Watching and Learning as Tom Holland Plays the Blues at City News Cafe in Chicago

Tom Holland played the blues Saturday, December 14, 2024 at City News Cafe in Chicago

My wife and I attended together at 11 AM. I pulled out a sheet of paper with a pencil and took notes over coffee. My wife found a magazine to read (wonderful lady).

I am the Shoshin Guitarist, my name is Richard

First, I have played guitar for for the past 14 months, easily 2 hours every day. That would be 2 hours X 30 days X 14 months of practice. That’s 840 hours of guitar and bass practice/playing. Trust me, it’s closer to 1000 hours.

Second, I am moderately deaf. Yes, I use hearing aides. But hearing still isn’t precise so I focus on using my eyes a lot when observing guitarists.

My Notes and Questions on Watching the fine Blues man: Tom Holland

Oh my goodness. Tom Holland is famous. Visit his website at Tom Holland & the Shuffle Kings.

Thanks for your music Tom. I sat in the front row with my wife. I asked some initial questions. After a while I thought it best to let you play without me bothering you too much.

Please visit Tom Holland & The Shuffle Kings at his website for more information.

What’s Tom Holland Using for his Performance Today

Guitar: Hollow Gibson Gretsch (I hope that is correct)
Amp: Tom said it was a Quilter solid state amp.
- Didn’t see it very well.
- Apparently it’s made in Costa Mesa, California (love U.S. made stuff).
Microphone: Shure 58
Microphone Stand: Unknown
Capo: Sometimes.
Pedals: 5 Unknown pedals.
- But I can see them on the floor arranged on a board? I guess that’s a pedalboard???

Other Observations on Tom’s Playing

Tom is left handed.
Tom’s hand size? My wife said my hands were of similar size, perhaps bigger.
- Yes, I have hand envy when I watch guitarist.
- So if Tom can play with average size hands, I can play too. That gives me hope as a guitarist.
Tom’s guitar is about 2 1/2 inches thick, and hollow.
Tom plays his guitar normally at a 45 degree angle.
- I on the other hand, try to play my guitars more at a 90 degree angle. But Tom’s the pro, I am not.
Tom plays mid to high on the neck, rarely low towards neck (cowboy chords).
In 45+ minutes of watching Tom play, I never once saw him adjust his pedals or tap them.
Tom plays and sings from memory. Non-guitarists take that for granted. But only guitarists like Tom Holland know how many times they have played and have sung the same song again and again.
As Tom demonstrated: You don’t need to play fast to play well. (No doubt, he can play fast when he wants to do so.)

Today’s Biggest Learning from Watching Tom Holland Play the Blues

For a small venue in a small coffee shop environment, Tom’s voice and guitar were crystal clear and great sounding.

With just the Shure 58 amp pointed at his mouth, the Quilter amp (type unknown) picked up his voice from the microphone and the amp from the floor. One microphone did it all.

I need to learn how to amp my voice and guitar using a Shure 58 microphone. My cheaper amps may not match Tom’s excellent Quilter amp in quality. But I need to learn the voice+guitar through the Shure 58 technique.

Watching Tom Play Led to These Questions and “To Do’s”

How do I use a Shure 58 microphone to amp my voice and guitar?
- Then perhaps I can record with my Shure MV5 and Android simultaneously.
I need to acquire a Shure 58 microphone and good stand.
Why does Tom strum and pick in different areas. I am sure he had a reason.

Tom Holland, Thanks for Playing and Answering a Few Questions

You can learn a lot just from watching a guitarist play.

Watch his fretting hand,
Watch his rhythm hand.
How does he hold the guitar?
Where does he strum with his rhythm hand?
Where does he play up and down the guitar neck? High, middle, low? Is there a tendency?

Thanks for Visiting Shoshin Guitarist Today

Thank you Tom Holland for teaching a Shoshin Guitarist through your performance.

I approach guitar with a “beginner’s mind” and watching excellent guitarists like Tom Holland helps immensely.