Michael Rays's Blog, page 2
August 7, 2014
Frequency Analysis: Adele '21' vs Taylor Swift 'Red'
Using songbooks, I counted the number of major chords, minor chords, 7 chords, etc. for two very popular albums from three years ago: Adele's "21" and Taylor Swift's "Red." Here are the results. I only used songs where Adele and Swift were listed as songwriters (even if the song was a team effort). The takeaway? For a smash hit, stick mostly with major and minor chords, with a few minor-7 chords thrown in. All the other chord types are just seasoning. I do find the lack of 7 chords a bit surprising, especially for Swift--but the numbers don't lie! CLICK GRAPH TO ENLARGE.
July 22, 2014
New Poem! Ode to Guitar Players
Ode to Guitar Players by Michael Rays What meaneth one who says ‘I play guitar’?
A batch of basic chords strummed ‘round the fire
An introverted teen who’d be a star
woodshedding endless blues licks on a Squire?
A young gal voicing jazz chords warm and pure
An old man finger-picking on the porch
A classicist, with tones that long endure
or metal shredders carrying the torch?
A drunken punker, fast and out of tune
an aging rocker holding onto youth
a bold flamenco player ‘neath the moon
a studious composer seeking truth?
Thus meaneth one who says ‘I play guitar’:
‘I’ve joined the journey infinitely far.’
A batch of basic chords strummed ‘round the fire
An introverted teen who’d be a star
woodshedding endless blues licks on a Squire?
A young gal voicing jazz chords warm and pure
An old man finger-picking on the porch
A classicist, with tones that long endure
or metal shredders carrying the torch?
A drunken punker, fast and out of tune
an aging rocker holding onto youth
a bold flamenco player ‘neath the moon
a studious composer seeking truth?
Thus meaneth one who says ‘I play guitar’:
‘I’ve joined the journey infinitely far.’
July 13, 2014
June 16, 2014
Guitar vs Golf: The Battle for Hobby Supremacy!
by Michael Rays, author of "Guitar Odyssey" and occasional breaker of 100 on the links.
You're a space alien who's just landed on Planet Earth and you're looking for a hobby. You scan the hobby lobe in the brains of 1,000 passersby, and you get 1,000 identical responses: Words With Friends. So you play that for a while, but now you want something more old-school. You scan again: 500 say guitar, 500 say golf. Which is the better hobby? Let us compare and contrast...
FUN--any hobby should be fun!
GUITAR: Guitar fun includes playing along with your favorite songs, trading tips and techniques with other players, hearing yourself through an amp for the first time and finally nailing a lick you've been woodshedding.
GOLF: Golf fun includes spending time with friends, making jokes after bad shots, receiving compliemnts after good shots, and draining the occasional 25-foot putt. However, when your game falls apart and you can't hit a decent shot to save your life, fun goes on vacation.
EDGE: Guitar.
CHALLENGING--a good hobby stimulates the mind and helps you find your limits.
GUITAR: Are you kidding? You can take guitar playing in any of a hundred different directions, and there are challenges in every one.
GOLF: Are you kidding again? Every round of golf provides challenges, and the crazy thing is this: almost every shot has the potential to end up in a challenge you've never seen before. And when that happens, you simply have to deal with it.
EDGE: Golf.
SOCIAL--a good hobby presents the chance to mingle, in person, with other hobbyists.
GUITAR: With guitar, you have the option of playing with others or keeping your efforts to yourself.
GOLF: You cannot be a loner in golf. You can practice by yourself, but when it's time to play you are going to have to play with other golfers. Golf forces you to be social.
EDGE: Golf. (This is debatable for hermits, I know.)
GEAR--a good hobby involves gear and the chance to discuss gear with other hobbyists.
GUITAR: Um, yes, you could say there's a fair amount of gear in the world of guitars. Some guitar players are more than happy to spend a half hour discussing their rig before they ever play a note.
GOLF: But hold on! Golf is certainly no slouch when it comes to gear. But in my experience, a golf gear discussion is over by the time a guitar gear discussion is just getting warmed up.
EDGE: Guitar.
ACCESSORIES--every good hobby has accessories that let you personalize your endeavors.
