NGD

[merciful-evans]

Great to see somebody here tackle one of those things. Heartiest congrats!

So far I have kept to 6 strings. I quite like baritones and used to use a very short scale model tuned 'up'. (nice but hard to keep in tune). Never yet tried a 7 string. Maybe one day.

[tx-ogre]

5 hours ago, SchroederKr said:

My first guitar was exactly a $600 used Fender 😄

My first guitar was a new 2002 Gibson Les Paul Faded Special. $600.  I still have it.  

[Notes_Norton]

On 5/14/2024 at 9:07 PM, tx-ogre said:

You are way ahead of me.  I have a hard enough time trying to play just two (somewhat similar) instruments.  I can only imagine how clueless I would be trying to play that many instruments, regardless of how many years of experience I had.

I do this for a living, so I have more time to spend on it than most people do.

I started on drums. Not by choice, but all the instruments in the school band were already rented, being the new guy, I got a pair of drum sticks and a practice pad. Some time later, the tenor sax player moved away, the sax was available and when the band director asked who would like to try it, I guess I said, "I do, I do, I do" more enthusiastically than the others.

When I graduated, I tried to join the Air Force, got a 4F classification, so I went on the road with a rock band. Every song writer doesn't have the good sense to include a sax solo in every song, so I would sit in on drums, bass, keyboard, and a bit of guitar. Just barre chord rhythms - simple stuff.

In order drums, sax, bass, flute, keyboards, rhythm guitar, wind synthesizer, and voice. I bought my own guitar in my 60s and started getting serious about it. I'll never be a Jeff Beck, but I can improvise rock, pop, and country guitar solos pretty well. I'd never take a gig as a guitarist, but I'm happy to double on it.

Of all these instruments, the one that took the most practice is the voice. It took years of doing it before I became decent.

We all have our own path to follow, and this has worked for me. Until the COVID lockdown came around, I never lacked for gigs. 

Have fun with your 8 string. I'm impressed that you would get into that.

 

Notes ♫

[tx-ogre]

4 hours ago, Notes_Norton said:

I do this for a living, so I have more time to spend on it than most people do.

I started on drums. Not by choice, but all the instruments in the school band were already rented, being the new guy, I got a pair of drum sticks and a practice pad. Some time later, the tenor sax player moved away, the sax was available and when the band director asked who would like to try it, I guess I said, "I do, I do, I do" more enthusiastically than the others.

When I graduated, I tried to join the Air Force, got a 4F classification, so I went on the road with a rock band. Every song writer doesn't have the good sense to include a sax solo in every song, so I would sit in on drums, bass, keyboard, and a bit of guitar. Just barre chord rhythms - simple stuff.

In order drums, sax, bass, flute, keyboards, rhythm guitar, wind synthesizer, and voice. I bought my own guitar in my 60s and started getting serious about it. I'll never be a Jeff Beck, but I can improvise rock, pop, and country guitar solos pretty well. I'd never take a gig as a guitarist, but I'm happy to double on it.

Of all these instruments, the one that took the most practice is the voice. It took years of doing it before I became decent.

We all have our own path to follow, and this has worked for me. Until the COVID lockdown came around, I never lacked for gigs. 

Have fun with your 8 string. I'm impressed that you would get into that.

 

Notes ♫

Interestingly, while I was in school (can’t remember if it was in grade school or Jr. high school), I was tested, along with everyone else, for musical proficiency.   I apparently scored high and when I indicated an interest in playing the oboe (due to my fascination of a recording of Peter and the Wolf), the “powers to be” were orgasmic.  Most likely because I was probably the first student in history in that school  that had interest in the oboe, not from overwhelming talent.  As excited as I was, my parents couldn’t afford the instrument rental, so I was instrument free for many years.

 Fast forward to 2001.  Multiple health scares. Finally got off my *** and took guitar playing seriously.  Then bass.  And eventually others.  

[Pinch]

6 hours ago, tx-ogre said:

Interestingly, while I was in school (can’t remember if it was in grade school or Jr. high school), I was tested, along with everyone else, for musical proficiency.   I apparently scored high and when I indicated an interest in playing the oboe (due to my fascination of a recording of Peter and the Wolf), the “powers to be” were orgasmic.  Most likely because I was probably the first student in history in that school  that had interest in the oboe, not from overwhelming talent.  As excited as I was, my parents couldn’t afford the instrument rental, so I was instrument free for many years.

