Guitar Pic of the Week: Electric Gypsy

Side View, originally uploaded by Davo.

This picture is from a series of photos taken of an Electric Gypsy. The Gypsy is made by Teye Guitars and is definitely a beauty.

Youtube: Kids Play El Cumbanchero

A sister and her two brothers play El Cumbanchero on two guitars and a mandolin. It takes a little while to get started but it's some pretty impressive picking for their age. According to the description "The Tuttle kids. Michael (8) and Sullivan (10) play El Cumbanchero on mandolin and guitar with sister Molly. "

Forums Spotlight: Lost Picks and Room Acoustics

Looking for a solution to dropping your pick during a gig? The Harmony Central Acoustic Forum has a discussion going on about possible prevention and solutions. Though not the most efficient method my favorite answer was:

"I always keep several million in the pockets of my blue jeans. Just pull 'em out of my pocket if I drop one. Or I pick up the one I dropped on the floor."

I know about 5 guys that have the same philosophy.


The Acoustic Guitar Magazine Forum is debating the best ways to sound check at a gig. I think one good bit of advice is "If I can possibly manage it, I have someone there to help check sound. You need someone with a good ear who can test the sound in a variety of spots in the room." Ideally you should get someone not in the band who typically comes to your shows. Doesn't hurt to throw them on the guest list as a thank you either.

Ask a Teacher: Wrist Pains

Nathan: I'm using your videos at freeguitarvideos.com to begin my guitar learning and I am enjoying them. I have a problem though. When I hold the guitar, like you instruct to, and my wrist cramps immediately. I have very large hands; maybe that has something to do with it. It's hard to play for any longer than a few minutes. I was wondering if this was common or maybe if you've heard it before, you might have some ideas? I'd really appreciate any help! -Nathan


Peter Vogl: I would have to see you play to understand what's going on. Try this. Hold your wrist in the position for playing guitar without a guitar in your hand. Does it cramp? If it doesn't I think there are a couple of possibilities. You may be pressing down on the string too hard-most likely way to hard. Only press down hard enough to get a clear note and no harder. You might also have some of the weight of the guitar in your hand. It should be resting against your body and none of the weight of the instrument should be in your left hand. Hope this helps.

You can also check out Peter's series of lessons on guitar drills, stretches, and exercises. If you have a question about playing guitar head on over to our Ask Peter page.

Guitar Neck Socks?

There is a company that now sells "protective socks" for your guitar. The socks are designed to "protect and prolong the life of your strings, and keep dust & dirt out of hard to clean areas like your bridge & pick-ups, as well as many other benefits." Besides being hideous I have to question how necessary they actually are. But if you're very protective of your guitar this could be the product you've been waiting for. (HT: bonerici)

For a more practical approach to maintaining your guitar check out 10 Guitar Maintenance Steps You Should Always Follow, But Probably Don’t from the Electric Guitar Review.

Archtop Acoustics

The New Yorker wrote a brief article about Ken Parker of Parker Guitars and his quest to bring back the archtop acoustic. The article is a good summary but the real gold is the accompanying audio that actually lets you hear the guitars. Music Thing has a picture of the Parker Archtop

I personally fell in love with archtop acoustics a few years ago when I first saw Dave Rawlings play with Gillian Welch. He plays a 1935 Epiphone Olympic archtop that just sounds magical. He often says that it's unique because it plays every note on the neck at the same volume.

As a result of being so overly impressed with Dave's guitar I tried to grab a cheap archtop off eBay. At the very least I thought it would look cool hanging on the wall. I ended up with a pretty crappy Harmony for around $100. It serves little musical purpose other than being set up pretty well for slide guitar and, as intended, looking pretty cool in the corner of my room.



(HT: Strat-O-Blogster)

You say Play Alongs...I say Jam Tracks

There is a great article about jam tracks over on the Electric Guitar Review. I think the point that I find most important is:

"CONVENIENCE: Let’s face it, the best way to learn music is to play music, and you can’t do it all by your lonesome self. Even if you’re in a band, chances are your band mates are not willing to play back-up for you on demand. With playalongs, you have the luxury of practicing with a rhythm section day after day, anytime you wish, for any length of time."

There's nothing like the freedom of being to jam whenever you want to. I'm often moved by a song I'm listening to or performance on tv and pick up the guitar and jam for hours. Sometimes your most inspired moments don't happen when other musicians are around. Which is just one of the many reasons quality jam track cd's and mp3s are helpful.

You can check out our full line of jam tracks and see what strikes your fancy. We also have free lessons for each Let's Jam CD to help guide you towards creating your own solos.

Guitar Pic of the Week: Salute

Guitars, originally uploaded by hampshiregirl.

Great photo. According to Hampshiregirl: "1881 guitarists played Hey Joe. They broke the Guinness Record...again!"

Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Until about a month ago I had never heard of Rosetta Tharpe. After attending a Gillian Welch show where she and David Rawling did a version of "Didn't it Rain" I began to search for the track on online. I came across Tharpe's version of the song and after a little research was impressed to find out that she played guitar on the track. Then I found a large collection of videos of her playing on early television shows on Youtube. Gibson now has a fantastic article about Rosetta on their site.