corydhall-blog1

[corydhall-blog1]

I’M A YOUTUBE VLOGGER.

Ok, let’s be honest here; I don’t watch a lot of television. I have access to Netflix, but don’t watch a lot of movies or shows. I turn my brain cells off momentarily by watching YouTube vloggers. I don’t know these people, have never known these people, and the likelihood of our paths crossing is slim to none. But, I know everything about them...and their families. I watched Cullen & Katie’s daughter Macey Gaines go through and conquer potty training at 2 years old. I’ve watched the entire process of Ellie & Jared’s house being built and know the exact layout of their new home by now. How on earth do I know these things? I watch their daily vlogs. 

 A “vlog” is short for “video blog”. The amateur video produced, directed, filmed, and edited by these families document their normal, everyday lives as if they had their own reality tv show. Now you can’t tell me for a second that you’ve never watched reality tv. I’ll admit, I used to be engrossed in the ridiculous, over the top shows on MTV like A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila, or the ever so inspiring Flavor of Love with Flava Flav. These shows did nothing but make me question my life and pray that I would never have children that turned out this way. Or let’s say for second that you watch the Kardashians (Lord help you if that’s the case)...you could escape for 30 min a week and pretend that you are one of them and wonder what your life would be like if your grew up with the last name Kardashian. That is NOT a healthy escape, in my opinion. Y’all watch what you want to watch, but that’s not my cup of tea.

The first family vlogging channel that I ever remember seeing was the SHAYTARDS. One of their videos showed up in a recommended video for something I was watching one day while passing the time. I then found myself watching this dad named Shay Butler roaming around Walmart with a small point and shoot camera chasing his five kids in the pet food aisle pretending he was a dinosaur.....wait what? Why am I watching this?? I couldn’t stop. He panned the camera to his beautiful wife, Colette and she was just as crazy acting as he was. 

I had just made the move to Nashville, Tennessee, and things weren’t going as great as I had hoped for at the time. Let’s face it: I was homesick. I had left my small hometown and everything I had known for the bright lights of Nashville. Through it all, I had even lost the girl that I thought would be my wife. I had dreamed of chasing my kids down the aisles of Walmart, but here I sat alone on a weekend night watching a chubby bearded Mormon’s home videos. I was hooked. I clicked on their channel and discovered they do this YouTube thing for a full time living...and a fat one at that. The SHAYTARDS have almost 5 million subscribers on YouTube and gaining speed on 3 Billion views...yes that’s with a B. Everyone loves their story, their characters, their entertainment. I started discovering that other families were doing this vlogging thing also, and then that led to another discovery.

Casey Neistat is a film maker/YouTuber who just recently ended his daily vlog for good. He started back in 2015 with almost daily videos of him skating around New York City on an electric skateboard, buying expensive Juice Press drinks, sitting in $21,000 first class airplane seats, and more. He also has a company that started a social media app called Beme. The company just sold to a division of CNN for a reported $25 million. Yeah. Cha. Ching. 

Casey’s story telling is one of the most awe inspiring and captivating experiences I have ever witnessed. He and I both share the same passion for being a gear head. I’ve learned a ton from him by his camera tips and tricks. And his impressive studio/collection.

Through Casey, I also discovered someone who always reminds us to “stay peachy”, New York City resident, Sara Dietschy. Sara made a video describing Casey Neistat’s vlogging style, affectionately titled, “HOW TO CASEY NEISTAT A VLOG”. Sara is just a couple years younger than me and is also a full time YouTuber/film maker. She produces a DocuSeries on YouTube “Creative Spaces TV” as well as “That Creative Life”. It was through Sara that I found the inspiration to go full throttle on this videography/YouTube life. She also posts videos on how to edit videos, photos, as well as talking all about camera, audio, and lighting gear. I’ve never met her, but Sara, I need to say thank you to you.

