# Any Acoustic Guitar Players Out There?



## Travelers Rest (Feb 27, 2004)

OK guys....I know there have to be others who play.... lets get a thread going. We can haggle over who makes the best guitars (Taylor of course) or what strings are best (Elixers hands down right?) for that matter, got any or need any, chords/tabs?

Lets GO!

Steve


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## Mac (Mar 26, 2004)

I would love to get a Taylor to run through a PA system. They sound great in a PA. Just sitting in a room strumming though, I wouldn't trade my 1977 Martin D-35 for anything!!!


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## Travelers Rest (Feb 27, 2004)

I play my '98 510 through the PA at church every week and it does so very very nice. As for Martins...well, I could take them or leave them EXCEPT for my buddy's new HD28V.

I tell him it sounds great but the truth is I don't think I've ever heard an acoustic sound that good ever! It is amazing! It even (bite my tongue) sounds better than my Taylor!!

So what style of music do you play mostly? I play rhythm accomp for our orchestra doing old hymns and modern praise. Outside of that I am limited to blues for the most part.

Steve

OBW, if you ever need LR BAGGS gear, just let me know. My business (guitar lessons and repair/mod) is an authorized dealer (as of two weeks ago)!

Steve


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## Mac (Mar 26, 2004)

Steve

Sound like we have a lot in common. I head up the Worship Team at our church. Mostly modern praise & worship with a few hymns mixed in every now and then. We have a full complement of musicians with a drummer, percussionist, keyboard, bass, 2 acoustic (one of them plays mandolin also), some background singers and I fill the band out with the electric. My real love is the acoustic, but in an attempt to try to utilize as many gifted people as possible, I switched over to electric since the other 2 guys are acoustic only players. That was good for me too. It has really stretched me as a musician. As you are well aware, the electric is a very diferent instument than the acoustic. Now I am trying to "add the spices" to the sound by doing little fills and riffs instead of being the "meat and potatos" acoustic player. I also get to throw an occassional lead which is new for me too. I also enjoy playing with all of the electronics that go along with the electric. I am a "gear freak"so that's a lot of fun.

Since I head up the team, I also do most of the organization work and I also write all of the charts for the band. Get a kick out of that too.

If I played more acoustic, I think I would go for the Taylor 714 with the cedar top. I think that they sound just amazing (especially thru the PA). My electric is a Tom Anderson Drop Top (amazing instrument) that I picked up last year and I play thru a Mesa Boogie amp.

Thanks for LR BAGGS offer. They make great stuff and I might take you up on it some time. Let me know if there is other stuff you have access to. I buy a lot of gear between myself and the church, and am always looking for dealers that I can trust.


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## ccauthor (Jul 30, 2004)

I Play! a little, I started about 18 months ago. 
Bluegrass and Gospel
I love my Martin D-35.


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## Mgonzo2u (Aug 3, 2004)

Got my first acoustic gee-tar (Epiphone) 2 christmas' ago at age 35. I have not learned to use it yet. However, my strumming seems to keep the baby entertained, so I got that going for me.


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

OK, I'm a wanna be









After playing drums for 31 years (yikes!... I'm only 42), the last 18 of which was with my church, I have packed-up the drums permanently.

I have decided to take up the acoustic and am shopping for a decent quality starter as we speak. My finalists are the Taylor 110 and Martin DX-1. The Taylor has a noticibly brighter sound and seems to be a little louder. The Martin is a little stronger in the bass/low end, and seems to have a "warmer" sound. Both seem to be good enough quality and within my budget of $500 max.

I'm leaning toward the Taylor though









After being in the music ministry for so long my main interest will be learning the contemporary worship songs that I love so much.


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## Mac (Mar 26, 2004)

Jim

Just curious why you packed up the drums? They are certainly a part of the contemporary worship music that to talked about. Hey, drums are even specifically mentioned in Psalms!!


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Yes indeed, a joyful "noise" I have made for a very long time









I'll try to make a long story short:

For the last 18 years my Wife and I have attended the same small community church which is quite a long way from our home. We obviously didn't mind too much and made the sacrifice to stay there as this was where we felt led to be. I played with the music group and my Wife also participated as a singer.

After the needs of our family changed we decided to move to another church (calvary chapel) very close to home that has a wealth of services and activities available to our family.

However, they have a well established music group and a multitude of musicans in the church who would love the opportunity to participate. I figure that I have had my turn and will let the "new guys" be at the ready. Aside from church, I really don't have any desire to play drums. Lets just say I had my share of bands and Hollywood







And thankfully God got me through it.

Also, lets be real. Drums are a very loud and offensive instrument. To practice would disrupt the whole family and likely the neighbors too. It's just not something I could enjoy doing at home. And I hate those fake practice pad drums too.

So I figure why not the guitar! I have always loved the acoustic and am surprised I never took it up seriously before this. It's also something that I can do while sitting on the couch with my girls, camping, at the beach, etc.. It's just more in tune with where my life has changed and gone these last few years.

I'm excited and also looking for a class to join as well as any printed song materials I can get my hands on. Gonna start with the easy songs first










I'll always have fond memories of my drum playing days, and who knows what opportunity God may have for me in the future. But things and times change, and now I must do the same. So for now I say Strum On!


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## Mac (Mar 26, 2004)

Thanks Jim

Sounds like you are following the Lord's lead, and who can argue with that. Good luck on the guitar. I've been playing now for over 30 years. Never made it to Hollywood (thank the Lord), but I did my share of clubing and guitar bars. My passion though for the last 10 or12 years now has been with the church and worship music.

Thanks for talking.


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Hey Guys:

I got it! Thanks to the big Labor Day sale down at Guitar Center I came home with a brand spankin new Taylor 310







All solid woods. Sitka spruce top, solid sapele sides & back, mahogany neck, and ebony fingerboard. They also threw in a nice Boss TU-12H chromatic tuner with the deal. Lets just say that my "budget" got discarded.









I spent alot of time down there and at Sam Ash for the last week playing virtually everything and at all price ranges. I just kept coming back to this 310 as it "spoke" to me. Typical of the Taylors it has a very bright and clear sound, and really nice low stringaction. I think I'll still take it to the closest luthier and have it gone through to make sure it's perfect.









Also came with a very nice Taylor hardshell case.

I am a happy guy today indeed. Happy Labor Day!


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## Mac (Mar 26, 2004)

Jim

Congrats on the new Taylor. It's a great product and I'm sure you'll get many hours of joy fr


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## Mac (Mar 26, 2004)

Jim

Congrats on the new Taylor. It's a great product and I'm sure you'll get many hours of joy fr


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## Mac (Mar 26, 2004)

Jim

Congrats on the new Taylor. It's a great product and I'm sure you'll get many hours of joy from it. Now all you need to do is work on hardening up those finger tips...

Sorry for the extra posts. As you can see, my computer kept hanging up in the middle of the message.


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## Travelers Rest (Feb 27, 2004)

Before I start let me appologize for the length of this post... I'm feeling long winded and I love to write so...

CONGRATS Jim!! The 310 is an excellent guitar. I'm so glad you didn't go for the 110. As much of a Taylor fan as I am, I'm not really convinced that the 110 or the Martin D1 live up to the reputation of their big brothers. And I agree with Mac... get on building those finger tips!! Let me also offer you a bit of free advice...worth what you paid for it







Here is a short extract from the intro of a book I hope to have out in early 2005:

*Mantras

What â€˜tras?? What is a mantra? Well, simply put a mantra is a verbal formula repeated over and over in meditation. I love to use mantras in teaching because they strengthen what we know. They affirm things in our minds. Below are a few mantras that I want you to memorize and repeat to your self often. There is no magic here...its just words...but somehow the human mind believes the things we tell it, so lets use that to our advantage and tell ourselves things like:

1.	My fingers will only hurt for a while, then they will stop
2.	My fingers will bend that way...I just have to teach them
3.	I can be successful at playing the guitar, if I practice
4.	If I donâ€™t understand I will seek understanding by asking questions

*
OK, there you have my beginner advice... remember, ask-ask-ask...guitar players generally love to share info, music, tips and experiences. I can honestly say that I have never played with anyone who couldn't teach or show me SOMTHING I didn't already know... there is much knowledge out there...take it!

OK, moving on in my manifesto -

I know that earlier I decried Martins and exalted Taylors but the truth is that once you cross over a certain level of quality, such as Taylor, Martin, Larivee, Gibsons and so forth, you are dealing with quality instruments seperated more by the taste of the player and his/her loyalties than the actual quality of the instrument. Having said that, GO TAYLOR!!









Well, to all the readers of this thread, thanks for joining in...I knew there had to be more of us out there. I hope that in the coming winter season we can share and learn from one another.

Mac, I understand being a gear-head. Sometimes I'm not sure if I enjoy playing guitar or playing around with guitar equipment more. I am a horse trader when it comes to stuff. I buy - I use - I sell - I buy - I use - I sell and so on.... Sometimes you can find my stuff on e-bay (username - mytaylor510) selling stuff. In fact I might start offering the L.R. Baggs line on ebay and others as I build my business (Pick and Strings).

OK, I've said enough...Just kidding....







Let me make one more comment about a book I found on the web two weeks ago. I ordered it, took one look and knew that I had found a gold mine for the worship guitarist. I've been playing out of it and recording my own arrangements with a friend ever since.... take a look at this site, let me know what you think...its an absolute treasure trove of current Praise music.

List of Songs in the Book

Best Price I Could Find....Great Company and Easy to Deal With ($21.95)

BTW, if you dont know what a "Fake Book" is, it is the music for the songs showing only the guitar chords, lyrics and melody line. It gives the guitarist just enough info to "fake" his or her way through just about any song...even if you've never heard it before. Oh and best of all, 95% of these songs are in easy guitar keys. Rarely do you see things in Eb or Ab (These keys can be scary to new or inexperienced guitarist who haven't yet learned the "trick" to the "goofball" keys) All in all its a great resource for any worship guitarist. I've spent years collecting this music and here it is all neatly packed in one volume!! Just go give the index a look and see what you think!!

OK, I've said enough for now









Its great to see there are so many of us using our talents for the Lord!! But of course this thread is eager and waiting for any and all to jump in... Anyone have a place set aside for bringing the axe along in the Outback? Oh, one more site to visit... me, some of my students (and parents) and the 23RS are going to head this way weekend after next!!

An Amazing Experience Everyone Should Have!! Dig Through The Site and Enjoy!

Ooops...look at me being a bonehead...I forgot to welcome * ccauthor and mgonzo2u * Well, here goes.... *WELCOME!*
BCNU!
Steve


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Ouch! are my fingers sore this morning







I played that thing all day and night. Then when I was finished I just held it while watching TV. My wife then cracked "gee - wish you would hold me like that guitar"!







We got a good laugh.

Thanks for the encouragement guys. Yes, practice-practice-practice.

Steve - thanks for the link to that P&W fake book. I don't read music so hopefully it wont be too difficult to understand. I'm looking for a good elementary book to start with. That one does look very interesting.

I'll also need a good beginner chord book, and would like to learn the "10 most commonly used chords" to help me hit the ground running as best as possible. If I could learn a complete song or two that would be very encouraging. As I watch our guitarist/worship leader he is usually right around the first 5-6 frets doing fairly basic looking chords. I'm sure I could learn these pretty quick if instructed properly.

Finally, we have a worship fellowship the first Sunday of each month where many of the musicans in our church get together after service. They offer a beginning lesson and you can bet I'll be there now







I'll also walk in a little prouder with the new Taylor, although they'll soon find out how much better the guitar is than the guitarist









Anyway, this is an exciting time for me and also my family. As I had hoped this has caused a domino effect with my wife wanting to get back into piano lessons (we have a piano at home), and my 5 year old daughter is excited about both and wants to play both. Music is a great thing.

Thanks for listening, and I hope that you all don't mind if I ask a question or two when I'm stumped.


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## Travelers Rest (Feb 27, 2004)

Good Luck Jim....the fake book is more of a song book than a teaching book. Go rattle the cages of your worship team...someone will take you under their wing and teach you. A great book (if you can find it) is ....I forget the name and I am at work....I'll post it when I get home this evening









Steve


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## Mac (Mar 26, 2004)

Jim

Glad you exited about the guitar. Nothing else like it.

