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October 22, 2022. Creating a Revolution in Music

: "Tomorrow Never Knows," the Beatles, lyrics by John Lennon. Recorded April, 1966. Released, August, 1966, on the "Revolver" album. Besides the electronics, tape loops, voice doubling, delay, use of a leslie cabinet on vocals, backwards guitar, this is a one chord (C) song. They changed the direction of pop/rock music once. With this song, they did it again. Everyone else had to catch up. The only constant? Ringo on drums. Check it out at www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHNbHn3i9S4.

October 22, 2022. Talking Accessible Guitar Pedals

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I've recorded (MP3 audio files) demos of the three guitar pedals I write about in this blog post. Simply tap on the links below to listen. Check out my Billy White Cane Youtube channel as well!
  1. VSN Bluesy (Overdrive) Audio Demo: www.wbrandes.com/blog/music/audio/demo_bluesy.mp3.
  2. Behringer - Chorus - FX600 Digital Multi-FX Audio Demo: www.wbrandes.com/blog/music/audio/demo_b_multi_effects.mp3.
  3. Behringer TO800 TO800 Vintage Tube OD (overdrive) Audio Demo: www.wbrandes.com/blog/music/audio/demo_b_overdrive.mp3.
  4. Billy White Cane on Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC1bnL4P_Uwl-bE3HPv0XM_Q.
Adventures on guitar. Utilizing pedals with my electric guitar/amp. For those not familiar, pedals connect between your guitar and amp to color the sound with effects such as distortion, delay and the like ...

I recently bought three guitar pedals. You will find information about those purchases includinghow well they work in producing digital tone effects that I was looking for. I also include accessibility, ease of use by blind users of the pedal. I hope this helps you in your pedal journey as well!

However, let us get some guitar pedal effect terminology out of the way. All of the following links are from Roland and well done. Give a listen.
  1. The Overdrive effect? An excellent short sonic video. Check out www.youtube.com/watch?v=40i3_JH6FYw.
  2. The Tremolo effect? An excellent short sonic video. Check out www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOCNB1izw8A.
  3. The Delay (Echo) effect? An excellent short sonic video. Check out www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LWRgA597O4.
  4. The Pitch Shift effect? An excellent short sonic video. Check out www.youtube.com/watch?v=qagGStK0L4I.
  5. The Chorus effect? An excellent short sonic video. Check out www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmN7fK3fKUE.
  6. The Phaser effect? An excellent short sonic video. Check outwww.youtube.com/watch?v=0T_L4qYRi7s.
  7. The Flanger effect? An excellent short sonic video. Check out www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAqQvs_WXs8.
More effects? How about Overdrive, Distortion and Fuzz? What's the difference? This video not by Roland and a bit longer. Check out www.youtube.com/watch?v=VX36dRu3jN0.

Now, let me go back 13 years. I have used a pedal in the past. In fact, the songs I've worked on and recently uploaded to my website/server use that pedal, purchased in 2009, a ZOOM G2 effects pedal. One plus? It has an integrated drum machine. Drawback? It isn't very accessible. Finding effects is hit or miss on that pedal without vision.

So, I set about to find more accessible pedals at a cost within my budget! There are all kinds of pedals at all manner of price points. There are general requirements that I keyed on. First was accessibility since I am going about using these pedals from the blind side. Others might define it otherwise, but, for me, accessible means the pedal must allow for use without any visual requirements from the operator.

That is the problem with my ZOOM G2 effects pedal. There are many effects, however, they are dialed in visually for the most part. That is why I call it hit or miss.

Second, the price must be affordable. I'm cheap, so, I'm looking for the biggest bang for the buck.

Third, I listened to many demo and comparison videos to help me make a decision. Where appropriate, I provide links to those videos.

Purchasing? My go to places are Amazon, where my Prime account allows for free shipping and Sweetwater Music which offers free shipping as well. You can order from their website which is very accessible. But, I always call Sweetwater. Nice to talk to a human. I'll plug a name here. Mike Brant is most knowledgeable. I just ask for him when I order or need some information.

Amplifiers? I have a Peavey Backstage amp (purchase July, 2010) and, recently purchased, a tiny mini tone-master Fender amp that runs on a 9 volt battery or with an AC power adapter, which is the same adapter that runs the pedals, negative pin. With both amps I can connect headphones or a recorder. Both amps are simple enough; on/off, volume and gain/overdrive switches/knobs.

