Fall/Winter Sets In

Posted on November 25, 2019 by mfna

It’s been almost a month since the Washington Nationals made this little boy happy! After the World Series, the reality that baseball was over for the 2019 season began to set in. I made sure to add a couple of t-shirts and sweatshirts and a cap to my collection to commemorate the event.

Since then, the colder, darker weather has begun settling in, and, like the leaves from the trees, browns, grays and subdued hues dominate. My running, which I resumed in July continues, and I average 12-13 miles per week, taking it 5 kilometers at a time.

I’ve also updated two of my other collections. I purchased a new SIG SAUER P365 handgun, after reading and watching the reports of this ground-breaking pistol from its early stages and rough spots, to being one of the most popular pistols in SIG’s catalog.

While not as aesthetically pleasing to me as the SIG P938, the size is quite similar, and its major feature is that it is capable of hold 10+1 rounds of 9mm ammunition in its micro-compact form. A new magazine design makes that happen. I also purchased a 12- and 15-round magazines for use at the pistol range. It feels very comfortable in my (small) hands, and I’m aiming to replace my P938 as my carry weapon.

I also added to my guitar collection. In my twisted way of thinking, I felt I was one Telecaster short, since I have five Stratocasters and only four Teles. One of those Strats is a G&L Tribue Legacy (G&L stands for George and Leo, the latter being Leo Fender, who, with his partners George Fullerton and Dale Hyatt, founded the company after Fender sold his original company), so after I spied a G&L Tele-style guitar called an ASAT, I fell in lust.

Besides the color (honestly, I’m not a “red guitar” guy, but two of my Strats are red!), I was taken by some of the specs: a pair of specially designed P90 pickups, and the 12-inch radius neck (the Brazilian Cherry looks an awful lot like Rosewood, which is currently on the CITES restriction list). Those two features made it read like a Gibson Les Paul, many of which boast those features. Indeed, plugging it in a playing it have already convinced me that P90s are pickups to be reckoned with. They’re awesome!

Incidentally, the name ASAT has a weird backstory. Yes, it’s all-capitals. Believe it or not, it’s a military acronym for “anti-satellite,” and not, as some people believe, “After Strat, After Tele.” The name was suggested by author Richard Smith after he read an article about the Air Force’s ASAT missile. Apparently Leo and Dale liked the image of a guitar shooting down things in space, and so the name “stuck.”

So now as the days continue to get shorter and the dark nights longer, I’ll have the opportunity to spend time at the range lighting things up, or at home, shaking things up!

Trower Power

Posted on April 3, 2019 by mfna

Just to show I’m not single-tracking on one topic, I felt it necessary to post about last night’s concert.

Robin Trower is one of those musicians that often go unnoticed by the “trendy” masses. That’s too bad, because the man has produced over 40 albums and compilations in the 50+ years he’s been in the music business. From 1967 to 1971, Trower played for the band Procol Harum, which had recorded the hit “Whiter Shade of Pale” before he joined.

Striking out on his own, Trower formed his own self-titled band and began releasing albums. 1975’s Bridge of Sighs introduced the world to Trower’s Hendrix-like guitar stylings, and his mark on the music business was made. Still, he’s flown under the radar to the general public for the most part.

But he opened his 2019 tour at the Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia on April 2, 2019 to a sold-out crowd.

As this was the first stop on his tour, a number of songs from his latest album, “Coming Closer to the Day” were played publicly for the first time. This is the entire setlist, thanks to setlist.fm:

Too Rolling Stoned
Diving Bell (live debut)
The Fool And Me
Ghosts (live debut)
Somebody Calling
Day of The Eagle (segue to)
Bridge of Sighs
Truth Or Lies (live debut)
Confessin’ Midnight
Daydream
Tide of Confusion (live debut)
Little Bit Of Sympathy

Encore(s)

Rise Up Like The Sun
For Earth Below

While I haven’t heard the new album in its entirety (four of the tracks he played in their live debut), I’d say Trower is still on his game, producing outstanding, Fender Stratocaster-fueled dynamite!

