By Doug Lloyd, Jr.
Welcome to Gnome Recording. In each issue of The Metro Gnome the Gnome will do his level best to answer your questions about recording and to discuss some of the basics of personal recording. Professional recording is best left to the professionals, I think you’ll agree, but many musos have the itch to record themselves or their band in a much more relaxed and less expensive atmosphere. Gnome Recording is for you if you want to record live performances of individuals or groups, or if you want to do home ‘studio’ recordings.
The Gnome wants to help you to make good recordings, and encourages you to use the Gnome Recording section of the Musician’s Forum to ask and answer questions about recording. All subjects related to recording technique and tips are open for discussion, and each will be explained in as much detail as possible. The Gnome will make sure the forum stays on track and within bounds.
Of course the internet is loaded with information on recording. The Gnome uses the internet a lot to get answers, and will share the link to any good information source. For instance, a simple search for acoustic recording techniques leads to http://www.humbuckermusic.com/acguitrectec.html which has an excellent write up by Michael Cooper. Michael is [apparently] a professional recording engineer, and the information in this article about mic placement is especially useful. At the same time though, Michael is talking about microphones mostly over US$500. The Gnome will concentrate on techniques and tips. You can get good results by using good technique even with less expensive equipment.
Alright – let’s get started….
Q: I record my acoustic guitar at home using an inexpensive cardioid mic. I’ve noticed that sometimes my recordings sound much better than at other times. What would cause this?
Now there’s a question we can really get into! The main question here is consistency of results, although the Gnome is pretty sure the total goal is consistently good quality recording. Consistency, however, can be considered independently, and it is important, so let’s give that a try. Here’s a list of things to consider:
1. Always record in the same room;
2. Always have doors, windows, curtains, and everything in the room in the same place and conditions (i.e., curtains always closed);
3. Always sit or stand in the same position in the room;
4. Always position the mic the same way;
5. Always use the same trim, volume, equalizer, etc., settings on the recorder.
Getting the idea? The way to consistent recordings is consistent surroundings and recorder settings. You could add ‘Always use the same equipment, including instrument, mic, recorder, cables, chair, music stand…’ If you are serious about consistency - and you should be - write down everything about the room, equipment and settings that you can. Create and maintain a checklist.
Consistency is necessary, of course, and should become second nature. Consistency is relatively easy in a home recording environment, because all of these elements can be controlled.
In the next Gnome Recording we will talk about improving the recording you do at home, once you’ve found a consistent method. There are things to consider about each of the items mentioned above, and we’ll talk about those things.
Gnome Links:
* If you are really interested in recording, then microphones will really important to you. Here is a great overview of microphones: http://arts.ucsc.edu/EMS/Music/tech_background/TE-20/teces_20.html
Showing posts with label Issue 1. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Issue 1. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Affordable 24 Track Digital Recording: The Tascam 2488
The Snapshot
Reasons to go digital:
* Improve recording quality - No hiss!
* Save time! - No rewind and fast forward time – instant reset to exactly where you want to be on the track
* Preserve your material – No degradation of quality or disintegration of material like you get with tape or vinyl
Who should use it?
* Young bands who don’t want to spend more money paying other people to put together their recordings or demos
* Anyone wanting to upgrade from analog to digital
* Professionals who need a simple, yet high quality way to produce demos before going into the studio
Strengths of the Tascam 2488:
* Tascam is a company known for its solid Portastudio home recording range
* Value for price – Currently retailing for less than A$100 per track, this is by far the most affordable 24 track digital recording equipment on the market
* Not bleeding edge technology – Tascam didn’t introduce this model early – they waited a few years more than others - the result is reduced bugs and improved functionality at a great price
Weaknesses:
* It’s not “point and shoot” – the advanced functions bring a level of complexity to running the system – but it’s not for beginners
The Detailed Review
The Metro Gnome went to The Guitar Hive in Ashfield to meet with professional musician, Ben Little, and to talk about his new toy, the Tascam 2488 Digital Portastudio™. When I arrived, Ben was leaning over the Tascam tweaking a few levels and punching a few buttons while his freshly recorded song was playing.
We do unconventional reviews at The Metro Gnome. We also publish more conventional ones. And we invite manufacturers to provide information about their own products in this section of The Metro Gnome.
Since the early 90s, Ben has recorded on a Tascam 488 – an analogue 8 - track unit that has served him well. The limitations of the older technology and the advantages of digital are what made Ben invest in the 2488. Besides only having 8 tracks, the unit only had 2 effects loops – a limitation the 2488 completely eliminates. Ben still uses the 488 and plans to for some time to come. “I have 12 years of songs and ideas recorded that can only be played on that machine. It’s a great archive.”
If he needs to, Ben can record the songs (or the individual tracks) from his analogue system to his computer as wave files and then can upload them to the 2488. This is a benefit of the set-up that Ben uses – he doesn’t use the Tascam 2488 alone – he uses it in conjunction with a program called WAVELAB on his computer.
We talked for a little while about how Ben is learning to use the 2488. His first bit of advice, simple and obvious, in a clear, unwavering voice, was to, “Read the fucking manual.” But even so, it seems that the only way to really learn how to use it is through trial and error.
Online forums are a great way to learn about the intricacies using of a new piece of equipment (or for investigating what equipment to buy). For the Tascam 2488 I found quite a few worthwhile forums. Here are 2 that had some pretty good content on them….
* http://www.tascam2488.com/
* http://www.homerecording.com/bbs/forumdisplay.php?f=11
So far Ben estimates that he’s spent about 5 hours on one song (including some general getting-to-know-you time) with the 2488 and he’s pretty happy with the results. But he knows that to record an album of his own material he’ll need to be able to use the 2488 as if it was second nature. So he plans on scheduling some time each week to dedicate himself to learning how the 2488 works. “I will be really confident with the functionality before I invite other musicians to record. Recording time should be spent on creating great music – if I have to concentrate too hard on the basics of capturing it – well, it’s a waste of everyone’s time.”
In each issue, Gnome Recording will cover different elements of the How To’s of recording. We’ll cover engineering, recording, mixing, mastering, producing, and (importantly) marketing. We’ll show you the best websites to visit and take you from the basics through to how the Pro’s do it. Stay tuned. And make sure you’ve subscribed to The Metro Gnome so you don’t miss out.
Ben then showed me how it all worked. His recording has 1 track with lead vocals and two with backing vocals. Then he has four tracks of guitar; one lead guitar, one guitar with chorus effects, and two grungy rhythm tracks. One track for bass and finally, three tracks for drums. One carries the bass drum and the top hat, which Ben says is a bit unconventional, but he did it this way this time…. The other one is for the snare drum. All done with an Alesis SR-16 drum machine, which Ben uses to create demos.
Ben can manipulate each track extensively, and he demonstrated a few techniques to me. For example, he isolated the bass guitar and the lead guitar and showed me how the lows on the rhythm guitars were conflicting with the bass line. So he tweaked them to eliminate the lows. This is basic recording stuff and I expect that every system can do it, but the Tascam menus were easy to understand and the interface was really easy to use.
I learned that each track can actually hold up to ten ‘virtual’ tracks on the Tascam, but once you want to “lay it down”, you choose one.
Ben wrote this song with particular vocal artist in mind and the Tascam 2488 is giving him to opportunity to share his vision for the song with that artist. “When he [the other artist] heard the song, he said that he liked it. He asked me to add some fiddle and take out the lead vocal – that way he could add his own vocal to it.”
The only trouble Ben has had with the 2488 was in getting the CD writer to write. He worked around it for now (again he has the advantage of being connected to his computer and can easily send information from the 2488 to his DVD burner) and he’s convinced that it is a user problem rather than an equipment problem. But it was a frustrating roadblock and one he hadn’t expected. “I’ll figure it out,” he said, but you could tell he had spent more time on it already than he wanted to.
Overall, Ben is very pleased with the Tascam 2488. He knows he has a lot more to learn about how to use it, but he’s confident in his purchase decision. Based on what he’s told me so far, I reckon it’s a good machine for the money and that musicians experienced in recording will get a great deal of value out of it. It certainly isn’t for a novice – functionality-wise or budget-wise.
