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About this blog

Happy

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what girlie's like

On Tuesday, I went to Mazak in Worcester in the West Midlands on a work trip. My friend and colleague Danny drove. In the back were the the office interns; three young ladies (girlies to us) who witter & giggle constantly. We felt lucky to be going in a Merc S series hire car for the 280 mile round trip.   The radio was on most of the time. On the return journey a pop-rock tune was being played at one point. Towards the end of the tune, an unusual change occurred. It sounded as if

Rudi

4

What About White Dirt?

This morning I awoke tired again. It was my fault I didn’t get to bed early enough. While brushing my teeth I wondered what sort of day I’d be in for. Fridays are usually quiet because few people are onsite. But… when problems do occur on Fridays it becomes manic for the same reason. I then idly wondered what I would say to myself 12 hours from now if I’d had a really bad day.   It would be along the lines of; [i]‘don’t go in. Just take a day off. Never mind that you’re using up premium days

Rudi

0

Thursday, The Final Evening Of May 07

Broke my naffing thumbnail! I can just about cope with fingernail loss but the thumb is hurting when I pick. Gave up practice after 45 minutes due to throbbing thumb. Nails are a perishing nuisance (literally perishing). Powered up the Mac to download Yahoo Messenger. Installed it and placed it on the desktop. Then noticed it had 2 icons in the dock. I couldn’t remove either of them. Got out the manual, did what the manual said and it seemed to work for about 5 seconds. Then it reappeared i

Rudi

0

Thumb Osteoarthritis

thumb osteoarthritis: Had this in both thumbs for about 3 or 4 years. Until last year it never interfered with my guitar playing. Now it does. Now I cant use the thumb-over-the-top technique to fret the bass E. I use it a lot in fingerstyle. The thumb just doesnt bend enough anymore, and if I try it hurts too much anyway. For soloing and band work. I only discovered yesterday how I minimise thumb use. Normally the thumb grips the back of the neck when the fingers press down on the fi

Rudi

1

the signal processor method

The amount of knobs I’d want on my ideal guitar would be none at all. I only need one pickup; a single coil in the neck position. I don’t need a tone knob because I leave them on max treble (the one exception being the Hofner Archtop, but that’s not a gigging guitar). Volume? Don’t need it. The expression pedal on the signal processor is always set to ‘volume’, so I use that. It’s also much easier to control volume that way. Once the soundcheck is done, the max volume doesn’t nee

Rudi

3

Stanley The Kitten Too

Of course he is a cute little feller. When I knocked on the window he fled behind an armchair. When I entered the room I saw a small wide-eyed face peeking out from behind it. I sat still in another chair & within a minute he was walking all over me, sniffing my fingers, chewing my work-badge. Y'know, kitten stuff. He is a fluffy tabby. He can sit in the palm of your hand. I prefer dogs myself, but there is something quite endearing about Stanley. This puts me in mind of my

Rudi

1

Stanley The Kitten

I am to visit my son Ben this evening. He has a new kitten. The kitten’s name is Stanley. Apparently Stanley likes to chew cables & wire. This could be a problem. Cats seem to delight in non-cooperation, except for lions. Other creatures benefit from mutual cooperation, ants, wolves, herring, porpoises, bees, sheep. Why couldn’t he have adopted one of those? A budgerigar would have been easier. After all birds inspired the likes of Wilbur & Orville Wright. The chord of an airc

Rudi

4

Retire

I took early retirement by means of voluntary redundancy today. The consultation was last Thursday and my employment ended today. Said my goodbyes to some great workmates and took all my 'stuff' home. It looks weird. All this stuff that doesn't belong in the house is here. Not just tools & books, but works mug, cutlery and tea caddy etc.   I've worked with some of these fellows for more than 30 years. Its pretty emotional, and leaving is a bittersweet experience. I will meet up wit

Rudi

7

reasons to exercise and my incredible teacher

Still well overweight. Exercise is essential but difficult. I take dancing lessons at the moment. Have done for about a year now. When I started the instructor asked if I was a musician; which impressed me a lot! Dancing is complicated and an ongoing struggle to remember all these steps. I fail most of the time but I'm still trying.   I also took up badminton at the suggestion of my son Ben. Only once a week though. Then it transpired that they break during the summer months. So n

Rudi

1

Picks Review

Picks Review:   Using and choosing picks is highly personal. No one can give a generalised review. My review is based upon what I am used to and the techniques I use. My use of picks is confined to electric guitars only. I never use them on acoustics. The techniques I use.   Lead: predominantly alternating up & down, AKA speed picking. Hammer on/pull off. Basic sweep (not the shredder type). A personal Staccato version of economy picking. Exceptions: I do not tap.   Rhythm: Var

Rudi

0

Pick Article (Also Posted In Guitar Area)

Picks / Plectrums   Pete Walker, a guitar store owner and lifelong enthusiast said to me that ‘everybody can hold down a few chords & string a couple of phrases together, it’s the picking hand that makes a guitarist sound unique’.   This is a big subject. Nothing varies so much between guitarists as the sort of pick they use and the way they use them. It’s the most neglected subject too. Players obsess about their main equipment more than anything else (and spend a lot of money doi

Rudi

0

Photography

Photography. Been taking a keen interest in what cameras are out there. Is there such a thing as an Ideal solution? Large Format. A Large Format Digital back for my field camera. They don’t exist. The betterlight co. make some, but they are essentially studio bound (for monorail cameras). In any case it runs into some serious money. At 416 million pixels I suppose it’s to be expected. http://www.betterlight.com/ So I’m stuck with film for that baby, and I would use it if I could fin