Getting To The Bottom

Posted on January 22, 2019 by mfna

This past Saturday I met with the worship leader at church. For those not into the “lingo,” the worship leader is the band leader who kicks off worship services with music and song, and energizes the congregation into singing in praise.

I had previously informed him that I was adding bass guitar to my stable. Since the band has been playing without a bass for a while, I felt this switch might get me involved with the band.

And so, we met on Saturday for an audition/rehearsal. Let me say for the record that Jesse, the worship leader, is a consummate professional musician, a terrific singer, and a devout Christian. We spoke first, and he informed me that the worship band is not a place for showing off, or being the center of attention. Knowing that eyes are on the performers, the band members should appear professional, and not grimace if the make a mistake, and that the focus is on God and not the band.

I concurred, and so we went over two songs. We both are aware that bass is a new instrument to me, so he kept it simple, indicating that the most important thing for me, as the bass player, was to keep time. Play just the root notes of the charted chords, keep time, and that’s all that’s asked of me.

We practiced and agreed to meet every Saturday morning to refine my skills, and with the hope I’ll join the band on stage when he’s decided I’m ready. When I’m ready, I hope to publicly debut my newest, and premier bass guitar, an Epiphone Limited Edition 20th Anniversary Jack Casady Signature Bass.

Epiphone Limited Edition 20th Anniversary Jack Casady Signature Bass Guitar

Reading reviews on bass guitar forums, this guitar is considered by all who own one a top-notch instrument. It’s a semi-hollowbody, designed with Jack Casady’s (Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna) input and advice. Yes, he plays one.

The Bass Guitar Headstock With Signature and 20th Anniversary Truss Rod Cover

This is a gorgeous bass! I need to get used to the 34-inch scale, as my small fingers are creating fret rattle as I move along the fingerboard. I may need to have it professionally set up, but I have time to do so. In the mean time, I’m using my short-scale Ibanez to rehearse.

Ibanez GSRM30 “MiKro” Short-Scale Bass Guitar

2019. First Post.

Posted on January 1, 2019 by mfna

Happy New Year! I am sometimes surprised that I’ve made it this far, this long. God has blessed me with good health despite my not always taking care of it. My only physical complaint is a back that sometimes causes me discomfort. My hair has thinned and greyed, I’m showing wrinkles I never had before, and I’ve slowed down considerably. But I take no medications, can still fit into suits that I purchased decades ago, and have a generally positive outlook on life.

My only New Year’s resolution is the same one I’ve made for years: to not make any New Year’s resolutions!

There are changes coming! Recently it occurred to me that the church’s worship band has no bass player. Since there are already two guitar players who are well established with the band, the thought came to me that maybe I could pick up the bass and join the band.

I did some research, and felt like I could buy an inexpensive bass. To make a long story short, I found a used bass guitar I paid $99 for, and a used amp I bought for $35, and thus the story begins…

But wait, there’s more. Because I’m an impulsive guy, I read that guitar players with small hands may be more comfortable playing something called a “short scale” bass. The regular scale of a bass guitar is 34″ (measured from the nut to the bridge). A short scale bass usually falls into the 30″ range.

Having a computer and an Internet connection can be a dangerous mix. I surfed around and found a short scale bass from Ibanez called the MiKro. At 28.6″, it’s even shorter than the standard. I found a store that had one in stock, so I went and played it. Nice!

I hated the color, but fortunately, they come in a variety of colors, and everyone — online or local — sells them for the same price. So, now on order, due to arrive January 3, is an Ibanez GSRM20RBM MiKro in Root Beer Metallic.

One of my college roommates had an Ibanez guitar. I never really cared for them, but they seem to be very popular with heavy metal rock players and “shredders.” However, their reputation for building quality bass guitars — especially at the low end of the price scale — seems to be unmatched.

Time will tell. If nothing else, I have a new interest to keep me occupied for the near future. That future is 2019. Happy New Year!

Musescore – Music Composition Software (FREE!)

Posted on November 13, 2018 by mfna

Being in the computer field, I frequently look to technology to help me in my life’s endeavors. So it is with my ongoing efforts to improve my guitar playing.