I think we’ll have visit with Ben again in a few months to see how he’s going on his album.
The Manufacturer’s Feature List for the Tascam 2488 Digital Portastudio
* 24-track recording at 44.1kHz/24-bit
* 36-channel mixer
* 3-band EQ on 24 channels, 8 inputs and tone generator with high and low sweepable shelving bands and full parametric mid band
* 3 aux sends on all channels except the effects return
* Loop effect provides reverb, delay, chorus and more on an aux send and return
* Up to 8 assignable dynamics processors for compression during recording or mixdown
* Assignable guitar multi-effects processor for distortion, flange, and more
* Dedicated stereo compressor on the stereo output
* 8 inputs: 4 XLR with phantom power, 4 - 1/4" mic/line inputs
* 20 - 45mm faders including master fader
* Large LCD display for viewing meters and edit parameters
* CD-RW drive to record mixdown, import/export WAV files and backup hard drive
* 64-voice General MIDI sound module
* Standard MIDI file player
* High-speed USB 2.0 jack connects to PC for data backup and SMF/WAV file transfer
Do you have feedback about this review? Or do you want to ask a question or make a comment about the Tascam 2488? Click here to go to the Musician’s Forum and post a comment.
Gnome Links:
* For more information on the Tascam 2488 Digital Portastudio go to:
o http://www.tascam.com/Products/2488.html
* You can read about the Alesis drum machine that Ben uses for demos here:
o http://www.alesis.com/products/sr16/
* Wavelab 5 by Steinberg is audio editing software. The manufacturer’s specs are here:
o http://www.steinberg.net/ProductPage_sb.asp?Product_ID=2181&Langue_ID=7
Jeff Scott Soto & Jack Daniels
By Michael Rootes
Headliner: Jeff Scott Soto
Support : Teargas
Thursday 2nd September 2004
The Marquee - Sydney, Australia
Ok, firstly let me set up a disclaimer.
With that info out of the way, here's some detail of what went on:
This was only the second time I have been to the Marquee since it's re-opening, and it's refreshing to have a have a Sydney venue prepared to support live music (of all styles) with a primary focus on ROCK.
Support band Teargas opened the night with a bombastic mix of classic 80's style melodic metal in the style of Dokken and Leatherwolf. It's the first time I've seen the Melbourne band live and although the execution wasn't completely faultless the enthusiasm of the band was infectious. With dueling guitars, a driving rhythm section, and vocal harmonies pushing through each song, it was a perfect lead in to Jeff Scott Soto.
Jeff Scott Soto has a 20+ year career as one of hard rock's premier vocalists. He has sung with Yngwie Malmsteen, Takara, Talisman, and Alex Rudi Pell. He has also contributed vocally to several Queen tribute conventions and albums – a testimony to his strong vocal style and quality. He has released several solo albums and has an upcoming project with Neil Schon (Journey, Bad English) in Soul Sirkus. As well as contributing backing vocals to many other artists’ albums and handling the majority of the vocal duties in the recent Hollywood blockbuster movie "Rock Star." (You remember? The 2001 movie starring Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston – it was loosely based on the inner workings of Judas Priest…Well, maybe you don’t remember. Maybe you never knew. I’ll put a link at the bottom.)
Enter the Jeff Scott Soto band, immediately blasting into Talisman's "Break Your Chains," and setting up the feel and style of the evening. Yep, it's traditional classic melodic hard rock - you know, the stuff you don't hear anymore. Big guitars, big solos, big hook lines, big harmonies all delivered in time, in tune, and note perfect. Yeah ... the band can play, no doubt there.
It's a traditional 5 piece setup: twin guitars, bass, drums, and vocals. The initial tone at the gig’s outset was absolutely bludgeoning both in volume and presence. There initially wasn't a lot of separation. It took a couple of songs for the mix to be adjusted appropriately. I found myself moving around the room looking for the sweet spot. Fortunately this didn't take too long to get sorted out.
Guitar tone wise we were treated to dueling Fender Strats with crunching rhythm. One through a Marshall head and quad the other an ENGL head and quad. The traditional Fender / Marshall high gain sound definitely gave a slightly more liquid tone for the solos (obviously suiting the Yngwie elements perfectly). The rhythm guitar had a slightly scooped mid section while the lead had much more mid range to cut through on the solos. Generally it had the twin guitar balance, and, overall, the tone was very solid but without being spectacular.
(For the last paragraph, apologies to non-frustrated guitarists, who are currently asking what the hell a crunchy, liquid scoop is. Frankly I'm not sure either, but it sounded good at the time.... But I digress. Back to the aimless ramble….)
Jeff continued to run through a "best of" his career with my personal favs being "Believe in Me" from his new Lost In Translation album, as well as several covers from artists as varied as Seal, Judas Priest, Journey, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Sammy Hagar's contribution to the Rockstar movie soundtrack, "Stand Up." This range of artists and styles were covered with great accuracy. Never did you feel that Jeff was out of his league and it was quick to see why he has been one of the prolific hard rock vocalists of the last 20 years.
Although the band put in great effort into every song the main missing ingredient of the evening was the crowd participation and feedback. I found this to be the only frustrating part of the evening. Now I know that this style of music is "Becoming more selective!" (Pop culture reference No.2 – hey, I've got a million of them.)
Ok... so the crowd wasn't huge but the lack of crowd reaction throughout the gig was ordinary. I don't think this can be attributed to the band, ‘cause they worked their ass off and the execution was as you would you expect of a band with this many runs on the board. The Metro Gnome team found this frustrating to say the least, especially during the call and response of Talisman's "I'll Be Waiting." There was plenty of call but when it came to response you could hear the crickets chirping. I don't think this was due to a lack of crowd appreciation but a lack of familiarity with a lot of the material being presented.
This leads me to one of the highlights of the evening, the Yngwie medley. Now every gig of this type has the danger of the infamous "Cringe Factor." Let's face it - Yngwie is regarded as a guitar great and virtuoso, no arguments (hey just ask him how great he is, he's happy to tell anyone who'll listen), but some of the lyrics on his records leave a lot to be desired. Anyone who can sing "I am a Viking" and keep a straight face in 2004 deserves a lot of credit.
Fortunately the virtuosity and class of the classic Yngwie tunes outweigh some of the lyrics. Now the crowd was very familiar with this range of classic material, and it was received very well.
After the encore Jeff showed his expansive vocal and stylistic range again by running through a medley of covers but this time with tongue firmly placed in cheek, covering funk, pop, dance, and - for Christ sake - even covering some New Kids on the Block. (Sorry for bringing up a musical atrocity like that, it makes me want to puke as well, but trust me the band made sure it was a complete piss take). Fortunately they stopped the song to advise everyone how crap it was. As I said, tongue in cheek and a fun moment.
Over all a great night out - not a classic gig but just a pleasure for starved Australian rock fans to see such an accomplished hard rock vocalist perform locally. For this, thanks must go to Andrew at melodicrock.com for going to the effort to bring Jeff out for an Australian tour.
Gnome Links:
Headliner: Jeff Scott Soto
Support : Teargas
Thursday 2nd September 2004
The Marquee - Sydney, Australia
Ok, firstly let me set up a disclaimer.
- I'm a Jeff Scott Soto fan (and a tragic patron of the metal and shredding arts).
- The Metro Gnome review team (both avid Melodic Hard Rock fans) was contacted the following day by the Guinness records people for giving the Jack Daniels consumption record a real shake on the night of the gig.
With that info out of the way, here's some detail of what went on:
This was only the second time I have been to the Marquee since it's re-opening, and it's refreshing to have a have a Sydney venue prepared to support live music (of all styles) with a primary focus on ROCK.
Support band Teargas opened the night with a bombastic mix of classic 80's style melodic metal in the style of Dokken and Leatherwolf. It's the first time I've seen the Melbourne band live and although the execution wasn't completely faultless the enthusiasm of the band was infectious. With dueling guitars, a driving rhythm section, and vocal harmonies pushing through each song, it was a perfect lead in to Jeff Scott Soto.
