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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS |
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Notes |
Below are responses to some of the questions that I'm most frequently asked about playing guitar. To keep things organized, I've broken the questions into five categories:
- PLAYING: Questions about my approach to playing, technique, etc.
- GEAR: Questions about my guitars and other musical equipment
- PERFORMING: Questions about playing on stage
- COMPOSING/ARRANGING: Questions about writing and arranging music
- RECORDING: Questions about recording processes and equipment
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Playing |
Q: How long have you been playing guitar?
A: I started when I was 14, so that means I'm getting close to 25 years. Most of that time, though, was spent playing electric guitar in rock and blues bands, or playing acoustic as a singer-songwriter. It was only fairly recently--the last five or six years--that I started focusing on fingerstyle guitar.
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Q: Do you have any formal training?
A: Not really. I took a semester of classical guitar in college (I wasn't very good), and took a few lessons with Al Petteway and one with El McMeen. Most of my previous learning was independent and very informal... I'd read books and watch other players and try to soak up as much as I could. It wasn't really an efficient approach, because there was no structure and no direction. I'd learn just enough to accomplish my immediate goals, but I missed out on a lot of valuable information that I had to go back and learn much later.
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Q: How often do you practice?
A: Truly practice? Not very often at all. I don't spend much time sitting down and consciously trying to improve my technique, for example. I don't practice scales or run through any sort of exercises on a regular basis. Part of the reason for this is that I have a limited amount of time to spend on playing guitar, and I'd rather use that time working on composing or arranging. I think it also reflects the fact that I don't really consider myself a "guitarist" as much as a songwriter who happens to play guitar. In other words, I'm more interested in using the guitar as a creative outlet than I am in mastering the instrument. |
Q: What got you interested in solo fingerstyle guitar?
A: Originally, it was hearing Michael Hedges' Aerial Boundaries... and his song "Bensusan" led me to discover Pierre's music as well. I was 15 or 16 at the time, and these guys just blew me away. I thought I was a decent fingerpicker because I had the Travis picking technique down, but Hedges and Bensusan opened up a whole new world of possibilities for me.
Around the same time, my uncle started taking me to The King of France Tavern in Annapolis to see Charlie Byrd play. The first time I went I really didn't know who he was, but his playing absolutely mesmerized me. My uncle knew Charlie personally, so between sets he'd come over and sit at our table and chat for a bit. Those conversations with Charlie made quite an impression on me.
Although it was Hedges, Bensusan and Byrd who got me to start dabbling around with fingerstyle guitar, I was mainly playing in bands during my teens and twenties, and it wasn't until I saw Al Petteway get pulled up on stage to play a few songs at a David Wilcox concert a few years ago that I really decided to focus on fingerstyle. As soon as I heard Al play, I knew that was the kind of music I wanted to do. And since the long-time band I was in had dissolved, I finally had the time to dedicate myself to it.
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Q: What tunings do you use?
A: DADGAD has become my "standard" tuning. I use it more often than any tuning, and will often stick to DADGAD on stage when doing shorter performances. My other favorite tunings are CGDGAD and CGCGCD. I've also used slight variations of these three tunings on a few songs: DGDGAD, CGCGCE, and CGCGCEb.
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Q: It looks like you only use a few right-hand fingers for picking. How did you develop that style?
A: When I first starting doing Travis-style picking, I only used the thumb plus the index and middle fingers. I did a lot of picking patterns over chord changes when playing in bands and the three-finger approach became a habit. In fact, one of the reasons I struggled so much with classical guitar was my inability to use the ring finger and pinky with any sort of consistency. I basically would have had to start over from scratch in learning right-hand technique, and I was too stubborn to do that. Still am, I guess, since I still use just three fingers most of the time. The only real exception is if I'm plucking multiple strings of a chord at the same time.
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Q: Do you use natural nails or acrylics?
A: I use my natural nails, but I keep them shorter than most players. My nails aren't that strong, and they tend to chip or fray if they get too long. I've thought about acrylic nails, but haven't tried them yet. Since I like a very warm, round sound, I'd actually prefer to follow Laurence Juber's example and use fingertips only, but I'm not quite ready to make that commitment yet.
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Q: Do you use a thumb pick?
A: No. I've gone through several periods where I've tried them, but I keep finding that I don't like the feel (or rather, the lack of feel) when using one, and I actually prefer the tone when using my thumb. A thumb pick gives me more volume, but it also yields a brighter attack with a little more "zing" to it, and I like my bass notes to be very fat and round. I also like the melody to be out on top of the bass a little bit more; when I use a thumb pick, the bass tends to step up to compete with the melody rather than accompany it. I'm sure that adjusting my technique could fix that, but I already have the balance I like without using a thumb pick. Even though forsaking the thumb pick means sacrificing some volume, I'm happier with the tone. |
Q: Much of your style seems to come from left-hand technique--specifically hammer-ons and pull-offs. Do you have any advice for improving these techniques?
