Tommy Walker Instructional Video

Tommy shows how he plays I Have a Hope.

Tommy teaches some chords that are unfamiliar. This website has some better notation.

EQ

From geeksandgod.com Audio processing II Podcast.

Always better to pull EQ's down rather than boost up.

20-20,000 hertz - human hearing

60 - Electrical cycle

Under 80, more can be felt than heard

100-500 (usually 200-250) is the "muddy" range - take this down to get rid of muddy

1k-5k - annoying guitar sounds

5k - magic number for human voice ("Presence")

7k - syballance - "ssss"

10k - "shimmer" - adds "pretty" but can get harsh

above 12k - not much there

MP3 Tag Tool

Now that I'm using my cell phone as an MP3 player, I have found that the tags on my MP3's have lousy information. If they had more accurate titles, albums, artists, and genres, I could find what I'm looking for much easier. Hopefully this program will help.

Update: I didn't like it. I downloaded MediaMonkey instead and it does a good job and allows me to update the tags powerfully.

New Christmas Songs

I like to do Christmas songs at Christmas time during worship. But we need a couple of new ones. Scanning Itunes, here a couple of possibilities.

-The Christmas Hope - NewSong
-Savior Christ the King - Hillsong
-O Rejoice - Hillsong
-Offering (Christmas version) - iWorship
-Bethlehem Calls - NewSong
-Mary Did You Know - Rescue
-We Are the Reason - Avalon
-Born in Bethlehem - Third Day
-Jesus, Light of the World - Third Day
-Christmas, Like a Child
-Merry Christmas - Third Day
-Feliz Navidad - Raul Malo
-Holy Emmanuel - Terry Scott Taylor
-Child of Love - Sara Groves
-Manger Throne - Third Day
-

Not Christmas
-Tunnel - Third Day
-Mountain of God - Third Day
-Communion - Third Day

Kid's Worship

Last night, we were asked to play worship music for the younger youth group (4th-7th grade). We brought in most of the worship band -- drums, bass, electric guitar, and my acoustic. We did some songs we liked -- You Are Good, Hope to Carry On, ... and some they liked -- Lord I Lift Your Name on High, Romans 16:19, Celebrate Jesus... and then I tried a new one for me -- Cartoon Hallelujah. The first song the kids looked a little overwhelmed. We sing three songs each week, but they weren't into it. One of the youth leaders, Tammy, had brought some instruments. So before the second song, I said, "Bring those instruments up here." Most of them took a rhythm instrument, but one boy took a recorder (flute). Then they started to have fun.

The drummer gave my 8 year old son a cow bell to play. Shyly, he held it down and tapped it. We were in the middle of a song, Romans 16:19 I think, and while the band played, I said let me see that cowbell, and did a little Saturday Night Live Will Ferrel Cow Bell. Getting the bell back, my son was still pretty shy but he kept the beat loud enough to hear. Good time.

Acoustic Guitars

Fender F-210 - ebay has left-handed ones starting at $150 and one with current bids to $290.

Yamaha FG-460SA - $290 on ebay

Alvarez 5220 - ??? - No exact match on ebay. Definitely $250, maybe $500.

I have a feeling my Alvarez isn't as good a guitar as my other two except it has built-in electronics, which is why I use it.

Praise Song

I put Chris Tomlin on my Pandora.com.

-"I Need You Now" by Portrait of Another
-"Can't Figure How" by Jason Boland and the Stragglers (rough country song)
-"Breaking My Fall" by Jeremy Camp

The only reasonable one here is probably "I Need You Now"

Cliff Ritchey

I'm at IMPACT and I was listening to this guy in a "coffee house" and he played "Stuck in the Middle with You" and said, "Anyone who can tell me what band recorded this song, I'll give a free CD." I'm a winner, thanks to Jim Eastin! I'll let you guess. No fair googling. I have a picture I'll post when I get a chance. My worship guys will love this guy's music. He played some Dylan. He was really good.

Interesting Conversations

My friend, Joe Lockhart, dropped by for a cup of coffee this morning. Joe has a unique interest in all thing Egypt, the early church fathers, the Catholic church, the Bible, and other intersting ancient documents.

He's currently read The Masks of God by Joseph Campbell which compares the heart of religious thought throughout history. It sounds really interesting.

My friend, Cal Smith, a elder in the Mormon church, had a really interesting conversation about Mormonism in America.

Saturday night, I heard my friends' band, Suede (Myspace site), at Common Grounds. They sounded great. They have a new CD I can't wait to get my hands on. Rick does an old song called Eugene Pratt by Mason Profit. It's a Vietnam anti-war song that tells the story of Pratt. I can't get it out of my head.

My friend, Nathaniel West, and I have been discussing forgiveness in all it's depths.

Friday night, we went to our friends the Ridgley's and played games. I hadn't had that much fun in a while. I can't wait so long next time.