Go figure.

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1. Basics. A set of very simple shapes that will underlie scales, chords, basslines and more.
2. Bass. How to play walking bass with four rules. How to play bass hooks. How to play bass and rhythm patterns at the same time for great variety. All these come from the basics learned in book one.
3. Melody. How to read and play melodies from leadsheets, while playing left-hand chords. Both melodies and chords are learned from the basics in book one.
4. Improv. How to make up new melodies on the fly over any song with chord symbols. This is done very simply from basics learned in book one.

These books are sold on EBay and at http://learn-mobius-megatar.com

However, they’re provided free on CD with all new Megatars.

In many cases, I’ve also them for free to any registered Megatar owner who has bought his instrument used. (Serial number and purchase details requested for registration at http://megatar.com/megatar-reg/)

No Megatar player needs to suffer, as some of us have suffered in the past.

The approach in these books, according to many, is easier and faster to learn than some other methods. (Others will argue the point.)

Further, although our methods will work whether you play BassBottom or Chapman-style Inverted-Fifths bass, in my own experience, learning is far faster and simpler using BassBottom tuning.

We can do this the easy way.

Or we can do this the hard way.

So it just boils down to this …

Do you feel lucky?

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I read recently an article claiming that layaway is making a comeback, and googling ‘layaway making a comeback’ shows a lot of articles on the subject. Here are some excerpts –

• “I think a lot of people are watching their money, they’re trying to avoid the high interest rates on their credit cards,” says Tampa Kmart store manager Mark Swafford.
• Layaway is a shopping strategy that University of South Florida marketing professor, Carol Osbourne says helps consumers learn to budget. “Rather than swiping a credit cards; because that’s like funny money,” Osbourne says.
• Osbourne believes people will still spend this holiday season, but will adapt their shopping habits to the economy. “People were spending and spending and living beyond their means so layaway is actually a good alternative,” Osbourne says.
• This season, Kmart is heavily marketing their layaway program. But, it’s available at a variety of other stores including Marshalls, TJ Maxx and Burlington Coat Factory. Sears and Walmart also offer layaway on fine jewelry.
• Ms. Kasanthian Austin says she primarily uses it to buy toys and clothes and Megatar musical instruments for her kids, making a happy holiday an affordable one. “I can get my bills paid and still try and get things done for Christmas for my kids,” Austin says.

SO WHAT DO YOU THINK?

WOULD A LAYAWAY PLAN HELP YOU TO GET YOUR MEGATAR?

Here’s what I’m imagining (though we’re open to hearing about other ideas) …

• To start up a Layaway Plan for yourself, you’d choose a model, with any of our custom features that you wish us to build. (All instruments are built to order, like always.)
• You would initially invest 30% or $400 whichever is larger to start the plan. (“Initial Payment”)
• You would send 4% or $60 whichever is larger each month. (‘Standard payment’)
• You would make a monthly commitment; because making that commitment is what makes it happen.
• Committment is what actually causes you to get the Megatar that you want.
• You would agree to send the same amount each month. (This is like paying off a credit-card, except that there are no big interest charges, because *all* your money goes toward your Megatar.)
• Whenever you wish, you can send any additional funds.
• We ask only that we don’t have to chase you, that you honor your commitment each month.
• You will probably discover that, once you start, and *intend* to have the Megatar you want, new opportunities will appear, and you’ll probably close out the deal earlier, and start playing music quicker than you’d thought possible.
• What would the monthly fee be for a typical instrument?
• At current prices (Nov 2009, on Millennium promo pricing),  TrueTapper Eclipse, Dragon, or Storm would be only $60 per month.
• At current prices (Nov 2009, on Millennium promo pricing), a MaxTapper would be $64/month, or a ToneWeaver only $80/month.
• NOTE: The Meg-Millennium special pricing Ends on December 31, 2009 at Midnight pacific time. Pricing then returns to standard prices as shown on pricelist, and these monthly amounts will then change to reflect standard pricing instead of promo pricing.
• Along the way, you can pay ahead any time you wish, and you can pay it off whenever you like.
• You can send funds via personal check, cashier’s check, or money order.
• Or you can transfer funds using paypal.
• Or you can use your credit or debit card over the phone or through our secure server.
• When the balance is 90% paid, we’ll put the job order into the shop queue for building and setting up your instrument.
• Generally that means that when your balance is paid up, we can ship immediately.
• As long as the schedule is maintained, your price is locked in, even if we have increased any prices in the meantime.
• If you simply send a check each month, there’s no credit-card interest to pay, which at 12% or even 18%, this can be a substantial savings for you.
• We will not charge any interest, nor add any fee.  In fact …
• As a bonus, we’ll pay *you*, like getting interest on your money …
• Assuming you’ve been on the plan at least six months, and as long as the schedule is maintained, your last standard payment, will be … free

WOULD THIS HELP YOU TO GET A MEGATAR?

