How to improve your fret hand strength for free
Guitar players who never learn this one ridiculously simple thing spend a lifetime struggling with a a weak fret hand.
And what is that one thing?
Proper fret hand thumb placement on the back of the neck.
It is unfortunately true that when first learning the guitar, most are never told that where you place you thumb is very important, because if placed incorrectly, chords and even single notes can become very difficult to hold down to the fingerboard.
Your fret hand thumb is the anchor that gives support to your other four fingers. When positioned incorrectly, certain chords are almost impossible to hold down, string buzz happens, and things sound terrible.
Where you place your thumb depends on what you're playing.
For barre chords when using all four fingers on the fingerboard, a common mistake is having the thumb inward and held above the center of the neck. A better way to anchor the thumb is to have it spread outward and held at center or slightly below center of the neck.
For solo notes, it's usually true the best thumb position is over the neck.
Having the thumb over the neck when playing the plain strings for soloing makes for a much better anchor for both vibratos and bends.
It's probably true your fret hand was always strong enough
If you've been playing for more than a year, you most likely have good fret hand strength, your guitar is probably set up properly by that point, and you've also probably figured out what string thickness is most comfortable.
When all that stuff is in check but holding barre chords and bending notes is still difficult, you don't need a guitar with a shorter scale, you don't need to tune down a half-step or full step and don't need to decrease string size.
You just need to make sure your thumb is positioned properly.
Watch videos from famous guitarists and pay attention to the way they place the thumb on the neck. Almost all of them position it the same way. Middle-of-neck for chords, above-neck for soloing.
Squier Contemporary Stratocaster and Telecaster guitars
I predict these will sell well.
Recently I saw that Squier just introduced several "Contemporary" models that look very similar to what Fender Japan was making a few years back. These are China builds, but they're well made and offered in configurations that most Fender models don't even offer.
First up is that Squier Contemporary Active Stratocaster HH. Two knobs instead of three (which is quite nice so you don't accidentally hit the volume knob during play), Floyd-Rose tremolo system, active electronics (the 9-volt battery compartment is in the rear), Squier-branded pickups, and large reverse color-matched headstock. This thing is cool.
Here are 3 other models:
Stratocaster
Squier Contemporary Stratocaster HH
This has the smaller traditional headstock and 2-post tremolo system instead of the Floyd-Rose.
Squier Contemporary Stratocaster HSS
Same as the Contemporary HH but with an HSS pickup configuration. Also available in black metallic and pearl white.
Telecaster
Squier Contemporary Telecaster HH
This is an HH Tele. Available in dark metallic red seen above, pearl white and black metallic.
And there's even a lefty version available!
What do I think of these?
All of them are cool simply for the reason they break away from traditional Strat and Tele designs and dare to be different.
Like I said above, these are like what Fender Japan used to make, and now they're here again in a Squier flavor. That's all good as far as I'm concerned.
It's very cool you can get these right now. And yes, all of them have color-matched headstocks. The models in pearl white specifically take to the matched headstock very nicely.
Why I don't play vintage guitars
There are some uncomfortable truths about true vintage electrics most people don't take into consideration.
But before I get into that, take the Fender American Original '50s Telecaster. I would take this guitar any day of the week over any vintage Tele for one very simple reason. I know it will work. More on that in a moment.
Uncomfortable truth #1: There is no such thing as a mojo in a vintage guitar
Mojo literally means magical, so to say a guitar "has the mojo" is supposed to indicate it has some sort of magical presence about it that makes it sound wonderful. Total nonsense.
Where does the real mojo come from? The player, not the guitar. A good guitar player can take the crappiest guitar and make it sound wonderful. Similarly, a crappy guitar player can take the best guitar ever crafted and make it sound terrible.
Guitar mojo doesn't exist. Never has and never will. Vintage guitars are not old and magical. Just old.
Uncomfortable truth #2: Vintage electrics are for collectors, not musicians
Vintage electrics are fragile, so they can only be played very lightly. You can't even rock out with a guitar that's over 30 years old, never mind 50 or older.