Some back-story. Hartley Peavey designed his first guitar amps while in high school, hometown, Meridian, Mississippi. Read more of the Peavey story at www.peavey.com/c/Timeline.

Looper pedals? The more I research, the more I believe it should be in your tool box since it allows you to record a, let's say, a rhythm track that you can then play some learned key signature scales against. A great individualized teachin tool. Suggestion? Came across the TC Electronic Ditto Looper Pedal on Sweetwater and listned to a demo of the pedal. Seems simple enough that it might be accessible. Take a look at the demo below. Interesting and the price is right, $89.00.
Video Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD7j-qvl1qA.
I found the following after making my purchases, however, good advice. What you need to know before buying your first guitar pedal. This is kinda like after the horse has left the barn but a really nice listen. If I am Correct, Justin, from Justin Guitar is also in this video. Take a listen. These guys really crack me up but they know what they speak!
Video Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcmIbuYHahw.
OK, I digressed. On with the pedals I bought. The first I purchased from Amazon, making sure it came from the manufacturer was the Bluesy; $33.99 plus tax.

Company: VSN. Pedal name: Bluesy (King) Distortion,expression,pedal. 8.8 Ounces. Voltage: 9 Volts requiring a power adapter, negative pin, not included with the purchase.

On the top edge is the power input jack. At the top face of the unit, is a flip stick (forward and back) with two working modes; fat and normal. Below that, two modes; with volume, tone and gain knobs. Finally, a bypass foot switch at the bottom of the unit.

Everything on this pedal is accessible and easy to use. The output jack (to your amp) is on the left side and the input jack (from your guitar) is on the right side.

Check out the demo by Learning Curve Guitar of this VSN Bluesy Distortion pedal. Well done!
Video Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6V45j4Bne1Y.
My next two pedal purchases came from Sweetwater Music. The Behringer - Chorus - FX600 Digital Multi-FX Pedal, $33 and the Behringer TO800 TO800 Vintage Tube OD Pedal (overdrive). $21. Plus tax on both shipped as one order. In addition, I purchased the PSUSB 9V 100mA Pwr Adapter, $12.19 which powers all of my pedals when i move to using one to another (single pedal not a daisy chain). Note, the above two pedals can also be powered by a 9 volt battery. However, the back cover has to be removed and there is no on/off switch. In other words, when done you have to remove the battery or it will completely drain.

The Behringer - Chorus - FX600 Digital Multi-FX Pedal? The name says it all. This is a multi-effects pedal, however, all knobs are completely accessible. You don't need any sighted help whatsoever.

The AC power input jack is located at the top right-side of the unit. At the top face of the unit are four knobs and below that is the foot rocker bypass switch. Again, the output jack is on the left side and the input jack on the right side of the pedal.

What do those four knobs do. Actually you need to play with these to hear the effects. However, from left to right; level, par1 and par2. Knob four carries the effects. You will hear the change as you turn the knob. In order, they are; flanger, chorus, phaser, delay, tremolo and pitch shifter.

Knob one? Level control, which determines how much of the effect is mixed with the original signal. The LED tells you when the FX600 is activated (here you have to experiment). Knobs two and three? Three modulation effects share the same controls, with PAR 1 controlling the modulation depth, and PAR 2 handling the modulation speed.

Of course, you can use in combination. This includes in combination with any controls on your amplifier or guitar. Suggestion. It is important to key in the order of the controls (especially knob four) on the pedal since you will be interpreting what sound you are hearing with the output you are looking for. Memorize the order of the controls, for that is the way I learned what this pedal has to offer and importantly which each technique sounds like. And, don't forget par1 and par2. You will find they can make important changes as well!

Behringer has a website with information/reviews/video on this pedal, DIGITAL MULTI-FX-600, in fact, all of their pedals are represented. For this pedal, take a look at www.behringer.com/product.html?modelCode=P0596.

A great pedal for such a low price, especially as an introduction to guitar pedal effects. I also give it high marks on accessibility. You just have to take the time to learn all it has to offer. Your ears are your best interpreter.