Some background: I began playing piano as a child due to my parents’ insistence that all three of us siblings learn the instrument. Odd, because neither of my parents played! Eight years of keyboarding, recitals and basement practicing took their toll on me. Especially the basement practices, where I had to go to a clammy, dank, knotty pine-walled room sitting at an upright piano with my back to the door.

Eventually, the piano disappeared as we moved, and it wasn’t until I was in high school that I heard the beginnings of the “rock and roll revolution.” Spurred by the Beatles and surf music, I was hooked. My best friend sold me my first guitar, a Sears Kay acoustic, for $10. With my limited knowledge of music learned from piano playing, I taught myself to play guitar. I would buy sheet music of songs I liked that included guitar diagrams, and would follow along, learning the chords.

Guitar is not the same kind of instrument. A piano is a linear progression of keys (88 in total) that span the full range of musical notes. In western music, there are 12 tones per chromatic scale, and eight notes per tonal scale. The guitar, on the other hand, (usually) has six strings that are staggered in tone. This means that the same note can be played in different locations on the fretboard.

My guitar instructor is teaching me in the “classical” way–he’s giving me standard sheet music on which he writes the fingers and frets to use, referring to scale fingering terms such as “two over five” (second finger beginning the scale on the fifth fret). This is a new way of learning the guitar for me, and I continue to lean on technology for assistance.

Some of the software I have purchased to further this goal in the past are titles like Neck Diagrams, which as the name indicates, lets one create images of a guitar neck with notes and chords.

Songs Pro is another guitar-based program. Sadly, the author has discontinued support for this program due to changes in macOS. It’s a little quirky, but its strength is the chord search function that lets one choose from a large number of chord diagrams for a given tone.

My latest dilemma became how to transpose written music (staves, notes, rests, etc.) to guitar tablature? (Side note: I never learned TAB either, as it was not standardized when I was teaching myself to play). I’m not sure how I found it, but the answer to my newest problem is a piece of free software called Musescore. Available for Mac and Windows, this is software capable of producing professional music scores (hence the name).

Originally, I found it hard to learn (it’s still hard, but getting easier); there are so many features available. But once the work flow and keyboard shortcuts are learned, the process starts becoming faster and easier. Here is my transcription of Freddie Hubbard’s classic “Little Sunflower.” I wanted TAB to use the proper fingering.

On a final note, I have also found some useful online sites for finding guitar chords, diagrams and names. Among those are Chorderator, chordsearch (it does more than just search!), and The G-Net, which displays chords in TAB!

Ain’t technology great?!

I Travel Because

Posted on October 26, 2018 by mfna

I couldn’t think of a suitable title for this post, and may come back and change it (and this post) if I can think of something more appropriate. Why? The reason is simply complex: I decided to take a mini-vacation to accept my “elevation,” and since it was hard to justify a “down-and-back” overnight trip (cost-wise, time-wise, etc.) and since I had a surplus of vacation time coming to me, decided to extend the trip. Fine. But then what?

Well, I decided to do what I’ve done before: Let someone else house and feed me for a few days. So, here I am, less than a week away from another Caribbean cruise.

Carnival Cruise Line’s iconic smokestack and logo.

This is a four-night excursion, most of which takes place asea. There is one stop, Cozumel, Mexico, which I have visited several times. I doubt I will even get off the ship. But I might go ashore for a couple of hours just to walk around. I’m feeling lazy, so my plans are to just wander the ship, eat, and relax in my stateroom, practicing guitar.

Speaking of which — I just ordered a new guitar specifically for this purpose. Somehow, I learned of a kickstarter-funded company that was making carbon fiber travel guitars. The carbon fiber makes them virtually impervious to temperature and humidity changes (they have wooden necks — I ordered my with carbon fiber truss rod reinforcement). The key here is that the neck is removable, make the guitar a “foldable!” So it’s downsized and foldable, which means it should be packable in a suitcase! These are KLŌS Guitars, and they get surprisingly good reviews!

KLŌS Foldable Guitar

Order fulfillment said 2-6 days, and not wanting to risk not getting it in time, I paid extra for expedited shipping. I hope it’s worth it! I’ll post a review when I return.

