Bill M.'s definitions

machine head

1. One of several flattened pegs found at the top end of a stringed instrument, which when manually turned with the hand, adjusts the pitch of the corresponding string :: TUNING PEG

2. (Warner Bros, 1972) Title of an album by heavy metal pioneering band Deep Purple, featuring the band's all-time biggest hit "Smoke On The Water"

3. (1992 - ) Heavy metal band from San Francisco, very influential on harsher, more aggressive-sounding metal bands that would arise later in the decade. See www.machinehead1.com for more information

One day, Robert Flynn of Machine Head was jamming along with Deep Purple's "Machine Head" album, but the low "E" string on his guitar was out of tune, so he had to turn the string's machine head.

by Bill M. July 27, 2004

power chord

A musical chord formed by a root note, its fifth, and its octave. Among the easiest types of chords to play on the guitar, due to an easily shiftable fingering position, and the power chord's ability to "fit" over both major and minor melodies. Vital to heavy metal and punk music.

Old Black Sabbath and AC/DC albums have a lot of simple yet great power chord-strumming songs.

by Bill M. September 20, 2004

12 string

A guitar with 12 strings grouped in pairs, instead of the normal 6 strings spaced apart from each other. Strings in each given pair are either tuned an octave apart or to the same pitch, and played simultaneously. There are also 12 string bass guitars, where the same principle is applied to a standard 4-string bass guitar, yielding an instrument with four groups of 3 strings each.

The guitar player thought that the next song called for a fuller, richer guitar sound, so he put down his regular guitar and picked up his 12 string.

by Bill M. July 27, 2004

marijuana

It's a green plant that you can use for...uh...um....what were we talking about again?

Marijuana is all-natural. Then again, so is arsenic and monkey dung.

by Bill M. July 27, 2004

redundancy

A set of words in common usage that includes a needless modifier. Not to be confused with an oxymoron (where two terms of the same phrase literally contradict each other) or euphamism (a phrase used to change the emotional charge of a a word or phrase).

Examples of actual redundancies:

- ATM machine ("Automatic teller machine machine"? Just say "ATM".)
- PIN number ("Personal identification number number"?)
- "Call now for your FREE GIFT!" (well of course it's free, otherwise it wouldn't be a gift!)
- end result
- bare naked
- past experience

by Bill M. August 27, 2004

closet

(adj) Describing an aspect that one keeps rather private or completely secret, usually due to fear of social rejection. Commonly used in reference to homosexuality, but not exclusively.

"Yep, my brother has his guilty pleasures when it comes to music. He's closet hair metal fan, believe it or not."

by Bill M. September 20, 2004

Asia

1. The largest continent on earth; covers most of the eastern hemisphere

2. A progressive pop band formed around 1982 by ex-members of Yes, King Crimson, UK, and Emerson Lake & Palmer (ELP). Their hits include "Heat of the Moment", "Only Time Will Tell" and "Don't Cry". The album titles have usually been one-word names beginning and ending with the letter "A", and the album covers have featured award-winning artwork by Roger Dean.

The band Asia did a tour of Asia.

by Bill M. February 17, 2006