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TOPIC: big bad guitar

Re:big bad guitar 13 years 5 months ago #4061

Hello...I'm new in here. Starting out two years ago, I tried all manner of picks, usually the cheap plastic ones. Then I moved on to bigger and thicker cheap plastic. Then I bought one of those Red Bear B-Heavy picks which btw cost $25.00 each. I must admit it does have a better tone. I also bought a RB medium beveled pick, but it doesn't sound as good as the Heavy one does. Then I got really serious and bought a BlueChip TAD 60 pick (heavy) which was...ahem...$35.00!

So my so-called friends look at me like I'm crazy when I show it to them (but I do not allow the ruffians to handle it), and it sounds a tad more bassier than the Red Bear. My guitar is a Martin HD-28 so it is somewhat on the bass side to begin with. I use either Nanoweb PB Elixer Medium strings or those EXP-17 D'Addarios..medium.

I discovered that some of these beveled picks have to be rebeveled to get a good smooth down-up pick pattern going, but over all I am pleased with both these items. Only thing is the Red Bears are a tad fragile, and if you squeeze'em too hard they'll crack. Oh, and don't forget and leave them in your pants pocket because the wife will wash and dry'em for you, which is plenty unnerving.
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Re:big bad guitar 13 years 5 months ago #4062

For some unknown reason, my guitar playing sounds better right before I go to bed. Why is this? Usually I sit in a chair in my bedroom and play while my wife pretends she's reading or sleeping. Sometimes she'll commnet on my playing in a positive way, and other times she just snores louder and grinds her teeth faster...usually when I play faster.

I've also noticed that an acoustic guitar will sound different in a room which has carpet versus one that has a wooden or tile floor, which is why I play in the kitchen mostly, but not when my wife is cooking because it's too crowded and way too hot in there then.

One night around 12:30 or so, I moved into the bathroom and was playing Under The Double Eagle really loud and fast and suddenly she opened the door and asked if I was sick at my stomach or something. I told her the acoustics were better in here, and she just looked at me strange and went back to bed. It's rough being married to a guitar player I reckon.
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Re:big bad guitar 13 years 5 months ago #4063

Oh, almost forgot the reason I came here. I wanted to ask if anyone knows why Martin would put a bottom ribbon brace in a new HD-28 guitar that does not go all the way to the end (bridge end)block. It was either one notch (about a 1/4 inch gap)too short to begin with, or at some point it fell off. If it did, it was before I bought it new at the store. It doesn't seem to be affecting the sound.

When I bought this guitar, I immediately replaced the plastic pins with bone pins and later replaced the saddle with one from Bob Colosi. My guitar sounds a lot louder than the same model down at Guitar Center. My wife says If I took mine down there it would probably sound the same as theirs.
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Re:big bad guitar 13 years 5 months ago #4064

I'm an advocate of scale playing, playing something extremely slow, and playing something slightly faster than I am capable of playing it. Use the 5 min. for one of those. I've been using my time on the G scale. I can play it fast in 1st and 2nd position and am starting to do arpeggios (3 note intervals). It has become really fun because I am seeing progress from months of doing it 5 mins. at a time. It will also help with lead playing. In addition, if you take a lead that you need work on, play it at a painfully slow pace. Do this through the whole song. You might find yourself snagging here or there but focus on efficiency of motion. FM had us do this one time in class. I've taken that "lesson" home with me. A lot of times when we learn something, it becomes so unconscious that we don't even "really know it". If we can play it super slow, we're more likely not to make a mistake in forgetting it. Mentally, this will help with standard improvement at a regular pace. Then play it slightly faster than you're comfortable with, even if it's sloppy. When you come back down to normal speed, it'll seem easier. Just don't spend too much time playing it sloppy- just use use this for short bursts. This type of approach might get you past the dread of the "same 'ol same 'ol.:)

P.S. Don't rule out working on rythmn play'n and walk ups and walk downs... beginnings/ endings.

Lots o' stuff for 5 minutes:woohoo:
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Re:big bad guitar 13 years 5 months ago #4156

I've followed "George"s comments about scale playing for a couple of months now, and started trying it myself. I must say that although I am far behind his level of expertise on it, I can say that it has helped me with motion, tempo, and hand placement, up and down the srings. And he's right, if you're just passing by the guitar with not much time, grabbing it for 5 minutes or even less can bring results after awhile.
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