I was playing my backup Strat all day today, and it has .012 gauge strings. I'm used to a hybrid medium/heavy set of .011s, so my fingers hurt. Halfway through the day, I decided to tune down a half step like SRV and tighten the truss rod to reduce neck relief. Wow, what a difference it made. The action is about half as high as it was before, and the strings are far easier to bend. Once I have the money, I want to get this thing refretted with giant frets to go along with my giant strings.

Today's Summary

  • SRV: more review, mostly Lenny, jamming over looped parts, 3 hrs
  • slow playing: practiced diatonics, pentatonics, arpeggios (maj7, 7, m7, m7b5) in 5 positions and 5 speeds, 3 hrs
  • setup and adjustments, 1 hr
  • ear training, 1 hr