A: One of the reasons I use them so often is that they tend to come pretty naturally for me. I've had several students, though, that have really struggled with them, and I think there are a couple of suggestions to keep in mind when working on hammers and pulls. First, slow down and focus on making sure that you're executing them cleanly. In other words, both notes in the hammer or pull should sound cleanly and at the same volume. Keeping the same volume shouldn't mean you have to execute the hammers and pulls with more force--just better technique. Don't worry about doing them fast, either... the speed will come naturally once you've got the right technique. It's more important to execute hammers and pulls cleanly rather than quickly. The second suggestion is to get all four left-hand fingers involved. You should be able to use any combination of fingers (even the pinky!) for both hammers and pulls without losing clarity or volume.
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Q: I notice that sometimes during performances you play standing up, and other times you play sitting down. Do you have a preference?
A: Not really I think it has more to do with the type of performance I'm doing than anything else. The decision usually depends on the venue, the stage area, the type of audience, the sound system (if any), etc. Of course, if I don't have my SoundSeat with me, the decision is usually tilted more in favor in standing!
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Q: Do you play any other types of music?
A: I still like to pick up an electric guitar every once in a while and play the blues. And I still enjoy playing all the songs I wrote for my old band. One of these days, I'd like to do a CD--just a home recording project, nothing serious--of my singer-songwriter stuff. But playing solo fingerstyle guitar is challenging enough and rewarding enough to keep me occupied and satisfied.
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Gear |
Q: What makes a guitar good for playing fingerstyle?
A: Giving it to a good fingerstyle guitarist! Yes, I'm being funny... but there's a lot of truth in that, too. The guitar is a much smaller part of the equation than most people realize. For example, if I were to list my preferences for a "fingerstyle guitar," you'd end up with almost the exact opposite of the guitar that Michael Hedges used (a Martin D-28), and it would obviously be silly to suggest that he was using the wrong guitar! Ultimately, there's no "right" answer to what makes a good fingerstyle guitar.
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Q: For years you've been playing guitars with cedar tops, and now your main guitar has an Adirondack spruce top. Why the switch?
A: I love cedar tops because they sound a little richer and warmer to my ears, and generally have more overtones than spruce--which gives a little more complexity to the sound. Cedar tops sound great with my sparse, melodic style. However, I had the opportunity to play Al Petteway's new guitar--a small-bodied Circa (made by luthier John Slobod) with an Adirondack top and maple back and sides. Although I expected it to sound fairly bright, I was surprised at how nice it sounded; it was not thin or bright sounding at all.
More recently, I played (and quickly bought) another small-bodied guitar with an Adirondack top. This one was made by Simon Fay, and featured Malaysian blackwood back and sides. It had the overtones and the richness I like from cedar tops, but still retained the clarity and snap of spruce. It was like having the best qualities of cedar and spruce. I really like the way it sounds, especially with my light attack.
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Q: What pickups do you use in your guitars?
A: The Simon Fay OM has a dual-source setup, using a K&K Pure Western Mini along with a K&K FanTaStik. This setup gives me a very natural sound and the flexibilty to blend the signals from the pickups to suit the performance situation. The Rainsongs both have Fishman Prefix Plus-T systems installed, which are surpisingly natural sounding, considering that they are undersaddle transducers in graphite guitars.
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Q: Why do you use Kyser capos? Don't they pull your strings out of tune?
A: Yes, the fact that the spring tension is non-adjustable on the Kysers means that they'll sometimes put too much pressure on the strings and pull them slightly sharp. But here are four reasons why I use 'em anyway: 1) I'm used to them. I've been using Kysers for 20 years. 2) The handle-grip design makes it easy to place the capo or change positions quickly with one hand. 3) They clamp nicely to the end of the headstock. I like a capo to be close at hand when I need it. You never see a guitarist who uses Kysers patting their pockets and looking around on the floor trying to find out where they left their capo. 4) I can place my Kyser and tweak the tuning faster than I can fiddle around with adjusting the tension on other types of capos. And most of the time, the tuning still needs to be adjusted regardless of what capo is used.
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Q: What's in the rack you use for live performances?
