Holy ... look who's back

[Karl Garrett]

Hi everyone,

Can't believe it's been almost 3 years since I've been a regular on this forum. Gary's still sellin' libraries that just get better, a look down the page finds many of the same names as before, Dan just had another birthday, etc. Things haven't seemed to change much at all.

Just a quick update, A few years ago, the old eyes started giving out. Not that they were very good before. A few years and a few surgeries later, I'm back using a my new MacBook Pro's text-to-speech to get around this forum and do most of what I have to do computerwise.

Things haven't been all bad though.Other than the eyes I'm in good health. My son moved out and Joani and I have the place to ourselves, I'm still able to play and teach classical guitar, and Obama is our new president.

Also some may remember that Joani and I made a just for fun CD of Peter and the Wolf about 4 years ago. It received some nice comments from people in the preschool education field. So for about 6 months we pushed the heck out of it. To this date we have sold about 3,000 copies. What is really fun however, is the digital sales. It is really great to see that our little attempt to do homage to my favorite childhood piece, is bought all over the world. Oh not in great quantities, but this internet thing always amazes me. Thanks iTunes, Amazon, etc., but thanks mostly to Gary for making it all possible. When I was I little boy, I used to play like I was conducting Peter and the wolf. Making that little CD kind of brought a little dream somewhat to reality, and just knowing that somewhere their might be a little child getting her first glimpse of orchestral sounds is a real kick.

I'm still trying to figure out how I can work with Digital Performer again though and get anything done. Sometimes it can be quite frustrating, since there is just no productivity. I've given up trying to play in the parts. Things just end up in a mess. I bought Sibelius, and can blow up the screen so the notes are pretty big. I have mostly used it to work on easy guitar music for my students. I can't wait for GPOA. I hope it will be what it takes to get me motivated again to try and overcome these problems.

One of the reasons I haven't been hanging out here too much is that I really get depressed, hearing some of the great music many of you are doing. I think I've gotten past that though and should be by to chime in on things more regularly.

All be well,

Karl *()

[DPDAN]

I think about you very often Karl.

Such a great thing that you are still teaching. What a rewarding experience that is huh?

Never hesitate to ask for help if you need it.
It's wonderful to have you back, it feels more like old times :)

Dan

[bigears]

Welcome back Karl! I remember seeing your posts frequently back when I first came to the forum, and also remember listening to Peter and the Wolf when you first posted it. I surely hope you can find a way to get back into computer music and have some fun with it.
Is that guitar you are holding the one that is in JABB? I have been working on a piece using it and having a tough time getting the samples to sound a bit more realistic. I play classical guitar also, but I don't want to record myself, I'm hoping to get the job done with samples.
Hope to see and hear more from you. John

[Styxx]

Hey! What a pleasant surprise Karl! I was wanderink about you just the other day but wandered too far and almost got lost.

Excellent to hear Peter and The Wolf doing so well around the woild. )(~ As far as the guitar teaching ... do you have room for another student? :)

[rwayland]

Well, greetings, Karl!

I have often noted your absence and have awaited your return. Welcome back!

Richard

[rpearl]

Karl,

When I started posting here, you were starting to limit your activity (gee, hope it wasn't me...). Welcome back!!

I'm sure the neighborhood will be better for it.

All the best,

[etLux]

Welcome home, Karl! Wonderful to see you back!

All my best,



David
-----
David Sosnowski
www.DavidSosnowski.com

[Rhap2]

Karl Garrett:

What a pleasant surprise and how happy I am that
you are doing well and want to give it the "old college
try" again.

We all have limitations and periods where nothing seems
to go right; or, we feel we have "lost it" for some reason.
Forget about those times. They are only bad omens on
the wayside and need to be tossed out of the total picture.

Happy to have you back and glad your "Peter and the Wolf"
is doing so well.

A real surprise, Karl. Makes my day hearing from you.

Jack

[Garritan]

Hi Karl,

So good to see you back among friends. You have been missed and many have been asking about you.

Glad you and Joani are doing well. That's terrific news that your Peter and the Wolf album has done well.

I hope to see more of you around these parts and don't be a stranger.

All our best,

Gary

[Jerry W.]

KARL!

Welcome back! I missed you!

Glad to hear things are more upbeat for you, despite the eyes. I keep on remembering how much fun we all had in Indy for summer NAMM.

Hope to hear more from you from now on. Glad you are back!

Jerry

[rbowser-]

Hi, Karl! I remember when you made a brief Forum splash last year, but for the most part, my participation here has been since your more intensively involved periods of Yore.

Hope you hang with us - You know how it is here, always something interesting to listen to, talk about, laugh about, grumble about, celebrate about.

The best music community online just got better now that you've popped up again.

Randy B.

[fastlane]

Welcome,welcome Karl.

I'm glad to hear you are doing well.

I remember when I first started posting on this forum you sent me a message about my music which was very encouraging to me.


It's nice to have you back here.



Phil

[snorlax]

Hi, Karl!
What a great surprise to have you back!!
The old Indianapolis crowd is almost 100% intact!

Best wishes

Jim "Snorlax" Williams

[Karl Garrett]

Gosh! I don't know what to say. You all are the best. There's the beginning of a tear in my eye. I'm sorry that it took me a few days to get back here. Life, while good has been rather hectic this past week. Please forgive me if I don't answer all of you in tern. I've probably been on this computer too long as it is. I'm trying to design a new web site. I have so many ideas for new things relating to my teaching and playing, and my old one is looking a little long in the tooth. I'm working about an hour or two each day on it. I think if I didn't have a lifetime committed to music I'd like to be a web designer. This CSS stuff is quite fun.

