Josephine, sometimes you are as Cold as Ice giving me a Sleepless Lullaby

Josephine, sometimes you are as Cold as Ice giving me a Sleepless Lullaby

For those of you paying attention, the title of my posts are made up from the titles of the songs I play. But the title also mirrors my life as well. My Mom, Josephine, is a widow, is very sick, but stubborn as hell. She insists on living by herself 30 min away from me. My brother and sister not only live further away than I do, but they make little effort to help out. So, lately I have had many sleepless nights bringing her back and forth from the hospital, spending entire days in the emergency room, begging her to move closer to a place she can be taken care of... while all along being subjected to some of the best Italian guilt and screaming a 75 yr old woman could deliver. My music helps me deal with this torture. Enjoy

Regular MP3 version: Listen to the show!

Enhanced MP4 version: Listen to the enhanced show!

Featured Podcast Song #1: U-Turn Cafe by C.C. Chapman

Ernie Van Veen, singer/songwriter: Sleepless Lullaby

Podshow Music Network Featured Artist
Edwin Derricutt, Cold As Ice


Featured Podcast Song #2: U-Turn Cafe by C.C. Chapman

Darren Gaffre, singer/songwriter: Josephine

Guitars In The News
Acoustic Guitar Magazine
a. Play Guitar Magazine - A magazine for beginners
b. Wildflower, Sheryl Crow
c. Always On Your Side - Sheryl Crow and Sting

Cool Music Toys -gadgets for ipod, computer loving musicians
a. iRocker by Talking Panda - A must have resource for any guitar player... right on your iPod!
b. Gpal by GarageBand.com - A really cool way to get automatic, FREE, independant artist music delivered right to your MP3 player

Torture Me - Listen In As My Guitar Gently Weeps, and you do too.
a. Neil Diamond - Song Sung Blue - Sit back and enjoy one of your favorite songs being tortured by me!
b. The Beatles - When I'm Sixty Four - An example of reading tablature by someone who is clueless to reading tablature and a rendition of the song that will have you kicking your dog!

Closing Comments/Sign-off

All this Friction from a New York Moon... man It's Tough!

All this Friction from a New York Moon... man It's Tough!

Regular MP3 feed: Show #2 - Listen To The Show

Enhanced MP4 feed: Show #2 - Listen To The Show

Featured Podcast Song #1: Six String Island by Amy Tuttle
Steve Chizmadia, singer/songwriter: New York Moon


Podshow Music Network Featured Artist
Edwin Derricutt, Friction

Featured Podcast Song #2: Six String Island by Amy Tuttle
Little Toby Walker, singer/songwriter: It's Tough

Guitars In The News
Guitarsite.com-Home of Guitar News Weekly & The 2000 Guitar Database
a. Guitar Lessons-Relax and Slow Down
b. Jack Johnson Tops With Kids' Tunes

Cool Music Toys -gadgets for ipod, computer loving musicians
a. Monster iStudio Link
b. Sony - Super Duper Music Looper

Torture Me - Listen In As My Guitar Gently Weeps, and you do too.
a. The Complete Idiots Guide to Playing Guitar
b. Follow Through by Gavin DeGraw

Closing Comments/Sign-off

The Premiere Show - Alex's Six String Torture Podcast

I'm Untied To A World of Pits and Cherries so I do The Dance like a cricket.

MP3 feed:
Regular MP3 Version! Show #001: Listen To The Show

It is finally here... as promised! The first show is "in the can" as they say. I actually had this posted for a few days, but had to make some server side corrections to my account so the file wouldn't get corrupted. Turns out learning to podcast is nearly as difficult as learning the guitar... and yes, I have been tortured for the last few days! UGgggggghhhh.

iLife '06 finally arrived last week and it is worth the wait. The new GarageBand made production of the podcast amazingly simple and even allowed me to create an enhanced podcast with pictures, chapters, etc. I sound like a dope, especially when I play the guitar, but I have included enough fantastic podsafe music and excerpts from some of my favorite Acoustic Guitar podcasts to make up for the torture.

