As we chatted she shared how she went to see a cousin of hers play at the Apollo. The family was excited to see him but even more excited to see him win. This amazing young man plays the guitar. So, I wanted to go inside and tell my husband all about it but I decided to show him instead.

So, here is a clip of this young player who I know will only get better and famous in the future. So, as you read this my babyboomer guitar lover be encouraged to know that your desire to play will result in some great sounds if you go back to your lessons. As you look at this truly gifted young man may it remind you to keep a youthful attitude and determined spirit.

Since we know some of the family, Ray, if you practice real hard maybe they could arrange for you to do a jam session with him. Check out how he brings some interesting technique to his playing.

I want to win a relic from Rittenhouse Guitar from http://www.rittenhouseguitars.com They must do a lot to make a Relic at Rittenhouse Guitars. This expert show just how much has to be done to get the relic look. I hope to win one from Rittenhouse Guitars.

A midlife guitarist needs a relic guitar because the get better with age.

Jaco Pastorius Playing the best instrument ever made, with skill and showmanship. Think about our servicemen and women this July 4.

Since that time I have purchased my own guitars.  But if she had this interesting article I think I would have been really impressed. Don’t get me wrong, I was impressed with her desire to make me happy in my middle years. What a woman! (Hope she is reading this)

But do check out this article featured in My Central Jersey Online Publication on How to Buy a Guitar.

Please add your insights, remember, I am still learning and don’t know when the name Ray Horner Jr. will appear on a music billboard.  But this fine artist and wanna be guitar player will play the guitar at my own art exhibit one day. But only after I play the blues for my wife.

This is how you can play the guitar without hands. It helps if your teacher’s name is Jimi Hendrix.

Microphone Techniques For Acoustic Guitars by Victor Epand

Guitar is a very old musical instrument. It is normally played in an unplugged way. But when played in a show, a microphone is also used. Otherwise the sound will not reach every listener. Acoustic guitars have a unique sound.

Microphones sometimes cause different kinds of problems. And for that reason, the use of a proper microphone is ensured for acoustic guitars. Here we will talk about different microphone techniques for acoustic guitars.

The acoustic guitar delivers a varied range of frequencies. The range is from under 100hz to the extent which is not audible to human beings. The resonance of the largest string delivers low frequencies and the plucking system delivers the high frequencies. In most types of acoustic guitars, the sound hole generates the bass sound.

This instrument has always been so popular that people have thought of making some microphone which will not harm the sound of this instrument. And for this reason, a lot of experiments were made on microphones.

After a lot of experiments, dynamic and condenser microphones were made. These two microphones are suitable for acoustic guitars. But among these two, the condenser microphone delivers the most detailed and the brightest sound.

There are small and large diaphragm microphones available. Both of them are perfect for acoustic guitars. But while playing the lead portion of the acoustic guitar, if you stroke the string hard, then a sharp transient will be produced. It is louder than the sustain portion of the waveform. This will not sound well at the time of recording. So it will be better if you use the dynamic microphones for playing the lead portion.

To get a good sound out of the microphone, it is necessary to know where you should keep the microphone. If you keep the mike just in front of the sound hole, then the guitar will create a very dark, boomy sound. Just like that if you put it in front of the neck then it will produce a thin sound. Even the surrounded portion of the bridge will not be able to produce a proper sound, if you put the mike there.

Actually the proper microphone technique for acoustic guitars depends on the instrument itself and the playing pattern. That means it depends also on whether the instrument will be strummed or plucked, and on the music style and the recording place. The perfect place for a microphone is one to two feet away from the acoustic guitar. The mike must be pointing at a place somewhere between the sound hole and the very place where the neck of the guitar meets its body.

If you use a directional mike, then you have to adjust the distance, to make a balance between the proximity effect and the room ambiance. If you use an omni microphone for acoustic guitars, then you will be able to put it closer to the instrument and also will get a sound which is pretty much well balanced.

The most common microphone technique for acoustic guitars is the use of two microphones. One will be closer to the guitar and the other will be a bit far away.

But the interesting thing about microphone techniques is that you do not always have to use all these existing styles. You can try some technique of your own. And perhaps one day you will be able to make a microphone technique that will help many acoustic guitar players.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for music gear, speakers, and microphones. You can find the best marketplace for music gear, speakers, and microphones at these 3 sites: music gear, DJ equipment, recording equipment, speakers, subwoofers, and microphone techniques.

Article Source: Articles for Boomers

I have been  challenged of my guitar’s playabilty. As a beginner I found that by changing my strings to lighter DR Rare Phosphor Broze Lite Acoustic Guitar Strings it made fretting a lot easier. After installing these strings WOW what a difference.

My Entry level Fender acoustic kit guitar sounds cleaner. it is like a have new guitar. I will most likely work with these strings for a while. If you are a beginner like myself before going out and buying a new guitar try changing the strings and listen to the results. Also  the cool thing about the lighter strings is that the bendable blues stuff is easier.

The folks at the Music store lead me in the right direction this time.

Ray Horner Jr.