Tips Guides

The matter of setting up a guitar is not a new vibe, especially if you are a regular reader of my blog. My enthusiasm for a good playing guitar is compelling and becomes infectious to people. One more time, if you want to play at your top level, than your guitar needs to be set-up, or adjusted properly, which is a rarity for a new factory guitar. Needless to say your guitar will sound better too.

Realistically speaking, any equipment that is not in proper working order or out of adjustment is a hindrance to your success and can be frustrating. An out of tune car, runs poorly, gets bad fuel mileage and is not much fun to drive, get it?

Simply put, here are the steps considered to be etched in granite for a competent, quality guitar set-up:

#1. Talk to your customer and find out as much about their playing style as possible. If you have an opportunity to watch them play their guitar, that is an added bonus. Perhaps you can make a recommendation.

#2. Inspection of the whole guitar is imperative, we need to repair anything worn or broken before we actually start our set-up procedure.’Sight’ the neck for straightness and for any warp-age. So the first thing to do is to check the relief, or bow of the neck with a special tool and then adjust the truss rod. Briefly, the guitar must be strung and tuned to concert pitch to check and adjust relief. We go as far as checking relief in the normal ‘playing position’. We try for a flat neck, flat necks play and sound better.

#3. Once the neck is flat the frets must be leveled and dressed up. Meaning that rarely will you find a guitar that all the frets are exactly the same height. If not, we use a precision ground leveling file and make sure the frets are all even, then polish them up with a super fine grade fret dressing file. If you have some custom measurements you would like to use, then this is the time to give them to me.

#3. The act of lowering the string action, meaning, getting the strings the proper distance between the frets and strings is a very precise job, and a mess-up requires a new nut to be cut, so we are very careful at how slowly and accurately we go. Measuring the distance with a dial indicator in a special tool is the most accurate way of checking distance. Other ways such as a feeler gauge is a popular and accurate method as well.

That being said, we use special width diamond files to cut the string notches deeper in the nut, using small increments. Until we have the correct distances set for all strings. We also stagger the heights, to put it in terms you understand, the high E string would be the lowest string, then the B would be two thousands of an inch higher. Each string there after, the B, G, D, A & low E and would receive about the same 2 thousands of an inch in height increase over the string before it. A nice touch that makes the guitar easier to play.

#4. Setting the final height of the strings, which is generally measured at the 12th fret is done by adjusting the tremolo or bridge height. The technicalities of this sort of adjustment vary from guitar to guitar. Don’t discount it, especially if you play a lot of lead above the 12th fret. Either way, it is a difference maker.

#5. Lastly, and with great precision we need to set the intonation. Intonation is a way of making sure it is in tune anywhere on the neck you are playing. Without getting detailed, the guitar is almost impossible to have and keep in perfect tune. Mainly due to the design, where pushing a string down to the fretboard actually stretches the string a bit and therefore makes perfect tune everywhere on the neck impossible. By intonation of the guitar we get the best of both worlds.

#6. Lastly, I play the guitar for a short while, then recheck and readjust my work, wait until the morning and recheck it again. Then I call my customer. When my customer arrives, I have them play it,and make sure they like it too.

Bottom line, don’t get set-up with a guitar that is not set-up. The cost is cheap and the results are “priceless”!

For more information about Guitar Players Center, Guitar Center or Guitar Upgrades. Feel free to visit our website, ask questions, share it with others, make comments or simply enjoy.

The Phoenix based Native American group Clan Destine II are finishing up work on their new album, “Operation Peace” at Trampled Fruit Records right now and are looking to release this much awaited opus sometime soon in the early fall of 2008. They have spent almost every day in the studio since January 2008 and have been working diligently to make “Operation Peace” truly unique!

“Operation Peace” is like no other music around right now, and is unlike anything that the band has released in the past. “This is the first time any of us have tracked like this.” Says David A. Montour, founding member of the original Clan Destine, and the newly revamped Clan Destine II. “Most of these guys have only done live recording, if anything at all.” In the past Clan Destine have done a lot of music with a heavy Native American style and a twist of the blues and pop. But since the line-up has changed, so has the way their new music is being collaborated, tracked and rendered.