The only thing you can really do with a vintage electric is take it out once a month to play it for a few minutes, then put it back in its case for preservation. That's it. Does that sound like fun to you? Didn't think so.
Collectors are totally okay with guitars that are valuable but not playable. Guitar players on the other hand who actually use their guitars are not.
Uncomfortable truth #3: As of now they DO build 'em like they used to
In previous articles I wrote, I said there really wasn't any way for guitar companies to build guitars exactly like they used to back in the '50s and '60s.
Well, now I stand corrected, because they do.
Fender in particular with its new (as of this writing in January 2018) American Original Series guitars are almost exactly like they made them decades ago. The only real difference is that the fingerboard radius is 9.5" instead of the rounder 7.25" - but that's totally okay because it's what most guitar players prefer.
Want to know the best part about American Original Series from Fender? They're not "relic" jobs. They are all new all around. Freshly finished, non-cracked nitrocellulose lacquer finishes, no wear-and-tear marks, no "make it look old" crapola. These are USA-made guitars that have all the good stuff in them made just like they were years ago (and better as far as I'm concerned.)
Fender even brought back an Aztec Gold Strat for one of the AO series models. Frickin' gorgeous.
While I wouldn't own one personally due to the fact I'm fine with Squier, AO is what Fender fans have been waiting a long time for and Fender delivered...
...which is ultimately why I don't bother with vintage electric guitars.
If it were true that there was nothing new out there built to '50s and '60s specifications, then yes I could understand guitar players fawning over the vintage axes. But that's not the case. You can, right now, for far less than the vintage item, get the exact same thing brand new.
Collectors will collect, players will play
There's always going to be a market for guys with really deep pockets to spend tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars on vintage electric guitars...
...but none of those vintage electrics are player's instruments. They're old and creaky with unstable woods, deteriorating electronics, crumbling plastics and other things that make them collector-only pieces.
The next time you look at a really expensive vintage electric, don't feel bad about not being able to afford it. It's not like you could actually play the thing regularly anyway.
Stick to the new stuff. It works. And you get a warranty.
Are the Mustang and Duo-Sonic the same guitar?
These guitars appear to be nearly identical, but however there is one rather major difference between the two that's not readily seen at first glance.
I'm talking about the Fender Duo-Sonic and the Fender Mustang. I got asked on my Facebook page that aside from the cosmetic differences, what is it about these two guitars that's actually different from each other? After all, they look almost exactly the same.
Here are the cosmetic differences:
Duo-Sonic has a one-piece pick guard and a traditional smaller Fender headstock. When loaded with two single-coil pickups, one leans and one is straight. The knobs and switch tip are metal.
Mustang has a two-piece guard (one pearloid plastic, one steel) and has a larger 1970s-era headstock. When loaded with two single-coil pickups, both are leaned forward. The knobs are switch tip are plastic.
All this stuff doesn't affect playability of the guitar at all...
...but there's something else that definitely does.
Examine the bottom of the body under the pickups. You'll notice the Duo-Sonic's middle curve has a position that is more forward compared to the Mustang. On the Duo-Sonic, the highest point of the curve is between the pickups. On the Mustang, the highest point is directly under the rear (bridge) pickup.
When playing in a standing position, you will notice no difference between the two guitars.
When playing in a seated position with the guitar resting on the leg however, there's a huge difference.
In the seated position with the guitar on the leg, the Duo-Sonic's neck is closer to the player compared to the Mustang because of that middle curve position on the bottom of the guitar body. You will definitely notice that the headstock feels a lot closer to your face with the Duo-Sonic. That's not your imagination, because it definitely is closer.
My take on Duo-Sonic vs. Mustang
Both these guitars are 24.0-inch short scale, but in the seated position with the guitar on the leg, I prefer the Mustang.
When I play the Duo-Sonic, the physical distance of the neck for my fret hand is too short and I genuinely have a difficult time getting along with the guitar.
