Ch-ch-ch-changes - Turn and Face the Strange...

I am proud to announce that Image Down has finally established an official website. The link is provided in the other links above. I am very pleased with the layout and design, which was born from the graphic imaginariations of Scott the Singer. The things that man can do with technology is enough to make Bill Gates feel like Steve Jobs, or vice versa depending on who you support as your computer demi-god. As far as music goes, my wonderful parents are bringing to me a bass guitar and a keyboard so I can have the ability to write sweeter, catchy, soul-wrenching music.

In other news, my wife and I have come across the offer to live near her parents. It would be rent-free, utilities-free, and in a fairly large house. That would give us the opportunity for me to go to school, and her to hopefully bare our spawn in peace (once we get things going...baw-chicka-wah-wah). There is really only one catch: We would have to drop everything and move to St. Louis, MO. 1,500 miles from my parents and 1,300 from our current position. We would be near her family, but I would need to leave the band and quit my job. It is a painful desicion to make, as there are as many severe downfalls as there are pros. We are going to ponder much about this and I will be sure to keep you, my readers, updated.

Here's the next installment of the "Ultimate Guitar Knowledge Masterpiece" series. (Still not that Ultimate.)

Acoustic Guitars

I’m Sorry, You’re Not My Body Type
You look at acoustic guitars and they all look the same, right? No? Then you have quite the eye for detail. There are MANY different body styles when it comes to acoustic guitars. The different body styles can be hardly noticeable or they can stick out like a sore thumb. Everything from the type of wood that is used, down to the finish used on that wood. Each one will affect the sound and presence of the guitar, from the traditional Dreadnought with a matte (not shiny) finish to the subtle Backpacker. Even the melt-your-face-with-candy Acoustic Flying V!

The Dreadnought style is a widely popular style as it provides a bassier (is that a word?) tonal quality that is often desired with musicians that focus on Acoustic guitar. Meanwhile, classical guitar musicians will prefer the Classical guitar body style, which has a mellow tone but not a super amount of bass tones. The style in which the body is made in and the materials used to make the Classical guitar are such that it requires a special type of strings. The mellow tone is also an attribute provided by these types of strings used, which will segue into my next section.


The end is closer than you think, but too far off to worry. So play.

The week that was devoid of practice.

This last week, band practice didn't happen. Hopefully that should give us time to get the other aspects of the band going, however. My skill points in Guitar and Songwriting will soon be going up, as I have come across a practice amp to keep at home. I shall be skill grinding to raise my Music skill to max proficiency! (I apologize for the terms used in the last two sentences... Too much World of Warcraft for me.) With the band still pushing for gigs, our bassist getting married, moving our practice room due to aforementioned bassist getting married and living in the space of which current practice is held, and an overwhelmingly joyous amount of family visiting us in hordes, it doesn't surprise me that practices have been slightly less than a priority. Though our last practice was far from earning the title of the "greatest last practice," I have a feeling that our waiting and our efforts are not about to go unnoticed. My goal of staying home and playing guitar for work may yet be achieved someday.

Here's the first installment of the "Ultimate Guitar Knowledge Masterpiece" series. (It's not that Ultimate.)

Acoustic Guitars
Sounds and What Causes Them

The acoustic guitar is quite an exquisite form of instrument. The inside of an acoustic guitar can be compared structurally to that of a music studio. The shape of the body, the type of wood used, and the interior design that holds the guitar together all contribute to the sound and style of the guitar.

The strings are, of course, the biggest contributor to what makes the sound. However, most people don’t think about what the strings attach to. The bridge is the piece of wood that is positioned on the body of the guitar that anchors the strings near the bottom of the guitar. This also holds the saddle, the piece of material that props the strings up. With this holding the strings, it will vibrate with the strings when they are struck, thus vibrating the top of the body of the guitar, also called the sound board, causing the sound to reverberate in the guitar. The sound escapes through the hole that the strings span over called, shockingly, the sound hole. This is how sound is made with an acoustic guitar (it’s not when a mommy and daddy sound love each other very much).

I'm taking blog fiber, to be more regular.

My blogging duties, I have shirked
But life is busy, I'm not a jerk
To remedy my situation
I have a simple solution
To help me stay more regular
I will take my blogging fiber!

My life has been quite the merry-go-round of not-always-merriness. In my personal life, my wife and I are trying to infect the world with little us's and it is proving to be a goal that requires both patience and much practice. The practice I don't mind... With the band, we are on the verge of doing gigs and getting our own sound out to the people and potential fans. Our manager has a conflicting idea of how to introduce us to the world, so we may exercise our bandly rights to book our own shows. We have finished recording all of our parts to the songs that will be our demo, and as soon as that is mixed, I will post the songs on here for anyone that stumbles across my blog to enjoy. I'll also add a gadget that will post information on any upcoming gigs.

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I know I promised that my next blog post would be a dedicated plethora of information. However, I thought long and hard about this and came to the disappointing conclusion that not everybody would be as interested in guitars as I am. So I am going to post information on each section at the end of my normal blog posts to avoid invading your cornea like an alien invades... well, you know.

This will be more of a guide for the uninformed (less educated, not people in fancy dress...that's uniformed). All of the information that is given here will be from my own knowledge. For the sake of space and time, I’ll split this up into two posts. The first post will be Acoustic Guitars. Here’s what will be covered:

Acoustic Guitars
a. Sounds and what causes them
b. I’m sorry, you’re not my body type.
c. My, what strings can do!
d. The not-inbred hybrid.

The first section will appear on my next post.

Making a mistake means you're human. Missing notes means you play bass.