Jeff Scott Soto has a 20+ year career as one of hard rock's premier vocalists. He has sung with Yngwie Malmsteen, Takara, Talisman, and Alex Rudi Pell. He has also contributed vocally to several Queen tribute conventions and albums – a testimony to his strong vocal style and quality. He has released several solo albums and has an upcoming project with Neil Schon (Journey, Bad English) in Soul Sirkus. As well as contributing backing vocals to many other artists’ albums and handling the majority of the vocal duties in the recent Hollywood blockbuster movie "Rock Star." (You remember? The 2001 movie starring Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston – it was loosely based on the inner workings of Judas Priest…Well, maybe you don’t remember. Maybe you never knew. I’ll put a link at the bottom.)
Enter the Jeff Scott Soto band, immediately blasting into Talisman's "Break Your Chains," and setting up the feel and style of the evening. Yep, it's traditional classic melodic hard rock - you know, the stuff you don't hear anymore. Big guitars, big solos, big hook lines, big harmonies all delivered in time, in tune, and note perfect. Yeah ... the band can play, no doubt there.
It's a traditional 5 piece setup: twin guitars, bass, drums, and vocals. The initial tone at the gig’s outset was absolutely bludgeoning both in volume and presence. There initially wasn't a lot of separation. It took a couple of songs for the mix to be adjusted appropriately. I found myself moving around the room looking for the sweet spot. Fortunately this didn't take too long to get sorted out.
Guitar tone wise we were treated to dueling Fender Strats with crunching rhythm. One through a Marshall head and quad the other an ENGL head and quad. The traditional Fender / Marshall high gain sound definitely gave a slightly more liquid tone for the solos (obviously suiting the Yngwie elements perfectly). The rhythm guitar had a slightly scooped mid section while the lead had much more mid range to cut through on the solos. Generally it had the twin guitar balance, and, overall, the tone was very solid but without being spectacular.
(For the last paragraph, apologies to non-frustrated guitarists, who are currently asking what the hell a crunchy, liquid scoop is. Frankly I'm not sure either, but it sounded good at the time.... But I digress. Back to the aimless ramble….)
Jeff continued to run through a "best of" his career with my personal favs being "Believe in Me" from his new Lost In Translation album, as well as several covers from artists as varied as Seal, Judas Priest, Journey, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Sammy Hagar's contribution to the Rockstar movie soundtrack, "Stand Up." This range of artists and styles were covered with great accuracy. Never did you feel that Jeff was out of his league and it was quick to see why he has been one of the prolific hard rock vocalists of the last 20 years.
Although the band put in great effort into every song the main missing ingredient of the evening was the crowd participation and feedback. I found this to be the only frustrating part of the evening. Now I know that this style of music is "Becoming more selective!" (Pop culture reference No.2 – hey, I've got a million of them.)
Ok... so the crowd wasn't huge but the lack of crowd reaction throughout the gig was ordinary. I don't think this can be attributed to the band, ‘cause they worked their ass off and the execution was as you would you expect of a band with this many runs on the board. The Metro Gnome team found this frustrating to say the least, especially during the call and response of Talisman's "I'll Be Waiting." There was plenty of call but when it came to response you could hear the crickets chirping. I don't think this was due to a lack of crowd appreciation but a lack of familiarity with a lot of the material being presented.
This leads me to one of the highlights of the evening, the Yngwie medley. Now every gig of this type has the danger of the infamous "Cringe Factor." Let's face it - Yngwie is regarded as a guitar great and virtuoso, no arguments (hey just ask him how great he is, he's happy to tell anyone who'll listen), but some of the lyrics on his records leave a lot to be desired. Anyone who can sing "I am a Viking" and keep a straight face in 2004 deserves a lot of credit.
Fortunately the virtuosity and class of the classic Yngwie tunes outweigh some of the lyrics. Now the crowd was very familiar with this range of classic material, and it was received very well.
After the encore Jeff showed his expansive vocal and stylistic range again by running through a medley of covers but this time with tongue firmly placed in cheek, covering funk, pop, dance, and - for Christ sake - even covering some New Kids on the Block. (Sorry for bringing up a musical atrocity like that, it makes me want to puke as well, but trust me the band made sure it was a complete piss take). Fortunately they stopped the song to advise everyone how crap it was. As I said, tongue in cheek and a fun moment.
Over all a great night out - not a classic gig but just a pleasure for starved Australian rock fans to see such an accomplished hard rock vocalist perform locally. For this, thanks must go to Andrew at melodicrock.com for going to the effort to bring Jeff out for an Australian tour.
Gnome Links:
- To look up if The Metro Gnome review team actually did break a Jack Daniel’s drinking record, click here:
- If you’ve never heard of Jeff Scott Soto (“Who’s he?” is not an uncommon response), you can learn about him here:
- OK – now you can have a listen to JSS in Rock Star. The pop-up on this page has the vocals…. Happy listening! Welcome to the 80’s!
- If you have the urge and want to write a review for The Metro Gnome, go for it, and send it here:
- If you like Jeff Scott Soto (or Van Halen or Journey) then you probably already know about melodicrock.com, but if you don’t, click here:
- And now, the one you’ve all been waiting for… the link to listen to Yngwie! Hear what this guitar legend is all about:
An Interview with Dai Pritchard
On Wednesday evenings, Dai Pritchard takes the stage by himself at St. Patrick's Tavern in downtown Sydney. Actually, he sets up on the dance floor in front of the stage in a comfortable manner – like he’s just mingling with the punters. From the start, Dai confidently plays his Maton acoustic with a consistent rhythm, accompanied by an impressive mix of finger-picking, lead breaks and harmonics. He sings songs of old in his own style (Cat Stevens, Lou Reed, Otis Redding). And every now and then, he slips in a newie (Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jack Johnson).
Dai spent July in Europe on tour with Rose Tattoo doing 30 shows in 35 days. So The Metro Gnome caught up with him to find out what makes Dai tick.
TMG: Let’s start with Rose Tattoo…. How cool was it to be asked to go on tour with the Tatts? How did it happen?
DP: Well, I had about 2 weeks notice. It’s really funny, I’d been trying to get in there for years and years. Since I was a kid, that was the one band I’ve always wanted to play with. I used to tell everyone that, before I die, I wanna play with the Tattoos just once. I’ve always let DeMarco know; I’ve known him for the last 10-12 years because of the connection with Thorpie. He always knew. I’d say, “Listen if Pete ever gets sick or Rob Riley ever can’t do it, just give me a call.” And he always said that he would. And he did. He did! DeMarco gave me a call one day, about a year ago, and he said, “Mate, you could go on, so start learning.” So I thought, “Fuck!” I started playing everything. It turned out that Pete got better, but then I got a call 2 weeks before the tour. “Start learning. Learn all of the hits because you and 2 other guys got to audition for the gig.” So I start learning all of the stuff and then DeMarco calls me up the next day and says. “Right-o, next Wednesday we’re auditioning at the Stage Door.” Then he rang me back the day after that and said , “Listen, don’t worry about the audition, you’ve got the gig.” I know Rob Riley, the other guitar player, really well and I know Kingy, the bass player. So when De Marco said to the guys, “Why don’t we just get Dai to do it” and they said, “Yeah, let’s get him to do it.”
So I had one rehearsal for about 4 hours with Angry. And then one without [Angry], but with Pete Wells - which was really cool. [Pete] came to the rehearsal and he showed me a few things which [were] really, really interesting. He’s a lovely man. There’s a couple of tricks that he does. He did one thing that freaked me out. I played a couple of tunes. He sorta sat back and watched. Anyway, he said, “You’re playing the parts alright, but can I have a look at your guitar? You see how this is perfectly in tune? Well we don’t want that. What you do is take the G string, alright, and you tune it a little bit flat.” And I said, “Why?” And he says, “’Cause it pisses them right off.” And it’s true; it’s part of the sound of things; it just creates a tension. So every night I would put the guitar on and get it all in tune, and as soon as I walked on stage I’d just flatten the G string a little bit. It is part of his sound. [Before Pete told me that,] I’d be playing the solos and be wondering, “What is that?” But it’s just that – he flattens the G string to create musical tension.
TMG: I hear your fingers got soft with all of the slide playing. When you got back home you had to build up the calluses again?
