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Post subject: Encourage a young guitarist
Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2013 2:23 pm
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This Sunday I was in church while the youth band did the music. A 15 year old kid was playing his Epiphone SG copy with all his heart and was doing really well. Of course I could hear dead strings and a bad set-up.

After the service I went up and told him he was doing a good job and asked him how often he changed his strings. I must have had a horrified expression on my face when he said, about every six months. I told him he needed to change them at least once a month and there were deals to be found on the internet.

Long story short. It dawned on me to just buy them for him, what a revelation! He likes Ernie ball Super Slinkys , found then for $19.98 for six sets, free shipping.

I think he'll appreciate the thought.


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Post subject: Re: Encourage a young guitarist
Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2013 2:31 pm
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If it encourages someone with talent then it's money well spent.

Although if he only restrings twice a year I'd probably have offered to show him how it's done, I know my first guitar ended up with strings wound the wrong way round the wrong tuning pegs until I got the hang of it.

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Post subject: Re: Encourage a young guitarist
Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2013 2:55 pm
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Just glancing at the guitar, I didn't want him to think I was being critical, the strings had three or four winds on them and the strings were high. I want to go slow so knows I'm just trying to help.


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Post subject: Re: Encourage a young guitarist
Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2013 3:19 pm
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Back in July we had a family reunion and part of it involved a big family supper with all the extended family there too which amounted to about 70-80 people.Since there are a lot of musicians in our family including a lot of professional musicians,we had a giant jam. We were all blown away when the 11 year old grandson of a 2nd cousin got up with an El Cheapo lefty acoustic guitar and played like someone with years of nightclub gigging under his belt.

I asked around whether he had an electric guitar and found out that he only had a very poorly made Walmart Special with an equally shoddy amp.I had been saving up for a Rickenbacker 360/12 but I had an epiphany that I should do whatever it took to nurture this young virtuoso's phenomenal God-given talent.I took my Rick money and went to Reid Music in Mt. Pearl,NL and got a great package deal on a beautiful lefty Squier Tele and a Vox VT-20 amp.

Myself and my cousin who was behind getting the reunion off the ground went to his house with the Tele and the amp and he was as blown away as I was when I first heard him.His mother couldn't see why I did this for a distant cousin that I had never known existed before the reunion.I told her that her son had an incredible gift and as a musician I felt obligated to do whatever I could to help him develop his talent to its full potential.

My deed has certainly paid off because his mother has gotten in touch with me several times since and says that to this day when he gets home from school he heads straight for his room and practices until suppertime and when he finishes his homework,he plays until bedtime.On the weekends he and hie Tele are inseparable and after only 2 years of playing there is only one teacher in the guitar school he attends who is talented enough to be able to show him anything that he doesn't already know.I'm sure that this young fella will be going places with his guitar playing and will most likely become a professional musician.I think that it's incumbent on all musicians to do whatever they can to help any young musician who obviously has an innate gift of being able to play an instrument at a virtuoso level at a tender age.

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Post subject: Re: Encourage a young guitarist
Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2013 3:41 pm
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guitslinger wrote:
god-given talent


I wish I knew how to get that. I had to practice.

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Post subject: Re: Encourage a young guitarist
Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2013 4:09 pm
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GilgaFrank wrote:
If it encourages someone with talent then it's money well spent.

Although if he only restrings twice a year I'd probably have offered to show him how it's done, I know my first guitar ended up with strings wound the wrong way round the wrong tuning pegs until I got the hang of it.


+1!

It's always been my avocation to mentor young guitarists who demonstrate some proclivity and talent for the instrument. I had many "guru's" show me the ropes back in the day so now it's my turn.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Encourage a young guitarist
Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2013 5:45 pm
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Hey guys, I have a god given talent, wanna buy me a few guitars?

:lol:


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Post subject: Re: Encourage a young guitarist
Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2013 6:53 pm
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guitslinger wrote:
Back in July we had a family reunion and part of it involved a big family supper with all the extended family there too which amounted to about 70-80 people.Since there are a lot of musicians in our family including a lot of professional musicians,we had a giant jam. We were all blown away when the 11 year old grandson of a 2nd cousin got up with an El Cheapo lefty acoustic guitar and played like someone with years of nightclub gigging under his belt.

I asked around whether he had an electric guitar and found out that he only had a very poorly made Walmart Special with an equally shoddy amp.I had been saving up for a Rickenbacker 360/12 but I had an epiphany that I should do whatever it took to nurture this young virtuoso's phenomenal God-given talent.I took my Rick money and went to Reid Music in Mt. Pearl,NL and got a great package deal on a beautiful lefty Squier Tele and a Vox VT-20 amp.

Myself and my cousin who was behind getting the reunion off the ground went to his house with the Tele and the amp and he was as blown away as I was when I first heard him.His mother couldn't see why I did this for a distant cousin that I had never known existed before the reunion.I told her that her son had an incredible gift and as a musician I felt obligated to do whatever I could to help him develop his talent to its full potential.

