Electric vs. Acoustic Guitar

You don't need forty-two years of experience on acoustic guitar to know that electric is better, but it helps ツ Here are 82 reasons why!

TraqFreq

Introducing TraqFreq™: the world's first musical instrument activity tracker that monitors playing, climate and supplies!

TraqFreq automatically tracks playing time, passages, songs, sets and much more. And it works on virtually any musical instrument that generates notes and some degree of sound.

New Fingerpick Day!

It's New Fingerpick Day! That after 15 years of usage, no filing and still perfectly fine!

So today I tried a fingerpick from my new supply. They are narrower than before, which makes them difficult to mold in hot water. I re-mold them so that I am free to touch the strings directly for multiple harmonics, tapping, percussion, etc. Yes, I wear them "wrong" - I have done so for 35 years without regret :)

That said, several years ago I switched to using bare flesh. Initially, it took more effort to project notes and produce tone, but the benefits are truly astounding. Now many fast, single note lines are easier and far more defined than when using a thumbpick. The increased exertion also greatly improves technique. And with virtually no risk of damaging the guitar top, you extend the life of your Golden Era '45 ;) It is a wonderfully liberating experience, and I have no intention of ever reverting.

Still, I just had to try these new fingerpicks for old times' sake ;)

João Pedro Grácio Bandolim

Many years ago a man in his 90's honored me with a renowned João Pedro Grácio Portuguese bandolim that was made between 1920 and 1950. I recently featured this stunning instrument in a TraqFreq product movie that was shot at lakes, mountains and above the clouds in the Andes. Below are some photographs and a rough recording of this gorgeous bandolim!