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Eric’s House of Shred: NAMM2016

So this past weekend I had the pleasure to attend winter NAMM 2016 with Ryan Stair from our Parkersburg store. Held in Anaheim, CA, the NAMM show greets thousands of guests from store employees to artists demoing the newest offerings from many brands and manufacturers. I got to see VERY cool new pieces of gear that I'm hoping to carry in our stores as son as the products are available.  

Taylor guitars showed us their new 12 fret 12 string guitar which played and sounded fantastic!  I got to see my guitar hero (Satchel, Steel Panther) demo the new electric guitar pickups from Fishman. They sounded great! Schecter debuted the first line of Acoustic Guitars for the artist Synyster Gates from the band Avenged Sevenfold. They sounded and played great. We will definitely be having some of those here at the St. Clairsville, Ohio location. Another name/product to check out is the Profiler from Kemper. This product captures the tone DNA from your amplifier and puts it in a box for you to take with you anywhere. What I was most impressed with were the new amplifiers from Marshall including the mini Silver Jubilee head and the new CODE amplifiers.  After hearing the sound demo for both of these products I know that you guys will also love them.  

My best in show?  The Yamaha THR Head. Hands down. If you have not heard one yet it'll be worth your research. As soon as they are available to buy I will do a hands on demo for you. I hope that you will be as blown away as I am! 

-Eric 

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Tips and Tricks from Roger's Tone Zone

Winter weather is tough on guitars.  If you’re bringing in your guitar from the cold, always let the guitar warm up to room temperature before playing it.  If it’s real cold, it’s a good idea to let the guitar warm up slowly in the case for a couple of hours before opening the case.  When we receive Fender Guitars, they suggest letting the guitar rest in the case for 24 hours before opening.  If the guitar has a nitrocellulose lacquer finish,  you could finish crack or craze the finish.  What happens is the wood vibrates before the guitar is warm and that can cause those “spider web” looking cracks.  You’ll see a lot of this with old guitars and with the Fender Custom Shop Closet Classic finish.  I prefer the “20 Year Relic Plan” myself.  Same thing with Tube Guitar amplifiers, let them warm up before firing them up. 

     It also important to keep your guitars humidified during these cold Winter months.  Martin and Taylor suggest 45%-50% Humidity.  Planet Waves and  other manufacturers make Guitar Humidifiers that you can keep in your case to add moisture to your guitar.  For the sponge type humidifiers, I recommend Distilled Water.  This keeps the minerals in the water from causing issues with the sponges.  Planet Waves makes replacement sponges in addition to total Humidification Systems that add or remove moisture depending on the need.  It’s better to keep your guitars in a cooler, more temperate area.  The basement is better that the attic.  Store the guitars in the case when not in use.  If you have a music room or area, pick up a Room Humidifier.  If you run your finger along the side of the neck and feel the fret ends, your guitar is dry.  That’s because the wood shrinks and the fret doesn’t.  Playing the guitar is front of a fireplace is romantic but not a good place to park your buddy!

     And finally; we get a lot of folks who stop in and tell us, “My guitar doesn’t sound right.”  I always ask, “When was the last time you changed your strings?”  Fresh strings on your guitar make a WORLD of difference.  It will sound better, play in tune better and you will enjoy the whole playing experience more.  There you have it; “TIPS FROM THE TONE ZONE”!  If you have any questions or just want to talk shop (which I love), email me at;

roger.hoard@cahousemusic.com or call me at 740-695-5929 or 1-800-755-3214.

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2015 is the year of Rock Guitar at C A House Music!

Hello everyone!  Eric here from C A House Musicin Saint Clairsville, Ohio.  When I tellpeople where I work they usually all say the same thing.  “WOW!!! You have a dream job!”  And you know what? I DO!!!  And I love every second of it.  My coworkers are either musicians or artists (sometimes both), my customers are musicians, and I get to meet some great creative people!  If you think about it I get to help people reach for their dreams.  How many people get to say that?  