DP: I played slide the whole time. Pete hardly frets anything. Everything’s tuned to open E and every now and then he’ll fret a little bit, just on the 5th fret he’ll just hit an A chord. And that’s it. Everything’s just slide. I took my acoustic just so I’d have something to needle around with in the room. So I played that every now and again. But for the most part it was all slide.
TMG: You played with all your own guitars?
DP: Ah, no, I didn’t. I started with mine, I started with a white Strat. But Pete’s got a sound that’s really cutting. So luckily DeMarco brought a little Telecaster that he played I his room. So I used that ‘cause it’s got that really cutting Telecaster sound. And I did a lot of work with that.
TMG: What is your best memory of the tour?
DP: Angry. We did this live German TV show in Hanover. It was like a German The Panel. We played a couple of songs live to air. As people walked into the TV studio, there was a set of earplugs on every chair. They’d ask the questions to Angry in German and he had a translator in his ear. So they’re asking Angry a question, and it could have been something like, “So what do you think of the weather?” But Angry’s a real have-a-chat, and he’s gone into this huge extended answer. All of the people are looking at each other, and the host of the show sort of laughs and says something in German and they all start laughing. We asked someone, “What’d he say?” And he said, “That’s the longest answer to a simple question that I’ve every heard in my life.” Anyway, so everyone in the TV studio had a set of earplugs.
TMG: And was that for the noise coming from you guys?
DP: Well the announcer came on and said [Dai imitates a German accent], “Here is Rose Tattoo!” And the producers were off camera miming to the audience to put in the earplugs.
TMG: What was the worst part about the tour?
DP: Just fatigue, you know. You never get to sleep properly.
TMG: Did you spend a lot of time together with the rest of the band?
DP: We all had our own space, but, yes, absolutely. There’s a lot of time driving. We were in a Sprinter, which is like, a Tarago. So yeah, we got pretty close. You’ve got no choice. And the whole band is together the whole time. They’re a real band.
TMG: I Googled ‘Dai Pritchard,’ and you know there’s another Dai out there?
DP: Yes, an amazing instrumentalist. And there’s another one – a Welsh rugby player or something like that.
TMG: Is ‘Dai’ short for anything?
DP: It’s actually Welsh for David.
TMG: You’ve played with some pretty big names in the business (Billy Thorpe, Marcia Hines, Jimmy Barnes, Olivia Newton John, Glen Shorrock and Doug Parkinson to name a few). Do you play regularly as part of a band with these artists or is it more ad hoc? How does it work?
DP: I played with a lot of these people with The Long Way to the Top tour. I played with Marcia for Long Way and I’ve done a few corporate gigs with her as well doing Long Way songs. All the people who did Long Way tend to pull that band back together because we all know the stuff. So I’ve got a lot of the artists covered. In a few weeks, I’ve got a corporate gig at the Wentworth hotel with Glen Shorrock and that’s with the Long Way band.
TMG: Do these ‘stars’ call you themselves?
DP: Oh yeah. Like Parko. He just calls and says, “We’re getting the Long Way band together.” I did the Bali Bombing benefit on channel 7 with Marcia. Just me and her with an acoustic, just a duo; it was really nice.
TMG: Do you sing with all these guys?
DP: Oh, I didn’t sing with Marcia, ‘cause that would be a bit daunting. Marcia’s an amazing singer.
TMG: Can you take me through your musical background a little bit? How did you get started?
DP: I started when I was about 13. We had a big family, I was the second youngest out of 6 kids, and I was the only one who didn’t get music lessons. Everyone else got piano lessons, but no one really got into it, so I think my parents gave up on it by the time they got to me. But there was a guitar lying around, so I got into it. After a while I put it down, but I picked it up again when I was 15 because I went and saw Alice Cooper. Oh man! I saw these 2 guitar players and I said, “I wanna do that.” So I sold my prized possession, my ice hockey skates, the next day. [Later] I saw Hendrix on TV. He was already dead then, but I thought, “What’s this guy doing?” He was just going berserk. And that was it; I just wanted to be a guitar hero. I wanted to do that.
TMG: So how’d you learn how to play?
DP: I taught myself. I started with books and then listened to records. It was really hard back in those days because it was a record. You had to put the needle on, and put the needle on, and put the needle on. If you wanted to learn the solo for Stairway to Heaven, you had to wear the record out. To wear a groove in it. To slow the record down I’d put coins on the head. Weird shit like that. You worked around it; I played like that for years. And then I went to a guy named Paul Wiseman in Rockdale when I was about 19 and took some jazz lessons and stuff. Not that I was really into jazz, but it was to teach me about chords. I did that for awhile. Every now and then, if I have a slump, I still like to take lessons. When I hit a plateau, I’ll go and see someone like Deiter Kleeman (unless you’re a guitar player, you wouldn’t even know who he is - but he’s just a monster), and he’ll just shoot me off in another direction. The thing is, I play with a lot of guitar players, and you just learn from other guys. I’ll play acoustic with Randal Waller and he’s a monster. Rowen, Benny, they’re all good players and when you play with them, you feed off each other.
TMG: What other jobs have you had besides playing the guitar? When you started playing at 19, were you a professional player then?
DP: Oh shit no. I left school really young. I‘ve been a fisherman, a slaughterman, and I was a butcher for a long time. And just odd jobs and bits & pieces. And then I started playing and teaching – I still teach now.
TMG: You’re always working. How do you market yourself?
DP: It’s sort of funny. It’s a real slow process. I’m not a real self-promoter. I don’t have a website or anything like that. I’ve got business cards and that’s it. In this country, we’re lucky, because it’s very small, and the scene, well, people might whinge about it, but when you look overseas and when you come back you realise it’s not as bad as you think. It’s pretty healthy out there. I mean, I do between 4 and 6 gigs a week. Overseas, musicians are lucky if they get one. And they don’t get paid much – they get nothing.
TMG: Don’t you tell people when you’re available through email?
DP: Yeah, I’ll send out an email letting people know that I’m available. I’ll send it to people who I use and people who use me. Wednesday through to Sunday, I get what I call “panic calls” ‘cause I’m like “Captain Fill In” for everybody. I know a lot of people and I sing a lot of songs, so I’m like an instant band. If they get Dai, they know they’re going to get about 50 songs; so they book Dai. There’re probably a lot of guys that can play rings around me, but I just know lots of songs. And so, if I’ve only got, say, 4 gigs on, and I need a Thursday or the Friday, I’ll send emails to people and just let them know I’m available. Invariably I’ll get at least 1 gig out of it. Gigs come up on short notice.
TMG: How would you characterize your “stage attitude”? I’ve seen you on a big stage with Billy [Thorpe] and you seem to become a different person.
DP: Do I? See I don’t know, I don’t see myself. Take no prisoners and eat the wounded. [He laughs.] No seriously, I just get into the music.
TMG: How do you make sure your sound is exactly what you want?
DP: It’s good to have one guitar that you’ve had for a long time. It’s like an old shirt. I’ve had an old Fender, an old black Stratocaster, for a gazillion years – since I was about 19. It’s good to have one guitar you’re just comfortable with. I’ve got another one, it’s a Fender but it’s been customised by an Australian guy named Frank Grubisa , who’s a great guitar guy - Sydney-based, he’s great. For amps I predominantly use Marshalls. I’ve got a Laney as well, which is a good sounding amp, but I just like the sound of the old Marshall. I’ve used that for everything. I’ve done Marcia Hines with it - and Rose Tattoo and Billy Thorpe. Marshall’s are easy amps - made for dummies. I use different variations of pedals. I’ve got a floor gig with a wha pedal, that goes into an Ibenez TS9, which is a great overdrive pedal, and then into a Boss GT5 - I use that mainly for colouring, adding delays – things like that. Then it goes straight into the front of the Marshall. And that’s pretty much it.
TMG: Do you ever give direction to the front of house?
DP: No, not really. I just let them do it. It’s pretty point & shoot.
TMG: Do you do any writing? Any recording?
