Fat Knuckle Freddy

Hello Knuckleheads!

On 9/1/18, Feels Like Media filmed FKF and drummer Timothy "BB" Webber live, on the patio, at Amigos, Portland, ME. This was a long time coming and FLM captured the chaotic raw energy of our performance. There's a total of five videos. "No Love" is on the website, YouTube and Facebook. FKF is playing a fretless slide guitar, with an octave bass string. Fretless slide cigar box guitar. Fretted slide baritone cigar box guitar. Shovelcaster aka 3 string slide shovel guitar. And fretless slide cigar box guitar with octave bass string.

What is a fretless slide guitar with an octave bass string? I'm glad you asked. FKF doubles his low guitar string, with a bass string an octave lower, so it thickens the sound and gives the illusion of a bass player in a duo format. So, check out "No Love" , subscribe to FKF's Youtube page (link on website) and be ready for the next video release.

Also, FKF just finished recording his solo American Primitive tour de force. Over 60 minutes of solo acoustic guitar music on a National M1 Tricone Baritone Guitar. The most haunting and beautiful guitar in the world. This has been a work in progress for a very long time. Sample videos will be released on instagram. CD Release some time in the new year.

On 1/20/18, I recorded and released BONES, instrumental music for fretless 3 string guitar in 72et. What’s 72et? It stands for 72 equal temperament, meaning 72 notes to the octave, 6 notes to a half step. The 12 standard notes are still present. Why do this? Because it gives me the ability to tune my notes very closely with nature aka just intonation. I do this all the time when I play slide but since I’m playing a fretless on this recording, I can finger the adjusted notes as well.

Just because I’m using microtones, that doesn’t mean the music sounds like the greatest hits from some alien planet. Let me explain. Take the 12 notes and divide them into a 100c (cents) each. A just major third, one that sounds beautiful is 386c. An equal tempered third is 400c, 14c sharper than nature. This is usually the big problem on all guitars, the major 3rd is out of tune. The smallest interval in 72et is 16c. So, when I play a major 3rd with my slide, I flat it from ET by 16c as a guide and use my ear to tune it properly. So, most of the times, I’m probably 14c flat, but why be so specific? I just need a guide to get me there and 72et does the job.

A just minor third is 316c and an ET 3rd is 300c, 16c flat. This is why every blues guitarist bends that minor 3rd up. The so called sweet spot. Well, that sweet spot has a name, meaning a just minor 3rd, the right note. So, with my slide, I play 16c sharper than ET and I get the just minor 3rd. If you’re playing slide guitar, you can do this on a fretted guitar as well as a fretless. 

So, as a guide this is how you can adjust your notes to sound sweeter. Minor 3,6 & 7 up 16c. Major 3,6 & 7 down 16c. Augmented 4 down 16c. Diminished 5 up 33c. Depending on the melody note or chord prior and following, minor 2 up 16c. Major 2 down 16c. 

I do this to all scales, including the blues scale. 

Here’s the link to the EP on bandcamp. Stream it with the app, or buy it for $3. That’s right a whopping $3 for 72 notes to the octave. Sounds like a deal to me.

-FKF

Fat Knuckle Freddy will be releasing two CD's on 10/27/17 at Portland House Of Music and Events (PHOME)., Portland, ME. The Hi-Fi , "Target On My Chest" features cigar box guitars and BB Webber on drums. Recorded at Pigcat Studios, Portland, ME by Scott Webber. The Lo-Fi, "Dig My Blues" is solo with all songs on a Shovelcaster, 3 string shovel guitar, vocals through a telephone microphone and a license plate stomped for percussion. Recorded at Brass Knuckle Studios by FKF.

Special guests will be Clara Junken and her band and Meanmugg.

$8 in advance. $10 day of show. For more information click on events.

A sample of a new video project. Sugar Woman performed on a 3 string shovel guitar through a Pignose fuzz pedal, directly into a bass speaker. Vocals via telephone microphone into a Pignose amp. Percussion is a Maine license plate. Music and lyrics by Fat Knuckle Freddy. Subscribe to my YouTube channel. 

The Legend Of John Von Bern is now available on Bandcamp. 15 instrumentals with 15 bonus videos. Buy now for $4! 

Two new recordings are coming. One with new drummer, BB Webber. We're mixing right now and hope to release in August. I'm only playing cigar box guitars and it has vocals.The recording is exceeding expectations. 

The second is The Legend Of John Von Bern (The Minute Sessions). I distilled my acoustic guitar instrumentals to about a minute long. It's 15 instrumentals lasting about 18 minutes. Originally, the instrumentals were about an hours worth of music. I did a video release. The video playlist is above. Please follow FKF on Bandcamp for all new releases. 

Enjoy-FKF