 As you may know I am a rock guitar guy.  I am a child of the 80's so for me growing up it was all about HUGE guitar sound.  The only thing bigger than their guitar tone was their hair.  As I look around the store here I can’t help but revert back to my childhood.  I know that genre's come and go, in fact I am not sure that most of my customers know who George Lynch, Nuno Bettencourt, or C C Deville are, but seeing folks get all excited to play like their hero and use the gear that they use I can’t help but be excited.    

 I look outside my office window as I am typing this and I see half stacks by Marshall, Randall, and EVH.  I see guitar lines from Ibanez, Charvel, and Kramer.  All guitar lines that were what my guitar hero’s used when I was most influenced by when I was starting to play.  Knowing that 20+ years later I am in charge of an inventory of the guitars that I love is surreal at times.  It has made me dub 2015 as “Year of the Rock Guitar” here at C A House.  Come in and shred some guitars with me!!!!!

 \\m//

Eric

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Roger Hoard at C. A. House Music in St. Clairsville demoing the new Fender Sandblasted Telecaster in Crimson Stain! Straight from NAMM2015! 

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Backstage with Brad Paisley

       I had a chance to go to Morgantown, West Virginia on Friday January 16th to see Brad Paisley.  Bill Crook gave Brad the Second Edition of the WV Guitar.  The first Edition was ruined when a lot of Brad’s gear was destroyed when the Cumberland River overflowed its banks and flooded Soundcheck Rehearsal Studios.  Bill donated the guitar and Charlie McVay (of McVay Benders) donated the G Bender.  We arrived at the Coliseum in Morgantown around 4:30 and had a chance to visit Guitar and Amp World at Stage Right.  Pretty impressive set up of Guitar Amplifiers:  3 Bruno Amps, 3 Doctor Z Amps and 3 Vox AC30s although I don’t know which ones were in use during the set.  Onstage there were 3-2 X 12 Cabinets on stage also.   I think he is using still Celestion Gold 12’ Speakers but didn’t get a chance to check out the cabinets onstage.  He tends to switch up the amps a lot according to Bill.  There were also 2 Racks of Gear including Pedals, Switching Systems and Wireless Guitar Units.   11 Electric Guitars (Fender and Crook Custom Guitars) and 5 Acoustic guitars rounded out the collection.  Brad played an Epiphone Acoustic/Electric which he gave to a little girl near the Performance Ramp after he used it.  His main Acoustic was a Santa Cruz Dreadnought.  We got to go on the bus before the show and hang with Brad for a bit.  He was very nice and we had a chance to catch up and talk shop;  the usual gear talk, “What Amps are you using, What Speakers (he did mention a Celestion Gold 10” Speaker which would be a nice upgrade for my Fender Vibrolux).”  He was very surprised to receive the new WV guitar and played it during his set.  It definitely had a brighter snappier sound with a tighter low end when compared to the other guitars he used.  The guitar tones were awesome from our seats at the FOH Mix Position.  It was a great night to see a bunch of old friends and get to hang out with some new ones.

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Guess Who's Back. Back Again. SHECKY'S Back. Tell a Friend!

We're very excited to announce that Shecky is BACK! Shecky was part of the C. A. House Music team from 1993-2009, and now he's back and ready to ROCK! Read on for his bio. and make sure to stop out and see him.

Chris Markle (AKA. Shecky). 26 years guitar experience and 24 years Sound and Lighting experience.

1991-Current: Lighting Program Operator:

    - Lady Antebellum, Hootie and the Blowfish, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Shanana, Jimmy Sturr Band, Boots Randolph, Bruce Dickinson, Geezer, Trixter, and more!

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Blackstar ID Core Series Practice Amplifiers: Info and Review

  The new Blackstar ID Core Series practice amplifiers

   Just about every amplifier company has a beginner or practice amp these  days.  Most of them are very good amplifiers and give the end user some  really good benefits.  When I was just learning to play, you’d be lucky  to even get an inexpensive amplifier that had an overdrive setting.  Now  with all the modeling technology there seems like there's nothing that  you can’t have in a practice amp.  The one I’d like to talk about today  is the Blackstar ID Core series amplifiers.

