The Adventures of Bloggard

Been Around the Block. Got Some Stories. These are Them.

New Mobius Megatar Digs in Weed, California

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Weed, California, January 27, 2008 — In November the Bloggard moved into new property in the historic logging town of Weed, California, and we began moving the Mobius Megatar company into the new shop building.

After setting up the spraybooth, we tested and got it working, then got the place painted, and moved the office and essential computers. All OK?

OK.

In December, disassembling the computer-controlled cutting machinery — 800 pounds! — this was a good opportunity to upgrade some electronics — and the two hired guys flaked out on moving day, so Patrick (shop foreman) and Bloggard moved it … very, very carefully. After reassembly, with the upgraded electronics it runs faster and better. [Make Tim Allen Tool Time ape noises here.]

In January, we hired a truck and two burly fellows, and ‘Everything Must Go!’ by golly! Everything moved. Now all the essential systems are re-assembled, and Weed, California is the world headquarters for Mobius Megatar.

Whew!
—

Before the move —

After the move —


[Parts Store A]


[The Bloggard makes tuning adjustments]


[Patrick the shop foreman works on a fretboard]


[Computer-controlled cutting machinery carves Megatars from wood]


[New-cut instruments on the right; finished and assembled on the left]


[Shipping station, and two boxed Megatars on the right head for Cleveland and the UK]

If you’d like to see the entire photo essay of the building of the new factory shop, just go to the Mobius Megatar News section and click on “Open the Mobius MegaBlog.”

And now, with all the moving done … we’re happy to be here!

The Return of MegaTapper Newsletter

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Mount Shasta, CA, September 25, 2007: In years past, Mobius Megatar published the **MegaTapper News** over several years, and it was very popular, containing articles, lessons, interviews, and news bits of interest to two-handed tappers around the world.

But in the press of moving to the mountains, setting up the shop all over again, installing and programming our new CNC machinery, and getting back into making touch-style basses, the newsletter fell to the wayside.

Well ….

It’s baack!

And better than ever. Delivered by email, in an easy to read format, the first issue of the MegaTapper News carries —

** An article on ‘motors,’ which are simple, repeating left-hand patterns so you can chug along while playing melody or improvising with the right hand.

I remember talking with Frank Jolliffe years ago — he was once well-known in the two-handed touch-style field, and he’s a great improviser — and he told me that, although it appeared that he was improvising with both hands, in actual fact he was switching his attention quickly back and forth, and he had a lot of left hand ‘motors’ to keep going while his right hand improvised.

So I made a study of ‘motors’ and discovered seven different kinds of motors, and breaking it down simply like this, it made it easier to learn one at a time.

I’ve actually written lessons about these motors, and it just so happens that the first one is being published in the new Mobius Megatar newsletter, first issue going out this week.

** Plus you’ll discover an intriguing series called (Easy Touch-Style) ‘Chordology’, which will make chords, and chord substitution and re-harmonization clear and easy, using a simple and new way of looking at chords and harmony.

** Plus … Tappy Tips … and more!

So if you haven’t already done so, I invite you to sign up for the free MegaTapper News here!

Here’s to speedy learning, music, and fun. It makes life more enjoyable.

He’s baack … on YouTube!

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YouTube, September 19, 2007: Over the last two weeks, in my spare moments (hah!) I recorded our ‘TrueTapper Eclipse’ instrument. This is our most basic instrument, and while it is perfectly suitable for a professional musician to do studio recording, any student with a summer job can afford this instrument.

The video is a demonstration of the features of the Eclipse, and the Bloggard in his guise of Traktor Topaz, strange musician from another planet, plays a couple of songs and explains how the instrument is constructed to make learning fast, and playing easy.

The video is a companion to the previous video which explains the Easy Touch-Style Method of learning to play music using the two-handed tapping technique. The Easy Touch-Style video is the first of several, and in one of the online forums, my very good friend Greg Howard suggested that I make a video playing some music.

So I thought — Why not?

So, assuming that YouTube is online and streaming just now, the Bloggard presents:

Now, at last, the neighbors can know the source of those strange flickering lights … late at night … and the … peculiar … sounds. Oh, yes. Yes, now they’ll know.

