Introduction and Invitation

stephenarndt · #1 11-11-2012, 04:13 PM

Dear Friends,

I played classical guitar thirty years ago, when I was in my twenties, and picked up an acoustic guitar a little less than two months ago. Interested primarily in fingerstyle blues, I am trying to teach myself, using various books and online resources. When I learn something new, I often try to write a little 12-bar blues to put the new concept into practice and have written ten pieces to date. I would like to invite anyone who might be interested to listen to recordings of them and to take a look at the tab, both of which can be found on the acoustic guitar page of my website: http://www.verseandsong.com/song/acoustic-guitar/ (please feel free to click around and see what else is there also). For ease of listening, there is a playlist at the bottom of the page, where you can listen to all my guitar recordings consecutively, which include a number of pieces by other people as well. I shall also be posting some things on the Play and Tell page.

Best regards to all,

Stephen Arndt

wcap · #2 11-11-2012, 04:30 PM

Welcome to the forum!

I've only listened to a few of your clips so far, but they are all very nice. Very nice sounding recordings. I'm particularly intrigued by the lute recordings - I've been fascinated by lutes for a long time.

wcap · #3 11-11-2012, 04:34 PM

Listening to more....you have quite a repertoire.... and lots of nice recordings. I'm impressed!

Boox · #4 11-11-2012, 05:00 PM

Those are some very nice recordings. Did you make them all in just two months? Did you play a lot of classical music back in the day or are you a musical genius?!?

Thank you for sharing your recordings!

stephenarndt · #5 11-11-2012, 05:47 PM

Thank you, wcap. I am listening to your "Star of the County Down" arrangement. That's a song that I have always loved, and your version is very enjoyable. If you like Celtic music, take a listen to some of my arrangements of traditional Irish tunes (http://www.verseandsong.com/song/bar...l-irish-tunes/) for baroque lute. I hope that mentioning the lute on a guitar forum is not too off topic.

stephenarndt · #6 11-11-2012, 05:56 PM

Thank you, Boox. Yes, I made all these recordings in a little less than two months. I played classical guitar for eight years in my twenties. For the last decade or so I have been playing instruments in the lute family (7- and 10-course Renaissance lute, 11- and 13-course baroque lute, vihuela de mano, and Renaissance guitar), all of which you can find on my website. Although I have been playing acoustic guitar for just eight weeks as of today, I think I had some skills that transferred rather easily. Far from being a musical genius, I don't even consider myself a guitarist yet. I do sight-read tablature rather well, though, so I would say that I can play certain pieces on the guitar but that I don't really play the guitar per se, though I am trying my best to learn.

wcap · #7 11-11-2012, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stephenarndt

Thank you, wcap. I am listening to your "Star of the County Down" arrangement. That's a song that I have always loved, and your version is very enjoyable. If you like Celtic music, take a listen to some of my arrangements of traditional Irish tunes (http://www.verseandsong.com/song/bar...l-irish-tunes/) for baroque lute. I hope that mentioning the lute on a guitar forum is not too off topic.

Thanks for your feedback on Star of the County Down. Our performance is rough around the edges (and especially through the middle!) but that recording was one of the really pleasant surprises for me from a little recording session we did as a family this past summer (we did really quick recordings of 12 pieces that we had just performed earlier in the day in a little concert). That is one of the only pieces that I currently play with a flatpick, and listening to the recording really opened my eyes (or ears?) to how well the sound of a flatpicked guitar can work in some situations. (And I love my wife's arrangements and my daughter's flute playing especially.)

Yes, as I was writing my posts above I was listening to some of Irish pieces on lute. Very nice. Talk all you want about lute here, as far as I'm concerned... I'll find it interesting! (But don't tell my family I'm having conversations about yet another instrument.....).

Regarding your big assortment of recordings.... I'm very impressed that you were able to have all of those pieces performance/recording ready all in two months. I guess your very good sight reading of tablature probably helped here?

I'd be interested in hearing the details of how you are doing these recordings as well (microphones, etc..... mic placement.... recording space...etc). You are getting a nice sound.

rick-slo · #8 11-12-2012, 12:05 AM

Welcome to the forum. Thanks for sharing your music and recordings.

stephenarndt · #9 11-12-2012, 08:45 AM

Just a quick answer to your recording question, mcap. I use a Fostex FR-2LE Memory Field Recorder and pair of Oktava Modified MK-012 microphones, which I place about two feet away from the instrument and about eighteen inches apart from each other, angling one at the sound hole and the other at the lower part of the neck. I add some gain and reverb in Samplitude SE No. 9. The "recording space" is just an upstairs room with a Pergo floor and lots of wooden antiques. That's about it for recording. The guitar is a Loar LO-16, which I bought new with a hardshell case for the ridiculous price of $300--I can't even buy a set of gut strings for a lute for that price and have lutes that cost about twenty times that much--but I think it has a pretty decent tone for a cheap instrument.

Glennwillow · #10 11-12-2012, 10:31 AM

Hi Stephen,

You have made great progress in just a couple of months! Wow! Good for you! I realize that you've had experience with the classical guitar, and that will certainly help. Even so, this is great!

And welcome to the forum!

- Glenn

SaviArt · #11 11-13-2012, 03:23 AM

Thanks for sharing your resource. It's nice to find something really good in places like these. Are you a professional guitarist or you're starting all over again after the big break?

ukejon · #12 11-13-2012, 05:45 AM

Welcome to AGF and how neat to hear these great blues tunes. You clearly are having a blast playing guitar again. Fun to return after some time off.

By the way, check your mail. I sent you a PM with a question about the mics.

stephenarndt · #13 11-13-2012, 08:55 AM

Thank you, SaviArt. I am a strictly self-taught, amateur player. My main instruments are from the lute family (Renaissance lute, baroque lute, vihuela de mano, and Renaissance guitar), all of which you can see and hear on the relevant pages of my website: verseandsong.com. As for the acoustic guitar, I am starting from the beginning and learning as I go. Thank you again for listening and commenting.