More on effects. The tonal sound of an electric guitar can be changed through the use of digital effects. I'll key on three of them. Starting in the late 1960s, flanging and phasing became another popular way to alter the sounds of a guitar. These pedals create dual playback channels that manipulate the frequency spectrums of the guitar's sounds. A flanger works by mixing two identical audio signals together, with one of the signals playing at a slightly slower speed. This creates the effect of two tape recordings playing simultaneously, but with one tape player going slightly slower than the other. Because one of the playback speeds is slower, the distance between the two "recordings" will continue to increase, which can create a swooshing effect.

The term "flanging" is often attributed to John Lennon. Lennon, who considered himself an inferior singer to Paul McCartney, often requested that producer George Martin double-track his vocals to hide certain imperfections. To save time in the studio, Martin and Abbey Road Studios engineer Ken Townsend began employing a technique known as artificial double tracking, or ADT. This allowed the team to play back two versions of a single vocal recording, ever so slightly out of phase with one another. If one of the playback machines played slightly slower than the other, this increased the effect, which Lennon began to call "flanging."

How about Phasing? Flangers fit into a broader category of effects, known as phasing. Any phase effect involves dual playback of a musical performance. Flangers specifically generate their effect by one playback channel going slower than the other. A phaser pedal, by contrast, does not alter playback speeds. Rather, it puts one playback channel through an all-pass filter that changes the length of each audio phase. Jimmy Page of Led Zepplin fame put phasing to good use.

How about chorus? In a chorus pedal, the guitar signal is duplicated and the pitch changes slightly. In addition, the signal is often also slightly delayed and then mixed back into the original guitar signal. This makes it sound as if several guitars are playing simultaneously and a wider, thicker and richer sound is created.

Got a video? You bet! For this pedal, check out The Guitar Manifesto:
Video Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BirOYXdmIug.
Let's move along to the second guitar pedal I purchased from Sweetwater Music, the Behringer TO800 TO800 Vintage Tube OD Pedal (overdrive). This is a dedicated drive. The tone and level controls let you shape the exact sound you want. The status LED tells you when this pedal is activated (although this should not create any problems for the blind user). As in the previous cited pedals, the bypass switch turns the pedal effect on and off.

The power input jack, control knobs, bypass switch and output/input jacks are in the exact same position as the other Behringer pedal with just one difference. The control knobs are in a triangle configuration, two on top and another centered below. From left to right, the first knob, drive, the second knob, level and the third knob centered below the first two, tone. The DRIVE control adjusts the intensity of the overdrive effect. The LEVEL control adjusts the output level. The TONE control allows you to shape your overall sound.

Behringer has a website with information/reviews/video on this pedal, the TO800 TO800 Vintage Tube OD Pedal. in fact, all of their pedals are represented. For this pedal, take a look at www.behringer.com/behringer/product?modelCode=P0488.

As my rating on the other Behringer pedal, this is a nice pedal for such a low price. I also give it high marks on accessibility.

Adventurous? You can purchase from Sweetwater (at a substantial discount) 3 and 4 packs of various Behringer guitar pedals to complete your first pedal board. Then again, I was more particular with which pedals I procured. The pedal board can come later. Still, something for you to think about.
We can always dream. It's out of my current price range, however, there is the newly released BOSS DS-1W Distortion Pedal Waza Craft! Checck out the video and rock it! www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2lYud-J43I.
More Links. I maintain a running list of songs I am working on at www.billywhitecane.com. Additionally, you will find my Youtube channel at www.youtube.com/channel/UC1bnL4P_Uwl-bE3HPv0XM_Q. Check them out!

Conclusion? Hands-down, the Behringer Multi-Effects pedal is my favorite. With this pedal, you get to experience a wide range of pedal effects. I also like the Behringer design of the pedal rocker switch. It is more like an accelerator pedal than peg-push design. Plus, this pedal is completely accessible to the blind user.

The VSN Bluesy comes in second. I like the possibilities of what this pedal offers sound-wise. Only negative is the flip-stick, which could be accidently broken if you went too high on the pedal with your foot. So be fore-warned. As for me, I only use these pedals with hand control, not using my foot. Again, completely accessible to the blind user.

The Behringer Overdrive pedal doesn't match either of the other two pedals. Then again, it's an overdrive pedal not distortion or multi-effects. That makes it the least of my favorites, currently, although the price is spectacular. Overall design, like the Behringer Multi-Effects pedal is tops and this pedal is completely accessible to the blind user.

