Fleury, a vArranger user, sent me a DVD on which he is filmed with the intent to give an overview to other guitarists what can be done with a MIDI guitar and vArranger.

At almost 80 years, he rocks!

You deserve to know this extraordinary person

The VIDEO here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gL7DiF6pV18

Enjoy,

I moved to Florida in 1984 – I had been playing keyboard for two years; not good enough to cover a job. So I bought a midi pick up for my guitar. The midi single went into the Roland receiver and then via midi, into my Yamaha keyboard. I played chords on the guitar and the keyboard’s rhythm track followed with the style. That was in 1984; the new units must track better.
I’m for any guy who is 80 (smile)
John C.

Like us hey John ?
Bebop

That is a Godin Multiac guitar. Nylon string. They're GREAT, and yes I have one. Player used a capo... in this case, an indication of his abilities (or lack thereof).

Made in Canada.

Russ

Whats wrong with using a capo...I see many pros in concert & on TV using them all the time..

Donny, capos have uses. They are great for acoustic players who need an open bass note in an accompanying setting ("pickin and grinnin").

You will NEVER (or rarely) see a competent lead player using a capo. That generally is the sign of an amateur who simply does not know who to play power chords, or a "picker and grinner" who uses the same basic fingering and a capo to put songs in an appropriate key.

I would bet that the players you see using capos are NOT instrumentalists, but singers who accompany themselves on acoustic guitar. And I'll bet, if you look closely, there is a player on the bandstand doing all the hard parts without a capo.

I have 300 plus guitars and wouldn't be caught dead using a capo...don't even own one, even though I sometimes use one in a studio to use open bass acoustic chords on backing tracks.

I think on the piece I posted last year, I played in 5 or six keys...no capo and probably only one open bass note. But that has as much to do with my style of solo playing than anything else. And, frankly, I choose to play in, say B flat instead of A (one fret down to an open A) because I can (LOL).

Generally, except for the acoustic player needing the open bass note on relatively simple songs, pros just shake their heads and smile when they see a capo.


Russ

Russ thanx for the explanation and your opinion...but for me I really couldn't care or look down on how anybody plays music ro or Amateur, capo, smf, stomp box, or whatever gizmos are used...all I care about is what it sounds like & what I hear.
Life is too short to care about "HOW"

enjoy what you play

Dan wrote; “At almost 80 years, he rocks!
You deserve to know this extraordinary person”.

I think Dan is right but the use of “extraordinary person” makes some eyebrows go up. Now if you are a good guitar player you know he demonstrated his set up properly but showed no real guitar ability. There are many keyboard players that fall into that category. If you are not a guitarist the video was impressive, after all there was so much was going on.

Russ made his statement and it was factual no need to go further the demonstrator was effective in his demo. If fact I am giving thought to buying a set up like his.

John C.
PS, At 80 no one is allowed to touch him his has already earned his way.

Dan, Thank you for your post it was a good one, John C.

Donny, you have your right to an opinion, but here, we couldn't disagree more.

That's OK...that's what makes the world go round.

I'm making a point that, when it comes to all things guitar, I can make a claim of being somewhat of an authority.

And I'll bet if you ask accomplished guitarists, you'd hear the same thing from the great majority of them.

Our differences go way beyond just capos. I don't use or even listen to players who use tracks of any kind, and recently stopped using arrangers for "live" performance. You'll NEVER see a laptop on my bandstand.

Different strokes, for sure. And I'm not implying that there is any high road here. There is only what's right for each individual.

Just for curiosity, check out the capo thing with real players. And listen carefully to the playing and level of difficulty of the material played by those who use them.

They generally are self accompanists; not soloists or players of tunes with more than three chords or so.

But, I enjoy some of their performances. It's just not what you'd hear on my bandstand.

Be well (hope your eyes are better).


Russ

Dan, you're right...the gentleman ROCKS; understands the equipment and was demonstrating it; not necessarily trying to dazzle anyone with his playing. I bet the capo was to put chords in his vocal range with a strong open bass note (eg, a capo at the 4th fret would make a C chord an E flat).
There are lots of midi guitars; he chose one of the best. He knows what he's doing. COOL DUDE!
R.

Russ with all due respect what I'm saying is ....I have performed with the best of them thru the years on big national venue stages, & little gigs also so in the last 45 years I do have the experience in learning and absorbing from many different types of players..of which I took little parts of each to mole the way I do it..they ALL do it differently....
I have seen purists type pros who couldn't hold a stick to some lesser so called amateurs too...the only thing I care about is when I close my eyes what does it sound like, not how it was done, if other means, tracks, smf, arranger styles, laptop, loops, helps to make someone play. better or sound better godspeed to them.
I appreciate that someone is making music for all to enjoy in anyway shape or form & genre. That's my story & I'm stickin' to it..

Donnie, you certainly have your right to your opinion, and I can tell you that we're about as far apart as possible.

Experienced players can take one look at a bandstand...position of monitors...brands of equipment, etc. and tell a lot about what's going to happen, performance-wise.

Our differences probably highlight, again, the differences between performers/entertainers and musicians.

Everyone approaches the music business in their own way. Success is whatever you decide it to be.

One factor for me; even though I have had only 9 week off in 56 years of playing, except for when I was in school, I never just did performance music for a living. That meant i could do things my way, to a great extent. for instance, I could never fill the kind of room you do for your evening dance. Nor would I want to. I'd rather have my 95 loyalists who come to my B-3 night twice a month.

You probably maker more money live. I parlay playing contact into film score work, film production, studio work, etc.

We both do what works.

But, just as a favor, carefully watch guitar players, observe the use of capos and let me know privately when you discover that I am right about who uses them and when.

All the best, friend.

R.

PS, I think this is GREAT. We are never going to agree, but this discussion, which has generated a lot of "battles" in the past, has been conducted honestly, without animosity, accusations or any personal "cuts".

Thanks, Donnie for that!


Russ

Russ, would you give a rundown on the Godin Classical guitar he was playing?

John C.

John, I can tell that his is a Multiac. I have both the non-midi, which I use all the time, and the Midi, which is in the case...never used. I don't do midi guitar, but bought it because the dealer was having a hard time moving it. Nety on both versions is between $1350.00 and $1500.00. The demo is right on. Response time is pretty cool, now, and almost any tone generator or keyboard can be used as a source.

Sorry I can't tell you more. The one thing i know is, the sliders are backwards from what we normally expect in the USA. When I got my first one, at 1:00 PM on a Saturday, I used it 1/2 hour later at a studio session; then went to my evening dining room job. Could never get an acceptable sound. At the end of the night I checked the book and found out that what I thought was the bass slider was the treble...all three were "backwards".


Great instruments. I have 6 Godins and am about to get another.

Russ

Capo Talk...

This old man is playing chords and melody together in a folk way.
I think it's hard to do, and open chords are a good help.
What is special in this video is not his technical or his playing, but it's like a moment of life, an universe, captured that I wanted to share with you. In french, I can hear a 80 year children so happy with his new toy

Dan, you're so right. Sorry I got off on a really deflected side road.

I enjoyed the post for the reason you posted it!

r.

Nice to hear this Russ.

This man told in the middle that he is so happy that vArranger came at the right moment

I understand... (before he dies)

Programing software is cool, but make people happy is a lot more !

Absolutely agree, Dan!

Thanks,


Russ