 Fast forward to 2001.  Multiple health scares. Finally got off my *** and took guitar playing seriously.  Then bass.  And eventually others.  

I like the oboe. It's an underrated sound.

[Notes_Norton]

13 hours ago, tx-ogre said:

Interestingly, while I was in school (can’t remember if it was in grade school or Jr. high school), I was tested, along with everyone else, for musical proficiency.   I apparently scored high and when I indicated an interest in playing the oboe

Oboe fingering is close to the sax and flute (but not clarinet). I tried a schoolmate's oboe once, and I wasn't a natural at the double reed embouchure. But what I did notice is that oboists messed with their reeds a lot. And remember, the entire symphony orchestra tunes up to the oboe - that's power!!!

I wanted to play Baritone Horn (Euphonium) because it had a beautiful tone. It's a good thing the saxophone became available, because I've never heard of any girls being attracted to the Euphonium player. :D 

I looked up the tuning of an 8 string, interesting, two lower strings F# B E A D G B E. At least, unlike the B string, they are tuned in fourths.

Before I played anything but barre chords on a guitar, I played the bass for a few years. So I deal with strings tuned in fourths OK, if I need to think about what a note in relation to another I'm playing.

Have fun on your new adventure.

 

 

Notes ♫

[tx-ogre]

3 hours ago, Notes_Norton said:

Oboe fingering is close to the sax and flute (but not clarinet). I tried a schoolmate's oboe once, and I wasn't a natural at the double reed embouchure. But what I did notice is that oboists messed with their reeds a lot. And remember, the entire symphony orchestra tunes up to the oboe - that's power!!!

I wanted to play Baritone Horn (Euphonium) because it had a beautiful tone. It's a good thing the saxophone became available, because I've never heard of any girls being attracted to the Euphonium player. 😄

I looked up the tuning of an 8 string, interesting, two lower strings F# B E A D G B E. At least, unlike the B string, they are tuned in fourths.

Before I played anything but barre chords on a guitar, I played the bass for a few years. So I deal with strings tuned in fourths OK, if I need to think about what a note in relation to another I'm playing.

Have fun on your new adventure.

 

 

Notes ♫

Ironically, my grandson was originally going to play a euphonium.  I had to look it up.   He ultimately switched to percussion and is now playing guitar.  
 

I ordered some new strings (a set with heavier gauge bass stings) that should increase the string tension on the 7th and 8th strings that are pretty floppy.  Then I will decide if I’m going to tune it to F# standard or if possible Drop E.  
 

One of the things I like about playing a 6 string bass is that in standard tuning it’s tuned in perfect 4th across all 6 strings (B-E-A-D-G-C).  No pesky B string tuned to a major 3rd.

 

 

Edited May 18 by tx-ogre

[merciful-evans]

17 hours ago, Notes_Norton said:

And remember, the entire symphony orchestra tunes up to the oboe - that's power!!!

That's tough on the harpist. 

[tx-ogre]

16 hours ago, merciful-evans said:

That's tough on the harpist. 

Sounds similar to the complaints coming from horn players about guitar players who only want to play in the keys of E and A.  I did learn how to play in F and other flat keys to play nice with my horn-playing brothers, especially for Blues jams and any Jazz collaborations.  I do aim to please.

 

Edited May 20 by tx-ogre

[merciful-evans]

10 hours ago, tx-ogre said:

Sounds similar to the complaints coming from horn players about guitar players who only want to play in the keys of E and A.  I did learn how to play in F and other flat keys to play nice with my horn-playing brothers, especially for Blues jams and any Jazz collaborations.  I do aim to please.

 

 

Same here. I've been playing with saxists and trumpeters for 25 years. They bleat on about "oh... that's not OUR c#" as if the whole thing was negotiable. Have I asked them to explain it? Yes. Do I understand them? No, not a clue. So I got used to other keys without favour.

Even when I demoed my re-wired Deuce I did it in B flat. (this is 6 years old - I have much better a sound now)

 

 

 

 

[Notes_Norton]

On 5/18/2024 at 6:39 PM, tx-ogre said:

One of the things I like about playing a 6 string bass is that in standard tuning it’s tuned in perfect 4th across all 6 strings (B-E-A-D-G-C).  No pesky B string tuned to a major 3rd.

I could do that. When I started playing lead guitar, the B string took a while to get used to.