DP: I’ve done some original stuff. I had an original band in the 80s called Der Straza. I did that for a long time. I never really went out with covers; it was just originals in the 80s. And then I went onto the covers later. We made some singles. Actually we had a minor hit in Germany (our band had a German name); we were like the Australian version of 99 Luftballoons. I still write, but just for myself. I recorded some stuff with Mick and Billy. About 3 songs.
TMG: What about writing for other people? Do you ever submit your songs for others to play?
DP: Yeah, I’m actually going to do that. I’m going to start doing that this year for the next Rose Tattoo album. I’ve actually started writing with DeMarco. I tend to write the melody first. Then I’ll pick up the guitar and find the chords that fit what was in my head. I rarely write from the riff, which is really funny for a guitar player. Usually I write the hook line first, then the melody, then find the chords that suit that, and then I’ll go back and write the lyrics. That’s what most people listen to; it’s only guitar players who listen to the guitar.
TMG: Do you have any big projects?
DP: I might be going back to Europe with the original singer from AC/DC [Dave Evans]. There’s a big AC/DC convention over there later this year. The guy who took Rose Tattoo out to Europe asked if I’d be interested. So I could be doing that. And that’s about the only think going on.
TMG: So for years and years and years you’ve wanted to play with Rose Tattoo and now you’ve done it. What’s the next pinnacle?
DP: That’s it. I’m done. I’ve done it, man. Rose Tattoo again. I’ll have to play with them again. After the first gig I said to the band, “25 years…. 25 years!” They thought that was quite funny.
TMG: Any sound bites I can have about what you think of The Metro Gnome so far?
DP: I like anything that spreads ideas, that makes guitar players think, that helps them find gear. When I started playing, there weren’t a lot of options. Kids are lucky like that now – there’re plenty of options. Back then you had a Fender a Gibson or a piece of shit. And that was it. And you couldn’t afford a Fender or a Gibson. And teaching aids - I wish I had the Internet when I was learning. There wasn’t even tablature when I was a kid.
And with that, we ended the interview. We ordered another round and then Dai went back to his stool, tuned his guitar, and stepped right back into his gig. You can check out where Dai is playing in The Metro Gnome's Gig Guide! Gnome Links:
Dai spent July in Europe on tour with Rose Tattoo doing 30 shows in 35 days. So The Metro Gnome caught up with him to find out what makes Dai tick.TMG: Let’s start with Rose Tattoo…. How cool was it to be asked to go on tour with the Tatts? How did it happen?
DP: Well, I had about 2 weeks notice. It’s really funny, I’d been trying to get in there for years and years. Since I was a kid, that was the one band I’ve always wanted to play with. I used to tell everyone that, before I die, I wanna play with the Tattoos just once. I’ve always let DeMarco know; I’ve known him for the last 10-12 years because of the connection with Thorpie. He always knew. I’d say, “Listen if Pete ever gets sick or Rob Riley ever can’t do it, just give me a call.” And he always said that he would. And he did. He did! DeMarco gave me a call one day, about a year ago, and he said, “Mate, you could go on, so start learning.” So I thought, “Fuck!” I started playing everything. It turned out that Pete got better, but then I got a call 2 weeks before the tour. “Start learning. Learn all of the hits because you and 2 other guys got to audition for the gig.” So I start learning all of the stuff and then DeMarco calls me up the next day and says. “Right-o, next Wednesday we’re auditioning at the Stage Door.” Then he rang me back the day after that and said , “Listen, don’t worry about the audition, you’ve got the gig.” I know Rob Riley, the other guitar player, really well and I know Kingy, the bass player. So when De Marco said to the guys, “Why don’t we just get Dai to do it” and they said, “Yeah, let’s get him to do it.”
| "….before I die, I wanna play with the Tattoos just once." |
So I had one rehearsal for about 4 hours with Angry. And then one without [Angry], but with Pete Wells - which was really cool. [Pete] came to the rehearsal and he showed me a few things which [were] really, really interesting. He’s a lovely man. There’s a couple of tricks that he does. He did one thing that freaked me out. I played a couple of tunes. He sorta sat back and watched. Anyway, he said, “You’re playing the parts alright, but can I have a look at your guitar? You see how this is perfectly in tune? Well we don’t want that. What you do is take the G string, alright, and you tune it a little bit flat.” And I said, “Why?” And he says, “’Cause it pisses them right off.” And it’s true; it’s part of the sound of things; it just creates a tension. So every night I would put the guitar on and get it all in tune, and as soon as I walked on stage I’d just flatten the G string a little bit. It is part of his sound. [Before Pete told me that,] I’d be playing the solos and be wondering, “What is that?” But it’s just that – he flattens the G string to create musical tension.
TMG: I hear your fingers got soft with all of the slide playing. When you got back home you had to build up the calluses again?
DP: I played slide the whole time. Pete hardly frets anything. Everything’s tuned to open E and every now and then he’ll fret a little bit, just on the 5th fret he’ll just hit an A chord. And that’s it. Everything’s just slide. I took my acoustic just so I’d have something to needle around with in the room. So I played that every now and again. But for the most part it was all slide.
TMG: You played with all your own guitars?
DP: Ah, no, I didn’t. I started with mine, I started with a white Strat. But Pete’s got a sound that’s really cutting. So luckily DeMarco brought a little Telecaster that he played I his room. So I used that ‘cause it’s got that really cutting Telecaster sound. And I did a lot of work with that.
| "….[Pete told me to] 'tune it a little bit flat….'cause it pisses them right off.' " |
TMG: What is your best memory of the tour?
DP: Angry. We did this live German TV show in Hanover. It was like a German The Panel. We played a couple of songs live to air. As people walked into the TV studio, there was a set of earplugs on every chair. They’d ask the questions to Angry in German and he had a translator in his ear. So they’re asking Angry a question, and it could have been something like, “So what do you think of the weather?” But Angry’s a real have-a-chat, and he’s gone into this huge extended answer. All of the people are looking at each other, and the host of the show sort of laughs and says something in German and they all start laughing. We asked someone, “What’d he say?” And he said, “That’s the longest answer to a simple question that I’ve every heard in my life.” Anyway, so everyone in the TV studio had a set of earplugs.
TMG: And was that for the noise coming from you guys?DP: Well the announcer came on and said [Dai imitates a German accent], “Here is Rose Tattoo!” And the producers were off camera miming to the audience to put in the earplugs.
TMG: What was the worst part about the tour?
DP: Just fatigue, you know. You never get to sleep properly.
TMG: Did you spend a lot of time together with the rest of the band?
DP: We all had our own space, but, yes, absolutely. There’s a lot of time driving. We were in a Sprinter, which is like, a Tarago. So yeah, we got pretty close. You’ve got no choice. And the whole band is together the whole time. They’re a real band.
TMG: I Googled ‘Dai Pritchard,’ and you know there’s another Dai out there?
DP: Yes, an amazing instrumentalist. And there’s another one – a Welsh rugby player or something like that.
TMG: Is ‘Dai’ short for anything?
DP: It’s actually Welsh for David.
TMG: You’ve played with some pretty big names in the business (Billy Thorpe, Marcia Hines, Jimmy Barnes, Olivia Newton John, Glen Shorrock and Doug Parkinson to name a few). Do you play regularly as part of a band with these artists or is it more ad hoc? How does it work?
| "I just wanted to be a guitar hero." |
DP: I played with a lot of these people with The Long Way to the Top tour. I played with Marcia for Long Way and I’ve done a few corporate gigs with her as well doing Long Way songs. All the people who did Long Way tend to pull that band back together because we all know the stuff. So I’ve got a lot of the artists covered. In a few weeks, I’ve got a corporate gig at the Wentworth hotel with Glen Shorrock and that’s with the Long Way band.
TMG: Do these ‘stars’ call you themselves?
DP: Oh yeah. Like Parko. He just calls and says, “We’re getting the Long Way band together.” I did the Bali Bombing benefit on channel 7 with Marcia. Just me and her with an acoustic, just a duo; it was really nice.
TMG: Do you sing with all these guys?
DP: Oh, I didn’t sing with Marcia, ‘cause that would be a bit daunting. Marcia’s an amazing singer.
TMG: Can you take me through your musical background a little bit? How did you get started?
