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:) Proof that ABGs are useless:)

#22
Element Zero said:
It’s, a little out of context. Generally, ABG tend get lost once there’s an acoustic guitar or 2 and vocals especially with laminated tops. A quality solid top “can” make a big difference.
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Depends on the ABG and its strings, and of course the player. Of course competing with a couple of big-box guitars with heavy strings plectrum-strummed can be hard work even for an accordion or a set of bagpipes.
 
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#26
Element Zero said:
It’s, a little out of context. Generally, ABG tend get lost once there’s an acoustic guitar or 2 and vocals especially with laminated tops. A quality solid top “can” make a big difference.
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Every solo performance is by definition out of context.
ficelles said:
Depends on the ABG and its strings, and of course the player. Of course competing with a couple of big-box guitars with heavy strings plectrum-strummed can be hard work even for an accordion or a set of bagpipes.
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In turn, a big box guitar competing with a large enough audience would be itself outgunned. That's why acoustic guitarists, outside bluegrass circles or small pubs, typically plug in. Yet, for some reason, no one ever suggests they play strats instead... ;)
 
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#29
Reg Braithwaite said:
I have a book about learning piano, “Fundamentals of Piano Practice.” The author’s contention is that memorizing the music first is important, so that you can then focus on breaking the piece down into problems and solving them. His approach is to memorize first, then work on playing the piece next.

I am a mediocre bassist and not a teacher at all, so I can’t say much beyond this: I tried his method of memorizing and focused problem solving while working on playing JSB’s Invention #4 and it was very effective for me. I advanced to being able to play the treble and bass lines independently very quickly. He has a lot of tips about that that are, IMO, independent of instrument.

He also has things to say about learning to sight-read that have helped me as well. I learned to play JSB’s Prelude in G on an ABG by throwing myself at it for a year, and when I picked up this book I found he listed all of the problems I had run into with memorization and playing from the sheet music right away.
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He also appears to have a portrait of himself behind him. Maybe that helps as well?:D
 
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#33
Reg Braithwaite said:
Mike’s patter was very cheesy. Disclosure: I could give Wallace—of Wallace & Grommit—lessons on the love of cheese. I do love a good bit of Wensleydale while listening to Bach.
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Really I posted that more for the playing than the patter. I bought a mandocello to play bass lines. It's tuned in fifths. It's fun. Because it's double strung it gets pretty good volume.
 
#36
Such gorgeous playing! Despite all the arguments I've heard against ABG's, I still fancy owning one every now and then, for playing solo classical music. The timbre really lends itself to the style, much better than the timbre of an EB, in my opinion.

But I always talk myself out of getting one. As someone who started on (and still plays) woodwind instruments, the low acoustic volume of an ABG does bother me a bit. Having played a couple of them in music stores, it could probably hold its own against a recorder (for a woodwind comparison) or a ukulele (for a string comparison), but not much else. And I'm not really keen on the amplified sound of an ABG through piezo pickups either.

-Cal.
 

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