A: I have a 6-space SKB rack, with the following gear (from top to bottom): 1) Korg DTR-1000 digital tuner; 2) Rackrider RR-15 power conditioner and light module; 3) Rane AP13 acoustic preamp (this is the key unit); 4) Rane AP13 acoustic preamp (had to have a backup, just in case); 5 & 6) Samson S62 mixer/amplifier.
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Performing |
Q: Do you get nervous before performing?
A: Sure. "Nervous" might be too strong of a word, but there are definitely a few butterflies before any performance. I think as you get used to performing the nervousness becomes more of an excited feeling--a bit of an adrenaline rush--because you always want to do your best, and there's a little anxiety about whether you'll live up to your expectations and the expectations of the audience. Those butterflies are natural, and as a performer you expect them and do your best to turn them into positive energy.
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Q: How come you don't perform more often?
A: I'd love to perform more, but it's a matter of balance. I don't make my living from music, so I have to balance the time I can spend on music with working full time, having a young family, etc. Eventually I'll get some help with the "business" side of being a musician, so that I can devote more of my time to playing and performing.
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Q: Can you tell me more about house concerts? What exactly is a house concert, and what are the requirements for hosting one?
A: To give this question an adequate response, I created the House Concert page. Hopefully most of your questions about house concerts will be answered there.
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Q: When are you going to perform near where I live?
A: Because of my work schedule, my travel is mostly limited to weekends and during the summer. Of course, this is also prime "family time," so the key is spreading the performances and travel out enough to maintain balance. The easiest way to have me perform in your area is to host (or encourage someone else to host) a house concert, or email me with recommendations for local venues that would be conducive to solo fingerstyle guitar music. I'm much more likely to travel if I can line up more than one performance in the area or along the route. I might not be able to come out to your area right away, but if you want to host a house concert, I guarantee I'll find a way to get there eventually!
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Q: How do you decide what songs to play?
A: The first thing to factor in is how much time I have to work with, since I'll structure things a bit differently for a 45-minute performance than I would for a 2-hour show. For a shorter performance, I'm also more likely to stick to a single tuning (usually DADGAD); if I have more time, I'll venture into some of the other tunings, too. The next step is to choose songs that will compliment each other in terms of mood, pacing, key, style, etc. I want to make sure I don't do too many similar songs in a row. After that, it's simply a matter of arranging the songs in the specific order I want to play them. If I'm using multiple tunings, I'll group them by tuning first. Sometimes I'll group them by similar capo positions, because that cuts down a little on the amount of time I spend tweaking the tuning between songs. Recently, I've enjoyed arranging the set list by geographical themes: I'll start with a few Scottish tunes, then travel over to Ireland for a bit before coming back tot he East Coast and heading south from Maine until I arrive back home in Georgia. Most of my songs have some sort of geographical ties, so this works out rather well.
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Composing/Arranging |
Q: What is your writing process?
A: I was a songwriter for many years while playing in bands (was always a better songwriter than guitarist, in fact) and much of my approach to writing instrumentals is the same. I still think in terms of verses, choruses, and bridges... so my song structures are somewhat predictable and familiar. I think that helps make my tunes accessible, especially to listeners who might not typically listen to instrumental guitar music.
As far as writing the actual tunes, they always start with a melody... and the melody has to be something I can hum, because I usually don't record song ideas or write them down. So I have to be able to remember them, and I'll often come up with additional parts to the song while I'm not playing guitar. The original melody will just bounce around in my head while I'm driving or doing chores around the house, and I'll get an idea for where to go next. Then I have to keep humming it until I can get to a guitar and figure out how to play it. The combination of humming and physically playing the notes on the guitar tend to be enough to keep it in my memory. I recently got some home recording equipment specifically for the purpose of keeping an "electronic notebook" of my song ideas, but so far I haven't taken advantage of it. I figure if the songs I'm writing are any good, I should be able to remember them without having to record them or write them down.
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Q: How do you know when a song is finished?
A: Because I write and structure my instrumental songs much like I did when writing songs with lyrics, they tend to follow patterns in terms of where the verses, choruses and bridges fall, and tend to resolve the same way. The main difference is that with instrumental tunes, I usually keep the songs a little shorter, since the lyrical element isn't there to help maintain the listener's interest as long.
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Q: What's your approach for arranging?
A: Very similar to writing... I start with the melody and build everything else around that. Of course, when arranging tunes the melody is already there to work with, so it's simply a matter of deciding how to adapt it to solo guitar. I usually try to keep the arrangement fairly simple so that the emphasis stays on the melody. After all, the tune is already very good (or I wouldn't be arranging it in the first place), so it really doesn't need any "help" from me by adding fancy guitar playing.
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Q: How do you choose the songs to arrange?
