From the shop…

This column will concentrate on acoustic guitar strings  One of the first things people often ask us at the  front counter is, "How often should I change my strings"?  That depends upon how much you play, but strings should never be on an instrument for more than a month during warm weather or two months during cold weather.  If you play over an hour a day you probably should change your strings every other week.  If you perform strings should be changed for each performance.  If you change your strings on a regular schedule you will begin to "feel" when it's time to change.  A great clue your strings need changing is if they are getting harder to tune.  In warm humid weather this tends to happen sooner.
Many players want to know the difference between string brands.  A great way to find out is to change strings often.  It is almost impossible to compare string brands when you leave a set on for much more than a week.  After that any new set will sound better.   If I am comparing string brands I will play a set a lot for a few days then change to the brand I am comparing them to.  That being said, I have to admit I really can't tell much difference from brand to brand.   GAF strings and D'Addario are similar with D'Addario being a little lighter.  Martin and our own brand are similar strings.  Martin Marquis are very bright sounding compared to the others.  John Pierce strings really stand out.  They have a real nice sound and a good feel.  But the string I keep going back to is the D'Addario.  Our brand, World Folk Music Co. Strings are a great string at a low price and many performers use them.  However, all this information is very subjective, so one should find out for themselves what they like best.  Sometimes it is just the feel of the string and not necessarily the sound a player will like.  All of the strings I mentioned above begin to sound and feel the same after a few days.
Guitar manufactures recommend certain gauges for different body styles.  A dreadnaught body style requires nothing lighter than light gauge strings.  Light strings usually start with a .012 gauge steel first string.  On smaller body guitars it is ok to go to extra-light strings where the first string is a .010 steel.  The reason for this is the tension created by the strings.  Larger guitars tend to need more tension due to the neck length and bracing.  I would guess that 60% of the strings we sell are light gauge, 35 % are medium and 5% are extra-light.  Our most popular brand is World Folk Music Co. with D'Addario second.
For those of you who are new at it, changing strings can be tricky.  It is, however, quite an easy thing to do.  At first it's a good idea to change one string at a time.  That way you can see how the other strings are wound.  Tune the new string to the rest of the strings before you remove the next one.  That way tuning won't be as much of a mystery.  Finally, get the right tools.  We will be happy to give you a quick string changing lesson at the counter.

From John's desk….

What kind of music do you like to listen to?  That question is asked almost every day here in the store.  There was a time when I was 15 years old that the answer would be very short.  Rock and Roll.  Then when I reached my early 20's the list got a little longer to include Folk music.  Whatever that is. I have to admit to having very narrow taste in music until I was in my 30's.  One of the main influences in my listening habits was getting a job teaching in a local music store.  Gibson's Music at 51st and Damen was also a record store.  There I discovered lots of great music.  I was embarrassed that I didn't know half of the great artists in those record bins.  Catching up on what was happening in the music business was very time consuming, but fun.  Greg Gibson would play one record and follow it up with an even better one.  Needless to say that a lot of my paycheck each week went to vinyl.  But what a great way to spend money.  Gibson's is gone but most of those records are still on my shelf.
The thing I would soon discover was that I didn't know diddly about music.  Oh, I could teach beginners and a little finger picking, but I had a lot of work to do.  So I found a few good teachers of my own and started listening  and practicing.  Eventually I did find a musical niche, but it would have been a lot easier if I was exposed to more listening when I was 15. 
We have all heard the expression, "acquired taste", most often used in conjunction with a food or beverage, but it also applies to music.  If there is a music style that you just are not familiar with try listening to a few recordings.  You can pick a lot of stuff up at the library.  Another source is the radio, but you have to look real hard to find any eclectic music there.  WBEZ (91.5 FM) and WDCB (90.9) are good places to find Blues, Jazz and many different forms of ethnic (world) music.
One of the most misunderstood forms of music is Rap. This art form includes many diverse artists and most of them do not use bad language.   We just received a new CD from the group Treologic called What's The Question.  This CD combines great jazz and percussion with rap poetry and song.  Members of the group include World Folk Music Company teachers Joe Arteaga, Mike Gallagher and Brian Riordan.   A great recording.
If your son or daughter is studying music that is unfamiliar to you, try listening to a bunch of it.  Keep listening until the initial shock is over.  You will eventually begin to understand the appeal. You probably won't rush out and buy a lot of it, but you will begin to understand the art and the message in the music.
One common denominator between all the good musicians I have met is that they all want to hear "something new".  This expands their knowledge and makes them great players.  The more you listen the more you will want to incorporate these new sounds into your own playing.