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8 AcousticGuitar com

PRI TE LESSON

When did your banjo technique start getting transferred to guitar?I taught banjo for a living for five years, and Idecided I really wanted to help my studentslearn how to improvise and that I needed toplay rhythm behind them, so I started playingrhythm guitar. And, of course, then I wantedto play lead guitar. I took some guitar lessons

from Steve Pottier and he taught me how toplay Home Sweet Home and some otherthings where you set up a pattern [in yourpicking hand] and you make some changes forthe melody [Example 1]. I realized recentlyhow important learning how to do that was,for accenting an upstroke. Now I don 't have toplay the whole pattern, I can pick out thatupstroke melody note and it pops out. It 'ssimilar to banjo playing in that when you playthe banjo you set up a pattern in your righthand and your left hand starts searching outthe melody notes.

When you re working on cross-pickingarrangements do you usually start withthe melody?Yes the simplest, barest melody I can. And thenI start hanging ornaments on it as I go along.

o you have favorite keys for cross-picking?I tend to favor C and G. C is where I start

because it puts the melody right in the middleof the guitar, most of the time. A lot of timesin G you have to go way down [to the bassstrings] or up an octave. I've recently beenworking on playing in D and I1l often arrange

something in a number of keys and positionsbefore I figure out which one is best for me.Some positions will put the melody up theneck, and then you have to figure out a wayto do that. Sometimes I'll work on stuff and

say, I'm going to keep practicing until I getit, but then maybe it's just not coming. So Ithink Is there another way to do this? Youlearn the neck tha t way. I fyou have to do yourown arranging you learn where things are.

You do a lot of cross-picking up the neck asopposed to sticking to first position. Howdo you think of connecting those positions?Let's see , I'll play My Old Kentucky Home[Example 2] on an open C chord; that s

where everybody learns how to do that. But Ican also play it up here [Example 3]. I'll start

with a C shape that I finger with the ring andlittle fingers on the same [fifth] fret and Ibarre at the third fret, so I can go from theI to the V [Example 4]. This is actually kindof difficult to do, so I make my students startit early, because it's such a valuable positionto play out of. I look for the melody in thatposition, and then it goes to the IV [F) chord,so I have a bunch of choices. I can go to first

position, or I can go here [Example 5]. I can

ACOUSTIC GUITAR anuary 2012



of untidiness - some g lue squeeze-out at

the hee l b lock and In some areas of thekerflng .

Ext remely Playableand ine o undin gRemoving the No. 5 from Its Included TKLPro Arch-Top case, I was struck by howcomfortable It fe lt to crad le and how p lay.able It was . The guitar's C-shaped neck Issubstantia l but not overly full and Invitesbarre chords In a ll registers . The medium·low action makes the neck fee l smooth andeasy, hospitab le to some swift sing le-notework. I could even pu ll off some e lectricstyle string bends; It might be that the extra

24 AcousticGuitar.com

N f W Gf R

string length behind the bridge Impartsa little slinkiness to the fee l.

Hitting some basic open chor ds, wasImpressed :Yfthe guitar's vo lume, Which Isprobably a resu lt of the location of the

soundhole and the added rea l estate of theuninterrupted soundboard . I proceeded to

flngerplck some ragtime-style lmprovlsa·tlons as we ll as standard country.J) Iues fareand found the guitar to be super-responsiveand we ii.J a lanced, with an articu late,rumbling bass and smooth, singing treblesfrom open position to the highest frets .It also had uncommonly long sustain anda pronounced natura l reverb-attributes

perhaps owing to the guitar's fine solid

tonewoods as we ll as Its bracing andtai lpiece . The overa ll tone Is somewhatunusua l, s lightly ho llow with "scoopedmlds," and because of the guitar's cons·tructlon, It sounds more Immediate to theplayer than to the listener .

With Its 1 %-Inch nut and lack of a pick·guard, the No . 5 Is c learly designed with theflngerplcker In mind . The guitar does exce lIn this capacity, maintaining a co lorfu l livelyvoice even When tuned way down to open c However, I found that the Batson respondedjust as nice ly to brisk strumming In standard and a lternate tunlngs like open G andD A D G A D . While the No. 5 doesn't havethe power of a dreadnought or jumbo, It

does have a substantia l presence In thiscontext . And It sounds robust, with a widedynamic range, when subjected to flat·picked b luegrass runs and bebop licks aswe ll as moda l meanderlngs In s lackenedtunlngs .

Small Shop ValueWhile not cheap at 2,800, the BatsonNo. 5 represents an Incredib le va lue In ana ll-solld·WOod stee l-string that Is handmadeIn the United States and receives theattention to detail that Is only possib le Ina sma ll shop . Its flattop design, with latticebracing, bass-side soundho le, and bridgeand-tailpiece so lution, strikes an exce llent

The Batson's lattice br acing is visible through its

large soundport.

ba lance between tradition and Innovation .The guitar Is eminently playab le and super·responsive . It shines In contexts rangingfrom fo lk and b lues to jazz and beyondIn nearly any tuning, flngerplcked or

strummed, making It an Idea l companionfor the we ll-rounded acoustic guitarist. AC

Contributing editor Adam Perlmutter tran-scribes, arranges and engraves musi c fornumerous publications

ACOUSTIC GUITAR January 2012



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NEW GEAR

Boss Micro R BR 80

Battery-operated multitrac k dig ita l rec orde r offers simple tw o-trac kand full-featured eight-track recording.

~ e e t h e

video review at

AcousticGuitar.com;

It's now possible to put what once would have been a roomfull of recording gear In a device so sma ll you can carry ItIn your pocket. Boss, a division of the Roland corporationthat focuses on electronic musica l devices from stompbox

30 Acous t icGuitar.com

newgeareffects to recorders, has an exce llent track record ofbuilding creative and high-qualitydeVIces at affordable

prices . The new Boss Micro BR BR80 recorder updates an earlierversion of the Micro BR, doubling the number of tracks, adding new

effects, and more . Boss makes severa l recorders, Including larger unitsthat support 16 tracks and CD burning, but even In the crowded field ofsma ll recorders, the Micro BR BR-80 Is at least a contender for the titleof sma llest fuHeatured mu ltitrack recorder.