 The Blackstar ID Core amplifiers come in three different sizes and  power ratings.  There is a 10, a 20, and a 40 watt version available. 

 They have 6 different voicings that range from a warm clean to a searing  distortion and everything in between.  There is a gain control and a  master volume control followed by the Blackstar ISF knob which allows  you to dial in your perfect tone.  In essence it is a much more active  “mid” control in the EQ that allows you to go from an American sounding  amp to a British sounding amp.  It is only found on a Blackstar.  The  MAIN reason why I personally like this amp is the “Wide Stereo” feature  of this amplifier.  It has all the built in effects including delays and  reverbs and modulation like most amps in its price point but they are in  STEREO.  With reverb/delay on once you play a note and stop the effects  sound like they are coming from everywhere in the room.  Almost like a  surround sound stereo.  Which speaking of, this amplifier has a 1/8’” jack to plug in your favorite music playing device and use it as a  stereo.  Pretty cool huh?  Since the amplifier is stereo so would your  music playback be!  Plus if you have backing tracks on your device, you  can play that at the same time you are playing your guitar over it.  You  can also store your favorite settings and call them up at any time you  wish.  This amplifier even has a USB out to plug into your computer so  that you can use it as a recording interface.  It can also be used to  tweak all of your settings (or save to share with your friends…) when  you use the Blackstar INSIDER software which allows you to deep edit  your settings or use their cool trainer software.

 I know that it sounds like this amplifier does a lot, and it does, so  it must be hard to use and figure out, right?  Wrong.  It is one of the  easiest to use amps for a beginner that I’ve ever seen.  It is very user  friendly. Starting at $99 for the 10 watt stereo amplifier it is the new  standard to which all other amplifiers will be judged in it’s price  range.  My only wish is that they would make the ID Core in a 50 watt  stereo head for those of us that want to run it into an external speaker  cabinet.  Fingers crossed…..

 This amplifier scores 4 out of 5 Metal Hands.  \\m// \\m// \\m// \\m//

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Composite Acoustics - Review and Demo

 Composite Acoustics.

 I want to talk a few minutes in regards to one of the best kept secrets  in acoustic guitars.  They are called Composite Acoustics.  These  guitars are simply amazing in every way.  First off they are made here  in the good ‘Ol U S of A.  Meridian Mississippi to be exact.  They are  made of high grade carbon fiber.  The body is one solid piece in fact. 

 The necks don’t even need a truss rod.  They never move.  Ever.  No  matter the weather and humidity.  The design makes the bodies  practically impervious to just about anything.  You can put them outside  in a snow pile for a few hours and bring them into an 80 degree room and  you can be rest assured the guitar will play exactly as it did before. 

 They are great for guys who work all day and want to leave the guitar  behind the seat of their truck on a hot sunny day and after work play  around a camp fire.  These guitars can take anything you throw at them. 

 “Yeah…but how do they sound” you ask?  I can answer in one word. 

 AMAZING.  There are many different models from smaller sized guitars  called “Cargo” and all the way up to a full size dreadnaught.  All of  them sound HUGE and very full with the perfect amount of snap in the  treble tones.  If you want a GREAT sounding guitar that will last  forever you really need to come see me so I can show you just how  amazing these guitars are.  You will not be disappointed.

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Playing with Chet Atkins

       Chet Atkins appeared in the Wheeling Area a few times over the years, twice at Oglebay Park and twice at Jamboree USA.  The last time Chet performed at Jamboree USA, I got to perform a song with him.  We met in the hallway downstairs in the dressing room area and briefly rehearsed “Up the Lazy River”.  Chet said he would play it through as a ballad then the band would take it double time and I would solo.  I usually play electric guitar with a flat pick and use a thumb pick for finger style.  That night at the last minute, and I don’t know why, I decided to go with just my thumb and no pick. Chet asked me if that’s how I usually play and I think I said “sometimes”.