And do you have any suggestions that might make the proposed plan more flexible or useful for you?

Or do you have any questions about what is being sketched here?

Is it adequately clear? Does it sound useful?

WHEN DO YOU WISH US TO SHIP YOUR MEGATAR?

Of course, we’re still happy to accept your order the usual way, and credit-cards are still welcome.

PLEASE SHARE YOUR OPINION AND SUGGESTIONS

If the Comment Box isn’t visible just below, please click the Comment Link.

And in the Comment Box, please enter your thoughts.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

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Stick and Megatar player Darrell Havard has a friend who raises a special kind of crayfish, a species called Marmokrebs,  as  well as seahorses and pet shrimp (with different colors!).

These crayfish are unusual creatures, for they are all born female, identical even down to the DNA, and their reproduction is a natural-world form of cloning. This kind of crayfish is called the Marbled Crayfish.

Darrell’s friend asked him to edit a video for his Marmokreb website, and to create a soundtrack as well. This was Darrell’s first opportunity to bring his Megatar into his home studio.

Usually, Darrell’s work shows a strong and powerful rhythm, but he  saw this  soundtrack as a chance to do something different. He typically rehearses (and re-rehearses), and arranges (and re-arranges) a tune “until Judgement Day,” but in this case he wanted the fresh feeling of just sitting down and playing something for the project, and had the inspiration to feature the bass  side for the melody for a unique sound instead of using the melody side for melody.

Visit Darrell at http://www.darrellhavard.com/ and on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/darrellhavard … but first …

CLICK HERE, and a new tab will open, where you can hear the lovely, floating sound of Megatar in the watery world of the Marmokrebs!

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Yo, yo, yo, yo, yo! Check it out!

Oh, no wait. That’s not my style. I’m way too distinguished to be talking that way.

That’s right. Pirate talk is better for Traktor.

Yo, ho, ho, ho, ho! Arrrgh! Matey, be sharp and keep a sea-eye out. Rumor be that-

Oh, never mind.

New Megatar Touchstyle Podcast

Let’s just say that we have a new Podcast Channel on the Mobius Megatar website. You should see the little blue button on the upper right on the main website.

The Podcast Channel will have more and more songs and videos, including –

• Performance Videos from two-handed Mega-Tappers around the world
• How-To Videos on subjects of interest to touchstyle players
• Songs showing off two-handed touchstyle play
• Interviews with touchstyle musicians

Please join us on the Megatar Touchstyle Podcast.

Also available through the Apple iTunes system.

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This promotional offer gives hundreds of dollars of discounts on Mobius instruments, between November 15, and December 31 of 2008.

All Mobius Megatar instruments have huge savings available, from the simple Eclipse to the astounding Hammer of Thor.

MaxTappers, ToneWeavers, Storms, Dragons, MidiTappers, PiezoTappers, and customizing to your hearts content, huge discounts available on all instruments and configurations … if you act quickly.

Very probably, you will also find the Holiday Cheer page entertaining, and informative. The posted information shows you how to save money three ways, plus free gifts just for signing up. No obligation, no cost. It’s like free money.

LIMITED TIME

>>> This limited time offer ends New Years Eve at Midnight.  <<<

HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS IN DISCOUNTS

Hundreds of dollars of discounts are available on all Mobius instruments, free $90 factory-installed edgedots will be given to the first ten who claim these prizes, and there are also free gifts just for signing up in the club.

FREE GIFTS JUST FOR SIGNING UP …

http://megatar.com/promo/holiday-cheer/

But please remember, limited offer ends Midnight December 31, 2008.

———-

PS: For a bit of fun, go over to Tappistry.Org, and describe what the page looks like when it first appears in your browser … To see the Tappistry.Org discussion thread, please CLICK HERE.

After a few people have looked and then posted there, you’ll see what I mean …

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No?