Three Reco rding ModesThere are enough features In the tiny new Boss

to keep you busy exploring the device for along time, but It Is also easy to get started

recording quickly. The recorder has threedistinct modes that act a lmost like

three separate recorders : Uve Rec,eBand, and MultiTrack Record (MTR).

In Live Rec mode, the unit Is a simplestereo recorder with built-Inmlcs.Simply press the record button to arm the

device, check levels, and press record again to startrecording. Each time you record, the Micro BR BR-80 creates a

new file, so you'll never accidently erase previous recordings . The unitIncludes a guitar tuner and a looping phrase; rainer, which are availableIn a ll modes . A rhythm button activates a metronome In Live Rec andeBand modes and a drum machine In MTR mode .

Although the Live Rec mode Is nearly foolproof, the eBand and MTRmodes are a bit more complicated, and as you use them you begin toappreciate how much functionality Boss has packed Into this tiny box .The eBand mode Is Intended to let you jam a long with prerecordedloops-€l ther the supplied backing tracks or your own loops, whichcan be loaded Into the Micro BR BR-80 via the USB port and softWareprovided by Roland. In this mode, you can use the bu ilt-In mlcs or pluga pickup-equipped guitar Into the guitar jack and app ly a full suite ofRoland's we ll-known COSM effects - reverb, chorus, overdrive, andmore-to your sound . You can also vary the speed of the p layback oruse the looping feature to repeat a short section, turning the Micro BRBR-80 Into a phrase trainer .

In MTRmode, the Micro BR BR-80 Is a full-featured eight-trackrecorder. You can reco rd two tracks at a time, overdub, and punch Into fix mistakes . The bu ilt-In drum machine can be used to assemblerhythm tracks from a collection of fixed patterns, which you can extendby loading standard MIDIflies that you create elsewhere, and you canuse the COSM effects for amp simulations and effects . Although there

y oug Young

are only eight tracks available at any onetime, each track supports up to eightvirtua l tracks, which allows you, forexample, to record mu ltiple takes of aso lo, and then choose the best one later.In both eBand and MTRmodes, the Bossoffers mix-downcapabi lities that a llow youto edit, add effects, and master your

tracks to produce a finished tune .Regard less of the recording mode, the

Micro BR BR-80 records to standard SDcards, and a 2 GB card Is Included. Thereare a few limitations, Including a 2 GB limiton the size of a sing le song, no more than1,000 songs In Live Rec mode and 100 InMTRmode, but most peop le are unlikelytorun Into these limits .

a sy Two-Track e cordingTo see how the Micro BR BR-80 performed,I started with Uve Rec mode . It proved

AT A GLANCE

THE SPECS: Records CD.quality16·blt, 44.1kHz WAV or MP3 (up to 320 Kbps) files. Up toeight tracks (64 v irtual tra cks), recordable two

at a time. Built·in ste reo mics , mono %-inchguitar or line-in ja ck, plus 'AI-inch stereo line in.Headp hone output. USB port for transferr ingfiles to computer , with included software, or foruse as a computer aud io interface. Built·inmetronome , tuner, drum machine , back ingtracks, COSM amp s imulator, mastering effects.2 GB SD card included, supports up to 32 GB

on an SDHC ca rd. Powered by two AAbatter iesor power adapter (not included). 5 6 x 3 6 x isinches. 5 ounces. Made in China.

THIS IS COOL: Full·featu red multitrack recorderthat fits in your pocket.

WATCH FOR: No phantom power for externa lcondenser mics. Multitrack mode records inpropr ietary format.

PRICE: 400 list/ 280 street.

MAKER:Roland Corp: (323) 890 -3700;bossus.com.




easy to use without referr1ng to the we llwritten manua l, and my first pass - sittingon the couch, guitar In hand and recorder Inmy lap-produced a perfectly respectab lehome recording, comp letely adequate forsharing with fr1ends, posting to the web,etc . I a lso took the recorder to a live showat a loca l a ll-acoustic coffeehouse and,p laced on a tab le four or five feet from themusicians, the unit did a fine job of

capturing the performances . One sma llIssue with this Is that the BR80 Is designedto sit on a tab letop . There Is no mount that

wou ld a llow you, for examp le, to attach It to

a mlc stand for better positioning whenrecording acoustic guitar . You can p lug anextern a 1m c Into the 1/8-lnch m c j llne jack

In eBand or MTR mode, but not In Live Recmode . There are no mixing options In LiveRec mode, but plugging the unit Into theUSB port on my Mac a llowed me to drag theWAV flies to my computer, where I was ab le

to edit and add effects easily .

Mini atur e Mul titr ackerThe fun, however, rea lly start s when you putthe Micro BR BR-80 In MTR mode . It s easyto select and record a track (via buttons onthe front of the unit) and then, using head-

phones for monltor1ng, switch to a newtrack and overdub . I soon found myse lfsitti ng on a bench In the backyard with apair of ear buds, happily exper1mentlng withIdeas for tunes . MTR mode Is where you llfind most of the recorder s comp lexity, andIt s where I encountered a few Issues . Aswith a ll sma ll devices like this, to accessfeatures you need to scro ll through a lot of

menus . The basic recording steps requirevery little of this, but functions like applyingeffects and mixing aren t as easy as ona computer-based system or a full-sizerecorder . I also found that the effects - boththose availab le for mlxdown and the COSMsimu lator effects that can be applied whilerecording-are designed more for e lectr cguitar and not as pristine as I would like foracoustic guitar.

