General Music Chat

youz guyz iz nutz

We hear our own errors and I can remember feeling actually sickened when someone praised a lemon. The worst part is that your confidence takes a hit and you need that to play well.

There are lots of tricks for covering up errors but the hardest one to avoid looking silly, is when you forget where you are in the song!

For bass players I recommend the following expedient: you are supposed to come in a heavy 'G' and sustain it a measure or two; you accidently hit an 'A.' Take your right hand (picking hand) and push the finger that is on the bad note in the direction of the correct note.

Haven't tried that on guitar. Of course, I never hit sour notes on guitar!

Talbot

So as usual last night at an open mic I'm doing some songs I haven't done before (or haven't done in a very long time). Last one was Pure Prairie League's 'Amie'. Got the lyrics on a stand to me side, first 2 verses on one page, 3rd verse on 2nd page, which during the 'lead guitar part' falls off the stand (I don't notice this until I get ready to start the 3rd verse)! While I'm doing the A-G-D chords one extra time I say into the mic that I just lost my lyric sheet and a guy comes to try to find it (there are a bunch on the floor from earlier), but somehow I remember the 3rd verse without the sheet. Don't stop to find the lyrics - good decision on my part!
Good reaction from audience, not a song they've heard done before solo.

For bass players I recommend the following expedient: you are supposed to come in a heavy 'G' and sustain it a measure or two; you accidently hit an 'A.' Take your right hand (picking hand) and push the finger that is on the bad note in the direction of the correct note.

Haven't tried that on guitar. Of course, I never hit sour notes on guitar!

Talbot

good one, mike! and who would possibly notice a move as stealth as that!??!?

i've done a similar bit where if i'm a half step or whole step too low.....say i hit an "F" instead of the "G".....then i'll make a big show of slamming the bottom of the bass (by the lower strap horn) w the heel of my palm to move the bass up to slide into the note.

hell, sometimes i do that on purpose just as a cornball show biz move.

Progress! We had a rehearsal this afternoon and it went very well. The keys player showed up a little late and was pretty nervous because he knew we were sweating over him a bit. He turned up his rig and played GREAT!

We have about 10 songs that are ready for prime time and I want to gig soon. I recorded several tracks today and it now sounds like a rock band. Unfortunately I wasn't watching the meter closely and they are pretty overloaded recordings. Digital clipping sucks. Two new R&B tunes were fleshed out today that will create a break from the heavier guitar-driven stuff.

Yay!

Progress! We had a rehearsal this afternoon and it went very well. The keys player showed up a little late and was pretty nervous because he knew we were sweating over him a bit. He turned up his rig and played GREAT!

We have about 10 songs that are ready for prime time and I want to gig soon. I recorded several tracks today and it now sounds like a rock band. Unfortunately I wasn't watching the meter closely and they are pretty overloaded recordings. Digital clipping sucks. Two new R&B tunes were fleshed out today that will create a break from the heavier guitar-driven stuff.

Yay!

Freakin A man !

If you're doing covers, let violet pick a few songs. He might wake up if he's doing a couple of songs that he really enjoys playing.

Glad its going well, I have a gig booked with a key, bass and drummer, gonna go by The John Wilder experiment, I like playing with keys instead of another guitar cause it gives me a cushion to play off of, Im finally getting my little pedal board like I want it. Im going Wah Wah- Fulltone OCD(great pedal)-MXR Phase 90-Carbon Copy Analog Delay(check out the golden gods setting)-Small Clone chorus. And lately Ive just been using my little ORANGE Tiny Terror combo.

Tomorrow night I have a bassist, drummer and singer. Met this singer and he reminds me of Sammy Hager the way he looks, cant really sing that way, but hes been to a lot of my open mics and can sing. SO if it clicks I may book a gig with this group of people just to see what happens.

On the other side of things, had a fairly high profile guitarist in my area contact me to be a personal manager of sorts. Interesting and sounds fun but I know it would take away from my playing, and I decided a few monthes ago to immerse myself in playing, Im averaging 4 nights a week in different situations now. Thoroughly enjoying myself.

Yesterday I get a call from a guitarist friend of mine in the middle of the afternoon. "John, do you have any drums?" Yea I got a set here. "Can you bring them to such and such club?" Sure, so I load them up and they are making this country video of this sweet young gal, so I get to hang out all afternoon and evening with a video crew and about 80 fine looking young ladys dancing for the crowd scenes. I just set back and listened, but at the end a bunch of the girls are with the guy who called me, and he says this is the man who saved the day, they invite me back to thier place with a hottub. I just said thanks.