When I play the Mustang however, the neck distance when playing in the seated position feels much better. It's somewhat similar to the Jaguar (also a 24.0-inch short scale), and that's not a bad thing.
For playing in the standing position however, the Duo-Sonic might actually be the better short scale to get along with. But then again I've never played one standing, so I can't really comment any further on that.
Which is the better of the two?
This directly depends on how the neck position feels to your fret hand, particularly when playing in the seated position. You will need to play both to figure out which feels best.
If you don't have access to these guitars, find a Jaguar and try that. If you find yourself thinking you want something where the neck is just a little bit closer to the player, then get a Duo-Sonic. If the neck feels fine where it is, then you will most likely get along better with the Mustang.
Diet update January 2018 - Fasting, sardines and such
Time for a weight check-in.
In February 2015 I decided to lose weight. And about 6 months later I had dropped almost 50 pounds, going from 196 to 150. For my height, that's going from a BMI of 29 to 22.
It's now January 2018 as I write this. I still weigh 150, so that's close to 2.5 years of losing the weight and keeping it off.
It's usually true most people who lose weight will gain it all back in a year. I stayed the course and kept the weight off. Only once did I slip up a little and started putting pounds back on, but I caught it and got right back down to 150.
How do I keep my weight where it is?
Vigilance, awareness, fasting and cooking for myself.
Vigilance
Some believe that routinely weighing yourself is bad practice and that you shouldn't do it. I disagree with that and believe it's necessary.
Do I weigh myself every day? No. But I do weigh myself a few times a week to make sure I'm not weighing too much or too little.
Awareness
Recently I was in the grocery store buying some food and had the thought that I wanted some chocolate. But the next thought right after that is that I really don't want chocolate but rather just a snack, so I bought two tins of sardines instead. Each tin is just 100 Calories each and obviously better for me than a chocolate bar.
This is an example of not "going on automatic" when it comes to my food choices. If I were on automatic, I would have grabbed the chocolate bar without thinking. Instead, I bought the sardines. The taste agrees with me, I actually get more food out of it compared to the the chocolate bar, and the only three ingredients are sardines, water and a small amount of salt.
Having awareness like this and being more conscious of what I eat does help keep my weight in check.
Fasting
There are times when I'll eat some filth food (like pizza,) and the easiest way to get it out of my system without doing anything crazy is to simply fast.
When I was in the process of losing weight, the longest fast I ever did was three days. But after losing weight, the longest fast I do now is 24 hours, and only when necessary.
The main benefit of fasting for me is that it helps keep me regular. Filth food doesn't go through the system quickly, so more time needs to be given for it to digest and then get out. Fasting is the easiest and most natural way to do that.
Cooking for myself
I believe this is the thing that keeps my weight in check more than anything else. Whether it's eating eggs, potatoes, beans, peas, rice or whatever I make, preparing my own food is much better than takeout filth.
In addition, the only thing that qualifies as processed food in my place are canned goods. Things like boxed snack cakes, potato chips or anything like that aren't in my cupboards. I also don't keep bread in my kitchen either because it's almost too easy to pack on pounds eating that.
Where to go from here?
I don't require losing any more weight and haven't needed to for some time, so what I do now is just maintain where I am.
The way I maintain is that I pay attention to what goes in, get on the scale every so often to check the numbers, still do light exercise 6 days a week and fast when I need to.
Do I still pay attention to labels? Yes, but just for Calories. I keep my daily intake well under 2,000. On most days I don't consume more than 1,400 at most, and only periodically will I bust over 2,000.
Now if you just said to yourself, "that's insane," no it's not. When you take out the filth and concentrate on veg and rice and so on, you can pile the food high on the plate and still keep Calories down significantly.
This is why I say cooking for myself keeps my weight in check more than anything else. I know and understand where the Calories are. I found ways to eat big when I want to without putting excess Calories into the body.
So far, so good.