Acoustic Guitar Player

Every now and then it’s nice to go back to some acoustic music with harmonies which influenced many other acoustic guitar players and vocalist.  Here is Wasted on the Way from 1982

This is incredibly beautiful acoustic guitar plaing by Antoine Dufour, the Canadian guitar player.    It is called Ashes in the Sean of his Existence album.  Candy Rat Records

For another great Antoine Dufour Youtube Video go to Antoine Dufour

I never get involved in court cases, especially if they have nothing to do with me, but I couldn’t resist this one.  I was watching the news tonight and amonst a whole lot of very boring stuff, something jumped out at me.

You may remember an Australian Band called Men at Work, they had a it with a song called Down Under. … “he just smiled and gve me a vegemite sandwich….on a Hippie trail head full of Zombie” fame.   Well, there is a claim that the tune Down Under is a rip off of a childrens song called Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree, here is the article Daily Telegraph Kookaburra Sits in he Old Gum Tree. What made me laugh is that the part that is supposedly ripped off is a bar or so in the flute solo.  I struggled when I heard the accusation, in fact I roared with laughter.  Musicians quote from other tunes in solos on numerous occassions.  The relationship between the main tune with its pseudo reggae beat to the solo is close to irrelevant.  I’ll be watching this one with wonder and awe.

Meanwhile I’ve just been listening to Milton Nascimento sing Ghost Riders in the Sky in Portugeuse.

I wrote a very simple and helpful guitar TAB and Music Notation of Essential Blues  Scales for Acoustic Guitar some time ago.  Obviously they are suitable  for electric guitar. As there are many new visitors all the time to my acoustic guitar sites, I thought it would be a  good idea to post a quick article about them.   In many of them I have included a number of open string because I like the sound of open strings on an acoustic, and also it creates a little breathing space.   Yes there are other ones than these but hese are nice ones to get players started or for those that wish to brush up on their scales.

essential blues scales

You may also be interested in these country scales, click Country Guitar Scales for the article

Here’s a beautiful ballad called All M Trials by Sioban O’Brien from Ireland.  The guitar player is Martin O’Malley.

For more brilliant acoustic guitar  music of all styles go to Acoustic Guitarists 

Tony Hogan - Acpoustic Guitar Blogs and Sites

I was alerted to the article about the manager of U2 - Paul McGuinness.  It’s an interesting debate which ultimately involves the destiny and marketing of music in general.  I know that Seth Godin wrote an interesting article some time ago, and many thngs in it I didn’t particularly agree with.   It is the very thing that a friend of mine who managers one of the top bands around at the moment, and I were discussing a few weeks back. The musicians perspective is often very different from the Give Me More for Nothing Mentality

If you are a musician, I suggest you read this article at CNN U2 Manager - Free is the Enemy of Good

U2 Manager Paul McGuiness

I’ve just found out that there is a Michael Manzer Froggy Bottom Hand made Acoustic Guitar on raffle. 

Michael’s guitars are some of the best in the world.

QUOTE from Froggy Bottom Site:  ” The guitar is a unique instrument, a Custom Grade of 5A Madagascar rosewood and Adirondack spruce. Two Petria Mitchell engravings adorn the end graft and heel cap, a slotted headstock carries gold Waverly tuners, and the top border, including the fretboard extension is inlaid with brilliant paua abalone from New Zealand. This guitar is valued at $14,125.”

Froggy Bottom Guitar

To have the opportunity of owning this beutiful guitar go to the follwing link.  It’s $20 US a ticket and tickets are available via SECURE purchasing via Paypal.

 Froggy Bottom Acoustic Guitar Raffle

And if you win it please let me know so I can post your story here.

Here’s Tony Rice showing a little of his acoustic guitar flatpicking wizardry. It’s less than a minute long but highlights his fluency and the essence of his playing

For a more in depth tutorial check out this Tony Rice Tutorial

Tony Hogan - Acoustic Guitar Player. I’m writing this short article / post to let new readers know that I also have another guitar blog website at The Acoustic Guitarist , this site also contains numerous Acoustic Guitar Youtubes, Guitar Scales and TABS, articles on how to inspire yourself to be a better guitar player.

Tony Hogan

Here’s the great music historian and Acoustic Fingerstyle Guitar Player Stefan Grossman doing a Guitar Tutorial on how to play the Reverend Gary Davis song Cocaine Blues

The Internet is full of Guitar Tab which is very innacurate, written by people with various skills.  If you want a decent resource on how to play properly, check out Stefan Grossman’s book below.   Why waste your time with poor quality resources?

Stefan Grossman’s Early Masters of American Blues Guitar: Delta Blues Guitar Transcribed by Stefan Grossman. Guitar tablature songbook and examples CD for acoustic guitar. Series: Stefan Grossman’s Early Masters of American Blues Guitar. 64 pages. Published by Alfred Publishing. (AP.25980) See more info…

Everyone is always saying who they think is the hottest band of all time.  I think Lancelot Link and the Evolution Revolution are in with a chance. In fact, even if you don’t like their style you’d have to say they are better than a lot of bands. 

It’s a low budget production

Acoustic Guitar Player Blog goes Electric just for a moment.

It’s very primal

Tony Hogan blingat ning

Here’s an Acoustic Guitar Video by Antoine Dufour, it is called Ashes in the Sea.

Antoine is one of the new generation of great Acoustic Guitar Players who is expanding the acoustic guitar style.  Others who  are really worth exploring Andy McKee, Pierre Bensusan, Thomas Leeb, and Don Ross.

This Acoustic Guitar Youtube Video features Duck Baker teaching how to play the traditional song called Red Wing. It is Part 2.   In this guitar lesson Duck Baker goes into to detail about left hand fingering.  Duck Baker has recorded many albums and has written  guitar books in conjunction with Stefan Grossman.

Duck discusses usage of passing chords going from a C to a  G and also comfortable ways of fingering the chords. He also discusses right and left hand co-ordination, and holding bass notes and playing the melody notes with the other fingers.

These sort of tunes are great for singer/guitar players because the techniques used are very good for adding variations to your guitar parts when you’re not singing.  Personally I find playing solo arrangements  a key to creating much stronger accompaniment parts for when either other singers sing or I sing.  Really, what you are doing is expanding the toolbox.  When Playing solo gigs, a single note guitar solo generally just won’t cut it, you need parts which are much stronger or the whole tune just falls apart.

Duck Baker Youtube Guitar Video Tutorial is available at:

duck-baker-youtube-guitar-lesson-part-1

Here is a great guitar book with CD by Duck Baker.

Encyclopedia of Irish and American Fiddle Tunes for Fingerstyle Guitar By Duck Baker. By Duck Baker. For Guitar (Fingerpicking). Solos. Encyclopedia. Fiddle Tunes. Level: Beginning-Intermediate. Book/CD Set. 152 pages. Published by Mel Bay Publications, Inc. (98545BCD) See more info…

The Following book includes El McMeen using tunings such as CGDGAD (A as well as other oen and normal tuning arrangements.

Complete Celtic Fingerstyle Guitar By Stefan Grossman, Duck Baker And El Mcmeen. By Stefan Grossman, Duck Baker and El McMeen. For Guitar (Fingerpicking). Solos. Complete. Celtic/Irish. Level: Multiple Levels. Book/CD Set. 244 pages. Published by Mel Bay Publications, Inc. (95217BCD) See more info…

Andy McKee continues to explore percussive and harmonic techniques which were made popular in the 1980’s by the great guitar / composer Michael Hedges. This tune is is by another great Acoustic Guitar player called Don Ross it is called Tight Trite Night.

Here is a link to the great (late) Michael Hedges acoustic guitar video called Rickover’s Dream Michael Hedges

This is a very interesting acoustic guitar video with Pat Metheny, the guitar player who recorded some magnificent albums on the EC M label, including Watercolors, New Chautauqua, Bright Size Life.  Pat made it famous as a guitar player very early at about 17 years old when he joined the vibraphone player Gary Burton’s band.  Although Pat Metheny is predominantly known as a jazz guitar player, he has ventured a long way out from the standard jazz format with his acoustic guitar playing and has recorded a very beautiful acoustic guitar album on Baritone Guitar called One Quiet Night. 

This video, for me,  shows where one area of guitar is heading and the work he is doing is as innovative as such great players as Michael Hedges, Pierre Bensusan. Andy Mckee and other contemporay players.  Here once again Metheny is playing a guitar named “Picasso”by the the great Canadian luthier Linda Manzer, it was recorded at a guitar festival in Cordoba Spain.

For more Pat Metheny playing Acoustic Guitar - click the following link Pat Metheny Acoustic Guitar Video 

The aim of this site is to inspire other guitar players

This Youtube Video of Joni Mitchell is from one of her performances some years ago on the Johnny Cash show. What struck me about it is her big sounding open tuned  dreadnought acoustic guitar.   There are not many others who can hold people spellbound like Joni does with just a guitar and voice. If you explore the nuances in her voice , you start to realize the greatness of her singing.  Althouigh our ears have become very used to the sound of the song Both Sides Now,  when listening o this version it sounds fresh and new.

And here’s some more Joni - Acoustic Guitarist Joni Mitchell

Hits By Joni Mitchell. Guitar tablature songbook for guitar and voice. 124 pages. Published by Alfred Publishing. (AP.PG9666) See more info…

Here’s a Guitar Youtube of the Brilliant Duck Baker giving a guitar lesson about  an old standard tune called Red Wing on a nylon string guitar.  If you are not familiar with Duck Baker,  he has written books with Stefan Grossman and also has numerous DVD’s on guitar instruction and CD’s as a soloist and with others .   Duck’s website is at Duck Baker 

  
I will post Part 2 within a few days.

Adrian Legg - A True Innovator of Acoustic and Electric Guitar 

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What astounds me is that there are a number of briliant guitar players who fall into the Legend Category for guitarists like myself,  and in some cases they are not household names.  Admittedly I’ve played guitar and followed the development of it for 40 years.  One player that visitors need to  be aware of is Adrian Legg.

Adrian is an English guitar player, he wrote numerous articles in the Seventies and Eighties and in 1981 published a book called Customising Your Electric Guitar,  this book set the benchmark for all others to follow.

This is a beautiful tune and Adrian himself assured me it’s easy enough to play.   Adrian plays very clean fingerstyle guitar and if you explore his work over the years  you will very quickly come to realise that he is one of the true inovators of the guitar.  He has recorded about 15 albums and is currently touring.

Here’s Adrian Site Adrian Legg Website and Tour Dates

I had a very interesting conversation a moment ago with a friend of mine.  My friend is trying to find here own music.  We spoke about how she’s developing, she hasn’t played guitar long but is gradually unfolding.

The conversation triggered a memory of a conversation I had with someone about 10 year ago, a close family friend who has known me when I was 15.  The friend had said to me after I played a tune that it sounded like music did when I was young, this wasn’t an insult either, he was really just commenting on something that I had had some suspicions about for years.

What came out of the talk was the idea that we are born with our own musical stamp, our own way of expressing and all we need to do is to nurture it and develop techniques, tools and the musical vocabulary to turn the feelings into music, OUR music, not somebody else’s. 

Out of fear, I think a lot of players are not willing to just be themselves, and although they have great skills, the identifying aspects that define their musical personality is squashed.   When I was about 17 or 18, one of the guys that had as a guitar teacher was Don Andrews, a guitar player who had written dozens of guitar book, at that time he had played for 44 years.  Don was not famous for something that I think he should have been famous for.  Don once showed me a Maton classical guitar he had made; one day he was sitting on his couch tapping away on the arm of the lounge chair… then he thought, oh that sounds good. He then sent the couch off to Maton to be chopped up and the arm of the chair was used as the neck.  It was a seven string classical, that was in the early 1970’s.

Anyhow, back on track, Don said to me at the time “If a person practices all the RIGHT things, eventually they’ll be a very good guitar player, but whether they have talent is another thing”.   The talent bit is the thing that may not mean the same to everyone.  My view is that everyone has music inbuilt into them at birth; some have it closer to the surface and it matures at an early age, like Charlie Christian, Pat Metheny or Ben Harper. 

The goal for me as I see it is to strip away the layers which get in the way of music coming out.  I think that the missing elements are Trust and Confidence.  If we listen hard enough and are sensitive to what is trying to come out, eventually when we have the right tools in place, the music will have no choice than to just ooze out.

Tony Hogan 2009

A quick post to lt visitors to this blog / site know that I am now a Co - Administrator of a group on Facebook.

Below is some basic information about the group.  It currently has 350 members

Taylor Acoustic Guitar

The Acoustic Guitar Society is an Online Guitar Society working within Facebook dedicated to Acoustic Guitar Players from all Countries, Music Genres and Players of Various Levels. It is also for Guitar Makers Builders and those others who have common interest in ACOUSTIC GUITARS.

You can insert YOUR Pictures, Your Instruments, your MUSIC VIDS, Guitar Related NEWS, HAPPENINGS and any content that really adds quality content to the group.

Keep in Mind that it’s great to share your guitar related info but this group has some sort of integrity, so think about how YOU can add VALUE. The way you work may seem natural to you, but others may be interested in how you got to where you are, what tools you use, the type of gigs you are doing. So when you add, don’t just add a link, give us some information, you’ll find peope will be more responsive.

We have an environment here which can reach out to a range of people, it can take your ideas and skills to others who may very well create new opportunities for you.

The group is administered from both the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere, Denmark and Australia. And if that’s not an example of real networking, what is?