Rudi

0

performance

I played very poorly at the last gig (last week). I was using my preferred guitar of the moment and my old faithful Fender amp, but the sound was all wrong. It may have been because the people were mostly pretty far back from the band. We were on a high-ish stage too. The sound wasn't the usual warm subtle tone I am used to. It was stark & harsh. A poor tone limits what I can play. Some people dont understand that. I dont fully understand it myself but I cant change it. Fortunately everyone

Rudi

0

Performance

Performance - Failure & Success. Sometimes the band plays well but I am unhappy about my personal contribution to the music at a gig. This is what I am talking about here. To my own standards, my success rate is quite low. I feel good about perhaps 40% of my performances. I’ve never felt like giving up, but I do feel pretty bad after some gigs. I could improve my success rate by being less demanding of myself. The trouble with that is, I would probably eventually get bored a

Rudi

0

Not Socialised Properly

This has been written as an expression of regret. Not a challenge nor an attack.   I watched another youtube video of willseasyguitar recently. I have learned a fair amount from Will (if that is really his name) and been entertained sometimes too. I can say the same for Scott Grove. Both these fellows like to broadcast on a broad variety of topics, though they are best known as guitar buffs.   I’m now used to hearing ‘hey’ as a greeting. I also realise that ‘How’s it going?’ is not a que

Rudi

3

not another one...!

I thought I was going to finish 2016 without getting any more guitars. But no, I have another on the way. The pickup change on the Esprit was supposed to provide me with the Fender sound I miss. It sounds good, but it doesn’t sound like a Fender.   I’ve been considering options for quite a while now. Oddly, actual Fenders are low on my list. I’ve looked at G & L, MusicMan, Flaxwood, Chapman (Yes Rob Chapman. His models are made in Korea and most have ebony fretboards), Yamaha,

Rudi

1

NGD very unexpected result

Today didn’t go as expected. As it was a nice day, I decided to visit Guitar Village. They had a used Peerless Martin Taylor archtop that I was anxious to try. I did, and also a similar spec Eastman too. They were very nice but neither insisted on being taken home.   Then I tried the nicest looking PRS Core Custom 24, Blue Quilt with ebony board. I had admired this on the website before. Finally there was one CE24 which I certainly would have bought had the finish been to my liking

Rudi

0

more pick stuff

One or two of you may know that I’ve spent a deal of time and money on picks. It’s been ongoing for about 2 years now. Changing picks has been of more real benefit than any new guitar or any other piece of kit could’ve been. While renewing the edges & points on favoured worn picks, I have experimented by adding bevels or a modifying the shape using files, emery cloth and whatever has come to hand. Some mods have been successful, others not. I’ve even considered making some, a

Rudi

3

minimal work is optimal

This hot weather has been making my guitars move. The careful set-ups are compromised or ruined. Only a couple seem ok. I re-adjusted the Les Paul on Monday, just prior to practice. I tried to adjust the Esprit yesterday, but that’s proving a little awkward. Rather than undertake a lengthy comprehensive set up, I thought I would just play it for an hour as it was. ‘As it was’ is with the G, B and ‘e’ sitting higher off the fingerboard than is usual, and the strings are also

Rudi

0

Malfunction. No Target Aquired.

Now that August bank holiday has past, I am reviewing the past year critically. A lot of what has happened since is connected to the hole in my life that opened up when my partner Jan died on August bank holiday 2014.   My employer sent me home on 2 weeks compassionate leave, during which time I helped clear Jan’s flat of all her possessions. I did this together with her son Ian and her friends Pam & Lorna.   I spent ages taking her stuff to charity shops and to the tip. When the funer

Rudi

0

Last Gig Of The Year

Last gig of the year: Friday 19 December 2014 Club V Fareham Recreation Ground. Denny’s 60th birthday bash. Denny himself is in a covers band, and they opened for us (Blown Out). I was very glad that people did get up and dance to them. Though it was at the last song! This was their first gig, and they did well. They did one of the songs we do ‘Mama Told Me Not To Come’, so the party heard 2 versions that night. Club V is a wonderful place. It’s got 2 control rooms for DJ/a

Rudi

2

Juggling Guitars

My guitars are mostly leisure instruments, but some are grafters.   The Soloist is the main grafter; a real workhorse. I’ve had it 18 years & it feels like a part of me. I’m trying to spec up the Deuce to become a grafter too (it’s cheap). It will never be anything like as fine as the Soloist but I just like it for some reason.   The elderly Washburn G5V is a practice model. It has been played more than any other guitar, and it shows. Both The Soloist & the G5V have significant ru

Rudi

0

Jan's Leg

My inspiration for dieting has been my partner Jan. She has been dieting for 2 years with little to show for it, but she doesn’t lose her resolve at all. For a year (2006) she could take little exercise due to breaking her leg badly. She broke the fibula first (probably) & went to her doctor who diagnosed this as gout. When she complained of the pain she was feeling he prescribed painkillers & told her to carry on walking on it. After weeks of hobbling about on a broken leg, the ad

Rudi

2

insomnia

Insomnia Last night: I return home following an evening of dancing. I pour myself a glass of wine. I try to watch a bit of TV but fall asleep on the sofa at around 12.30.   I rouse at 2.55, take my prescribed relaxant & go to bed. At 4.10 I give up trying to sleep and get up again. I’m tired but I know its pointless trying to sleep anymore. I read my e-mails and respond to one of them. When this happened last week, I sat up and read in bed. I read for 3 ho

Rudi

0

I'm not a Gibson Player

I have a couple of Gibsons, but I am realising that this does not make me a Gibson player. (all that follows only concerns soloing, not chords) I plugged in the Les Paul last night & played for a couple of hours. My regular alternating pick technique didn’t sound as good as it should. It has something to do with the sound (and definitely the sustain) of the guitar. So I concentrated more of hammer-ons & pull-offs. This made it sound much better. There was less pick noise and ma

Rudi

2

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