My First Song

Hello blog followers. I am proud say that I have posted my first song onto Youtube 

If you like my posts definitely go down to my youtube page and check out my guitar playing.

This time around, I chose to play the jazz standard "Saga of Harrison Crabfeathers" by Steve Kuhn. I do have to warn you though. My interpretation of Steve Kuhn's song does not give it justice. After you listen to my interpretation please listen to the actual version by Steve Kuhn.

Kuhn is an amazing pianist in that he was born both with perfect pitch as well as a photographic memory. Starting his first gigs at the age of thirteen, he has played with everyone from Stan Getz to bassist George Mraz.

Stan Getz
Source:stangetz.net

After having graduated from Harvard, Mr. Kuhn worked with Kenny Dorham for a year before performing with John Coltrane's Quartet. After that, Kuhn worked with Stan Getz and Art Farmer before moving back to the United States. Since then, he has been working in the trio setting.

Currently Steve Kuhn's trio consists of himself along with bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Joey Baron. Recently, Steve Kuhn received the prestigious Prix Gabriel Faure for his "career excellence". The award has only been given out twice and was last bestowed on pianist Sir Roland Hanna.

Interestingly enough, Steve Kuhn had played Pavane for a Dead Princess just before receiving the award. Ravel, the composer of Pavane had been a student of Gabriel Faure's.

Age 76, Steve Kuhn just keeps going. Right now, Mr. Kuhn is touring with his trio across the world performing his recently released album Wisteria. Hopefully he will play in a town near you.

Steve Kuhn Trio
Steve Kuhn(Left) Joey Baron(Middle) Steve Swallow(Right)
Source: northcountypublicradio.org

Well, thats all I have to say about this wonderful pianist as of now.

Please check Steve Kuhn out. And if you enjoy his music I encourage you to purchase one of his CDs.

Also do not forget to check out my version of "Saga of Harrison Crabfeathers"

Thanks for reading!


Sources:
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/steve-kuhn-mn0000036645/biography
http://stevekuhnmusic.com

The Heavy Mental Man

Composer and multi-instrumentalist Michael Hedges, may not be a household name, but his influence on guitarists is unprecedented. He is perhaps one of the most influential guitarists of the late 20th century.

Classically trained at the world-renowned Peabody Conservatory, Michael Hedges was able to earn a degree in musical composition. He then went to Stanford to study electronic music.

Hedges combined all of his teachings with the experimental work of Igor Stravinsky, Edgard Varese, and Morton Feldman to name a few. From this amalgamation of various musical influences, Michael Hedges was able to create a sound all his own, which continues to influence musicians to this day.

Michael Hedges reinvented the acoustic guitar by introducing as well as improving on techniques such as percussive tapping, classical right hand fingerstyle, right and left hand tapping, a strumming style known commonly as “whacka whacka” strumming, and alternate tunings rarely used on the guitar.

Michael Hedges Tapping on His Harp Guitar
Source: Guitar International

Not only was Michael able to use these techniques, he was able to use them with such ease that he made them sound extremely simple when in reality they are not by a long shot.

Michael Hedges was associated with the record label Windham Hill which is known for acoustic works as well as new age music. While working under the Windham Hill label, he was able to complete eight albums two of which received Grammy Awards. And I must say that Aerial Boundaries and Taproot, the two albums which Michael Hedges received his Grammys are completely superb. I would highly recommend for you to stop reading and listen to both of those albums RIGHT NOW.

Taproot Album
Source: Valley Entertainment

One of the most important philosophies for Michael was the idea that music is a language. Musicians reiterate this phrase thousands of times, but Michael Hedges truly took this idea to heart. Hedges refers to the album Taproot as an “autobiographical myth” influenced by Joseph Campbell and Robert Bly. Michael took characters and problems from his own life and converted all of those thoughts into music for the listeners to decipher.

At the same time, Michael Hedges was highly influenced by the work of E.E. Cummings as can be seen by the fact that he put the poem ‘I Carry Your Heart’ to music in his album Taproot. Not surprisingly, his bassist and friend Michael Manring created his own rendition of E.E. Cummings’ work The Enormous Room. Michael Hedges describes E.E. Cummings work as being a beautiful stream of consciousness. For this reason, he created this wonderful rendition of one of E.E. Cummings’ best works.

