The Bassist and Guitarist thread

[Cycleops]

Try something apparently simple but really not - Riders On The Storm by The Doors. Then look up Ray Manzarek explaining it on YouTube!

Have to try that. You can keep Van Morrison, give me Jim Morrison any day, brilliant group.

 

[Grant Fondo]

Latest bit of plucking. Something to pass the time as I'm on annual leave and not able to go anywhere:

View: https://youtu.be/gj2RiOX5F4Y

Self isolation at its finest! The two rhythm guitarists were quite good as well! 😄

 

[ColinJ]

Very nice @delb0y , you just need to loose a few fingers and you could be the next Django Reinhardt

I think the fingers would actually have to fall off to count!

 

[Drago]

Django had all his, but he'd been badly burned in a fire so some fingers didn't work and some weren't very flexible.

I do chuckle when people cite Django as a wonderful guitar play, particularly so as he had no arms, and other such comments.

 

[ColinJ]

For some reason, I thought that a couple of fingers were missing from his left hand. I just checked and you are right!

 

[Salad Dodger]

Maybe my fingers are relatively 'normal' after all!


That is ok on slim-necked electric guitars and probably would be on my Tanglewood acoustic which has a narrow-ish neck, but it isn't suitable for the wide neck on my classical guitar. I'll 'do a Boden' for now (see above) but learn how to do barres properly eventually.

Well, I picked up the parcel containing my Snark tuner from the Amazon lockers at Tod station. I go to that station every weekday to pick up a copy of the Metro (for its cryptic crossword) but I have never noticed the existence of the lockers. It turns out that they are hidden away round the other side of the station building, next to the car park. Anyway, it will be very handy for me in future - I can go on all-day rides and not have to worry about being in when Amazon parcels are due to be delivered.

The tuner is pleasingly tiny. I will probably leave it on the guitar at all times. (If I take it off I will probably lose it or tread on it!)

I just tested the new tuner... It is very easy to use in its standard mode. That worked really well, except for a slight tendency for it to glitch from an indicated E to an A on the top string. I'll experiment with moving the clamp position and muting other strings to see if that makes a difference. It isn't a showstopper because I can just ignore the A glitches and tune to the E reading.

I compared the tuning to what the old tuner indicated and it is about 3 cents flatter if I stop sharpening the strings as soon as the Snark indicates that the note is right. There is probably scope to go a little higher without the Snark showing sharp.

I had a go with 'Hz mode'. It is interesting being able to see an actual frequency value but it shouldn't really be needed and I may not bother with it most of the time. The tuner is strict about tuning order in this mode. In standard mode it just tells you what note you are playing, independent of string. In Hz mode you have to work up from the bottom string (on a bass you must work down from the top string). If you play the strings in the wrong order, it gets confused. I did that several times before noticing my mistake. Make sure that you pluck the right strings in the right order or you will have to start again.

Finally, ColinJ's mnemonics for standard guitar string frequencies:

1. First string. It is the most bass string and I would guess that it is around 80 Hz. In fact it should be 82.4 Hz. Remember it as 8 = 2 x 4.
2. Second string, second team, second eleven; the second string is frequency is higher than 82.4 Hz and begins with 11 - 110.0 Hz.
3. Third string, a bit higher than 110 Hz but it won't be as high 200 Hz, so it begins with a '1', and it is followed by a simple series - '4', '6', 8' - 146.8 Hz .
4. Fourth string is heading towards the magic 200 Hz but in fact string 4 is 4 Hz lower - 196.0 Hz.
5. Fifth string... 'fifth columnists' accused of undermining Trump almost 24/7; almost 247 Hz - 246.9 Hz.
6. Sixth string frequency is 2 octaves above first string = 2 x 2 x 82.4 = 329.6 Hz.

Alternatively... you could just cut out the little cardboard frequency chart supplied with the tuner and fix it to the headstock using the tuner clamp!

There is a YouTube video where James Taylor explains how he tunes his guitars, with all the strings either sharp or flat of "true" pitch. If I ever get a decent tuner I would be interested to have a go at his tuning method. It won't help me to play like him though!

In other tuning related news, I just bought a cheap Korg guitar tuner which is magnetic. You attach it to one of your tuner machine heads and it detects vibrations to show if you are in tune. Only works for standard guitar tuning, not chromatic tuning like a Snark, and only works for 440hz but it's a neat little thing for about a fiver, and much better than the Korg soundhole tuner that I was struggling with before...

 

[MontyVeda]

I'm currently trying to get to grips with a scale after stumbling across a YT video that explained it in terms that actually sunk in, which means i'm picking up my electric guitar at lot more often. I might even plug it in to an amp one day (with headphones of course).

 

[delb0y]

I'm using this enforced downtime to really focus on my Django Reinhardt style playing. With all gigs cancelled for the forseeable I'm able to let my normal (rock'n'roll) practicing lapse and work hard on this gypsy jazz style that I've long loved but never had the time to really work on before.

 

[DCBassman]

I really ought to get the bass out...

 

[Oxford Dave]

I really ought to get the bass out...

I'm playing my bass 2-3 hours a day at the moment - I'd go stir crazy without it!

 

[delb0y]

Yes, I've been playing a couple of hours a day, too. I've come to realise that were I able to do twice this every day for several years then progress would be made. It's certainly no coincidence that a great many of my heroes practiced nine or ten hours a day for many years. Anyway, it's back to work next week so even my measly two hours will seem like a luxury. Meanwhile, this is the fruit of this week's labours:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89MHRSezx6c

Cheers
Derek

 

[Oxford Dave]

Yes, it's quite a revelation when you have to chance to play every day, just how much easier everything seems to be after a few weeks!

 

[DCBassman]

I'm playing my bass 2-3 hours a day at the moment - I'd go stir crazy without it!

It's a logistical thing. We live in a tiny one-bed flat, and there's no room to keep the bass out. It has to be cased and put away when not in actual play. A real pain...

 

[Drago]

Living in the Past. Best bassline ever, now practiced to death.

Bass - keeps you sane.

My basses are hung on the bedroom wall. When I get a Steinberger I'll have to make a wall hanger as I'm not sure anyone makes one.

 

[delb0y]

Oh dear. Today's guitar update: