"The beat goes on..."

So the last few months have been full of buying a sailboat that needs restoring (see Our Lake Life blog), conferences, kids going back to school, birthdays, lawn work, heavy work schedules, coding seminar (See CSS for Print Designers) and learning programming, halloween, school events, sick cats,  and now election day.

In between all of this, Corey started taking piano and voice lessons with Phoebe up at Carolyn's Keyboard Corner. She's a pretty neat kid too. I immediately thought about Corey when I met her (phoebe) the first time. I thought she was a younger female teacher that Corey could better relate too. I was right. Corey is really excelling and practicing regularly. Her vocal range is already improving and she really seems to be liking the piano lessons too. I don't think she thought she would as much as she is. :)

I'm still taking accordion lessons with Bob Boyd although I've missed several lessons due to the schedule. I'll be going today. Only one more song in the 1st palmer-hughes book to go. Not sure if I'm going to continue or take a break for the winter and work on piano or something else. We'll see.

But since I started playing in 1984, this is the way it's been: stop and start, ebb and flow. I've come to see it as absolutely normal behavior, if not necessary. Otherwise I might burn out.

I enjoy playing so many instruments, sometimes I wish i'd just focus on one but they are so much fun!

I'll try to post when I can. It's been a while since any gear intrigued me. ALTHOUGH...

I got the latest Premier Guitar magazine that featured this new analog delay from Way Huge that caught my eye:

I've added it to my xmas gift list. I think it sounds great and like a lot of fun!

NID (New Instrument Day): McNally StrumStick

I ran into this unique instrument while traveling to North Carolina to pick up our "new-to-us" sailboat we bought (see: Our Lake Life Blog for info on that!). It was actually on our way back, we stopped at this quaint little town in Tennessee named Dandridge.

Our original intention was to stay at The Point Resort there in Dandridge and put or new toy in the water but the weather had other plans. It stormed the entire time. So we went shopping!

The town is the 2nd oldest in Tennessee, named after the "First First Lady" Martha Dandridge Washington. There's an old graveyard that runs through the middle of the downtown area and a famous Levee that saved the town from certain demise when they decided to flood the river valley to put in a lake. Or as they say in "Oh Brother, where art thou": "They's gonna to hyrdo up the whole state!"

We went into a small shop called Rachel's Attic and Dandridge General Store. That's where I saw it hanging on the wall. I played it and walked away only to return and play it again minutes later. When the nice lady that owns the shop told me she'd give me 40% off, I did some calculating...and then bought it on the spot. No hemming and hawing as I usually do or guilt to my wife for spending more money on instruments, etc.

It's called a McNally StrumStick and they are apparently the best known company for making high quality instruments.

Even Ryan Gosling was caught playing one walking down the sidewalk in NYC!

Well I can tell you, they have impressed me! The first one I got had been hanging on the lady's wall in a dry heated store next to a window and the neck had bowed making the action really high, but it still sounded good. I thought I could do some tweaking and make it better but no...

So I took photos and contacted them about my options. Evelyn McNally, the maker's wife, contacted me and told me they were going to send me a new one, free of charge AND not to return the other, just keep it and give it to someone.

So I gave it to Corey and she has nary put it down since! It's tuned to the Key of G, has three strings (G,D,g) and is super easy to play. AND FUN!

My new one arrived later that week and was a little different in construction from the older original model. My new one didn't have the BIG sound and was a little smaller in size, sadly. But still sounded good, felt good and most of all the action was right on!

All in all, it worked out and Corey and I have two instruments that, although are the same model, are very different in sound, which makes playing together easier.

The Accordion Geek Prevails and Proceeds!

For size comparison's sake, that's my iPhone in my BookBook case.

The slow reveal!

Voilá! Red Cream Pearloid Perfection!

So after much debate and almost quitting the instrument for fear of going into it too fast, spending too much, I have upgraded to a more "pro" instrument.

Thanks to Bob Boyd and a vendor that he trusts, John Castiglione of Castiglione Accordions in Warren Michigan, I purchased a vintage but mint condition Castiglione Model 408VC. A 120 bass, 41 Key, 4/2 Reed, 16", Luscious Red and Cream Pearloid beauty that looks a bit more like a vintage 50's hot rod than an accordion.

And boy does it sound good!! Love the pearloid keys, like new bellows and the buttons...oh the buttons! I had no idea how hard that Hohner was to play until I played this! I guess one good thing to be said about the hohner, is that it helped build up some strength! :)

So I'm back to lessons with Bob, following the standard for all accordion students Palmer-Hughes Accordion Book 1.

John at Castiglione Accordions is a very interesting man. He's 2nd or 3rd generation running this store, over 80 years in business! The man knows his accordions! He also took really good care of me. He made sure the C408 was in tip top shape, tuned, and included not only the red italian leather straps that came with it (that were still in good to great condition), he threw in a new set of black extra padded italian leather straps, PLUS a brand new tolex covered case! All for a very modest price, at least in the land of accordions...where prices can be as steep as $8000 +!!

