No, I'm still a hacker after 40 years, and I'm saying this 'cuz it is news, a little later on in this post.
I've been away, taking care of some stuff, and delivered a guitar some 650 miles away - had a real good time with the buyer by the way. Literally had to pick myself up off the floor to get home.
Back in Thunder Bay, while still maintaining a home and storage facilities in Sudbury (600 mi.), I am trying like heck to downsize my possessions, yet never seem to have the right guitar at the right time.
Maybe I don't have the right guitar, period. :shock: I've given away and sold all but a few acoustics, and always leaned toward the electric side, quite heavily, yes, making the more noise the better - a hacker's secret maybe?
Soon as I got back, I had some withdrawal and the needed to hear some music, and attended two acoustic jam/performances, Urgent Fundraisers not only for this time of year, but for Aboriginal people's, and also for a community building School/Clinic/Church in Nicaragua.
On Thursday, I went to a well attended & formal clique-type jam, and noticed, as always that one of the acoustic players was kind of tired of always being there, and he was taking more breaks than playing, like 3 breaks in a row, followed my number 4 to chat with people. So I asked if I could experiment with his Martin, which lay idle and plugged in, as the other 4 musicians toiled away, and the single acoustic was being drowned out by a Strat, Gretsch and ba-boom P-Bass.
I had fun with that guitar, it was quite nice, and I played a set to balance & bolster the acoustic "section". Personally, I don't think I did that well with unfamiliar tunes, but the audience didn't notice. If anything, it made the bandmembers want their wayward buddy back! :lol:
Sunday night, I went to a new jam/fundraiser which I thought was electric and gonna be sizzlin', but the sign outside said acoustic. Oh man, what luck again, since I think I've given up on acoustic, and even moreso recently. My last acoustic performances were with a Strat anyway, as you might remember, with acoustic effects/flanger/Zoom G-1 etc., whatever I could get away with, being a bit of a rebel rouser.
This jam/fundraiser thing was very specific - now that's 3 out of 4 in this town that accept acoustic, non plug-ins at their open-mikes, only! I didn't bring a guitar, and have NOT set foot in the building for 40 years, where I began playing, along with school auditoriums as a mid-teenager. Loved it! An old lady offered me the use of her 1949 Gibson J-50 which she purchased for $60 in 1960. :roll: I played, had fun, and it sure felt weird being back there again, with so much of life occurring inbetween. Kind of emotional. :cry:
They insisted and are counting on me, really tugged my arm to go back as they are losing players this time of year, and need $$$ to send to South America. So, I've hit Cowboy Lyrics.com and printed out a bunch of songs I used to play, all Woodstock-era and early 70's tunes, and there's more to come. My fingers are going to be burning, and my voice is hoarse already. But what a trip! I have a Crafter 12-string for songs by Neil Young, John Denver, Cat Stevens, Ian Tyson, Seals & Crofts and Peter Paul & Mary. If that don't kill me, I'll play the second half too with some Creedence, Ricky Nelson, 50's tunes and more, on my Garrison, but it needs alot of tweaking - higher action, if I'm going to strum loud enough, and pick, at volumes to fill a hall. It's set low and easy, for my lazyman's fingers and a little noodling at home.... in theory, I really never seem to find the time. :|
Like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
Haha good luck Blue Jay, man remember to have some fun :D.
Maybe you could play with someone who could sing with you and play with you; two guitars sound louder than one :D.
Hope it gets crazy!
I wanna be that guy that you wish you were ! ( i wish I were that guy)
You gotta set your sights high to get high!
Everyone is a teacher when you are looking to learn.
( wise stuff man! )
Its Kirby....
Haha good luck Blue Jay, man remember to have some fun :D.
Maybe you could play with someone who could sing with you and play with you; two guitars sound louder than one :D.
Hope it gets crazy!
Hey thank you very much Coolnama. Yes, I did come up with a strategy. I can not help that there are fewer guitarists in the show this time of year, and that is why they asked me. So the effort or burden on each one, if there are only 5 instead of 10 or 15, is much greater. The mike is passed around, and each person sings twice or 3 times as many songs individually, while everybody plays all the time. And for 3 hours of music, that gets tiring.
I can not predict what will happen and am getting 16 songs ready, when maybe I'll only need 8? 'Cuz 8 songs each would be like 40 for the whole night, and that sounds right, in 180 minutes.
I am going to do the first half with a 12-string, I think I mentioned that already. I love that sound, and it will really ring in the hall, and should add nicely to the atmosphere. But I think it will be tiring, especially on barre chords, weirder or tougher on minors and sevenths, and definitely challenging on the picking fills and finding the single notes in riffs and melodies.
