January 25th, 2025

Homeskoolin’ Bonus Jam “Untitled”

Chapters
00:00 - Plucking into an amazing melody with bass


Notes
Some Saturday morning driving music for the class...i just put this up so i didn't forget it...

just gimme a studio, some coffee with half and half, a good engineer, some synths, a drummer and a cool singer….see ya in a few hours

January 14th, 2025

Homeskoolin’ Volume 389, Tom Bukovac, “The 101 Club”

Chapters
00:00 - Looping with brethren instruments
09:31 - Hello, friends! / Blake Shelton
12:26 - Don't feel like talking / Lake Placid Blue Fender Stratocaster & matching Fender Precision Bass
15:19 - 5 way switch, position 2 and 4 are too dark / Forgotten sound


Notes
Uncle Larry REALLY felt like playing some guitar (and bass) tonite after getting home from day two of tracking with dearest Blake Shelton at the legendary Blackbird Studios in downtown Nashville TN.

Blakes new album is finally “in the can” after the last three years of working on it.

Loving these two old instruments that are featured in this little poorly lit video….(replete with the phone falling right off the “camera stand” in the heat of battle) and thought you guys might enjoy seeing them together.

They have known each other in a past life….

These two rosewood board sex kittens were built right on the cusp of when the original Fender factory in Fullerton was taken over by the CBS bean counters…both instruments are very close in serial number…and they both have aged to the EXACT same greenish hue from their original Lake Placid Blue .

If anyone out there has the Telecaster to compete the set I’m all ears

Thanks for watching friends.


oh, and if you guys want to learn about "advanced phrasing techniques" check out this fella....
i've been told it's VERY deep stuff, but i don't quite understand it yet....maybe some of you guys can help me
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWdUDiGhSv0

January 3rd, 2025

Homeskoolin’ Volume 384, Tom Bukovac, “Empress New Clothes”

Chapters
00:00 - Some crunchy goodness
02:25 - Hello, dear friends! / Morgan Wallen
03:54 - Dan Huff and producing record
05:49 - Empress new drive pedal / Controls / Distortion
07:13 - Gibson Les Paul Goldtop clean into amp
07:35 - Pedal demo
09:12 - Bass to match Lake Placid Blue Strat
11:30 - VCB (Viewer Comment Bin) / Getting excited about music / 1978 Elvis Costello / Bruce Thomas bass
13:47 - Born without tone? / Being able to decifer tone
16:13 - Did you see you have a stalker?
17:48 - Nasty weather
18:37 - '57 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop / Outro playing


Notes
This is basically a live recording from 1978…try to imagine being in a band THIS good
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KI9eN-AY1s

December 26th, 2024

Homeskoolin’ Volume 381, Tom Bukovac, “Lake Placid Christmas”

Chapters
00:00 - Spacey Rock jam
01:04 - Hello, friends! / Christmas
02:21 - Betting games and winning money /  Chris "Sticks" McHugh setting up drum kit
04:02 - VCB (Viewer Comment Bin) / What Rocks harder Strat or Tele?
04:20 - Strat Rock
04:39 - Tele Rock
05:03 - Tom needs to Rock Out more / What's wrong with mellow?
06:18 - Sports Bar Blues vs. airport "Tootsie's Bar" Alt Country?
07:28 - Why do you like old stuff? / Old stuff is made better
08:14 - Fender solid state amps analogy
09:27 - Forgotten era of sound
10:03 - John Cordy video distorted story / Modeling amps vs old amps
16:05 - Insane burst feud with Voyxu
20:32 - '65 Fender Stratocaster Lake Placid Blue & matching bass
22:13 - Lesson: C#min cool buzz sound



Notes
Uncle Larry gets deep into some post Christmas VCB

Happy holidays dear friends

December 15th, 2024

Homeskoolin’ Bonus Jam “Audiophilia”

Chapters
00:00 - Exploring the notes in between notes


Notes
Uncle Larry continues down the paths of the micro-tonal experiments he has been conducting over the past several years…


who says there are only 12 notes?
I’ll tell ya who says that…boring people….and piano players

December 6th, 2024

Homeskoolin’ Volume 372, Tom Bukovac, “Strat Fury Volume 4”

Chapters
00:00 - Showing some wizardry to a loop
07:30 - Alright, hey, friends / Humidifier
09:09 - Avon Silicon Glove hand lotion
10:02 - Lesson: Blues in E (Em7 -> A -> G7sus)
11:14 - Lesson: Soloing over
13:18 - Thanks for fixing wang bar
13:46 - Lesson: Solo tricks


Notes
Old Uncle Larry comin' at ya with some real helpful advice that’s gonna help you deal with this winter
friends

Get on Amazon and get yourself a tube of this shit right away…like tonight
Avon

This stuff has been around forever, and it is the ONLY hand lotion for guitar players ....dries IMMEDIATELY and doesn't get sticky

…and you can also use it with your vacuum cleaner too String Locker …ya know, if you get tired of playing guitar …

I also recommend you buy a couple of these and use them religiously through the next 4-5 months or so
Amazon

November 13th, 2024

Homeskoolin’ Volume 359, Tom Bukovac, “The Bitter End”

Chapters
00:00 - Bluesy playing on the Strat
06:07 - What's up, friends! / Playing
07:38 - Some singing (Cops), called the "New York Blues"
10:25 - Name That Lead - $2 / Sam Bettens / Name That for a $1
12:00 - Update / Pontiac GTO / Gibson GA-83s
13:40 - Lesson: Key of E to the V
14:42 - Playing Layla (Rita Coolidge, Jim Gordon, Eric Clapton)
16:04 - Outro / Special Fuck-offs / Playing


Notes
Hey GT and Jedd-o…this sounds pretty damn New York-y to me…you fellas wanna play it at the show?