      I was playing a Chet Atkins Gibson Electric Classical through the monitors.  When I came in to play my solo it was loud in the monitor and I saw Chet flinch, so I immediately turned the guitar down a bit.  After I played my first chorus, Chet said, “Play another one!”.  I think I played 3 or 4 choruses before he played his chorus.  I’m standing there and the moment is just electric, almost surreal.  I look over and he’s smiling.  I look at his guitar and it says “Chet Atkins” on the truss rod cover and I’m thinking, this is really happening.  From the moment we met downstairs and rehearsed and ended up on stage he just made me feel relaxed and special.  We finished the tune and he said as I was leaving the stage, “Roger Hoard, is that H-o-u-r-d? He’s a great player, plays with a lot of taste, we should try to keep him out of Nashville”.  I then sat on the floor of the stage, in front of the backstage production desk and watched the rest of his set in total awe.  After hearing him since I was 14 years old and trying to play his tunes, I was and still am amazed at the depth of his playing.  His version of “Vincent” that night still echoes in my ears.  Afterwards, he stayed for pictures with me and the band was just so cool to be around.  Finally, George, his road manager, said’ “Chet, we have to go”.  Everyone that knew Chet always said he was just the nicest, most humble guy to be around and from my experience it is certainly true.

     A couple of years later, a friend of mine, Chris Pappas was in Nashville doing a project with Larry White and used Chet on a Session.  According to Chris, he and Chet were talking and in the course of the conversation, Chris mentioned he was from Wheeling, West Virginia.  Chet said, “Do you know a guitar player from Wheeling named Roger Hourd?”  He mentioned something about me improvising that he remembered.  “H-O-U-R-D” That cracks me up even to this day, he got the name wrong but remembered me.  I’m still honored about that and I’ll always remember that evening.  One of the high points of my playing career.

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Design Your Own Kit: Mapex 'MyDentity'

Hello again everyone!  After helping many customers in the purchase of  their first drum kit, I have decided to share with you something that I  have noticed a lot of folks don’t know about.  That is the “MyDentity” custom line of drum kits from Mapex.  Mapex has been around for a long  time and makes a great quality drum for the money.  From their entry  level kits called the “Rebel” (LOVE the name but I am bias…) to the  Black Panther and Saturn lines, the quality can be seen and heard.  Now  I know this seems like an advertisement for Mapex drums but my real  intent today was to explain something that can really show your  personality as a drummer.  The MyDentity drum kit.  Mapex made it VERY  easy to design a drum kit just for you.  It’s simple.  Chose how many  pieces you want.  The prices are already set by how many piece you  chose.  Design your kit.  Mapex emails me your order and you come here  and pay for it.  Done.  You can chose your drum sizes, drum shell color,  hardware color, the wood type, etc.  All for the predetermined price. 

 You can have your kick drum a 22”X20” maple black shell with red hoops  and lugs with a 10”X8” green shell birch tom with orange hardware.  Any  kind of crazy configuration and color pattern is available.  For one set  price.  Head over to Mapex on line and design your own for free!  I’d  love to see what you can design!

Check out our Mapex drums  or give us a call at 740-695-5929 for more info!

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Fender: An Iconic Company

  In honor of being chosen to host a HUGE Fender sales event, I wanted to share some of my thoughts on this iconic company.

 You see them everywhere.  Watch any video music channel (well the ones  that still play actual music) and you'll see them.  Fender instruments. 

 And I mean everywhere.  What I like most about them is that they appeal  to a variety of player in one way or another.  Not only in different  genres but also in format.  Meaning you might be a Gibson guitar player  but you love your Fender Tweed amp.