Finally, I hoped to be included in the special Chef’s Table meal (I did it last time, and it was FABULOUS). I received an email saying they had filled all the seats, but I’ll be waitlisted. If I make it, great. If not, that’s fine too.

Sail away!

Teaching An Old Dog New Tricks

Posted on October 2, 2018 by mfna

They said it can’t be done. I beg to differ.

In fact, I think I knew intuitively that I could change and grow by getting professional help, but I resisted. For years.

That has all changed. I have now had four guitar lessons from a professional guitar player and teacher. (for more see this autobiography of Steve Tjernagel). This past month has been an eye-opening experience, and almost makes me regret not having done it sooner (I don’t believe in regrets; as they say, “It is what it is”).

Going back to square one. I approached my first lesson with trepidation, thinking to myself that if he wanted me to do scales and finger exercises I might have second thoughts. Walking out of my first lesson, my homework was scales and finger exercises! And he was absolutely right!

The finger exercises are getting more complex, and the music theory that goes along with some of them is increasing my knowledge. I took several music theory courses in college, but that was over 40 years ago!

Memorizing the Cycle of Fourths was one task I put my mind to. Having examined it and played it using the four-note chords he’s taught me has begun to make things “fit.”

(The above image is located at deftdigits.com, a page that nicely explains how the Cycle of Fourths and its counterpart, the Circle of Fifths works).

Other concepts that Steve is hammering into my brain: Knowing where the root, third, fifth (and currently 7th) notes are on any give chord form. This coincides with the basic premise that one should memorize the entire fretboard (sorry to keep using the deftdigits site, but it has a nice visual layout and the descriptions are easy to read).

After playing guitar (on and off) for 50 years, I am not embarrassed to admit to friends that I’m taking lessons. Heck, even Tiger Woods has a golf coach!

The 7th chords I’m learning. And playing in the Cycle of Fourths.

Four notes, four fingers. These are “core” chords

Woohoo – NGD!

Posted on August 29, 2018 by mfna

For those not into the lingo (or the acronyms), NGD is shorthand for “New Guitar Day.”

Yep, I did it again.

Fender Stratocaster XII – 2018 MIJ 12-string

This is a new (2018) Fender Special Run (FSR) Made in Japan Stratocaster XII. If you didn’t notice outright, look again – it’s a 12-string Stratocaster. That’s what the XII denotes in the model name.

The first guitar I bought brand new was a 1971 Framus 12-string acoustic. That guitar is now 47 years old. I played it both as a 12- and as a 6-string for years. But it’s 100% acoustic, which means no onboard electronics as is common with acoustic guitars today.

1971 Framus “Blue Ridge” 12-string acoustic guitar

There is something about the sound of a 12-string guitar. The Byrds, back in the 1960s, used Rickenbacker 12-strings on a number of their songs, which helped give them their “signature” sound.

As I played with the church band recently, I used my acoustic 12-string to add that “chiming” sound to the songs we played. But I had to sit near a microphone that picked up the sound and broadcast it through the P.A. system. Sitting, while more comfortable than standing, limits one’s ability to sing. Especially when also using an electric guitar for other songs.

This is a lower-end Stratocaster 12-sting. Its body is basswood and the pickups are standard single-coil (Fender makes a slew of pickups for a variety of sounds). The neck is maple with a rosewood fingerboard (all my other fenders have maple boards, although my Gibsons use rosewood, too). The neck is a “U” shape, with a 7.5″ radius. Compare this guitar with my Eric Clapton Artist Series Stratocaster, which has an alder body, a “soft V” neck, 9.5″ radius, and “Vintage Noiseless™” single-coil pickups. And more features, which add to the cost.

The only colors available for this FSR guitar are Olympic White and Sunburst. I have an unexplained aversion to ‘bursts, and my EC Strat is Olympic White, so I dithered a bit before buying. But the seller announced he was accepting offers on the OW, so I offered and we negotiated a price. Deal!

So now I have two Olympic White Stratocasters. They aren’t twins, however, as the photo below show. The difference in neck color as well as the color of the pickguard (it’s listed as “3-ply eggshell,” but it looks Mint to me. Perhaps when I remove the plastic protector? I consider them “brothers.” The EC Strat is the older, the 12-string the younger.