DP: I started when I was about 13. We had a big family, I was the second youngest out of 6 kids, and I was the only one who didn’t get music lessons. Everyone else got piano lessons, but no one really got into it, so I think my parents gave up on it by the time they got to me. But there was a guitar lying around, so I got into it. After a while I put it down, but I picked it up again when I was 15 because I went and saw Alice Cooper. Oh man! I saw these 2 guitar players and I said, “I wanna do that.” So I sold my prized possession, my ice hockey skates, the next day. [Later] I saw Hendrix on TV. He was already dead then, but I thought, “What’s this guy doing?” He was just going berserk. And that was it; I just wanted to be a guitar hero. I wanted to do that.
TMG: So how’d you learn how to play?
DP: I taught myself. I started with books and then listened to records. It was really hard back in those days because it was a record. You had to put the needle on, and put the needle on, and put the needle on. If you wanted to learn the solo for Stairway to Heaven, you had to wear the record out. To wear a groove in it. To slow the record down I’d put coins on the head. Weird shit like that. You worked around it; I played like that for years. And then I went to a guy named Paul Wiseman in Rockdale when I was about 19 and took some jazz lessons and stuff. Not that I was really into jazz, but it was to teach me about chords. I did that for awhile. Every now and then, if I have a slump, I still like to take lessons. When I hit a plateau, I’ll go and see someone like Deiter Kleeman (unless you’re a guitar player, you wouldn’t even know who he is - but he’s just a monster), and he’ll just shoot me off in another direction. The thing is, I play with a lot of guitar players, and you just learn from other guys. I’ll play acoustic with Randal Waller and he’s a monster. Rowen, Benny, they’re all good players and when you play with them, you feed off each other.
TMG: What other jobs have you had besides playing the guitar? When you started playing at 19, were you a professional player then?
DP: Oh shit no. I left school really young. I‘ve been a fisherman, a slaughterman, and I was a butcher for a long time. And just odd jobs and bits & pieces. And then I started playing and teaching – I still teach now.
TMG: You’re always working. How do you market yourself?
DP: It’s sort of funny. It’s a real slow process. I’m not a real self-promoter. I don’t have a website or anything like that. I’ve got business cards and that’s it. In this country, we’re lucky, because it’s very small, and the scene, well, people might whinge about it, but when you look overseas and when you come back you realise it’s not as bad as you think. It’s pretty healthy out there. I mean, I do between 4 and 6 gigs a week. Overseas, musicians are lucky if they get one. And they don’t get paid much – they get nothing.
TMG: Don’t you tell people when you’re available through email?
DP: Yeah, I’ll send out an email letting people know that I’m available. I’ll send it to people who I use and people who use me. Wednesday through to Sunday, I get what I call “panic calls” ‘cause I’m like “Captain Fill In” for everybody. I know a lot of people and I sing a lot of songs, so I’m like an instant band. If they get Dai, they know they’re going to get about 50 songs; so they book Dai. There’re probably a lot of guys that can play rings around me, but I just know lots of songs. And so, if I’ve only got, say, 4 gigs on, and I need a Thursday or the Friday, I’ll send emails to people and just let them know I’m available. Invariably I’ll get at least 1 gig out of it. Gigs come up on short notice.
TMG: How would you characterize your “stage attitude”? I’ve seen you on a big stage with Billy [Thorpe] and you seem to become a different person.
DP: Do I? See I don’t know, I don’t see myself. Take no prisoners and eat the wounded. [He laughs.] No seriously, I just get into the music.
| "If I’ve only got, say, 4 gigs on, and I need a Thursday or the Friday, I’ll send emails to people and just let them know I’m available." |
TMG: How do you make sure your sound is exactly what you want?
DP: It’s good to have one guitar that you’ve had for a long time. It’s like an old shirt. I’ve had an old Fender, an old black Stratocaster, for a gazillion years – since I was about 19. It’s good to have one guitar you’re just comfortable with. I’ve got another one, it’s a Fender but it’s been customised by an Australian guy named Frank Grubisa , who’s a great guitar guy - Sydney-based, he’s great. For amps I predominantly use Marshalls. I’ve got a Laney as well, which is a good sounding amp, but I just like the sound of the old Marshall. I’ve used that for everything. I’ve done Marcia Hines with it - and Rose Tattoo and Billy Thorpe. Marshall’s are easy amps - made for dummies. I use different variations of pedals. I’ve got a floor gig with a wha pedal, that goes into an Ibenez TS9, which is a great overdrive pedal, and then into a Boss GT5 - I use that mainly for colouring, adding delays – things like that. Then it goes straight into the front of the Marshall. And that’s pretty much it. TMG: Do you ever give direction to the front of house?
DP: No, not really. I just let them do it. It’s pretty point & shoot.
TMG: Do you do any writing? Any recording?
DP: I’ve done some original stuff. I had an original band in the 80s called Der Straza. I did that for a long time. I never really went out with covers; it was just originals in the 80s. And then I went onto the covers later. We made some singles. Actually we had a minor hit in Germany (our band had a German name); we were like the Australian version of 99 Luftballoons. I still write, but just for myself. I recorded some stuff with Mick and Billy. About 3 songs.
TMG: What about writing for other people? Do you ever submit your songs for others to play?
DP: Yeah, I’m actually going to do that. I’m going to start doing that this year for the next Rose Tattoo album. I’ve actually started writing with DeMarco. I tend to write the melody first. Then I’ll pick up the guitar and find the chords that fit what was in my head. I rarely write from the riff, which is really funny for a guitar player. Usually I write the hook line first, then the melody, then find the chords that suit that, and then I’ll go back and write the lyrics. That’s what most people listen to; it’s only guitar players who listen to the guitar.
| “….for the next Rose Tattoo album… I’ve actually started writing with DeMarco.” |
TMG: Do you have any big projects?
DP: I might be going back to Europe with the original singer from AC/DC [Dave Evans]. There’s a big AC/DC convention over there later this year. The guy who took Rose Tattoo out to Europe asked if I’d be interested. So I could be doing that. And that’s about the only think going on.
TMG: So for years and years and years you’ve wanted to play with Rose Tattoo and now you’ve done it. What’s the next pinnacle?
DP: That’s it. I’m done. I’ve done it, man. Rose Tattoo again. I’ll have to play with them again. After the first gig I said to the band, “25 years…. 25 years!” They thought that was quite funny.
TMG: Any sound bites I can have about what you think of The Metro Gnome so far?
DP: I like anything that spreads ideas, that makes guitar players think, that helps them find gear. When I started playing, there weren’t a lot of options. Kids are lucky like that now – there’re plenty of options. Back then you had a Fender a Gibson or a piece of shit. And that was it. And you couldn’t afford a Fender or a Gibson. And teaching aids - I wish I had the Internet when I was learning. There wasn’t even tablature when I was a kid.
And with that, we ended the interview. We ordered another round and then Dai went back to his stool, tuned his guitar, and stepped right back into his gig. You can check out where Dai is playing in The Metro Gnome's Gig Guide! Gnome Links:
- Rose Tattoo
- Back to Top
- Front Page
The Search of the Hungry Guitarist
Angus Thorburn is a guitar player and collector who lives and works on the North Shore of Sydney. The Metro Gnome invited Angus to share a little bit with you about how his affection for the guitar was borne. The result is a unique look into the Sydney music scene of the 1970s and a glimpse into some great Australian guitar makers.
I'm a guitar tragic from way back… and I mean the days when the hottest music shops in town were Nicholsons and Palings in George Street, Sydney and later Harry Landis Music in Park Street, Sydney.
I discovered guitars in my mid teens about 1969, when my sister decided to take lessons on a nylon string guitar (a Montez if I remember it right) and, as so often happens, the guitar became a piece of discarded furniture after a few months, so I took it over.
Those were the days when acoustic guitars ruled the airwaves. Peter, Paul and Mary, Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, Donovan and The Seekers. The first song I taught myself was "Love is All Around"… the original Troggs version.
Then two important things happened. A guy at school two years above me turned up one day with an Aria 12 string guitar – wow, I remember the sheer volume it gave off, and the sound of individual strings ringing, compared to my meekly strummed nylon strings! That guy was so cool (and he played in the school football team) that I thought I have to get serious.