 Just some HUGE notable players to play Fender guitars are Jimi Hendrix,  Eric Clapton, David Gilmore, Richie Blackmore, Yngwie Malmsteen, Buddy  Guy, John Mayer, John 5, Vince Gill, Jeff Beck, Bruce Springsteen, on  and on and on.

 You'll notice at just that very small list there are many different  types of music including country, pop, blues, and even metal.  It may  not be just the guitar either.  Most of these folks are using some type  of Fender amp as well.

 Diversity.  Reliability.  Reputation.

 Fender.

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Flying: The Yamaha Adventure

   Hello.  What steps should you take if you see a dangerous animal on  your travels?

 I got to fly last week for the first time in about 25 years.  It was  fun.  I arrived at the Pittsburgh Airport around 6:30 am.  Glad I made  it.  They have these things that are flat escalators that move you from  the parking lot to the airport.  I was having a fun ride but everyone  else was walking past and looking at me like I was crazy.  Walking on an  escalator?  How big of a hurry are you in and why didn't you give yourself more time so you could relax a little? Security is interesting.  You have to empty your pockets, take off your shoes and  belt, remove your I-pad or personal computer from your carry on and  place them in a bin.  Walk through the metal detector, they scan your  stuff and you’re in.  The train ride to the gate was fun.  Found my gate  and relaxed.  The flight was on time, it was a beautiful day, the flight  was easy, I got to have some water and the smallest bag of pretzels I  have ever seen and we arrived in Atlanta GA around 9:50 am.

   I got to fly last week for the first time in about 25 years.  It wasn't  fun.  I arrived at the Atlanta Airport around 5 pm.  Glad I made it.  

 They have these things called floors that you have to walk miles on to  get to the train.  The train takes you to another part of the airport  where you get to walk to security.  Security is interesting.  You have  to empty your pockets, take off your shoes and belt, remove your I-pad  or personal computer from your carry on and place them in a bin.  Walk  through the metal detector, they scan your stuff, have an anomaly so

 they have to check you out, and then you go get your stuff.   Except,

 where is my stuff?  The guy in front of me is gone and my stuff is  sitting in the scanner.  Uh-oh.  My shoes and things come out, the  scanner guy grabs my bag, pushes it off to the side, and another guy  yells WHO HAS THE BLUE BAG!  After everyone looks at me, I say, it’s  mine.  We go off to the side, he tells me what they suspect and asks  where it is in my bag, I reach in to remove it and he says NOT YOU!,  tell me where it is and I will take it out.  I tell him and I explain to  him that I have been to a Yamaha seminar and they gave us a flashlight  with different size screw drivers around it and that is what he is  looking for.  He takes it out, checks it, determines there are no sharp  blades, tells me how cool it is, and say’s I can go.  And I’m in.  The  train ride to the gate was fun.  Found my gate and relaxed.  The flight  was not on time.  After waiting 4 hours I found out that I was going to  wait another 3.  If you fly, make sure you have money to eat in case you  have to wait.  $3.00 for a bottle of water, $4.69 for a hotdog etc...The  beautiful day was now a tired night, the flight was easy, I got some  water and the smallest bag of pretzels I have ever seen and promptly  fell asleep.  I arrived in Pittsburgh at 1:35 am, had to drive through a  rainstorm that had traffic going 35 MPH on the interstate and arrived  safely home around 3:10 am.

   Flying is fun.  Flying is easy as long as you know what you can and  cannot bring with you.  Wear shoes that are easy to take off and put on,  it helps in the security line.  Bring money in case you get stuck at the  airport and need to eat.  Give yourself plenty of time so you don’t have  to walk on the escalator or run in the airport.

 Very large ones.  Thanks, KB

 No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and  rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.

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ERIC'S TOP FIVE FAVORITE SONGS OF ALL TIME

    Whether you are a musician or not, you have a favorite song.  If it  isn't one its a few anyway.  It's your favorite either because it makes  you move or makes you feel a certain way.  That certain song can trigger  a memory-you remember what you were doing when you heard it for the  first time.  I know that there are several songs that I can remember  even down to what I was wearing the first time I heard it (Yeah.  I'm  that weird).  I have narrowed down my favorite 5 songs of all time and  I'm going to list them with some details on why they are special to me.