I tell you about all of these YouTubers to say this. I have watched from the sidelines for a few years. Now, I’m putting myself in the game. My YouTube vlog channel, CHallVLOGS, is “a behind the scenes look at the craziness that is my life...told by me.” I don’t live a normal life. I don’t have normal thoughts, nor do I have a normal job. This isn’t just for those folks back home who wonder what my life might be like while working full time in the touring music industry of Nashville, it’s for me. For me to look back on one day and show my grandchildren my story. I am in my 20′s and know that one day I am going to wake up from this crazy dream and it’ll all be over. My vlog “style” definitely reflects the family/lifestyle vlogger style, even though I don’t have any cute kids running around. I also LOVE the creative vibes style, like that of Sara and Casey. My hope is to spread positivity and love to you and who knows, maybe I’ll even brighten your day! I invite you to join me in my journey and join in on my community. Laugh with me, cry with me, rejoice with me. Tell me you might have made a different decision on a big life crisis. It’s all welcomed. 

Life is precious, let’s live it together. 

Subscribe to my channel, CHallVLOGS!

[corydhall-blog1]

THE BIGGEST SECRET TO PLAYING GUITAR BY EAR!

I’ve been “playing by ear” for several years now. Chord charts to hundreds of songs from sites like Ultimate-Guitar.com or 911tabs.com fill several 3-ring binders on my bookshelf. Those chord charts have now been replaced by my own handwritten charts from the Nashville Number System.

Thinking back to the mindset I was in when I first got serious about being a musician (almost 11 years ago), playing by ear singlehandedly launched me into the next step in my musical journey. Now, let’s go ahead and address the elephant in the room here...HOW IN THE WORLD DO YOU PLAY BY EAR???

I took this question to one of my biggest musical influences years ago and his answer made me even more confused. He said “I just hear it. I figure out what goes together and I just hear it.” Once I started learning musical patterns, that there are chords, and notes, and scales that actually do “go together”, I was on the right track! I take a look at terms such as SCALE INTERVALS, and the “rules” or “boundaries” for those INTERVALS also known as SCALES. I like to look at those musical things that go together as PATTERNS, whether it be what chord is coming up next in the progression, or even when learning the neck of the guitar. If you are a self taught musician like I was (and still am) you will want to check out my latest youtube video below!

A fantastic book that teaches playing by ear utilizing the Nashville Number System is one written by Jim Riley, drummer for Country band, Rascal Flatts. If playing by ear and ditching the chord charts is your goal, check out this book: Song Charting Made Easy!

[corydhall-blog1]

MILLENNIALS SHOULD GO INTO DEBT?!

In a recent article (Debt Shy? Why You Should Still Get a Credit Card), Consumer Reports spelled out why millennials (anyone between the ages of 18-35) “should” have credit card(s). Based on the recent transformations in my personal finances and in my overall life, I discuss why this way of thinking is WRONG...no matter what age you are! 

From the credit card cashback/rewards “game”, where you never get off that pesky hamster wheel, to threatening the security of your personal identity, the latest video blog to #AcrossTheTable goes against the cultural phenomenon that DEBT is the “only way to a financial future.” 

3 MAJOR CREDIT CARD MYTHS

1.) My 5% cashback bonus is amazing! 

REALITY: You’d have to spend $1,000 just to get 50 bucks back. That is never worth it. You’ll constantly be caught up in their “game” and never achieve true financial success! Especially when you’re spending SOMEONE ELSE’S money! 

2.) Credit cards are much more secure than debit cards.

REALITY: Debit cards have the exact same protection as credit cards. Your debit card is ran by major credit card companies like Visa or MasterCard, so why in the world would they NOT have secure protection?! Still worried about it? Run your debit card as credit at the gas pump. YOUR money still comes out of YOUR checking account; this just changes the process in which the electronic funds are transferred to offer more protection. 

3.) Use your credit card frequently and make timely payments.

REALITY: No one will make timely payments. No matter how much you promise yourself and your loved ones that you will. Let’s face it, life happens. When that big life crisis rolls around and you don’t have an Emergency Fund in place, that credit card is not going to be a strong safety net. You’re going to go even deeper into debt and before you know it you’ll be looking at $6,000 in credit card debt! (Trust me, I have been there and seen it for myself...) Then when you can’t make the “timely payments”, you’re slapped in the face with 24% interest. Ouch.

