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Obviously I'm a little new at guitar maintenance. I'd heard that you were supposed to change strings when they start to sound "muddy"; however, I wasn't 100% certain exactly how that sounded compared to fresh ones. And it didn't help that Kalia is new enough that I'd only ever heard the strings she came with.
Still, even to my untrained ear, the notes didn't seem to be ringing out properly, so I figured I should go ahead and change them, even if I wasn't 100% certain it was necessary. Part of the reason I was hesitant is that string-changing is kind of a pain in the ass...well, not "kind of". It is a pain in the ass. But it's also probably the best way to get to know your instrument intimately. Improperly finished slots in the nut that cause string bindings, loose tuning machines, pegs that don't stay in (or are jammed in so tightly you can't get them out without pliers)...it all comes to light when you change the strings. (Not unlike the first time caring for your partner when they get really ill, come to think of it...)
And that's how I came to be sitting on the floor under the lamp futzing with the string winder when I felt something crawling on my bare foot. I didn't think a whole lot of it - it's bug season in Arizona, and I'd just been poking at some harmless bug or other that had eventually crawled under the lamp. Figuring it was just my earlier friend come to play again, I lifted the neck of my guitar...and found a GIANT FUCKING SCORPION sitting there going "Yo, sup."
My immediate fear (that he would crawl up my pant leg - suddenly I'm beginning to see the attraction of skinny jeans despite being a solid boot-cut girl) fortunately turned out to be unfounded, as he promptly made his way up my leg on the outside of my jeans. Doing my best to move smoothly despite the sudden jolt of adrenaline, I grabbed the bit of cardboard that my strings came in, brushed him off my leg, and asked Brian to keep an eye on him while I got the vacuum cleaner. Apparently they're actually relatively docile, compared to other stinging insects - he didn't even go into fighting stance until Brian poked at him with my yoga mat. I sucked him up with the vacuum cleaner, took him outside, and dumped him over the side of the railing; we've been having tons of tiny little ants all over our garden, so maybe he'll do some good out there.
Then I promptly sat down and had an attack of the heebie-jeebies. Normally I try to live and let live where bugs are concerned, and spiders (of the non-venomous variety) don't bother me one bit. Even centipedes and scorpions I'll just try to catch and relocate outside. But it was ON MY FOOT. Eugh. I'm just glad I looked and saw what it was before trying to brush it off with my hand.
Once that was done with, though, I finished restringing Kalia, and was pleased to immediately hear a very large difference in tone - much brighter and more bell-like. Additionally, she's a beautifully finished guitar; I didn't have a single string bind while I was tuning them, the pegs all came out easily (and stayed in when replaced), and the action on the tuning machines was smooth as silk. I can see why Takamine's Japanese guitars are so generally sought-after; it absolutely feels like a quality instrument made with pride in craftsmanship.
As to the actual playing...I've gotten one simple song pretty well down (if not recorded) towards my goal of three by September. As for a second, I've been spending a lot of time working on the riff for Mr. Jones. It's a simple chord structure but a tricky strum pattern and an especially tricky melody line (thank you, jazz improv lessons!); plus it goes FAST, with almost no time to switch between chords. I very much want to have it in my reportoire, though; in addition to being a good song to show off a bit, I think it'd be great fun to perform - there's that odd dissonance between the happy bouncy hook and the minor key chords, which so nicely reflects the tragic dissonance of the lyrics (so much longing for something so ultimately empty). It's definitely going to be a while before it's ready, though, so I'm looking for something in-between to learn in the meantime...I'm kind of leaning towards an acoustic version of Coldplay's "The Scientist", since the focus is on the lyrics and you can play it fairly simply, but I'm open to other suggestions. What's a relatively simple song you think might sound good on an acoustic?
Still, even to my untrained ear, the notes didn't seem to be ringing out properly, so I figured I should go ahead and change them, even if I wasn't 100% certain it was necessary. Part of the reason I was hesitant is that string-changing is kind of a pain in the ass...well, not "kind of". It is a pain in the ass. But it's also probably the best way to get to know your instrument intimately. Improperly finished slots in the nut that cause string bindings, loose tuning machines, pegs that don't stay in (or are jammed in so tightly you can't get them out without pliers)...it all comes to light when you change the strings. (Not unlike the first time caring for your partner when they get really ill, come to think of it...)
And that's how I came to be sitting on the floor under the lamp futzing with the string winder when I felt something crawling on my bare foot. I didn't think a whole lot of it - it's bug season in Arizona, and I'd just been poking at some harmless bug or other that had eventually crawled under the lamp. Figuring it was just my earlier friend come to play again, I lifted the neck of my guitar...and found a GIANT FUCKING SCORPION sitting there going "Yo, sup."
My immediate fear (that he would crawl up my pant leg - suddenly I'm beginning to see the attraction of skinny jeans despite being a solid boot-cut girl) fortunately turned out to be unfounded, as he promptly made his way up my leg on the outside of my jeans. Doing my best to move smoothly despite the sudden jolt of adrenaline, I grabbed the bit of cardboard that my strings came in, brushed him off my leg, and asked Brian to keep an eye on him while I got the vacuum cleaner. Apparently they're actually relatively docile, compared to other stinging insects - he didn't even go into fighting stance until Brian poked at him with my yoga mat. I sucked him up with the vacuum cleaner, took him outside, and dumped him over the side of the railing; we've been having tons of tiny little ants all over our garden, so maybe he'll do some good out there.
Then I promptly sat down and had an attack of the heebie-jeebies. Normally I try to live and let live where bugs are concerned, and spiders (of the non-venomous variety) don't bother me one bit. Even centipedes and scorpions I'll just try to catch and relocate outside. But it was ON MY FOOT. Eugh. I'm just glad I looked and saw what it was before trying to brush it off with my hand.
Once that was done with, though, I finished restringing Kalia, and was pleased to immediately hear a very large difference in tone - much brighter and more bell-like. Additionally, she's a beautifully finished guitar; I didn't have a single string bind while I was tuning them, the pegs all came out easily (and stayed in when replaced), and the action on the tuning machines was smooth as silk. I can see why Takamine's Japanese guitars are so generally sought-after; it absolutely feels like a quality instrument made with pride in craftsmanship.
As to the actual playing...I've gotten one simple song pretty well down (if not recorded) towards my goal of three by September. As for a second, I've been spending a lot of time working on the riff for Mr. Jones. It's a simple chord structure but a tricky strum pattern and an especially tricky melody line (thank you, jazz improv lessons!); plus it goes FAST, with almost no time to switch between chords. I very much want to have it in my reportoire, though; in addition to being a good song to show off a bit, I think it'd be great fun to perform - there's that odd dissonance between the happy bouncy hook and the minor key chords, which so nicely reflects the tragic dissonance of the lyrics (so much longing for something so ultimately empty). It's definitely going to be a while before it's ready, though, so I'm looking for something in-between to learn in the meantime...I'm kind of leaning towards an acoustic version of Coldplay's "The Scientist", since the focus is on the lyrics and you can play it fairly simply, but I'm open to other suggestions. What's a relatively simple song you think might sound good on an acoustic?