Although the Micro BR BR-80 stor esLive Rec mode flies as WAVs or MP3s, InMTR mode they are stored In a proprietary

format. Boss provides conversion softwarefor PC and Mac that can extract the Individua l flies from the unit and convert themto WAV flies for use on a computer . Oncethe flies are converted, they can be loadedInto the audio editor of your choice for

editing and mixing, a much easier option

e ision

than dealing with the menu Interface onthe Micro BR BR-80 .

So n w r ter s el ghtThe Micro BR BR-80 has an Impressive mixof portability and features . Although It ssma ll enough to fit In a guitar case or evenyour pocket, It fee ls sturdy and pleasantlysubstantia l. The solid-feeling buttonsprovide direct access to the most-neededfunctionality, a lthough I found the cursordia l a b it awkward . The limitations of H l-blt

recording, a long with the Inability to usehigh-quality externa l microphones probablyprevent the unit from being used to createserious recordings . But as both a simp le,easy-to-operate stereo recorder andcomp lete mu ltitra ck recorder, the Boss Isperfect not on ly for captur1ng live events but

as an audio sketch pad for songwriters, apractice system for amming with loops, or

an Introduction to mu ltitrack recording . And

Its convenient size means It can go withyou anyWhere, so you can be ready to recordwhenever Inspiration strikes . AC

Doug Young dougyoungguitar.com) is SanFrancisco Bay Area fingerstyle guit rist ndcontributing editor to Acoustic Guitar.

golor silver

January 2 12 ACOUSTIC GUITAR AcousticGuitar.com 3 1



6 Acou s t icGuitar com » See video of the music examples at AcousticGuitar com/songwriting COUS IIC GUIIAR Ja nu ary 20 12



repea ted ly s urpri sed to lea rn how ma ny so ngs we rewritten in lowered tunin gs, from Jo hn Foge rty c lass ics ( Proud Ma ry; Bad Moo n Ris ing, Fortun a teSo n ) to more reoe nt tra cks by Kelle r Willia ms a ndBen Harpe r.

6TWEAK THE CHORDS. It s a ma zing h owmu ch coo le r it ge ts w he n you change o nenote in a c hord , Sea n Wa tkin s o nce sa id

in a co nve r sa ti on with hi s th e n-ba nd m a t es inNicke l Cree k. His guit a r pa rt s o ft e n u se moda lchords (with n o third) a nd s uspe ns io ns th a t add anice o pe nn ess t o th e so und . Chec k o ut th e diffe r

enoes betwee n Example s a and 1b , a nd betwee nExamples 2a and 2b , t o hea r h ow a o ne- finge rchange in a c hord makes a b ig impac t.

You are only f gooda fongwriter f youare a guitar player orinftrumentalift.

- John mayer

7NCHAIN THE MELODY. An ins ight abo ut

chord s a nd me lodies fr om a yo un g Dav idWilcox i n t erv iewed 20 yea rs a g o s till

rings tru e fo r m e . I lea rne d fro m lis t enin g t oJa mes Taylor tha t you do n't wa nt your me lody to beth e roo t of th e c hord, Wilcox sa id . You wa nt th eme lody to be a n inte res tin g note in th e c hord . Andif you h ave a g ive n m e lody note, th e re a re diffe rentchords th a t g o w ith it, so pick one w here th e me l

ody is a fifth o r a seve nth or a third o r a ninth , butnot th e tonic.

To ma ke thi s co ncre te, take a loo k at Examples3a and 3b (p lay the sa me acco mp anim e n t s hownin Exa mple 3a f or bo th exa mpl es) . Not ioe th a t inExa mple 3a th e me lody notes a re th e sa me as th eroot s o f th e c hords, w hile in Exampl e 3 b th e me l

ody is s hift ed ont o ot her notes . In thi s ve rs ion, th eme lody lifts free of th e c hords a nd h as mu ch m oreimpac t.

Ex. 3a Melody

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t- .0 0 0 1 10 0 0 0 0

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n 0 2 2

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Ex. 3b MelodyG

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Januar y 20 12 ACOUST IC GUITARf

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8LAYSINGLE-NOTELINES. The vas t major

ity of s inge r-so ngwrite rs use guita rs s trictlyfor s trummin g c hords o r s imple finge rpick

ing acco mp anim ent , b ut a I kinds o f inte res tin gposs ibilities a rise w hen yo u inco rpo ra te s inglenote lines a nd me lod ies o n guita r. Bruce Cockburnonoe desc ribed t rying to find thin gs for th e g uita rt o do th a t co mpl ement what's be ing s ung or th a thelp s up po rt it. So me tim es it's play ing th e me lodya lo ng w ith myse lf, a t ot her times it's playing moreof a moving bac kground pa rt .

As Coc kburn 's mu s ic demon stra tes, yo u d on 'tneed t o play c ho rds a ll th e tim e - yo u ca n haveint e rludes w ith ju s t a bass run o r a m e lody lineth a t give s ha pe a nd cha racte r t o yo ur so ng. Thinkof th e s igna tur e g uita r line in th e Gra te ful Dead's

Friend o f th e Dev il j u s t a desce nding G-majorsca le . The so ng wo uldn't be th e sa me w ith s imples trumm ed G and C c hords .

PL YinG WITH RHYTHm

9SE YOUR FOOT. Nothin g is more ins pirin g

in so ngwriting th an a grea t gr oove, a nd assevera l groove -me is te r so ngwri te rs have

t old m e, you 've go t t o fee l it with your body t o delive r it o n g uit a r. Th e rhyt hm co m es fr om th efoo t ;• Richie Have ns sa id. Tha t is my body me tr o

nome, a nd it is part of th e play ing to me. Th esa me is tru e fo r Chris S mith e r, whose ta ppin g fee ta re integra l t o his so und.