15 hours ago, tx-ogre said:

Sounds similar to the complaints coming from horn players about guitar players who only want to play in the keys of E and A.  I did learn how to play in F and other flat keys to play nice with my horn-playing brothers, especially for Blues jams and any Jazz collaborations.  I do aim to please.

I've been playing with guitar players since I was in high school.

I like E and A concert (F# and B on tenor sax) more than I like Ab and Eb concert which most jazz pianists like.

I can play in most any key, but I'm most comfortable in these concert keys, E, F, G, A, Bb, C & D. Whatever the singer likes best is OK with me, but I'd prefer these keys. Mrs. Notes will move a half step for that.

On sax (and most wind instruments) playing the same song in a different key is like learning the song all over. The fingerings are completely different. So when I learned guitar, and the song modulated up a half-step, I just moved up one fret! WOW! Easy peasy! Do you want to modulate again!

Of course, each instrument has its benefits and challenges. It's easier to transpose on a guitar, but easier to read music on a sax or piano.

 

Notes ♫

[tx-ogre]

On 5/20/2024 at 10:04 AM, Notes_Norton said:

I could do that. When I started playing lead guitar, the B string took a while to get used to.

I've been playing with guitar players since I was in high school.

I like E and A concert (F# and B on tenor sax) more than I like Ab and Eb concert which most jazz pianists like.

I can play in most any key, but I'm most comfortable in these concert keys, E, F, G, A, Bb, C & D. Whatever the singer likes best is OK with me, but I'd prefer these keys. Mrs. Notes will move a half step for that.

On sax (and most wind instruments) playing the same song in a different key is like learning the song all over. The fingerings are completely different. So when I learned guitar, and the song modulated up a half-step, I just moved up one fret! WOW! Easy peasy! Do you want to modulate again!

Of course, each instrument has its benefits and challenges. It's easier to transpose on a guitar, but easier to read music on a sax or piano.

 

Notes ♫

Not having played anything other than guitar and bass, I have no first-hand knowledge about the complexity of transposing songs on other instruments.  But I can see where it could be a royal pain in the a$$.  As you say, I never found transposing on guitar or bass all that difficult.  Even playing a 6 string bass or 7 or 8 string guitars isn’t all that complicated.  It is interesting exploring new chord voicing with the additional strings, especially with being able to play more variations/inversions in the same area of the fretboard.

[tx-ogre]

On 5/20/2024 at 5:29 AM, merciful-evans said:

 

Same here. I've been playing with saxists and trumpeters for 25 years. They bleat on about "oh... that's not OUR c#" as if the whole thing was negotiable. Have I asked them to explain it? Yes. Do I understand them? No, not a clue. So I got used to other keys without favour.

Even when I demoed my re-wired Deuce I did it in B flat. (this is 6 years old - I have much better a sound now)

 

 

 

 

Very well done.  I  purchased a CD with Blues backing tracks in every key from a local Austin area guitar teacher/performer who was an annual instructor at the National Guitar Workshop in Austin and other locations before NGW went bankrupt.  He was my instructor for two Blues-based seminars.  Anyway,  I practice in all keys, but the sample in Bb is a slow Blues  and one that I improvise to most often.

 

[tx-ogre]

On 5/15/2024 at 2:18 PM, merciful-evans said:

Great to see somebody here tackle one of those things. Heartiest congrats!

So far I have kept to 6 strings. I quite like baritones and used to use a very short scale model tuned 'up'. (nice but hard to keep in tune). Never yet tried a 7 string. Maybe one day.

It was an interesting decision to take on extended range guitars and basses.  I was getting bored with the “put fingers here” kind of practice routines and wanted to expand my horizons.  I was hesitant at first because it seemed like the 7 string guitar was only associated with bands like Korn, ones that I normally don’t listen to.  It was only after researching and seeing that “mainstream” guitarists like Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and Paul Gilbert played 7 strings on some of their recordings.  But what sealed the deal, was finding out Jazz greats like George Van Eps and Bucky and John Pizzarelli played 7 strings.  Seemed like a “no brainer” after that.

8 string was pretty much the same.  While I have enjoyed periods of flogging the 8th string unmercifully, I am really enjoying learning how to play bass lines below the root notes of chords on the 1-6 strings.  Kind of like incorporating the high C string on a 6 string bass, adding guitar-like tones and making it a solo instrument.  But once again, it was videos like this one, that sealed th deal: