Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with acoustic

The sun and the clouds are a wavy sea, and Foltin sails on...

GrooveStix — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:04:50 -0800

Musicfilter: Help me find similar music to the sounds of this or that album. More heartwrenching info follows... I've been going nuts over these 2 albums so much, so I need every classic/jazz/ethno audiophile to help out me on this. I've been scouring music rooms on IRC, Soulseek chat rooms, music forums, friends and random strangers but I still haven't found anything that sounds similar or as an influence to the sounds of these albums.

Bands that I've discovered while searching which I liked:
Flanger
Marc Ribot & Los Cubanos Postizos
New Klezmer Trio
Jimmy Giuffre
Triosk
Leon Redbone
Glover Gill & Tosca Tango Orchestra
Accordion Tribe
Dancas Ocultas
Sansévérino
Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band

I wanted to ask this question on askMefi for so long, but I always put it off since it seems like I am spamming everyone. I assure you, my Foltin fever is real...

The Conference Room Is Too Loud

ben242 — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 11:30:04 -0800

In my office there is a small conference room, 81"x96", maybe 18' ceiling. The walls are sheetrock. The echo is extremely irritating. In order to quiet the room a bit I want to mount squares of corkboard, 12"x12"x1/4". I will use 12 to 20 of these squares on one of the 81" walls. Will this be reasonably effective in lessening the echo? A 4-pack of the 12"x12" corkboard squares is only about $12, and I can't find any special sound-deadening material thats anywhere close to that cheap.

What is the best method for mounting them to the wall? Double-sided tape seems like the easiest way to go, and we're not concerned whatsoever with keeping the wall behind it looking pretty. It can be repainted someday if necessary.

mystery acoustic song id

null terminated — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:59:59 -0800

Acoustic male song id question I heard a song on the radio Sunday in New Jersey around 8:30pm that I'd like to identify. It was acoustic and male and the only words I can remember go something (though probably not exactly) like "my (girl | lady), she's not a fair-weather fan". I've searched all variations of that but nothing seemed to match. I hadn't heard the song before but have no idea if it's recent or not. The general theme of the song seemed to have been being rich or successful and having lots of friends, then losing that but having his lady stick by him (I'm not positive of this either, because I only caught the end of the song). Thanks a lot!

Quit shimmering, and play something we can all sing

scruss — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 05:03:41 -0800

Beyond loud, pleasing (and above all) shimmering folk chord strumming, what can I do with a 12-string acoustic guitar? Just got a nice 12-string guitar. While the strumming sounds enormously pleasant, I'm finding that the country/folk basic flatpicking that I enjoy on the 6-string doesn't really work so well.

I've just got Pete Seeger's 12-String Guitar as Played by Lead Belly, but it might be a little beyond me for now. The less said about attempting Kottke, the better

So, what works for you on 12-string?

International Rock Tour Date One of One (or Two)

armoured-ant — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 07:13:32 -0800

As per this MeTa post, I'll be over from London to San Francisco for the third week in August. Where can I gig when I'm there? Being, as I am, a fairly active electroacoustic soloist and London Underground busker, I'm looking to find one or two venues in the evening that have acoustic showcase nights or open mics that I can either book a slot at, or walk up and play. Any suggestions?

Thanks guys!

Acoustic guitars and humidity

eightball — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:03:51 -0800

Acoustic Guitar Question: My Martin has a few dead frets, apparently because the guitar has dried out. Is this fixable by just using a humidifier? I have a 1966 Martin 016NY (similar to this one). I usually just leave it out of the case on a stand. I moved to a new place about 5 months ago. When I moved in it played perfectly. Now it has a few frets that make that quacking noise. Most noticeably on the B string third fret. I guess the string is slightly touching the next fret when pushed down so it doesn't vibrate as it should.

I brought it to my repair guy. He looked at it for 5 seconds and said "It's dried out, put a humidifier in it and it'll be back to playing as it should in 2-3 weeks". Apparently the top is dried out so the guitar is out of whack and effecting the neck.

So, I've had it in the case with a humidifier for 5 weeks. Refilling the humidifier every few days. There has been no change. Its just as bad as it was 5 weeks ago.

Will the guitar ever go back to normal just by humidifying it? Or do I need something more drastic done?

where would tupac not go to collectively mix music online?

garfy3 — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 13:56:53 -0800

i'm looking for a site like jamglue, but one more focussed on the indie-rock/acoustic stuff, and way less consumed by hip-hop? what are similar web-based, track editing/mixing alternatives? [not that there's anything wrong with hip-hop, of course, just not my thing at the moment]

One man, one guitar, one microphone.

JParker — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 19:28:03 -0800

My 9th grade son has taught himself guitar and he's thinking about entering the school talent show. He's trying to pick a good song that he can play and sing, and I'd like to help him out. What's a good song for one young man and an acoustic guitar and a high school audience? I'm impressed with his skill on the guitar... but then I'm his dad. He's been playing for about 8 months. He has a repertoire of about 50 songs including many classics (Stairway to Heaven, Freebird, etc.) and a lot of Jack Jackson, Dave Matthews, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and he has good timing and a good ear. The challenge for him will be singing, as he has no confidence in his voice. So far his favorite candidate is Good Time [YouTube link] from Scrubs.

Need advice and/or leads for buying a Taylor Acoustic/Electric Guitar or Big Baby...

caveat empress — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 09:36:46 -0800

Need advice and/or leads for buying a Taylor Acoustic/Electric Guitar or Big Baby... I am ready to buy a guitar, and I have 3 things to consider:

My hands (2 fold):

1) I am rehabbing from an injury where I severed extensor tendons in my left hand. I have always wanted to learn to play, so I am going to use this as a way to help get more range of motion in my hand.

2) I have small hands... should I go with a Taylor Big Baby? I have held a friends full size taylor and it is just a bit too big in the neck, although much better than most acoustics that I have held.

and

3) My finances.

Where do I go to look for good deals on used a used Taylor... or where do they have the very best deals on new, last years models?

Does anyone out there have one for sale?

I would love to get the least expensive acoustic/electric, which Taylor model is that? The Big Baby model is not acoustic electric... would it be the best bet for my conditional terms?

MeFi Folk... what are your opinions?

Need help with a worship song key change transition

beammeup4 — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 23:37:31 -0800

Church worship leader needs help with a key change transition for a Christmas song! I'm singing a Christmas song called "Who is He in Yonder Stall" which is played in the key of G, and I want to sing the final verse a whole step higher in the key of A. How can I make the transition to the new key smooth and pleasing sounding (I'm playing it on my acoustic guitar)? I want to change key during a short instrumental transition. What chords should I play?

The last line of the chorus goes like this:

----------------C-----------D--------G
Crown Him, crown Him Lord of all!

And the following line the first line of a new verse, when played in the key of G, goes like:

---------G--------------------C
Who is He that from the grave

I can has guitar?

tmcw — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 06:18:13 -0800

Guitar pricing and buying: I have a Fender GDP100, which has been very nice to me. I really desire, though, an Alvarez MF80C. Should I buy it online, in a local shop, or not at all? It looks like the Alvarez is price-fixed at $750-760 online, although there were, a little while ago, blemished units going for $650. List price is $1,159. The factors are... a shop nearby stocks them only once in a blue moon, and they'd get one in stock so I could check it out, but I'd need to be seriously considering buying it. I'm not sure whether they'd have the internet price or something higher.

There are also occasional eBay stores sales (w/ offer prices) which can go for much lower - I've seen one or two for under $600, for new stock.

I'm looking to get an acoustic guitar to keep for the rest of my life. The Fender's been great, but the bridge is cracked along the pins, so I don't think it'll hold up much longer. I can afford, technically, the MF80C and probably even a few more pricey than it, but that would suggest some seriously messed up priorities for a college student.

I know that acoustics vary in sound from guitar to guitar - could it be dramatic enough to justify this? And is there any benefit from buying from a local shop other than that warm and fuzzy feeling (the shop is undoubtedly doing well - my area is filled with retirees reliving their youths). And am I wrong to think that this high-end Alvarez is a better alternative to low-end Taylor/Martin/etc.s? I've played quite a few, and I've really liked the feel of similar Alvarezes but haven't yet found a shop that has stocked this particular guitar.