And then along came a band called Crosby, Stills and Nash. I saw them perform live on the big screen in the movie “Woodstock.” David Crosby played a Martin 12 string, and of course Steven Stills played a Martin DH 28… I think. Did acoustic music ever get any better than that?
So I started saving. I’d seen a Salvation Army retail shop on the corner of Liverpool and Elizabeth Streets, Sydney that sold well known brands of acoustic guitars with a cheaper price tag than the music stores (there’s still a Salvos there now, but it doesn’t sell musical instruments). Takemine were just becoming known as the guitar of choice for some up and coming players. John Denver was playing a twelve string version. Ovation, also, were seen around the neck of some TV stars – Glenn Campbell had his own TV show in those days, and he played only Ovation. Martin guitars were not available to my knowledge, and even if they were, they probably would have been out of my price league.
(Much later, in ’92 , with the help of Steve Jackson, of Jacksons Rare Guitars, I was able to buy a Martin 00016 – a great fingerstyle guitar that he put me onto, which I still play a lot. When I die, I’ve asked that my ashes get spread over that acoustic guitar room at Jacksons….)
But the Salvos store also had the widest selection I’d ever seen of our own Maton guitars. The best thing was they were affordable – I bought an FG 100 dreadnought 6 string, all solid Queensland maple body, and spruce sound board. It cost $305 in 1972 with a hard shell case, and was their top of the line model. I still have it, and of course with the loosening up of the timbers over the years, it’s as loud and as mellow as it gets. Great for country and western type stuff, though I don’t play that style much these days.
I started getting into the live acoustic music scene. I took girlfriends to Pac Folk, which used to be in the basement of the YMCA in Goulburn Street, Sydney. I followed Trevor Knight and Doug Ashdown around. I tried to sit as close to the front as possible, to see what chord shapes they were using. “Winter in America’’ was great on guitar, but it needed a twelve string sound.
Somebody lent me a Bruce Cockburn LP, and that steered me into the thumb style playing, with the droning bottom E string. Another player opened up a new window by firstly showing me dropped D tuning, and then for those David Crosby songs, double dropped D tuning. This made the Steven Stills song “4 and 20” come alive! (Much later I discovered DADGAD and other variations on that Celtic tuning).
I borrowed a Leo Kottke album, and that made me realize my suspicions… I needed a twelve string guitar! The best I could then afford was a Yamaha 12 string, so I now had 2 guitars. But I was single and living at home, and my university legal studies gave me plenty of time for music.
We used to get quite a lot of acoustic bands at university. The best I recall was Mississippi, a three piece band playing all original stuff, with a great first album, simply called Mississippi. They later went on to change their name, and become a little more famous as “The Little River Band.”
I got into a band, as all uni guys who played guitar did in those days. This was about 1973, and I then needed an electric guitar. So I bought a Maton electric, followed by a copy Les Paul Black Beauty (both long gone now). We played some great gigs, including an opening act for a well known Sydney band. But electric guitars were not quite my thing, as I’d been brought up on finger style playing, and had no speed with a flat pick.
Next to grab my attention were the finger style blues players, and this took me into Dobro territory! I mean that big round metal resonator on the front of a wooden body guitar was irresistible to me! I bought a Dobro Hula Blues short scale, the loudest unamplified guitar known to man. I then discovered Greg Beaton in Newcastle, who makes these magnificent nickel plated brass resophonic guitars, with engraved Australiana scenes, so had one custom made for me.
At a music festival, I met Dan Dubowski, a guitar maker from Batlow. His guitars are made from absolutely gorgeous local timbers, so I bought one of these. I’ve visited him out at his farm in Batlow, to work on one of my guitars, and also pick up another. It was amazing to see what he was creating from cow bones, brass bits and pieces, and timbers he had collected in his travels.
Some years ago, I got back into a covers band known as “Silverhair”, made up of guys and girls of about my era, and we play out and about a little bit. And yes, this has meant getting back into electric guitars again, and onto that learning curve of amps and sound effect pedals.
But playing with other musicians - especially guitarists who are far better players than I – is a real inspiration, keeps me practicing and helps me look out for new guitars! I’m currently working with a US ‘62 reissue Fender Jaguar, and a ’62 US reissue Fender Telecaster custom I tracked down on E-bay. But don’t get me started on internet buying… that’s another story for another time. I’d better get back to my search engine!
One last tip. (A really controversial idea... you’ve heard before, but it works! An idea that is guaranteed to bring you before the Domestic Appeals Tribunal with cranky family members, but will improve your playing and keep your love of the guitar alive.)
Always have at least one guitar out and on a stand in the corner of a room you visit often. Yes, it will get a bit dusty, and may get swiped occasionally by the tail of a passing dog, but it reminds you it’s there. They are pieces of artwork in themselves, and I, for one, can never walk past a guitar without handling it.
Gnome Links:
* Dan Dubowski Guitars can be seen at www.dandubowski.com
* Jacksons Rare Guitars is at www.jacksonsrareguitars.com/splash.html
* Click here to go to: Why I Love the Big Bodied Guitar, by Ben Little
I'm a guitar tragic from way back… and I mean the days when the hottest music shops in town were Nicholsons and Palings in George Street, Sydney and later Harry Landis Music in Park Street, Sydney.
I discovered guitars in my mid teens about 1969, when my sister decided to take lessons on a nylon string guitar (a Montez if I remember it right) and, as so often happens, the guitar became a piece of discarded furniture after a few months, so I took it over.
Those were the days when acoustic guitars ruled the airwaves. Peter, Paul and Mary, Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, Donovan and The Seekers. The first song I taught myself was "Love is All Around"… the original Troggs version.
Then two important things happened. A guy at school two years above me turned up one day with an Aria 12 string guitar – wow, I remember the sheer volume it gave off, and the sound of individual strings ringing, compared to my meekly strummed nylon strings! That guy was so cool (and he played in the school football team) that I thought I have to get serious.
And then along came a band called Crosby, Stills and Nash. I saw them perform live on the big screen in the movie “Woodstock.” David Crosby played a Martin 12 string, and of course Steven Stills played a Martin DH 28… I think. Did acoustic music ever get any better than that?
So I started saving. I’d seen a Salvation Army retail shop on the corner of Liverpool and Elizabeth Streets, Sydney that sold well known brands of acoustic guitars with a cheaper price tag than the music stores (there’s still a Salvos there now, but it doesn’t sell musical instruments). Takemine were just becoming known as the guitar of choice for some up and coming players. John Denver was playing a twelve string version. Ovation, also, were seen around the neck of some TV stars – Glenn Campbell had his own TV show in those days, and he played only Ovation. Martin guitars were not available to my knowledge, and even if they were, they probably would have been out of my price league.
(Much later, in ’92 , with the help of Steve Jackson, of Jacksons Rare Guitars, I was able to buy a Martin 00016 – a great fingerstyle guitar that he put me onto, which I still play a lot. When I die, I’ve asked that my ashes get spread over that acoustic guitar room at Jacksons….)
But the Salvos store also had the widest selection I’d ever seen of our own Maton guitars. The best thing was they were affordable – I bought an FG 100 dreadnought 6 string, all solid Queensland maple body, and spruce sound board. It cost $305 in 1972 with a hard shell case, and was their top of the line model. I still have it, and of course with the loosening up of the timbers over the years, it’s as loud and as mellow as it gets. Great for country and western type stuff, though I don’t play that style much these days.
I started getting into the live acoustic music scene. I took girlfriends to Pac Folk, which used to be in the basement of the YMCA in Goulburn Street, Sydney. I followed Trevor Knight and Doug Ashdown around. I tried to sit as close to the front as possible, to see what chord shapes they were using. “Winter in America’’ was great on guitar, but it needed a twelve string sound.
Somebody lent me a Bruce Cockburn LP, and that steered me into the thumb style playing, with the droning bottom E string. Another player opened up a new window by firstly showing me dropped D tuning, and then for those David Crosby songs, double dropped D tuning. This made the Steven Stills song “4 and 20” come alive! (Much later I discovered DADGAD and other variations on that Celtic tuning).
