Buchanan Music | Mesa, Arizona

So... I'm at home and I get the call.

"Robert. Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam just called the store.  He's coming down."

As I had mentioned before, we've had plenty of practical jokers contact us claiming they were someone famous.  I was skeptical, to say the least.

"If he shows up, give me a call." I said.  I figured that if Eddie Vedder comes into my store, then I'll drive as fast as I can to get there. But, if it was a joke as I had suspected at the time, then I would have wasted a lot of time leaving home to come to the store.

Twenty minutes later, I get the call.

"He's here." Molly said excitedly.

"It's really him, huh?"  "Eddie Vedder is in the store. My store. In Mesa." I thought to myself.  It's not that we don't see the occasional rock star at the store but it was so sudden that it took me by complete surprise.

"I'll be right down." I said to Molly and hung up the phone.

It took me five minutes to get to the store.  I don't remember speeding but I'm sure that I broke some law on the way in.  As I walked in, Darin was closing the deal.  Eddie called for a vintage Martin acoustic for his gig and, by sheer chance, we had one.  A 1983 Martin D-35 acoustic guitar in impeccable shape.  Eddie was just purchasing it and an acoustic amplifier as I walked in.

So here I am about to meet the lead singer and songwriter of Pearl Jam, Vedder.  We start talking... music... guitar... music... weather... surfing... WAIT?!?

SURFING?

As it turns out, Eddie is a Seattle Surfer.  Now anyone who knows me knows that I am happiest on my board in the ocean waiting for a great wave.  Music was right out the window... forty five minutes EASILY of nothing but Surf Talk.  It was surreal.  I'm pretty sure, as I look back on this, that I embarrassed Molly quite a bit during our conversation. I'm her Dad. That's my job.

It was getting close to his rehearsal time and Eddie bid everyone farewell.  I helped him carry his new equipment to his car and we packed the guitar and amp in it.  He looked at the Buchanan Music sign and told me that Darin was one of the nicest guys he'd ever met and that I had a really cool store.

There's nothing that a business owner loves more than to hear a compliment from a customer about their service.  When it comes from a Superstar, it's pretty cool too.  But, it was a good thing to hear from Vedder.  Music stars are usually given their equipment by manufacturers, can't go into music stores because they'll get mobbed, or get attitude by musicians in the store that may not like their music.  It's a hassle for them just to walk down the street.  Eddie was just happy that he was treated well with respect.  Since that's something that I stress to all of my employees when dealing with customers, it was good to know that we all handled his presence professionally.

He shook my hand. Got in the car and bid farewell.  I thought, "Pretty cool." as he drove off.

Forty five minutes, I get the call.  Something's not quite right.

My daughter, Molly, answered the call. "Hi. I'm Eddie Vedder, the lead singer of Pearl Jam."

That's how it began.

The voice on the other end was inquiring if we carried an 80s Martin acoustic guitar. When he asked Molly if we had one in stock, she replied calmly, "Ah... I'm not sure. Let me connect you with Darin. Just one minute, please."

Once on hold, Molly immediately found Darin, who was working on an instrument in the back.

"There's some guy on the phone saying he's Eddie Vedder. He's looking for a Martin guitar." she said with a sarcastic tone.

Darin shrugged his shoulders.  He'd seen this joke before.  Someone on the phone pretending to be Joe Cocker, Ted Nugent, John Lennon (after he died).  "Probably one of our customers trying to pull one over on us," he thought. "An Eighties Martin?!? Eddie Vedder?!? Right."

"Hi. This is Darin. How can I help you?" he asked with an almost joking attitude.

It wasn't one of our customers joking with us.

Sound a little strange? Well, it can be done.  Some people are born with perfect pitch.  Others have to develop it.  The first thing to understand is that the ear is like a muscle.  It can be developed and worked to the point of being highly tuned and efficient.  Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn't born with a massive body. He was a skinny kid who had sand kicked in his face one too many times, and decided to do something about it.  He started pumping iron extending his muscles to the limit.  Today he is a giant.  So if people aren't pushing you up on stage to sing, don't be dismayed.  There's hope for you yet.  You can do the same thing Arnold did. Start pumping some aural iron.

First, start singing the note you hear.  When you play a note on the guitar, practice hitting that same note with your voice.  This will help you coordinate the parts of the brain responsible for your voice and your hearing.  Being able to duplicate notes that you hear with your voice will exercise your ability to hear pitch more accurately.

Secondly, use a strobe tuner. A Conn or Petersen are the most accurate tuners out there.  Check yourself on how close you are to pitch.  Try tuning your high E string and then match the pitch on your B string by fretting it on the fifth fret.  After you feel that you have it tuned perfectly, check it on the strobe unit.  You might find that you consistently hear things a fraction flat or sharp.  If so, tune the two notes together by the strobe and listen to what perfect unison really sounds like.  It's like the old spelling problem.  You keep misspelling the same word because you pronounce it wrong in the first place.

Finally... most local community college Music Departments offer classes solely to the development of the ear.  These Ear Training courses are offered worldwide in all Music Schools and Programs.  This is the proverbial workout center for all of those pairs of ears that are "out of shape".  So the next time you can't tune your guitar, don't automatically jump to the conclusion that you guitar is screwed up.  Take a moment to check the tuning in your head.  If that checks out okay, THEN there's a good chance that there's something wrong with the instrument.

Otherwise, keep your ears clean and I'll see you at the "gym".