Ron S Posted March 17, 2005 Report Share Posted March 17, 2005 That was the humorous effect I was going for. Sort of like your guitar playing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottb Posted March 17, 2005 Report Share Posted March 17, 2005 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottb Posted March 17, 2005 Report Share Posted March 17, 2005 Randissimo, I just sent you a PM about kickin' some more ass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron S Posted March 17, 2005 Report Share Posted March 17, 2005 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron S Posted March 17, 2005 Report Share Posted March 17, 2005 Randissimo, I just sent you a PM about kickin' some more ass! (He's nothin' without his sticks. Besides, Joe and I can just PICK him into a stupor. B-) ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted March 17, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2005 So back to guitar thoughts... A few nights ago I cleaned up the Epiphone a bit and wiped some C.F.Martin gtr polish on. I was amazed at how shiny the guitar got. Gtr shops don't give a fork, they think they can sell a used guitar without cleaning it up a bit first. Same deal with a bass I bought a few years ago. Yek! When I was at Gtr Center last weekend, there was a bass that looked like someone had played it on a hot summer day with their shirt off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AfricaBrass Posted March 17, 2005 Report Share Posted March 17, 2005 So back to guitar thoughts... A few nights ago I cleaned up the Epiphone a bit and wiped some C.F.Martin gtr polish on. I was amazed at how shiny the guitar got. Gtr shops don't give a fork, they think they can sell a used guitar without cleaning it up a bit first. Same deal with a bass I bought a few years ago. Yek! When I was at Gtr Center last weekend, there was a bass that looked like someone had played it on a hot summer day with their shirt off. Yuck! Guitar polish is a good thing. Sometimes when I gassing for a new guitar, I just shine up one of me old ones. Guitar thoughts are good things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted March 17, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2005 Yet expensive. I think I can hold off on buying any more guitars for now. There's too damm many sitting around here. Yet I still lust after a tele. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AfricaBrass Posted March 17, 2005 Report Share Posted March 17, 2005 Yet expensive. I think I can hold off on buying any more guitars for now. There's too damm many sitting around here. Yet I still lust after a tele. Patience, young Luke, patience. says Obi-Wan Cantstopbuyingguitarskenobe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted March 17, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2005 Yet expensive. I think I can hold off on buying any more guitars for now. There's too damm many sitting around here. Yet I still lust after a tele. Patience, young Luke, patience. says Obi-Wan Cantstopbuyingguitarskenobe What I do is put these things off. The Epiphone I had to get because the neck was too damm narrow for me and any kine of Strat/single coil guitar was too thin sounding for Jazz. (logic works for me) I think I'll wait for the next big chunk of cash shows up (that isn't every month) and buy a real nice ASAT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AfricaBrass Posted March 17, 2005 Report Share Posted March 17, 2005 What I do is put these things off. The Epiphone I had to get because the neck was too damm narrow for me and any kine of Strat/single coil guitar was too thin sounding for Jazz. (logic works for me) I think I'll wait for the next big chunk of cash shows up (that isn't every month) and buy a real nice ASAT. I think that's the best move. Cheap guitars are fun, but if you really want something nice, the money is better spent when you just wait, save and get what you really want. Trust me, I know... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Alfredson Posted March 18, 2005 Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 Here's a shot of Brother Joe, being his bad self from one of our recent gigs... Sorry, Joe, but I just couldn't resist. You's a bad mothe... (SHUT YO' MOUTH!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron S Posted March 18, 2005 Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 Playin' the Wechter! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AfricaBrass Posted March 18, 2005 Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 Here's a shot of Brother Joe, being his bad self from one of our recent gigs... Sorry, Joe, but I just couldn't resist. You's a bad mothe... (SHUT YO' MOUTH!) Damn right... I can't wait to hear your new music, guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted March 18, 2005 Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 ... while the Ibanez patiently awaits its turn. B-) Thanks Jim, I was going to post that myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron S Posted March 19, 2005 Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 Anybody ever use the Gripmaster? It's distributed by a subsidiary of D'Addario, and is supposed to help improve and maintain finger strength and agility for playing any instrument, but especially the guitar. You can use it any time, like while surfing the net or watching TV. It's gotten great reviews at Musician's Friend and some other music product web sites. I got one today since I'm just getting back into the guitar, and it's supposed to accelerate the development of finger strength. And I was just wondering if anyone else has any experience with it and what you think of it. The company's product page is located here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AfricaBrass Posted March 19, 2005 Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 I haven't tried the Gripmaster. I usually do an exercise where I put my first finger on the first fret, second finger/second fret, third finger/third fret, fourth finger/fourth fret. I just go across the fretboard this way and then move down the neck, one fret at a time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted March 19, 2005 Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 Mmmm.. be careful with that thing. A little goes a long way. 2 or 3 minutes might be a lot. I personally think you get all the strength you need just from practicing the instrument. After that, it's more about flexiblity and relaxation, or at least not exerting more energy than is needed to sound the string, especially in the left hand (if you're right handed). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AfricaBrass Posted March 19, 2005 Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 Be careful with that thing, Ron. I hear they make people go blind, get hairy fingers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron S Posted March 19, 2005 Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 Mmmm.. be careful with that thing. A little goes a long way. Don't worry, Joe, I won't try steroids next. Seriously, though, I know it sounds like some sort of gimmick, but it is marketed by D'Addario, well-stocked at Guitar Center and online at Musician's Friend, etc., and has gotten a bunch of good reviews (and none negative that I saw). And it comes with instructions on how to do several different finger excercises with it, so that you don't just keep doing one repetitive motion in the same position. Obviously, if I start feeling a lot of wrist pain or something similar, I'll stop. I'll give it a few weeks and see whether it helps as much as the reviews say it does. But if you haven't already, check out the page I linked above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottb Posted March 19, 2005 Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 After that, it's more about flexiblity and relaxation, or at least not exerting more energy than is needed to sound the string, especially in the left hand (if you're right handed). I think Joe hit the nail on the head. When I first started, I would leave imprints on my fingers from fretting the strings so hard. Much harder than needed. I always noticed how lightly my teacher played. His fingers just resting across the strings. Using the whole finger to depress the strings rather than just the tips. Since then, I have heard other guitarist striving to play with the "light touch" or "quick touch." Playing in this fashion is faster, more economical, less tiring and generally promotes more fluid playing than bearing down with all your might. That being said, a certain amount of strength is needed, especially for playing chords for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron S Posted March 19, 2005 Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 I'm not sure that strengthening your finger muscles, especially with this device, just results in pressing or picking or strumming the strings with more brute force. This thing is designed for musicians--primarily for guitarists--and is sold by a well-respected string manufacturer, and is intended to develop more speed, accuracy, flexibility, and endurance in playing. I think the reason a lot of beginning guitarists press so hard on the strings is because they don't yet have the strength and control in their fingers to sustain pressing just enough for any length of time. Ironically, the light touch is helped by more strength and muscle control in your fingers, which you guys already have developed through lots of playing. It's sort of like professional athletes who use weight-training to give them more strength, control, and agility in their sports--they don't lift just to increase how much they can press, or to bulk up like Mr. Universe. Check out the reviews of this thing on Musician's Friend and other sites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundog Posted March 19, 2005 Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 (edited) Taylor's got something new up their sleeve... ???? Edited March 19, 2005 by Sundog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted March 19, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 I'm not sure that strengthening your finger muscles, especially with this device, just results in pressing or picking or strumming the strings with more brute force. This thing is designed for musicians--primarily for guitarists--and is sold by a well-respected string manufacturer, and is intended to develop more speed, accuracy, flexibility, and endurance in playing. I think the reason a lot of beginning guitarists press so hard on the strings is because they don't yet have the strength and control in their fingers to sustain pressing just enough for any length of time. Ironically, the light touch is helped by more strength and muscle control in your fingers, which you guys already have developed through lots of playing. It's sort of like professional athletes who use weight-training to give them more strength, control, and agility in their sports--they don't lift just to increase how much they can press, or to bulk up like Mr. Universe. Check out the reviews of this thing on Musician's Friend and other sites. Just playing guitar is plenty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron S Posted March 19, 2005 Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 (edited) I'm not sure that strengthening your finger muscles, especially with this device, just results in pressing or picking or strumming the strings with more brute force. This thing is designed for musicians--primarily for guitarists--and is sold by a well-respected string manufacturer, and is intended to develop more speed, accuracy, flexibility, and endurance in playing. I think the reason a lot of beginning guitarists press so hard on the strings is because they don't yet have the strength and control in their fingers to sustain pressing just enough for any length of time. Ironically, the light touch is helped by more strength and muscle control in your fingers, which you guys already have developed through lots of playing. It's sort of like professional athletes who use weight-training to give them more strength, control, and agility in their sports--they don't lift just to increase how much they can press, or to bulk up like Mr. Universe. Check out the reviews of this thing on Musician's Friend and other sites. Just playing guitar is plenty! True, there's no substitute for actually playing the guitar to get better at, well, playing the guitar! But I think that this thing has some limited utility as a supplement to playing, especially for a semi-beginner like me or even someone more advanced who can't play the guitar as much or as often as he'd like. To the extent that finger and wrist muscle strength and flexibility are involved in guitar playing, this thing can help to accelerate that development in a beginner, and maintain it in someone more advanced. It only takes a few seconds/minutes a day to use it, but it's NOT intended to be a substitute for playing the guitar. I've read a lot of reviews of the thing online, and just about everyone who had actually used it (both beginner and advanced) felt that it had helped his/her playing. The only skepticism was from people who had never used it and/or seemed to think it was being promoted as an effective substitute for actually playing the guitar. I just think that if it were pure snake oil, D'Addario wouldn't be putting its name and reputation behind it and the many legitimate music/guitar stores that sell it wouldn't be carrying it. And that, my esteemed internet friends and colleagues, is the LAST bit of shilling I will do for THIS particular product. Edited March 19, 2005 by Ron S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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