GUITAR: Please.
GOLF: Please.
EDGE: Tie.
CLOTHING--many hobbies have telltale uniforms.
GUITAR: Absolutely anything goes.
GOLF: The better you get, the more you run into dress codes.
EDGE: Guitar.
WOMEN'S CLOTHING
EDGE: Golf.
EUREKA MOMENTS--a good hobby should produce occasional revelations and moments of unexpected euphoria.
GUITAR: Guitar playing's eureka moments include learning barre chords and learning that your favorite song isn't really difficult; it's just in a nonstandard tuning.
GOLF: Few things in life are better than the feeling you get when you hit a clean golf shot (especially an iron), and the ball follows the exact path you envisioned. It is sweet.
EDGE: Golf.
LITERATURE--a good hobby has much literature to learn from and to ponder.
GUITAR: Amazon has--brace yourself, alien--65,321 books on guitar.
GOLF: Amazon has 29,482 books on golf.
EDGE: Guitar.
MOVIES--a hobby should have one great movie that serves as an ambassador to the world.
GUITAR: Crossroads.
GOLF: Caddyshack.
EDGE: Do you even have to ask?
COST--a good hobby should not break the bank.
GUITAR--The sky's the limit when it comes to guitars and gear, and some people go nuts in this department. But if money is tight, the guitar is supreme. A one-time investment in a guitar, and then occasional new strings and picks, can bring hundreds and hundreds of hours of joy at a cost of zero. You CAN break the bank with guitar--but you don't have to.
GOLF--You can be an economical golfer and do all your practicing in the backyard--but eventually you have to play, and therefore you have to pay. You can dodge cart fees, but you cannot dodge green fees.
EDGE: Guitar.
PORTABILITY--a good hobby travels well.
GUITAR: You can play guitar just about anywhere.
GOLF: You can play golf just about anywhere--weather permitting.
EDGE: Guitar.
So in twelve categories, we have:
GUITAR: 6
GOLF: 5
TIE: 1
So by the slimmest of margins... GUITAR is your winner, o noble space alien--happy strumming! Oh, and we need a fourth this Saturday morning...
You're a space alien who's just landed on Planet Earth and you're looking for a hobby. You scan the hobby lobe in the brains of 1,000 passersby, and you get 1,000 identical responses: Words With Friends. So you play that for a while, but now you want something more old-school. You scan again: 500 say guitar, 500 say golf. Which is the better hobby? Let us compare and contrast...
FUN--any hobby should be fun!
GUITAR: Guitar fun includes playing along with your favorite songs, trading tips and techniques with other players, hearing yourself through an amp for the first time and finally nailing a lick you've been woodshedding.
GOLF: Golf fun includes spending time with friends, making jokes after bad shots, receiving compliemnts after good shots, and draining the occasional 25-foot putt. However, when your game falls apart and you can't hit a decent shot to save your life, fun goes on vacation.
EDGE: Guitar.
CHALLENGING--a good hobby stimulates the mind and helps you find your limits.
GUITAR: Are you kidding? You can take guitar playing in any of a hundred different directions, and there are challenges in every one.
GOLF: Are you kidding again? Every round of golf provides challenges, and the crazy thing is this: almost every shot has the potential to end up in a challenge you've never seen before. And when that happens, you simply have to deal with it.
EDGE: Golf.
SOCIAL--a good hobby presents the chance to mingle, in person, with other hobbyists.
GUITAR: With guitar, you have the option of playing with others or keeping your efforts to yourself.
GOLF: You cannot be a loner in golf. You can practice by yourself, but when it's time to play you are going to have to play with other golfers. Golf forces you to be social.
EDGE: Golf. (This is debatable for hermits, I know.)
GEAR--a good hobby involves gear and the chance to discuss gear with other hobbyists.
GUITAR: Um, yes, you could say there's a fair amount of gear in the world of guitars. Some guitar players are more than happy to spend a half hour discussing their rig before they ever play a note.
GOLF: But hold on! Golf is certainly no slouch when it comes to gear. But in my experience, a golf gear discussion is over by the time a guitar gear discussion is just getting warmed up.
