Hello Troubadourians! Which elements define the tone of an electric guitar? Just like any guitar, electric guitars are first and foremost acoustic guitars. I can say from experience that an electric guitar that doesn’t sound good acoustically—that means unplugged—it is unlikely that it will sound good when it is plugged into an amp. Likewise, if […]
Hello Troubadourians! A good friend of mine recently posted a question on Facebook: name two talents you always wished you had but just don’t. Probably 95% of the answers were either play an instrument or sing or both. Think about that for a minute. This column is written for, and mostly read by, those of […]
Hello Troubadourians! I know we’re all missing live music, for both playing and listening. There have been some scattered performances—most of which felt a bit clandestine in nature—but nothing like what we’ve been used to seemingly forever. So many of our normal behaviors and choices have been severely curtailed or eliminated completely. The places where […]
Hello Troubadourians! When I first began writing for the Troubadour the focus of this column was mainly to answer your questions about gear and the technology that is a major part of today’s music, especially as it applies to live performance. While that remains the main focus, I have ventured into other subjects and discussions […]
Hello Troubadourians! When you do anything long enough it’s easy to get to a point where you don’t know what else there is to do or learn. And even if you did know, would there be enough time to learn it? This is an easy trap to get caught in and it is one of […]
Hello Troubadourians! What is it with me and jazz standards? A few months ago, I wrote about the Hoagy Carmichael’s classic “Stardust.” This time it’s “All Blues” by Miles Davis. Although I took lessons from two excellent jazz guitarists, I am in no real sense a jazz guitarist. I’ve learned some jazz-ish stuff in order […]
Hello Troubadourians! There’s an old saying, some would say a curse, that goes “may you live in interesting times.” These are definitely interesting times. I never considered that we could find ourselves in a situation like the one we find ourselves in now. Regardless of your politics, I suppose it is classic American arrogance to […]
Hello Troubadourians! Everyone has a favorite song. Sure, many of you will say that you have several favorite songs. But, if you really had to, I’m sure that there is one, just one, that really holds deep meaning and is truly your all-time favorite. For me, it’s “Stardust” by Hoagy Carmichael. I’m sure that many […]
Hello Troubadourians! January brings the NAMM show to the Anaheim Convention Center every year. The NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) show is actually an international trade show that is exclusive to the music trade and is reportedly the largest trade show on the West Coast if not the entire country, and it gets bigger […]