New Truck

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Yreka, California, September 1, 2007: The Bloggard has a new truck. It’s almost time to move, and I’ve got to move stuff, so I’ll move the stuff in the new truck. Well, new to me, the truck —

Ford Explorer Ready to Roll

And I’ll start by hauling a couple of megatars —

Ford Explorer Hauling Megatars

But, say … I could haul *lots* more megatars in this truck!

Nearly Moving

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August 29, 2007, Mount Shasta, CA: It won’t be long before the Bloggard will be moving to the new home.

I have purchased a house here in Northern California, and the property had adequate space, and so it happened that, thanks to the goodness of the Benevolent Universe, a new shop is being constructed there. Mobius Megatar, where I make wonderful musical instruments, has outgrown it’s space at the Secret Megatar Laboratory, and soon will have this new and larger factory shop.

The construction has trampled the once-lavish grounds, but soon our team of avid gardeners will be back on the job. In the meantime, here are some pictures —

(a) The house (left) and new shop (right):

Bloggard House and Mobius Shop

(b) The house (left) and new shop (right):

Bloggard House and Mobius Shop

(c) The view out the windows:

Mount Shasta Peak in Summer

If you’d like to see more photos of the shop construction project, on our Mobius Megatar website, in the News section, open up the MegaBlog, and choose “Factory” to find lottso photos from bare ground up through the current state.

It won’t be long before we move our equipment into the new shop, and create even more Megatars for a world thirsty for easy-to-play music.

Bloggard on YouTube!

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YouTube, August 7, 2007: Today the Bloggard has completed the first video of the “Easy Touch-Style Method” series for Mobius Megatar. As perhaps you know, the Bloggard (using his stage name of Traktor Topaz) along with reclusive musician Henri DuPont have written a series of method books which makes learning to play music very easy.

These books are called “The Easy Touch-Style Method.” The purpose of the video series is to provide a demo of how easy it can be to learn two-handed touch-style play using this streamlined learning method.

The first video — viewable today — is an introduction which simply explains what touch-style is, and provides a demo of how one can play by touch. It then shows why having more strings makes playing easier, and shows how clear it is when both hands can move exactly the same. Then, using four simple chords, the Bloggard demonstrates —

  • How to arpeggiate chords in both hands using only nine notes>

  • How to then change that to play roots and harmony notes with your two hands

  • How to use those bass roots to play left hand chords

  • How to use those harmony notes while playing walking bass inside the nine notes

  • How to play dual melody in both hands.

  • How to play chords and improvise

  • How to play chords and melody.

And so, for your elucidation and entertainment, The Adventures of Bloggard presents —

PS: If you are wondering, the instrument used in the demo is a Mobius Megatar TrueTapper Eclipse. The audio recording was done entirely in Guitar Rig 2 with minimal effects. As you can see, the demo was filmed in the Mobius Megatar Space Station engine room. (Warp Drives were offline for an oil change. Otherwise, it would have been too noisy.)

Left my Heart

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San Francisco: For the last week, San Francisco has, once again, been my home.

My raison de etre for San Francisco is the ShopBot Jamboree down peninsula way, where I’ve learned things useful for Mobius Megatar, gave a presentation on a novel clamping system that we developed, and had such fun at the Maker Fair, seeing wonderful things.

However, as a thrill and delight, living with a cherished friend from times gone by, San Francisco, opening her Golden Gate just like in the song. A foggy mystery opening into a sun-bathed beauty, both comfortable and known and suddenly new, more exciting than ever. I expected to visit several people I know, but as it turned out, I had my hands full just visiting the places I wanted to see, more than enamored by my time in the city.

Walking the streets, and driving the neighborhoods, dining in the wonderful restaurants, seeing old haunts, haunted by the past and charmed by new vistas, things I’d never seen before. Things I wanted to see for a long time. Beautiful, sensual, familiar and new. A deep sigh of contentment and joy.

Au revoir for now.

I’ll be back.

Bloggard Debut on YouTube

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On the Internet: The Bloggard, in his Traktor Topaz persona, now appearing on a computer near you. In fact, appearing here on this computer right in front of you!

For the Mobius Megatar company, a simple how-to video about modifying guitar straps to make two-handed touchstyle playing easier on a standard guitar.

For future reference, here’s the link. But if YouTube is online, then you should be able to see the video here —

Yow. That’s fun!

 
 

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