His Legacy Today

Even after his unexpected death in 1997, Michael Hedges continues to exert an influence on the world of music today.

Kaki King Tapping
Source: Kaki King

For instance, in 2007 Michael Hedges’ brilliant song “Ritual Dance” was performed in the movie August Rush by acoustic guitarists Andy Mckee and Kaki King.

To this day, musicians such as Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, and Pete Townshend all use the techniques Michael perfected back in the 80s.

Michael Hedges may not be a household name but his influence on guitarists today is undeniable.



Sources:

http://guitarinternational.com/2010/12/02/guitar-hero-series-michael-hedges/

http://innerviews.org/inner/hedges.html

http://www.nomadland.com

Introducing the EBow

Guitars and other fretted instruments provide musicians a great expressive outlet.

However, guitars suffer from two major problems:

Notes on guitar quickly decay

&

Fretted instruments like guitar all produce some degree of twang

Depending on what you are playing, the twang and quick note decay of the guitar is not necessarily a bad thing.

That being said, guitarists cannot sustain a note for an infinitesimal amount of time nor can they produce the clean sound akin to fretless instruments until now.

What is the EBow

The EBow or energy bow is a handheld electromagnetic used to create effects similar to that of strings, horns, and woodwind instruments

Jimmy Page Playing With Bow
Photo Credit: Bob Gruen

First introduced at the National Association of Music Merchants in 1976, the EBow relies on a feedback loop between the guitar’s pickup and the EBow’s string driver to produce an electromagnetic field that amplifies the strings vibrations. This ultimately creates an infinite sustain similar to that of bowed instruments.

By reversing the current thru the output coil of the EBow the fundamental frequency of the string decreases in intensity and the harmonics of the string can be played. On the current EBow model, the PlusEBow, this feature is integrated into the device through a switch which allows the user to change from "Standard" to “Harmonic Mode”.

Currently, EBows sell for around $100 a piece.

Who Uses the EBow?

There is a long list of artists who have and still use the EBow.

The first notable use of the EBow was in the song Carpet Crawlers by Genesis.

EBow has been used extensively by fretless bassist Michael Manring who sometimes uses more than one EBow at once to create amazing ethereal effects.

Michael Manring Jamming
Photo Credit: Philippe Lissart

This amazing device has also been used by Pink Floyd, the Cure, Bela Fleck, Kiss, Pearl Jam… The list just goes on and on.

Limitations of the EBow

The EBow was specifically designed for guitar. Therefore it can be difficult to use it on the electric bass. However, as pointed out above Michael Manring has been able to overcome the limitations.

EBow Over Humbucker Pickups
Photo Credit: Paul J. Marossy

Similarly, EBows work best on humbucker pickups. If you are using a single coil pickup or an acoustic guitar with an electric pickup, the playing area is smaller and the tone produced is thinner.

At the same time, the EBow cannot play more than one string at a time unlike hybrid picking and finger picking styles.

Although the EBow has some disadvantages, it allows guitar players to unlock a whole new world of sound on their instrument. If you have the cash you will not regret investing in an EBow.

Source:

http://www.ebow.com

Canada’s Choice: The Battle Between the F-35 and F-18 Continue

In early September of this year, Canada finally made a decision when it came to deciding what would be their next jet fighter: Canada decided that all European fighters would be out of the picture.

That narrows the choices down to two aircraft: Lockheed Martin’s F-35 and Boeing’s F-18 Super Hornet. 

Super Hornets From VFA-41 Flying Over Afghanistan
Black Aces Flickr

F-35 Flying Over Edwards Air Force Base
US Air Force Photo by Airman 1st Class Thomas Spangler

The question now is which aircraft should Canada choose. When considering the abilities of both aircraft, cost and Canada’s current needs the answer to Canada’s dilemma seems to be the F-18.

Aircraft Capabilities

Touted as the “only international fifth generation fighter” by Lockheed Martin, the F-35 is a low observable (stealth) aircraft created to replace current U.S. legacy fighters in the Navy, Air Force, and Marines. Known as the Joint Strike Fighter or JSF for short, the F-35’s main role is ground attack however, the F-35 was also developed with a secondary air to air role as well.

