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Archives for October 2007

Trying out Thumb picks

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While looking for thumb picks to try and spice up my picking style, I came across the regular/traditional plastic ones and the newer look and feel plastic and metal ones.

I know that you’ve all seen the plastic thumb picks before and they all seem to have the same feel to them. When you put them on they have this loose tension to them. It has the illusion that it would slide off my thumb fairly easily and that poses a problem with me. While playing hockey I tend to almost squeeze the sap out of it when playing and I bring that attitude to my guitar game.

The one that Tim Cameron directed me to was the National “L” one. nationalthumbpick.jpg

This one has a different feel to it all together. It has a nice firm feel all the way around your thumb, but the exposed pick maybe a little bit too big and clunky for my liking.

The next one that I was shown was a little bit unique from your everyday thumb pick. This one is called the PROPIK.

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The one to the left is called a Good Grip Thumb Pick.

I liked this one because it allows me to adjust the tension of it to my liking. The best feature of this one is that the exposed pick that I will attack the strings with is smaller then most thumb picks.

I do not need a big clumsy thing on my thumb that is not as precise as a regular guitar pick. Therefore I give this product one thumbs up! Get it?

If you use any of these picks, please let us know the pros and cons of each one!

Keep on Jammin’




New Look

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So what do you think of the new look of Guitar Licks?

I think it’s much better than the old look! When I created this blog my wife quickly picked out a theme and we realized fairly fast that we really didn’t like the look of the theme. Unfortunately I don’t do any of the design work. Tricia does all of that stuff. She’s been so busy with her other blogs that she just didn’t have time to get around to changing this theme. It’s always been on the list … but ya know, other things come up and a big job like this gets pushed aside.

Anyway, she worked all evening modifying a theme for this site. I like it.

Searching for new guitar picks

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As you know I’m trying to add a little something to my guitar picking techniques. I went to the 12th fret in Toronto and looked at some unique picks that I have or have not used in the past. As usual Mr Tim Cameron was the one who stepped up to the plate and let me delve into his insight of guitar picks and styles.

I had told him that I was trying to use a regular pick with thumb and index finger then move it to the ring and pinkie. He then tried to show me his way while playing air guitar,but then he decided to pick up a guitar beside him in order to show me the fine details.

He tends to grasp the pick with his index finger and then he closes his hand to where the knuckle and palm of his hand meet. It’s almost like making a fist, but he uses all the other fingers to pick.I never thought about way this, but the only problem with this is that I want to use my index finger while picking.

He uses a Snarling Dogs Brain pick that has tons of grip on the top portion of the pick. Check this out and look at the larger view. I’ve never seen, heard of or played with this type of pick before, but if you are a player who sweats a lot while playing then this IS the pick for you.

fenderheavy.jpg He then showed me the traditional Fender HEAVY pick, that has a tortoise shell swirly design. It has a Reuleaux triangle configuration.

This pick is just about the correct size I need, but it is too smooth to move back and forth from the intended positions. If it had finger grip patterns on it, it would be not bad. I bought it anyway and will try it out for a while.

Next topic will be the traditional and non-traditional thumb picks.

Keep on Jammin’

Indie Update – read about up and coming Indie Bands

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You just have to love Indie music! Since the turn of the millennium Indie bands have been using the Internet to promote their music and they’ve been quite successful. Their success of course is directly related to consumers use of the internet as a medium for listening to new music, gathering current information about bands and of course buying the music produced by these bands.

Another great thing about the success of Indie music on the internet is that these bands don’t have to bow down to the rules of the big labels. They can stay true to their music. Some of these brave souls just like to create music to be appreciated and listened to while someone else takes the spot light, no biggie for them.

I recently visited the indie music blog. It’s official name is Indie Update. On this site you’ll find honest articles and opinions about up and coming Indie bands.

One of the write ups – The onerepublic review – talks about how this indie band has had great success on MySpace and how Myspace is offering Indie bands a great new way to gain exposure. I believe that each of the Indie band articles on this blog have a link to each bands MySpace page where you can listen to samples of the bands music and learn more about the band members.

I was captivated by the Indie Music history series. In this series of post you can read how Indie music came about and how it’s evolved from the 1960’s to the present day. The author has really done their research for these Indie Music History posts. I’m sure you’ll be fascinated when you read them.

If you enjoy Indie Music I think you’ll want to bookmark or subscribe to the Indie Music blogs rss feed so that you can keep up with the latest Indie bands on the scene.

The Guitarist

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Mark Goffeney is definitely in the running for my vote for the most unique guitarists to have come around in quite some time.

I saw this somewhere and when I saw it I knew that I had to post about it.

I mean have you ever tried this feat, no pun intended!

It is hard but this guy makes it look just plain old easy? Check out his site and enjoy the show!

Mark also has a great myspace account.

Keep on Jammin’ indeed!

G & L Guitars

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Has anyone out there heard of this guitar maker? I found out about these guys through a patient that I was taking back to their room after a procedure. The patient was a bass player and said that it was the pride of the collection. So curious about it I went and googled it.

To my amazement the makers were none other them Leo Fender – Maker of all pre-CBS Fender as well as Music Man instruments – and George Fullerton.

