STRINGING A NEW YORKER
DOUGIE MACLEAN SONGBOOK
REMEMBERING THE WORDS
I recently had occasion to write to Martin about my 1962 0-16NY and was surprised when they advised me to put nylon strings on it because the bracing is not adequate for steel. I've played it with light or silk-and-steel strings for most of the 30 years I've had it and noticed a little belly bulge. I tried it with nylon strings but found that there is not enough power to adequately energize the top to produce a strong sound. Can the guitar be strengthened to withstand the pressure of steel and still keep its tonal qualities?
Jon Pilon
Plymouth, Michigan
I'm surprised that someone at Martin advised you not to use steel strings on your New Yorker. It has an X-braced top and, as you discovered, sounds mediocre at best with nylon strings. The New Yorker series Martins were often sold with silk-and-steel strings, and Martin may have suggested that the 0-16NY was "convertible," but there is no indication that they left the factory strung with nylon. Either silk-and-steel or an extra-light steel set won't cause any harm. Regular light-gauge (.012 high E to .052 low E) may be too much for your particular guitar, but some of the new sets that run from a high E of .011 to a low E of .049 shouldn't cause any problems on a healthy 0-16NY. If the soundboard has too much belly bulge, there may be loose braces or a cracked or loose bridge plate. If the action is too high, the neck may need to be reset to its original angle. These are normal repairs for a 35-year-old guitar and not the result of defects in manufacturing, though many similar models that age need no work at all. Consult a qualified guitar repairperson with experience working on Martins.
--Richard Johnston
Where can I get transcriptions of songs by Dougie MacLean? Aside from "Caledonia," which appeared in your July 1996 issue, I can't seem to find anything in print.
Linda Martin
Windsor Locks, Connecticut
A 41-page songbook that features ten songs by Dougie MacLean is available from MacLean's own Dunkeld Records, Cathedral St., Dunkeld, Perthshire PH8 OAW, Scotland. Piano notation and basic guitar chords are given for such songs as "Singing Land," "Eternity," "Homeland," "Garden Valley," "This Love Will Carry," and "Caledonia."
--Bronwen Morgan
How do the pros remember all the words to the songs on their set lists?
Tony Brozena
Albuquerque, New Mexico
There are many ways to memorize words. Some people have a sort of photographic memory and can remember what the lyrics looked like on the page. Others remember the story; for example, in a long ballad, they remember that the fair maiden has to meet the young soldier before she can ask him to marry her.
Usually, if you have the order of events in your head and have sung the song often enough looking at the words, you'll remember them in performance. Writing the words out over and over is another way to memorize them.
If you are an occasional performer, part of the problem may be that you're just not playing the song often enough. Touring musicians are usually singing the active songs in their repertoire three to five times a week. If you ask them to sing an older song that they haven't performed in a while, you'll often find that they have trouble with the words the first time through.
Memory is a muscle that gets better with use. If your brain knows that the words are available if you just open your eyes and look down at the paper in front of you, then it won't work very hard. When you're practicing a song, put the words out of sight and force yourself to get through it. Skip over the parts you don't remember, but get all the way to the end. Then when you're done, look at the parts you didn't remember and try it again.
--Cosy Sheridan