Digging In

CAGED System vs. Pentatonic Scales

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I’m hoping by now you’ve read Ivan’s great post about the history and importance of flatpicking. Though a seasoned musician, it’s a relatively new topic to me and one I’ve been looking at a lot lately. Recently, while hoping to improve my acoustic and bluegrass guitar soloing chops, I searched around for some tips on scales and chord shapes to use. In doing so, I found such a travesty of misguided music theory and wildly unmusical thinking, I just had to share.

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First Impressions

Outlier Syndrome

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those-who-dig-logo-finalI have a problem when discovering new music, and I know I can’t be the only one. It’s somewhat traumatizing, sometimes embarrassing, and ultimately disappointing. Does anybody else out there suffer from Outlier Syndrome – liking the first tune you hear from a band then realizing none of their other songs sound like that? If so, please read on. If not, it’s because I just made it up right now, but please read on anyway. Read more…

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Digging In

But He Don't Sound British – Accents and Singing

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Ah music, the international language. It transcends political and economic boundaries, it harkens on universal themes, and does a lot of other things someone who describes themselves as #blessed would say. All feel-good melting pot analogies aside, have you noticed that music actually does manage to nullify one huge indicator of our backgrounds? That’s right, nearly everyone sings without an accent. Why is it that you don’t realize a singer hails from the UK until you hear them speak instead of sing into the microphone?

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Digging In

The Diphthong Song

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those-who-dig-logo-finalThis is about the diphthong song. Depending on your knowledge of grammar and/or lingerie, that’s either a very sexy or very confusing title. Or both. The song I have in mind is now 4 decades old, started as a country tune, but received a huge lift half-way through its lifespan and became one of the biggest singles of all time. Read more…

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Digging In

Do You Dig It?

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Hey everybody, allow me introduce myself before we get going. I’m Kent Heberling, life-long musician and first-time contributor to this site. I have an extensive music background including over a decade of cello, guitar, bass, percussion and piano performance, a pretty regular gig schedule with 3 local bands, and a B.F.A. in Music Composition & Technology. I’ll be writing about everything, because everything is what I like. Do you Dig It?

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