So, I'll switch to the Garrison 6-string for the last half, which I'm afraid is substandard now, but I don't foresee getting anything new till after Christmas and on sale. The action is too low, I recently filed the saddle twice to lower it and make playing easy. So, it buzzes when you really beat on it, which is what I do, but will not do in this show. Gonna keep both the action and volume low, yes, very low key and not as raunchy or punchy.
I thought I would just loosen the truss rod and give the neck some relief because the light strings aren't pulling hard enough, and there's no solution at the saddle, except to replace. I'm not fond of shims, especially with a piezo pickup there already.
So, I found out that the truss rod has already been loosened, the adjustment is under the Gibson-style bullet-shaped plastic cover on the headstock, and I'd never been there before. It would take medium strings to pull up the neck into a more positive bow, removing the heavy strumming buzz, but I don't want to tinker forever and install Mediums now - will just get on with it, and get it over with. Of course, I could buy a new compenstated saddle and start the filing process all over again, nuh uhh.
I've got to practice playing and singing, and how!!! - a lot of songs for an average person, IMO. It's daunting. :roll:
Some pics of the instruments. The 1962 Gibson has gone, but the Crafter is perfect. I couldn't ask for more, am selling it anyway, it still belongs to my little daughter, though she gave it back to me, I should pay her the proceeds. The 1970 CBS Masterworks by K.Yairi, Japan, in the background just doesn't cut through the mix, and I've stuck myself with just a Garrison (oh, and a 1952 Gibson which can not go out in Winter). So I'm just working with the Garrison which another daughter also gave to me, therefore I must respect it, take the challenge, and make the most of it's shortcomings, which I caused anyhow.
I've had so many good ones and let them all go - looking back I don't know exactly why, each one was different, or for a different reason making sense at the time. The solution to the problem - our 1971-73 SJ Deluxe just sold last week. :shock:
There is half a chance I'll get the Taylor or something else, permanently, and stick with it so I don't find myself in this predicament again.
So much for eliminating acoustics, and trying to force electric guitars, especially the Strat into acoustic/now unplugged venues.
Thumbnails, I think you can click twice for maximim detail. Uhh, maybe not, I don't like the format, but 2 clicks changes the last 3 pics - I'm just tying to save space, not add junk & photobucket details or ads, oh man.......
Like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
lol it seems like you are really worked up haha, how long has it been since you gigged ?
I bet when you all start like playing together ( like at a rehearsal ) it'll really click :D.
I wanna be that guy that you wish you were ! ( i wish I were that guy)
You gotta set your sights high to get high!
Everyone is a teacher when you are looking to learn.
( wise stuff man! )
Its Kirby....
lol it seems like you are really worked up haha, how long has it been since you gigged ?
I bet when you all start like playing together ( like at a rehearsal ) it'll really click :D.
Last gig was nearly a year-and-a-half to 2 1/2 years or 30 months ago. :?
I don't really gig that much, only do so when tugged, push, pulled or dragged... that being said I usually do about 2 a year for charity. My problem is being a solo guy, so I team up with other musicians and take turns; we call them Coffee Houses, or more recently, jams, but with paying audiences and always for a good cause.
They go on 3 times a week now and I find it easier to go & pay, & NOT play. That's when I sometimes (or is it almost always?) borrow someone else's guitar if they're not using it, or need a break. And then there's "open mike" opportunities which I do at random - so simple, only have to play one or two songs. No pressure, by memory of course.
Really this cold and snowy winter climate is not good for carrying guitars around in - it is hardly worth it, and takes alot of prep work & extra time, or babying & warming the equipment. Jeez it's a hassle, being careful.
When I began (at 15) almost 40 years ago, I practically had to start the whole darn trend, as very little was going way up North, unless you gigged in a bar band. I played in bars at 16 underage, passing the hat.
To confirm what I said long ago, I was 'discovered' (hee hee) at about your age, 17, and did a little TV show, that was weird... remember I said "Like going to school the next day and having everyone talk about it?"
I've raised a family for nearly 30 years, and actually worked some real jobs, and that took me away & out of circulation, but I wrote songs at home, and nothing could stop me from buying, building, collecting and repairing guitars. :lol:
Playing up to 16 songs and avoiding mistakes is a big thing at this time, at least I think so?
I think I'll lose my voice very soon, practising, and get eye strain, reading. :oops:
Like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
Haha I'm 15, just turned 15 on November 29. So I've still got a while before I can go into a bar and play, heck I can't even drive until next year. Thanks for the extra years though :P. Its really nice being this young, but not too young, I think I started at a nice age at 13, my teacher says most people younger than that quit easily, not everybody though.