If you 're not acc us t omed to kee ping th e bea twith your fee t, put d own your guita r a t firs t a nd ju s ts ing ove r foo t t a ps as you' re wo rking o n a so ng.When you re introd uce th e g uitar, wo rk o n sync ingth e move me nt of yo ur s trummin g / picking ha nd

with your

foot t a ps . Think of your

guita

ras

s up po rting th e be at rath e r th an th e o th e r way a round.

1WRITE FROM THE BASS. The o th e resse ntia l co mp onent of good rhyt hmis th e bass line . So me so ngwr ite rs

think o f th e g ui t a r prim a rily as a bas s a rtin

Sex t on, fo r ins tance, eve n as ks so und e ng inee rs

G Em

I 1 r

'• L J

2 2 2 2

I

When you're exploring song ideas onyour guitar, be sure you are ready to

preserve whatever intrig uing thingsyou find, because chanoes are, even ashort time later, you won t remember anidea exactly as it first appeared . Somemusicians who read and write musi-

cal notation-Pete Seeger and RichardThompson, for instanoe-keep a note.book and pen handy to jot down snippetsof music and words that come to mind .Many songwriters, myself included, relyon portable digital recorders (like theZoom H2n or Edirol R.{)9 HR), which allow

you to copy amazingly good-soundingaudio files right onto your computer or

iTunes for easy access later . An iPhone or

other smartphone with a recording appcan perform the same funct ion-a bonusis that if you want to remember your

hand positions, you can make a quickvideo too . Whatever tool you prefer, highor low-tech, make sure it's readily available whenever and wherever inspirationstrikes, and that it s quick and simple to

use so you can stay in the creative zonerather than focusing on the technology .

D

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2 2 2 23 3 3 3 0 0 3 3 3 32 2 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 2 0

0 0 2 2 0 0

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Acous t icGuitar.com 49



PAT METHENY

n d LOV Her plucking out the bass notes benea th with histhumb (shown with downsterns). He also fre tsall of the no tes on the sixth string with histhumb over the neck of the gui tar. This freesup more fingers for melody lines and chordalbackup, enabling him to let no tes ring outmore easily than i f the notes were all fret tedwith the fingers. But don't worry if you have

t rouble thumb fret t ing; you can s t ill play thepiece wi thout it, though you may need to cuta few notes short while getting your hand inposition for upcoming notes or chords. I f youplay the song this way, wa tch out for measures30-31 and measure 49, where you 'll need tofret across two frets wi th your index finger. Todo this, hold down the six th fret of the loweststring wi th your index finger and roll tha t finger back to simultaneously grab the fifth fretof the first string. ANDREW DuBROCK

Words and music by John Lennon and Paul McCartney ,

arranged by Pa t Metheny

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ve Her closes out Pat Metheny 's t ribute to his pop-music roo ts,What s It All About. While all of the artists represented on this record contributed to Metheny's musical beginnings, none may have been more influen tialthan the Beatles. s Me theny says on his websit e, Wi thout them, I don'tknow if I even would have become a musician or a guitar player.

Mos t of the songs on What s It All About are played on a steel-s tring baritoneguitar, but Me theny plays And I Love Her'' on a s tandard-ttmed nylon-string.Along wi th the natural loping rhythm found in the song, the chord choices,and the chordal stabs, the nylon-s t ring guit ar gives the song a touch morebossa nova flavor than the Beatles' original track. Metheny plays the melodyand chordal notes with his fingers (shown in upsterns in the transcription),

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5 8 Acoustic Guitar.c om ACOUSTIC GUITAR January 20 12



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Alternate tunings make sounds become available to youth t you couldn't play In standard tuning: deep bassnotes, evocative jazzy chords, new melodic patterns .Familiar fingerings produce strange and surprisingresults, sparking new song and arrangement ideas .

In nine lessons, the book/CO pack Explor e AlternateTunln g s will help you get oriented in an array of alternatetunings used in many styles of contemporary music.

Get started by retuning only one string. Proceed withthe popular open-G, open-D. and D A D G A D tunings.Dig deeper into D A D G A D as well as tunings used inHawaiian slack-key guitar, Celtic music, and Nashvillestudio sessions. Play 12 songs, including the slack-keyclassic Hi'ilawe, the old-time favorite O ld Joe Clark ,and a beautiful arrangement of a prelude from Bach's

cello suite.

19.99 Book / CO 72 pp. HL00696573

• 9 in-depth lessons for players of all levels• Learn chords and songs in 1 popular tunings• Play cool chords with easy fingerings• Try blues, Celtic, and Hawaiian tunings• Discover new sounds

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There was a time when acoustic guitar amplification was either aDeArmond pickup or - muchmore likely - a Shure SM57microphone. Nowadays the

range of items tha t can be putin the signal chain betweenyour gui tar and the PA is trulyboggling. And whil e the details of which pickup or microphone to choose go beyondthe scope of this article, let'sexamine some useful pieces ofgear that will help you soundyour best.

.. _ EXTERlrAL PREAIIIPS : Even if your guitar's electronics includean onboard preamp, a dedicated s tand-alone unit is the performingguitarist's bes t friend. Supplying the PA with a stronger signal throughan XLR cable will have its own salu tary effect on your tone, par ticularly if you have a heavy s t rumming hand . Having EQ and no tch filtersonstage with you will often allow you to sound the way you wa n t tosound. And that, friend, makes you play better. Many of these preamp/DI boxes offer a phase swi tch tha t can be such a swift feedback andor tone fix that it's often worth the price of admission alone, particularly in open-rnic or festival situations where preshow soundcheckssimply don't happen.

.. _ PEDALS/DEVICES: Where does one begin? There's a world ofeffects out there (see Sound Effects , page 70). There's one school ofthought that holds that great sound lies in the happy middle groundbetween some is bet ter than none and less is more. But some folks

prefer an amplified sound with more effected signal than dry signal.Whatever the length and configura tion of the signal chai n you putbetween your gui tar and the speakers, it's important to do manyshakedown cruises at home before you presen t your sotmds to a liveaudience. f you plan on using more than one outboard device, consid er Velcroing them all to a pedalboard and prewiring them t o minimize kerfuffle in getting on and offs tage.