Overdrive? Didn't kno it before purchase, but know now, this effect is often used to boost signal for lead guitar work. So, perhaps, you would daisy-chain this pedal with another on your pedal-board. Take a listen, located earlier in the post, for the Roland Overdrive effect for better understanding.

Lastly, all of these pedals are priced to my budget. That's the deal from this side of the fence. Of course, your mileage may vary. No matter, keep rocking and searching out those guitar pedal sounds. You can bet this isn't the end of the road for me. So, stay tuned.

Equipment and Recording? For my demo recordings I play an Epiphone Gibson SG through a Fender Tone-Master amp.

Recording done with a Humanware VR-Stream pulling from the amp headphone jack, line-in to the recorder (fully accessible). Recordings then edited with the Audacity audio editor (accessible and free), finally conberted from MP3 files to MP4, allowing uploading to Youtube (minus moving pictures).

Some of the audio heard on my Youtube video is playback from my NVDA screenreader reading text since I am a better writer than gabber. Don't have the luxury of printed text or notes to refer to. The voice of the screenreader is pretty darn good don't you think?

October 18, 2022. America. Alot of Vinyl

: Did you know? The band, America (1970-present), is a British-American rock band formed in London in 1970 by Dewey Bunnell, Dan Peek, and Gerry Beckley, all Americans. The trio met as sons of US Air Force personnel stationed in London, where they began performing live after graduating from high school in the late 1960's.

They have released 23 studio albums, 11 live albums and 22 compilation albums. They have also issued 47 singles. That's alot of vinyl!

In 1971 they released their self-titled debut album, which included the transatlantic hits "A Horse with No Name" and "I Need You." Their second album, Homecoming (1972), included the single "Ventura Highway." Later hits included, "Muskrat Love," "Tin Man," "Lonely People," "Sister Golden Hair" and "Daisy Jane." Check out www.venturahighway.com, the official America website.

March 24, 2022. Highway to Hines

: As a blind military veteran, I was able to learn many skills at the Hines (Central) Blind Center, Chicago, Illinois. This is a fantastic opportunity at no cost to the veteran. I received training in 2008, 2009 and 2018. When there in 2018 a first for Hines. For the first time introduced to there music room, which was part of their skills department. Already played guitar, but, WOW was this great. Made a new pianist/guitarist friend as well! This set of lyrics is a homage to this great resource. I hope to return in the summer of 2023. Perform Highway to Hines? Perhaps, stay tuned! Played to the song, Highway to Hell, by AC/DC, although I take a bit of liberty with the chord structure/timing. As for the original AC/DC recording, I find the vocals by Bon Scot a bit overwrought, however, the guitar work, by Angus Young, is fine indeed. I hear alot of Joe Walsh in this playing.

Besides guitar tutorials on the web (Justin Guitar is one of my favorites), here is the full album, Highway to Hell by AC/DC on Youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CwIB6pQoPo.
HIGHWAY to HINES
I saw my VIST
Made the pitch
I got the plan
Not gonna switch

I got a date
I got a time
Not gonna yield
To any sign

My bags are packed
I got my cane
On the bus
ridin' the go lane

I'm on the highway to Hines
On the highway to Hines
Highway to Hines
I'm on the highway to Hines

A new computer
A new iPhone
mobility time
No mere bones

I'll see my friends
Make new ones
Instructors too
It's all the fun

I'll be jammin'
With Guitar
And Michigan Tom
In the music room!

I'm on the highway to Hines
Highway to Hines
I'm on the highway to Hines
Highway to Hines

Don't stop me
I'm on the highway to Hines
On the highway to Hines
Highway to Hines

I'm on the highway to Hines
(Highway to Hines) I'm on the highway to Hines
(Highway to Hines) highway to Hines
(Highway to Hines) highway to Hines

(Highway to Hines)
And I'm goin' down
All the way
I'm on the highway to Hines

William with his Gibson Epiphone Les Paul SG
Note! I pop-up on Twitter alot to bring up stuff that is on my mind no matter the topic. So, don't forget to check it out! It is my Twitter roll, so you don't need to be logged into Twitter or need an account. The skinny!

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