The Music We Play...

[mjmeehan]

We all spend so much time here discussing building techniques and problem solving, it occurred to me that nobody talks about playing these things! I, for one, like to play my own guitars over any factory built model. Maybe they don't play as well, but hey, it's mine!

That being said, What do you folks play on these guitars you build?

I'm not a songwriter, or a skilled finger picker, I'm a Beater... banging out basic chords, simple bass runs, singing along, etc. I self taught at 17 on my Dad's old Harmony and a Bob Dylan songbook he had in the case(hippie!). We get together with others and play a lot of John Prine, Robert Earl Keen, Todd Snider, Old Crow Medicine Show, Mark Knopfler, Ray Wylie Hubbard, John Hiatt, Lyle Lovett and the sort. How about you?

[naccoachbob]

I'm mostly self taught also. I strum. Not good at picking much at all, even though someone taught me Wildwood Flower - I still can't get it right.
I love country. I've collected a number of .mp3's that I have in a folder on my computer, and strum along with them.
Conway Twitty, Vern Gosdin, Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams Jr, Travis Tritt, Dwight Yoakam, even 1 Dolly Parton song.
I found chords for them, or listened thru and picked them up by ear. I have the collection in Microsoft Word, and would be glad to share if anyone wants. Email me at coachbob@mail.com and I'll send you what I have.
My favorites are Take It Easy - Travis Tritt (Eagles song), Billy - Waylon Jennings, all the Conway, and I Will Always Love You - Dolly Parton.
I'm starting on Learn and Master Guitar, which is a very involved set of 20 dvd's on playing. Stuck on the 2nd session now, mostly due to baseball, golf, building, etc., but am about to get back into it. This session involves learning to read music, so it'll be slow.
I love to sing, but I had carotid artery surgery in '04 and it's made my vocal cords where I can't reach the upper registers, and so my singing isn't good enough to record.
But I love it none the less. Especially as my first build sounds good while playing along.
Bob

[Bruce Dow]

It is great to see that I am among the ... what was the word?... "beaters" here.

I'm self-taught, and am re-learning after 20 years away.

I am just hoping to strum along with my daughter who picked up my old guitar a few years ago, and is now writing and performing her own music.

Much to my surprise and delight she is a 16 year-old "folkie". Joanie Mitchell, Norah Jones, Neil Young, Tracey Chapman, Sarah Harmer. AND she does a mean "Folsom Prison Blues" (Johnny Cash).

Here's her from a few years ago (before I built her the two new guitars) singing "Oleander" by Sarah Harmer.

http://s241.photobucket.com/albums/ff7/ ... NY0297.mp4

Excuse the shakey camera hand of a proud father.

B.

[Ken Hundley]

NOrah Jones has a wickedly sexy blues voice, doesn't she? Unbelieveably talented. I am somewhat self taught, took a years worth of lessons at the Old Town School of folk music. I love playin things like Indigo Girls, Dave Matthews (who is impossible), John Mellencamp, John Denver, Eagles, CSN, lots of stuff. I lately have been doing more pentatonic scale improv along with all sorts of my favorite music, including George Winston. Lots of fun.

[johnnparchem]

I have been taking classical guitar lessons for 16 years or so. I started playing when I turned 40, so like learning a new language as middle aged adult I am a barely capable, not very fluent guitarist. I play a lot of the standard catalog for classical guitar and lute, but I gravitate toward Villa-Lobos and Leo Brouwer. They are both more contemporary composers who really understood the guitar, especially Villa-Lobos. As hard as a piece looks there is always a very clever fingering that takes one through the work. I do play a bunch of classically arranged Beatles songs as well.

[Ken Hundley]

Ah...Blackbird always gets the chicks, don't it?

[johnnparchem]

Ah...Blackbird always gets the chicks, don't it?

Blackbird is a fun song as it can be played in a classical style nearly as written.

[naccoachbob]

Bruce, you have a right to be proud. She does a good job.
That was 2 yrs ago? C'mon, put up another video. Bet she's even better now.
Bob

[Woody OKeefe]

I've been playing American folk and Irish Folk for 45












I've been playing American Folk and Irish Folk for 45 + years and just replaced my 35 year old Martin D-28 with my first Kit from John Hall, I use it for all of my gigs. The fact that I made it only makes me feel better as I play it. I love the tone and the sound of this guitar, the playability reflects on my set up. It could be better but I'm happy.
Thanks to John Hall, Bill Cory and Ken Cerip good men all!

[klooker]

I'm an absolute hack who's only been playing since June. Growing up all my friends played so I never did - why bother, everyone else already did. Now that I'm over 40, I decided why not? My daughter has been taking lessons for a couple of years & I thought it would encourage her to see how much better she is than me.

Youtube has been my teacher & I gravitate toward classic rock - Led Zeppelin & other songs that you've heard too many times.

I played piano growing up but guitar is very different. The technique is more difficult but the sound is so much more seductive & it's easier to "hear" what's going on when you try to figure something out.

I've been into woodworking for a while & guitar building gives me the opportunity to have a nice sounding guitar (or two) at the fraction of the price of buying a new one.

Kevin Looker