M4A feed:
Enhanced Version with Chapters! Show #001: Listen To The Show


Featured Podcast
Acoustic Cafe by Dave Dircks
Artists: Cathy Kreger and James O'Malley

Featured Podsafe Music
Podsafe Music Network: Baseless performing Untied (the unplugged version)

Shownotes Wiki
There is so much more on this show. You can visit my wiki to get the complete shownotes along with links to all the music and products mentioned on the show.

Enjoy! Thanks for listening.

The Podcast is coming.... THE PODCAST IS COMING!!!!

I've been working hard (at my real job) and working late (at my passion) to get the podcast and my new web site up and running. One of the things that have held me up is the promise of a new software package for my new PowerBook. iLife '06 integrates a iWeb (a web page creation tool) with GarageBand (a podcast creation tool) to create a seemless way to "BE" on the blogosphere, podesphere and internet all with the stroke of a key (or 300).

I originally order it on the 12th of Jan. The first delivery date of the 23rd came and went. So did the 27th. I was very pissed and made a not-so-pleasant call to Apple. Ok... so I'm expecting the usual "Gatesy" response of "So sorry... but tough shit". What do I get instead???? A very Appley response of "We're sorry... and we'll overnight (at our cost) the software". Now that is cool!

In any event, I immediately loaded the software and took a crack at creating a web presense for Six String Torture. It sucks and it is not complete, but it is a start.

I hope to be recording the first episode by the end of the week and posting it to iTunes. Please feel free to send me links of Acoustic Guitar related sites, products, music, news. Also, I love to be Tortured, so don't hesitate to heap on whatever criticisms you have of the whole thing.

Thanks for listening, reading. Enjoy. Alex.

So, you want to be a musician?

Ironically, I've never thought of myself as the creative type, but have always been considered extremely creative. It is all a matter of perspective I guess... but not really. I am a creative thinker when it comes to finding solutions to difficult problems. I'm a logical person and think much like a computer does; "If THIS than THAT, else THE OTHER THING". Although that is creative, it is only half along the continuum of creativity in my opinion.

What I've come to learn as I get more into music theory and learning how to read, and play music is that the term "artist" is truly the utmost degree of being creative. It is at the end of a continuum with brain dead being at the lowest end. To be able to visualize the auditory arrangement of sounds that creative a mood that emotionaly impacts another human is the ultimate in creative expression. I have a profound respect for musicians as I go through the motion of making believe that I can someday make music.

I hope you'll listen to my upcoming podcast (the low end of the continuum). I also hope you take the time to visit the Podsafe Music Network and listen to some of the greatest creative musical minds in the world. The purity of the music there is astounding, and the quality is better than most commercialized recordings that you can hear on your normal FM dial.

Here's a link to musical paradise. Podsafe Music Network

So, you still want to be a musician?

A Message on Advertising Effectiveness to Adam Curry

Enjoy my first GarageBand song while listening to a message to Adam Curry of the Daily Source Code.

Advertising Effectiveness and my Podcast

Santa Was Good To ME!

So as not to torture everyone with my guitar playing that has to live with me (the wife, the kids, the dog, etc.), Santa decided to bring me an awesome gift this past Christmas! I'm going to be getting real guitar lessons from a professional musician.

Starting sometime next month (ok... I gotta get my shiite together first) I will be starting weekly lessons at Musicians Workshop in Manalapan, NJ. Don, the instructor is apparently one of the top guitar teachers in the country, and a very cool dude as well. I will be recording most of my sessions with Don and playing portions of it on my upcoming podcast, Six String Torture.

Stay tuned for ear numbing fun!

Alex.

They call me a Switcher!?!?

Ok... I took the next step to becoming a musician. It's no secret to performers, that a lot of the real guts of the mixing, loops, etc, are done on computers (laptops primarily) during performances. Take a close look the next time you are at a club watching a local band. Chances are you will see a laptop somewhere around controlling the show. It's running programs like LogicPro, GarageBand, MegaSeg.... and I'm sure countless others.

One problem though... These programs are all Apple software!

