No. 224, August 2011

On the Cover: Steve Earle. On the heels of a new album and book, the renegade songwriter ruminates on tenor guitars, rosewood necks, and why a sense of his own mortality has informed his latest work.

Songs:

• Lou Reed – "Pale Blue Eyes"
• Children's Classic – "Frog Went A Courtin'"
• Classic Fiddle Tune – "St. Anne’s Reel"

Features: Guitar Inlay. How master craftsmen turn guitars into visual art; All About Brazilian Rosewood. A look at Brazilian rosewood’s history in guitar making and the difficulties of traveling and building with it today; The Low Anthem. The Rhode Island quartet creates subtle acoustic music that mines folk, blues, and country; Digital Royalties. How to get paid when your music is played online; Sound Enhancers. How devices such as the tornavoz, Virzi Tone Producer, and O-Port are used to enrich an instrument’s acoustic tone. 

Lessons:

• Blues in Dropped D Lesson. Tim Sparks demonstrates his approach to fingerstyle improvising and a variety of blues grooves. 
• Practicing with a Metronome. Learn to tap, clap, strum, and pluck in time.
• Five-String Partial Capo Lesson. Experiment with the possibilities of playing with just one uncapoed string.

Gear Reviews:

• Gibson Jackson Browne Signature
• Wechter TO-8418
• Shadow Nanoflex 6/SH 4020