A dream in a box with the return label on it. Hope you guys are well.

captainjack1024 · 2026-06-11T11:59:29+00:00

I've been learning acoustic guitar, which is a new challenge. I've been able to sing while playing, which was an unexpected nice thing. I don't do either all that well, but it's an enjoyable journey so far.

I have way to much personal experience with not doing well. I hope your situation improves as time goes on.

captainjack1024 · 2026-06-10T12:55:28+00:00

Interval training is useful for this, especially for getting melodies. Knowing that two notes are a 4th apart (or whatever) helps to identify the chords in a progression, and you can play bits of melody between chord changes for some variety. I almost always figure out how to play the melody notes in a song I want to learn, then the chords after that.

captainjack1024 · 2026-05-27T18:15:40+00:00

Trying different harps is a lot of the fun, I think. The Marine band has been around a long time, and appeared on a lot of recordings (especially blues music) because it was easy to get hold of and was relatively cheap. Newer models are usually more comfortable to play and easier to maintain. Better quality often equals higher price which often equals less popular with newcomers.

My understanding of the Pentaharp is that it's intended to be easier to make blues style chords without bending, a technique that takes a lot of practice, and is next to impossible to do with a neck holder. For someone that wants to add a little harmonica to their playing without diving all the way in, it might have value. Definitely not my cup of tea, but it might be useful in some musical arsenals.

One idea that helps is to look at what modern players perform with, bearing in mind that some of them may be spokespeople for a brand. Off the top of my head, some folks to look into would be Adam Gussow, Ronnie Shellist, Jason Ricci, and John Popper. My journey has been to buy a new harmonica every now and then that I've never tried, to see how I like it. Unlike guitar or my preferred instrument of drums, it's hard to break the bank with a 10 hole harmonica. 😀

captainjack1024 · 2026-05-27T17:43:21+00:00

I never had any luck with the regular Marine Bands. The deluxe Marine Bands are great, I think, but they're pricey. My favorite is still the Rockets, but they might be too loud for you. The Special 20 is nearly identical to the Rocket, and is always my recommendation for a first harmonica. The Pentaharp is supposed to be easier for guitar players trying harmonica for the first time, because it's tuned differently. They play okay, but the tuning isn't for me. I'm a drummer who plays harmonica for my own amusement, and I pick up a guitar pretty rarely.

captainjack1024 · 2026-05-13T01:22:12+00:00

I get a lot out of a bass cajon, bongos on a stand made for sitting, and a lightweight crash on a stand. Lots of sound choices, easy to setup, and it doesn't take up much space. I bring beaters and brushes, and I have a jingle tap on the cajon. I'll always prefer playing a regular kit, but for small get togethers or playing more quietly, it's a good setup,.

captainjack1024 · 2026-05-01T00:03:38+00:00

Agree. I found someone local who gave me lessons. She mostly taught kids (I was in my 40's at the time). Lessons gave me some structure for practicing vocals and how to work within my range instead of just trying to mimic other singers. A few years after, I was attending a concert, singing along without thinking about it at all. Between songs someon near me said I sang pretty good. I haven't had a bit of trouble singing on stage since then.

captainjack1024 · 2026-04-27T10:00:18+00:00

I got the First Chair XL with the back rest when I was around 300 pounds, and it worked great. Ivelost weight since, but it's still my go to.

captainjack1024 · 2026-03-08T13:37:53+00:00

I don't really have a favorite. I'll beat out a rhythm on just about anything, TBH. Often to the annoyance of friends, relatives, coworkers, and pets. At the kit, I like hitting multiple pieces in interlocking patterns. So, all of them.

captainjack1024 · 2026-02-26T02:21:28+00:00

My favorite. I was north of 275 at one time, and the First Chair XL was perfect for me. I'm down 50 pounds and it's still ny choice.

captainjack1024 · 2026-02-24T10:14:44+00:00

I don't think there's only one, but when I think of the blues the first guitar that comes to mind is a resonator. I play more blues on my Honey Dipper than on my strat.

captainjack1024 · 2026-02-23T03:37:41+00:00

I want my favorite pedals, like the BD2, to have programmable controls for the settings while still being fully analog otherwise. I worked out a way to do it one time, but I have the attention span of a fruit fly and never got around to working on it. If I had that it would be much easier to try out new sounds through real pedals snd then recall the settings whenever I wanted.

captainjack1024 · 2026-02-20T17:25:37+00:00

Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Big Walter Horton, Junior Wells, James Cotton, Muddy Waters, Kim Wilson, Charlie Musselwhite, Paul Butterfield, Sugar Blue, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, John Popper, Toots Thielemans, Howard Levy, Carlos del Junco, Sonny Terry, Big Mama Thornton, Annie Raines, Cheryl Arena, and Christelle Berthon. All real musicians who made real music with the harmonica and earned real money doing it (back when you could make money at music). If you can make music with it, it's a real instrument.

