Galen Jackman's Comments

Howdy Jack,

Please forgive the delay in this reply!

Was great to hear from you. Sure is a small world. I see you play a Gibson. The old ones sure have a great tone.

I have also played a few Collins which sound nice as well.

Played Rockbridge dreadnaught in Nashville that was just astounding. This guy only makes 1- 20 guitars a year or so. But I reckon the luithers who make fewer guitars take more attention to detail. I enjoy reading Acousitc Guitar magazine and like reading the different articles about guitar builders. Would love to buidle a guitar one day, but it might be over my head. 

Lincoln is a great little /big city. I'm willing to bet you received a grand education here in LPS and at UNL. My cousin is a retired" Professor Emeritus" from UNL. He is like a second father to me. Took me under his wing about 10 years ago after I had divorced and gave me a new home here in Lincoln. I have a wonderful church family now and really enjoy that aspect of my life here.

I have a bad back and have received Disablity SS for 16 years now. I had surgery from a ruptured disk and things just never worked out to make it better. I used a strong pain patch which keeps me going. I walk 5 miles a day and enjoy working my small vegetable garden in the summers. Have a house full of computers and recording stuffs! Looking forward to hearing form you again.

Again, sorry for the delay in responding to you. Have been on vacation in Colorado.  Do you play in a band now? Do you ever get back to Lincoln?

BTW, Lincoln is HIT this week. You'd never know it compared to the winter!

Have a great week friend.

Buddy :)

Howdy Galen,

I have a 1969 Gibson Heritage that I purchased from a dealer in Wisconsin about four years ago. Surprisingly it has stunning Brazilian Rosewood back and sides. The shop had taken it in trade and then their shop tech replaced the saddle with a homemade bone compensated saddle. It played so nicely when I got it I just left it alone. The guitar is/was in such good shape that I reckon it never got much playtime. It has some opening up to do but right now its really impressive in tone. It would take a good D-18 to sway me into trading it or selling it. I have sworn never to get rid of it, but I'm a guitar nut and things  just happen sometimes when you are weak!!!! Ha ha!  My Martin had a bone saddle but I wanted to see what fossilized mammoth was lkike so I had a guy in Georgia cut me a saddle and make a set of end pins as well. It does make a difference but  ot a huge difference. I played a nice Martin Custom OM at Gruhn that had a set of the broinze endpins and I'll tell you it indeed added a bell like tonality to the tone. I wanted the guitar but they wopuld not give me a good trade in on a Taylor 810 I had with me. I love Gruhn Guitar and the guy I deal with is always super nice but the owner is so staunch on making money it kinda chaps my butt. If you've got cash you can usually get a better deal there opposed to trading a guitar in on another one. 

 

 

 

 

I am not much of a lead picker Galen. I play a super quick rhythm kinda walking the lead notes to the next progressive chord, like the guy that played for Johnny Cash( not playing like him just that sort of path) and  very much like Mac Wiseman plays ( pretty oldfashioned ) I have a Fender Telecaster and I play lead that I make up myself, but as far as being able to follow or take a break, I'm not that guy. What I taught myself to play, I play extremely well and fast. I made up my on little diddles or riffs and they all fit in with bluegrass songs. Probally fit in better with songs that I have yet to write. I love to sing, lead or high harmony, and enjoy both equally and dont mind being in the background when I hear a good lead singer take charge.   I dont read music or tab. I can read drum music, played drums in highschool, but drum music has nothing to do with notes!!!

I struggle in church choir to learn new music and follow the older man (my best buddie) who sings tenor with with me, he is 86. 

So 99.9 of my musical talent was a giuft form the good man upstairs. And I think he gave me more than my deserved share!!!!!  I love music, bluegrass, country, most any other kind as well. RAP is NOT music. you WRAP Christmas presents and thats that! The other RAP should have a C in front of it  CRAP!!

Hey, I'm FRUM Alabama!  It's my roots talking!

I struggle in church choir to learn new music and follow the older man (my best buddie) who sings tenor with with me, he is 86. 

So 99.9 of my musical talent was a giuft form the good man upstairs. And I think he gave me more than my deserved share!!!!!  I love music, bluegrass, country, most any other kind as well. RAP is NOT music. you WRAP Christmas presents and thats that! The other RAP should have a C in front of it  CRAP!!

Hey, I'm FRUM Alabama!  It's my roots talking!

I struggle in church choir to learn new music and follow the older man (my best buddie) who sings tenor with with me, he is 86. 

So 99.9 of my musical talent was a giuft form the good man upstairs. And I think he gave me more than my deserved share!!!!!  I love music, bluegrass, country, most any other kind as well. RAP is NOT music. you WRAP Christmas presents and thats that! The other RAP should have a C in front of it  CRAP!!