Accordion Geek...Yup, guilty as charged!

What more can I say :) except... I have a long way to go and I'm going to need a better accordion to do it! The Hohner is small and portable, it's also been a good way to start but it's limitations and nowhere near concert pitch is a problem playing with others!

Time to call Liberty Bellows and move up... I'll post my progress!

G.A.S. Report — ACQUIRED: NUAD & NAGD

(NUAD = New-to-me Used Accordion Day & NAGD = New Acoustic Guitar Day!)

Yes, that's right, I've been busy!

Weekend before last, my family was in Gainesville, MO, out in front of our vacation house playing acoustic guitar with a friend. Someone started to play the song "Kiss Me" by Six Pence None The Richer and I made the comment how fun it would be to put my guitar down and pic up an accordion and play that actual accordion part in the song!

So I did some research and found a great company in Phildelphia, PA named Liberty Bellows. That's mostly what they do, sell new and used (they refurb all used they sell to perfect playing condition) accordions & concertinas!

I ended up getting the above Hohner MM12 Student model from 1950...something in it's original case. It's fairly used but plays so great!! It has that true french musette sound I was craving. No polkas here...okay well maybe I'll learn the Chicken Dance song, eh? I also picked up the trusty Palmer-Hughes Accordion 1 book that everyone starts on. I may take some lessons from Mr. Bob Boyd though.

Next up:
I sold my beloved 2005 Fender Malibu, with soft v mahogany neck and solid top spruce, solid back mahogany and laminated sides. I loved it for it being so very fender, but unfortunately that also meant it sounded and played like a Fender acoustic guitar.... you know, crap! :(

My good friend Bryon Knight from Little Rock Frets purchased it for his son. Actually, I take it back, it doesn't play and sound like crap, it just didn't meet my needs when traveling. IT was actually a very very good low volume office guitar that I will miss. His son should really love it too!

I replaced it with the Taylor GS Mini Mahogany Top! LOVE IT! It's perfect. Plays like a Taylor. Sounds like a taylor! Nice case too. I plan to travel with it a lot and also bring to the office on a regular basis.

My watershed moment: Piano is fun but nothing like playing guitar!

Well, I made a decision about my musical future, at least the near future. After seriously pursuing and playing the piano for almost a year, I'm heading back to guitar full time.

And to commemorate this "re-connection" with my musical past, I've invested in a better instrument to hone my skills on. In tennis, often instructors and players say to always "play up!" The same goes for music, IMHO.

I acquired a NOS 2007 Taylor GC5e. Wester Red Cedar top, solid South American Tropical Mahogany sides and back. It has the famed ES (expression system) built in, which, incidentally, is one of the best renditions of an acoustic sound I've ever heard amplified! It has a slotted headstock, which I love on my Kala Ukulele. It's almost perfect, just need to get a proper set up after the guitar has settled into my home and then I'll have it as I like!

Alabama Shakes

Give them a listen, buy their albums, support a great home grown band making REAL music!!! No auto tune here baby, just pure soul and southern rock!

G.A.S. Report — ACQUIRED: Fender Mustang III

So I finally got sick of everyone running from the room when I picked up the guitar and turned on my Fender Super Sonic 60. That thing was just outrageously too loud. :(

So it is for sale (I put it and many other items for sale at Little Rock Frets) and replaced with this nifty modeling amp from Fender. It's so nifty that it's allowed me to get rid of my pedals, pedal board, and just use the 4 button, 2 button footswitches and an expression pedal that fender also supplies! LOVE IT!

G.A.S. Report — ACQUIRED: Danelectro 56 Pro

FINALLY! I found one in Baby Blue! It's so lovely. Great condition, right price, great guy in Tulsa who has it listed on Craigslist and connected with me via a post I made on TDPRI.com.

Can't stop playing it!

G.A.S. Report — ACQUIRED: MULTIPLE ITEMS!

M-Audio Fast Track C600
Blue Spark Condenser
Shure SM58
DR Pro boom tripod mic stand
Apple Logic Pro 9

Now to get down to the art of songwriting and the task of recording!

"My future is comin' on, it's comin' on. My future..."

This week, while my Lexicon I-Onix U22 interface was at the factory being repaired, I decided now was the time to upgrade to a new, larger input interface. I had my eye on a few but then I saw the M-Audio Fast Track C600 in a magazine. I had not seen or heard about it before, even though it has been around since 2010. I gave it a try.

It arrived last Thursday. It was smaller than I thought it would be from online pics. The knobs are kinda on the tiny side. And it's mostly made of plastic, unlike my I-Onix that was made of mostly metal and felt rather Pro. The shiny plastic on the top is very "tender". Even with a soft micro fiber cloth it scratches up easily. But all aesthetics aside, the thing works really well!

It fits more of what I wanted than anything else out there, so a few negatives were okay as long as it works. Having transport controls, two headphone outs, three monitor options, 4 inputs with 2 Hi Z on the front making it easy to plug in a guitar.