Today, Clan Destine II is made up of three of its original members, David A. Montour, Juan “Cano” Sanchez, and Chuck “Riptide” Harris, and relatively new additions Mike de la Torre on drums, Matt Vaiza on turntables and percussion, and Rachel Villa doing vocals. This eclectic mix of Native American, Spanish, blues, hip-hop, rock, reggae and honky-tonk influences make “Operation Peace” one of the wildest trips you’ll ever go on. The album has some really amazing tracks on it that hit you from every angle. “There’s something for everyone” says founding member Cano Sanchez. And he’s right. “Operation Peace” rocks harder than anything that the band has put out in the past, but it still has the subtlety of previous achievements. The album will keep you dancing and entertained through its insane mix of styles and rhythms.

“Almost all of the albums we’ve done in the past have been live recordings on a sound stage” says Sanchez. The band currently has four previous albums, one of the most successful being “Deeply Rooted” (released July 4, 1999). Clan/Destine released their first self-titled album in 1996 on Canyon Records. In 1999 Cano Sanchez released an EP called “Human”, from which some of the songs have been re-recorded for “Operation Peace”. And in 2000 Clan/Destine released “Amajacoustic”. While each of these previous albums was a success, none of them have come close to the style and freedom achieved on “Operation Peace”.

Since beginning their venture with Trampled Fruit Records in December of 2007 with a recording for the documentary “Poison Wind”; a single titled “Breeze In The Wind”, the band has had the unique opportunity to record in a much more relaxed environment and really take their time with every track. By tracking each instrument and voice individually, and by taking time with every song they can hone and perfect every instrument and voice like they never could before. Much of this is because of the benefit of recording in a higher end project studio like Trampled Fruit. This kind of recording gives you nearly the same sound and quality as the large, high-end studios, but without the huge overhead and expense. With this set-up the band is able to record a full-length album over a period of 8 months for less than a third of the cost of a full-scale production studio. The technology of the day allows artists to truly use the studio as their canvas in a way they never could before.

As of August Clan Destine II has entered the final phase of recording and are currently mixing and preparing to master “Operation Peace” This ground breaking album really does have what it takes to move Clan Destine II to the top of the charts and do for tomorrow’s music, what the Pixies and Nirvana did for grunge!

Adam Benson is the CEO and head engineer of Sleep Deprived Productions and Trampled Fruit Records. Trampled Fruit is a high end project studio in Phoenix Arizona. To learn more check them out at
http://www.TrampledFruit.com

Lyrics or the words of a song are one of the most important parts of a song. The words of a song form the most recognizable part of a song and they can be considered as the meat of the song. Background beats, voice of the lead singer, sound of guitar are some of the important parts of a song but the lyrics are the most recognizable part of a song. They are an integral part of any music tune and they turn a song into an appealing song.

It takes good amount of time to come up with appealing and meaningful words for a song and it would be a mistake for any artist to take lyrics lightly. Lyrics have a significant importance and so, it’s very important to take them seriously. When someone listen a song on radio, he’s likely to remember some key lines of the song instead of the background beats and other sounds. It’s much easier to recognize a song with the help of its words instead of using the drum beats to recognize it.

However, the background music is equally important and it should not be neglected. A good song is a song with appealing lyrics and background beats. People usually relate their own life with lyrics of the song, and some people enjoy songs that convey some message or have some meaning. So, it’s very important for an artist to take lyrics seriously. An artist should spend quality time to make sure that the song has appealing lyrics.

It’s very important to understand the words of a song in order to understand the meaning of the song. Some people find it tough to remember the lyrics completely and this is the reason why most of the artists publish the lyrics. Some artists usually giveaway lyrics with the CD, and some artists publish lyrics on their web sites. Also, there are a number of web sites that maintain a collection of lyrics. Some web sites charge a small fee for providing the music lyrics whereas some web sites provide lyrics for free. So, if you’re looking for lyrics of a particular song then you should use the Internet to find the lyrics.

However, you should make sure that you use a legitimate web site for finding and downloading lyrics as there are a number of web sites which provide lyrics without the artist’s permission. Also, a number of web sites use different kinds of spyware to infect an end-user’s system. They try to infect the user’s system so as to collect the personal information of the user. So, an individual should use reputed web sites for finding and downloading lyrics.

An individual should use web sites which provide legal and licensed music lyrics. It is also safe to use web sites which provide licensed music lyrics. A simple web search can get you hundreds of web sites which provide music lyrics and you can also use the reviews to find a reputable site. It is also very easy to search lyrics on a web site as a search box is usually available on a web site. An end-user needs to fill-in the required details in the search box in order to search the lyrics of a particular song.

At the end, the words of a song are very important as people remember songs by the words, and you can use the Internet to find the music lyrics.

If you want to find the Lyrics for a particular song visit our database of Song Lyrics.

A huge studio full of equipment isn’t what you need anymore, in fact, you could do most of the production and post-production elements of a song with just a well-equipped computer! What’s important is finding a piece of equipment to separately record each instrument on it’s own track, and there are many such devices priced pretty cheap, and most of them are now specialized to interface with your computer and record directly in!

Let’s say you are working with a band, aside from that recording equipment, you also need to have proper microphone equipment for each individual piece, and you also should invest in a vocal booth to isolate the vocals for a clean mix at the end. This is especially important with the drums as well, unless you plan on fixing them post-production.

These days, you can find pop-guards, and even movable vocal booth walling that can make this easier than you realize. Sometimes artists only do the vocals, and have all the instrumentation done elsewhere, by a band in a studio or a producer across the world! Home recording makes each take less stressful, as you don’t have to worry about hourly rates when recording your masterpieces. Now you may be curious as to which software to use when doing home recording. Well, it depends on what you want to do really.

Now you see, I’m going to first approach it like you’re the average instrument player in a group. People in that boat aren’t going to be too concerned with post-production, and simply want to record their jam sessions, and perhaps turn the vocals up for their singer. If that’s all you’re trying to do, your basic set-up with a computer and a recording interface should do it, as it’ll either be a computer add-on or an external addition, either way it’s job is to record what you’re inputting.

Those devices always come with software like Nuendo or ProTools that’ll be just fine for basic recording. Now if you’re concerned with mastering and a polished sound, that’s where post-production is absolutely key. Some things aren’t on time as perfect as they should be, post-production can pull sounds and fix any discrepancy left by the live recording.

Drums are typically reworked in post-production to give a louder, crisper feel. Any kind of samples that come to mind can be added on, and rhythmically if the producer has the skill, etc. For that kind of work I suggest using Renoise and Acid. Acid is also particularly useful in doing remixes if you have to know-how to cut your sample pieces into loops.

In general, every song that you are putting out there also needs to be mastered. What that does *basically* is make your song sound similar to other songs on the radio (volume-wise mostly). Now you can pay for expensive mastering services, but the rule of thumb on the issue is to just use a program like Mp3gain and make it too loud. Strangely enough, too loud is the same volume all popular songs you enjoy will register at, try it for yourself!

Also when you have your finished mp3, use Wavelab or Goldwave to cut it down, as you don’t want to have an excessive amount of silence before or after the song.

Chris Jensen is a contributing author of Jetfly Shop. For more related articles and views visit Jetfly Music Blog now. Also, for the best up-to-date related online products, check out Jetfly Pro Audio Shop for todays current online deals.

To most people the truth about when Jimi Hendrix got his first guitar and what types of guitars he played throughout his career is somewhat of a mystery. Although, he was unarguably the greatest guitar player ever, and with his fertile musical mind, perhaps the greatest composer of our generation or ever for that matter. No disrespect intended, putting Jimi in company with Bach, Beethoven and the likes. True Genius.