EDGE: Guitar.
ACCESSORIES--every good hobby has accessories that let you personalize your endeavors.
GUITAR: Please.
GOLF: Please.
EDGE: Tie.
CLOTHING--many hobbies have telltale uniforms.
GUITAR: Absolutely anything goes.
GOLF: The better you get, the more you run into dress codes.
EDGE: Guitar.
WOMEN'S CLOTHING
EDGE: Golf.
EUREKA MOMENTS--a good hobby should produce occasional revelations and moments of unexpected euphoria.
GUITAR: Guitar playing's eureka moments include learning barre chords and learning that your favorite song isn't really difficult; it's just in a nonstandard tuning.
GOLF: Few things in life are better than the feeling you get when you hit a clean golf shot (especially an iron), and the ball follows the exact path you envisioned. It is sweet.
EDGE: Golf.
LITERATURE--a good hobby has much literature to learn from and to ponder.
GUITAR: Amazon has--brace yourself, alien--65,321 books on guitar.
GOLF: Amazon has 29,482 books on golf.
EDGE: Guitar.
MOVIES--a hobby should have one great movie that serves as an ambassador to the world.
GUITAR: Crossroads.
GOLF: Caddyshack.
EDGE: Do you even have to ask?
COST--a good hobby should not break the bank.
GUITAR--The sky's the limit when it comes to guitars and gear, and some people go nuts in this department. But if money is tight, the guitar is supreme. A one-time investment in a guitar, and then occasional new strings and picks, can bring hundreds and hundreds of hours of joy at a cost of zero. You CAN break the bank with guitar--but you don't have to.
GOLF--You can be an economical golfer and do all your practicing in the backyard--but eventually you have to play, and therefore you have to pay. You can dodge cart fees, but you cannot dodge green fees.
EDGE: Guitar.
PORTABILITY--a good hobby travels well.
GUITAR: You can play guitar just about anywhere.
GOLF: You can play golf just about anywhere--weather permitting.
EDGE: Guitar.
So in twelve categories, we have:
GUITAR: 6
GOLF: 5
TIE: 1
So by the slimmest of margins... GUITAR is your winner, o noble space alien--happy strumming! Oh, and we need a fourth this Saturday morning...
May 20, 2014
Links of North Dakota, Thy Name is Nick Poss!
Last Saturday I played--for the first time--the Links of North Dakota, a relatively new golf course near Williston, on the northern shore of the Missouri River.
My friend Jeff, teeing off toward the Missouri River
Later that evening, in Wibaux, Montana's Gem Theatre, I watched and heard--for the first time--Nick Poss, a young singer/songwriter from Oklahoma.
Nick Poss in concertThere were parallels.
1. Both were unpredictable and challenging. LOND featured at least four holes with greens you couldn't see--and this is on a links-style course, with almost no trees! Hills, not trees, obscured the views.
Nick Poss does not go in for standard I-IV-V chord progressions. As he sings and plays his acoustic guitar alone on the stage, he takes his songs in unexpected directions, both lyrically and with his chords. If you are hearing him for the first time, you will likely not be humming along.
2. Both were rewarding.
There wasn't much wind while we golfed, but the course was still difficult for me. I really enjoyed the challenges presented by the uneven terrain, the always-waiting rough and the many bunkers, some of them of the infamous "pot" variety.
Nick Poss has a nice guitar picking style, a nice voice, and a nice way of singing his thoughtful, clever "bummer" songs, as he calls them. His songs do have structure--it just takes a bit longer to suss them out than it does with most pop songs.
3. I highly recommend both.
If you golf, and if you crave the links action made famous by the British Isles, put LOND on your bucket list. WARNING: good luck if you get a windy day.
I chatted with Nick for a while after his show, and he was extremely nice and down-to-earth. This is a singer-songwriter who cares a great deal for his craft, and who makes music that's worth a listen.
***
I may never again have a day where I play a golf course and hear a musical artist, both for the first time. I'm glad it happened at least this once--it was a day I won't soon forget.