I've been able to record multiple sources at the same time. Create separate headphone mixes using the software mixer driver that's included. The aforementioned software mixer is a bit on the complicated side. I'm still trying to figure it out and don't expect much in the manual to explain it. It's a very sparse manual.

M-Audio/Avid's customer service leaves something to be desired as well. It was my one hesitation in purchasing this product. You can't get any contact with these people unless you "buy" (or are granted by registering your product) support "Codes" from them. Pretty ridiculous.

I purchased it through Sweetwater and thanks to my rep there, Derek Senestaro, I hope to get some kind of feedback from them about the scratching.

I immediately had some major noise problems after hooking it up, something I had not faced with the I-Onix. But it turned out NOT to be the C600, but operator error in my setup. My USB cable running to my SV-1 was creating a ground loop. I lifted the ground on the SV-1 and removed the cable to use only when I'm updating via the software editor or using it to lay down some midi tracks. Problem fixed and my system is quiet as church mouse now!

One other thing I did was purchase a Vocal Reflection Screen. I had wanted one but thought they all cost too much. But Guitar Center had one made by Primacoustic Voxguard on sale for $85. It's not a "pro" unit but it will work well enough for a while. I don't think it would put up with the abuse in a "real" studio. All that said, don't get me wrong, I really like this unit. It's well made and the newest model includes some "slits" in the back left and right sides to allow some frequency to go through from the vocalist. I find that it's helpful to have some sound absorption behind your vocalist as well and to make sure you keep the mic in the "sweet spot". I'd say one of the best things about using any vocal screen like this is the feeling you get. It's like blinders on a race horse, helps you focus, helps you get in the zone.
All and all a very good purchase and the company really responds quickly to questions being very helpful, even if it's not a product they sell! Bravo! If only M-Audio/Avid could actually answer their phones at all!

So this weekend, Corey and I got in the "studio" and started experimenting with vocals! She's finally getting to see that she can sing! It's so exciting! More about this later and hopefully, soon, some audio tracks to share!

"Tap, tap, tap... is this thing on?" UPDATE #2

The night that the Blue Spark Blue Limited mic arrived via UPS was last Friday. After dinner, I got the family to come down to the music room to have everyone check it out. I got Corey up first and told her to sing a song she knew. She started singing Beck's "Loser"! Very funny. Turns out both her and Rachel knew the lyrics so, she was up next. I threw some effects on their vocals for fun, everything from "Helium" to "Diva" to "DEEP vocals/octave lower". Stacey gave it a try, too! So I hooked up the SM57 for myself and "duet'd" with her on a very awful rendition of "Loser", as well. It was all so terrible sounding that the consensus was to erase it all. :(  Probably for the best. I wouldn't want to inflict that barrage on my worst enemy.

Then Rachel got behind her drums, funny enough, without ANY suggestion or encouragement from us. She laid down some really nice live drums. We then mic'd up Stacey's Djembe top and bottom and recorded two channels for a pretty excellent mix!

As said in another entry here, instrument mic'ing was never a problem for me, vocals, well... lots to learn!

Adventures in Recording at Home, or Did I really spend this much on my hobby?

Now, I'm not usually one to brag too much (no, really, I'm not!). And I'm also not usually so eager to show my personal belongings to the mass populous. (I know, 3 people read this including my Mom!) But I'm really proud of my little music room at home that is slowly becoming my little home studio, as well.

"Tap, tap, tap... is this thing on?" UPDATE

In the previous post, after re-reading, I realized that somehow I had listed the things in the wrong order with the most important purchase/acquisition last. A condenser microphone purchase is the best possible thing I could add to my current equipment!

I read somewhere today, while looking up home recording tips, that good mics are some of the most important gear you can own. And while I'm looking at "starter" mics, I think I laid out some fairly nice and well respected ones. But the one I forgot, I ended up buying today!

The Blue Spark Limited Edition Blue Condenser mic kit was on offer for a very, very fair price (below listed on major retailer sites!). And from the reviews I think it best suits my needs. I like the focus feature and most have said that it really works best as a vocal mic, next as an acoustic instrument and room mic. It came in a nice kit with cable, shock mount and pop filter.

I was looking for versatility but really my main goal with a condenser is vocals. Nothing sounds so good as singing into a condenser. You get to step back a bit, not some mic crammed down your throat, and enjoy the freedom of a fairly emotional "ordeal" as laying down a vocal track.

I feel very good about it. I also read today that if I already have an interface, software, etc. of some kind that I should really delve into it as deep as I can go before making more investments in gear. Thought being that right now anything I do is far from "grammy" material (if ever, actually never!), and the more time I learn how to do things, the more that will translate when I end up using some pretty badass equipment in the future.

Right now it's payoff keyboard, then everything after that is cash only. By the end of the year, I might have acquired much of my list. But if not, I KNOW I'll have acquired a lot of recording knowledge!