The path that will be described here is what I would consider the most accurate, after a lot of research and a little voodoo-magic. Realistically though, boiling down the mixture may leave some people to disagree with me, and I welcome the input.

The evidence and consistencies suggest that his first guitar was a cheap acoustic his dad gave to him, as early as eleven years old. The story goes as such, that even at a young age of six years, his school teacher mentioned to his dad, Jimi obsesses over having a guitar so much that it may be contributing to some mental health issues. Not to discount todays teachers, but that was a very perceptive statement at that time.

His first electric guitar was bought from Myers Music in Seattle in 1959. Professed to be a white, single pickup Supro Ozark. The next axe that Hendrix played was a red Danelectro single pickup Silvertone, nicknamed Betty Jean. In’62, while doing some gigs with the King Casuals in Tennessee, he traded his Danelectro for an Epiphone Wilshire, which had dual pickups and a glued on mahogany neck with a solid mahogany body, as opposed to the bolt on Fender Stratocaster guitar necks.

In 1964, Jimi would play rhythm guitar for the Isley Brothers. During this nine month gig, he finally got his first Fender guitar, a blond’59 Duo-Sonic. He next played with Little Richard in ‘65, and briefly played a Fender Jazzmaster. However, he switched back to a Dou-Sonic when he played with Curtis Knight and the Squires. Even though Jimi later returned to the Jazzmaster.

A point of interest is that none of the gigs he had with the bands mentioned above lasted very long, because Jimi’s guitar work stole the show. His unbelievable guitar abilities were noticed by all immediately, which took the focus away from the musical-icons he worked for.

Jimi purchased his first Strat from Manny’s Music in New York in ‘66 in the summer. Early on he would use a variety of CBS Strats with rosewood fretboards. While he was staying in Greenwich Village in late ‘66 and ‘67 he narrowed down his choices to a ’60’s era Reverse Fender Stratocasterblack or white Fender Strats using maple fretboards. Which, most likely is the reason the Fender Stratocaster is the most important guitar in the history of guitars and music.

From then on he played Fender Stratocasters with large headstocks. One of his many unusual playing techniques was to play a right handed guitar backwards, or in the left handed position, obviously because Jimi was left handed. In order to do that one must reverse the strings and (bone) nut so the low E was still on the top. My understanding was that he preferred the controls on the top of the guitar. Apparently he could work his magic easier with the voluminous amount of tricks he performed, partly by messing with the volume control knob. Jimi was not much on tone controls or guitar setup. Mostly Jimi spent the bulk of time modifying his tremolo to do things like lower the pitch more than usual and create trem sounds otherwise unheard of.

Naturally Jim Hendrix had purchased and played a tremendous assortment of guitars in his lifetime. During my fact finding mission, this is the list of the other guitars Jimi most likely owned and played; a Gibson ES-330, a Gibson Firebird, a Mosrite electric resonator guitar, a Guild 12 string acoustic, a Black Widow Spider acoustic, several Rickenbacker’s including a bass Rick, a double neck Mosrite, a Hagstrom 8 string bass(it was the on played on Spanish Castle Magic from the Axis Bold As Love album’, a ‘67 Gibson Flying V, a ‘67 Gretsch Corvette, a lefty Guild Starfire Deluxe, a Hofner electric, a ‘55 Gibson Les Paul, a Gibson Dove acoustic, a Martin acoustic, a ‘68 Gibson SG Custom and a black lefty Flying V. Wow!

It is not surprising that Jimi owned so many guitars. The depth of knowledge and pure unadulterated playing style was not limited to just electric guitars and Stratocasters. His unique abilities allowed him to play any guitar with the deep soul jarring vibes that were all his. It would be unrealistic to think he was limited to one style of guitar. Or for that matter, one type of music. Jimi’s interest in music extended to the world of classical music as well.

Lost to many, is the fact that Jimi was one of the best rhythm guitarists ever, most folk know him for his lead and solo guitar work, he was also an adept bass player too. And last, he was a master at the acoustic guitar, using chords in a manner unknown to mankind at that time. This combo of skills and abilities produced the man who will be forever the patron saint of rock guitar.