Thanks for any guidance

Too much bass in acoustic guitar recording

quadog — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 12:57:16 -0800

Need help figuring out one problem with recording my acoustic guitar at home. I'm interested in making recordings of my acoustic guitar playing at home. I'm not looking to get high fidelity, I just need something that will sound decent. There's one obstacle between me and my quest for mediocrity. Here's the problem:

The high strings sound good. However, when I let the low strings ring (low E, A-string, D-string) the result in the recording is an overpowering bass vibration. There's no clarity in the sound. It's just a kind of booming note that continues until I hit the string again. I'm not even hitting the low strings that hard.

So, I've tried a ton of different mic positions relative to the guitar and I haven't been able to find a sweet spot that won't yield this booming base problem without having the entire sound be muted.

Here are my specs:
- MXL .006 USB mic with attenuation set to lo (-10 dB) This page (link in the lower right) has an acoustic recording with the mic that sounds decent so I know it can be done.
- guitar positioned about 6" from the mic at the 12th fret.
- recording with Garageband on a basic audio track.
- listening to recording on a pair of harman/kardon sound sticks.

I'm not an audiophile, but let me know if there's any other relevant info needed.

Acoustic Properties of Geodesic Domes

goalyeehah — Tue, 08 May 2007 17:49:35 -0800

Looking for those with personal experience with acoustical and heating/cooling properties of geodesic domes I am thinking of putting up a temporary geodesic dome to house a large yoga studio. This will be put up on an asphalt parking. The idea is to have 2 floors in use seperated by curtains.

This leads me to acoustics as classes may overlap. What are the acoustical properties of a dome. I would like to hear from people who have had ectual experience being in one.

Also, this will be in SoCal. Airflow will be important. I know of Bucky's work on the Wichita Dymaxion House in the late forties and the implication that the design of the structure in theory took care of both heating and cooling concerns. Does anyone have feedback based on personal experience.

Looking for tracks of acoustic sets - acoustic guitar, bass, and percussions.

herbiehancock00 — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 23:34:44 -0800

Looking for tracks of acoustic sets - acoustic guitar, bass, and percussions. My band will be doing acoustic versions for some of our songs and is looking for acoustic tracks to listen to get our brain juices flowing. We have two acoustic guitars, bass, and I'll be handling percussion (no drumset). I would like some recommendations of good acoustic tracks with similar setup that I can check out to get some inspiration on arrangements. Song can be any genre. The more diverse the better so we can find different ways to twist our own songs.

Thanks!

acoustic performance of MAPS

cascando — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 10:16:35 -0800

I am looking for a Yeah Yeah Yeah's acoustic performance. MAPS. It has dissappeared off Youtube and I am dying. Its Karen Oh and the guitarist. Its like a sit down session, not a true live show. In the beginning of the video she holds her hair in front of her face like a mustache and says "its karen OOOOHHHH". Its deadly. Please help me find a link to the video somewhere.

I Have the Audacity

Miko — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 10:57:54 -0800

I'd like your tips on recording acoustic music with Audacity. Hi all. I'm going to home-record my RPM project this year using the free Audacity software. I have a pretty straightforward mike-plugged-into-soundcard setup. And I'm a complete and utter non-gearhead and have very limited recording experience.

So I'd like to hear any advice you may have on settings, strategy, and technique for producing a decent enough recording. The bulk of the project will consist of acoustic guitar and vocal. Should I record these on separate tracks? Should I mic the guitar, or get some sort of attachment to help the signal enter the soundcard direct through a cable? Can I listen to tracks on playback while I record a new track, and, if so, do I just listen via headphone while recording so the recorded sound doesn't bleed through onto the new track? What equalizer settings, compression, and effects would you recommend? I'm going for a stripped-down, countryish, straight and honest acoustic-y sound.

I have read Audacity's tutorial and played around with it a bit, but would appreciate some extra hand-holding. And please go easy on my feeble brain with the audio terminology!