.. _ BATTERIES : Nine-volt (and in some casesor AM) batteries are found in all so r ts of

devices useful to the gigging musician, and theseare par t icularly subject to Murphy's Law. Even if

you have a spare, it may not work. Having a fewspares on hand, howevei; will make you feel v ry

smart, even tually; especially if you are careful tokeep spares on hand of any bat tery types you'reno t likely to find at the 7-Eleven down the streetfrom the venue. f you want to be the envy ofyour musician pals, snag some of those blackplas t ic terminal caps from your local Radio Shackto keep the pole pieces of loose batteries fromtouching me tal and discharging vas t and dangerous amounts of he a t. Another op t ion is to put abit of tape over the terminals. I knew a guy who

knew a guy who learned the hard way no t tokeep nine-volt batteries in the same front pantspocket as his laundry money.

anuary 2012 ACOUSTIC GUITAR

.. _ FLASHLIGHT: Club stages are often dark. Backstage is lw ysdark. And being able to r ead the dials, swi tches, knobs, and sliders on an unfamiliar PA sys tem will at some point be very important. Carry a flashlight. There are some tiny ones that fit on keychains. Others are flat and as small as credit cards. Those coalminer - style headlamps available from camping stores will leavebo th of your hands free bu t will instantly identify you as a big ol 'gear nerd. The choice is yours. Hippest of all, arguably, is todownload a flashlight app for your smartphone. Yes there's anapp for tha t.

.. _ THREE-TO-TWO-PROlrG GROUlrDilrG ADAPTER: Oc-casionally you will play a venue that doesn 't have grounded outlets that accep t modem three-pronged plugs. For heavens sake,don't find yourself dead in the wa ter because you d idn 't t uck one

of these easily tuckable goodies into your gig rig.

.. _ CABLES AlrD COlUrECTORS: Cables go bad. All by themselves.Count on it. So fight the good fig ht by keeping spares with you. Thosefabric-jacketed cables that look like 1950s appliance cords are hip, butthey're heavy. Touring pros often prefer lightweight cables that curl upreally small, like George L cables, which also have solderless connectors that can be replaced on the spot. Good gear like this is its ownreward and a joy to own.

Unfortunately; XLR cables aren't available in t ruly tiny gauges, butthe smar t money is still on keeping a spare o r two with you. Label eachend with an identical number or letter. This will save you the hass le ofhand-tracing cords from source to des tination and it will make thesound engineer wonder why he hasn't already done this with ll of hisor her cables.

.. _ CABLE STRETCHER: This is a double-female connector tha t letsyou patch two cables together. It's another li ttle goodie that is so smalland easy to carry i t'd be a shame not to have one on hand all the time.Pick up %-inch-to-%-inch and %-inch-to-XLR versions and feel verysmug. Even if you do n ' t ever need it yourself, some musician or soundtech somewhere will sing your praises forever because you happened

to have one on hand . f your rig requires special cables, like TRS MIDIor mul ti pin jobbies , don't be pennywise and pound-foolish by not stocking up on spares.

BACKUP PICKUP: f you play asteel-string gui tar, consider keeping asimple magnetic pickup such as aDean Markley ProMag or SeymourDtmcan Woody in your gig rig. They'reinexpensive, ins tall in seconds withouttools, and are quick to plug in withtheir a t tached cables. f your gig rigsuffers a catastrophic meltdown, having one of these babies on hand willguarantee tha t a t least you 'll be heard.

f you play a nylon-s t ring, a simplestick-on pickup such as a Dean MarkleyArtist or Schertler DYN can be a gigsaver.

AcousticGuitar.com 65



GI G RI G

Making yourself comfor table onstage is arguably as much a necessity as a luxury.Again , consistency and routine will put youat ease abou t what to bring and how to set

it up. This can only make for a better set.Practice this part a t home, too. Leave no th-ing to chance.

.... CHA I R OR ST OOL : Got a special chairor stool? One that helps you play betterwhen you're si t t ing in it? t might be toomuch to bother with for a couple of tunes atan open mic, but if you are the featured ac t,and you have space in the car, considerbringing it along. Perc hing on a bars toolwhen you're accustomed to sitting on achair can s top your feng from talking toyour shui big-time.

ness and its portability. I f you are on theroad, you'll also have to find space in yourluggage or make arrangements in advanceto have one provided. I dtmno. You sure it

wouldn't justbe

easier to memorize the stuffand leave the s tand behind?

.... .ACCESS ORY TABLE OR TR AY :Picks , capos, drinks--they all need to gosomewhere. Consider bringing your ownsmall table or one of those groovy trays thata tt ach to a mic stand. Touring folks, ofcourse, will either have to forgo suchweighty extravagances or find inventiveways to integra te their suitcases and racksinto their onstage setups.

.... TIMEPIECE : Bring one. The three

main rules of being an opening ac t are:l l i i C S T .AlTDS : Mic s tands are don' t go over your time, don't go over your

frequently provided at venues, but they t ime, and don't go over your time. Come tooften mys teriously go missing, don't adjust think of i t, they apply to most of us and into the heigh t you need, or are worn out and most situations - at open mics, house con-won t stay in the I certs, radio and 1V ap-posi t ion you need. p e a r a n c e s , mos t(Besides, you can venues, and all festi-only use that Viagra vals. Do your musicaljoke once per gig). It life a big favor and putcan t hurt to keep a a highly visible time-s t and - preferably piece of some sortwith a boom-tucked somewhere in your on-

into the trunk of your stage sight lines. Heck ,car. But in a pinch, a even bona fide gui tarmop, bucket, and hero Adrian Legg takessome duct tape can a clock wi th him on-be pressed in to s tage every show. Ad-service. mit tedly, no one's quite

.... lliiC C L I P : Micclips tend to evapora te, too. And theybreak. Here's another small, light itemthat's so easy to tote it'd be a shame no t tohave a couple on hand. And since you cannever be absolutely certain what vocal mics

will be on hand - unless you bring yourown, of course (nudge -nudge ) -considerbringing a couple of the universal springloaded mic clips, ra ther than the kind thatfits only one type o f microphone.

