Tag: guitars

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Flattop Acoustic Guitar: the guts of the thing…

It was sometime in my early 20’s when I was in graduate school that I created a fundamental method for myself and that was if you’re going to invest yourself in some activity, first get a book and learn about what you’re doing. Looking back, I think one of the first books of that sort that I’d purchased was the Complete Book of Running, and I ran for years afterward using the knowledge gleaned from that read…

As a result of this practice, my home library has quite of number of background books in such disparate areas as bicycle repair, blues music, civil war reenacting, wildflower identification, prairie restoration, all types of photography, and even dog training.

If you’ve been anywhere in and around this weblog then you will know that one of my keen interests during my retirement life is everything about guitars. As my opening paragraphs would suggest, I’ve dug around trying to find books about guitars to deepen my understanding of the instrument. Thus far, two of the more interesting books I’ve found include, Clapton’s Guitar and the Guitar, An American Life. They were both excellent reads covering aspects of the social/cultural/historical elements of guitars and to some extent guitar construction, but still fell short of really offering a deep understanding about the structure of the guitar, how it functions and how it affects playability. Nevertheless, I recommend both books as fun and informative time well spent.

Then, one day I was noodling around on my computer searching guitar culture and philosophy subjects and ended up on Ervin Somogyi’s website. Mr. Somogyi is a world renowned master luthier, in other words a guitar builder. I had previously read about his apprenticeship program in Fretboard Journal #36 so I was curious enough to explore his site a bit deeper. He had in one section some fascinating and articulate discussions about guitar culture, which I perused and in later meanderings discovered that he had published a two volume treatise on guitar building. The first volume was focused in detail on how guitars behave as a function of choices a luthier might make during construction. The second volume was explicitly step by step how to build a guitar.

The basic pair of volumes (not the leather bound version) was listed at well over $200 which was a bit too rich for me; however, I only wanted the first volume regarding how a guitar functions. I never intend to build a guitar so the second volume was of no interest. Fortunately, I found a used copy of volume one in a Canadian used book store and though it was still more pricey than I would have liked, I bought it anyway and am so glad I did because it is a classic exploration of acoustic guitar design and function written in an interesting and accessible manner.

All elements of guitar structure are discussed. For example, Somogyi evaluates in detail the various trees that are available for harvesting quality tonewoods or general structural elements such as the neck. I was fascinated to learn that mahogany makes a great guitar neck because it is an equatorial tree that possesses balanced longitudinal torque because of how the tree interacts with the sun in its particular region of the world. This matters because the neck is less likely to twist over time. Given that I recently had a twisted guitar neck repaired, I appreciated the discussion.

No subject about guitars is too esoteric and the end notes take up about 1/3 of the book offering even more detail. Subjects of discussion include the various ways in which a guitar top vibrates and how the bracing underneath interacts, or how the back wood of the guitar cooperates with the top wood to project sound outward through the guitar’s sound hole. Everything you need to know about intonation is detailed.

Taylor 510 “dread”…

The aesthetics of guitar shapes are also considered which was illuminating to me. Take for example a comparison of the now discontinued Taylor 510 “dreadnought” shaped guitar versus the new Taylor Grand Pacific.

The 510 according to Somogyi’s view had very little aesthetic appeal. Though a good guitar (I owned one years ago) it was strictly utilitarian in appearance. The shoulders of the guitar are just plain horizontal and flat, the guitar has almost no curve at the waist… it’s basically just a box of wood with a neck and strings, lacking all elegance.

Taylor Grand Pacific…

On the other hand, consider the Grand Pacific. It is a reimagined dreadnought-styled guitar, and its shape is much more appealing. In fact, Somogyi would point out that the Greek Golden Rule of Proportion was applied by reimagining the waist of the guitar to give a perfect ratio of top bout size compared to the lower bout. Further, the shoulders of the guitar add a subtle sloping drop which enhances its elegance giving it an altogether more appealing shape to the human eye!

In sum, if you really want to understand the art and technology of the acoustic steel string guitar there is probably no better book than Ervin Somogyi’s The Responsive Guitar. It took me the better part of the summer to wade through it because it takes time to give thought and consideration to his analysis, but it is a journey worth taking.