My deed has certainly paid off because his mother has gotten in touch with me several times since and says that to this day when he gets home from school he heads straight for his room and practices until suppertime and when he finishes his homework,he plays until bedtime.On the weekends he and hie Tele are inseparable and after only 2 years of playing there is only one teacher in the guitar school he attends who is talented enough to be able to show him anything that he doesn't already know.I'm sure that this young fella will be going places with his guitar playing and will most likely become a professional musician.I think that it's incumbent on all musicians to do whatever they can to help any young musician who obviously has an innate gift of being able to play an instrument at a virtuoso level at a tender age.

What a cool story! I'd certainly do the same.

OP, I had 6 month old strings on my Tele and I can't believe how much better she sounds with new strings now. I doubt I'll change them once a month, but I'm sure I'll change them at least every other month. I've gotten pretty comfortable changing strings so it's not really a big deal, and my local music store has super bullets always on sale for 5 bucks.

About my winds, what do you guys think?
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Post subject: Re: Encourage a young guitarist
Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2013 9:15 pm
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Your winding looks good! These are some awesome stories, they help restore my faith in humanity. The difference an individual can make in someone's life is wonderful. I have often thought that if I ever have the money, I would like to buy guitars for kids that could not afford them otherwise.

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Post subject: Re: Encourage a young guitarist
Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2013 10:30 pm
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Re God-given talent: It's pretty obvious that some people are predisposed to excel at certain things.A 5 year old boy from Vancouver,British Columbia just last week played Carnigie Hall and played the most intense and complicated works of classical music,yet he can't even read music.My distant cousin obviously doesn't possess the same level of incredible talent that the 5 year old has-very very few do-but he is certainly gifted in that it only took minimal instruction of less than two years for him to better the ability of all the instructors in the school save for one.I really look forward to seeing how far up the ladder that he can or will climb.It certainly doesn't look like he'll lose interest any time soon.When I first heard Jimi Hendrix I ramped up my playing time to in excess of 10 hours a day at times-too bad that I didn't progress as fast as this young fella and didn't reach the level of proficiency that he's headed for.

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Post subject: Re: Encourage a young guitarist
Posted: Fri Mar 29, 2013 3:56 am
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nice of you to buy him the strings.. you might want to point him to dan erlewines book. guitar player repair guide. that book will teach him to do his own setups and what ever else he may want to do. sat to the string buzzing or dead spots. all the cures are in it. could just be the change in weather. i noticed when picking up my strat this week i need a tweeking. weather is chaging . every spring and fall i go through this with some of my guitars as i keep my action very low. anyhow just a suggestion on the book . i wish i had bought it 20 years earlier. again it was very good of you to do what you did..


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Post subject: Re: Encourage a young guitarist
Posted: Fri Mar 29, 2013 4:03 am
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oxfan wrote:
This Sunday I was in church while the youth band did the music. A 15 year old kid was playing his Epiphone SG copy with all his heart and was doing really well. Of course I could hear dead strings and a bad set-up.

After the service I went up and told him he was doing a good job and asked him how often he changed his strings. I must have had a horrified expression on my face when he said, about every six months. I told him he needed to change them at least once a month and there were deals to be found on the internet.

Long story short. It dawned on me to just buy them for him, what a revelation! He likes Ernie ball Super Slinkys , found then for $19.98 for six sets, free shipping.

I think he'll appreciate the thought.


Good on ya!!!

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Post subject: Re: Encourage a young guitarist
Posted: Fri Mar 29, 2013 5:58 am
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Gutslinger,

I remember when you did this, I thought it was a great story then and still do. As far as the boy, as i mentioned earlier, i don't want to get pushy with him. I want him to realize a fellow guitarist wants to help him. When i'm playing in front of any kind of group, I always like fresh strings, on a guitar at least, on my basses they last longer.

It's very satisfying to be able to give, as mentioned earlier, we've all had people in our lives that showed up and gave us a hand at one time or another. it's a good feeling to be taking up that mantle.


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Post subject: Re: Encourage a young guitarist
Posted: Fri Mar 29, 2013 6:14 am
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"Encourage a young guitarist"
good thoughts

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Post subject: Re: Encourage a young guitarist
Posted: Fri Mar 29, 2013 6:18 am
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guitslinger wrote:
Re God-given talent: It's pretty obvious that some people are predisposed to excel at certain things.A 5 year old boy from Vancouver,British Columbia just last week played Carnigie Hall and played the most intense and complicated works of classical music,yet he can't even read music.My distant cousin obviously doesn't possess the same level of incredible talent that the 5 year old has-very very few do-but he is certainly gifted in that it only took minimal instruction of less than two years for him to better the ability of all the instructors in the school save for one.I really look forward to seeing how far up the ladder that he can or will climb.It certainly doesn't look like he'll lose interest any time soon.When I first heard Jimi Hendrix I ramped up my playing time to in excess of 10 hours a day at times-too bad that I didn't progress as fast as this young fella and didn't reach the level of proficiency that he's headed for.


Ahhh, I get it now. You mean talent.

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