – don’t buy them. The moral of the story is that if you can spend a bit more cash on something mid-range out of the gate you’ll not only sound better but you’ll be able to learn how to play quicker as well. A crap sounding/poorly constructed instrument stunts learning by:
- Making it harder to fret notes (fingers hurt more than they should) so you physically can’t practice as long
- Making you sound a lot worse than you should because the instrument itself produces “bad sound”
- Making it hard to keep it in tune due to poor quality tuners
Again, if you can, spend a little extra money when starting out and you’ll be better off. Also, always deal with a reputable store or dealer. Guitar Center is decent or any local mom and pop music store should do. Don’t waste your money at pawn shops.
I’ve of course gotten rid of the equipment mentioned above (about 6 months into playing) and now have a Seagull Original S6 acoustic and an Epiphone Les Paul Plain-Top electric in heritage cherry sunburst (pictured below).
Both of these are decent mid-range instruments. Quality craftsmanship at a decent price and they of course sound great. Something like the above guitars would be more than enough for a person starting out.
Again, just check out the guides mentioned above for more detailed professional help. They’ll help you buy something decent and point you in the right direction in regards to getting help learning how to play. Other than that, just practice a ton! You’ll eventually get it like I did.