April 2nd, 2023

Homeskoolin' Volume 206, Tom Bukovac, "Disclaimers Are A Sign Of Weakness"

Chapters
00:00 - Tinkering around / Loop
03:09 - Hello, friends! / Beer cans / Old stuff and born out of time
04:11 - Old neck, new body Telecaster with Ron Ellis pickup / Thanks
06:30 - VCB (Viewer Comment Bin)
07:10 - Original 10" speaker in Princeton (Jensen)
07:50 - Nobels pedals and no disclaimers / Mini
10:00 - The Klon thing
10:34 - Use your ears not your eyes and blindfold test
11:40 - Klon value
12:47 - Pedal video
14:00 - Randy Rhoads tone
16:20 - Billy Sims (NFL)
16:45 - Todd Sharp - Vacuum Tube Loop Driver


Notes

Uncle Larry gets busy on a Ron Ellis tele bridge pickup through a device that Todd Sharp made into a device that Leo Fender made.

and...just try to get through this whole video without bawling like a baby.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43Sa7Yfb7Lo

March 10th, 2023

Homeskoolin' Bonus "Blues In A Squeaky Chair"

Chapters
00:00 - Puttin' out some special tunes


Notes
Uncle Larry tries to foul as many players as possible on the basketball court....otherwise known as a typical Friday.

February 3rd, 2023

Homeskoolin’ Dance Party, “Mission Impossible Blooze”

Chapters
00:00 - Playing the blues


Notes
Uncle Larry gets way out in the blues wilderness, fighting for his life, out there alone in the devil’s blues triangle where the only form of survival against the merciless blues monsters is to throw my fedora at them and proudly show them my bowling shirt with the chili peppers embroidered on it.

If he can just make it back to his 66 caddy that is parked by the blues metroparks entrance, everything will be alright.

Hey its guthrie birthday today!

January 10th, 2023

Homeskoolin’ Bonus “The Guitar Slinger”

Chapters
00:00 - Plethora of guitars and knowledge


Notes
Day 2 of a 10 day Vince Gill session in downtown Nashville TN

Starring
VG
Jedd Hughes
Jimmie Lee Sloas
Justin Niebank
Matt Rausch

December 21st, 2022

Homeskoolin’ Bonus, “Link To Live Show”

Chapters
00:00 - A little Christmas pickin'
00:50 - Friends! / Happy Birthday to son
01:41 - Show thanks
03:11 - Goodbye to Franco Harris
04:45 - Back to pickin' / Clunky switch
06:05 - Refret feel


Notes
Hey friends, apparently there is some confusion about how to stream the show if you weren’t able to watch it live.

Here is a link where you can see it.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folder...

Also special thank you to miss melissa for making the most awesome Duesen-cake ever.

November 23rd, 2022

Homeskoolin’ Volume 176, Tom Bukovac, “81 Is The New 78”

Chapters
00:00 - Country pickin'
02:01 - Intro
02:26 - Lesson: Picking fingers
03:08 - Lesson: Piano voicing / Deconstructing chord notes for picking
05:55 - Lesson: Angle of the pick
10:00 - Circle of 5ths vs. Circle of 4ths
11:34 - Santo and Johnny - Sleepwalk
12:15 - Twitch / Guthrie Trapp
13:45 - Lesson: F Chord progression / Playing


Notes
He just woke up and his hair is a mess, but Uncle Larry can still teach ya’ some redneck guitar licks while he is having his coffee.

Today’s tone courtesy of a lightly/tastefully chopped 54 esquire and a 59 tweed deluxe.

Probably around 6 tonite things are when things are gonna get cookin' on twitch.com...here is the link
https://www.twitch.tv/iamthewook

Ya' know, if anyone out there has some nice old 50's or 60's football cards they wanna sell or trade for guitars, please email me at tombukovac@gmail.com

Uncle Larry's therapist suggested that maybe he should try getting his mind off music for a minute, and collecting old cards is the closest thing Larry has to a "non-music related hobby"....

November 22nd, 2022

Homeskoolin’ Volume 175, Tom Bukovac, “Transition Logo Blues”

Chapters
00:00 - Pickin' and a playin'
03:17 - Hello, friends! / '66 Tele
03:57 - Dorian Crozier jam
05:10 - Lesson: Standard Country progression
06:03 - Lesson: Nirvana meets Jerry Garcia chord progression
06:42 - Lesson: Circle of 5ths (Steve Morse)
07:50 - Steve Morse story
09:00 - Allan Holdsworth


Notes
Uncle Larry goes a few rounds with a tricky little progression before going completely off the rails…this was his 2nd and final take…you gotta know when to walk away kids.

here is the link for tomorrow's twitch madness......
https://www.twitch.tv/iamthewook

August 15th, 2022

Homeskoolin’ Learn-A-Song Quickie

Chapters
00:00 - Lesson - School's Out play through


Notes
Well, i may be stuck in a hotel room on a day off with no amp….but that don’t mean we can’t learn a song.

