Tone and Technique

Music is an interesting art form. It combines more technical things; how you hold the pick, playing in time and how a chord or triad is made, with artistic ones such as; the tone of the instrument, the feel of the song, the choice of melody, the volume of the instrument. The technical aspects of music seem to define a base or canvas on which to lay the true art-piece of it upon.

Like a canvas however, the art itself can dominate and press beyond the boundaries set before it. Ultimately two things are important: the artist's opinion, the one arranging, writing and combining the music, and the listener's opinion. The rest of the music world serves as a mediator, of sorts, between the two principles. Record labels, publishers, the mass media all search the vast array of artists to find one (or many) who's opinion i.e. their take on a song, their choice of tone, volume and melody; matches the qualities in which they deem marketable to the target audience.

When I practice, I spend a small percentage of my time working on technique - my timing, how I hold the pick, where I play at on the guitar; and the greater portion of practice working on the voice of my performance. How should my music feel? How do I hear a melody line to a song? Do I play softly here or loudly? I think if an artist can express himself (or herself) clearly through their music they lend better product to themselves as an artist and also to the mediators and, in turn, the listeners. I think this is a common journey for almost all musicians. Will I ever get there? I won't know until I try

Our Trip to Williamsburg, Va

Tiffany and I drove to Williamsburg, Virginia this past weekend for a show I agreed to play with the gospel group Narrow Road.

It was a nine hour drive and the group wanted to make a mini-vacation out of it so we left on Friday morning

I always have a good time traveling with these guys and this time was no exception. We had a great deal of laughs, goofy photos and of course, gospel music along the way.

Williamsburg is a very historic and beautiful place. It is extremely close to Jamestown, the first American settlement. Tiffany and I enjoyed the town so much that we took a walk to eat supper on Saturday night.

The venue we played at was impressive as well. It was previously a country music hall and the staff there were amazing. We shared the stage with Firm Foundation, a gospel quartet, and Cody Schuler and Pine Mountain Railroad who were all great artists.

Our trip back was a hurried one. We had to be back in Richmond, Kentucky by 6pm to help out Charlie Hall with his radio show, The Bluegrass Express on 100.7 The Coyote. We drove straight there from Williamsburg and managed to get in at 6:05. Not bad!

Charlie's show was great (as always) and we finished there around 9. I think we are finally caught up on our rest. Im ready to do it again!

Guitars: What's In A Name?

Up until about a year or so ago I would have told you "a lot".  That was before I bought my Recording King that I play everywhere today.  I previously played (and still own) a 1998 Martin HD-28 VR which my dad helped me buy back in '98.  Even then I started realizing that the "quality" you pay for isn't always as good as you think it should be. 

After buying my guitar it was recommended by Rickey Wasson that I have it sent off to Don Teater (sorry if I spelled your name wrong) to have some bridge work done.  Don discovered then that the guitar had what he called a "soft finish" which basically means that the finish of the guitar never hardened up.  This definitely affected the tone. Just think about putting wet paint on your guitar; the vibrations would get muffled by the wetness right?  That's exactly what was happening to my Martin.

The Martin factory gladly refinished the whole guitar and sent it back to me.  The whole process took about 3 months or so and I was thrilled to have my new, better-sounding guitar back in my hands.

I wish I could say that was the end of my problems...

A couple of years after that I began to notice my neck was starting to become separated from the guitar body (imagine looking at the base of the neck where it meets the body when you are playing it.  You could see through the guitar in that section).  I sent this off to one of the few people I trust with my guitar, Frank Powell. 

Frank determined that the Martin factory had made a cut too big for the neck in the body of the guitar and attempted to shim the neck with paper.  I couldn't believe it.  PAPER?  I had paid almost $3,000 for that guitar and I had now discovered two separate, unrelated issues with it. 

I am happy to say that Frank was able to fix the neck as good as new and that guitar plays great.  I haven't had an issue out of it since.

The guitar I currently play; the "Dollar General", was previously owned by Richard Bennett.  He paid a very small amount for the guitar and did quite a bit of custom work on it.  I am really good friends with Richard and so I was able to watch (and listen) to this guitar transform from an average-sounding Recording King to a killer guitar.  He loaned the guitar to me for a while and eventually, I bought it from him.  So far, this is my favorite sounding guitar of the five that I own.

There are quite a few people that ask me about the guitar - many of them asking "Is it a Martin?".  I think it is largely due to the fact that this box has a herringbone trim just like many of the HD-28s that are out there.  I also think that it is because of the sound of the guitar.  Which brings me back around to the original question:  "What is in a name when it comes to guitars?".

I think it boils down to these things:

• The Warranty - Does the guitar have a warranty?  If so, how long does the warranty last?  What does the Warranty get you?  What types of defects/damage does it cover?
• The Reputation - Certain guitar names (Martin, Gibson, etc) are very respected just because of their name.
• The Dependability - How long has the company been around?  Do they have a good track-record?

Notice that quality is not one of these (not in my list anyway).  I do not feel that quality changes all that much from a Martin to a Recording King.  I feel that the quality comes from the setup of the guitar which changes from player to player.  If you think that only Martins can sound good I encourage you to pick up a Recording King (or something else) and give it a try. You might just find a better sound in an unexpected place!

Music Brings Us Together

Saturday was my birthday and my fiance put on a great party for me (just like every year).  While I was there enjoying the time with my friends and family I began to realize how many friends I have made simply playing bluegrass music.

I speak on what I know, so I can't say other musics are this way but with bluegrass it always feels like everyone is family.  We perform for people but it doesn't stop there.  We meet and greet, we jam, we go out to dinner, we just sit together and enjoy other bands as they play.  I have met so many wonderful people this way and I am thankful for that.  I had so many facebook birthday posts and people saying they "Loved me" who weren't family - but they might as well be.  I love them too and the love we share is all because of this wonderful music that seems to bring people together. 

When we are younger birthdays are about presents and getting to do things we don't normally get to do.  When we get a bit older our birthdays are about the presence of people - friends and families and about reflecting on your life up to that point.  There are things I miss; my dad and my grandma mainly, but I am so very thankful for the many people, experiences and opportunities I have met and had throughout my life thus far.

Of all the hobbies, jobs, whatever - that I have had in my life, music is the most rewarding.  It has given me so many friends and fans, many, many memorable moments, laughter, joy and peace.  Moreso than the others.  From the playing to the listening, music is a means of bringing people together.  That same music serves as a bond to those involved.  We are closer, I think, than friends.  We are more like family.  That is one of my favorite things about this music - companionship.

So a big "Thank You" to all of my friends, family and bluegrass buddies out there for making my life so great up to this point and an extra big "Thank You" to my fiance Tiffany for planning a party for me.  I am so glad to have all of you in my life and I hope the next section is as good as the first!

Welcome Aboard!

Hello everyone.

This is my first blog post. I am looking forward to sharing some Bluegrass Music related info as well as info about my band “Driftwood” including some of our interesting road experiences, my thoughts about guitars, what I am currently up to, or whatever else crosses my mind.

I look forward to hearing from you guys (and gals) so HELLO!