Some time ago I have decided to post here guest posts from other fellow guitar bloggers, hoping this will bring something now to the table, different from what I usually write about. So, this being said, today I will post here an article of Anton Emery, the Community Manager of http://www.RhythmStrummer.com. This site offers easy guitar lessons in a fun & patient atmosphere, taught by teachers who care. Students learn songs & technique lessons across a variety of genres, including Folk, Country, and Classic Rock- all with NO advertising.

Anton sent me today an article about an overview of different tonewoods for acoustic guitar and I am happy to post it here today, hoping we would all learn something from it. Enjoy and comment!

To the beginner buying an acoustic guitar can be an over whelming decision. They come in a myriad of body shapes, all with different specifications and woods. How are you supposed to know what makes one better than the other? In this article we will look at some of the various tone woods that acoustic guitars are made of, and how they impact the sound.

First off I want to say that tone is a very subjective. The words and images I use to describe tone may be different than the ones you use. So while these kinds of articles are good as a guide, there is no substitute for your own experiences and using your own ears. Go out and play a bunch of guitars and be your own judge in the end.

Acoustic guitars generally use one type of wood for the top, and another type of wood for the back and sides. Occasionally you may see one type of wood for the back, and another for the sides, but usually they are the same.

Top Woods

Spruce is by far the most common top wood. It comes in many varieties including Sitka, Englemann, and Adirondack, to name a few. It is a sturdy, stable wood with a high strength to weight ratio, well suited for guitar tops.

Sitka spruce is a good all around wood, being to stand up to heavy strumming and picking, but on the right guitar also being responsive enough for a light fingerstyle player. Of course a lot of this is dependent on how the guitar is built and braced. Sitka spruce has a very loud strong tone, with a decent amount of sustain. I feel as a top wood it tends to emphasize the fundamentals more than the overtones, but there is enough there to keep the sound interesting.

Engelmann spruce is lighter in weight and less stiff than sitka. It responds well to a lighter attack, resulting in a more immediate sound, and one more lush with overtones than the other varieties of spruce. Folks say that Engelmann does not hold up as well to heavy strumming. I can’t verify this, I only know I have really enjoyed the Engelmann topped that I have played fingerstyle. I have a pretty light attack, so they seem to suit me quite well.

Appalachian or red spruce was widely used before World War II. A lot of the great pre war Martin guitars are topped with red spruce. Then the wood was over harvested and folks began switching over to sitka. Red spruce is a fairly heavy and stiff wood. It has good volume, a lot of dynamic range, and generally favors the fundamentals though also includes a good amount of overtones in the sound. Red spruce is generally very expensive as guitar top, and usually only available as an upgrade.

Besides spruce, cedar is another fairly common top wood seen on acoustic guitars. It is much softer than spruce, and more prone to nicks and dings. The appealing thing about cedar is it sounds rich and played in from the start. It responds very well to a light attack, and is a popular top wood among fingerstyle guitar players. Cedar top with rosewood back and sides will make for a very rich and deep sounding guitar right from the start. If you want a lot of clarity and note separation this may not be the ideal top wood for you. Some folks say cedar does not hold up that well to vigorous strumming or a harder attack, and that the sound breaks up or gets muddy. I can’t verify this for myself.

Irish guitarist John Doyle plays a cedar topped Lowden and he is quite a rocking player.

Another topwood you will see sometimes is Redwood. It is said to be the best of both worlds, combining the sensitivity and richness of cedar with the durability and volume of spruce. Folks I know who have redwood topped guitars rave about them, so definitely worth checking out.

Back and Side woods

One of the most common side woods is Rosewood. It has a lot of, richness, volume, and sustain that many players find very appealing. Indian rosewood is the most common and available choice these days. Brazillian Rosewood is another option, though it is a very expensive upgrade. It is illegal to import Brazillian Rosewood logs now, so most of the supply that guitar builders have is from before the ban, making it very limited and desirable.

The other common back and side wood is Mahogany. It is lighter and less dense than rosewood. In my opinion mahogany is kind of under valued as a guitar wood, with folks usually opting for the richer sounding rosewood. Obviously this depends on the sound you want and playing style, but mahogany is a very fine back and side wood. It will have a drier, more fundamental sound than rosewood, with good clarity and note separation. Paired with either a spruce or cedar top a guitar with mahogany back and sides will be a good recording instrument, with a clear fundamental sound easily captured by the mics. Often rich sounding rosewood guitars are great sounding to the player and an audience, but can be harder to record.

Maple is another wood you will sometimes see for the back and sides. It has a very bright and penetrating sound, but paired with the right wood can make for a great sounding guitar.

Other woods you will sometimes see for the back and sides are cocobolo, ebony, Honduran rosewood, and zirocote. These are less common, probably more seen on higher end instruments. They all have a very rich sound, with some people comparing them to brazillian rosewood. Ebony in particular is very dense, and will make for a heavy guitar.

Hopefully that sheds some light on the various guitar woods and will give you some ideas of what to look for when shopping around. Depending on what price range you are looking in, you may not run into all these options, but they are good to know about. And above all else, let your ears be the final judge, not what folks say on the internet.

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I remember one day I stumbled upon IG’s blog on the internet and I was just amazed of how well the audience followed his blog. I couldn’t stop asking myself why this was happening, especially since I was on my own quest of building an audience for myself, so I subscribed to his feeds to see why. Soon, I have understood it and ever since I read his blog almost every single day. Now, because I am away, he was very kind to lend me a hand here. So, without any more words, I give you IG!

Howdy Guitar Flame readers. This is IG here, of IG BLOG, guest posting for Ovidiu. Thanks for having me!

Lately, I’ve been thinking about the serious need for guitar teachers.

Consider this: The last time the U.S. instrument industry reported sales results, sales of acoustic guitars in the $350 price range decreased by almost 15 percent from the previous year. Sales of electric guitars in the same price point declined by 24 percent from previous record levels. That’s almost one third.

Why am I talking about cheap guitars? Because that’s the kind of guitar that is typically purchased by the first-time guitar player, the newbie. This group of folks is the new generation, the ones who will continue the tradition of guitar playing. And the numbers suggest they are not very happy right now.

Why not?

A recent American Music Conference survey on music-making asked people to list the barriers that kept them from taking up a musical instrument.” The top response was “inability to find a good teacher,” which rated well ahead of “lack of time,” “it’s too hard to learn,” “can’t afford an instrument,” and “don’t have enough talent.”

Access to decent guitar instruction is critical for those who want to play guitar and are looking to take the next step to act on their dream.

And the weird thing is that the guitar industry is not doing anything about this. I remember the music shop close to my house when I was a guitar hungry teenager. Although I didn’t quite realize at the time, the guitar lessons I took at the shop were critical for me to stick with guitar. But, over the past decade, thousands of similar independent shops that offered lessons have shut down, mainly due to instrument sales competition from Guitar Center and internet retailers.

And this is the nail in the coffin right here: You Google “guitar teacher” and the city of your choice, and you’re likely to get an endless list of online teaching methods that don’t relate at all to the frame of mind of a beginner. Because there is no substitute for the living and breathing guitar teacher when it comes to going from “I just bought my first guitar” to “I can play a cool three-chord song.”

A three-chord song.

Teach a beginner a three chord song, and you’ve just build his or her interest to play guitar for a really long time. There are hundreds of thousands guitar players capable of teaching three-chord songs and inspiring a lifetime of playing. But, somehow, I just don’t see our current guitar selling infrastructure connecting these guitar leaders with the newbies.

IG BLOG (guitar – life) dishes out inspiration and ideas to guitar players everywhere

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This post is brought to you by Jack Pribek of Pribek.net.

I have discovered Jack Pribek about 2 months ago as a very interesting person, very nice to talk to and always willing to share the experience he gained in over 30 years of guitar playing.

His first gigs were playing in southern rock bands at biker keg parties in the rural Missouri hills as a teenager. He spent much time as a sideman in various rock, country, r&b bands and even had a stint playing modern jazz in San Francisco. After backing a succession of young country singers that aspired to be the next big thing during the line dance boom of the ‘90s, he decided to chuck that life and concentrate on songwriting.

In recent years, he has collaborated with and produced legendary songwriter Bill Dees. This included an appearance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio last year.

Also, beside his music, Jack has some interesting ideas regarding society and politics, ideas that he shares freely on his personal website, site that I’ve come to read every day.

I invite you to read the following article and after this to visit his website and listen to his music! Enjoy (and comment)!

Fellow guitar players; We are the seekers of tone. Tone, tone, tone, have a conversation with another player, pretty soon the talk will turn to tone.

Here’s a funny one, I have some friends that backed guitar legend Bo Diddley for a show a couple of years ago. I asked guitar player, Donnie Thompson; how was the show? How was Bo? Was he good? Donnie said; “Well, he was really good. He just got this new amp and he was over there tweaking stuff during a lot of the songs but, he was good.” 80 years old and he’s still seeking the tone. Does it never end?

The other day, I was thumbing through an issue of Guitar World magazine. There was an article about the history of the Epiphone brand. In it, one of the Epiphone execs stated that the average Epi customer already owns six guitars. Six guitars!

You know, I have told people, other guitarists; “Well, I’m not as much into “gear” as a lot of other players are.” Over the past 20 years, I have usually owned one guitar at a time. I find a guitar I like, something that works for me and, I use for every gig and studio session. But, you know what? I started thinking about it and, in the last 18 months, I have purchased four tube amps and re-sold three, bought a fairly expensive multi effects unit and re-sold that. I tried one stomp box delay unit and ditched it so, I bought a different one. I recently got a compressor. And, I have an A/B box sitting here I used to experiment with the idea of running two amps on stage. So, I guess I’m not different after all. I’m a “gear” guy like everybody else. I just don’t buy a bunch of guitars, that’s all. Yet, I am endlessly seeking tone.

But, I think to myself; six guitars, man that still sounds like a lot. So, I googled this phrase; How many guitars do you own. And, I found this survey page at Harmony Central (http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1908595), “How many guitars do you own?” As of this morning, there were 366 respondents. To my surprise, the results do seem to, at least indicate, that guitar players usually have multiple guitars.

Here are some of the results.

• Between two and five guitars-40.71%
• Between six and ten guitars-27.87%
• Between eleven and fifteen guitars-10.11%

Interesting; these results make me wonder this; “What kind of guitars are people buying?” Not, what brand names or body style, I wondering more about price range.

I found this information at Music Trades (http://www.musictrades.com/census.html). Music Trades is a publication that, among other things, takes census information from music retailers on a yearly basis. This data is from 2006, in the U.S. It shows price ranges and the total amounts of electric guitars sold in those price ranges.

Electrics

• Under $100 256,354
• $101 to $200 561,537
• $201 to $350 195,317
• $351 to $600 97,659
• $601 to $1,000 61,037
• $1,001 to $1,250 24,415
• $1251 to $1,600 13,185
• $1,601 to $2,000 12,207
• $2,001 to $3,000 11,229

Total 1,501,000

A couple of things jump out at me right away. One is that an enormous amount of the guitars sold, are in the very low price range, the cheapos. Two, evidently there are less people buying those Fender Custom Shop, high end Les Paul’s and Paul Reed Smith pieces than I would have guessed. You know, every time I receive a catalog from one of the huge retail gear stores, there are expensive axes prominently featured.

I think that the huge number of guitars sold in the low price ranges (I would consider that to be under $350) is an indication that there are a lot of beginners out there.

This is what I wonder; what are the gigging players using? I suspect that most of the “pro” or “semi-pro” players are using guitars that would fall between the two ranges right above the lower end-$351 to $600 and, $601 to $1,000. Certainly, I would fall into this demographic. The guitar I use on stage is a Japanese made, reissue Telecaster that I paid around $500 for about four or five years ago.

Here’s the thing about that Tele though. When I bought that guitar, I had a vision; a quest for tone. I specifically looked for, what I would consider, a well made but not pricey Telecaster. Because, the first thing I did was, put a set of pricey Joe Barden pickups in it.

