Featuring an American-made Stratocaster
Tom took his Lake Placid blue American-made Stratocaster to the December 19th episode of the show and talked about uncommonly used scales for guitarists like the harmonic minors found in Eastern and Jewish music. He also talked about the value of used guitars, and the popularity of ukuleles this holiday season. An advanced player called and requested an overview of scale theory, which Tom summarized from his own perspective. Tom also squeezed in one last Christmas medley for the year.
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Featuring a Cordoba Gipsy Kings Electric Flamenco
Tom took his Cordoba Gipsy Kings Electric Flamenco guitar to the December 5th episode of the show and talked about Mauro Guiliani’s right hand finger patterns, blue-jazz scale theory, the Guitar Hero music video game, tornado stories, and rebounding romances. A caller asked about the “pick and flick” technique, and Tom also talked about the value of fake books.
Featuring a Dan Electro Baritone Guitar and Tom's Red Starfire
Tom took his Dan Electro Baritone guitar to the November 28th episode of the show and talked about its special effects and how perfect pitch can be a learned skill. He also talked with callers about guitar jokes, Eric Clapton, and ukuleles. Tom thinks it’s the limitation of ukes that makes it such an interesting instrument to play. He and Director Skopinski also talked about the part of the job of being a musician that requires one to be a human -- not a just a machine and not just a recording.
Featuring a Taylor 714ce
Tom took his Taylor 714ce 6-string to the November 21 episode of the show. It’s a powerful guitar with cedar and rosewood and a Fishman blender pickup system. A caller requested some easy Spanish guitar licks for practicing on his own. Tom and the crew talked about Crystal Gayle, Branson, Missouri, NYC, diplomatic lies and the homogenization of America. Phil has been on the show since 1997 -- over 400 episodes -- and they can only think of one he missed. It was his birthday.
Featuring a DeArmond X-155
Tom took his DeArmond X-155 to the November 14th episode of the show and demonstrated the loops he constructs during his lounge gigs. With the looping device he puts together three solid hours of mostly original music three nights in a row week after week. It’s a different way of thinking to crank out all that music on the fly. In part, it has to do with scale theory. But looping is the art of it. Instead of thinking of his tracks as a journey from point A to point B, his looping tracks focus on cyclical thought.
Also on the show: one caller requested House of the Rising Sun, and another (who said he paid attention in rhetoric class) helped out the crew with a discussion about proper limerick form. Bob Wiley suggested 80s hair band music now officially qualifies as “oldies,” so earns the right to be played on the banjo. Tom replied that you can play any kind of music you want on the banjo.
Also on the show: one caller requested House of the Rising Sun, and another (who said he paid attention in rhetoric class) helped out the crew with a discussion about proper limerick form. Bob Wiley suggested 80s hair band music now officially qualifies as “oldies,” so earns the right to be played on the banjo. Tom replied that you can play any kind of music you want on the banjo.
Featuring a Larrivee L-03 Guitar and Gibson F-9 Mandolin
Tom took his Larrivee L-03 guitar to the October 24th episode of the show and accompanied one of his mandolin students on a couple of fiddle tunes and Girl from Ipanema. Ed’s mandolin, a fine Gibson F-9, inspired some tremolo improvisations from Tom. Tom also talked about how to create instant guitar solos. A caller requested a “funky” version of Stairway to Heaven, which led to discussion about a tendency among the uninitiated to call Stairway to Heaven “classical” guitar because it’s arpeggiated.
Featuring a Custom-Made Telecaster
Tom took his Snow, a Quebeçois custom-made Tele-copy to the October 17th episode of the show. Callers asked Tom why he hasn’t joined a band, for advice on flying with guitars, and about his familiarity with requinto guitars. They also requested bluegrass, gospel, Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass, Los Panchos, Pink Floyd, and “the Casa Blanca song.” Phil talked about what it was like to live in America during World War II, and Tom talked a lot about ukuleles.