Magnolia Guitar - Latest Comments

Re: Home-made DIY Guitar Case Humidifier

Daniel Magnolia — Fri, 11 May 2012 13:17:02 -0000

Thanks for your comment! If you watch Part I on Humidity that I made (http://bit.ly/JFT3wS), you'll get basic guidelines on the safe range of relative humidity. You can use a hygrometer to measure the relative humidity in the case or in the room. If you want to put a humidifier in each case you can do that. But how long the moisture will last in a low-tech solution like the one I made will vary. I suggest you check every few days or a week at most. Arizona is particularly dry, even without A/C, so a room humidifier (with a built in hygrometer) is going to be your best best. It will also be good for you! As a general rule of thumb, if you're uncomfortable then your instruments are as well. Let me know how it goes and good luck! Cheers!

Re: Home-made DIY Guitar Case Humidifier

Erikalindstrom — Fri, 11 May 2012 10:00:12 -0000

Thanks for a basic stepped approach to DIY a guitar case humidifier. I have several guitars I leave in a no AC house for the summers in southern Arizona. How wd I know the % humidity delivered, and how long wd a soap box deal like yours last?

Re: Resolve to Make a Difference and Win!

Jeremy — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 14:43:03 -0000

Great idea! You should shoot me an email (jeremy@gearpipe.com). I'd love to post something on the blog to help you spread the word.

Re: Resolve to Make a Difference and Win!

Daniel Magnolia — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 14:16:30 -0000

Thank you for sharing the contest with your fans! Blake and his book inspired my SIX for SIX program, in which I give a new guitar (with 6 strings) for every 6 lessons a student takes with me. I hope giving away a copy of the book will inspire someone to do something great in their community! I look forward to hearing about your future projects! Happy New Year to you too!

Re: Resolve to Make a Difference and Win!

Jeremy — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 12:41:01 -0000

This is an excellent book! I already own it and have read it, so you don't need to enter me in the contest. I did share it on my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/GearGi....

I have thought about ways to help the music education movement in 2012 and have a few ideas in the works. I'll share when they launch ;-) Happy New Year!

Re: STPP Music Festival 2011 Wrap Up

Sequoya — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 20:16:22 -0000

Thanks for writing about the Dukem show and being there. I remember you and I wish we could have talked... You were like a super hero fly on the wall.

Re: Why Do People Want to Be Musicians?

Kevin — Thu, 05 May 2011 00:05:15 -0000

Great article. Any musician will tell you the old phrase is true - "It's about 5% raw alent and 95% diligent practice and hard work:)"

Re: Why Do People Want to Be Musicians?

Daniel Magnolia — Wed, 04 May 2011 15:52:30 -0000

It's sort of the reverse for me. I enjoy performing, but I LOVE teaching! I think b/c creativity is so tough for a standardized school systems to teach, young artists aren't given the full story about how much work it is. I don't want to discourage anyone from the arts, but I think a person's temperament has to be a good match for arduous life of the artist!

If your son is reading this, here's my advice: If you can't imagine sitting behind a desk typing away all day AND you don't mind working until 1:00am updating your band website and putting together press kits, then the life of an artist might be for you! Good luck! We're all in this together! And thanks for writing!

Re: Why Do People Want to Be Musicians?

Daniel Magnolia — Wed, 04 May 2011 15:46:26 -0000

Before you even got to the end of your story I was already thinking, "it's just like in The Blues Brothers!" Thanks for sharing!

Re: Why Do People Want to Be Musicians?

T.K. Goforth — Wed, 04 May 2011 15:05:08 -0000

This is so true, Daniel. I remember starting out as a jazz singer with a big band...I was so green it wasn't funny. But, as you said, it was liberating to know that I was just starting out, that I had a lot to learn, and that I WAS going to get better as I worked at it. It did help to have such great support from the big band guys, who took me under their wing. But, I had to work (and still do) to sound as great as I should and as great as I want to be. I think the most "unfun" part of it is being in the recording studio -- I know some people love that, but that is a lot of "work" to me, and I would rather "play". Hahaha...

I am now making my living by teaching, not performing, but it's fun to be able to fall back to that -- for fun.

I am going to forward your post on to my son, who is 14 and is considering pursuing this path.

God bless!

TK Goforth

Re: Why Do People Want to Be Musicians?

Leslie Denning — Wed, 04 May 2011 13:29:00 -0000

Great post, Daniel. Like many musicians, I too wanted to make my living as a musician. I have made some money playing, but most of it has come through teaching. As I look back, though, I have been able to touch a lot of lives in a positive way.

My funny story is when I played in a country band out of Kansas City. We got a gig at a club near the Iowa border - thought we'd never get there. When we located the building, there were tons of motorcycles parked outside, and we just kind of looked at each other. When we went in, we found that our agent had told them we were a rock band. Every year, they had a birthday bash with a rock band and food. There were people who had come from as far away as Minnesota. We felt like the Blues Brothers at Country Bob's! Well, we dragged out all the rock 'n' roll songs we could think of, and by the end of the evening everyone was enjoying themselves, but it was touch and go for awhile there.

All young kids see is the success. It's good for them to get a little dose of reality from those have been there.

Wishing you a song in your heart,
Miss Leslie

Re: Gillian Welch: Always the Revelation

Daniel Magnolia — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 18:24:35 -0000

You are right. Steve Jobs deserves to be in that list of highly successful adopted kids, without a doubt! I'm happy to give him credit (and my money). And thanks for reading the blog!

Re: Gillian Welch: Always the Revelation

Andrew Newby — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 17:44:42 -0000

Dude! Don't forget Steve Jobs!!!

Re: Awadagin Pratt performs at Suitland HS Nov 13 @ 7:00pm

Alice Idlett McKenzie — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 11:01:09 -0000

I am so delighted to hear that Mr. Pratt will be at Suitland HS on Saturday.
I took my piano students to a concert with the Prince George's Philharmonic when he was here a few years ago.They were so excited. In fact, we presented him a binder with personal letters from each student. They were all anxiously awaitng a reply, but unfortunately, that didn't happen. Several of them have now gone on to college. At any rate I'll try to bring some others this weekend.
Sincerely,
Alice Idlett McKenzie, piano teacher
7602 Mountain View Way
Landover, MD 20785-4859

Re: Harlem River Blues Streaming on NPR

Angelina the Music Girl — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 17:51:03 -0000

Awesome, that's just what I was hunting for! You just saved me alot of searching around