A long article to read indeed. A true joy putting the info together. It turned out to be a long path to find the truth. Enjoy it.

For more information about Guitar Players Center Guitars of the Great Players or Guitar Players. Feel free to visit our website, ask questions, share it with others, make comments or simply enjoy.

When Neil Young wrote the song ‘Hey Hey, My My’ in 1978, he would have had no idea of the implications that one of the lyrics would have on music and society. Spoken in full only in the acoustic version of the song, Young states the infamous citation that still resonates today - ‘it’s better to burn out than to fade away’.

The song proved to be a favourite of a young lead singer of a Seattle-based rock band called Nirvana. When Nirvana became a global phenomenon and the young front-man struggled to cope with his new-found celebrity status, Kurt Cobain committed suicide and left a harrowing note with the last line saying ‘it’s better to burn out than to fade away’.

The phrase would become allegorical of Cobain’s suicide and his memory would be preserved with him at the peak of his career in terms of success and popularity. It is through this reference that the line has become synonymous with the careers of musicians and used to highlight the deterioration of a formerly excellent artist into a mediocre performer.

In the film High Fidelity, Jack Black’s character quotes the famous Neil Young line when a customer attempts to purchase the latest Stevie Wonder song ‘I Just Called To Say I Love You’. Stevie Wonder almost epitomises the concept of the artist fading away as he enjoyed critical acclaim, before seemingly sacrificing this for commercial success.

Wonder’s peak occurred during the early to mid 1970s with classic recordings including ‘Superstition’ and ‘Higher Ground’ that helped elevate him to a celebrated 20th century artist. However, as the 1980s approached Wonder began to record more pop-influenced tunes with sentimental lyrics including the sugar-coated ‘Happy Birthday’ and ‘I Just Called To Say I Love You’.

As Black’s character questions in High Fidelity “is it in fact unfair to criticize a formerly great artist for his latter day sins, is it better to burn out or fade away?”. This is certainly personal choice as however much one dislikes Wonder’s latter works, we must remember the influence that he has made upon modern music.

In direct contrast to the example of Stevie Wonder, who has continued to make music throughout his extensive career, there are many examples of artists that have burnt out in their prime. Four of those that have died, all at the age of 27 include Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin and Kurt Cobain. These musicians’ careers were cut short when they were still in their prime and so it begs the question - would they have continued to produce outstanding or would they have deteriorated until they became guests on reality television?

It would be uncomfortable viewing, with all that has happened with the post-Cobain Nirvana euphoria to imagine him as one of the celebrity guests on the loosely termed ‘rock’ episode of American Idol. In committing suicide, sadly, Cobain has cemented his place in rock history as the frontman of one of the most influential bands of the last thirty years.

At the time of Jim Morrison’s death, The Doors had recorded L.A. Woman (released in May of 1971) to reinforce the band’s position as one of the most important rock bands of the time. Following the recording of the album, Morrison moved to Paris where he would die on the 3rd of July 1971. L.A. Woman would go on to sell massively worldwide, The Doors’ most popular record since their debut album.

Following Morrison’s death, The Doors continued to perform and produced two more albums with vocals shared between two of the original band members. Inevitably, the albums sold considerably less than those released with Morrison and The Doors disbanded. If Morrison hadn’t gone to Paris and The Doors had continued making music, the albums would certainly have varied but what would have been Morrison’s musical fate.

There are many examples of musicians that have continued to make successful, well-received music long after their expected shelf-life has expired. David Bowie, despite some criticism, has continued to perform to a high standard while Madonna has grown from a young pop starlet to global superstar.

The common trait that is shared by those artists that maintain their position is one of progression and evolution. Artists that continue producing the same music for years will inevitably become dated and eventually fade away into obscurity. Maybe it is just a question of choice, and so I too will burn out as my article is at its peak.

Patrick is an expert Research and Travel consultant. His current interest is in Heathrow Parking, Hilton Heathrow and Luton Airport Hotels.