As a final side note it is worth mentioning that Mr. Samogyi frequently points out the relative “newness” of luthier built steel string acoustic guitars. For much of the steel string guitar’s history it was an artifact of industrial factory production. The development of custom made luthier guitars grew along with the relatively new tradition of steel string finger-style guitarists. It can be argued that American finger-style playing was historically rooted in older country blues, played on factory guitars; however, Somogyi points to a new aesthetic in finger-style that benefited from guitars designed expressly for that purpose. In a later section of his book he carefully points out the necessary differences in guitar design between flat-picked (plectrum-driven) guitars and finger-style played instruments.

Somogyi points to both Ed Gerhard and Martin Simpson as notable leaders in the new finger-style revolution. I had the great good fortune of hearing the aforementioned gentlemen play live and to spend some “quality” time with them afterwards discussing their guitar philosophy. It was through my association, in the middle late 1990’s, with the Manhattan, Kansas based Birdhouse Productions who hosted several outstanding acoustic guitar players.

  • Martin Simpson
  • Ed Gerhard with his Somogyi Axe
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Guitars and innovations, wood & steel… Taylor Guitars…

If you’ve looked into this nascent blog as it’s developing, it’s quite apparent that I allocate a significant proportion of my time in retirement to guitars… in fact, you could argue that at this stage of my life I am a bit obsessive about playing, and the technology associated with the instrument…

I get a great deal of satisfaction from working with my Taylor guitars, across the spectrum of acoustic, hybrid acoustic/electric, semi-hollow bodied electric, and solid body electric (currently on a UPS truck to Iowa after being repaired by Taylor!).

The commonality among all those guitars is the neck. The neck is where the rubber meets the road for a player and includes such key factors as the contour (radius) of the wood, its finish, and the height of the strings from the fretboard. It’s very easy to switch among the Taylors from one to the other because of neck consistency.

There is a substantial degree of snobbery associated with guitar culture. Traditions play a major role, such as the headstock decal for Martin guitars… I don’t like them, but that’s just me… One of the things that distinguishes the Taylor company besides marvelously playable guitars is their devotion to innovation and technology. Though a bit dated (the below instruments have evolved or been pulled off the market), the embedded Youtube video with Bob Taylor and Brian Swerdfeger speaks to the interesting tech that underlies two of the guitars that I’ve purchased off the used marketplace.

Swerdfeger moved on to Fender to develop a different acoustic/electric hybrid, the Acoustasonic…

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Learning a guitar tune… my process…

I still consider myself a learner… perhaps I always will, and the primary way I continue my guitar education is by learning new tunes. Sometimes I’ll learn a tune that I like just for the fun of it, but more frequently I select a tune that I initially think will stretch me to gain more control over the mechanics of playing the instrument. More often than not I am successful in learning the piece, but sometimes I find myself totally stymied, and not willing to bog myself down, I will leave it behind. Most recently, I was defeated by a Robert Johnson piece, but that’s ok because he played at a very high level… higher than me for now.

I focus my playing efforts almost exclusively on finger-style “Country Blues,” and at this point I am playing strictly instrumental versions of the tunes. I am not interested in singing… I’m a guitar player… There are a variety of reasons why I stick with this blues genre:

  • I love the sound of the music when played on a solo guitar. You don’t need a band to sound interesting, and frankly I am totally uninterested in playing with a band.
  • The music itself is so American rootsy and foundational… There’s not an ounce of pretension built into the music… it’s just plain honest sounding and you can hear it echoing throughout early rock n roll, so there’s a recognizable pop culture element to it, but seasoned with a purity that appeals to me…
  • I’ve been able to find plenty of this type music that is well within my “skill grasp…” I am not saying it’s either simple or complicated, but I can get a handle on it and people seem, like me, to enjoy the sounds of these tunes.
  • There is a large extant body of music in this genre that can be found in book collections, as well on training DVD’s…
  • With such a large body of work available to study I feel absolutely NO reason to write a song… the other day, a good friend of mine at the local Guitar Store suggested it was time for me to write a tune as if it were some important ritualized rite of passage. I think there’s enough good songs already available or being written by talented musicians without me adding some pedestrian, self-indulgent POS to the mix.

