General Music Chat

It's never the right time. Like anything else in life you must force your will or it won't happen. Everything is temporary, even those we love come and go. If music (or any art) is truly something you love and are compelled to do you WILL do it.

Ive found that one way or another I can make time for anything that matters to me.

Ive been playing music since I was 11, 50 now, I have totally set the guitar down for some long periods of time, but for some reason I always come back to it, its a constant in my life, I may not be gigging, or recording and writing, but Im always thinking of music or hearing music in my head.

Right on John. A teacher once told me that there will be days you won't feel like practicing. It is especially important to practice on those days; you might even have a breakthrough or write something important.

Right on John. A teacher once told me that there will be days you won't feel like practicing. It is especially important to practice on those days; you might even have a breakthrough or write something important.

I just DRANK on these days Jimmy!

Change happens whether we want it to or not. Embrace it and enjoy the ride GT. I stepped away from the guitar and live music several times over the years but always come back with a new approach.

Last year The Johnny7 Band was on unexpected hiatus due to health reasons so I played mostly acoustic and pickup gigs with friends when I could. Tomorrow night J7 has a rehearsal with a new player/singer and I am preparing and looking forward to it.

A fresh new chapter... Cool!

Wow, JW you are 50?
Wow I hope I look that good when I hit 50..




Funny I just jammed with a bunch of older guys and they were good.
But the one guy after hit me with a "killing kiss" afterwards.

He goes, "you can't teach a new dog, old tricks".
And i could feel my blood pressure going up.

Then he says, "what are you.. not a day over 35ish"?

I just looked at him and stammered, "and"? "What does that have to do with it"?

Then he goes, "yea, well we're looking for someone a little older".

I just laughed, finished my beer, packed up my crap and got the faq out of there.

Wow, JW you are 50?
Wow I hope I look that good when I hit 50..




Funny I just jammed with a bunch of older guys and they were good.
But the one guy after hit me with a "killing kiss" afterwards.

He goes, "you can't teach a new dog, old tricks".
And i could feel my blood pressure going up.

Then he says, "what are you.. not a day over 35ish"?

I just looked at him and stammered, "and"? "What does that have to do with it"?

Then he goes, "yea, well we're looking for someone a little older".

I just laughed, finished my beer, packed up my crap and got the faq out of there.

wow....proving that assholes come in all ages. what a dickish way that guy had of dealing w the situation.

i'm curious what kind of music were they playing that they felt a 35 yr old to be "too young" for?

just as easily, if he didn't like what you had to offer... there are a million better ways he easily could have put it w/o being a dick.

I've been seeing a lot of CL ads that say 40+ only. I think it's mostly a way of saying "no we're not going to play Puddle of Mudd or Nickleback".

They were just playing covers and other crap, but it's the situation, not the material(s) for me.

I just never have been told that I wasn't old enough..
That's new for me and it did make me mad.

Call me "not right for your band" or "I don't know enough covers" or whatever the faq you want, but don't tell me that "I am not old enough to sit at the table".

He also asked me if I slap and/or pop and I laughed at him.
I don't ever slap or pop, just not my thing.

He was also upset because I played with a pick.

I tend to rub decision makers the wrong way.
"Too bad, so sad".
I'm dependable, knowledgeable, extremely capable and my ear is second to none.

Besides if i consent to play bass for your situation and you aren't paying me, you get what you get.

If you want to direct traffic, go become a cop or pony up some $.
Otherwise let your ears hear the rainbow and don't call me "skittles" or I'll whup ya till candy falls out of your ass like a bad Pez dispenser. lol

Some folks are very prejudiced about bass players: no pick, have to be able to slap (even if the music doesn't call for it).

pick, schmick. "schmick"...that's not a yiddish term but at the next board of elders meeting i'm gonna suggest we adopt it as one.

possible definition....an irishman who's a schmuck??? yeah. i like it.

anyway, i've never put too much stock in how someone strikes the strings. fingerstyle, thumb, pick, slap.....who cares as long as it sounds good and is appropriate to the music.

if memory serves, al dimeola (or al phrygiola as my friends and i used to refer to him) was (is?) pretty anal retentive insisting his bass players MUST play with a pick.

When I played bass, I would play with a pick and pull up or pop the octave with my ring or pinky finger. I never did adopt the slapping with the thumb for some reason.

But I also played with my first two fingers, old Iron Maiden used to give me hell, cause Steve Harris did those galloping triplets.

A little trick I love doing on guitar these days is outlining the chord Im playing an octave up, it leaves the bass tone with the harmonic on top.

Also instead of outright tapping the guitar, I will add little chord extensions with my picking hand. And slide them up or down, just adds a little something extra, you know like an amp that goes to 11~!

A little trick I love doing on guitar these days is outlining the chord Im playing an octave up, it leaves the bass tone with the harmonic on top.

sounds like you mean what some refer to as false harmonics, yes? if so you should check out the late lenny breau....he was absolutely masterful at it. jaco was no slouch either come to think of it.

jaco was where I got the idea, I wasnt ever really that good at it on a bass, but on guitar I love it

false harmonics, thanks now I know what Im doing, or at least what to call it!

at least use a felt pick for bass if you do not have the technique down to play the bass properly with the fingers, nothing more annoying than hearing the click of a guitar pick getting used on a bass guitar.. am I crazy?