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<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<The Acoustic Guitar Wire<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
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1. Welcome to the Acoustic Guitar Wire No. 2
2. Music news: B is for . . .
3. New on the Web at www.acousticguitar.com
4. Tips and advice: It ain't the heat, it's . . .
5. Highlights from upcoming issues of Acoustic Guitar
6. Great guitar giveaways
7. New books from String Letter Publishing
8. Win a free CD!
9. When the drumming stops . . .
10. Free guitar lessons on the Web
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Welcome to the Acoustic Guitar Wire No. 2.
We bring you the latest acoustic music news, information
about happenings on-line, advance notice of special offers
and giveaways, previews of new publications and recordings
from String Letter Publishing, a few jokes, plus tips
and advice about guitars, gear, and playing.

This newsletter is best viewed in 10-point Courier.
Our hyperlinks are formatted to be "hot" in most mail
readers. If your reader doesn't support click-through
linking from e-mail, just cut and paste the URLs into your
Web browser.

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Music News: B is for Beatles, Brother, and Banjos

Beatles Beat Back Street Boys.
The fab four are back with a vengeance. Their new CD "1"
bounced the crooning Back Street Boys from the top of the
charts. Score "1" for guitar bands and old guys.

December 8 marked the 20th anniversary of John Lennon's
death, and Lennon was remembered with vigils and sing-alongs
around the globe. To mark the occasion, the New York Times
Web site is offering "Remembering John Lennon," a well-
presented selection of stories, reviews, audio clips, and
more from the archives. Check it out at:
http://www.nytimes.com/library/music/120800lennon-index.html?1213c

Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
The Coen Brothers much anticipated new film "Oh Brother,
Where Art Thou?" opens next week in selected theaters, and
the all-star film features a great soundtrack from T Bone
Burnett. The score features traditional music from
Appalachian, delta blues, and gospel traditions, and
performances by Ralph Stanley, Gillian Welch, John Hartford,
Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris, the Fairfield Four, and
Norman Blake.

Visit the stunning Web site for a trailer, info about the
film and its music, sound and video clips, and more. Go to:
http://studio.go.com/movies/obrother/

Banjos Rule
The Suzanne H. Arnold Art Gallery at Lebanon Valley College
in Pennsylvania unveils "Strummin' on the Banjo in 19th C.
America" from January 11 through February 18. The exhibit
traces the evolution of the banjo from its African roots as
stringed gourd, to artifact of minstrel shows, to the
preferred instrument of gilded-age parlor entertainment.
Get the details and see a preview of the show at:
http://www.lvc.edu/gallery/2000-2001/banjo.html

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New at Acoustic Guitar Central

We've updated the site with new content from the January
issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine. Check out the latest CD
reviews, artists' gear profiles, and more. The feature this
month is our critique of 13 moderately priced acoustic-
electric guitars. Read it on-line at:
http://www.acousticguitar.com/issues/ag97/feature97.shtml

Bob Shields has been giving us a chisel-by-chisel account of
his guitar-making adventure. Check out the latest
installment:
http://www.acousticguitar.com/gear/projects/bobkit7.shtml

Take a free lesson complete with tablature, notation, text,
and Real Audio sound clip examples. A new lesson goes
on-line today, and you can expand your chord vocabulary with
master guitarist Gary Talley at:
http://www.acousticguitar.com/lessons/talley/1.shtml

By the way, there's always a good discussion about guitars,
players, and acoustic music going in the Guitar Talk
forums. Register to participate and automatically get a
chance to win an electronic tuner. Sign up today at
http://www.acousticguitar.com/ubbcgi/Ultimate.cgi?action=agree

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Tips and Advice: Keeping your guitar humidified

In most parts of the country the winter months are murder on
a guitar. Central heat and generally drier conditions inside
the house tend to dry out your ax, and even subtle changes
in humidity can wreak havoc with your instrument by causing
the neck to warp and the belly to sink. The net result can
be a change in tone, new fret buzzes, and generally funky
performance. These problems can be avoided and corrected,
but some commonsense precautions are advised.

Most guitars are built in factories controlled to 45 percent
relative humidity. That standard is difficult to maintain in
a private home, but it isn't really necessary to do so if
you follow a few simple tips.

-If you live in an extremely dry environment, consider
adding a humidifier to your climate control system.
-Store your instruments in the most stable, well-humidified
part of your home. Keep them well away from heating ducts
and returns, radiators, and so forth.
-Keep your guitar stored in a good, solid, well-sealed case,
especially during extreme weather conditions.
-Monitor the condition of your guitar. If you notice a dip
in the top or an increased bow in the neck, you will need to
add some humidity to your instrument.
-Invest in a sound hole hydration device. There are many
inexpensive choices here. There are good units made
especially for guitars by Planet Waves (D'Addario), GHS,
John Pearse, and Damp-it. Your local music store should
carry a choice. Check out Manufacturer Directory for more
information about makers.
http://www.acousticguitar.com/search/ManufacturerSearch/Manu
facturerSearch.shtml
-Do not go overboard with the water. Be sure to wring out
the sponge element in the humidifying device before
installing it in your instrument, and check it often to
maintain proper moisture.

Your guitar will probably experience some changes during the
course of the year. You might need to have a second saddle
made for different seasons. You might also need to adjust
the truss rod periodically. For a basic primer on guitar
setup and truss-rod adjustment, visit our gear section
article on that topic:
http://www.acousticguitar.com/issues/ag83/shoptalk.shtml

We have a section on humidifying your guitar on the Acoustic
Guitar Central FAQ page:
http://www.acousticguitar.com/dearfaqs.html#HumidifyingAGuitar

Taylor Guitar's Web site also has a couple of good FAQs
about humidity and guitars. See
http://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/details/faqs.html

For more tips and advice about setup and maintenance, check
out the Acoustic Guitar Owner's Manual:
http://www.acousticguitar.com/books/Guidebooks.html#agom

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Here are some highlights from upcoming issues of Acoustic
Guitar magazine:

The February issue is gorgeous. Look for:
-Richard Thompson interview (with song transcription)
-Young flamenco virtuosos (Gerardo Nuñez, Vicente Amigo,
and Tomatito)
-Country lead guitar lesson
-Making Tone Poems III

In the March issue:
-English folk sensation Kate Rusby (with music to play)
-Acoustic Jam Bands (with transcription)
-Kid-oriented guitar/music Web sites
Other stories in the works:
-Big Blues Special
-Fingerstyle Extravaganza
-Gear, gear, gear

Don't miss out on any of these great features! Subscribe to
Acoustic Guitar today. Sign up on-line at
http://www.acousticguitar.com/service/service.html#subscribe
or call toll free (800) 827-6837.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~SPONSOR~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LISTEN UP! The Acoustic Artists CD Series brings you the
best tracks from acoustic musicians featured in the pages of
Acoustic Guitar magazine. Great music at great prices. See
the complete listings at:
http://www.acousticguitar.com/recordings/aacs.html

While you are there, sign up for our Acoustic CD Collection
giveaway. We're giving away libraries of 30 acoustic-music
CDs to winning entries, with selections from artists such as
Leo Kottke, Kelly Joe Phelps, Ricky Skaggs, David Lindley,
and more.

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Giveaways

Enter our three-in-one giveaway and get a chance to win
a set of three guitars from LaSiDo. Get the details and
enter at
http://www.acousticguitar.com/giveaway2/lasido/index.html
 
There is still a chance to win the one-of-a-kind Taylor
Tenth Anniversary guitar. An entry form is available
in your December issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine.
See the whole collection and get the details at
http://www.acousticguitar.com/giveaway2/anniversary/

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New books and bundles from String Letter Publishing
 
Acoustic Guitar Magazine's Best Private Lessons
This comprehensive and noteworthy collection of Acoustic
Guitar's finest lessons offers you an opportunity to explore
a wide range of techniques and musical styles.

Last Minute Shopping Tip
Are there any acoustic music fans or musicians on your
holiday gift list? Visit
http://www.acousticguitar.com/books/books.html
for an outstanding selection of inspiring and informative
books brought to you by the publishers of Acoustic Guitar.
Save up to 33% off the cover price on some titles!

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Win a Free CD!

We're giving away a free CD of acoustic guitar music to the
contributor of the best music joke or gig story. To enter,
simply send your favorite music joke or anecdote about a gig
from hell to mailto:jokes@stringletter.com. Be sure to
include a mailing address in case you win. We'll award a new
prize with each edition. Our prizewinner for this month is
Ken Ige of Kailua, Hawaii, who sent us the following
classic.

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Music joke No. 194

A native guide is leading a westerner through the jungle. An
incessant drum beat can be heard behind them. The guide has
a look of fear in his eyes. "What's the matter?" asks the
westerner. "Drums almost finished. Very bad," says the
guide, and quickens his steps.

The westerner is a bit alarmed and starts to jog. Minutes
later the guide is more fearful and starts moving faster.
"What's the matter?" asks the westerner again. "Drums almost
finished! Very bad!" repeats the guide. Soon they are almost
at a full run.

The guide is in a state of panic. The westerner is
exhausted. He can't go much further at this pace. He catches
the guide by the arm and frantically asks him, "What!? What
happens when the drums stop?" The wide-eyed guide answers,
"Bass solo!"

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Hot Links to Cool Sites: Guitar Instruction

The February issue of Acoustic Guitar has an extensive
article reviewing free on-line guitar instruction sites for
beginners. Here are a few of the sites referenced in the
story. To see them all, check out the magazine.

http://guitarlessonworld.com
http://guitar-primer.com
http://acousticguitar.com/lessons/lessons.shtml

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Send news, comments, and requests:
mailto:agwire@stringletter.com
Copyright © 2000 String Letter Publishing. All Rights
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or medium without express written permission of String
Letter Publishing is prohibited. Acoustic Guitar Wire and
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Publishing.
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