Better version of my cover of Help!

In the wee hours of this morning I recorded yet ANOTHER version of my cover of this famous song. It took ten takes before I was satisfied with the guitar track, then the second vocal take is what I added to that.

I have listened to this song a LOT and have played guitar and (sometimes) sang to it literally thousands of times the past few years. I really like the guitar playing of this version better than my earlier efforts, and while I most certainly ain't no Beatle, my singing has improved considerably compared to my R Band days of the early 1990s.

The earlier instrumental version of Help! I was so excited about in the previous post to this blog is still online, but it's place on the home page of my web site has been replaced by this version.

Here is a direct link to my latest cover version of Help!

been cold around here past few days

It's been way too cold here lately for me to ride the bicycle and play guitar. It's not good for the wood of the guitar when it's this cold, and not good for my fingers or hands either!

I charged the battery of my 1965 Ford Falcon Ranchero yesterday. Tomorrow I will get a couple gallons of gasoline into it and try to start the engine again. If it doesn't work, then I'll ask for help from people who know more about mechanics than I do.

A few days ago I recorded yet another version of my cover of the Beatles song Help! and posted it to my web site. I've been practicing this song literally thousands of times the past few years, and my playing is getting smoother and smoother. My latest insight about the song came about a week ago and involves the spiraling arpeggio riff played by George Harrison at the end of the intro, each chorus, and the outro.

There are many groups of three in this song, three evenly spaced bass notes between chord changes, three verses, etc. However, that spiraling arpeggio riff consists of sixteen evenly-spaced evenly-stressed notes. It is played by picking four strings of a hand position then moving that same hand position down three more times one fret at a time, in other words, four groups of four notes! Not only that, but that riff is played four times during the song. How much more "fourness" can you get? Well, okay, I see that a riff of four groups of four notes being played four times only references the number four three times! But then, that reinforces the "threeness" in this song.

Blustery Day

I was riding yesterday afternoon and found that the gusts of wind were pushing the front wheel of my Schwinn around so much it was not safe to play guitar as I rode on a busy street in town doing errands. I grew up next to Travis A.F.B. where the biggest cargo planes in the USAF are based because of the winds there, and I was used to riding in wind with the steel wheels, handlebar and stem my bike used to have. I live in Oregon now and just switched to aluminum wheels, handlebar and stem last month.

I definitely noticed a big difference yesterday from the wind pushing the front wheel around. I could see the wheel turn as a gust of wind hit it, necessitating my stopping playing guitar to grab the handlebars for safety. I guess the difference in weight of all those aluminum parts compared to steel is significant for the front wheel's stability in wind when riding with no hands. I hadn't really noticed much of a difference until yesterday. On the good side, there is also a noticable difference in how much easier it is now to go UP hills! My bike is about eight percent lighter than it was before the upgrades.

Upgrades to my Schwinn in 2009

On October 6, 2009 my Schwinn ten-speed was greatly improved by the replacement of its steel wheels, handlebar and stem with aluminum parts. It is now a "Super Sportabout" (read that page for an explanation of that name).

The new wheels deserved their own page, as did the better handlebar. These and other changes this year are summarized on Upgrades to my Schwinn in 2009.

I am sad that my 1965 Ford Falcon Ranchero is still sitting out of commission in the driveway. It hasn't moved since the summer of 2007. The improvements to my bicycle are nice, but I can't ride it in wet or cold conditions (not good for the guitar, the bicycle or ME!). Even when the weather permits bicycle riding, I can't carry very many groceries on it, especially heavy things like kitty litter or pet food.

The new bass player Rocky and I haven't rehearsed as much the past couple weeks, but last night's session was quite good. He learned some more of my Evolution song, and I learned more of what he calls his "G Boogie" song. So far we have neither recorded together nor performed any live shows for the public, but some of my guitar playing the past couple weeks has been the best I have ever played.

My bicycle will have a good home when I die

Since the early 1980s I have ridden the same Schwinn ten-speed bicycle many thousands of miles while simultaneously playing a Fender Stratocaster guitar, sometimes with a small battery-powered amplifier clamped to the seat post or carried on a rack over the rear wheel. I'm pushing fifty years old now, and thought to contact The Bicycle Museum of America yesterday to see if they would be interested in preserving or even displaying my bicycle after I die.

To quote the Wikipedia article about this place:

The Bicycle Museum of America is a small museum nested inside the village of New Bremen, Ohio, United States. The museum, one of the largest private collections of bicycles in the world, is located at 7 West Monroe Street.

I was delighted when Annette Thompson of the museum wrote me back within a couple of hours. She said:

This would make an interesting story for our museum. Yes, we would enjoy having the bike.

I forwarded her email to one of my sisters and I am posting this blog entry as well to make my wishes known. Of course, this assumes I don't die ON the bicycle. If I do, it might not be a pretty museum display! I am locally famous, but if my fame ever spreads my bicycle may end up in the Smithsonian or the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Even if that doesn't happen though, I rest easier knowing my bicycle will be well taken care of after I am gone.

We're getting good!

The last two nights my new bass player Rocky and I sounded really good in our jam sessions. Several of his songs are coming together nicely, and he is getting better at playing bass to some of my songs too.

This reminds me of the time I was hanging out with Peter Griffin of the Family Guy cartoon television series:

Stll riding and playing

The weather has been great lately for Bicycle Guitaring. My bicycle just had some replacement parts installed by the Local Bike Shop so it is running smoother than before. Rocky (the bass player) and I practiced three or four nights this past week. We're sounding better than before.