I think that’s what a lot of players are doing. I think that, in our quest for tone and, our desire to reflect our individual personalities with that “tone”, we are modifying these mid-level guitars. In essence, we are trying to take these mid-level guitars up to custom shop level. I may be way off base but that’s what I suspect.

So, here is what I want to know, Guitar Flame readers.

• How many guitars do you own?
• What is your main guitar and has it been modified?
• How many of your guitars have been modified?
• Are any of you playing these high-end, custom shop level guitars?
• Are any of you playing a mid-level guitar that has not been modified?

Thanks Ovidiu for letting me be your guest here and having the floor for a day. And, to all you guitar players out there; Good luck and have fun seeking the “tone”.

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This post is brought to you by John Jinright, aka Dr J. from jinright.edublogs.org. John is Ph.D. in music education and currently teaches music theory, applied oboe and bassoon, audio production at TROY University.

Before that, John worked in the music business, started a music store and finally decided that teaching fits him best.

Dr. J played vibes in a Dixieland band (Jack Marshall and the Alabama Dixiecats), and piano in a big band (Tony Marino and The Checkmates) plus filled in on percussion with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, studied mixing with Charles Dye, Ed Seay and Roger Nichols, three Grammy-winning engineers/producers and film/tv scoring with composer/sound designer Michael Wynne.

Quite an impressive history, reason for which I am more than happy to introduce Dr. J to you.

So, here we go:

Howdy, Ya’ll.

I’m honored to guest blog on GuitarFlame.com. Frankly, I don’t think of myself as a great guitarist, but I’d like to share my best tips on performing and learning music in general. I happen to be a music teacher and I rarely resist the opportunity to share what I’ve learned so far. So, without further ado, here are almost all my secrets (10 of them) from 39 years of music study and performing:

1. You must play each note as if it were the only one which you would play. My sainted teacher repeated this mantra over and over, mimicking the thick German accent of one of her teachers. It’s talking about understanding each note’s value within the phrase, not just rhythmically, but dynamically and emotionally as well.I’m still bad about “faking” the fast stuff; to get it right I know I should practice it slowly in the beginning and pay attention to each note. That’s where secret #2 comes in:
2. Invest in a metronome and use it. I own one of the non-electronic kind; –sort of a pyramid affair with a weight that slides up and down to make tempo changes. I’ll take a sloppy passage and slide the weight up (slower) until I can execute it flawlessly, then slide the weight down a notch at a time, gradually speeding things up.It takes a great deal of patience and I have to be in the mood for this kind of practice.
3. Practice for short periods of time and take frequent breaks UNLESS you are practicing to increase your endurance. We musicians rely so much on muscle memory and I firmly believe that the most productive time you can spend teaching your brain to remember the movements is really only the first 15-20 minutes of a practice session. After this amount of time, the brain is no longer interested in storing muscle memory information and if you continue to practice without taking a break, all you are doing is exercising your muscles.Give your brain a rest and go do something else for a while, then get back to practicing.

   Repetition is key.If you don’t get back to practicing within a day or so, the learning that took place is flushed from short term memory and you start all over again.

   Frequent recall (with breaks in between) teaches the brain that this information is something you’re going to be asking it to do over and over.When this occurs, that learning is transferred from short term memory to long term memory and then you’ve really “learned” it.

4. Relaxation is key. Playing an instrument involves the recall of distances and building a “feeling” of where your hands are at all times. Tension is the enemy of muscle memory and awareness.When you sense that your muscles are tight, concentrate on relaxing them. Take a break, if necessary. Continuing to practice while your muscles are burning is neither pleasant nor productive, so do something to end the tension. You might analyze your posture, breathing, and/or finger position.

   Strive to eliminate wasted motion and find the easiest way. Relax.

5. Students, don’t practice music you don’t like. Many of you may find this statement amazing, but the reason I didn’t become an organist was because my pipe organ teacher insisted that I learn to play French organ music. I decided to quit pipe organ because I hated the pieces so much.If your teacher gives you something you absolutely can’t stand to practice, ask them to give you something else.There’s so much good music out there, it’s pointless to waste your time on things you don’t like.

