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Playing guitar with the Singing Cardiologist

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Happy holidays everyone and I trust that you all had a great time off!

This year I had the chance to play in the Surgical Recovery Room that I work in with our legendary Singing Cardiologist doctor also known as D.R. Cardiac Rap! He played last year for us and also the patients that recuperating there right after their surgery. It was amazing to move patients through the area and having them say things like wasn’t that a doctor singing and playing guitar for us?

Last year he performed this reggae style song on his acoustic guitar with a drum machine running in the background. He had a few back up singers(nurses) which added to the show visually speaking. The tune was about life as a cardiologist and what goes on behind the scenes in the O.R. I must say it was fun to witness!

This year he asked me if I wanted to play with him so I jumped at the opportunity. He said that he was working on a song called How Long Blues. I’m not that big of a blues guitarist but I said why not. We both hoped to have jammed at least twice to get a handle on how each other plays but we only had a short practice right before playing in front of both staff and patients.

The song went well enough and a nurse was recording it on video. I haven’t seen it yet but when he sends me a copy I’ll post it up on this particular site!

Keep on Jammin’ in the New Year everybody!





More questions about Nail Hardener products for Guitarists

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As you all know by now my guitar playing style relies heavily on the strength and durability of my finger nails on my right hand for picking the strings when I’m playing the guitar. I’ve tried tons of nail hardener products over the years and I have yet to find the right one for me. In this post I want to hear about your personal experiences with any of the products below and find out what you think of them. Every bit of detail that you can share with us will be important to us. Learning is what drives this post!

Hard as Hoof is one product that I hear about but I personally don’t know anyone who has used it. I did find this ringing endorsement from a classical guitarist named Perfecto De Castro who uses it. When viewing a youtube video of him playing shows you the stress that he puts on his nails. He’s not a spokes person for the company and that fact makes me feel a little more comfortable about his statement. There is another guitarist named Rico Stover who wrote a book called The Guitarist’s Guide to Fingernailsand he talks about Hard as Hoof and he recommends this product as well.

Sally Hanson, Hard as Nails Extreme Wear is another one that keeps creeping up in my searches. According to the company, they have removed all 3 of the unhealthy elements that are considered dangerous to our health that is found in most nail salon products. The three ingredients are toluene, DBP (dibutyl phthalate) and formaldehyde. The effects of these ingredients are something that I did not know about until I was doing my research.

I’ve tried this product for around a week but I then found myself way too busy to get back to using this one. This was because we had just bought our home so renovations and nails don’t mix, trust me on this one! I think I might re-visit this product later on.

Nailene, Acrylic Strong is a product that I was introduced to by a nurse at work. I am so envious of this woman’s nails that it drives me crazy! When she let me take a closer look at them, they looked like you could use them as screw drivers! She says that it’s idiot proof, ah she was thinking of me, and that it is a low maintenance product. Ah, gotta put that one on the list too!

A guitarist on a guitar forum said some good things about a nail hardener by Barielle. Nail Strengthener Cream is the line that he was talking about and I really wish that I saved that article damn! As some products proclaim, this stuff was originally designed for the hoofs of horses around the world, really?

Last is this product by guitar players, for guitar players. It’s called Guitar Player Nails. This is something that has been on the market for a while but I’ve never heard of it before. It doesn’t mean that it’s no good but … well I haven’t heard of any other reviews of this one. Now this is where you guys come in!

I am pleading to you, my good readership, to help me out in the quest for the ideal nail hardener product! Has any of these concoctions, that I have just posted about, worked for you? If not then please inform me/us about the ones to avoid!

Keep on Jammin’

A Perfect gift for the lover of the 1970’s – 1980’s Music Scene

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If your looking for the perfect gift for a lover of the Music during the 1970’s and 80’s, then look no further then these two documentaries titled This Beat Goes On and Rise Up.

This CBC pop rock documentary covers so many bands and their music that we all loved listening to during those impressionable years growing up. I will say that this DVD collection is a MUST HAVE for yourself or others!

I fell in love with this documentary even before it was aired earlier this year! As a matter of fact, I still have two episodes of them on out PVR. Even one of my favorite nurses at work, I’ll call her “Y”, is even into this DVD collection!

At first I wanted to break up these episodes into smaller post but I would have way to many of them and it would go on forever! The only thing is that the songs/bands in both of these CBC documentary DVD’s, ties together so many great memories that have happened to me in my experiences that I consider it the sound tracks of my life! CBC really does a real nice job of diving into Canada’s rick musical history and showcasing to us in this DVD. Just check out some the bands and their songs in this link to see what I am talking about.

This Beat Goes On covers some of the fabulous acts of the 70’s! This part of the DVD encompasses groups like Nash the Slash, The Guess Who, The Stampeders, Prism, April Wine, Joni Mitchell and The Kings. The line up will leave you wanting more!

Rise Up is all about the rock/pop culture of the 1980’s. Bands like Doug and the Slugs, Triumph, Red Rider, The Spoons, Northern Pikes, Neil Young, The Tragically Hip and of course Parachute Club just to name a few!

So if you can’t find a way to view these great doc’s on line or if you want to get them as a Christmas gift for someone who loves these bands, check out the links below for these DVD’s! So hurry up the Holidays are a comin’!

Rise Up 1980’s
 The Beat Goes On 1970’s

 

Keep on Jammin’

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