The F-18 Super Hornet or F/A-18E/F (E is a single seat variant while F is a two seat variant) on the other hand is a 4.5 generation fighter based off of the F/A-18C/D fighter. Similarly to the F-35, the F/A-18 has both a ground attack role as well as an air to air role. Currently the F/A-18 acts as the backbone of the US Navy’s carrier fleet.

As stated previously, one of the F-35’s major selling points is its stealth capability. Although the F-35 has a radar cross section of 0.005 meters2, which is half of that of a bird’s RCS, the F/A-18 also boasts a small radar cross section. Since the F/A-18 was not developed as a stealth aircraft, the RCS of the Super Hornet is definitely not as small as that of the F-35’s. However, with a radar cross section of 1 m2, which is the same RCS of a human being, the F/A-18 obviously does not have a huge RCS either.

Boeing has also been developing a “semi-stealth” version of the Super Hornet with an RCS half that of the current F/A-18E/F however it is extremely unlikely that Canada will purchase this version of the F/A-18.

Semi-stealth Super Hornet
Boeing

At the same time, Boeing’s current F/A-18 test pilot, Ricardo Traven, who has had fifteen years of experience flying in the Canadian Air Force argues that the F-35 lost, “capability and performance” in order to gain stealth while the F/A-18 did not.

For instance, the F/A-18 while having a lower internal fuel capacity than the F-35 has a range of 3,300 km while the F-35A only has a range of 2,200 km.

Similarly, the F-35’s design also reduces it’s maneuverability. While the F/A-18 can sustain a 7.5 g turn, the F-35 can only sustain a 4.5 g turn. To add on, Ricardo Traven points out that the F/A-18’s “large control surfaces [and] large flaps… give the airplane a lot of manoeuverability”. Ricardo then continues to point out that the wings, ailerons, and flaps are, “shrunk down” on the F-35 thus reducing performance. Manoeuverability is not only an important factor when it comes to surviving dogfights, but it also plays an important role in dodging air to ground missiles. In other words maneuverability plays a key role in an aircraft’s survivability.

Lastly, although the F-35 is championed for its advanced electronic suite, the F/A-18 has similar systems and can be upgraded throughout its life. For instance, both aircraft possess AESA radar, which is critical to survival in our current 21st century environment. While the F-35’s radar and warning systems have some attributes, which the F/A-18 does not, the F/A-18 is being upgraded with a IRST system not equipped on current fifth generation aircraft. This Infrared Search and Track System has the ability to defeat radar stealth in some cases and increases the overall situational awareness of the fighter.

Canada’s Needs

Perhaps one of the most compelling arguments for the purchase of F/A-18s over F-35s is the price. The F-35 sells for a whopping $110 million while one F/A-18 is about half that price. To continue, the F/A-18 Super Hornet has already been battle tested in Iraq. The F-35 on the other hand has not finished testing and has not enter service yet.

As mentioned before, the F/A-18 has a much greater range than the F-35. Since, most of Canada’s air arm is used for patrol missions across the remote Canadian border it is important to have an aircraft able to sustain long trips through the arctic.

The F/A-18 is better equipped for Canada’s environment when compared to the F-35 in that as well as having a greater range than the F-35 the F/A-18 possesses two engines while the F-35 has one, and the F/A-18’s landing gear is better prepared for Canada’s northern runways. The importance of having two engines over one can best be explained by looking into the past. Nicknamed, the widow maker, the F-104 served in the Canadian Air Force more than fifty years ago. Not surprisingly, the F-104 was equipped with only one engine. The problem with one engine is that if you lose that engine you have no other backup. With a two engine aircraft like the F/A-18, you can still get home if one engine goes out.

Lastly, the current aircraft being used by the Canadian Air Force is the CF-18. By purchasing the F/A-18, Canadian pilots will be able to quickly transfer from the old Canadian F-18s to the upgraded Super Hornet. The F-35 on the other hand would be completely new to Canadian pilots.

CF-18 of the Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force

As of now the Canadian Air Force has extended the CF-18’s service life from 2020 to 2025. For the time being Canada has a choice to make: The F/A-18 Super Hornet or the F-35.

May Canada choose wisely.