It's the Final Countdoooowwwn. . . .

The date of the move has been set and is official. "The Lead State", "The Bullion State", "The Ozark State." "Mother of the West", "The Iron Mountain State", "Pennsylvania of the West." Yes, I will be making my journeyings to grand ol' Missouri on around October 28th, 2010. We're picking up an leaving jobs, people, bands and Utah state to move near my wife's family. Contrary to the feeling of the last sentence, I harbor no ill feelings toward this decision. It has taken me a while, but with the way things are going here, I am actually getting more and more excited to move. We will be living rent-free and I will be going to school to get a teaching degree so I can destroy the world's grammar problems, one child or teenager at a time.

I will miss the band dearly, but we're going to try to sneak in a few shows before I must depart. If we bag any, I will post the dates on here. For those of you that do read my blog, never fear, for I am going to continue writing in my blog. I will be changing the name of the blog, but I will keep the link to the Image Down website on my link list, cuz the music is freekingz awezomez! I plan on writing my own music and recording all of the parts myself. Also, since I'll be going to school, I may start an acoustic thing or maybe even a cover band.

I'll only be in Missouri for about 3-4 years, depending on how long it takes for me to get my B.A. degree for teaching, then we'll be back to Utah for good(ish). Thanks for reading, readers. If you really like my story and musings, then tell your friends and stuff!

Acoustic Guitars

My, What Strings Can Do!

To the everyday person that has no prior knowledge of guitars, strings are just there to make the guitar make sound. This is true. However, what aforementioned everyday person does not know is that the strings provide part of the basis of sound and playability that comes from the guitar. Before I start, I’m going to tell you that I will not be throwing any specific brand names of strings out, due solely to the fact that this is a topic that some of the more intense musicians have started international wars over. Things get messy, references are made about a “big pond,” then Interpol gets involved... Personally, I have used different brands, and prefer different ones depending on the guitar.

String instrument strings are basically built the same way consisting of a core with a very tight winding around it. Steel is the most common material used for the core when dealing with Acoustic and Electric guitars. With Classical guitars, a special type of string called Catgut (aka Nylon) is used. Bull and sheep gut were used for the core due to the fact that less pull is required to bring the string into tune. This was needed because the neck on Classical guitars are more delicately supported. For the record, real animal innards are hardly being used anymore and cat’s guts were never used, despite the name. You can stop writing that email now, PETA.

For the winding, several different materials can be used depending on the sound you like for your guitar and playing style. Pretty much, the most common winding for acoustic guitar strings is bronze over a steel core. This includes the classical guitar strings, where the bronze is wound over the lower-sounding bass strings. Typically, the bronze will be alloyed with Phosphor to increase the life of the strings.

There's another nick name for Missouri... but don't say it. The natives don't like it.