Well, please visit our ‘Learn to play Chapman Stick, Warr Guitar, and Mobius Megatar’ website!

There you will learn about –

• Book One — Learn the Bassics. Remarkably simple and clear method. Permits training both hands at the same time. One method works on three different tunings.
• Book Two — Learn to play basslines, plus bass hooks, and learn how to read rhythm in standard notation. All surpisingly easy to learn and easy to use.
• Book Three — Learn to play melodies, and how to read them in standard notation. Thought you couldn’t learn to read? Be startled at how easy it is to learn … with the right method.

INFO YOU’LL FIND ON THIS GREAT WEBSITE –

Learn Chapman Stick, Warr, Mobius Megatar — Quick and Easy!

Play Bass and Walking Bass

Learn Chapman Stick or Megatar — Playing Melody and Chords

Two-Handed Tapping Improvisation Made Easy

Order Two-Handed Tapping Method Books — Immediate Download

Two-Handed Tapping Articles to Learn Chapman Stick and Mobius Megatar

Two-Handed Tapping Newsletter and Free Lessons

About The Easy Touch-Style Method

How to Contact Us

Our Privacy Policy

Other Interesting Websites

Voltos Industries Websites

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Finally the big move day came, and we were ready to box up and move all the assembly stations, all the parts, all the shop tools, and supplies and the hundreds of jigs and special devices that go to make Mobius Megatar instruments, so you can make music!

(1) The Big (empty) Assembly Room — before move-in day:

… and after moving in …

(2) The fretboard tools, where we cut fretboards to precise size before they get assembled onto the instruments:

(3) After computer-cutting machine #1 (Bobby) has cut the fretboards, he cuts out the 3D neck, and then cuts out the instruments. Just like paper dolls, only much, much louder!

(4) The pickups-array jig tools, where we make the pickguards to be loaded with pickups, electronics, active circuit preamps, piezo and midi circuit boards, tone/volume knobs, and stereo outjacks …

(5) The sanding station, where sanding and rasping prepare the cut-out Megatars for the finishing booth:

(6) The finish station, where we mix our finishes and sand the instruments between coats …

(7) Parts Store A, where we keep about a third of the small parts that go into the making of a Mobius Megatar instrument …

(8) The assembly table, with new-cut instrument far right, and instruments nearing completion with finish and frets and pickups on the left:

(9) The ‘Almost Ready’ stock of completed and boxed instrument bodies ready for fast assembly into the custom instrument of your specification:

(10) The shipping station, with two Megatars boxed (on right) and ready for shipping around the world:

(11) Patrick (shop foreman) working on a fretboard …

(12) Traktor testing the Feiten Intonation System on an instrument that’s ready to ship out:

(14) Shop dog Charlie, who will watch out for cats …

We’re just delighted with the new shop. Triple the space, and more work stations, to keep the jobs flowing smoothly.

While the computer-cutting machinery was disassembled for moving, we upgraded the electronics, to get even greater precision than before (though your eye will not see it), and faster production as well!

Now that we have our own spray booth on premises, we’re getting better finishes than ever before, and it eliminates the production delay of sending instruments out.

We still need more shelving for parts storage and more lighting, but all essential functions are reconstructed, and working better than ever before, to deliver Megatar instruments faster and better (and prettier) than ever before.

Everybody wins.

We like it. Even shop dog Charlie (and shop dog Daisy) like the new digs. And we think you’ll enjoy your new Mobius Megatar instrument, made better and delivered to your door more quickly than ever before.

Our voyage is complete. Thanks for coming along with us.

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Now it’s time to start putting Megatar-Building stuff in the new shop …

(1) The Big Room — Where Megatars will get built:

(2) Beginning to set things up — the Shipping Station:

(3) Spray Booth, with Exhaust Filters:

(4) The Computer Cutting Room — It’s Alive!

(5) Computer-Cutting Machine #1:

(6) Megatars emerge from the wood …

(7) Mission Control (the Communications Office):

The Communications Office is functional, computers and network online.

The spray booth is tested and working, and giving us better finishes than ever before, and we’ve been able to use an environmentally-friendly finish with less toxic fumes (for us and for you!).

The first computer cutting machine is installed and making new Megatars already.

We’ve got lots of work yet to do installing more lighting, building more shelving, and tweaking the workspace. But first …

Next week, tons of tools and parts and assembly benches show up.

Stay tuned. More to follow.

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