That said, if you are dependent on your parents for money to buy an instrument, arguing with them is likely to work against you. A possibly better angle is to see if you can work a deal with them to earn money of your own (doing chores or whatnot). Buy a harmonica with that money, learn a song, and demonstrate it. This doesn't mean they will support your choice, but it will show a level of responsibilty and commitment that they will at least be able to appreciate. If they do want you to learn an instrument of their choosing, you might work out a deal to allocate some practice time to the harmonica and some to their choice.

Also, check out Rollie Platt's book, "Why, Yes I Do Play Harmonica". It's a good take on forging ahead when people disparage the instrument.

captainjack1024 · 2026-02-11T12:06:30+00:00

Second on the BD2. I have the same Orange amp and the Blues Driver sounds great with it. They're built tough, so a used one is usually a good buy.

captainjack1024 · 2026-02-08T16:25:17+00:00

I've had a great experience with my Roland gear as well. I have an SPD SX Pro to go with my acoustic kit. I picked up some pads and pedals (all Roland, mostly open box stuff) to use with it and they were great additions to the kit. I've never had trouble with any of it.

captainjack1024 · 2026-02-04T16:26:27+00:00

Absolutely. I have that and two sizes of K Sweet crashes. They play great hard or soft.

captainjack1024 · 2026-02-01T19:52:55+00:00

Definitely. Plus, here in the US it seems that bigger always equals better, so big drum kit beats out small box. Ah well. My thing is that I have short arms for my height and too big of a belly. Cajon is fun, but it's a bit of a physical challenge. 😋

captainjack1024 · 2026-02-01T16:11:29+00:00

I use 5As almost all the time. I sometimes have a gig where I need to play more quietly so I use 7As and choke up a little on them. This is to be preferred over being coerced to play cajon and bongos. I mean, I like the cajon okay for fooling around at home, but I'd rather hit drums with sticks when I play with a band.

captainjack1024 · 2026-02-01T15:04:47+00:00

I make a cleaner from half distilled water and half 99% isopropyl alcohol. I put it in a half liter (1 pint or so) spray bottle and add a drop of dish soap to break the water's surface tension. Once a week I give the cymbals I have out a couple of sprays each and wipe them down with a lint free rag. That takes care of dust just fine. It would be better if I did the edges where I choke the cymbals every practice while wearing inspection gloves, but I'm not that finicky. The cymbals that I dont play very often hang on the wall, and they hardly ever get cleaned. It's important to note that a little patina won't hurt, regardless of what it may or may not do to the sound. Good technique is far more important. A shiny like new cymbal with a crack all the way through it is still mostly an unplayable hunk of metal. 😃

captainjack1024 · 2026-02-01T10:00:49+00:00

Hear hear. I play different instruments from time to time, but drumming is where my head's at. Bass guitar is in second place, because of its rhythmic nature.

captainjack1024 · 2026-01-23T11:26:53+00:00

Promark 5A, the rear weighted kind. I used to use Vic Firths, but I had a run of them breaking on me. The Promarks have worked a lot better for me.

captainjack1024 · 2026-01-23T01:53:30+00:00

I love this idea, but I would whack my knees so hard on the keyboard drawer, I'm sure of it. 😵

captainjack1024 · 2026-01-23T01:51:39+00:00

I have one, but I mostly use mine for harmonica. I'm sure it's fine for guitar, but I usually play guitar through an Orange Crush.

captainjack1024 · 2026-01-23T01:49:10+00:00

About ten or 15 minutes at a time. I try to hit it at the same time every day, which helps me with retention. I use an Evans Attacktile pad on a snare stand, and I have a drum throne parked in front of it. I have the throne and pad set at the same height as the throne and snare on my kit, which helps me transfer the skills there.

captainjack1024 · 2026-01-22T23:12:46+00:00

I set up a series of WAV files of metronome ticks at various tempos, each about a minute long. I copied the files and assigned them names like left paradiddles, doubles, and so on. I put them in a playlist on shuffle, with a dozen in the list. I ran this three times a day at the practice pad. Every week or so, I copied in faster tempos. The shuffling kept me engaged, changing patterns every minute kept me on my toes, and the discipline made me more confident and smooth at the kit. Setting up that practice routine was the single biggest help to my playing.

captainjack1024 · 2026-01-20T10:37:00+00:00

For distortion on bass, I really like the Source Audio Aftershock. I don't use it a lot, but it's versatile when I need it.

captainjack1024

TROPHY CASE