Ear Protection For The Guitarist





New Page 1

All Ears by Mike Glendinning
 
I moved to Albany, CA in March of 1996. My new home was a good 20 miles from where I once lived. Being in my early 20’s, I was eager to get some kind of music job. I was curious to find out whom I could meet and what I could learn about this instrument that I had been obsessed with most of my life. After a month I landed a job testing equipment at a Wireless company East of San Francisco. On the morning of the first day of my new job I remember watching a TV commercial with Primus Bassist Les Claypool speaking about hearing loss. Almost 10 years later I’ve taken a hearing test to find out that I have the hearing of a 54 year old in my left ear. What happened?
 
In the 10 years since my “Music Job” that I no longer have, to the present where I teach guitar and perform at least 3 times a week, I see a lot of the mistakes that I made. I hope you will take my advice and do yourself a huge favor and learn from the mistake I made. If I had been more careful then, perhaps I wouldn’t have to be so paranoid now. The good news is that if I play my cards right, as an old man I’ll have the hearing of a 54 year old. If you take my advice you won’t have to deal with this when you hit 30.
 
Below is a list of situations that other musicians and I have been in on a regular basis and my advice on how you can save your hearing.
 
  1. Turn it down! Think of it this way regarding headphones: With the music playing, take them off and hold them about 2 feet away from your ears. If you can still hear the music coming out of them, it’s too loud. If you are practicing and the sound is louder than a regular household vacuum cleaner then it’s too loud.
  2. Hearing protection: I have seen people run sound boards in some of the areas finest and they all have one thing in common… Loud noises will happen! Wether it’s someone unplugging a guitar through a direct box and its not turned down or mic feed back. If you are in the audience ware earplugs. I recommend something that filters out about 30 DBs. If the music is still too loud go outside and enjoy the music. If enough people go outside because of the noise, maybe that will give the club owner a clue. Being onstage is different, because you need to hear yourself and your band mates, so I recommend High Fidelity Ear Filters. They cut out about 12 Decibels so if things feedback your not completely screwed. With all earplugs, make sure you read the instructions on putting them in and taking them out. Either way, do it correctly so you don’t hurt yourself. One big problem I’ve run into over the years is at rehearsal. Taking your earplugs in and out of your ears can be a huge pain, so I recommend using Head muffs. The kind you use at a shooting range so you can put them on fast if some oaf starts to make noise without warning you.
  3. As guitar players we all find ourselves in situations like having to play through someone else’s amp and maybe the treble is too high. Or it could be a jam where they plug you into a direct box and the monitor is pushing out a lot of highs. I recommend spending the money on an EQ box. Boss makes a great one for about $150.
 
About a year ago I went to a workshop on how to run a band. One of the speakers was showing the class how to communicate with people you are playing with and I asked him what he used for earplugs. He looked at me like I was crazy, turned around and simply turned down his amp! He said, “Those are my earplugs!”

www.mikeglendinning.com
 



Free Video Guitar Lesson

Free Video Guitar Lesson

Acoustic Fingerpicking for Beginners Lesson 1a
by Lisa McCormick of GuitarTricks.com






Instructor: Lisa McCormick
Speciality: Acoustic Fingerpicking
Website: GuitarTricks.com

This four-step fingerpicking pattern is a powerful building block for fingerstyle guitar.

For this pattern, play the sixth string (Low E) with a downward pluck of your thumb. Next, pluck upwards on the first string (high E string) with your middle finger. Next, pluck downwards on the third string (G string) with your thumb. Lastly, pluck upwards on the second string (B string) with your index finger.

This pattern of four steps constitutes one half measure of music in 4/4 time. The count is: One And Two And. To complete a full measure, simply play the pattern again, with this count: Three And Four And.

Repeat this pattern over and over, trying to maintain a consistent rhythm, and gradually building up your speed.

COMMONLY ASKED FINGERPICKING QUESTIONS:

Q: I see you are using only your thumb, index, and middle fingers? I’ve seen some players use three fingers, plus the thumb. Which is correct?

A: There is no absolute right or wrong to this. You’ll hear opinions on both sides of the aisle. My personal preference is based on the tradition called “Travis Picking” named for guitarist Merle Travis. I personally feel this pattern of finger moves, which uses the thumb twice within the pattern, opens up more rhythmic possibilities as you get into more advanced techniques.

Q: What is "TRAVIS PICKING?"

A: The signature "Travis" move is that alternating thumb beat - the fact that your thumb does double-duty, alternating between the bass note, and the third string (or a variation of that) of the guitar. That provides a steady rhythm against which you can then add ornamentations, syncopation, melody, etc. Some students ask why they can't do these same patterns using three fingers, and the thumb on the bass note only. Technically you may be able to, but in so doing you compromise that steady "thump thump" of the Travis-style thumb beats.

Q: Is it necessary to have long fingernails to play fingerstyle guitar?

A: No. My personal preference is to have long-ish nails on the thumb, index, and middle fingers of my right hand. However, many players prefer to play with short nails. There is a difference in tone when using nails vs. not using nails. With nails, the tone is a bit crisper, without nails, it is a bit more muted. It’s a matter of personal preference.



A NOTE ABOUT THE LESSONS IN THIS SERIES:

This lesson is part of a tutorial called Acoustic Fingerpicking for Beginners, Level 1. These lessons were designed to be followed sequentially, with new skills and practice exercises building one upon the next.

The Acoustic Fingerpicking tutorial series also builds sequentially, from Level 1 to Level 2, and so on. If you are new to fingerpicking, this series will take you from the fundamental basics, and all the way through to a solid foundation of fingerpicking skills useful in playing folk and popular music.

You should feel free to proceed at your own pace, and to jump around within the tutorials, as you wish. You may want to return to various lessons from time to time to make sure you are on the right track before moving to more advanced skills.



For over 3000 lessons on every guitar style and technique visit Guitar Tricks.


Google
 
Webwww.guitarz-for-ever.com


Sheet Music Plus Featured Sale