Brothers. Eric Clapton Artist Series Stratocaster and FSR Stratocaster XII

Now This Is Cool

Posted on August 7, 2018 by mfna

An email I received yesterday made me realize I hadn’t posted the pivotal event here, so I’m going to make up for that with this post, and tie everything into a nice bow.

On Friday, July 20, 2018, my friend Nick surprised me by giving me a guitar! He told me his sister had purchased it from the guitar-maker in 1977 thinking she was going to learn to play. According to Nick, she never did, and he wound up with the guitar, which was put away in his basement. During a recent clean-up, he and his wife came across the guitar and said to themselves, “We need to find a home for this instrument.” Knowing I play guitar, Nick said, “I know just the person.”

The first impression I had when he pulled the guitar case out of his car trunk was that this was no “eBay afterthought” guitar.

Opening the case, I spotted a nicely crafted classical guitar.

I couldn’t do much in the parking lot, so I took it to work with me, where I examined it (and took these pictures). It was out of tune, naturally, but it tuned up nicely, and held pitch. I noodled on it a bit and was impressed with how straight the neck was, and how rich the sound. I laughed when I saw that someone (Nick’s sister?) had placed masking tape at the 5th, 7th and 9th frets, as the fingerboard has no fret markers.

(I have since removed the tape, as I don’t need fret markers).

The workmanship of this guitar is undeniable.

The tuning machines are nicely done. I don’t know their make, but they aren’t “plain.”

I did notice some small cracks in the barrels of the tuners. Probably not something to worry about, but I’m going to watch them.

By any estimation on my part, this is a quality guitar, and not a basement-dweller for 41 years.

Did I say 41 years? Yes, the guitar’s date of manufacture, and the maker, is listed on the interior label. James D. Fellows, April 15, 1977.

Now, here’s the kicker: James D. Fellows learned of my obtaining this guitar and contacted me! That’s the email I mentioned at the beginning. He told me this was the seventh guitar he’d built, and the first since he’d returned from Spain. Nick’s sister was his first customer, and he built this for her.

James is still a custom guitar maker, located in Connecticut. He plans to build two guitars a year. I promised him I’d get him some photos of the guitar, and this is my first effort at doing so.

And now that I know more about the guitar and its maker, it’s become a keeper, and a prized addition to my collection!

A Week Of Firsts

Posted on August 6, 2018 by mfna

Okay, it’s time for a little chest-beating and peacock preening. I can do this, of course, because this is my blog, and no one reads it, anyway.

I am happy to report that the past week saw two personal firsts. On Wednesday, August first, my first photography exhibit made its debut. Fifteen pieces that I curated, had professionally printed, framed (except for the stretched canvas pieces) and mounted went on display at Ridgetop Coffee and Tea, a community gathering place, and a coffee shop in the old, traditional sense. I had been asked as late as last winter if I would be interested in a show, and my time slot arrived. The exhibit will go through the end of September.

Many of the photos in the show were taken last year during my photo tour of southern Utah. I added a couple of others that I think represent my best work, and I have a few that I might rotate out/in as time passes.

Creating the labels for the photos was one of the hardest parts. I finally found a template in Apple’s Pages page-layout program that worked with Avery labels, and from there it was easy. I do not have prices listed on the photos, as it isn’t my intent to sell them, but I’ve said I will entertain discussion if it comes to that.

The other first of the week was my performance debut on stage playing guitar with the worship band at Riverside Presbyterian Church. I credit the band with re-igniting my interest in guitar playing, so after chasing them for a while, and being frustrated by my schedule not permitting me to practice with them, that all changed when I stopped working at the running store.

A short back story: The band/worship leader was recently burned in a grilling accident, suffering first and second degree burns over a lot of his body. That put him out of commission for several weeks. At the same time, one of our pastors is on sabbatical, and the other on a mission trip to Kenya, so church has been running short-staffed. It was fortunate that I was able to step up to fill in for Sunday’s three services. I had a ball! I’m looking forward to doing it again.

Running FROM Office

everyone is entitled to my opinion

Category Archives: Guitar