I'm a long time MS-DOS/Windows PC user and the thought of using a Mac has never really occurred to me... Until I heard Adam Curry talk about his PowerBook G4 on The Daily Source Code podcast. That started me thinking. I want to do a podcast of all the best acoustic guitar music out there. I want to be able to make great music and record it on my own... So... Why not get a Mac?!?!

And that is exactly what I did two weeks ago. I'm still transferring data from my old laptop, but the transition has not only been painless, it has been delightful. My favorite app so far is GarageBand. I have created a few songs and have even recorded directly into the laptop from the amp connection in Rosie (my guitar). I hope to have a few songs posted shortly, and an announcement of when the Sixstring Torture Podcast will be available.

More on GarageBand to follow!

Collide & In Your Eyes

Check out music videos from most of your favorite songs. Ok... this is one of my favorites, and so is Jeffrey Gaines, "In Your Eyes". Enjoy!

Why Acoustic Guitars are better than a woman....

I've been so crazy with work that I've been neglecting the blog and my poor Rosie.

I figured I'd torture you with some corny jokes about Acoustic Guitar being better than woman then torture you with my playing in this post!

www.acousticfingerstyle.com/gtrvswma.htm

And, I'm an equal opportunist, there is a link on that page to Why Acoustic Guitars are better than a man....
Enjoy!

In Your Eyes

Yesterday was a very difficult day for the Crappy Guitarist. I had a misunderstanding with a friend, and very stressful day at work, and absolutely no time to practice guitar. Hello... can you say... SUCK ME!!!

The misunderstanding came from the mind of the friend. I would suspect that most disagreements in life are caused by a mis-alignment of thought and words... sort of like playing the wrong cords to the right words in a song that you know very well. It just doesn't make sense and the song ends up sounding terrible. But if you line up the right cords with the right words at the right moment in a song, you have beauty. Usually, it is apparent to the listener that there is a problem right away when it comes to a song. Sometimes, the mis-alignment isn't so apparent. And when one person decides that they are only going to see things through their eyes... you are fucked. Actually, you are both fucked.

So, that led me to find one of my favorite songs and learn it as a tribute to a friend. It is a beautiful song, which is a pain in the ass to play. "In Your Eyes" by Jefferey Gaines. This song is a bitch to play because there is a bar cord in it. Not my cup of tea. Nonetheless, I will work at it until I get it because it is an amazing song.. both lyrically and musically.

I get so lost, sometimes
days pass
and this emptiness fills my heart
when I want to run away
I drive off in my car
but whichever way I choose
I come back to the place you are

And all my instincts, they return
and the grand facade, so soon will burn
without a noise, without my pride
I reach out from the inside.

In case you are interested in learning it, here is a link to the lyrics and chords:

This is an amazing site with a lot of great guitar tabs and chords for 1000's of artists. When I've got this one sounding somewhat OK, I will probably be ready to post my first podcast. Stay tuned and stay happy... and try to look through life through others eye's once in a while. It will definitely make life happier for you and everyone around you.

Musician or Scam artist???

So, a few days ago, I bring Rosie (my guitar) to the local music store to get one of those little peg things that hold the string to the bridge fixed. Not sure how the thing broke... could have been vodka induced... not sure. Anyway, for about a buck, this young dead head like musician dude easily and quickly fixes the thing for me and even tunes up the low E string (where the peg broke) and confirms my tuning for the other strings as well. No sweat...

As he brings my baby back to me, he's picking away at the strings and looking like he's going to orgasm from it. Now, he sounded way better than I ever have, and I know it is a beautiful instrument, but I felt as if the guy was stroking my wife right in front of me. Ok... so I'm not too freaked out. Then he asks, "Is that authentic Indian Rosewood!?" (So, the guy really does know what he's talking about!). I say, "Yeah." Then he wants to know how much I paid for it. He is in awe over the deal I got. (So am I, the store that I bought it from, had it marked incorrectly by about $100).

He then says, "Dude, you need a set-up", and I say, "Yeah, I've been meaning to get that done," and he says, "It will cost you about $40 bucks and we would have included it for free if you bought the guitar from us. (yeah, and I would have paid $150 more too!). So, bring it back in and we'll straighten the neck, and make that fret board shine like its brand new!"