Leo Fender, we all know who he is but, the other guy, not so much. George Fullerton is the co-creater of the Fender Stratocaster. Not a bad thing to have as a lasting legacy of a man now is it!

G & L was the result of Leo having to sell his company in 1965 due to health problems that he was having in the early 60’s. It was started up in 1980 at the same location that had housed his Clarence Leo Fender Research (CLF) facility.

Some of the musicians who use these beauty’s are personal favorites of mine. For example:

Carl Perkins, Canada’s own Gord Sinclair (The Tragically Hip), Peter Frampton and Bob Mayo (Peter Frampton Band), Neal Schon (Journey), Davey Johnstone (Elton John band), Gary Hewitt (Gary Allan Band) and all the guitarists from Aerosmith and INXS. Just to name a few.

If you happen to come across this post and own one of these beauty’s PLEASE write a comment here about your experiences about your axe. We’d really like to hear from you, please?

Keep on Jammin’

Funny thing happened on the way to the Vatican

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Well my mother works in a church and the church decided hey, why not go the the Vatican for a holiday! She also had the idea in he head that mys sister’s son A.J. who is half Italian, might be interested in going to Italy and maybe see some relatives there time permitting. Nice idea there mom!

A.J., is a great kid around 17 years old. He is unbelievably smart but not too ambitious. He has some great taste in music and tried the guitar but dropped it early in his oh too short career. He is a really cool kid!

So last night as they boarded the chartered bus to take them to the airport, my dad and aunt Helen saw them off and then went home to have a cup of tea. After wards they would then go out for dinner at my Aunt’s favorite restaurant, dad’s treat.

So, A.J., my mom and around 27 older people (yes 27 older people) were finally off to see the Pope!

Back at home having their tea 1/2 an hour later, my aunt was reminiscing about the time she and her mother went to Rome and had the time of her life! “Oh the places we went, the art we saw and we met the Pope!” she said to my father! Screeeeech! They then heard the sound of thump, thump, thump, getting louder, louder and louder!

The door swung open, my mom flew by both of them with their tea cups just about in front of their mouths, grabbed something from the bedroom while screaming something unbecoming of my her and then said “A.J. forgot his wallet” all while running back out the back door!

My dad and aunt looked through the dinning room window towards the front of the house only to see the charted bus stopped there with the bus door open, the driver and some of the passengers looking perturbed and A.J. was looking out his window with a smile on his face! Priceless!

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I wonder if the Pope had good old A.J. in mind when he was thinking this one up?

Keep on Praying!!!

Repositoning pick from 4/5th finger to regular position

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My question to all of you guitarists out there is, does anyone out there place their guitar picks in between their 4th and 5th (consider their thumb as 1st finger etc.) finger while using their remaining fingers to play bare finger picking during certain parts of a song?

I’ve been trying different ways to bring the pick from the 4/5th fingers up to the regular position for years with very slow results.

I am just missing a fine detailed part of the process to make it flow effortlessly.

Can anyone out their give me a different aspect on how to do this?

If someone knows of a video on line to assist me I’d be in their debt forever.

Keep on Jammin’

Saga, 30th Anniversary Tour

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I was made aware of the Saga concert on the morning of the show.

Tony, God bless that guy, called me on Saturday morning and asked if we were going to see them that night. I had told him that I knew nothing of the show and hung up to get some tickets on-line.

My wife was not feeling up to going to the show so I naturally decided to contact my keyboardist friend Rick to drag him along.

The tickets were $20.00 Can. the seating was in general admission. We were one the first one’s there so we decided to stand beside the stage. We waited for a long time until Tony,the old keyboardist from Pylis and his beautiful wife Laurie to meet us there.

Last time we saw Saga live was around 2 years ago at the Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Toronto. That night we stood on the right side of the stage were Ian Crichton the guitarist traditionally played. Tony wanted us to be on Ian’s side of the stage so I could be amazed by his wizardry. At this point I was recovering from a heart problem and I thought that it was really nice of my old buddy to be thinking in this way!

This time I thought we should be on the keyboardist Jim Gilmour’s side because of Tony’s nice gesture the last time we saw the boys in the band.

We were around 15 feet, yes 15 feet away from him and it was wonderful vantage point to see the band from. Tony couldn’t have been happier.

Here is the set that they played that night!

Trust
That’s as far as I’ll go
Wind him up
Your not alone
The one
The Perfectionist
Conversations
Scratching the surface He did this solo and it was dedicated to a married couple that he knew.
The Flyer
The Perfectionist
The Runaway
See them smile
Compromise
Careful where you step
Don’t be late

Don’t be late is my favorite Saga of all time! It really was the best song that I have ever played then and now!!!

Encore
Humble stance
On the Loose

The end of a Rocking Roll/Progressive Rock era ladies and gentlemen.

Keep on Rockin’ Saga!

Off to see Saga

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Earlier this morning my old friend and keyboard player from Pylis gave me an unexpected call. He informed me that Saga was playing tonight at a great venue called Jeff Healey’s Roadhouse in downtown Toronto. He said that he got some tickets for him and his wife and wanted to know if we were interested in going. I asked my wife and she was not feeling up to it due to her illness

I’ve never been there but it has been house to many a great band. It holds up to 600 guests and it has been up and running for many years now.

Get back to you soon!

Keep on Jammin’


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