Hey, I'm FRUM Alabama!  It's my roots talking!

I'd give anything to be able to play intricate riffs and lead as you and many others do. I have the potential and ablity, but I think It would take long lessons and lots of practice for me to become as proficient as I need. or would love to be, or to play at a professonal level. I can hold my own at coffee houses and ,local gigs, festivals or jams with no problem just playing my style of rhythm and singing. I enjoy seeing others trying to figure out "how's he doing that", but actually what I play is easy, it's just my style and like anyone, you have to sit and watch to emulate and learn how someone does their "stuff".

One thing that I've been doing lately is going to You Tube and watchin' the guys on their who have posted short videos of different bluegrass licks that you can learn.  As well, you could type in jazz or other type licks and our songs to gain different prespective. I may not learn the riff or song but I always learn something or take something away from watching someone else play. Many are split screen and some slow down the action so you can comprehend easier.

I bet you'd enjoy this as well, if you haven't already.

I have posted several times because it limits you to 2000 letters.

Will close this letter now and hope to write you and or hear from you again soon. 

Thanks for the letter Galen!

 

Best to you and yours!

 

Buddy

I have also wanted to learn to learn the chicken pickin style or whereas you use a pick and your two or three other fingers to pick like banjo claw hammer but on a guitar. My old brain has never connected a lot that it should have and it's probally because I have not been around many pickers in my life to have learned. But it's never too late to learn. I've stumble on things while playing by myself while aspiring to play faster and more articulate or with precision. To bend and do pull offs and the things one needs to practice on to get to a higher level. Time is the best investment. And I do have a lot of time. I just need to focus and make better use of my time when playing. Being from the south and knowing how bluegrass is supposed to sound, singing and playing and being here in Lincoln, is frustrating for me. The bluegrass they call bluegrass is more folk type music. The tone of the singers here is so different then down home.

I need to find the right folks here to jam with I reckon. I know my playing would progress and I'd be a much happier fellow to be playing in a band and singing and enjoy that aspect of music. I love it so much. I sang every week with Tupelo Grass and have so many wonderful memories of festivals and the good folks I met. I would thrive doing that again. Singing in church is rewarding as well which I do a lot with guitar but I'd really enjoy playing out in public more

I started recording with a Boss BR 800 Digital 8 track( 100's of virtual tracks) Have always used AppleMac computers and now have Apple Logic recording software. It has extensive applications and instruments which will just astound you. Have used Garage band as well . I have some awesome drum software Ez Drummer Nashville and others. Very easy to drag and drop. Sounds as good as a live drummer. I have a new AKG 414 mic which is just brilliant sounding for vocals and recording acoustic guitar. I use M-Audio Profire 610 interface. I have a pair of Alesis Prolinear 720 DSP /Nearfield Monitors. They are self powered. They were/are the best professional nearfield's on the market when I bought them from Musicians Friend 4 years ago. Funny story when ordering them. I thought they were 500 bucks a set....I got one monitor, I called and they said ..Mr. Sizemore, please read the discription on page 39 of your sales flyer it clearly states (Each)  so I could send the one back or do without the best!  I felt sooooooo stupid!

I have a Fender Princeton Chorus , I think its about 100 watts. I just bought my telecaster. It was the May issue of the Telebration models.They make 500 of each guitar. 12 different guitars for each month in 2011. Its' super nice. It is a toy for me, I pretend to be a rocker! I traded an old Gibson student type guitar for a Martin LX something or another. its a small  baby Martin with a pickup in it. It was pretty new but owned by a guy who tours with his band and had some top wear(no pickguard) I sanded the top clean and then applied a thin helping of stain whipping most of it off, it left the top looking aged, then I took a new tortis type pickguard and slapped it on the guitar to prevent wear. It actually looks like something Martin should have done to theses little guitars. The guys would love to have it back. I just bought two Roland cubes 30 watts each to use at church and I bought a Roland 20 watt practice amp. It has imputs fo a mic and reverb and imput for an iPod or other RCA 1/8th.

It has clean distortion or heavy distortion settings and tone and violume for each mic and guitar. Yiu woudl not belive how awesome that little thing sounds. It is a big as a cigar box. I can plug a guitar mic and iPod with drum track and play a coffee house in STEREO mind you! It sounds like your listing to the radio. Blows me away! I think they are 150 bucks!

I could take the little Roland practice amp and the two Roland cubes(they are small 10lbs and which will screw on a mic stand) and and good Shure mic and get as loud as any one would care to get. The thing is, the quality of the sound spectrum would impress even the most discerning ear.

I wish I would have had something like this as a kid.

 

Ok I'm done now. Hope to hear form you soon!

 

Buddy