Thanks in advance.

How do I properly clean and tune a newly purchased, but second-hand, acoustic guitar?

chos — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 06:58:50 -0800

How do I properly clean and tune a newly purchased, but second-hand, acoustic guitar? I recently purchased a Yamaha FG-150 acoustic guitar second-hand. It was originally made and purchased in the early 70s, and has some signs of wear and tear, but the current owner never learned how to play, and from what I gather it's spent the last few years just sitting in the case. The current condition is quite good - the finish looks great with a few nicks and some grime, and it still sounds terrific after tuning the old strings. However, I have never purchased or owned an old instrument like this before, so I'm looking for tips on how to properly clean it and make sure it's in good shape.

Specifically:
- What is a good cleaner/polish to use for old wood like this? I believe the top is spruce and the back and sides are mahogany, with a rosewood fretboard.
- Is there anything I should be specifically careful about when replacing the strings?
- What else should I look for? Is it worth bringing it to a local music store to check it out thoroughly?

Acoustical tile ceiling make over

retro88 — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 15:36:32 -0800

DIY.filter: I have a converted attic with acoustical tiles attached to the ceiling. Does anyone have any thoughts on mudding over them or covering them up with something to update the look? As part of an all-around renovation of my upstairs converted attic (approx 500 sq ft) I would like to update the look of the ugly acoustical tile that is currently on the ceiling. I would like to leave it up there and just cover it up with something for several reasons, Possible asbestos hazard if I try to remove it, save on demo time, and maybe save on material costs (if i don't have to hang drywall). One thought I had was just mudding over the whole ceiling. Does anyone know if this will work? Will it hold, is there a bigger risk of cracking? What other cost-effective ideas are out there?

Sounds great, but what is it?

wsg — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 11:16:02 -0800

What kind of guitar is she playing?

name that song? it's killin' me...

garfy3 — Tue, 16 May 2006 14:48:36 -0800

what's the name of that song, couple years back, cello, acoustic guitars, male and female duet, b&w video with the camera slowly spinning from the inside of a circle of singers/musicians and a portion of the lyrics go something like "~~hurricane~~ come knock me down" (or maybe it was 'tornado'?) is it just me or is it impossible to search for song lyrics on the intarwebs!

They are staring at me. I must oblige.

XiBe — Wed, 29 Mar 2006 01:11:15 -0800

Summer. The evening is starting. Friends gather around on the beach. I have my acoustic guitar. They ask me to play something. What to play ? Good evening, ladies and gents, thanks for taking interest in my request. I'm look for ideas of songs I should, strike that, MUST learn in order to enjoy the crowd of friends. Singalong, sweet melodies, classics, must-have-in-my-repertoire, recent hits that are bound to be asked. Roughly, gimme 20 songs I just HAVE to be able to play & sing on cue. Please ?

I'm fairly good in chord strumming and finger-picking, I can sing if my life depends on it. I can't shred to save my life, but who cares ? Personnal tastes range from pop to alt-rock, post-rock and lo-fi, but I'd rather have people sing along with me than start guessing what I'm playing exactly.

Oh, and, I'm French and have French friends, so bonus points for (recent) French songs :)
Vive la musique ! :)

Which guitar for a beginner?

MasonDixon — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 09:53:56 -0800

I'd like to buy a beginner's acoustic guitar. This is a beginner's guitar so I want to keep it fairly inexpensive. I'd like to keep it under $500, but even at that price point there are numerous brands, choices, woods etc. I'm a little overwhelmed.

I can read music and played the piano and bass violin for several years, but I haven't done anything musically for about 10 years.

The music I would ultimately like to play would be folk, country (Original Carter Family-esque), and Olde Tyme gospel. I'm not interested in performing and I wouldn't be travelling with it.

Thanks to earlier questions I'm not worried about learning a new instrument at 30 or how I can learn to play, but I don't have as much money as this guy. And I don't think I am interested in an electric.

