Setting up Your Floyd Rose

Did you buy a guitar with a Floyd Rose tremolo only to find yourself cursing into the wind when it came time to change your strings? Okay, don’t panic! Owning a guitar with a real tremolo system can take a little getting used to. And because I get a lot of questions on how to set up a Floyd, I did some searching to find a decent video to help you understand more clearly how to approach this problem.

FLOYD ROSE TREMOLO SET UP

So, if you were worried about buying a guitar with a Floyd Rose trem system, because you thought it was going to be a lot of hastle to set up, you were right! But, despite the extra time and effort it takes to set up a professional trem system, it is important to be able to be aware of how gadgets like this work, if you plan to move forward with your playing. The first few times you set one of these trems up, it will seem like a bear. But, I assure you, once you’ve done it a number of times, it becomes lots easier.

Do you want others to recognize the air guitarist guru that you truly are? If so, then be sure to check out the iAirGuitar ap for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Visit:

www.iairguitar.com

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Dealing with Allergies

By Corey Bray

  So many of us deal with allergies.  It’s like a plague that comes back over and over again.  Get too close to plants,, the wrong food, or your pets and the itchy sneezy feeling emerges followed up by the annoying drip drip of mucus in the back of the throat.  For many people this causes even worse health problems such as  unrelenting stomach problems, muscle pain, and undesirable spells of fatigue.  For some folks, something as simple as a bee sting, eating a peanut, or even having sex can bring about deadly allergic reactions.  But, why do some people have such harsh reactions to allergens, while others have little to no reaction at all?

  The underlying problem appears to be a hypersensitive immune response.   When your body comes in contact with certain protein antigens, your immune system can’t tell if they are friendly or not.  And as the immune system over reacts to the foreign protein antigen, the immune response triggers a plethora of unpleasant symptoms.  It is then that you find yourself fishing around the drug cabinet for something to help bring the problem under control.  And for a musician this can lead to a number of performance nightmares.  Imagine trying to sing with the post nasal drip constantly flowing.  Or, worse, you are trying to run a cool riff when your whole body breaks out into a spasmodic itch fest because the venue you are in is a breeding ground for dust-mites or other factors that contribute to triggering your immune system to over react?

  Is it possible to bring the hypersensitivity of the immune system under control?  Obviously, it must be possible, if some people don’t suffer from serious allergic reactions at all.  One of the first areas to focus on is stress.  It seems that more and more medical science is finding that stress effects nearly every aspect of the body’s ability to function properly.   Is there a link between a hypersensitive nervous response and a hypersensitive immune response?  Very likely.  So, it is probably a smart idea to start dealing with the problem of both by reducing stress and taking vitamin B supplements to help manage stress.  Something else I believe is a means to helping the immune system get back on track is to use probiotics and proteolytic enzyme supplements.  Probiotics help to replenish the digestive system with good bacteria necessary for keeping the immune system strong.  Proteolytic enzymes are a companion that helps the immune system to dissolve allergy causing protein antigens, as well as, providing other useful health benefits.  But, for those who are looking to take a more aggressive approach to controlling allergic reactions, liver cleansing might be just what the doctor ordered.  Many people report an amazing transformation after doing a thorough liver cleanse.  One of the common benefits reported is the elimination of allergies.  Could it be that an over toxic liver is what drives most allergy sufferers to be stuck with a hypersensitive immune system?  While most treatment options only address the allergy symptoms, the goal of liver cleansing is to address the underlying toxicity problem that keeps the liver from functioning properly.   And hey, you clean the outside of your body, right?  Why not clean the inside too?
 Disclaimer: Corey is a quack and his statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, AMA, Harper Valley PTA, or any other organization that has appointed itself to policing the free speech rights of common Americans.  So, anything Corey says in any of his health articles is to be taken with a grain of salt.  In fact, call your doctor and ask them if you are even allowed to read Corey’s articles.

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GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome)

By Corey Bray

  Have you had a GAS attack lately?  Gear acquisition syndrome is an insidious disease that infects most musicians–especially those of us who play guitar.  It sneaks up on you slowly and just takes you over.  Before you know it you are slamming your credit card down on the counter, at the local music store, to purchase some insanely expensive new piece of gear for your rig.   Never mind that the interest rates are twenty-three percent and you will be forced to survive on nothing but corn chips and ramen noodles for months to come.  The important thing is that you got your grubby little hands on that new Eventide harmonizer rack that pumps out heavenly sounds to the four amps you bought last year that you are probably still paying off.

  If you suffer from GAS, it is important to make some adjustments to your overall lifestyle–especially when visiting the music store.  The following is my list of recommended techniques for handling a Gas attack.

1.   Leave your wallet and credit card at home.

  If you have to visit a music store, remember it is just to browse and drool, not to buy.  Leave your wallet back at the apartment to avoid jerking it out of your pocket during a GAS attack.

2.   Just say, “No!”

  The sales rep at the store will likely remind you that you can put up to a gazillion dollars worth of equipment on the new store credit card and finance the payments out for twelve months interest free.  There might even be another sales rep behind you whispering “You can do it.” or “Yes, you want it.” in your ear.  But, no matter how great the temptation, you can always just say, “No!” and walk away.

3.   The buddy system.

  Never go to the music store alone.  Always take someone with you that is big and strong enough to knock you out cold the moment they sense that you are about to buy another piece of gear to clutter up your room with.

4.    Dial a friend.

  Before you buy a new guitar, amp, keyboard, or whatever, make sure to call your friend and start panting heavily over the phone.  When they ask what is wrong, let them know that you are going through a GAS attack and that you would like to borrow their gear for about two or three months until the GAS attack passes.  If they are truly a friend, you know they will comply with your request.  Hopefully, they are not a musician that suffers from GAS attacks themselves.

5.    Locks and chains.

  Okay, this is not some new fetish.  But, in extreme cases, you just have to chain yourself to your bed and toss the key across the room and wait for someone to come home to set you free.  Hopefully you don’t live alone and won’t be stuck feeling really stupid for chaining yourself to the bed and tossing the key across the room.

  If all else fails, then it is simply time to seek professional help.  So, I hope this information helps you out the next time you have a GAS attack.  Now, I think it is time for me to duck out and go buy a new guitar, I’m feeling a GAS attack coming on.

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