Category: Music

HELP! Blue Yeti mic is always muted.

I recently knocked my Blue Yeti over. That’s it… it fell sideways (didn’t drop on anything, etc. – just fell sideways).

After that, it wouldn’t come out of “mute”. I tried reinstalling drivers, fiddling with Logitech G-Hub, unplugging it, plugging it in. Restarting Windows, etc. Nothing helped.

Then I found a video that explained it. You have to Factory Reset the mic. And it’s a simple process.

1) Unplug the USB.

2) Hold the two buttons (front and back) and plug it in.

3) Wait about 7-10 seconds, and the front ring will start rapidly flashing.

4) Let go and VOILA!

Simple process… worked very quickly and now I can properly mute and unmute my Yeti.

Bassology Around The World – New England 2020

I recently had the opportunity to spend 2 and a half days (well over 15 hours) of training with Anthony Wellington during the BATW New England 2020.

Before anyone freaks… we wore masks and maintained proper social distancing… lots of hand sanitizer. You know the drill.

Back to the good stuff.

I won’t reveal any of the details (it’s not my information to share)… but I can share some things that are already public.

For instance, we covered the 7 String Modes in much more detail than is covered in the linked video. I got to play a 7 string Fodera. Awesome bass… and it really shows you how the modes work, really enforces floating thumb… and sounds wonderful.

I got photo-bombed while playing the 7 String Fodera!

We covered several systems that Anthony created. If you ever get a chance to take lessons from him, or attend one of his workshops… ask him about Texas. It’s a way to learn something that is important to all bass players (sorry, no secrets).

I learned how many chords are in a key (it’s probably more than you think). Secondary Dominants and Tritone Substitutions. We learned about how to identify what key you are in… even when the Root never appears. We talked about why nothing seems to bother Anthony. Anthony talked about “listening to the conversation” when playing. Like… don’t “shout” (play super loud”) if others are quiet. Don’t play super-fast if others are slow… try to use similar vocabulary, phrasing, etc. And then I got to “Trade 4’s” with Anthony.

Ok, I need to digress a bit there…

First off… I didn’t “Trade 4’s”. I was too focused on playing… and totally missed counting bars… so it was like “Eric Plays” -> Anthony Trades 4 -> Eric Plays for awhile… Anthony trades 4. :)

What was truly amazing from that… is this. I went 2nd to last. The other 5 players who went ahead of me are further along the “musical highway” than I am in most areas. So while they were playing 16th notes at 100+ BPM… I knew I couldn’t do that.

So… instead of chickening out (which I seriously considered)… I chose to deviate and play 8th notes. To make it more comfortable for me… Anthony repeated my last phrasing and stayed with the same tempo. I didn’t even realize it until after the 2nd trade-off. He was “practicing what he preached” and listened to me… and then continued that conversation.

Oh yeah… here’s one more photo… we were doing some sort of exercise, so I’m counting on my fingers, and visualizing something in my head.

If you ever get a chance to go to a Bassology event. Whether the “At Sea” or “Around the World” or one of this clinics. Do it. You won’t regret it.

Ukulele players jam out to some classics!

This was our first event like this in the Bangor area.

WABI TV did an overview of the event (featuring yours truly!).

Inaugural ukulele ‘Mud Strum’ held in Bangor

If you live in the Greater Bangor area (Bangor, Orono, Old Town, Hampden, Hermon, Veazie, Brewer, etc.) – feel free to stop by one of our Ukulele jams.  You can find more details of the groups on the Ukulele Players of Maine Facebook group page.

I’m learning the bass guitar – here are my goals for 2017.

Music Goals:

Short Term Goals (next 60 days):

  • To play in church without chord sheets
  • Successfully finish the SBL “Study Piece” challenge.
  • Record Study Piece and publish on YT
  • Record 4 songs (family jams or practices) and publish on YT
  • Start the Blues course from SBL

Medium Term Goals (by the end of the 2017):

Long Term Goals (Within 2 years):

  • Audibly recognize intervals between notes (2nds, 3rds, 5ths, etc.)
  • Get a mixer board and mics for the house recordings/jams
  • Learn to Slap

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén