014 - Petros Guitars & The New Acoustic Documentary!

Today's list of acoustic awareness covers movies, guitar makers, humidification and even a super strong mutant pinky. So without hesitation lets jump in.

Acoustic Tuesday presented by http://tonysacousticchallenge.com

First up is a guitar maker that hails from the land of cheese and cold midwestern winters. Petros guitars are lovingly built by Bruce and Matt Petros out of Kaukauna, WI and my goodness are they gorgeous. The first and only Petros guitar that I had ever played was owned by a co-worker of mine named Dale Petrsohn. I played Dale's fingerstyle model Petros guitar back in 2004 and it made a lasting impression. These guitars have a rich voice, are voiced to sing like an angel, and sustain for days. As an added bonus the Petros site features a shop where you can purchase some beautiful Celtic infused accessories like bridge pins, tuner buttons, inlay material, and the Petros' made purflex (a truly genius design for purfling).  

http://petrosguitars.com/

https://petrosguitarshop.com/collections/all

http://purflex.net/Purflex/Welcome.html

https://youtu.be/nGK0QQWLPxw  

A documentary is about to be released focusing on the acoustic fingerstyle movement and how much popularity and momentum it has. The Acoustic Uprising documentary features interviews from Kaki King, Andy Mckee, Tommy Emmanuel and more. The movie sheds light on how the unique fingerpicking percussive acoustic guitar style has developed and evolved over the years. It references artists who developed the style and those who continue to push it's boundaries further and further.

http://www.acousticuprisingfilm.com/

https://youtu.be/sBSrRo5Lb6Q

An acoustic power trio (and now quartet) that has my ears smiling in a big way. Brittany Haas (violin), Paul Kowert (bass), and Jordan Tice (guitar) combined forces a few years back to put out an absolutely stunning album featuring some hot picking, intricate melodies, and just overall virtuosity. Fast forward to 2017 they bring Dominick Leslie on board (mandolin) and change the band name to Hawktail. This is a collection of acoustic musicians who can push acoustic music to a whole new level so be sure to watch out for them when summer comes around and festival season is upon us. 

https://youtu.be/kBxqmjEAE9o - Haas Kowert Tice "Grandpa's Cheesebarn"

https://youtu.be/4LrssWrJKfY - Hawktail "Unless"

http://amzn.to/2BaFhBf - Album "You Got This"

Since winter is upon us humidification for your guitars should be something that is on your mind. I have tried all sorts of different products for humidification and each has their pros and cons. So for those of you who like the idea of humidipaks, but don't like the idea of the cost associated with them Oasis humidifiers are something you should check out. These have the benefit of lasting a good while between refills and they humidify the guitar case environment quite well. The oasis humidifiers are offered in both a guitar-specific model and a case humidifier model that are like little canisters that you fill with water to humidify your guitar. Once the water is added a gel-like substance forms within the canister. This substance as two benefits: 1.) Spilling is less likely, and it makes the moisture last a bit longer. One thing to know about these humidifiers though, make sure to keep the moisture at an ample level if left to dry out the membrane can crack and cause leakage which is obviously easily avoidable, but something to be aware of. 

http://amzn.to/2hJElv6 - Guitar Humidifier

http://amzn.to/2zZMQgh - Case Humidifier

For those of you who want to build your pinky finger muscles last week I released a video sharing one of my favorite exercises for pinky strengthening. This exercise pairs your pinky with your index, then your middle finger, and finally your ring finger. This single exercise can not only increase your pinky's strength but also it's agility and dexterity. Definitely something to work into your playing routine that will affect your fretboard confidence in a myriad of ways. 

https://youtu.be/ts1WnILa9RA

So there you have it, another Acoustic Tuesday for your #guitargeek enjoyment!