Mike,

I justed wanted to say that I really like the new website design. Great job !

Hey jerry,

Just wondering.....Any chance you going to SPAH 2014 in St. Louis in August? If you are maybe your loyal students get a few minutes of instruction with the Master?........lol

Greetings Vernon and thanks for your post.  I really dig Pop's Staple's guitar style but I don't know any of his music.  

Thanks

C H

Hello Everyone, I would like to point out and apoligize for doing one of my Texas Flood lessons in F# instead of G. I have always played it in F# live and I believe on the Roomful recording also. So I spaced and went back to my old habits on that one. The lessons for the most part are in G, a more normal key. Sorry if I've caused any confusion! Duke 

Hi Peter, Thank you! You have formally introduced yourself. You did mention you were a student here but I was on my way out to the CD table and it was very crowed. Thanks for coming, Duke

Hi Michael --- thanks for the kinds words.  Glad you are enjoying it.  As you keep using the new site please let us know what you like and any frustrations / issue you have (that we can fix).  Thanks.

Hi Ros --- great feedback, thank you.  Yes, I totally agree with your use case.  To make sure I got it --- you would like a quick and easy way to switch between lessons on the same song --- so you can go between the lesson, performance and backing tracks quickly and easily (ideally from one lesson page to another).  Thanks.

I love this site and Jerry's teaching, and appreciate the clean look and the larger windows of the new design. But what's the easiest way to navigate between different lessons relating to the same song? Previously, I scrolled down the list of archived lessons (along the right-hand side of the screen) and could make a quick switch, but now I don't see that feature. For example, say I'm practising "Don't get around much anymore." With the new design it's one click to get to Jerry's archived lessons, then a long scroll down to the lessons for that particular song. So I refresh my memory by playing "performance," but then how best to get to the backing track without having to scroll from the top again through the lessons? Is there a search function to type in the name of the song? The new version seems to require browsing through lots of material to find what I want. Please help put me on the right track with tips to navigate the new site. Thanks, Roz

Just exploring the new design now, Mike. One word: wow. Well done!

Hi Boyd.  Glad you like the new design.  Yes, there are a lot of changes to get use to.  After you use it for a week or two, I think you will find it easier and more enjoyable.

I appreciate the feedback on PayPal.  We use PayPal because it is very secure and the most popular online payment system in the world.  I know that it can be cumbersome to get refunds out of and our process of giving manual refunds for people that purchase the annual special could be better.

We do plan on integrating credit / debit card payments directly into the site in 2014.  It will make managing payments easier and simpler.  Our plan is to continue to support PayPal for those that want to use it.

Hey Duke, greatings from Atlanta!   I'm brand new to the site - looks great so far - have been playing for 40 years.   I'm looking forward to digging into more of the lessons.

I came across the site while doing a search for a chart for "Meet Me At No Special Place" - I love your version.  Is there a place to find the changes or can you share them?

I'll update my profile and post a video when I have more time.  I'm playing in a couple of gigging bands - mostly country-centric for the past few years - trying to carve out a niche doing music that can twang and swing/groove (sorely lacking in the highly predictable country market).

Cheers, Frank

I like going its be to hard getting use to. I hope when Its time  renew my membership up again. I hope you  don't have to go threw paypal again I'm still trying  to get my money back. the first time I tried to get my money back they wanted me to give bank account, and passwords to my  from my bank. Paypal is not very good. I don't like paypal. This well be fourth time to my money back.;

Hi All,

As you probably noticed, we've updated Sonic Junction.  Our goals for the redesign were to

- make lesson videos bigger

- more room for tab and chord charts

- print out of tab and chords

- make recording and uploading videos easier and clearer

- make it easier and quicker to browse lessons

- locate the backing tracks directly under the webcam recorder AND let you look at the tab / chords at the same time

- increase the size of uploaded videos to match YouTube embedded videos

- simplify and clean up the design

We hope you enjoy it --- and please let us know what you think.

Hi Jim, Welcome aboard. Yes "Too Hot To Handle" is on the docket. Thanks, Duke 

Hi Duke,

I would like to second Perry's request for Too Hot to handle.

I am also new to Sonic Junction and lovin it.

Thanks so much.

Jim

Hi Duke,

How about a lesson for "You'd Better Change Your Ways" from your album: Swing.

Thanks,

Marty

Thanks Mike, Man that is great stuff, can't imagine I'll ever master it, but I'm sure I'll really enjoy the journey.  Chuck

Hi Chuck,

Agreed --- Duke's Swingin' the Blues / Swingin' with Lucy Mae is a great series of lessons.  Here's a link to Duke's Comping Lesson 

http://sonic-junction.com/lessons/swingin-the-blues-lesson-3

You may also want to check out his full run-through of Swingin' with Lucy Mae too.

http://sonic-junction.com/lessons/swingin-the-blues-lucy-mae

Duke also uses some of the comping chord forms in Romance in the Dark --- which is a great tune too.  

Enjoy!

Mike

Hi Duke, I recently singed up and enjoy your lessons, during my initial research into the site, I received two free lessons, one of witch, was your rendition of "Swingin with Lucy Mae" comping.  I like that style and would like to work on it, but I can't find it anymore.  Can you point in the right direction to find it.  Thanks, Chuck

Hi Perry, That would be a good one and a natural for me. I'll put it on the list! Duke

Hi Duke,

Would love to have a lesson and breakdown of your tune "Too Hot to Handle". Love it!  :)

Just new to Sonic Junction and I'm lovin' it.

Cheers man,

Perry

NEW DATES --- Open Mic at Sonic Junction, Feb 14th - Feb 24th

It's time for Open Mic!

We're having our 5th Sonic Junction Open Mic on Feb 14th. 

Open Mic is a time to share your music with the Sonic Junction community. Post a video of yourself playing your favorite tune--it can be a song you wrote, something you learned here at Sonic Junction or elsewhere, or a tune you're enjoying at the moment. It's a great chance to share what's on your mind -- inspire and be inspired!

From Feb 14th to Feb 24th, post your videos here.

PLEASE WAIT UNTIL FRIDAY, Feb 14th TO POST YOUR VIDEO.

We decided to wait an extra 2 weeks so we could have replies to video posts in the Forum.  This will allow us to better organize Open Mic by keeping all of the comments with their respective videos.  

Drop me an email or let me know via the Contact Us page if you have questions or need help editing or posting your video.

Looking forward to some good music!

Mike

Hello Guys, Regarding Strat pickups, I alwaya recommend Lindy Fralin or Seymour Duncan pickups. For a fatter sound the Fralin blues specials produce a bigger sound which is nice and full sounding. As far as string gauges, whatever works for each individual is often different. You can listen to opinions to help make choices but in the end your own fingers and ears should guide you on your decision. Duke 

I use different gauges on each of my guitars. My Telecaster, which I use mostly for country and 60s soul, has .9s on it. My Epiphone Sheraton, which I use for 335-type blues, has .10s. My Epiphone Swingster, which I use for rockabilly, has a Bigsby so it has .11s. And, finally, my Epiphone Broadway, which I use for swing and jump blues, has .12s since I don't need to do much whole step bending on it. Also, the action on them gets progressively higher as the string gauge gets higher. So my Broadway's action is noticeably higher than the action of my Telecaster and even the Sheraton. 

In terms of pickups, the Swingster has their own pickups, called Swingbuckers, which have series/parallel switching. That allows for straight humbucker sounds or getting something that is a more single-coil type sound. Lately, I've been seriously considering replacing the humbuckers in my Broadway with two Lollar underwound 50s' style black dogear P-90s (like an early '50s L-5). There is a tone on those records from the 40s and early 50s that is really warm but still has a sharp bite to it that I think comes from P-90s (since there were no humbuckers yet at that time).   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltLHsD_A9I4

Jerry is really blowing some harp!

Guys, I am currently playing a strat with Fender Custom Shop '54 pickups.  Looking for ideas on other pickups for another strat I'm putting together.  The 54s are very weak single coil (but very nice for some applications) pickups.  I am a classic Chicago Blues follower.  I am looking for another set that keeps that classic sweet fat tone but with slightly more bite.  I don't know how these guys are doing it.  

Most of the pickups I find today are either heavy metal oriented or very glassy sounding (not sure what genre of music that might be).  I know the sound when I hear it.  Just not hearing it with any of the products I'm coming across. 

Any ideas?

Scott