Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Hey, Folkies
On the site, I always mention the styles I play guitar in, and the many styles suited to which open-D tuning is perfectly suited. Guess which one I never seem to mention?
Folk. As in, folk guitar. As in, acoustic guitar, which is often referred to as - folk guitar.
Make no mistake - open-D tuning is beautifully suited to all songs folky. Just think Joni Mitchell and Bruce Cockburn, to name two relatively obscure open-D-ers.
Or, Bob Dylan - I shall be Free, Corrina Corrina, and Oxford Town on his very first album, and all of the album Blood on the Tracks - all open-D.
As a matter of fact, the folkie in me seems to be surfacing, the more I strum my acoustic guitar in open-D. For the past couple of years, I've even dropped the pick in favor of finger picking (or attempting to). Now, I'm no finger picker, but I do know that open-D just sounds wonderful played this way. For a more percussive attack, of course, the pick is the way to go, although some of the intricacy of a multi-finger attack can be diminished.
So in short, folkies owe it to themselves to give the folk guitar a re-tune to open-D and see the beauty of this tuning in action, in folk music.
Folk. As in, folk guitar. As in, acoustic guitar, which is often referred to as - folk guitar.
Make no mistake - open-D tuning is beautifully suited to all songs folky. Just think Joni Mitchell and Bruce Cockburn, to name two relatively obscure open-D-ers.
Or, Bob Dylan - I shall be Free, Corrina Corrina, and Oxford Town on his very first album, and all of the album Blood on the Tracks - all open-D.
As a matter of fact, the folkie in me seems to be surfacing, the more I strum my acoustic guitar in open-D. For the past couple of years, I've even dropped the pick in favor of finger picking (or attempting to). Now, I'm no finger picker, but I do know that open-D just sounds wonderful played this way. For a more percussive attack, of course, the pick is the way to go, although some of the intricacy of a multi-finger attack can be diminished.
So in short, folkies owe it to themselves to give the folk guitar a re-tune to open-D and see the beauty of this tuning in action, in folk music.
Labels: acoustic guitar, easier guitar, easy guitar, folk guitar, guitar, learn guitar, open-D guitar, play guitar
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Nice Comments
I like to re-print nice comments I get on my website; this one somehow slipped through the cracks so I'd like to post it here:
"I am writing primarily to thank you for your excellent
Guitar-eze program. It has truly unlocked the guitar
for me. For years, I've had the melodies and lyrics
for four original songs, and have been looking for the
right instrument with which to play and record them.
I had always had difficulty with guitar, until I
learned about your program. Thanks to it, I have been
able to write guitar accompaniments for my songs, and
I've begun practicing them with an eye toward
recording.
You have made a real contribution with this method,
and I can't thank you enough. I have a question: In
order to accelerate my progress, I'd like to take a
lesson or two (or more) with an instructor who really
understands and appreciates the value of open D, and
isn't interested in making the guitar more complicated
than it has to be. In other words, I want an
instructor who understands that I'm mainly trying to
learn my own songs, and that I see the guitar as a
means to that end rather than an end in itself.
If I lived anywhere near your part of Ontario, I'd
happily sign up for lessons with you, but I'm in the
Washington, DC area, I was wondering if you knew of
any instructors in DC, Northern Virginia, or Maryland
whom you'd recommend.
I greatly appreciate your assistance, and I am deeply
grateful to you for doing so much to help me and
others learn how to make music with the guitar.
Please know that you have created something of genuine
value with this product, and that the benefits of it
will be with me for as long as I make music."
Wow.
I really wish I had a network of instructors across the continent who would be willing to take on opportunities like this. One day, I hope. As the message says, a sympatico guitar teacher is worth his weight in gold.
I really like the fact he mentions "a lesson or two (or more)" - in my experience with open-D tuning, sometimes 1 or 2 sessions is all it takes for lift-off.
In the mean time, I probably should really get to work on those supplemental lesson packs.
"I am writing primarily to thank you for your excellent
Guitar-eze program. It has truly unlocked the guitar
for me. For years, I've had the melodies and lyrics
for four original songs, and have been looking for the
right instrument with which to play and record them.
I had always had difficulty with guitar, until I
learned about your program. Thanks to it, I have been
able to write guitar accompaniments for my songs, and
I've begun practicing them with an eye toward
recording.
You have made a real contribution with this method,
and I can't thank you enough. I have a question: In
order to accelerate my progress, I'd like to take a
lesson or two (or more) with an instructor who really
understands and appreciates the value of open D, and
isn't interested in making the guitar more complicated
than it has to be. In other words, I want an
instructor who understands that I'm mainly trying to
learn my own songs, and that I see the guitar as a
means to that end rather than an end in itself.
If I lived anywhere near your part of Ontario, I'd
happily sign up for lessons with you, but I'm in the
Washington, DC area, I was wondering if you knew of
any instructors in DC, Northern Virginia, or Maryland
whom you'd recommend.
I greatly appreciate your assistance, and I am deeply
grateful to you for doing so much to help me and
others learn how to make music with the guitar.
Please know that you have created something of genuine
value with this product, and that the benefits of it
will be with me for as long as I make music."
Wow.
I really wish I had a network of instructors across the continent who would be willing to take on opportunities like this. One day, I hope. As the message says, a sympatico guitar teacher is worth his weight in gold.
I really like the fact he mentions "a lesson or two (or more)" - in my experience with open-D tuning, sometimes 1 or 2 sessions is all it takes for lift-off.
In the mean time, I probably should really get to work on those supplemental lesson packs.
Labels: easier guitar, easy guitar, guitar, learn guitar, open-D guitar, play guitar
Monday, February 02, 2009
Howdy TO - I'm on the way back
After a 10-year stint away, my family and I are on the way back to our home town of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
We've had a terrific decade-long run in southwestern Ontario (Windsor, to be specific). But the time has come to return to our roots.
As I've mentioned in my site blog www.easierguitar.com , there will be absolutely no impact whatsoever on the operation of my popular open-D website.
One thing that has repeatedly come up has been the possibility of private guitar lessons in Guitar-eze open-D (which I have offered locally in the past). After careful consideration, the answer is: YES! SURE! WHY NOT? If you are in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and are interested in learning guitar the easier way, hit me with and e-mail.
Looking forward to the permanent move back, but just so you know - I am already in the Toronto area most weekdays. So let me know if you are interested in the lessons thing.
We've had a terrific decade-long run in southwestern Ontario (Windsor, to be specific). But the time has come to return to our roots.
As I've mentioned in my site blog www.easierguitar.com , there will be absolutely no impact whatsoever on the operation of my popular open-D website.
One thing that has repeatedly come up has been the possibility of private guitar lessons in Guitar-eze open-D (which I have offered locally in the past). After careful consideration, the answer is: YES! SURE! WHY NOT? If you are in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and are interested in learning guitar the easier way, hit me with and e-mail.
Looking forward to the permanent move back, but just so you know - I am already in the Toronto area most weekdays. So let me know if you are interested in the lessons thing.
Labels: easier guitar, easy guitar, guitar, learn guitar, open-D guitar
