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Archives for September 2009

The Tascam DR-07 recording tool that fits into your pocket

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The TASCAM DR-07 looks like a really neat way to have a very versatile and rather compact recording device that fits right into your pocket or backpack. It would be fabulous just to have something like this if your doing a simple acoustic jam with a buddy and all you want is to have a simple play back function to just review what you just played. This will help you find out what parts of a song to work on.

The thing that honestly caught my attention was the slow down function of this guitar recording device. This would work out nicely when your figuring out how to play a certain song that is being played. It would definitely work to your advantage if the song is being performed at maybe a little faster speed then your comfortable with?

It just came to my attention the other day while I was on line so I can’t vouch for it. I do have something similar to it, but it as some drawbacks to it that the DR-07 doesn’t.

This device is called the Ibanez Rock & Play RP2000. It is a hand held tape recorder that allows you to plug two guitars and it will allow you to play both the song on cassette tape and hear your guitar playing all at the same time through two separate headphones, if two players are using it.

The neat thing about the Rock & Play is that, similar to the DR-07, it allows you to slow down the song so it can help you pick out the parts of it that you need to work on, at your own pace that is. The major drawback with it is that you had to tune down your guitar strings to the NEW PITCH of the song. Imagine playing an old record and then you place your figure on it to slow it down. The song itself, or the pitch of the tune, would be a little different sounding then to what you are use to hearing.

Musicians will appreciate the playback functions of the DR-07, including the ability to loop MP3s and slow them down without changing the pitch.

The Tascam DR-07 is quite the versatile recording unit. It would be a real neat part of your bag of guitar accessories to say the least! If you happen to have one of these at your finger tips, then please tell us the pros and cons of this item in the comment section.

Keep on Jammin’

Here are the top 5 best selling items from The Guitar Effects section on Amazon:





Bruce Cockburn’s guitar Preamp

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Bruce Cockburn has that live acoustic guitar sound that every player would kill for.

It covers such a complete tonality and range that it’s quite unnerving to just think about how he achieves this, live on stage. Lots of money and equipment manufacturer’s falling all over you, wanting to give you their wares for free, just for the bragging rights to say that you use them, must come in very handy!

This will be the beginning of a quick series of posts talking about the equipment that he uses in the studio/live that allows him to bring us his extraordinary guitar sound.

Fishmanprefixproblend First lets talk about his guitar preamp. Bruce Cockburn uses a side mounted Fishman Prefix preamp. A pre-amp works like a P.A. system (Public Address) inside your guitar. Your mic’s pick up the sound and the amplifier, the thing with all the knobs, puts all the sounds together and then forwards that signal to the speakers.

Some acoustic guitar pre-amps just pickup the sound (signal) from inside the guitar (1 or 2 inside the guitar) and then sends the signal into your amplifier or P.A. system. The more complex ones, manipulate the sound and send the signal off to an amp. These ones, have the technology to capture the essence of a particular guitar sound in a electronic file and you can store it inside this device to be used at the touch of a button on the guitar. Boy have acoustic guitar’s changed!

As for Bruce’s, I can’t say that I’ve used it in a store through an amplifier, but from what I’ve heard it has had mixed reviews. That being said, this product in concert with other products can over come their defects to compliment each other nicely. I know that from my experiences with pedals. I’m sure that he has figured something out! The side mounted Fishman Prefix Pro Preamp and Pickup System that he uses something to look into if your very serious about sound … and you’ve got some time to develop it to it’s fullest potential!

I use a B-Band A5T in my Larrivee L-03. I honestly can say that this is the best acoustic pre-amp that I’ve ever owned! With or without my pedals, this thing still sound lovely. The only thing I’d like to add would be a nice EQ.

So I hope that you all found this relatively interesting, that is if your not a guitarist! In the next installment I will be talking about his acoustic Matrix pick ups that he uses.

Keep on Jammin’

Are you developing pains in your finger joints?

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Debilitating pain in anyone’s finger joints can effect you in so many ways. I’m nowhere’s near the debilitating state, but having those odd nagging sensation makes we wonder what could be in store for me, right around the corner. Now, being a guitarist with this kind of complication is worrying to me to say the least. So now I’m trying to understand what it is, what causes it and how can I attempt to manage the symptoms.

There are so many problems related to this health problem in both musicians and non musicians that it’s not funny! Rheumatoid arthritis (a hereditary autoimmune disease) or osteoarthritis (a noninflammatory type of arthritis that can be caused by repetitive movements or overuse of a joint) or Focal Dystonia can be very taxing both physically and emotionally. For a musician, just imagine the pain that you would be experiencing if you were forced to just turn off the thing that you loved the most … your instrument.

Over the years I have never given it a second thought. I guess being relatively young gives you the air of invincibility. You might say that only happens to other people, certainly not me! That is what goes through a young persons mind this topic arises in conversation.

It’s only been in the past couple of months that I have noticed strange feelings in the joints of both hands. Today, I think the root cause for me is by moving many patients from a stretchers to their beds. I know most people in a hospital setting develop it. The most common complaint is the back and knees.

When I bring up this question to the many surgeon’s that I work beside with everyday, most reply that the root of the problem usually starts in your feet. It then starts to radiate to you knees, then back and well … you get the picture.

So I guess I’ll have to go and hit the podiatrist office and see what they can do for me. I realize this will be VERY COSTLY because our health plan, like most others, do not cover this service. The one nurse I’ve talked to says she had the exact same problems for years until she broke down and had to go see one. She says after they made her some foot inserts (costing around $400.00) and used them for a while, there was immediate relief in her feet, back and her fingers. God help the podiatrist if I buy them and they don’t work!!!

I found this book titled the The Musicians Hand, what is quite fascinating. It has full descriptions of your condition and how it can resolved surgically (as a last result that is!) I know I’ve seen some wild cases in the past that ended with favourable results. If you happen to be effected with this type of issue, this might be the first step in finding out more about this horrible problem.

Here is a simple on line test to take to start off with if you experience problems like this. I scored in at 75%.

If anyone out there suffers from any of the above illnesses, can you tell us what you do to help work through it?

Keep on Jammin’
Here are some books that I think you might find interesting!

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