   #5.  "Broken Wings" Mister Mister

 This song is one of those songs that I have that I remember the  first time I heard it.  I like songs that create an atmosphere.  As kid it's the kind of thing that stuck with me.   It's a song about starting over which as a child you don't understand but now as an adult  it means more than ever.  It just seems "spacey" to me and creates quite  the atmosphere.  Dreamy almost.  I listen today with headphones in and  close my eyes and transport back to that time.  A good song does that.

  #4.  "La Isla Bonita" Madonna

 As a younger person I would dream a lot as we all do.  I would  dream of being somewhere beautiful that you've never been to.  For an  adventure.  Maybe a romance.  This song to me took me to a place that  I've never been through lyrics.  She was describing how beautiful that  place was.  "La Isla Bonita" translates to "The Beautiful Island" an  image which she conveyed with the creative imagery of the lyrics.  It is  still in constant rotation on my iPod for the way it makes me feel when  listening to it and the images it portrays.

  #3.  "These Dreams" Heart

 As stated earlier I like songs that are very atmospheric and  almost "dream" like.  What better to do that than a song about a dream  called "These Dreams"?  Sometimes when we dream we see things that are  unusual but at that moment aren't.  The lyrics talk about searching for  the time on a watch with no hands and walking without a cut through a  stained glass wall.  The melody in both the verses and the chorus are  something that caught the attention of my ears the second that I heard  it.  It is a song that takes me to a place in my life that was great and  carefree and fun.  A place that we all like to go.  It also kind of  connects us all no matter what kind of music you like because everyone  has had a dream and can relate in some way to that.

   #2.  "West End Girls" Pet Shop Boys

 I love this song.  Obviously or it wouldn't be my number 2 song  of all time, right?  This is a song about different classes of people  and life in the inner city.  When this song grabbed my attention  however, it was more about the melody and tone of the instruments used. 

 I did realize the references to the class differences but it was not the  main reason for my interest in this particular song.  It's a song with  many many lyrics but one that I know them all and sing them every time  it comes on. It is again another one that takes me to another place and  time.  Which is a great place and a great time.  One of the main reasons  that it is still very much in my heart 27 years later.

 #1.  "I Believe"  Tears For Fears

 Those of you that know me...I mean REALLY know me, know that this  is my favorite band EVER.  I could write a NOVEL about this band and the  influence they had on my life and how much the tape (yes...tape.  They  were made of plastic kids and you had to fast forward and rewind to hear  the song you were searching for) "Songs From the Big Chair" meant to me  and still to this day mean to me.  But I digress.  This song is just  Roland Orzbal and a piano (with a very short sax solo).  Simple.  But  every time this song comes on my world stops.  For those four minutes  and thirty five seconds nothing else exists.  It's a man and his  feelings.  Those of you that like soul music can appreciate what I am  saying here.  It was the first song growing up that I can remember  noticing as far as feelings go.  It was the first song to make me  listen.  REALLY listen and notice it as a piece of music.  It is the  song to this day that I wish I had written and wish I could play.  Some  day I'd like to meet Roland and shake his hand and tell him "thank you" for what he and Kurt Smith have done for me personally and musically  because with out them and this song especially I would not be here today  typing this list.

        Now I would like to point out if you have not caught on that there  are no rock songs on here.  Which may seem odd since you folks know that  I lean very much towards hard rock as my go to music (actually metal all  day long).  Hair metal and arena rock to be exact.  But These songs came  first.  And there is a correlation.  The rock bands that I mostly listen  to are really just a great pop song with flash and flare.  And a  blistering guitar solo.  Strip those hard rock songs down to nuts and  bolts and you really have these 5 songs that I have mentioned above.

 Great hooks.  Great melodies.  Great songs.