.... MUS I C ST.AlrDS : While some woul dargue that having a music stand onstagelooks less than professional, others find hav-ing se t lists, lyrics, and chord charts a t t heready a net gain. Be forewarned, though,that here you are likely to find an inverseproportion between a music stand's sturd.i-

AcousticGuitar com

sure why it's sitting in aTupperware bowl attached to his pedalboard, but the point,

friends, is that he's keeping an eye on thet ime. What should you bring? I admit to apersonal bias against wristwatches. Performing musicians should at least ppe r tobe unbounded by anything as pedestrian ast ime. I prefer those carabineer-s tyle fobwatches that hang from a bel t loop. I candiscreetly sneak a peek much more easilywith one of these than wi th a wristwatch.Whatever your preference, make sure tohave ready reference to time while you'reon. And no, a spouse, partner, or friendwith a wa tch and loud voice at the back ofthe ha ll doesn' t cotmt.

..,. L AV A L.AlliP. OK, maybe you don t

need one onstage, but some folks do.

) hea l th h g ieneP la y i ng music onstage-even f o rthose who d o n t s u f f e r from stage

f r i g h t -can r i g h t l y be ca l led aphysical ly s t r e s s f u l s i t u a t i o n .Halitosis and profuse persp i ra

t i o n are common responses to suchs t r e s s . So , how can I put t h i s

d e l i c a t e l y? Consider the l as t ingmemory yo u want to leave with f ans

a t the merch t ab le a f t e r the show .You may want t o bring along somehygiene enhancers such as toothp icks , a toothbrush , toothpaste ,brea th mints , comb , brush, f i r s t

a id k i t , makeup f o r ga l s , spackle

fo r guys .And since we a l l f r equentl y play

through house mics , don t think

you r s e l f too Fe l i x Ungar - i s h i f

you br ing your own fo am windscreen

to pop over the mic . t might he lp

your presentat ion t o be reminded~ ~ t hever y inha la t ion t h a t the

previous user l i ked enchiladas o rsmoked cloves or was an Aqua Velva

man, but i t might not .

~ ~ ~ r r ; 1 ~ ~ Y L I ~ ~O I ~ L Y :l ~ n i L~ 1 C H

..,. lT.AIL M.AilrTElT.AlrCE : Here we'retalking about clippers, files, emel)' boards,ultrafine-grit sandpaper, and the like .Somehow, these are particularly important when you don t have any on hand.And it's always hard to explain to the folkscoming to see your show why you are outfront, grinding your nails on the curb.These items are so inexpensive there's noreason no t to keep several around.

.... lT.AIL REP AIR : There are severaldistinct kinds of fake nails. Some folksuse an acrylic powder/goo concoction.Some use silk wraps or gel. The t rulyretro use cut-up ping-pong balls and superglue. Whatever your favorite, youknow all too well how dependent you areon those doggone nails. Unlikely as itmight be that you'd forget to bring yourstuff, it's still a good idea to put this onyour checklis t.

.... SM.ARTPH OlrE .APP T O LOCATElTE AR:SY lT.AIL PARLORS : Nuff said.

ACOUSTIC GUITAR Januar y 2012



F R O M T H P U L I S H E R S O FACOUSTIC

GUITAR

15 WAYS TO SING

YOUR KIDST SLEEPWhy rely on records? It s more funto_ o_c_ ab _ e r ur_bab r b murseltIf you love singing your children to sleep, these15 traditional tunes are bound to be a fun additionto your bedtime tradition. Author Peter Penhallowshows you how to bring these beautiful melodiesto life, guiding you through each tune, step by step .

This book-and-CO package makes it easy to learnnew lullabies. Just listen to the simple instructionson the recordings, then use the transcriptions to

practice basic strums, simple chords, and single-notemelodies in open position. On the companion CDaccompaniment patterns are played up to tempo,then slowly so you can follow along as you learn to

play each tune. Includes complete song lyrics; fullguitar parts in standard notation, tablature , and chorddiagrams ; and detailed notes on song origins and

arrangements for b F 1 /IILYFAVORITES:

• Happy a nd You Know It• Bra hms Lullaby• Mo ckin gb ird• Gold e n Slumbers• Shoo Fly• My Bonnie Lies Over th e Ocean• Mak e New Friends• The Bear Went Over the Mounta in• This Old Man

• The More We Get Together• Kookaburra• Down In th e Va lley• Over In th e Meadow• All th e Pretty Little Horses• J enn y Je nkin s

y eter enhallow

Published by String Letter Publishing9 99 Book and CD 4 pp., HL 69642

AT

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H L • L E O N R



the effect - thetime It takes forthe effect to die

out. nmes canrange from a fractionof a second to asmuch as six seconds,with longer times tendingto create a more cavernoussound . Short times can beused to thicken your sound at>lt or create a s lap effect some-times reminiscent of country music fromthe '50s or rockat>llly sounds . Choosing theright setting Is a matter of expenmentatlonand taste . Long revert> times tend to blurthe sound, especia lly on fast tunes, t>utmight t e exactly the effect you need to

dd drama to a s low, expressive tune .some reverbs allow you to set a

predelay, which Increases the time betweenyour notes and the Initia l revert> sound .Longer settings simu late the sound ofa larger room, where the sound takesanywhere from a few milliseconds toa few seconds to reach the wa ll of theroom and bounce back. It he lps toremember that sound travels about1,000 feet per second, or one millisecond per foot, so setting a prede layof 25 ms wou ld help simulate thesound of playing In a room with a wall25 feet away.