Beniamino Solinas and Tony Hogan

“Life’s Too Short to Play Crap Music” - Tony Hogan 2009

Tony Hogan and Karen Brown

Yesterday I was giving a guitar lesson to a friend of mine;  she has only come to the guitar as a creative tool in the last couple of years.  We had spoken in the past about the need for a decent guitar to help her define her own musical voice, and I don’t mean singing, I mean a way of saying what needs to be said emotionally when words are too short or not powerful enough.  So, because she happens to like herself, she bought herself a nice small bodied acoustic Takamine for Christmas.  The small bodied guitars seem to fit women better, and also I often find they have a sound which will cut through better than the standard Martin dreadnought size. 

During the lesson we were talking about the need to ‘Make Things Musical’, this does not mean more notes.  It’s about working out what really needs to be played.  And this can be in any style at all, an open mind about accepting the diversity of styles is a healthy thing . 

Over the last week I had ripped apart an old Beatles tune called In my Life and totally reworked it so it is more of a fingerstyle guitar tune with a slightly blues folk edge to it.  By digging into what is underlying a composition, it’s possible to extract and highlight things which were not obvious when the tunes were first written.  You will often find that good musicians, once they have written a song will reinterpret the song numerous ways over a period of years.  Often the only people playing it the original way are those that have copied it.   Songs are living, not static and they are things for us to experiment with.  Example Jimi Hendrix “All along the Watchtower”… would Bob Dylan have ever thought that anyone would do that, or Cream doing Spoonful… or even the numerous versions of Bach, Air on a G String.. ( Many jokes come to mind)

When I play I don’t necessarily play just the straight chords.  I consider what I think  should be happening in the bass notes of the chords and try and create a nice musical pathway from one to the next.  This always creates an interest for the listener, even if they don’t know what they are listening to.   When you are interpreting a song on a guitar, which was recorded by a whole band, there’s a lot of work to do to replace the other half a dozen or so band members and the multi million dollar production.  You’ve got to think smart and move things around a little otherwise the tune can sound empty.

What is important is to find tunes that mean something to us.  So many players just try and copy the originals.  The originals are fine BUT, you’ve got to make them your own.  Some ways of doing this are by  putting the songs into another key and capoing up.  What I will often do  is transpose a song from G to E and then whack a capo on the third fret.  This means that I have to really listen to the movement of the chords and chose only the notes I want.  Sometimes I’ll just play two or three notes instead of a whole chord;  this is the beauty of playing fingerstyle guitar, other times I’ll add a couple of chords and on other occassions leave things out completely to ‘understate’ things.  The idea is to make it my own.  

When I first heard my friend sing a few years back, she was playing piano, but I realised that the texture of her voice would sit beautifully against the sound of an acoustic guitar with a  slightly country blues feel to it.  So yesterday we worked on blues.   When people say blues often there is an immediate conclusion of what that means.  The underlying structure of a blues is very simple, in fact it’s possible to play a blues with one chord or simple riff, but the hidden potential of a blues is endless. 

It is important to make your own music, to learn from what has been and to process it all and turn it into something which is truly a reflection of our inner most feelings, something that is uniquely and unmistakebly our own.  And as my friend and I came up with, “Life Is Too Short to Play Crap Music”

Tony Hogan … now on Facebook 

This is a tremendous Acoustic Video of Flamenco Master Paco De Lucia and Contemporary Jazz Guitar Player Larry Corryell.  Paco on his nylon string flamenco guitar, (note these are a little thinner than your stanard Torres style classicals, by being thinner the mguitar has a more rapid  projection of sound from the soundboard) and Larry on his Ovation acoustic, with rounded back.  Although they are from very different backgrounds, it works, both musical traditions are styles which encourage improvisation.  Improvisation for me means , take an idea and run with it; true improvising is never safe, it is full of risks and that’s what makes it exciting.

The tune is Mediterranean Sundance by Al Di Meola, the Jazz Rocker famous for his stint with Chic Correa in Return to forever. 

When you break this tune down, the basic idea of it is really quite simple, listen closely to what they are doing.  The first part is built of an A minor chord.

Guitar Tip:  Learn one small new thing every day

Tony Hogan - I do this because I love music

This fried my brain.  Richie Blackmore from Deep Purple and Rainbow, live on Japanese TV doodling on an acoustic guitar on a Japanese TV interview.  … yeah right… I do like Blackmores fluency which peeps through every now and then

I can’t believe that I’ve had my couple of Acoustic Guitar Sites up for about a year and a half now and after at least 200,000 visitors no-one has said “Hey, what about posting about Steve Morse”.  I saw Steve play when he was pretty young and was on tour with Paco, DiMeola and McLaughlin.  His playing was very fresh when I saw him and it took some of the intensity out because he had a bit of a country blues edge to his playing.  So here is8 minutes of classic Morsey on acoustic (nylon) with a pickup.  The first tune is an old Dixie Dreg tune.  The youtube is from the early nineties.  Brilliant.