fingers winning over picks

it's back and forth, right?

This weekend I've been soloing with my fingers instead of the pick, and I like the increased speed and accuracy. Now I"m thinking of keeping up with the pick for my scales and exercises for my work as a student, but to solo and improvise with my fingers. This can be a bridge until my pick work is up to snuff.

I put a little flange on the amp and my guitar sounds good - a little spacy! It works best with just the bridge humbucker pickup. And I use the hot rod amp setting -- whatever that is! I don't know much about fender amps.

I did try an Epiphone Dot... nice guitar! but I'm still gonna get me an american strat highway 1.

Fresh Strings!

I put a new set of Dunlop 9 gauge strings on my guitar -- man do they sound good! Light, clear, ringing tones. I can feel the vibrations in the body of the Yamaha. And they feel great -- smooth, silky. Well, those old strings I imagine were pretty old! Dark, pitted, rusty, and pretty worn out.

Also I went to Guitar Center and bought one of those winder tools you put on the tuning knob to speed up the process. It comes with built in wire cutters. Cool device. I also sat down and played an Epiphone Dot (the Epi version of the Gibson ES 335). It costs 399. Marty recommended it as a great blues guitar. It's made in China but he has his students buy them -- he says the quality is really spot on. BUT, it didn't pass the wife test! She said it made me look like an old man playing it -- she likes the Fender Strat look better! Hey, I don't have a problem with that! I wanted to try out a Strat Highway One but they didn't have one in stock. Maybe next time!

fresh strings!

picks win over fingers

ok, i'm comfortable enough with picks that i'll be using them, and give up the notion of fingerstyle blues. picks are the way to go.

got my amp

finally got my amp yesterday. fender g-dec junior 15 watt with rhythm loops, guitar fx, amp fx. nice practice amp -- with the chicago blues rhythm loop i can finally practice solos. going better than I expected.

my future guitar....

fender strat highway one HSS. 700 bucks. made in america. HSS. that's what I'll get once I'm good enough at blues.

short scale guitars

have you heard of them? short scale guitars. mostly made by fender. the typical fender has a scale length (bridge to nut) of 25.5 inches. Some models, like the Mustang, have 24 inch scale lengths. These were originally student models.

the advantage is that the fret distances are a little less, so there's less stretching and the playing can be easier. Also the string tension is less and it's easier to bend notes -- good in blues.

there are some downsides: lower string tension means a less clear, ringing sound. and they could get out of tune easier with the wrong strings.

just google 'short scale guitars" for further info.

anyway I"m interested in them if they are easier to play. currently I have my eye on the Squier Fender Duo-Sonic, a replica of a 50s student guitar. it's gotten pretty good reviews, and Squiers now seem to be better built than in the past.

even John Heussenstamm, the great guitar teacher, has a video where he plays and praises the duo sonic. how's that for an endorsement?

they cost about 350 bucks -- not bad at all! Made in China, but it seems there quality is pretty good. just google "squier duo sonic."

My next guitar? In a year or two???

pick or fingers?

so what's wrong with using my fingers to play the blues? bass players use their fingers. you've got fingerstyle acoustic guitar. what's the big deal about picks? i know they make a cleaner sound, but in a way a pick just gets in the way between the player and the strings. why not use the fingers to manipulate strings?

albert collins used his fingers. he also used a capo, played a fender telecaster, and put the strap on his right shoulder. weird guy, but it worked for him!

still waiting for amp

still waiting for the fender G-DEC junior amp.

the music store said there was a delay on Fender's part, and it should be here on wednesday.

frustration!!!!!

2nd lesson

Tom and I went over the second box in the blues fretboard. Nothing exciting; just new exercises to do. I'm slowly getting better with the pick. Without it I"m faster.

I'm practicing everyday - but not enough.

first lesson

had my first lesson with tom at the college. he plays classical guitar -- he's in his 50s I guess. OK, first lesson is the pentatonic scale and the five hand positions on the fretboard. this week it's positions 1 (on A -- the blues scale I learned already) and 2 (right below that first "box.") Also he's teaching me correct hand positions: thumb in the back center of the neck, hold the pick properly, and use the pinky on the fretboard! that's a little hard using finger #4. Does Heraclitus use it? I guess I gotta get pinky strong and responsive!

Tomorrow I hope to buy the amp: Fender G-DEC junior.