This DigiTech TimeBender isan example of an advanced

single-purpose effect pedal.

as a looping device,which allows youto play an entirephrase and thenhave It played t>ack

repeated ly as you dd

more parts on top .The features offered :Yfde lay

effects units vary widely Most have at leastthree t>aslc controls : leve l, de lay time, andfeedback or repeat. The de lay-time contro lsimply determines the length of timebetween the Input and When the sound Isrepeated . Relative ly short delays can createanything from a slapt>ack effect to a revertrlike sound, while longer settings create adistinct echo . The level contro l determinesthe volume of the de l yed sound re lative

to the origina l. For a revertrllke effect, setthe leve l fairly low, so the de l yed sound Isbarely audib le . For more dramatic effects,try raising the leve l, even to the point thatthe echoed notes sound at the same leve l

In genera l, there Is a tradeoffbetween the length of the revert>effect and Its leve l. You can create amore spacious sound t y Increasingthe amount of revert>, lengthening thedecay time, or Increasing the prede layWith longer revert> times, you may findIt useful to reduce the revert> leve l.Unless you are going for an ot>V1ouseffect, you probably want to dd justenough revert> to create a full sound,t>ut not so much that the revert> Itse lf

Individual effects and processors can be mounted to a singlepedal board

can be heard . In most venues, there will t e

some natura l revert> In the room, so any arti

ficia l revert> you use will be dded to theroom's sound .

De layAnother effect re lated to revert> Is digita ldelay, or echo . Delays can t e used to dd

a subt le sense of space to the sound,much like revert>, t>ut you can also createlonger and louder de lays that make It soundlike your notes are bouncing off a wa ll oreven like you are playing every note twice .some de lay peda ls offer extremely longdelays, to the point that they can be used

January 2012 ACOUSTIC GUITAR

as the origina l. The feedback or repeatcontro l determines how many delays you

hear . At Its lowest setting each note will t e

repeated just once . As you Increase thiscontro l, you will hear multiple repeats . Onsome de lay units, at maximum settings, thedelay repeats a lmost Infinite ly.

Many de lays have a "tap tempo• feature,a button or switch you can tap repeated ly toset the de lay time . This can be a convenienthands-free method of changing the de laytime, t>ut It can also t e used to synchronizedelay times with the tempo of the tuneyou're play1ng. Most delays with tap tempoa llow you to enter the t>aslc tempo of a

tune, and then set the actua l de lay time Interms of quarter notes, eighth notes, 16thnotes, etc .

ho ru sChorus Is another popu lar type of effectbased on digita l de lay techno logy Choruscan range from a subt le effect that dds ashimmer to your guitar to a more dramaticeffect that completely changes your sound .Chorus effects work :Yfcreating a very shortdelay that varies with time . Very shortdelays cause a •comb-filtering• effect thatcauses a tona l shift. Varying this shift withtime creates a subtle • swoosh.

Most chorus effects have at least twocontrols : one that varies the speed of theeffect and another that controls the depth .Faster speeds combined with greater depthswill create a warbling sound, somewhat likea Leslie speaker on an organ, while slowspeeds and sha llower depths dd a subtle

sense of motion to your sound . Used Inmoderation, chorus can dd a sense ofanimation to your sound, mimicking some ofthe natura l acoustic properties of the Instrument that tend to get lost In the direct

pickup sound. A stereo chorus can t e

even more compe lling, a lthough theeffect requires two amplifiers or astereo PA system, which Is rarely practica l and usua lly doesn't convey theeffect to a ll members of your audience . There are some amplifiers thatsupport stereo for example, severa l

Roland amps use a pair of speakersand a stereo circuit In a sing lecabinet, with stereo chorus t>ulltln.

hoose ur eapo nFor many gultar1sts, revert> Is anessentia l tool that makes the guitarsound richer and fuller, so for your firstforay Into effects, a simp le revert>unit- or an amp with t>ulltIn reverb-wou ld t e a good place to start .A logical next step wou ld be to try

a chorus effect, especia lly Ifyou are lookingfor a s lightly more ot>V1ouslyaffected sound .

A de lay unit can rep lace revert> for somestyles - from a rockat>lllys lap to the lushsounds of s lack key- and can t e o m p

ling for adding some space to sing le notelead lines, or as a dramatic effect with clearechoes . And of course, a programmablemulti-effects device can simplify your setupIfyou find yourself haV1ng so much fun youwant to use them all AC

Excerptedfrom the upcoming Equalizationand Effects Processing download available t

AcousticGuitar.com.

AcousticGuitarcom 7



of the mos t exciting and original voices in flatpicking. On Return Smith soars to evengreater heights across a spec t rum of tunesancien t and contemporary. A true master ofthe Three T's one, touch, and timingSmith's playing seems to induce, rather th anextract, notes from his guitars. Playing threesuperb vintage instruments, including the

very first 1935 Gibson Advanced Jumbo evermade and a slo thead sunburst 1933 MartinD-28 used by Norman Blake, Smith brings alivenew originals like "Rising Fawn and his jaunty"Model A with cliche-exterminating class andstyle. Backed by acous tic luminaries includingAdam Steffey, Barry Bales, Aubrey Haynie, andclawhamrner banjo star Adam Hurt, Smith alsoreturns to his roo ts here with thoughtful,inventive revisions to classic bluegrass flatpicking tunes like "Black Mountain Rag ," "Billy inthe Lowground," and "Arkansas Traveler,"among others. Buoyed by inventive arrangements and inspired ins trumental interplay,Kenny Smith makes the mos t of this Return.(kenny-amandasmith.com) DAVID McC RTY

