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.

The Collection Expands

Posted on June 19, 2018 by mfna

I was recently asked to provide evidence that I had some music expertise, so I used this blog as a reference. Which got me to thinking, I haven’t added my latest acquisition to the site.

Gibson ES335 Walnut

This is a NOS (new, old stock) 2017 Gibson Memphis Limited Edition ES-335 Walnut. I have long lusted after a 335. It’s an iconic guitar (to me, at least). Alvin Lee played his “Big Red” at Woodstock.

“Marty McFly” (Michael J. Fox) played one in the original Back to the Future movie. Chuck Berry, B.B. King, Larry Carlton — even Eric Clapton — have played the 335.

Red is (to me) the traditional color, but there are natural finishes, colored (Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters plays a blue 335), and then I came across the Walnut. I’m a sucker for wood looks, so I couldn’t resist.

A short back story: I’ve had and played a 1957 Gibson ES-225 since the early 1980s. It was my main guitar for years, and I played it unplugged as well as amped. It’s a wonderful guitar, but its one pickup is somewhat limiting, and it’s shown the signs of time and wear. It’s earned its place in its case…

So, enter the ES-335, and the from the moment I picked it up and started to play (without even removing the plastic from the pickguard), I felt like I was home again! Same feel of the neck, same heft of the body, same cradling sensation when seated — man, this guitar was ME!

I hesitate to call this my favorite guitar, as I have several that earn that appellation each time I strap one on. But it’s won a place in my heart — and an honored place in my “go to” spot.

Just Because…

Posted on January 27, 2017 by mfna

Having updated WordPress to the latest release, I figured it was time to add another “nothing burger” to this site. Since no one reads it anyway, what the heck?

Lately, I’ve become acutely aware of my obsessive-compulsive nature due to my profligate acquisition of gear. Last year it was guns, this year guitars.

In the span of a couple of weeks, I’ve purchased two guitars. Heck, I’ve purchased 12 guitars in the past six months!

The latest, being wrapped and shipped as I write this, is a 2006 Fender Custom Shop Robin Trower Stratocaster, autographed by Trower himself.

Recently, I tripped over a gorgeous 50th anniversary Stratocaster, made in Mexico (MIM).

I had a slight issue with this one. The bottom E and A strings sounded “overdriven” when I played the instrument, so I took to to Melodee Music in Sterling, Virginia, where Chris, the savvy guitar tech, took a screwdriver and adjusted the neck pickup height. Told to “plug it in” and see if that fixed it, I there and then fell in love all over again. Thanks, Chris!

Now my guitar collection numbers 14. I’m doing my taxes now, and unless I’m overlooked something, I suspect I’ll have a refund sufficient to cover #15. And a Fender Deluxe Reverb 1968 Re-Issue, as well!

This Is Fun!

Posted on September 28, 2016 by mfna

Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, although I suspect anyone of any age who engages in guitar playing would agree. After all, why pursue playing any instrument if it weren’t fun (notwithstanding the parental requirement of having to play)?

For me, I sometimes feel like kicking myself for not expanding my horizons sooner. By that, I mean when I was deep into playing, I stayed pretty much in the acoustic guitar arena. Oh sure, I had my (very sweet) 1957 Gibson ES-225, which has a pickup, but I never really plugged it in to a serious amplifier.

1957 Gibson ES-225

Yes, I had my little Pignose amp, but that lulled me into thinking what I had was an electric guitar, when in truth what I had was an amplified acoustic-electric.

Then along came idle bachelorhood (again) and inspired by the young people playing guitar during church services, I pulled my instruments out of their cases, took them to a luthier for proper setup, replaced the strings, and started to play. I added another acoustic because I thought I might have to wait weeks for the setup to be completed.

But then I came across an electric guitar–one might even say the electric guitar of my dreams–and my life changed for the better. I bought the Eric Clapton artisan model Fender Stratocaster and a Fender Champion 40 amplifier, and I was transported into a new dimension.

Fender Eric Clapton signature model Stratocaster

But that was just the beginning. The Stratocaster was such a fine instruments, and I found playing an electric guitar so much more different than playing an acoustic, I added another electric to my collection. This one was the guitar world’s counterpoint to the Fender beast, a Gibson Les Paul.

Oh my, how the guitar world has changed since my days as a teenager. Back then, your choice in models was limited to a handful. Now, the choices are country of origin, type and number of pickups, and even the type and quality of the wood used to build the guitar. Gibson offers the Les Paul in Standard, Custom, Studio, Classic, and more. Gibson even owns the Epiphone company, which makes their own line of Les Pauls.

I found what I hope/believe is a collector’s item: A 2015 Gibson Les Paul Classic “Rock II.” It’s a limited-edition LP with a body that looks like marble instead of wood, hence the “Rock” monicker.

2015 Gibson Les Paul Classic “Rock II”

Now I was off and running. The other guitar of my youthful dreams was the Fender Telecaster, and lo and behold, I came across a 60th Anniversary mode that just spoke to me.

Fender 60th Anniversary Telecaster

Next up was another Stratocaster. Honestly, I wasn’t looking, but I came across this 40th Anniversary aluminum-bodies Strat, one of only 400 made, and added it to my growing collection.

Fender 40th Anniversary (194) Stratocaster w/ Aluminum Body

(I should also add that I bought a Pignose PGG-200 Deluxe travel/practice guitar to allow me to meet my commitment to myself to practice a minimum of 5 minutes a day).

I think I’ve cooled off on the collecting. I now have an acoustic 12-string, an acoustic (with built-in pickup) 6-string, an acoustic-electric, and four electric guitars plus one electric practice guitar. Knowing that collecting is a personal thing, I won’t say I’m done, but for the present, I have a wonderful choice of guitars to play when the urge strikes. And it strikes often!

The “Electric Company”

Running FROM Office

everyone is entitled to my opinion

Category Archives: Music