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How do I choose the right pick?

3/21/2018

2 Comments

 
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There are so many picks out there it can be mind boggling to choose the right pick for you.  Here are a couple of things to consider.
Shape
There are small picks out there that many people call Jazz or Mandolin picks, these are great for fast, precise picking.  There is what has become known as a standard pick the most being the Fender F351.  Most of us start off with this style of pick and can be used for just about any style.  Another popular size is the oversized picks often in a Triangle shape.  These are perfect for strumming chords.   You should also consider the tip that strikes the string.  There are both pointed and rounded tips.  Rounded picks are great for strumming while the pointed tips are really good for picking individual notes. A favorite for ukulele players are the large tear drop felt picks.
 
Thickness
While there are many thicknesses available the most common are Thin, Medium and Heavy.   As a general rule Thin and Medium picks are great for strumming chords while the heavier picks are great for single note lines.  I have also found that most beginners prefer thin picks and as their skills progress their pick gets heavier.
 
Remember there are no hard and fast rules.  The best thing to do is grab a handful and try them out.  Luckily picks are reasonably inexpensive so for just a few bucks you can try many different types.  I am not tied down to just one type of pick sometimes I will use different picks for different styles or techniques. The most important thing when choosing a pick is to experiment and go with feels the best to you.  Now go out there and take your pick!

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2 Comments

When Should I Change My Strings?

3/19/2018

3 Comments

 
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One of my favorite things is the sound of brand new strings.  Unfortunately one of my least favorite things to do is change my strings.
There are a few signs that will tell me it’s time to get those wire clippers and string winders out.
  • Tone.  For me this is the biggest reason to change my strings.  When they lose their brightness that’s a big sign for me.  That is because I love the brightness of a new string, which is not for everyone.  Some people prefer the warmer sound of more worn in strings.  There is no right or wrong here, use your ears.
  • Tuning Stability.  If it gets hard for your tuner to register the notes or your guitar just won’t stay in tune that can be a sign that your strings have outlived their usefulness.  Keep in mind that brand new strings will stretch at first and it’s a good idea to give them a few tugs to help keep them in tune. 
  • Rust and corrosion.  If you get this far it’s definitely time to grab a new set of strings!  Wiping down your strings after each use will help to prevent corrosion and will help to lengthen the life of your strings.  Strings that are showing signs of corrosion will break quicker.
  • Dents in the strings.  After use you can feel dents in the wound strings where they come in contact with the frets.  As soon as I feel that I grab my string changing tools.
There are a lot of factors in determining how long you should go between string changes.  How often you play and how hard you play are factors.  Also keeping your instrument out on a stand all the time and exposing the strings can shorten the lifespan of the strings. 
The best thing to do is to keep your strings clean and use your ears as well as keeping an eye out for the obvious signs of wear.

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3 Comments

Why Should I Use A Metronome?

3/9/2018

4 Comments

 
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​As the saying goes, timing is everything.  This is especially true when playing a musical instrument.

There are many benefits to using a metronome.
  • Improve your timing.
  • It’s a way you can track your progress by knowing exactly the tempo that you are comfortable with.
  • It can help keep you from wanting to speed up and slow down during a song. Many of us have a tendency to speed up during loud sections and slow down during softer passages.
  • By starting with a slow tempo you can work out faster passages keeping them precise as you increase the tempo.  This will help you stay clean at faster tempos.

One of my favorite tricks with a metronome is to set it up so the click is on the 2 and 4 of a measure like a snare drum.  This can be challenging and will really help you find the groove.
​
I think that you will find that using a metronome is a fast way to improve your timing and feel which will really help you become a better player.
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4 Comments

Why Do I Need More than One Distortion Pedal?

3/1/2018

0 Comments

 
 Well, because if one is good two must be twice as good!  Actually, we can do even better than that by stacking overdrives and distortions.
 
     When using two distortion pedals on my pedal board I usually set up one as a low gain sound and the other as a medium gain sound.  I can then combine the two for more gain.
A couple of things to remember.
  • To raise your volume through the amp you need to use the volume of the second pedal.  Turning up the volume of the first pedal will affect the gain of the second pedal.  This one took me a little bit to figure out but once I did it made all the difference in the world! If I want to set up a good rhythm sound and then a boost for solos I would set the first pedal to my liking as far as gain goes then on the second pedal I would use less gain but crank the overall volume.
 
  • Your overall tone will be affected the most by the second pedal.   Whatever tone you are sending from the first pedal can be sculpted further with the second pedal.
 
There really is no right or wrong way to stack Distortion or Overdrive pedal so use your imagination!  
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  • ModTone Pedals
    • Acoustic Pre-Amp Pedal
    • MT-DUO Dirty Duo
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