A: There are two main qualities I look for when choosing tunes to arrange. Obviously, it has to be a song that I really enjoy, and it has to have a great melody. Just as important, it has to be a song that I think I can render effectively on solo guitar. For my style, this usually means that the melody has to stand up pretty well on its own, because other than fleshing out the bass line and chords, I'm probably not going to worry about an intricate arrangement that captures all of the song's original instrumentation.
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Q: How do you know what tuning to use?
A: I usually want a new song or arrangement to fall into one of the tunings I already use regularly (DADGAD, CGDGAD, and CGCGCD). Obviously, there are people like Pierre Bensusan who can make anything work in DADGAD and El McMeen who can do everything in CGDGAD... but I like to let the tuning do some of the work for me, so I'll pick the familiar tuning which makes the song easiest for me to play. I'll usually start by trying the song in DADGAD, and if I like the way the melody falls beneath my fingers, I'll check to see if the bass notes also work out. Depending on the key, sometimes it's easier to switch to CGDGAD to take advantage of different open bass notes. If the melody isn't working out in one of the xxDGAD tunings, I'll try it in CGCGCD. Or sometimes--especially if I want to take advantage of droning notes, I might try CGCGCD first.
It's usually only once I've decided there's something I don't like about the way the song is working in those three tunings that I'll start adjusting other strings to address the "problem" spot. This is why some of my songs have ended up in tunings that are just minor variations of those three: DGDGAD, CGCGCE, CGCGCEb, etc.
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Q: How do you decide what to play in a duet?
A: It depends on the situation--who I'm playing with (and why), and what song we're doing. On a couple of the duets I recorded with Al Petteway, "The Ride of the Red Knight" and "Dragonflies," I specifically wanted Al to play lead so I wrote in parts for myself that were strictly rhythm. On the Christmas medley we did for the Castlerea CD, I wanted the focus to be on harmonies, so I wrote the melody arrangement and then gave it to Al and let him come up with a harmony part (which he did on the bouzouki). When I wrote "The Water-Crossers," I really hadn't thought about it being a duet, but as I was recording it Al kept hearing a harmony part and asked if he could add it. Of course I said yes, and now I can't imagine the song without it.
If I'm playing a duet with someone who already has a melody arrangement worked out, then I'll try to add a harmony part. It's a little more challenging--but also really fun--to come up with a complimentary part that adds something to the original arrangement. When I recorded "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" with John Sweet, I used an open Cm tuning (CGCGCEb) to create a harmony part, and then we did something unusual by having the song start out with me playing the harmony first and John coming in with the melody later.
When Mike Golay asked me to join him for a live duet on his arrangement of "Peggy Gordon," I listened to the recorded version he had done with Al Petteway, and then came up with a harmony part that had a similar feel.
Finally, I've had the opportunity to do a few live duets with flatpicking champion Allen Shadd. We play "Dragonflies" and a song Allen wrote called "Sister's Waltz." In these situations, the only smart thing to do is stick to the melody and let Allen do his thing!
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Recording |
Q: How do you get such a natural sound on your CDs?
A: Easy... I turn the recording over to someone who really knows how to get a great acoustic guitar sound in the studio--Al Petteway. I know very little about recording myself, so when it's time to record I head to Fairewood and let Al work his magic.
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Q: What microphones do you use to record?
A: I have to sheepishly admit that since I don't know a whole lot about recording gear, I didn't pay much attention to the equipment Al used when recording my CDs. The best I can do is refer you to the Tech page on Al's website, where he describes the equipment and processes he like to use. From that info, it appears that the mics used would be either Sennheiser MKH-40's or AKG 414 TLII's. I promise I'll pay more attention next time I'm recording!
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Q: Do you ever use overdubs on your recordings?
A: No... using overdubs to enhance my parts would seem contradictory to the idea of solo fingerstyle guitar. If I can't play it live, I don't want to record it.
The exceptions to this, of course, are the duets. All of the duets I've recorded with Al have had his part overdubbed once my part was already recorded. Since we don't rehearse the duets--and in fact, the first time Al heard my parts were when they were recorded--it made sense to have Al add his parts later.
The only duet that was recorded live was "O Come, O Come Emmanuel," with John Sweet. We'd rehearsed the tune ahead of time, and it only took two or three takes to get the recording that appears on the CD.
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Q: How many takes of each song do you do in the studio?
A: One of the biggest luxuries of home recording is the lack of time constraints, so you're able to do an infinite number of takes (if you have the patience) until you get it just right.
In a studio environment, though, when you--or the record label--are footing the bill and time is money, it's rare to have that luxury. So it's essential to really know the tunes well before recording.