#AcrossTheTable is a YouTube video series discussing personal finances in the music industry and beyond. These principles will help you save money, budget, motivate you to stay out of debt, discuss how to balance your budget on an irregular income, and inspire you to find contentment in YOUR life.

[corydhall-blog1]

Time for a String Change?

How often do you change your guitar strings? This seems to be a very interesting topic. For the hobby guitarist, maybe every 2-3 months it’s time for a string change. For the weekend warrior, maybe it’s every 2-3 shows. This is also very dependent on the brand of strings you use, whether or not the string is coated, how much oil your skin produces, how often you play, weather conditions, whether or not you store the guitar in a case or leave it out at room temperature, and so on. 

Today, we’re changing strings on a 2016 Gibson J45 Vintage. The artist uses GHS Strings White Bronze Acoustic-Electric in the 011-48 gauges. We’re doing this with three very simple tools: a pair of pliers, snips, and a Jim Dunlop string winder. There are a million different tools you can use to help your work flow, and a million and one different ways to run the strings through the tuning pegs. The method I’m using today is the one that I have found to be quickest and most effective for staying in tune.  

The product I use to rub on the finger board here is the Jim Dunlop Lemon Oil. I like to use this to clean skin oil and grime off of the fingerboard, and provide hydration to the fingerboard as well as the whole body when needed. You can find out more about Dunlop’s cleaning products here. 

As always, if you have any questions about string changing or guitar gear in general, feel free to tweet me @corydhall​!

[corydhall-blog1]

Trip to Sequoia National Park

The tour entourage had rolled into Bakersfield, California. Three Prevost tour buses, all full of men (and a woman) ready to be in their own bed for the night. This Marriott hotel, however, became home for 5 days: 3 days off, 1 rehearsal/tech day, and 1 show day. This Monday morning brought a refreshed excitement to the air. An excitement of new, unexplored, and undiscovered ground yet to be seen.  For 2 video techs, 2 guitar techs, 1 lighting tech, and a production assistant, this Monday morning brought a road trip to Sequoia National Park. 2 rented Nissan Altimas were the transportation of choice for the day. With all of the hiking that unknowingly lie ahead, the most appropriate hiking fuel stop was necessary for breakfast....ok, maybe the sausage, egg, & cheese McGriddle, hash brown, and medium orange juice wasn’t the healthiest choice of nourishment this guitar tech (me) could’ve made, but hey, here we are.

Two and a half hours of road were between us and our first stop at Sequoia. The uncharted road ahead brought more drilling rigs than I have ever seen in my life. Also, ever heard of that company Halo? The ones that bring us those cute little Cuties that are so delicious? Well, we saw a lot of their fields full of their delightful looking trees. A several acre field is also perfect for several thousand solar panels too, right? Yeah we saw a few of those along the way as well. It was crazy to watch the terrain change from rolling hills full of local California agriculture, to....”Whoa. That there’s a mountain.” The question of “ok where are these trees?” began to answer itself as we rolled up to the paid admission gate of Sequoia National Park. $30 per vehicle. Yes, that was a three and a zero, but hey, all for the sake of nature, right?

The winding roads ahead brought some breathtaking views as our ears began to pop and the altitude began to rise. A quick stop at a turn about brought picturesque views and a chance to catch up with our second vehicle. The hiking and the green screen looking views that were about to be before our eyes made this day incredibly enjoyable. The air at 8,040 feet is also mighty mighty then, might I add. The General Sherman sequoia tree (the world’s largest know living single stem tree) was a sight to see. Hiking to the top of Moro Rock...the same giant rock that was in sight once we hit the little town of Three Rivers was incredible. And breathtaking...literally. Every single one of those concrete steps brought us closer to views like this one.

The real treat, however was a, shall we call “secret trail” that took us all the way up to what felt like the top of the world.

The video and the pictures do not do this park justice. I am constantly in awe by the beauty this country of ours has to offer. There is so much world waiting on you if you just take the time to go see it.