Noam Plkelny

Beat the Deviland Carry a Rail

Wha t do you do for an encoreafter you 've won the inaugural Steve MartinPrize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrassand appeared on the Late Show with DavidLetterman wi th your banjo-playing benefactor to accept the $50,000 award and play an

over-the-top version of "Dueling Banjos "?When you ' re Punch Brothers ba n jo geniusNoam Pikelny, you hook up with ace acousticmusicians Tim O'Brien, Stuart Duncan, BryanSutton, David Grier, Jerry Douglas, AoifeO'Donovan, and several Punch Brothers bandmates to release one of the most invigoratingand innovative acoustic albums of the year.Ranging from old-time tunes like his delicaterecas ting of "Cluck Old Hen," played as aduet with Martin, and "Pineywoods," done asa banjo / fiddle duet with Duncan, to theethereal original "The Broken Drought, "where Pikelny's banjo intertwines perfectlywith Chris Eldridge's moody, arpeggia tedguitar lines, Beat the Devil and Carry a Railshows a remarkably broad range o f technicalability. There's even a breathy, highly personal vocal from O'Donovan on the TomWaits tune "Fish and Bird" that Pikelnyexpertly matches in lyricism and dynamics.As another young banjo star, Chris Pandolfi,noted in his 2011 International BluegrassMusic Association keynote address, bluegrassmusic is expanding and outgrowing old constraints as new converts flock to its resilientsound. This excep tional recording proves his

point. (Compass) DAVID McC RTY

Januar y 20 12 ACOUSTIC GUITAR

Share your love of the magazine for every playerin any style with your friends and get dailyupdates in your news feed from Acoustic Guitar .

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SONGBOOK

Minuet in D MinorBWV Anh 132Music by Johann Sebastian Bach arranged by Teja Gerken

~ e evideo of

Bach's Minuetin D Minor at

AcousticGuitar.com/dadgadbach

Every guitarist should learn to play a littleBach.

Considered one of thegreatest composers of all time, Johann Sebastian Bach (1685--1750)defines the Baroque style, and his contrapuntal and motivic writing wasrevolu tionary at the time.

Bach wrote the Minuet in D minor as par t of a collection of compositions known as Notebook for nna Magdalena Bach. Originallywritten for harpsichord, the piece has frequen t ly been t ranscribedfor guitar, and I first came across i t arrang ed in dropped-D tuning. Ibegan experimenting with this D A D G A D arrang ement for a workshop titled Classical Guitar for Steel-S t ring Players that I taugh t at

Tuning: g A D G ?

the 2011 Healdsburg Gui tar Festival.I discovered tha t while DAD G A D didn't

really free up any more useful open strings (asalterna te tunings often do , the tuning didallow for more economy of motion, leading toa more fluid sound tha t works well with theadded sus tain of a steel-string guitar.

If you're used to more pattern-based finger

style techniques, this will be a good introductionto developing greater finger freedom. Thisarrangement leans heavily on the con trastingmelody and bass lines, with just enough harmony thrown in (as in measures 3, 5, and 11)to give a sense of Bach 's magic. It isn't mean t tobe the ultimate in accurate readings of thepiece, bu t it is a fun introduction to Bach's worksthat's playable without much classical training- and en joyable to listen to lEJA GERKEN

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5 078 AcousticGuitar.com ACOUSTIC GUITAR January 2 12



ACOUSTICGUITARGUI ES

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Larry ogrebaResonator

y Baker Rorick

INHIS S OP NE R Bozeman, Montana, Larry Pogrebamakes rough-hewn tools for musical expression witha mix of intuition, technology, salvaged materials,and funky folk-art flavor. Pogreba built his firstguitar in 1976 and the first of his scrap-metalresonators around 1992 . The guitar pictured,

which is owned by collector Jeff Doctorow, hasa 15 112-inch-widebody fashioned of e ~ l e d

aircraft aluminum. The instrument's arched backwas cold hammered-with the hammer marks leftvisible-and its top and back were heliarc-weldedto the sides, with seams and edges left raw. Thedirty orange color is anodized (dipped, not sprayed)and left unpolished . The 10 1h -inch Quarterman spunaluminum resonator cone is covered with a 1954 PackardClipper hubcap, cut in a butterfly shape . The guitar's DeArmondpickup, taken from an old Harmony or Kay electric, was rewoundby Jason Lollar for more character and acoustic-like tone .

The Instrument's neck Is made from Honduras mahogany, with

a rosewood fingerboard and rosewood burl headstock veneerand heelcap . Most of the woods Pogreba uses are salvaged fromold-growth stumps In previouslylogged forests, Which he findson fly-fishing trips to the saltwater flats of coastal Belize .The neckblock, visible throughthe stylized LP soundholes, Isa three-piece stack of sprucescraps . Rather crudely handchiseled and epoxied Into place,the neck pocket was routed outlike the neck pocket on a Fender

solid-body. Pogreba says that While aluminum Is soft enough towork with wood tools, the rosewood burl required diamond-tippedsteel-cutting blades .

According to Pogreba, Who has built about 150 aluminumbodied resonators, this Is an early one . He's not currentlybuildingany Instruments In this style, concentrating on wood-bodied Konastyle lap steels, baritones, and acoustic flattops Instead .Remarkably lightweight, this guitar has a huge neck, 1% Incheswide at the nut, and a rackety, gutbucket sound when picked orstrummed . With high action and str1ng tension, It's set up for slide,and played bottleneck style It ust sounds so lonely.

coustic Guitar (ISSN 1049-9261) is published month ly by String letter Inc. , 255 West End Ave. , San Rafael , CA 94901. Periodical postage pa id at San Rafael , CA 94901 and add itiona lmailing offices. Printed in USA. Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement 40612608. Canada Returns to be sent to Pitney Bowes Internat iona l Mail Services , P.O. Box 32229 , Hartford ,

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