On the flip side the video crew knows me and may use me in something if I fit the look.

Making videos is a trip, The band didnt even know the song, they werent on the recording, so basically they shoot all kinds of shots and by the end of the day the band is actually playing the song, hell I could have played the song by the end of the day. The drums were my best friends so I sent him some shots of Meghan Myles, shes the singer and his drums in the back ground, I said look your drums are famous!

Anyway there are so many sides to music, besided just learning a few scales, like I always say if you want to be a musician get off the computor or couch and get out there and do something, theres plenty to do if you look around and make yourself available.

The country thing is not my cup ot tea, but I write some stuff in a country vien. So I may pass them on to these guys. The have a small label and a couple of my friends are involved so it may lead to somewhere else, just always be available and keep your mind open.

And dont turn down any hot tub offers! Man if I hadnt had to get up for work this morning............................................................................

Glad its going well, I have a gig booked with a key, bass and drummer, gonna go by The John Wilder experiment, I like playing with keys instead of another guitar cause it gives me a cushion to play off of, Im finally getting my little pedal board like I want it. Im going Wah Wah- Fulltone OCD(great pedal)-MXR Phase 90-Carbon Copy Analog Delay(check out the golden gods setting)-Small Clone chorus. And lately Ive just been using my little ORANGE Tiny Terror combo.

Tomorrow night I have a bassist, drummer and singer. Met this singer and he reminds me of Sammy Hager the way he looks, cant really sing that way, but hes been to a lot of my open mics and can sing. SO if it clicks I may book a gig with this group of people just to see what happens.

On the other side of things, had a fairly high profile guitarist in my area contact me to be a personal manager of sorts. Interesting and sounds fun but I know it would take away from my playing, and I decided a few monthes ago to immerse myself in playing, Im averaging 4 nights a week in different situations now. Thoroughly enjoying myself.

Yesterday I get a call from a guitarist friend of mine in the middle of the afternoon. "John, do you have any drums?" Yea I got a set here. "Can you bring them to such and such club?" Sure, so I load them up and they are making this country video of this sweet young gal, so I get to hang out all afternoon and evening with a video crew and about 80 fine looking young ladys dancing for the crowd scenes. I just set back and listened, but at the end a bunch of the girls are with the guy who called me, and he says this is the man who saved the day, they invite me back to thier place with a hottub. I just said thanks.

On the flip side the video crew knows me and may use me in something if I fit the look.

Making videos is a trip, The band didnt even know the song, they werent on the recording, so basically they shoot all kinds of shots and by the end of the day the band is actually playing the song, hell I could have played the song by the end of the day. The drums were my best friends so I sent him some shots of Meghan Myles, shes the singer and his drums in the back ground, I said look your drums are famous!

Anyway there are so many sides to music, besided just learning a few scales, like I always say if you want to be a musician get off the computor or couch and get out there and do something, theres plenty to do if you look around and make yourself available.

The country thing is not my cup ot tea, but I write some stuff in a country vien. So I may pass them on to these guys. The have a small label and a couple of my friends are involved so it may lead to somewhere else, just always be available and keep your mind open.

And dont turn down any hot tub offers! Man if I hadnt had to get up for work this morning............................................................................

THAT was an interesting read.

Sometimes going to work just doesn't matter that much...

As a former boss once said to me, "You miserable old rogue! What do you mean, you hooked up with some Irish girl? You sober up and get your tired ass in here!"

Talbot

If you're doing covers, let violet pick a few songs. He might wake up if he's doing a couple of songs that he really enjoys playing.

A very sharp suggestion Ray, thank you. We actually did this and he is working up "Pick Up The Pieces" doing the horn section on keys and The Doors "Riders on the storm" Cool. We have also been looking for a nickname for him. I don't think he is going for Violet though.
Edit: I just checked out your tracks Raygusto and you got some good stuff there. If you were in SoCal you could drop right into our set.

Yes John, never ever miss an after-party hot tub session with a bunch of wild young babes if you are still single. Work can wait.

John - you must be getting old if you turned down the hot tub offer!

We actually did this and he is working up "Pick Up The Pieces" doing the horn section on keys and The Doors "Riders on the storm" Cool.

LOVES me AWB!!!! can't miss w that stuff if it's done well.

Yes John, never ever miss an after-party hot tub session with a bunch of wild young babes if you are still single. Work can wait.

and never ever partake if ya AIN'T single...cos most likely you will be soon thereafter.