My friend Jeff, teeing off toward the Missouri RiverLater that evening, in Wibaux, Montana's Gem Theatre, I watched and heard--for the first time--Nick Poss, a young singer/songwriter from Oklahoma.
Nick Poss in concertThere were parallels.1. Both were unpredictable and challenging. LOND featured at least four holes with greens you couldn't see--and this is on a links-style course, with almost no trees! Hills, not trees, obscured the views.
Nick Poss does not go in for standard I-IV-V chord progressions. As he sings and plays his acoustic guitar alone on the stage, he takes his songs in unexpected directions, both lyrically and with his chords. If you are hearing him for the first time, you will likely not be humming along.
2. Both were rewarding.
There wasn't much wind while we golfed, but the course was still difficult for me. I really enjoyed the challenges presented by the uneven terrain, the always-waiting rough and the many bunkers, some of them of the infamous "pot" variety.
Nick Poss has a nice guitar picking style, a nice voice, and a nice way of singing his thoughtful, clever "bummer" songs, as he calls them. His songs do have structure--it just takes a bit longer to suss them out than it does with most pop songs.
3. I highly recommend both.
If you golf, and if you crave the links action made famous by the British Isles, put LOND on your bucket list. WARNING: good luck if you get a windy day.
I chatted with Nick for a while after his show, and he was extremely nice and down-to-earth. This is a singer-songwriter who cares a great deal for his craft, and who makes music that's worth a listen.
***
I may never again have a day where I play a golf course and hear a musical artist, both for the first time. I'm glad it happened at least this once--it was a day I won't soon forget.
April 18, 2014
Video: How to play "Fire in Cairo" by the Cure
"Fire in Cairo" is a track from The Cure's debut album, 1979's "Three Imaginary Boys." It's a very good song and it's not too difficult to play. All the chords are either major or minor, and you can use either barre chords (my preference) or regular chords.
Chords used: B, C, E, F, G, A, Am
There is no lead guitar part in the song, but it's a very nice song for building up some chops as a rhythm player.
Enjoy!
Chords used: B, C, E, F, G, A, Am
There is no lead guitar part in the song, but it's a very nice song for building up some chops as a rhythm player.
Enjoy!
February 4, 2014
New Ebook! GUITAR ODYSSEY - a journal of musical growth
From the Missoula Independent:
"Billings writer Michael Rays has crafted a literate, interesting, funny and, oddly, moving account of his six-string journey to learn the solo from Deep Purple's 'Highway Star,' that is really about so much more." ( click here for full review )
Greetings, fellow guitar lovers! I just released my first ebook.
"Guitar Odyssey" is my day-to-day practice journal as I learned (over the course of two years!) the guitar solo on Deep Purple’s rock classic “Highway Star.” This is a book for 1) guitarists of any caliber; 2) rock music lovers; and 3) fans of persistence and patience."Guitar Odyssey" is $4.99 and is available now at smashwords, amazon, kobo and barnes & noble.
Wherever you are in your guitar odyssey, I hope my ebook will ignite, rekindle or reinforce your love of the guitar, and perhaps even inspire you to tackle that one amazing solo that's been kicking around inside your head ever since you first heard it.
-Michael Rays
PS Here's "Highway Star":
GUITAR ODYSSEY - a journal of musical growth
From the Missoula Independent:
"Billings writer Michael Rays has crafted a literate, interesting, funny and, oddly, moving account of his six-string journey to learn the solo from Deep Purple's 'Highway Star,' that is really about so much more." ( click here for full review )
Greetings, fellow guitar lovers! I just released my first ebook.
"Guitar Odyssey" is my day-to-day practice journal as I learned (over the course of two years!) the guitar solo on Deep Purple’s rock classic “Highway Star.” This is a book for 1) guitarists of any caliber; 2) rock music lovers; and 3) fans of persistence and patience."Guitar Odyssey" is $4.99 and is available now at smashwords, amazon, kobo and barnes & noble.
Wherever you are in your guitar odyssey, I hope my ebook will ignite, rekindle or reinforce your love of the guitar, and perhaps even inspire you to tackle that one amazing solo that's been kicking around inside your head ever since you first heard it.
-Michael Rays
PS Here's "Highway Star":