I’ve developed a modest collection of old blues music so I can recognize the tune or players who’s music I might wish to learn. If you’re interested in old blues, a good place to begin would be the collection of original blues tunes, Confessin’ the Blues, curated by the Rolling Stones. In fact, several of these tunes were covered by the Stones themselves.

What works for me, after I’ve identified an old blues musician or a tune, is to shop around for a training DVD that offers a tablature version of the music as well as basic instruction how to play it.

Guitar Workshop DVD dedicated to Robert Wilkins

To the left you can see a great example of the educational materials I use. It’s a DVD containing numerous tabbed tunes by the great old bluesman Rev. Robert Wilkins, taught by John Miller, who I never heard of, but is a decent teacher of the basics. I was attracted to this DVD because I wanted to learn to play “Prodigal Son” a Wilkins tune covered by the Rolling Stones on their classic LP, Beggars Banquet. Two of the best online locations for training DVD’s are Happy Traum’s Homespun and Stefan Grossman’s Guitar Workshop, which is where I got the Wilkins collection.

Tablature and standard notation for Wilkin’s I Do Blues

First, I listen to the song and become familiar with it… I usually choose a tune that will stand up on its own as an instrumental without the lyrics, as I do not feel comfortable singing. Then I will tackle the music which is normally presented in standard notation and tablature. I work with both; however, I would be helpless without the tab. Tablature indicates which strings and frets to press with the left hand and which strings to pluck with the right. The standard notation is important to understand the time/rhythm signature of the tune. The music is typically included in pdf printable format on the DVD, though sometimes it comes as an included booklet. I am totally unapologetic for using tablature… in fact, tablature was the first way of communicating music for stringed instruments like the lute and later guitar. Standard notation followed some time afterwards. Working with tablature is a slow and steady process, during which time the most important steps are to become familiar with the tune and to develop the muscle memory for your hands and fingers, measure by measure. Some pieces come quicker than others but most require lots of repetition for me to succeed.

Before, during and after working with the tablature I will refer to the instructional video that is on the DVD. There are best approaches for how to use your hands during play and the instructor usually goes through those key moves measure by measure. A caution here is that sometimes the tablature and what the instructor does do not always match up, but that is rare. Also, as in the case with “I Do Blues,” Mr. Miller teaches a particularly challenging measure one way, but actually plays it a different way, which is a little frustrating because the way he plays it is easier than the way he teaches it! Some DVD teachers are better than others. I particularly enjoy Stefan Grossman.

More important than learning the measures in the tune is the phrasing of the music. It’s easy to fall into the trap of playing a measure at a time; however, the music flows across measures and getting that proper flow is the key to mastering the tune, and that can be easy or really very challenging with these old blues pieces.

Tom Garman, my teacher… (photo appropriated from Tom’s website, Guitar Antihero.

It is usually at this point that I will bring the piece to my guitar teacher, Tom Garman, who is great at working with adult learners like myself. He’s located at Bob’s Guitars in Cedar Falls, where I live. Tom is great at pushing me on technique and helping me interpret the tune beyond what the DVD instructor can do.

After working with Tom to master the piece (such as I can do), I have two final steps: First I choose a “go to” guitar for the tune. Though I will often play the tune on multiple instruments, there is one that I usually find particularly suited for the tune. In the case of “I Do Blues,” which I initially worked with on acoustic guitar, I found some of the string bends just too daunting with stiff acoustic strings. So I moved to the much easier to play Taylor T5, which is an electric/acoustic hybrid that is much easier to string-bend and the tune sounds great on it! The original country blues tunes were played almost exclusively on acoustic guitars so they sound “more authentic” when played thus so; however, I am not embarrassed to move to a different musical platform to get on top of the tune and also to put my own music “twist” onto the piece also. It is 2019!

Finally, if I am playing an electrified instrument, either electric or acoustic guitar, I will run it through an amplifier and set it up thus so in the event I play the piece publicly at, for example, open mic night in the local coffee shop. Beyond using the amp, this also involves choosing from among my pedal inventory to truly put my mark on the tune. How and what pedals to use is a story for another time.

Here’s a version of I Do Blues by Rev. Robert Wilkins on my newly repaired Taylor SBC:

Keep on picking…

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Guitars and the company’s that support their product…

I do not own a Martin guitar, but there are enough well-established guitarists who swear by them to make me believe that to certain players they possess their share of fairy dust and music magic. I think the same is true for Gibson guitars too, both acoustic and electric.

Me… I prefer Taylor guitars… On and off through the years, I’ve owned eight of them. My first serious solid wood acoustic guitar was a Taylor that I used to replace a starter Yamaha back around 1994. That was a spruce and mahogany large bodied “dread” best used for flat-picking. It was traded a long time ago but is probably still serving someone well because Taylor builds an excellent instrument. Since that time, I’ve accumulated two Taylor acoustics and three electrics, and then there’s another Taylor acoustic that I handed down to my son Parker.

Taylor 510, like my first purchase…

Acoustic guitars (and for that matter electrics) produce their own idiosyncratic sounds based upon design philosophy, so Taylor’s, Martin’s and Gibson’s all have their own characteristic tones. For me the Taylor’s offer a nicely balanced tonal range and great presence so they just appeal to my ear. If you ever become more interested in Taylor Guitars there is a wonderful memoir by Bob Taylor about the founding of the company.

Bob Taylor memoir… an excellent read…

Beyond the instrument itself, another thing I love about Taylor guitars is the support offered by the company itself. I’ve had two instruments that required repair, both of which did not fall strictly within their warranty; however they stood by their product and repaired them (actually as I write one is currently in for repair, but that’s another story), just charging me for shipping to and from California where their main factory is located. For me, that kind of product support is a huge difference maker.

This morning I discovered the below attached video demonstrating the periodic maintenance that an acoustic guitar requires. In this case it is a Martin having some neck, nut and bridge repair work done at their home factory in Pennsylvania. My small bodied Taylor 812 required bridge replacement similar to what’s seen in this video. A large chip broke off the bridge when I was changing its strings. Taylor did a lovely job replacing it. You can surmise in this posting as well as elsewhere in this weblog, I am quite fond of Taylor Guitars.

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Jerry Garcia… and his guitars…

Photo used for the cover art of the inestimable Workingman’s Dead album…

One of the great all time albums of the early 1970’s, and arguably the best Grateful Dead collection of tunes ever was Workingman’s Dead… Embedded in the illustration above is a link to a very nice Guitar Player magazine article about the Grateful Dead, particularly about Jerry Garcia’s quest for the perfect guitar during his playing days, when he was alive. There are, within the article, some excellent links to Youtube videos of the Dead during that era and later. Unlike Facebook, where an article can be easily linked with an attractive image, I had to find an image myself and then embed the link… WordPress, the platform for this blog gets weird about copyright protection.

The rule rather than the exception for a professional guitarist on stage is to have multiple guitars with varying set-ups, woods, pick-ups etc that may be used for different tunes. Garcia, according to the article, sought for much of his playing career a single perfect guitar that would suffice throughout the epic concerts that the Dead performed on the road… It is an interesting read… and suggests why so many of us who love guitars seem to think buying one more will get us the sound palette we seek.

Garcia’s Tiger… one of several of his “all purpose” axes…

I saw the Grateful Dead once, outdoors, during that time in the early 70’s when they were playing extended sets based on Workingman’s Dead and the excellent sequel American Beauty. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon in North Carolina during the Spring late in the school semester. I was an undergrad at UNC, and with the collusion of my frat brothers we managed to evade security and get into the concert at Duke University. It was one of those late afternoon mild Spring days that only occur in North Carolina. The band was one of the most “dead-on” professional bands I ever saw and I was right up next to the stage. Almost 50 years later I remember clearly. It was astonishing how good they were.