The good thing about worship music, is that in general its very easy to play. They have their roots in folk style music which is usually based on the standard 3 cord triad. You noticed that your worship leader is most of the time on the 1st 5 frets. Generally, this is because the acoustic sounds the best when you incorporate "open" strings (strings that play without your fingers on them). Many acoustic players will go to great links to use cord inversions that use a lot of open strings. That is also why you see them use capos a lot. In some cases, this is because it makes it easier to play for a musician that is not quite as skilled, but a lot of the time it is so when you are in keys like Eb and Ab (that are "good keys" for other instruments), the acoustic player can utilize cords with open strings to give it that real full sound.

I said all that simply to say, that a lot of worship music is in C, G, and D which are pretty easy keys to play in. If you start with the 3 main cords in these 3 keys (C=C,F,G; G=G,C,D; and D=D,G,A), you can do a lot of damage.

I'll stop rambling now.


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Steve - Thanks in advance for looking up that book. Any and all referrals are appreciated









Mark - Please... ramble On! I just can't get enough right now and am hungry for anything to get me started. After I figure out what chord book to start with I'll start working on those chords immediately. Thanks!


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## Travelers Rest (Feb 27, 2004)

Wow...did I ever get myself introuble with this book suggestion... The book I loved when I was learning is called EASY GUITAR CHORDS by Jay Friedman, ISBN 0739008390

But....it is out of print!! I am scouring the ineternet right now trying to find you a copy but I cant find it... Your mission, should you choose to accept it....go find yourself a copy of this most usefull book!!

I'll keep searching for you too...I love these kind of hopeless causes...sort of like my guitar gear fetish!! hahaha









Steve


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

lol ! Thanks Steve. I'll start looking for it too.


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

OK, Im still looking









Easy Guitar Chords: A Contemporary Approach to Open Chord Playing for Guitar
Jay Friedman
Paperback, July 1984
Product Details:

ISBN: 0739008390
Format: Paperback, 48pp
Pub. Date: July 1984 Publisher: Alfred Publishing Co. Inc.


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## Travelers Rest (Feb 27, 2004)

Thats it Jim!! But as you have, no doubt, determined, it is nowhere to be found!! It has been out of print forever and a day...since like 1984 or something.

Thats sad too because it is truly an outstanding learning tool. Alas, there is a ray of sunshine in the cloud though...I have a copy of it that I took apart to photocopy for my students to paw through (academic use is fair use under copyright laws).

I keep my original copy of it put away







email me if you want to talk about it. Its about time I replace my student copy because the current one is "torn, bent, folded, spindled and mutilated" so to speak. I could retire that copy if you really are interested (free of course) but I warn you now its in loose leaf form and has been through the wringer... but, hey, its better than the copy you have now!!

Also, in my search for that book on the net, I have run across two other books of his that seem like they might be good intermediate books. They too are long out of print but I did find copies of them on ebay tonight and bought them both. I have seen them at other book sites so if they are any good I'll let you know and you can pick them up for a song later (I paid less than $12 including shipping for both of them). Actually the guy was pretty prolific...he had many titles out there. If these next two are good I'll start digging up more of his stuff from the rare and used book sites.

See ya! ...and thanks for inspiring me to retrace my early years with the guitar








Steve


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Hello Steve:

And thanks for your offer to send me your old copy of the chord book. I'll gladly accept as I'm still having trouble finding anything I really like out there.

Although, I stopped by Guitar Center tonight and picked-up a copy of: "Beginning Guitar For Adults; the grown up approach to playing guitar" Nick Vecchio, ISBN 1-929395-01-9. $19.95 and it comes with a play along/demonstration CD to accompany the instruction.

This is still not my ideal "dummies" book, but of the lot I looked at it seemed to make things understandable enough. However, like the others it gets right into actual music reading and tablature. These are things I will eventually need to know so I guess now is the time to start.

Thanks again for your generous offer!









Jim


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## Travelers Rest (Feb 27, 2004)

Your joyful acceptance is cheerfully accepted...which is most acceptable...I think.