Even so, it usually requires multiple takes to get to the "sweet spot" while playing. Too few takes, and you're essentially still warming up. Too many takes, and the playing loses energy because of the repetition. Generally, I do four or five takes of each song... with the third or fourth take usually being the best. The first and last takes I do are almost "throw away" takes, because with the first one I'm not really warmed up to the tune yet, and on the last take I know I just had a good take previously but feel compelled to do another one "just in case."
After the last take, Al and I will listen through them and decide which one has the best feel and the best playing. Then we'll use that one as "the" take, and listen to it again to see if there are any rough spots--a note that is slightly flubbed, or a (louder than normal) finger squeak, or maybe a passage that just doesn't have the same energy. Once we isolate any issues, we'll edit the track by splicing in the appropriate note(s) from one of the other takes.
It's not as ideal as playing the song perfectly in a single take, but it's a much more practical approach in the studio where you have limited time and a limited budget.
Al has commented that it's very easy to edit my songs because the timing of the individual takes are almost always identical. (Obviously, it wouldn't work if you tried to edit together parts of two takes that were played at different tempos... not without major studio magic, anyway.) And oddly enough, I never use a metronome in the studio because I find it distracting. What we've discovered is that I've memorized the tempo just as much as any of the notes... so in my head, I hear the same tempo for the song every time. This is very helpful indeed--but it actually makes it a challenge if you want to try playing the song at a different tempo. I still remember Al suggesting that I try one tune at a slower tempo, and when we compared it to the previous take, it was still identical. "Sorry, Al," I said. "That's just the way the song goes." And for me, it's true... once I lock in the tempo it just doesn't feel right if I play it slightly faster or slower. |
Q: If I'm reading the liner notes correctly, it appears that you recorded the Solo Guitar and Celtic Guitar CDs during the same week. Isn't that, well... crazy?
A: While I didn't think so at the time I decided to do it, yeah, I'd have to say that recording two CDs in one week was a little nuts. OK, a lot nuts.
The idea, of course, was to make the most efficient use of the studio time... and I figured I had the songs down, so why not? I think I underestimated, however, just how draining it would be. I ended up recording 37 songs in a single week, which meant that I'd also spent a lot of time rehearsing those songs before going in to the studio. When you also factor in that we did four or five takes of every song and then spent time editing them, etc., it ends up taking a lot of time and energy. And since I was also doing these recordings for my first releases on Solid Air Records, there was additional stress because I wanted them to be the very best I could offer--which, of course, is very difficult when doing so much in such a short amount of time.
I ended up being very happy with the results, but I also felt burned out for a while afterwards. It's one of those things that you can say that you're proud of doing... but you'd never want to do it again. From now on, I'll stick to one record at a time!
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Q: I read somewhere that you prefer not to wear headphones when recording. Why?
A: It just feels unnatural to me to have the extra weight on my head and to hear the guitar through the headphones instead of the natural sound of the guitar in the room. Obviously, I think it's important to closely monitor what's actually being recorded, but I let Al worry about that since he's going to be the one who adjusts the microphone placement, recording levels, etc. That allows me the luxury of playing the songs the way I'm used to playing them, rather than wearing headphones and hearing something different while in the studio. Obviously, if I were recording at home I'd have to get used to the headphones... but there's no real purpose for doing so when recording with Al.
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Q: When's the next CD coming out?
A: I've been working on tunes for quite a while, but with all the major life changes since the last CDs came out--having another baby, finding a new job, moving to Georgia, getting established in a new area, etc.--the new material had to be put on the back burner for a while. I'm now at the point where I'm ready to look at the new songs again and get them polished up before heading back into the studio. My hope is that I'll do the recording this spring, and get the new CD out sometime early in the summer.
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Q: Will the new CD feature original music or Celtic music?
A: As much as I enjoy playing the Celtic music, I get more satisfaction out of doing original music because of the creative process involved. As I mentioned earlier, I don't think of myself as a guitarist as much as a composer/songwriter who happens to play guitar, so writing, recording, and performing original tunes will always be a little more gratifying.
So, the new record will be mostly original stuff. I'm also planning to do a few cover tunes on this one as well, which will be something new for me, since everything I've done up until now has been original or traditional. There are a few songs I'd really like to do, though, and I think they'll fit in quite nicely with my originals. If all goes according to plan, I'll be recording one or two of these covers as duets with the original artists--so that will be a lot of fun.
Eventually, I'd like to do another Celtic CD, too, since there are already a handful of tunes I've been looking forward to arranging. But for now, I'm happy to let the original stuff take priority.
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