Hack guitarist wants to become less of a hack.

bondcliff — Tue, 10 Jan 2006 09:16:22 -0800

What little things separate a hack guitarist from a decent one and how does one make the transition? When I see an amature guitarist play, the ones who stand out are the ones who add little bass runs in between chords or they might throw in a little lick here and there. They're not just playing the guitar part to a song, they're playing the whole song. They take a song that was recorded by a full band and make it sound complete on a single guitar. I want to be able to do that, or at least get as close as I am able to.

I've been a guitar owner for about 20 years now. As is required by law, the first ten years were spent learning Van Halen intros while high. I've since grown up somewhat and now I strum chords on my acoustic. I can play chords just fine, I know about the 12 bar blues and I, IV, V, I know a scale or two (though I'm unable to utilize them when I play), if I have the chords or some tablature I can fake my way through a lot of songs. But my playing is so amateurish. I might play a little intro and then start roboticly strumming the chords. It doesn't... flow.

First off, The Answer is "take lessons and practice a lot." Life is busy and unpredictable, and while I'm not opposed to lessons, my experience with them has not been good. Young Berklee grads who think everybody wants to play Korn songs. \m/. If I took lessons I would need the right sort of teacher. Where do I find them? (Metrowest / Boston)

Specific questions that can be answered:

What are the little tricks I can learn that will help me sound less like a robot when I play? (example: When you switch from C to G, this little run will make it sound really cool...)

Where do I learn said tricks? Any good books that go beyond the basics without focusing too much on just teaching scales? Every book on scales I've ever seen teaches them without teaching you why you should learn them or how you can use them, other than in your totally awesome solo, dude.

Free on-line resources that do not suck. Good lord, there are a lot of bad guitar sites out there. I want sites that have interesting and clear articles, preferably with MP3 examples. A couple good ones that I am aware of are Guitarnoise.com and howandtao.

Tab and chord sites that are not Olga mirrors, tab search engines, etc. What I'm looking for here is someone who has posted their own transcriptions of well knows songs. whotabs.net, Ron's Folk Chords, etc.

Without hopping a train to memphis or going to prison for shooting the man who stole my old lady, how does a nerdy white boy from the 'burbs learn about the blues?

How does a 30-something hack find other 30-something hacks to play with? I don't want to play clubs, I don't want to show off, I don't want to tour, I don't want to start a band in the styles of Slayer and Pantera, I don't need to stay in to do homework, I can afford to buy strings when I need to. As far as I can tell, I'm the only one.

I'm interested in mostly focusing on playing an acoustic. Rock, pop, modern folk (Eddie From Ohio, Moxie Fruvous, Dar Williams, etc...), kids songs, blues, etc. My knowledge of rock ended around the time Pearl Jam hit the scene, so any recommendations of modern bands/artists that might be inspirational would be welcome.

Again, I don't want to dazzle anyone with my chops, I just want to be able to lead the group in a drunken Beatles sing-along or play Old McDonald for my kid's preschool.

Wow. Sorry about the length of this post. Next week I'll ask how to get to the point in under 10,000 words.

Preamp

ludwig_van — Mon, 27 Jun 2005 11:14:01 -0800

Guitar Modification: I have a Taylor 214 acoustic with a Martin Thinline Acoustic pickup, but no preamp. What sort of preamp should I get installed? The guitar didn't come with any electronics to begin with. I got the pickup installed, but didn't have the money to spring for the preamp. The guitar sounds great unplugged, but plugged into a PA it sounds very harsh, metallic, and unnatural. I'm not a gear/electronics expert, but I was led to believe that installing a decent preamp in the guitar will remedy this situation. What kind should I get? I'd like to spend as little as possible, but I really love the unplugged sound of the guitar and want to be able to preserve it when plugging into a PA.

Lo-Fi Indie Folk recommendations

craniac — Sat, 18 Jun 2005 22:42:57 -0800

I've just discovered The Mountain Goats (John Darnielle) courtesy of Large Hearted Boy and some positive online reviews. I love the fact that he used to record albums into a boom box, and has a voice and singing style that are quirky but oddly compelling. Any other recommendations for acoustic indie lo-fi folk (if that is a category)? Extra points if the group/performer makes you feel like you could pick up your guitar and do what they're doing (i.e. not Leo Kottke)