Wow last time you gigged I hadn't even started playing guitar, time, time, time. I think I'm at a good level for only a year and a bit more than a half of playing , I didn't play in public until I was really more than ready ( so I wouldn't have to go through the crash and burn feeling xD ) and now its normal, I really prefer improvisation ( thats why I like Jazz ), I play with the school guitar group, I can sing and play but my voice is blegh, the few people that have heard me sing seriously like it, but I never sing seriously in front of people I don't know, its a process, just like playing guitar in public was, I guess.
Making a band is a bit of a hassle xD, my school is especially though ( because they are mean like that ), I think I'm in a band o.o, we have a couple of songs but since 2 out of 4 of the guys are Seniors they get really busy, and I'm a Junior so I get really busy too. I wish I could gig like on a constant basis, learning songs doesn't take more than half an hour or an hour, but really I don't have places to gig o.o, maybe when I get into university and when I get a car ( and learn how to drive ).
Lol so what was the TV show about ? xD
I wanna be that guy that you wish you were ! ( i wish I were that guy)
You gotta set your sights high to get high!
Everyone is a teacher when you are looking to learn.
( wise stuff man! )
Its Kirby....
Coolnama asked "Lol so what was the TV show about ? xD"
Hee, hee this is a nice conversation, but I sure have been going on long. Nice to hear about YOU! 'Tis cool, yeah. :D
My TV Show was just me, only me, and yours truly (that's me!) playing the guitar solo, and singing cover tunes of the day, early 70's. It re-ran for a couple of years.
The guitar was miked the old-fashioned way, and I sang into a boom mike, which was quite ordinary, the whole thing was very plain - I had to make all the noise? For 30 minutes, maybe 20 if they had commercials, I can't remember. :?
Of course I didn't get paid, I never got paid. I guess it was a sort of public service; maybe the ads were community oriented about stuff around the town, businesses helping people etc., charitable events, occasions, donations?
Girls watched and came around my house, looking in the windows, or just standing, waiting for me to come out. Then they giggled. Except I had a girlfriend, and she was always with me. Oh well, the little flock was funny, and my parents liked that.
We alternated or subbed-in some other talent, tried drama and other things but there weren't many that would do it for NO money, and back then there seemed to be a shortage of people and resources. I know that REAL musicians or bands from the Union, would have had to get paid.
Most of the bands had agents or reps, and released singles. I'm going to paste a link to Don Grashey, Myrna Lorrie and Carroll Baker who were here at the time. I at least got invited to play with them when I showed up at a nice venue, they'd make a spot, and I fared well in their talent shows, always, great prizes!
I talked to Mr. Grashey, but he & I both knew that I wasn't good enough or serious, and it was just a hobby, I didn't put alot into it. I had a real job that paid, as well as school.
That's why I called it weird, or a little "too simple". :roll:
Anywhoo, Carroll still holds a World Record!
And it can't be beat. That's neat. 8)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Grashey
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrna_Lorrie
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carroll_Baker_(singer) the link eventually works, there's a problem with the last comma, so please click on her name when you get there and it asks "Did you mean:" Carroll Baker (singer), same system here:
http://wapedia.mobi/en/Carroll_Baker_(singer)
The actual World Record, as I understand & not too clear was her 14 consecutive #1 Singles. Nobody else has ever done that, or likely will.
Like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
Wow, so it was just you and your guitar playing some songs and singing :shock:, that was back in the 60s right ? ( late 60s ).
Ah so you didn't take it too seriously, so the songs were mostly simple then ? ( simple is nice don't get me wrong :P )
Haha btw I searched Caroll Baker on wikipedia and I found : is an American actress who has enjoyed popularity as both a serious dramatic actress and, particularly in the 1960s, a movie sex symbol.
And then I saw " For Canadian Country SInger click here" xD.
Wow seems like they were pretty famous country musicians, and you got a chance to talk to them and stuff ? Wow the stuff that happened in the 60s and 70s always impresses me, seems like stars talked to just about anyone. My teacher went through almost the same thing as you did, he was discovered and played 4 years in a show with a group called " The Golden Boys" but he was more serious about it, after that, when he was 21 or so he was hired to make the music for a Soap Opera, and ended up acting on it too O_O, then he continued with the odd gig jobs until he ended up teaching like 8 years ago.
These days its harder to make it with just a guitar :P, and there are so many new genres, most of the scene way down here is ruled by hip-hop and stuff like that.
I wanna be that guy that you wish you were ! ( i wish I were that guy)
You gotta set your sights high to get high!
Everyone is a teacher when you are looking to learn.
( wise stuff man! )
Its Kirby....