I borrowed a Leo Kottke album, and that made me realize my suspicions… I needed a twelve string guitar! The best I could then afford was a Yamaha 12 string, so I now had 2 guitars. But I was single and living at home, and my university legal studies gave me plenty of time for music.
We used to get quite a lot of acoustic bands at university. The best I recall was Mississippi, a three piece band playing all original stuff, with a great first album, simply called Mississippi. They later went on to change their name, and become a little more famous as “The Little River Band.”
I got into a band, as all uni guys who played guitar did in those days. This was about 1973, and I then needed an electric guitar. So I bought a Maton electric, followed by a copy Les Paul Black Beauty (both long gone now). We played some great gigs, including an opening act for a well known Sydney band. But electric guitars were not quite my thing, as I’d been brought up on finger style playing, and had no speed with a flat pick.
Next to grab my attention were the finger style blues players, and this took me into Dobro territory! I mean that big round metal resonator on the front of a wooden body guitar was irresistible to me! I bought a Dobro Hula Blues short scale, the loudest unamplified guitar known to man. I then discovered Greg Beaton in Newcastle, who makes these magnificent nickel plated brass resophonic guitars, with engraved Australiana scenes, so had one custom made for me.
At a music festival, I met Dan Dubowski, a guitar maker from Batlow. His guitars are made from absolutely gorgeous local timbers, so I bought one of these. I’ve visited him out at his farm in Batlow, to work on one of my guitars, and also pick up another. It was amazing to see what he was creating from cow bones, brass bits and pieces, and timbers he had collected in his travels.
Some years ago, I got back into a covers band known as “Silverhair”, made up of guys and girls of about my era, and we play out and about a little bit. And yes, this has meant getting back into electric guitars again, and onto that learning curve of amps and sound effect pedals.
But playing with other musicians - especially guitarists who are far better players than I – is a real inspiration, keeps me practicing and helps me look out for new guitars! I’m currently working with a US ‘62 reissue Fender Jaguar, and a ’62 US reissue Fender Telecaster custom I tracked down on E-bay. But don’t get me started on internet buying… that’s another story for another time. I’d better get back to my search engine!
One last tip. (A really controversial idea... you’ve heard before, but it works! An idea that is guaranteed to bring you before the Domestic Appeals Tribunal with cranky family members, but will improve your playing and keep your love of the guitar alive.)
Always have at least one guitar out and on a stand in the corner of a room you visit often. Yes, it will get a bit dusty, and may get swiped occasionally by the tail of a passing dog, but it reminds you it’s there. They are pieces of artwork in themselves, and I, for one, can never walk past a guitar without handling it.
Gnome Links:
* Dan Dubowski Guitars can be seen at www.dandubowski.com
* Jacksons Rare Guitars is at www.jacksonsrareguitars.com/splash.html
* Click here to go to: Why I Love the Big Bodied Guitar, by Ben Little
Why I Like Big Bodied Guitars
BIG! BIG! BIG!
TONE! TONE! TONE!
COOL! COOL! COOL!
Cool is so hard to define…but let’s try…. Jimi Hendrix and his Strat, Jimmy Page and his Les Paul, Steve Vai and his Jem, Brian Setzer and his Gretsch. And of course, there's BB King and his big bodied Lucille.
So I guess it gets down to attitude! If one is at home with a guitar, it’s bound to sound good and look cool.
I discovered big-bodied guitars by accident really. I am the proud owner of a Gibson Chet Atkins “Country Gentleman”
Affectionately known as ‘Big Red’. It was previously owned by Andy Cichon. Andy is more known for his bass playing in Rose Tattoo and James Reyne, and he’s now in New York playing bass for Billy Joel, after 6 years with Shania Twain!
But in the nineties, Andy played guitar in a great Sydney rock band called Judge Mercy. In fact, he played ‘Big Red.’ I always used to think that Andy’s huge guitar sound was just due to his stack of Marshalls running at ‘mercy’ volumes. But after a loan one night at one of my gigs I discovered how he got that sound! It was ‘Big Red.’
BIG! BIG! BIG!
TONE! TONE! TONE!
COOL! COOL! COOL!!
So, before Andy moved to New York, I took it off his hands. As soon as I plugged in everything was bigger….top end, mids and especially the bottom end. And with it comes a very sweet tone. It’s a guitar that suits rock as much as it does jazz and country.
And it was red - red guitars go faster!
Try one sometime…….
Gnome Links:
- All the specifications for the Gibson Chet Atkins “Country Gentleman” are at: http://www.gibson.com/products/gibson/chetatkins/CountryGentleman.html
- Wanna see a picture of Andy Cichon? http://www.shania.com/pictures/up/andy.htm
- Gretsch guitars are great looking guitars – have a look…. http://www.gretschguitars.com/whatshot/brian_setzer.html
- Read about how the Ibanez Jem came to be http://www.vai.com/Machines/ibanez.html
Welcome to the Launch of THE METRO GNOME!
The Metro Gnome – (thə mĕt΄ rō nōm) - noun - Music – A website used by musicians of all levels to get information and to collaborate.
Our motto is GET OUT THERE! Play if you want to play. Learn if you want to learn. Listen if you want to listen.
The Metro Gnome is a resource promoting live music. Playing music. Listening to it. Recording it (hey - it was live once). Buying instruments. Learning new skills and techniques. And sharing music experiences with others. Some of you get out there already – and we salute you! But maybe you are striving to move to the next level or just to play more. And some of you might find it really appealing to play an instrument, but find it hard to get started – a lack of time, skills, and/or equipment just seem to be in the way. In any case, The Metro Gnome is here to help you get more out of your craft. Every month, The Metro Gnome will provide tips and will identify opportunities to make getting out there easier. And every day, The Metro Gnome has the Gig Guide, so you can always find some live music near you.
In this issue, you’ll find a revealing interview with Sydney-local, Dai Pritchard, who, earlier this year, got the opportunity to fulfill a dream of his and go on tour with Rose Tattoo. In our All About Guitars section, we have two articles this month: one on the merits of big bodied guitars and another about the never-ending search for the perfect guitar. For those of you starting to think about recording your music, we have a series called Gnome Recording that will take you through the basics of home recording. And for those of you well versed in home recording, we have a product review of the Tascam digital 24 track. Our review covers everything from the benefits of digital recording to the difficulties of using new equipment. In the few weeks we’ve played with the Tascam we know we’ve only scratched the surface of its capabilities – so we’ll have to come back. I think you’ll enjoy it.
It’s important to know that all of our articles are opinion pieces. They are written in a casual style by regular people. We just happen to think that regular people have really interesting things to say. You’ll also see that we are not here to overwhelm you with quantity. It’s quality that matters. Your own article contributions are always welcome – more than that – they’re encouraged. Send your ideas to our editor. Your say is important.
But you don’t have to wait for a new issue to have your say - The Musician’s Forum is a place where the live music community can exchange ideas and information all the time. Want to find a band? Come here. Need to find someone to run the lights? Look here. Want to find out who uses in-ear monitors and what they think of them? Ask here. Need a fill-in drummer? This is the place. And the more we all use it – the better it gets. It’s free and it’s easy – and it’s available 24x7.
The Gig Guide is the real centerpiece of The Metro Gnome – a service available for musicians and music fans alike. This is THE PLACE people will look for gigs. If you’re in a band – they’ll look for you here. If you have a pub, they’ll see what’s on here. It is online, searchable, and up-to-date. If, for any reason, we’ve missed your gig, just send the information to our Gig Guru and we’ll get it up within 24 hours. Oh, and although right now you’ll see that the comprehensive content is all Sydney-metro based, the database can support all Australian and US cities – and we’ll expand it further if you send us something else. Bring it on!
To close, I think I should confess something to you; I’m learning the guitar. I’m not a master and I’m not trying to be. I just want to be able to play along while people sing and have a good time. So my confession is really that The Metro Gnome might be a bit biased toward guitars and guitar players. That’s my fault. I just figure I ought to be up front about it.
And that’s it for October…. We’re already working hard on the content for the November issue, so subscribe now and you won’t miss out! Whatever you do between now and then, make sure that you GET OUT THERE! Let us know what you think….
- The Metro Gnome
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