A website devoted to an obsession with guitars, the blues, and with music.
I started playing guitar back in my teens - but it was all fairly aimless - trying to play cover versions of things, but not really learning or understanding much about music and very ignorant of the blues and its history and its huge influence on more recent music.
As is often the case the guitar playing fell my the wayside and the interest only reappeared after nearly 30 years when our children were older and could entertain themselves.
Back in December 2008 a budding interest sparked by my wife, Sandra, in all things blues was fuelled into an obsession by the acquisition of a second hand Hagstrom Viking Deluxe (pictured left). The guitar and my interest in blues gave rise to my usual internet name of VikingBlues.
Joining JamPlay.com and learning from Hawkeye Herman the real basics of blues playing was the next move. His enthusiasm and skill as a teacher further fuelled the desire to learn more and to play better and to try to find the sort of tone I had in my head.
The purchase of a high quality made in Japan Tokai "Les Paul Custom" copy showed me the benefits to playing of quality gear.
I joined a blues guitar forum near the end of 2009 and their friendship, help, advice and encouragement has allowed my playing (and confidence) to improve to the stage that in December 2009 I finally felt able to start to post my recordings on-line for others to hear. My deepest thanks to the 12bar.de forum for that.
I was at last hearing the sort of sounds I wanted to hear and was more able to capture those on recordings. I will never be a fast player, but I try to make up for that if possible by maximising the tone and feel of the fewer notes I play. Trying to prove the I can make less be more.
In late 2013 a strange transformation took place. After 5 years of electric guitar playing pretty well every day, and having had great difficulty in getting to grips with acoustic guitar (despite having one all that time), suddenly something clicked and my Tanglewood TW45 started to sing for me. Rapid acquisition of a Gretsch Alligator acoustic resonator guitar and a smaller Parlour size Tanglewood TW73 for open and altered tuning work, plus inheriting a mandolin, has turned my music playing 100% acoustic. During 2014 the electric guitar collection has hardly been touched and I have played hardly any blues. The trouble with having a screen name that is based on a particular guitar and playing a particular genre is that if your tastes change the name becomes meaningless.
2015 continues to see mainly acoustic guitar playing. The addition of a Lowden S32 acoustic means I have my first genuinely classy guitar - a fine 60th birthday gift!
As is often the case the guitar playing fell my the wayside and the interest only reappeared after nearly 30 years when our children were older and could entertain themselves.
Back in December 2008 a budding interest sparked by my wife, Sandra, in all things blues was fuelled into an obsession by the acquisition of a second hand Hagstrom Viking Deluxe (pictured left). The guitar and my interest in blues gave rise to my usual internet name of VikingBlues.
Joining JamPlay.com and learning from Hawkeye Herman the real basics of blues playing was the next move. His enthusiasm and skill as a teacher further fuelled the desire to learn more and to play better and to try to find the sort of tone I had in my head.
The purchase of a high quality made in Japan Tokai "Les Paul Custom" copy showed me the benefits to playing of quality gear.
I joined a blues guitar forum near the end of 2009 and their friendship, help, advice and encouragement has allowed my playing (and confidence) to improve to the stage that in December 2009 I finally felt able to start to post my recordings on-line for others to hear. My deepest thanks to the 12bar.de forum for that.
I was at last hearing the sort of sounds I wanted to hear and was more able to capture those on recordings. I will never be a fast player, but I try to make up for that if possible by maximising the tone and feel of the fewer notes I play. Trying to prove the I can make less be more.
In late 2013 a strange transformation took place. After 5 years of electric guitar playing pretty well every day, and having had great difficulty in getting to grips with acoustic guitar (despite having one all that time), suddenly something clicked and my Tanglewood TW45 started to sing for me. Rapid acquisition of a Gretsch Alligator acoustic resonator guitar and a smaller Parlour size Tanglewood TW73 for open and altered tuning work, plus inheriting a mandolin, has turned my music playing 100% acoustic. During 2014 the electric guitar collection has hardly been touched and I have played hardly any blues. The trouble with having a screen name that is based on a particular guitar and playing a particular genre is that if your tastes change the name becomes meaningless.
2015 continues to see mainly acoustic guitar playing. The addition of a Lowden S32 acoustic means I have my first genuinely classy guitar - a fine 60th birthday gift!