Posted in Guitars, tagged new year's resolution on December 31, 2011|
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One thing that I have hated about New Year’s resolutions is that many of them are about denial. For instance, one of my sons said, “For 2012, I’m going to stay away from fast food.” That’s not really a bad thing, considering how unhealthy fast food can be, but it’s still a denial. It’s like a year-round Lenten sacrifice. Bah-humbug!
Me? Since I don’t like the negativity of New Year’s resolutions, I haven’t made one in years. But this year, I’m turning 50 (on January 5), so I’m going to make a resolution. Actually, several… but on the positive side.
In 2012, I resolve to:
- Buy a DV Mark Little 40
- Sell my Les Paul Replica
- Replace my sold Les Paul Replica with a Les Paul Standard Traditional Plus
- Get all my tube amps that aren’t working serviced (there’s actually only a couple)
- Buy a 2 X 10 cabinet and house it with Jensen Jet Electric Lightning speakers
- Buy a Fender ProSonic head
Now those are resolutions that I can deal with! 🙂
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Posted in amplifiers, amps, aracom amps, gear, guitar, guitar gear, guitar lifestyle, guitarists, Guitars, instruction, learn guitar, Music, musicians, reason amps, songwriting, style, tagged amps, aracom amps, guitar, guitar instruction, guitar life, guitar lifestyle, guitar teacher, Music, musicians, new year's resolution, reason amps, resolution, RoxBox, saint guitars, teaching guitar on January 1, 2009|
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I normally don’t make New Year’s resolutions. Haven’t done it in years. I’ve always felt there was something innately dishonest about making resolutions like “I’m going to be a better person,” or “I’m going to do something nice for someone everyday.” Not that those aren’t noble pursuits, but in a lot of cases, they demand an enormous amount of self-discipline, self-sacrifice and changes in normal behavior that most of us can’t persevere. We’re good for a few days or maybe a couple of weeks, but something will happen and it all goes to pot.
In lieu of lofty resolutions, I’ve instead set concrete goals that in order to achieve, require changes in behavior and changes in thinking. I’ll share some of these goals here:
- I will continue on my five-year plan of getting on the road and touring. I’m just starting my third year in the plan, and it’s going pretty well. I’ve release an album, and am working on my second one; a few of the songs of which I’ve entered into an international songwriters competition. I don’t expect to win, but the feedback that I get will be invaluable. Furthermore, going on the road will require that I get in shape, so I have been eating better and getting exercise in anticipation of going back on stage. I love to eat, so this has been a tough thing for me, but I’ve lost 25 lbs so far, so I’m well on my way.
- I will study more music theory; especially scalar modes. I already started doing this a few months ago, but really want to master it in the coming year. First, because I want my improvisation to be better, and with an understanding of the intervalic nature of music, I’ll be able to move around the fretboard much easier. I don’t want to necessarily learn patterns that I chain together, I want to get to the point where I can jam in any key, and be confident that the next note I hit works well harmonically and musically with what I’m improvising. Also, mastering scales and modes will make me a better teacher. Don’t get me wrong, I have a very firm intellectual understanding of music theory, and can actually cold read charts, but in actual execution, I feel I’m lacking, so my aim is to meld the two.
- I will have a custom amplifier built for me. I’m currently working with Jeff Aragaki of Aracom Amps to build me an amp around his RoxBox 18 Watt design. I’m “going off the reservation” with this one because I want a different speaker than what he offers, a bigger cabinet and a reverb tank, plus a built-in resistive attenuator for low volume applications. If you haven’t checked out the RoxBox, I suggest you do. It’s a great 18 Watt design that’s also a great value stock.
- I will purchase a Reason amp. Not sure which will come first: Having Jeff finally construct my amp, or purchasing a Reason. I love the SM25 I have right now, but since I’m a StackMode freak, I’m also leaning towards the SM40 head. We’ll see.
- I will have Adam Hernandez at Saint Gutiars build me a guitar. I’m so grateful to be able to test Adam’s guitars. We’ve already talked about what I might like in a guitar, but I really want one of my own.
- As far as GuitarGear.org is concerned, I will rebuild the site to make it a lot easier to find things. I’ve already started doing this, but I really need to rethink the design of the site. I will probably go to a three-column layout so I can get more things “above the line” that is, the part of a page that you first see when a web page loads. Right now, the site is a bit narrow, so lots of things fall below the line that I’d like people to see; especially the companies I personally endorse.
Okay, that’s it for me. Anyone willing to share?
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