As if we needed any more proof that even the most base rock hit of “the day” had more harmonic interest than most things we hear in all genres in 2022

August 14th, 2022

Homeskoolin’ Volume 158, Tom Bukovac, “Damn I Wish I Had More Fingers”

Chapters
00:00 - Plucking around in hotel room / Checking in
04:35 - VCB / "Dumbest things" (boomer bends, modeling, "she" guitars)
10:38 - Young guitar players (Seth Lee Jones)
10:51 - Lesson (guitar chords)


Notes
Some hot takes regarding guitar culture guaranteed to piss off at least 25% of my prescribers.

Come at me bro.

Dig this cat

https://youtu.be/J-I021NUidA

June 26th, 2022

Homeskoolin’ Volume 153, Tom Bukovac, “When I Get To Heaven”

Chapters
00:00 - Making a loop
01:40 - Laying the Tele track down
05:00 - Starting track again with underlying chords
07:34 - Ending on a weird chord / Trippy tune to overlay
09:52 - Tuning / Adding tremolo
10:56 - "We got a plan now"
13:45 - Ending with Mellotron / Harmony part
16:35 - Beer break / Explanation
18:18 - Go again and retry
21:15 - Adding in bass
26:45 - Adding in the lap steel
30:26 - Building the loop final - Take 1


Notes
Loops while you wait….five tracks start finish in under 35 minutes. Even though its painful at times when the L plug comes outta the tele jack or a random youtube video starts playing out of nowhere, i thought maybe you guys might get a kick outta seeing the deep inner pain and soul wrestling that goes along with making a typical Homeskoolin’ style loop.

This one features my son’s Jazz Bass and my alltime favorite lap steel…a 30’s Rickenbacker model B

Thanks so much for watching these recent episodes that were brought to you strictly by covid and canceled tour dates. If you guys are indeed learning and growing from these videos and the madness contained within, please visit the Homeskoolin’ tip jar, which is built solely on the “honor system” and the proud integrity of Uncle Larry’s Army

Paypal is tombukovac@gmail.com

Venmo is @Tom-Bukovac-1

June 18th, 2022

Homeskoolin’ Important Announcement...TRIP THE WITCH VINYL IS HERE!!

Chapters
00:00 - Beautiful playing
01:26 - Hello, friends! / Travel story and wallet
03:33 - Happy Father's Day / Trip The Witch vinyl
04:18 - Fender Telecaster
05:15 - Contest
05:35 - Father's Day
06:08 - Lesson (crazy fast lick)


Notes
Hey kids….the first rule of the road as we all know…NEVER LOSE YOUR PHONE OR WALLET…..well guess what?

If you want a nice vinyl trip the witch record go here to get it
https://shop.bandwear.com/collections...

Dont forget to send your postcard to win a free Duesenberg Session Man guitar!

mail your postcard to:
Duesenberg USA
PO Box 857
Fullerton CA 92386

good luck friends

June 15th, 2022

Homeskoolin Bonus “Red Lights Green Lights”

Chapters
00:00 - Old melodies playing


Notes
Ya’ know, thank God we figured out a way better way to make music these days with the four chords over and over approach and simple cheerleading melodies, because these old songs with all the weird chords and unusual melodies were so cumbersome.

June 13th, 2022

Homeskoolin Class Quiz….”You Think You Got Ears Kid?”

Chapters
00:00 - Tale of the tele, strat, and paul
03:38 - Quiz


Notes
Get all 6 phases of the sequence right and old Larry and the rest of the class will be holy shit impressed

A is the 58 burst
B is the 62 strat
C is the 60 tele custom


i'll post the answer later


Collect the whole set!!
Offer won’t last long so act now!!

April 12th, 2022

Homeskoolin’ Volume 137, Tom Bukovac, “Fever Dreams”

Chapters
00:00 - Beautiful blend of Classical, Rock, Blues playing
03:09 - Burt Bacharach - That's What Friends Are For
05:02 - Hello, fellow Homeskoolers! / Illness
06:37 - Going to the ER
07:13 - Twight Zone
07:49 - Chord lesson (Eb, Gm7, Cm7, Fm7, Dm7b5, G7sus) / That's What Friends Are For
09:24 - Biggest part (Bb/Eb, Ab/C, Abm7)
10:00 - Money shot (Bbm/C#, Csus, Abm6/B)


Notes
Larry returns after a trip to the dark side…10 pounds lighter.

March 13th, 2022

Homeskoolin’ Bonus Jam…ZZ Tom

Chapters
00:00 - Rehearsing with the man himself, Billy Gibbons


Notes
A super rough rehearsal sketch from the moment when our little band was joined by the coolest guy that ever walked on this earth….as you all know Uncle Larry is a huge fan of the Reverend Billy G….I have been lucky enough to work with him a couple times in my humble career.

He is the NICEST guy you will ever meet.

Ol’ Larry rarely gets starstruck by anybody but i gotta admit it’s a very cool feeling being anywhere near Billy Gibbons.

I didn’t think he would remember me from the last time we jammed together, but when he walked up on stage at this rehearsal and looked right at me and yelled out “Mr. T” i gotta admit i was instantly 13 years old again sitting in my room listening to “It’s Only Love” off the Tejas album and staring at that amazing album sleeve. Such a genius, such a sweetheart and such a class act…and soooo cool and easy to work with.

If i could ever achieve just one percent of the coolness this man exudes in my own life i would be absolutely thrilled.

Credit to my dear 9 year old son Marshall for coming up with the title for this video….he’s great at coming up with cool names for stuff quickly haha.

March 12th, 2022

Homeskoolin’ Bonus Pack, “Larry’s Blues”

Chapters
00:00 - Rehearsal footage


Notes
In LA rehearsing with a great group of freakishly talented people you may recognize for a private gig…great fun

February 16th, 2022

Homeskoolin’ Volume 128, Tom Bukovac, “Get Your Wings Son”

Chapters
00:00 - Slow, beautiful playing
02:26 - Thumb recovery
02:50 - Ann Wilson rehearsal
03:32 - "Dream On" discussion / Chord progression lesson
07:00 - Steven Tyler story


Notes
Two real truths of life:

1) The human body desperately WANTS to go back to the way it was before we mangled it.
2) No matter how skinny we ever get, the human body ALWAYS remembers how fat we once were

disclaimer: gross misinformation at 06:50....i meant #4 major, not #5 major

February 4th, 2022

Homeskoolin’ Volume 124, Tom Bukovac, “If I Leave Here Tomorrow….”

Chapters
00:00 - Beautiful playing
01:51 - Covid positive
03:17 - NFL reruns
04:34 - Tele Custom / "I thought you didn't like Teles"
05:41 - Skynyrd - Freebird / Allen Collins (Isolated track)
06:51 - "Rave up" ending lesson
07:47 - Secret of inverting chords / Pull-offs and chords (Need to know)


Notes
Well, if you’re wondering what a man with Covid plays and looks like here ya go fellas.

and here's some poetry for ya'

"IF",
BY RUDYARD KIPLING

If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies, Or being hated, don’t give way to hating, And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise: If you can dream—and not make dreams your master; If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools: If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’ If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

January 28th, 2022

Homeskoolin’ Super Bonus “Passion�

Chapters
00:00 - Guitar setup expertise
00:38 - "3/64ths"
01:01 - "Raised the action"
02:05 - Step 1...
02:49 - Mathematics of frets
03:32 - Playing the Tele
03:58 - Nut slots and action
04:43 - "Choke"
05:25 - Nut and bridge height mathematics
06:18 - Choking, relief, radius
08:11 - Width / Height of frets
09:26 - Steps from here
11:03 - Fender go to steel? '54 / Trivia
14:34 - "Bend the piss out of the high E"
15:18 - Playing it again / Explanation
16:15 - Continue setup
17:25 - Creasing and stretching the strings
19:34 - '60 Tele Custom
20:45 - Tuning with fingers and playing position
23:00 - Playing it fully set up, acoustically / Tuning with chords
25:17 - Fret end dressing
29:45 - "Worst Nightmare?"
32:50 - Back to fret softening / Fret end jewelry
38:10 - Make your own glue
39:00 - Leather stropping block and chrome polish
42:50 - File and gouging the wood
44:09 - Playing it fully polished


Notes
This one is pretty inside friends….
it could be considered long and boring for some, i totally get that.

This one is actually aimed at those of you out there who REALLY wanna know the inside shit on how that last little one percentile of top tier professional guitar set up and guitar physics REALLY works.

Did you ever notice that any time you see a person doing anything at the highest level it could ever possibly be done at, there is one common denominator you will find every time…..PASSION…..

I mean TRUE passion and a deep love of the craft. There is also deep respect for doing things the RIGHT way.

Greg Voros, head of the repair department at Gruhn Guitars in Nashville…the boy is a true artist, and a dear dear friend of your drunk old uncle….i cannot tell you how much i respect this dude…this video should give you a real good idea why.

Greg is joined about halfway through this video by Lin Crowson….another Gruhns employee who has freakish expert level knowledge of authenticating and repairing old guitars.

Hope you enjoy folks.

January 23rd, 2022

Homeskoolin’ Bonus….”Resto Mod Sunday”

Chapters
00:00 - Kick ass 2-tone Telecaster


Notes
Uncle Larry sharing some deep feelings about old guitars.

Some may argue with Larry’s reasoning here, but file it under the age old debate between “players” and “collectors”.

One of my favorite sayings regarding vintage instruments…”just cuz its old don’t mean it’s cool”

Happy sunday y’all!