8 Ball

Edit: No longer available. Sold for $910 Hyler Touchstyle Model II Padauk, Rosewood, and Wenge Bodyless Bass Stereo Pickups, TRS Output Switchable between Mono/Stereo 34" String Scale 10 Strings http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150483815665

It's a great rule to have to protect your technique while you're developing it, however, not using your thumb is purely technique oriented and that "rule" can be broken anytime it inhibits the technique which it's trying to protect. So ask yourself this, "if I don't use my thumb for this chord, will my technique be better or worse?" If not using your thumb causes a certain chord to require your fingers crossing in an unnatural way (IE your 4th finger in between your 1st and 2nd and your fifth finger on the opposite side) then chances are you will actually do more harm to your technique if you don't use your thumb. More times than not, pull everything except the end of your thumb away from the neck, but in scenarios where your technique is worse off to not use your thumb.... use your thumb =) On a side note, your second to last has a five chord where your leading tone (F# or High E's 2nd fret) doesn't resolve itself. Leading tones, especially in dominant chords always want to resolve up, even in deceptive resolutions based on a six they still move up. In this case I can see it wanting to move up from the F# to the G in your IV chord (High E's 3rd fret)

That's about as minimalistic as a Touchstyle 10 stringer will get from me =) The extensive woodchoice is just so I can do an oil finish rather than having to actually paint an instrument. Use nice and/exotic woods = customers love it, and you only have to sand down to about 1k-2k before it's ready for a few days worth of oiling, polishing, and buffing. Use cheaper or heavily porous woods, and I have to have an instrument sit around in the shop for weeks, priming, sanding, painting, sanding, coating, sanding, curing, buffing. Plus painted instruments are a dime a dozen in most stores. Are those excuses so I don't have to take the time to properly paint? Yes. But even so, I don't think I could find a standard (not custom) painted instrument with a finish that looks as beautiful as a nicely oiled and polished exotic wood. I'm biased towards it, but if people really wanted painted Touchstyles, they can always have Stu Box build them one, and he does a great job on painting.

African Paduak in place of Bloodwood, Dark Wenge Fretboard, Dark walnut base = evil incarnate. I'm sure the black powdercoated parts and black ABS doesn't help it look less evil as well.

10 String 34" AltoBass Paduak and Walnut Split Pickups (Stereo Output) Toggle switch (from Stereo TRS to Mono TS) 1/2" Heavy Duty Truss System with 3/8" Rod Uncrossed Tuning

When it comes to writing and arranging solos for lead instruments like the guitar, we have to break it down into seperate areas to understand. I put together a quick etude for my students that shows how to construct a solo with respect to progression, voicing, instrumentation, and voice leading. We can break it down into 3 different steps: Harmonic Structure, Solo/Melody "Pivot" Points, and ornanementation, additional and NCTs. Part One: Harmonic Structure First the Harmonic structure. A very simple progression. We start on the One chord in first inversion, up to the Four chord, back to One, up to the Dominant 7th chord, to a One Chord in second inversion, up to a Secondary Dominant 7th chord (the V7 of the ii), then resolving that secondary chord to the Two Chord. FAQs - Why the inversions? -If we simply went up 4 notes on a staff to get to the four chord, then our solo notes would have a giant leap in it. We want simple major and minor 2nd intervals between the main notes in our solo. The solo would get 'lost' and have no pivot points, flowing tones, or connection if we simply jump up huge leaps from note to note just to meet a lack of proper chordal voicing (selection of inversion) Voice Leading? -If we properly arrange the inversions of the chords in the progression, certain notes (like the highest note in the chords in my example) will lead to the next one by either a major or minor second. Other intervals can be used, but sparingly and only for good reason, not simply to avoid properly arranging the notes in a chord. Part Two: Arranging Parts and Voicings Now let's start arranging the main notes in our solo. We'll choose the notes that make our "voice leading in the chord" and remove them from the chord. One guitar will play the main solo notes, the other will play the rest of the notes in the chord, and together, the solo guitar and the rhythm guitar will create the same harmonic structure that the original piece made. FAQs - Where did the bass come from? -Since our harmonic structure had inversions that weren't built on the root but other tones in the chord, I added a bass to play the root below all the other tones and ensure that the sound of the harmonic structure easily conveys the chord being played. How is the root note located?-This is simply the note that the chord is named after. USUALLY it takes form as the lowest note in the chord (as this creates a sound which can easily identify the chord) though this does NOT have to always be true for the chord to remain the same name. Therefor, we take the name of the chord, and put the chords namesake note down in the bass. IE: If we were playing a G chord which is build of G B D, but we were playing it in the order of BDG, then we can take the G and put it below all those notes by having the bass instrument play it, we are now playing GBDG which IS in root position and easy to identify audibly when all the instruments play together. Part Three: Final Touches Now, we have the basis for our solo, though not very exciting, it's a good foundation. Let's add ornamentation, other chordal tones, and non-chord tones (minor seconds, usually linking to other diatonic chords, and in some rare occassions secondary chords) to make it more exciting, making it more of a "solo" in which an instrument shows off it's capabilities that distinguish it from other instruments, rather than an instrument simply just playing a melody. FAQ- Where do the non-chord tones come from? -Anywhere, this is not necessarily set in stone, a lot of creativity can come into play here. Usually these should be within the key unless purposely pushing towards a secondary key in which case they must be very carefully selected (can elaborate if anyone on here has an interest in transposing to a new key in the middle of their solo, but it's a much longer topic so I'll leave it at that for now). Even as we push towards the dominant seventh of the second degree of our key, I am still selecting chord and non-chord tones within our key, not until we actual reach the V7/ii do I actual sharpen the solo note to outside of the key Can I move the voice leading anywhere? -Yes and no, certain notes can go anywhere. Depending on the chord, certain notes can be ambiguous and are open to any movement in any direction (assuming that direction leads to a 'pivot' point). But look in our example, we have a G# note in our V7/ii chord being used as our voice leading note. Believe it or not this IS a leading tone, and leading tone's MUST resolve UP. How is G# a leading tone in the key of G? -In the structure of V7/ii, E7 is acting as the dominant seventh of the second degree's key, A. E7 is also holding the third note of a G# which IS the leading tone to the A which we are resolving to. This can be present in the Parrallel major of the 2nd degree, OR in the synthetic minor key which we are currently using in this example. As A is Minor in the key of G Major. And that's my piece for the day. I'm writing this for a high school guitar class, so feel free to tell me where I did well and where I fell short. I'm trying to introduce as many concepts as necessary in a small amount of space. This lesson is a culmination of Lead/Melody playing, Voice Leading, Inversions, Secondary Dominance, and Resolving Secondary 7ths to their Relative Tonic chord. All feedback is greatly appreciated. Download the lesson or listen to it here: http://hylertouchstyle.com/music/VoicingSolos.ptb (PowerTab Format) http://hylertouchstyle.com/music/VoicingSolos.mid (MIDI)

HammerBar Acoustic to Digital Piano converter bars. 3 Left in stock @ $799.99 (A fraction of the cost compared to a Moog PianoBar or PNOscan system) Great for having the feel of a true acoustic upright or grand piano, while being able to control the sound/samples and volume like you would an electronic keyboard. USB or MIDI output. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150413317515 [img width=250]http://i.ebayimg.com/20/!Bl0Z5GQ!mk~$(KGrHgoH-C!EjlLl1f5kBLdJ7+jp6!~~_12.JPG">

AB34-12 Specs: -12 String, 34" Scale AltoBass -Bubinga, Maple, Zebrawood, Walnut and Wenge hardwoods -Magnetic AND Piezo pickup systems (2 independant channels, both stereo TRS outputs) -Fully adjustable nut and saddles -1/2" Compression Truss system with 3/8" steel rod Available in as many configurations as the other instruments, just have not finished posting a product page in the store yet. Will be available in 8, 10, and 12 strings, with scale lengths of 22.75, 25.5, 30, 34, and 35" and all of our hardwoods (except oak) will be available.

=) http://www.HylerTouchstyle.com

After enough time, string changes, various gauge changes, and general playing, the tension that is both pulling the neck forward combined with the pressure you put on it from playing it will change the relief of the neck. It's not a loss, just something that needs to be adjusted for. If the relief needs to be changed, you can change it. Adjust the truss til the shape of the neck is dead flat or slightly bowed forward for a little relief (depends on what you intend to use the guitar for, those two options are common choices for neck shape/bow). This wont hurt the neck even though you're bending the wood, the truss was installed on a flat or slightly relieved neck, so taking it back to that point wont harm it as it's already moved the same amount away from that point to get where it is now. Once there, get a square or anything you know that has a long 'true' flat edge, and make sure the frets are level. If not, buy a flat file of around 6" and even them out (when the cricket chirp stops during filing, they're level). Some people like to round them, I think rounded tops are just asking for trouble with more buzzing, I prefer points. The strings dropoff point under the fret is more with points rather than a perfect radius.

Who?

Take it to your local luthier. Or feel free to list every string/fret the buzzing occurs at and I can walk you through the possibilites/solutions.

Thanks, definitely appreciate that. Selling an EX-4 for 99 cents on ebay =) http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160352965537 Exotic Series with Bubinga. There's even some figuring/flame on the maple as well.

Model II 10 String, shown with a Bubinga and Maple base, Bubinga Top, and Zebrawood fretboard. The base Bass model retails at $699. This particular one goes for around $900 or so due to the exotic woods, but is on ebay for substantially less considering it was the first of our new line. An instrumental guinea pig if you will. -Added an extension to the headstock to avoid having to invert the lowest tuner -Designed and machined an adjustable nut for string height control. -Split bridge for added isolation (ITRS Stereo out, IE 5 strings going to one amp and the other 5 going to another amp) -Now using stacked concentric pots so both sides of the instrument are controlled with a single pot with two knobs on it We have a 12 String Model II Guitar 25.5" Scale being done in solid Teak, and an 8 String Model II being done in Maple, Walnut, with a wenge top and rosewood fingerboard. Both were ordered after we switched to the new design. All Custom orders available through our website Open to new ideas. Trying to push the concept further away from that of Emmets original design. I think at this point aside from the fact that both our instrument lines are non tapering and bodyless, they have nothing in common..

Absolutely. EX-4 = 4 Strings EX-5 = 5 Strings EX-6 = 6 Strings Model naming originality at it's best Excalibur EX-5 currently for sale today, Bubinga, Wenge, and Bloodwood. EX-4 to be up for sale next week.