I can already picture it…

you guys…with your heads back and your feet up on the intermittent monitor wedges…lettin’ it eat while helpless droves of excitement drenched female onlookers with heavy Brooklyn accents swoon and sway….pointing your bolt on necks heavenward in the glowing red halo of a poorly aimed par can …

Here’s a link for the gig we have booked in Chicago in February for all you early bird
https://www.axs.com/events/757974/guthrie-trapp-tom-bukovac-tickets

October 30th, 2024

Homeskoolin’ Volume 354, Tom Bukovac, “The Muse....(Gran Turismo Omologato)"

Chapters
00:00 - Dancing on that Strat
05:40 - What's up!? / Scars on the face
07:00 - "The muse" is gone and waiting for it to come back
10:24 - Dan Huff new inspiration
12:00 - Real stringed instruments / Shelby Lynne
13:26 - Lake Placid Blue Fender Stratocaster (Jeffrey Moore)
13:43 - GTO / Do it while you can
15:55 - Dan Huff track


Notes
Uncle Larry discusses the delicate matter of burn out amongst lifer musicians with no hobbies.


as my dear old grandma used to always say "son, there ain't no better way to fight career burn out than buying the exact car you've been dreaming about since you were 15 years old...."

check out this rust bucket POS friends...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rOXOhWfTD8

October 13th, 2024

Homeskoolin’ Bonus Jam…featuring Tom Bukovac…”Low Neck Sweater”

Chapters
00:00 - Amazing jam on the Strat


Notes
The next installment in the ocean green Strat series …naturally

A little jazz blues direct from the mind of a converted yankee

October 12th, 2024

Homeskoolin’ Saturday Night Bonus Jam “Slant 6”

Chapters
00:00 - Pickin' those strings to a loop


Notes
Remember friends, if you don’t get called for fouls you ain’t playin basketball.

October 7th, 2024

Homeskoolin’ Bonus “Civil War Boogie”

Chapters
00:00 - Patriotic loopin' and singin'
04:23 - PSA: Randall Bramlett & Riverside Revival / Underdog
05:45 - Gecko and music on the turntable


Notes
A quick PSA (preceded by some caterwaulin hillbilly from Cleveland)

…with apologies to Ry Cooder

September 4th, 2024

Homeskoolin’ Volume 333, Tom Bukovac, “Section By Section”

Chapters
00:00 - Some sweet tunes on the Tele
04:56 - Hello, friends! / Nicknames
05:42 - Sentimental from old days at Rudy's butcher shop
09:09 - Nicky G grill / Black Keys stuff
09:55 - NFL football
10:22 - Lesson: Dropped D / Riff Rock / Learn by sections
12:58 - Selling guitars / Rickenbacker Capri
14:34 - Cutting the capacitor (cap) off / Fender amps also
15:10 - Tone control on a Strat / Overhaul Lake Placid Blue
16:45 - Lesson: Cool Dropped D lick
17:27 - Lesson: Led Zeppelin - Jimmy Page - Whole Lotta Love
18:42 - Small Faces - You Need Loving / Robert Plant stole Whole Lotta Love
19:15 - Undetected imitation and originality


Notes
If you do end up going to Rudy’s today, you might want to stop and have a quick gander at 441 east 319 st….

That’s where it all happened friends

August 28th, 2024

Homeskoolin’ Volume 332, Tom Bukovac, “Reclaimed Youth”

Chapters
00:00 - Just an intro tune
02:44 - What's up cats / Lennon's vocals on Sexy Sadie
03:21 - "One of the coolest piano sounds"
04:15 - Martin acoustic / "Everybody should have a Martin" / Playing
05:22 - Recapture youth
06:43 - First guitar Applause acoustic
07:49 - First electric Crestline SG copy
08:22 - Lesson: First lick Chuck Berry
08:45 - Arya / Gibson Les Paul / Fairweather band
10:21 - Fairweather story cont. / Jeffrey Moore guitar rig / '65 Lake Placid Blue Stratocaster
11:18 - 2 Deluxe Reverb amps facing each other
12:36 - "Still have that Strat?" / Worked out a deal for the guitar
14:53 - Thanks / Heated discussions / StringLocker cleaning the carcusses
15:38 - Update
16:45 - Lesson: Chord progression with DbMaj7 with the claw -> F#Maj7 -> BMaj7 -> EMaj7 (Cycle of 5ths)


Notes
Uncle Larry gets a bit sentimental on a Wednesday morning.