So, here is my questions: Am I getting played as smoothly as he played Rosie? Does a new guitar really need it's neck straightened, or should I try to bend his a bit? Is $40 bucks a good price for a setup? Should I go back to the store I bought it from, even though I feel like I stole the thing from them? If I let this guy do the setup, which he says will take about 3 days, will he be gizzing all over my baby? When I pick it up, will he have replaced my "authentic Indian Rosewood" with "imitation Wisconsin corkboard" painted to LOOK like Rosewood?

I just wanna play man... not haggle and worry about Rosie. Maybe I can let him have my wife for a few days to set her up? She has been a bit cranky lately! Just kidding of course.

Ok... I'm going to torture my self with a song or two. Ciao for now.

"The Wolves Are Tolerating My Guitar Now"

The wolves were howling only a little last night, so I guess my practicing is getting slightly better. I'm really starting to get into it and I have been trying to adjust my wrist a little more and relax it. I'm still doing something wrong but I'm making progress. Now here's a true friend...he listened to me play and after a few martinis tonight, he felt I'm really improving . Gotta go, take him home. He definitely can't drive.

Technology and The Guitar

All right, I'm a little obsessive about playing Rosie right. Hey, every woman likes to be handled correctly and Rosie is no exception. So I have a friend out in California who is a professional player. So he has agreed to watch me on my webcam to see what I am doing wrong with my wrist. Note: Better ship out earplugs to him tomorrow.

Working on the Podcast

It has been a long time since I've been able to post, and unfortunately, it has been a long time that I've been able to practice. When I was in Maryland this past weekend, I bought a poster that shows the entire fret board and tries to explain movable cord types. Apparently, if you know what you are doing, you are able to play any cord anywhere on the fret board! Ok, for you musicians out there, that seems to be a rather idiotic and obvious statement... to me... it is a revelation! Another revelation is that the strings and notes for each string follow a DO RE ME FA SO LA TI DO pattern. I have been practicing the C Scale and finding different ways to play the DO RE ME all over the guitar. Someday, I will take real lessons from a professional. For now, I kind of like exploring and trying to figure out things by myself. In the end, this may prove to be a big help when I do take lessons. Most likely, it will prove to completely screw me up so the instructor has to UNDO all the crap that I taught myself just to get me to do things the RIGHT way.

Speaking of doing things the right way, I'm not even sure I'm pressing on the strings in the right location in the frets and with the right part of my finger? I generally hit the cords in the center of each fret and seem to use the very tops of my finger. After a few songs, I notice that my hand starts to hurt and gets a little numb. Is there a better way? Am I trying too hard to do something that should be more simple and gentle? I'm open to help from anyone willing to give it.

A weekend torturing my friends

The entire family went to Maryland this weekend for a friends 30th birthday party. Of course I took Rosie with me (Dean Exotica RSE is made with rare Indian Rose Wood). It seems that I started a music craze from the last time I was down over the summer. Two of our friends went out and purchased guitars for their kids (that's four new guitar players in the world, thanks to me!).

It was a ton of fun. I learned a few easy songs and even had a few folks tell me that I've gotten a lot better since the Summer. What amazed me is how few of my friends know who Howie Day is?! They like Collide and Brace Yourself, but I believe they enjoyed my Horse With No Name much better... old farts!

Anyway, I'll be posting a few more songs on the podcast hopefully soon. I'll also put some pics of my guitar up soon. Thanks to my personal web designer, The Kreb Machine, for my new blog look and feel. Now maybe I can get him to do my web site as well!

Welcome to The Crappy Guitar.

You will find a lot of folk guitar music here, and it should be easy to tell if I'm playing or if someone that really knows how to play is playing.

I'm a new guitar owner (about 3 months now) but I just LOVE to play. Ok... so I suck! Get over it! This site and its associated podcast will enable me to practice, and also showcase some of my favorite artists, indie artist from the PodSafe Music Network (Thanks Adam... you ROCK!), and get tips and hints from the rest of you.

Follow along my journey into the world of music, and help save the world from another crappy guitar player. Make me not-so-crappy and you will be doing the world a public service.

Thanks for listening.
Alex.