However to have you fully accept this most acceptable offer I will need your address which I will accept in my personal email if that is acceptable.








Boy, it must be *  EARLY *in the morning









Steve


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## Mac (Mar 26, 2004)

Jim

I think that the method books are great and you should continue to pursue them.

Even with that, I would get (I still keep a copy of it in my bag) a standard Mel Bay cord book. All it is is just a large volume of fingering diagrams for almost every cord imaginable. This will not teach you a method of learning, but it is a great reference book. Not only does it show the cords, but many variations of fingering for the cords. Even now after playing for 30+ years, I come accross a cord that I need to look up, or I look for a different fingering for a cord that will be a little easier to get to from where I was right before it.

With this, you can get a worship songbook, pick a song that you like that is in one of the "easier" keys that I mentioned before, and just look up the fingerings for those cords. A lot of songbooks these days even have the cord fingering diagrams with the cords right in the songs.

Nothing like just jumping in the water when you want to learn how to swim. At this point, what your really trying to do is just build up strength and calluses on your fingers, and get your fingers used to mving around on the neck in response to your brain.

These are just my thoughts but I will yield to Steve since he teaches professionally. Most important though, enjoy and have fun.


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## Travelers Rest (Feb 27, 2004)

Mac, you're right...book learning is fun but having fun is funner!! I teach three simultainious paths to take a student from "wish I could play" to "guitarist". They are all three valid and the student needs to spend time on each:

1) Learning the "why" of what you are doing/playing. Theory is another name for it but I try to avoid that term since it scares students!!

2) Hands-on technical practice where we learn chord fingerings, strum patterns, time signatures and so forth. The "how-To" part, if you will.

3) Play Time! Horsing around... hangin out with your guitar and just making noise. Going after that song your dying to play or trying to jam with friends. Grab a book, some tab from the net, a praise sheet from church...whatever. Its just important that you PLAY and have fun!!

Steve


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Thanks guys for your sage advice and interest. I'm taking everything you guys say to heart and doing exactly that. I kind of feel like I hit the jackpot knowing you both are actually doing/playing probably all of the songs I am interested in







I'll have more questions as I get a foundation laid and start working on songs.

I will definately need a decent chord book (steve!) and will also be on the lookout for a starter P&W songbook that is simple enough to understand and has some songs that I like. I think the "method" book I have now is going to give me the primer I need to understand the music reading part.

And yes, play-play-play! No problem there, I can't hardly put the thing down







My left fingertips are sore while typing this right now







, and it followed me to work today!

Steve - I accept your acceptance but take exception to your acceptable request for my mailing address.







I sent it to you last night off-board









Anyway guys, thanks for being a great support and help to me. I appreciate it more than you know.

Jim


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## Travelers Rest (Feb 27, 2004)

I'll ship it out this afternoon when I mail the money for the other books. Again...it aint pretty...but it is nicer than I have described... Hope thats acceptable-WAIT-dont get me going on THAT again!! Hahaha









Steve

P.S. I want MY Taylor to follow ME to work too!! But the company frowns on that. I try to remind them that this is not a career for me, just a way to finance my guitar habbits but they (Boeing) don't seem to be interested in hearing it.


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Thanks Steve! The "old rugged" chord book will be just fine







I'll scotch tape it up and make fresh photo copies to freshen it up a bit. Once again thank you so much for your generous help.

Jim


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## Travelers Rest (Feb 27, 2004)

It is on its way. There is no letter in the envelope...not being rude but I figured I would just send greetings here! Its really not nearly as bad as I made it out but it is beat up a bit.

I hope it sparks as much joy for you as it did for me! You should get it mid next week.

ENJOY!!

Steve


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Perfect. I'll be leaving for a biz trip in the morning and won't be back until then anyway, so great!







I'll give you an update later next week when I get back.

Thanks!


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Just want to say Thanks Steve! I got the "book" and it's in great condition if you ask me







I'm already bending the pages though









FYI, I'm kinda late in getting back to the site after fleeing IVAN in New Orleans last week. Our annual trade show was a total bust and we ended up fleeing for our lives along with over a million other folks in the area. We finally had to pay a cab driver a kings ransom to drive us to Houston.

Ahhhhh, it's good to be home in California sunny

Anyway, thanks so much for your kindness and generosity. I'm starting to play things that resemble music!


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## Travelers Rest (Feb 27, 2004)

See...if you had stayed home you could have been playing guitar instead of running from a mean ol hurricane!! Hahaha

Glad you are enjoying the book. It did a lot for me in the early days, hope it helps you the same way.

Now you owe it to the forum to keep us up to date on your progress!

Steve


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## shake1969 (Sep 21, 2004)

I play. Yamaha. Just a flat top camp fire guitar, but nice and mellow.

Been playing for anout 11 years. Didn't start until I was 30. Picked up the Yamer @ a pawn shop in Baton Rouge for $40.

I mostly play chords from "fake" books, because I can't really read music. And usually I play in my home bathroom, (great acoustics), while I watch my kids take a bath, (4 & 7). The acoustics drown out all the "PLEASE STOP!" noises.


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## Travelers Rest (Feb 27, 2004)

Welcome Shake!!

I too started playing later in life. I agree with the bathroom observation. The same thing that makes my voice sound great in there makes my guitar playing sound really nice! Just watch out for humidity!

Hey Jim,

Where did you go??? I send you a book and you disappear! Practicing I hope







UPDATE PLEASE...Hows it coming? You ready to hit the road touring yet? Fingers still sore? Have you reached the point where you think there must be typo errors in the book because no ones fingers can move like that???

Steve


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## Mac (Mar 26, 2004)

We used to get together in college and play in the large tile showers. The acoustics were awesome. Also, we found that stairwells in tall buildings were pretty cool too.

Jim, I was also curious how it was going. Have you mastered the Gbmin9 w/b5th yet? Just kidding. Not many of those in P&W music.


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## Travelers Rest (Feb 27, 2004)

Mac,

You bring up a good point...even in P&W from time to time I'm playing along and out of no where comes one of those Gbm9 wb5th/H in the bass. And it lasts for just one quarter note!! Who writes that kind of sillyness!!! Hahaha

I teach my students a very effective technique for those chords that, for whatever reason, are of short duration and likely to cause them trouble. I call them "chunck" chords and, while I don't usually teach students to avoid difficult chords, I do equip them with a "tool" to use if needed. By "chunck" chords I mean muting all the strings and just strumming the muted strings to produce a "chunck" sound for ~ 2 beats or less.

Its a cheap trick, I know, but it sure comes in handy when your playing along and that dreaded theoretical musical aberration of a chord pops up!

Steve
*
E=Fb*
*The Musicians Theory of Relativity*


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Hey guys I'm still here and playing daily. I now have a good start of callouses on all my fingers except my pinky. I'm moving comfortably and fairly quickly through the following chords: E, C, G, A, D, Em, D7, Am, and having a little trouble getting to Dm quickly but it's coming.

I'm of course struming these chords but am also having fun with different picking combinations of the notes and kinda making up my own stuff. FUN! I'm picking with my fingers too.

I'll be looking for a good P&W song book in the near future to try out my new stuff







Kind of exciting as my tortured noise is turning into a pleasant sound. Even my wife a few days ago said "hey, that sounds pretty good!"









I also took in my beautiful new Taylor 310 to a local luthier and had it "set-up". The action (can't write the word a-c-t-i-o-n without that guy popping-up) was still too high for my liking, and I also wanted to make the switch to light guage (.012) strings. He did a beautiful job and the thing now plays like butter









Anyway, I'm having a blast and am fatally hooked. Who says you can't teach an old dog (drummer!) new tricks


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## Mac (Mar 26, 2004)

Jim

With that palette of chords you can play every Bob Dylan song ever written.









Glad your having fun. That's what it's all about.


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## Travelers Rest (Feb 27, 2004)

Jim,

Give this web site a look:

 The Praise and Worship Fake Book This book is excellent!! I have had it for a month or so and use it all the time! However it might be a bit much for the beginner...depends on your abilities, resources and knowledge

 Childrens Christian Songbook This is a GREAT book of songs for young kids but it is also *GREAT* for the aspiring guitarist since it is fairly easy to play from. I just got my copy of it in the mail yesterday and already I have ordered two more for my young students...really a great resource for easy-to-play stuff with pretty clear instructions on how to play the songs. If you like the songs in the book, you will love the playability of the arrangements.

If a book that you are looking for has an ISBN, go to A1books.com to look for it. They are amazing...just do some comparison with other sites and you'll be amazed.

KEEP BUILDING THOSE FINGERS!!

And remember, don't let _*minor*_ chords become a _*major*_ deal







Hahaha

Steve


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Thanks Steve. And that kids book looks pretty good. Easy for me, and I can start entertaining my little ones right away









Thanks again for the Easy Chords book. It is all I am currently using


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## shake1969 (Sep 21, 2004)

http://www.roughstock.com/cowpie/

Good place for loads of chords sheets for songs. They've got both kinds of music, Country AND Western! Also Christmas and traditional and camp fire songs.

Beware, loads of popups. But get through them and you can find some great new songs and old favorites.

If you're looking for pop music, Harmony Central used to be a good place to get songs. Then ASCAP got involved and ruined it for everyone. Now, the chords are there, but the words are not. I forgot the website address. Quit going there. Just 
search for Harmony Central.

Enjoy!


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

OK, another 30 day update. I finally got to attend our monthly musicans fellowship and what a great deal that was. I got two large P&W books listing out nearly all of the songs we do, accompanied by CD's of all the songs too.









I was so blown away that they had this all worked out and ready to go. A bargain too. $10 each for the P&W books that are put together by the church in 3 ring binders and heavy clear sheet protectors. They have a complete chord listing in the back as well as the chords needed for each song right on the song sheet. The CD's are $1 each and have about 15 songs on them. Cheap!

Since I have been practicing alot with the Easy Chords book so far (thanks!) I was able to hit the ground running with the group yesterday. I already knew alot of the chords and was able to jump right in and play along quite a bit. FUN! I started working yesterday on a beautiful song called "Heart of Worship" and can already play and sing it all the way through







Just need to clean it and me up to make it sound better now.









Thanks again to all of you for your encouragement and advice.


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## missouricamper (Jun 28, 2004)

I was just browsing through because I have a teenager that is an acoustic guitar player. I wanted to make a comment about the earlier post about brand of guitar. A professional guitarist told him once that when he finds a guitar that is "his" he'll just know it, and won't make any difference how much or little it costs, or what it looks like, he'll have to have it. About a year later, we stumbled along an extraordinary deal on a Martin... I don't remember the model, but it was valued at 5 or 6 thousand dollars, and we could have bought it for a song. They let us take it home and Dave played a while... put new strings on it, and said... I just don't like this guitar, and we returned it. About a year later, we stumbled along an Alvarez Yairi. scratched, well used, beat up case... He loved that guitar. Cheapest of all his guitars, it is the one he reaches for the most. He just "knew" it from the first time he picked it up.

BTW, he plays fingerstyle and uses tablature. He mostly plays acoustic blues - Blind Blake kinds of stuff - if that means anything to anyone.


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Hey MC:

I was surprised to see this oldie thread pop back up!

Yeah, it's interesting how one particular guitar can just "speak" to you as they say. Glad to hear your son is playing and enjoying it. It's something that he can enjoy for his entire life. Only wish I had started sooner


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## chipb43 (Mar 22, 2004)

I hope some of you guys still read some old threads. I got a guitar for Father's Day, trying to learn to play. Anyway, I am in search of a guitar tuner and was wondering what everyone here might suggest. I can't do it by ear yet.

Thanks

Chip


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Congrats Chip, and welcome to the club







Your local music store will have any number of options for you to choose from. You'll want a "chromatic" tuner unless your new guitar has pick-ups and a place to plug in.

I would personally suggest a Boss tuner. They are exceptionally popular. I'm using this one, $69.00 at Sam Ash:


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## chipb43 (Mar 22, 2004)

Thanks Jim, I was looking around Musicians Friend but hard for me to buy something I know nothing about, I think I will do as you say and go by the local music shop so that I can check them out.


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

You can also pick up something alot less expensive that will work just fine too. I think my Sister got one for around $10-15. Good luck


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