Yes, the guitar in the picture is my 10-string that is sampled in JABB. It was really a hoot recording those samples. If you are a good enough player to record the guitar tracks live, but just want to develop the skills using the samples in JABB, perhaps you could record them live on one track, and even if the quality isn't great you will still have an idea of what the finished project should sound like. Then try to duplicate with the sampled notes as best you can. Perhaps listening carefully and analytically is the most important part of using a sample library effectively.

All of you are just the best. Oh what the heck:

Dan, thanks for the offer. Guess who's going to master the bunch of tunes I plan to record this spring.

John, the blurb above is for you of course. The 10-string guitar is quite different from the 6-string. I'm ashamed to admit but I can't remember all the controls we have in JABB. Perhaps my first project will be to record something real, then give it to Dan... (just kidding) then try and duplicate it myself. If I can get anywhere near the original, I'll post it here with a MIDI file. Dan has taught me that you can only go so far with MIDI. He does at least have of the fine tuning once the tracks are audio. I found that to be the case when I did Peter.

Styxx, Did you ever know a teacher that didn't have enough room for more students?

Thanks, Richard, It's really nice to be back. I just wish I could post as much as I used too.

Ron, No it wasn't you, just too many things collapsing around me.

David, I have always loved your writing so much I can't wait to go back over the music here and see what you've done lately. Thanks for the kind words.

Thanks so much, Jack, for the kind and inspiring words. You're a great guy and one heck of an arranger.

Jerry, it was sure fun at that NAMM show. Ie certainly was one of the highlights of my life. What was so amazing to me was that everyone just seemed to be just like themselves. Kind of just the opposite of the dead guy in the casket that looked just like himself. I'll never forget it.

Gosh Randy, you are so right, this is the best spot on the web. Thanks.

Thanks also to you Phil. I have a lot of listening to do. That doesn't cause much strain to the eyes. Looking forward to hearing years.

Jim, I always think of you when I remember that NAMM show. Glad you are still here too. Just keep on playin' and postin'. Great to read your words.

And Gary, did I save the best for last? Could be. The work you have done over the years developing your libraries has inspired so much great music and given hope to so many. The friendship that you have enriched us all with will be cherished by us all. The standards of integrity and fairness you demonstrate in your daily life, have guided this forum to be like no other.
Thank you for just being who you are.

You all "ROCK" *()

Karl

P.S. Styxx, I just noticed that you have 10,672 posts. Holy Cow Pies, that's got to be some kind of record. Hope Gary gave you a library or something when you hit ten thousand. Sorry I missed it.

[AlanPerkins]

It is nice to "meet" you Karl and welcome you back to the forum.

I tried playing an eight-string guitar once and found it surprisingly difficult. A ten-string must be quite a challenge! A handful so to speak.

[Karl Garrett]

Hi Alan,

It is nice to meet you also.

It is comfortable to bar across to the 7th string. This is why sometimes we tune the 7th down to an octave below the open 5th string. The most important thing is to play with correct technique. No wrapping the thumb around this baby. It would also be closed to impossible to hold it across the right leg. Mostly though, the obstacles to playing it are psychological.

When I first played it I wrote a few things for all 10 strings. Also I did some accurate transcriptions of lute music. There is, however very little written for this instrument, and most of the music we play is regular old 6-string stuff.

I think the reason that some of us are attracted to the 10-string guitar is because of it's very open sound. Sometimes it can sound almost harp-like. I have a feeling that perhaps that was the reason Gary liked it enough to use it in JABB.

I'll never forget the first concert I played with it. I had had it for only 6 months. When I walked out on the stage, those ten strings turned into ten thousand. I felt like I was 12-years-old and playing my very first recital.

If however one closes his/her eyes, it becomes quite playable. The response and the clarity of sound are truly wonderful.

Edit: There may still be a demo of it on Gary's site. I used it along with GOS when I recorded the little Vivaldi Concerto in D.

Karl *()

[AlanPerkins]

I will listen for that demo.

I would never dream of wrapping my thumb! And I always play on my left leg.

I will have a listen to the guitar in JABB with renewed interest.

I am curious to know how you tune all the strings. Not how, I mean to what note each is tuned. You mentioned tuning the 7th to a low A, what about the others?

[DPDAN]

Karl, I want you to believe this...

This place is so much more fulfilling with you here again!

Dan :)

[Larry G. Alexander]

It's good to hear from you, Mr. Karl. Stay with us! ;) :)

My Best,

[Karl Garrett]

I will listen for that demo.

As long as you don't hold your breath. :D


I would never dream of wrapping my thumb! And I always play on my left leg.

I dream of it. When I was a kid I used to hold the guitar like a baseball bat. I dream of all the home runs I might have made if I only played ball instead of the guitar.


I will have a listen to the guitar in JABB with renewed interest.

I am curious to know how you tune all the strings. Not how, I mean to what note each is tuned. You mentioned tuning the 7th to a low A, what about the others?

You know how if you play an open E first string, then stop it from vibrating, the Low E and A strings will continue to vibrate in sympathy? If however you play an F first string/first fret, and stop it, you will hear very little from the bass strings. The original idea was to have the extra strings reinforce every note in the chromatic scale. Thus the tuning went like this:

7th string - C, two octaves below middle C
8th string - Bb, same as 5th string 1st fret
9th string - Ab, same as 6th string 4th fret
10th string - Gb, same as 6th string 2nd fret.

The idea kind of works, but we find that it seems as if the main reason the guitar has a bigger sound, is not so much due to the tuning, but that the extra wide neck and thus it's block, tends to act as a baffle does to a loud speaker, reinforcing the resonance of the top. It doesn't seem to matter how we tune the last 4 strings, the guitar has a more open sound. So we can tune them almost any way depending on the needs of the piece, sometimes using a string as an open string to play a bass note that might otherwise be difficult to get.

Hope that makes some sense.

Karl *()