[cahouse]

Yamaha THR10X Review

So I have had this amp on my desk for a few months now.  I have played  through it quite often and for long periods of time so I feel  comfortable making a review on this guitar amplifier.  For those of you  that haven't seen them it is a 10 watt desktop amplifier with two tiny  (I believe 4") speakers.  Yamaha makes several different ones of these  amplifiers.  The particular one that I am using is the High Gain model. 

 There are several built in effects and they are in true stereo.  When I  play mine at my desk it sounds like the effects are actually surround  sound.  It's quite incredible.  There are no outputs to power any other  speakers but there is a USB out and also a 1/8 inch aux in and a  headphone jack.  That's a lot of features for a small practice amp. And  the $299 price tag isn't too shabby either.  Highly recommend you check  one of these out if you can at an authorized Yamaha retailer! ...In St. Clairsville, Ohio....Named C A House Music.

   Oh yeah....Mine is Pink.  Big surprise?......

[cahouse]

Let’s Start Using Those Right Hand Fingers to Pick

       Jeff Beck does it.  Chet Atkins, Jerry Reed and Lenny Breau did it.  Derek Trucks does it. Andres Segovia did it.  Tommy Emmanuel does it.  What is it that they do or did?   They use the right hand fingers to pick the guitar.   Whether it’s with fingertips, fingernails or thumb pick and finger nails, something special happens when you pick with your right hand fingers on the strings.  It’s a warmer fuller sound.  Go back and check out some early Wes Montgomery.  His thumb generated a tone so warm that a lot of amplifiers back in the day could not faithfully reproduce it or at the very least hold up to his attack.  There’s also a tactile sensation of the finger pulling across the string, like a classical guitarist or plucking the string like a country chicken picker.  With the right hand thumb and fingers you can grab a chord form and get the notes all at once. BANG!  With a pick down stroke the notes will be staggered and not all at once.  Big difference in sound.  Think of it as a horn section with your right hand.  A lot of classical guitarists use a fingernail in conjunction with the fingertip to get their sound.  Think the fingernail as a back stop or breaking point for the fingertip. 

      With the thumb and fingers of you right hand you can choose the individual notes in a chord to determine the sound you’re trying to achieve.   For example, a full barre G chord at the third fret.  You could play 6th, 4th, 3rd a 2nd strings with you thumb, index, middle and ring fingers.  A basic G chord.  Now if you play the 5th, 4th, 3rd,  and 2nd strings with the thumb, index, middle and ring fingers, you’re playing a G chord with a D in the Bass, a totally different sound altogether.  Playing with your fingers enables you to choose which notes you want to hear of a chord form and opposed to a pick down stroke where every note is played.  It gives you a lot of options.

      While we’re at it we can talk about those pesky fingernails.  It does brighten up the attack if you have a little bit of fingernail on the right hand.  Ideally, the fingernail should be a long as the fingertip and tapered to match the contour of the fingertip.  Always file the nail from the underside so the top stays smooth and always have a nail file on hand.  The Revlon “Diamond” style files are the best.  One side for shaping and one side for finishing, think sandpaper grades (sandpaper works also).  Guys like Doyle Dykes, Pete Hutlinger and Richard Smith use Acrylic Nails.  Probably every other guitar in Nashville has them on their right hand fingers.  Great for picking but bad for your natural nails.  There are also conditioners available.  I use a product called Hard as Hoofs which was developed for Horse Hooves.  This product is massaged into the nail and cuticle and makes the nail more flexible and less likely to break.  I keep mine short and hopefully more reliable. Until next time…….

[cahouse]

“You Can Tuna Fish but You Can’t Tune A Piano” - A Kevin Brosh Production

    Hello.  Why did the skeleton cross the road alone?  I can’t believe I have been blogging for three weeks.  And they said it wouldn’t last. Who are “they” and what do we know about them? Today’s Blog could be titled “You Can Tuna Fish but You Can’t Tune A Piano” but that would be silly. Proper care of a piano is essential if you expect your piano to last for many years. And who doesn't? Here are just a few things to do.