   There’s more than one path to performance. If your teacher won’t budge and insists that you learn a certain piece, then find a different teacher. I was blessed to have a teacher that let me decide what I wanted to work on.

   Since I was part of the process of education, I felt a sense of ownership in practicing and worked much harder on my music than most of my peers. I’ll confess that I hated practicing scales; –this may have slowed me down temporarily in developing some aspects of technique, but when I found a piece I liked that had scales in it, I worked those passages and mastered it. To this day, I still hate practicing scales, but within the context of a good piece of music, it’s really not so bad.

6. If you want to be the best in your field, learn to sightread. If you aren’t the best music reader, it’s OK….we all begin at the same place. The key is to avoid frustration and develop a sense of adventure. And don’t stop trying!Develop a love for discovering new music and feed your habit. I look for new music ALL THE TIME and while I still encounter things I can’t play, I can read most music the way you’d read a newspaper. I’ve had students that were not good at sightreading, but with encouragement, they’ve become sightreading monsters.

   If your musical education continues to the point of graduate school or conservatory study, you’ll find that this is the skill that separates the best from the rest.

7. Discover the “zone.” There’s a state of concentration that good musicians develop that allows them to be totally aware of the music yet oblivious to outside distractions.Many beginning performers have to deal with stagefright; those “butterflies” in your stomach that cause you to make mistakes that affect the performance. That inner voice of self-doubt is something that you can will yourself to turn off, but it’s a very difficult hurdle to overcome.

   One trick I use is to ask my students to play a piece they’re very familiar with, then ask some other students (strangers pulled from out in the hall) to come into my studio and listen. Then, they’re instructed to do everything they can to try to break my performer’s concentration; –they can talk to them, make fun of them, even touch them to try to break their concentration.

   With a little bit of practice enduring these kinds of distractions, most students get in touch with their powers of concentration and “will” themselves to get through the piece. The next step, of course, is to practice this newfound concentration skill in front of a real audience.

   I’ll admit that finding the zone can be very difficult for some, but with determination, they will master it.

8. Get behind the music. Learn as many things about the original performer(s) and composer as you can. Imagine that performing this song is like reciting lines from a play or a poem. Your job as musician is not only to recreate the song, but to “own” it.Some music requires flawless attention to the original style and sound; other pieces may allow you to change the style, improvise, or even remix it.

   I love to hear great cover tunes that reflect the musicianship of those performers who can remain true to the original intent of the song, but still color it in their own unique way.

9. Learn from others. Years ago, some professors wrote about a great conversation. It’s like you’re at a party and you walk up to some people who are actively talking about a subject. You listen a bit, then you add your voice to the conversation. This is what we do as musicians; –the musical conversation has been going on for centuries before we ever entered the room.The reasons we create music have changed little over the centuries, but we all have the opportunity to learn from the ones who have come before us. And the performers that surround us all have different backgrounds and are at different stages of their respective musical journeys.

   Always respect that and listen carefully to what they have to say. You’ll be glad you did.

10. Find your spiritual side in music. Music is supernatural. Natural sounds occur in the course of everyday life (i.e. dogs barking, telephones ringing, people talking).Guitars are not a natural instrument; they are extraordinarily constructed to sound unlike anything else in nature. Singing is not ordinary speech; it is extraordinary, i.e. supernatural. Be aware that every time you sing or pick up an instrument and play you are creating a sound that’s unlike anything found in nature. It is innately a spiritual thing that we musicians do.

    Be aware of that and develop an awareness of music’s connection with the human spirit. It’s what separates us from all other creatures. Pardon me for preaching, but we also have a responsibility to be aware of the impact of what we do on others. Music conveys meaning in a more powerful way than ordinary speech. It can lift us to new heights or push our spirits down to the depths of despair.

    While we can certainly argue the point that music is a universal language, that part of humanity that it reaches is certainly universal. While I don’t wish to begin a debate over what music is bad or good for us, I do hope that you’ll try to make the highest quality of music that you possibly can. And be the best influence you can be on others…you might just make a difference with your music.

How about it?

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