  Proper humidity for a piano is important because if it gets to dry the soundboard could crack.  That is very bad.  It can be fixed but it will not be the same. Proper humidity is also important for a tuna.  Tunas like it very humid.  Wet even.  I recommend white wine, olive oil, garlic and fresh shallots.  If you cook a tuna to long it gets dry and it won’t taste good.

  It is also advisable to keep your piano away from direct sunlight.  The constant warming and cooling will cause it to go out of tune faster. The sun can also lighten the finish over a long period of time. It is not good to keep your tuna in direct sunlight either.  The constant warming and cooling causes the tuna to lose its flavor but it doesn’t seem to do anything to the finish.

   Keeping your piano tuned is most important.  Piano’s that are not tuned regularly will end up with loose tuning pins that stay out ‘til all hours of the night and they will not hold a tuning.  They (who are they??) recommend tuning a piano twice a year, usually spring and fall, that’s part of the humidity thing.

Tuning your tuna.

 I like the way that sounds.

 Tuning your tuna.

Tuning your tuna is not important at all. 

The way you prepare it is, try this one.

Because he didn’t have no body.

Enjoy.

    Original recipe makes 6 Servings

  2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

  10 fluid ounces white wine

  1/4 cup minced shallots

  1 tablespoon wasabi paste, or to taste  more is better

  1 tablespoon soy sauce

  1 cup unsalted butter, cubed

  salt and black pepper to taste

  1 tablespoon olive oil, or as needed

  1 cup chopped cilantro leaves

  6 (6 ounce) fresh tuna steaks, 1 inch thick

    Directions

  1.          Combine the white wine vinegar, white wine and shallots in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until the liquid is reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Strain out shallot and discard, return liquid to the pan.

  2.          Stir the wasabi and soy sauce into the reduction in the pan. Over low heat, gradually whisk in butter one cube at a time allowing the mixture to emulsify. Be careful not to let the mixture boil. When all of the butter has been incorporated, stir in cilantro, and remove from heat. Pour into a small bowl, and set aside.

  3.          Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brush tuna steaks with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place in the hot skillet,and sear for 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Be careful not to overcook this fish should be served still a little pink in the center. Serve with sauce.

[cahouse]

Kevin Brosh: The Return of the Blog

 Hello.  This is blog 2.

 What happens to a frog’s car when it breaks down?

 That was easy.

 Now the difficult part.  What do I talk about today?

   Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…...

   And again,  Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm…...

   Oh!  I know.

 Hey that rhymes.

 Oh, I know, what I’m going to say.

 Oh, I know what to write about today!

   The Yamaha Motif XF8.  This is Yamaha’s biggest baddest work station  and it certainly is.  The acoustic sounds are some of the most realistic  I have ever heard and I have heard plenty.  It also has a lot of vintage  sounds like Wurlitzer and Fender Rhodes electric pianos that sound  authentic.  I played a Wurlitzer for a while and a Fender Rhodes for

 about 6 years with Crystal Ball.  I still have the Rhodes.  Very cool.  

 Of course it also has strings, organs (with sliders that can act as  drawbars), lead synth sounds, pads and a great selection of drums,  basses, sound effects etc...  I took off my gloves and shoes to try to  count all the sounds but even with my extra toe I couldn’t do it.

   The Motif XF8 has the usual 16 track sequencer but it also has 128MB of  sample RAM so you can add vocals, guitars etc… to your mix and slice and  dice samples and play them back at any tempo.

   There are so many other features:

 1)           Up to 2 GB of additional sounds available through separately sold

 flash memory

 2)           Split and layer the keyboard.

 3)           An arpeggiator with over 7000 patterns.

 4)           Category search to find the sound you’re looking for faster.

 5)           Did I mention it sounds great?

   There is only way to know how awesome this keyboard is, come on out and

 play it yourself.   It gets “toad” away.

 Thanks, KB