Sorry to start a thread and pretty much dissappear. I'm better now. Just in time for the weekend!
Thanks for all the tips and encouragement, again. If all goes well, we're on for next week. Adding one song to the mix. The Troggs' "Wild Thing". I'm also trying to put together a single guitar sheet for American Girl that I can follow easy enough. I've got the song book and my Petty & Heartbreakers CD. Hitting a mental block for whatever reason.
TR, I did have some anxiety going on, but not a ton. This cat is really cool. Smart as a whip too. I probably had as little anxiety as possible.
cnev, I hope the playing solos issues resolve themselves. I understand your need for being as close to perfection as possible. You do have to admit that we are at a disadvantage sometimes, compared to the originals. I've been reading that those solos are lots of times done improv. We gotta copy what they did. They got to wing it, we have to study and learn. Unfair.
Vic, I hope your efforts of finding some folks to play with are bearing some fruit. That's one of the things I wanted to do this year. Maybe an open mic. A crappy music store moved and is trying to become un-crappy. Small-time operation. Limited inventory is a generous term regrding them, but they do have 1/2 the store dedicated to a sort of coffee-shop / performing arts area complete with stage and everything. All small scale. Well, long story short, they have open mics on Tuesdays. I'm thinking of checking them out, show my face a couple of time and otherwise checking out the vibe. Maybe get the nerve to hop up there when some good lead player needs some backing. Lots of cards would need to fall into place.
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
Roy,
Oh yea exactly I know these guys usually never played the same solo twice, that's why when I work on a song I try to start out with the original and the solo that was recorded for it. at least I have a solid base.
My hope is that some day (maybe) when I've paid my dues I'll be able to really do the same thing and add my own touch to them.
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
My hope is that some day (maybe) when I've paid my dues I'll be able to really do the same thing and add my own touch to them.
I bet it's one of those things that sneaks up on you and you can't imagine not being able to do it.
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
well it better start sneaking up fast. It may happen cuz it seems like that's the nature of learning to play the guitar but I really need to do a better job of kick starting the process myself.
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
Our second jam is tonight! Got an email last night asking if Wednesday would be alright. Kewl! We added the easy version of Wild Thing to the play list. I've got one song that I need to get better at doing. I know why I've not been good at it at least. It's because the downloaded sheets I have all have some wrong chords. He played the song, "Honky Tonk Woman" with every band he's been in. Sure enough, the chord changes worked and all of a sudden the song had flow.
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
Well, that was cool. I held up in fine fashion. It was cut short to about 90 minutes due to some personal things he had to handle with wife, but we knew that ahead of time and I'm sure he made it home in fine fashin.
So, we did.....
American Girl
Honky Tonk Woman
Sympathy For The Devil
Bad Moon Rising
Breathe/Time/Breathe
Ring Of Fire
Come Sail Away
Comfortably Numb
Brain Damage and Eclipse
Bad Moon Rising
Suspicious Minds
Tangerine
I put together a formatted sheet for American girl. Dotted every "i", etc., and I still sucked at it. He reminded me that it's OK and that they played this for 3 1/2 years in the band that disinergrated last Autumn. So, 14 songs from what I remember. I have a couple of things to learn that he likes to play. "Money" and an Elvis song I forgot the title of. One I've had an interest in learning.
Oh, I did do some lead. He coaxed me into doing a lead in Comfortably numb. Wasn't a total disaster, and especially when it's just a couple of guys in bonus room. I also did the opening lick in "Honkey Tonk Woman". Good fun.
I hope he returns. I had a great time. I was a little nervous up front, but settled down nicely.
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
Very cool Roy! Sounds like you guys are having a blast. My son and I are looking for 1 or 2 people to do something similar. Just some acoustics and sitting around the bonus room jamming.
roy,
Way to go. If you guys keep it going you'll never want to go back to playing alone, throw in a drummer and your a band!
The only suggestion I would say is keep on taking leads no matter how bad you think they sound. You'll never be able to do it, if you don't just do it, if that makes any sense. Advice I need to practice more myself.
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
roy,
Way to go. If you guys keep it going you'll never want to go back to playing alone, throw in a drummer and your a band!
The only suggestion I would say is keep on taking leads no matter how bad you think they sound. You'll never be able to do it, if you don't just do it, if that makes any sense. Advice I need to practice more myself.
Taking a lead now and then is probably not too shabby an idea. Get a feel for doing it in a more live setting than my PC's speakers. I did set up my pedals for different levels of intensity. It just all goes by so fast.
Meanwhile, my son played the drums again this afternoon for a while. He's starting to get comfortable with them. I'm behind on my Metallica song learning.
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
Yes it does fly by real fast especially if you are having fun.
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
Well - I had my first jam for a while last night. Darth Ordinary (let's call him DO for short from here on in, eh?) came round to my house last night. We didn't jam an awful lot - maybe a couple of songs - but we did have a laugh catching up, it's been a while since the last time we got together.
DO brought his laptop and a toneport - plugged into the "AUX" socket of my amp. He brought the Gordon Smith guitar - man, that's a lovely guitar. Such a wide range of tones, and he put it through its paces last night - used the split coil facility (sorry, not too well up on the technical terms - but I think it was something to do with turning humbuckers into single coils. Correct me if I'm wrong.)
Now, I've got to tell you, DO's a very quiet guy - doesn't think he's a good guitarist. Some of the stuff he showed me last night blew me away - fingerpicked vesions of songs like "Tears In Heaven" and "Here Comes The Sun" made me feel like an absolute novice. He's GOOD!
Sorry If I'm blowin' your cover here, DO, but man, you really should be playing in a band - so far ahead of me, I don't even know how to start improving my playing. Well, maybe not how, but WHERE.....
Anyway, like I said, we didn't get an awful lot done....but it was still fun. Took a while for DO to upload some of his software to my computer - but the ("last song before I go") blues jam cooked a little (I played rhythm!) and maybe next week we'll find some more common ground. We did manage to get the riff to "Sharp Dressed Man" down.....but I know now, I need a lot more practise. My little solo excursions (penta scales) sounded a bit weedy next to his runs up and down the fretboard......
DO doesn't realise how good he actually is - I'd love to hear him record something and put it in "Hear Here." There's some very good guitarists on this site, and I've listened to most of them....I'd put him in the top 10, easily. Me? I might scrape into the top 1000 on a good day....
Spent a lot of time today just practising - man, I need to get better!
And DO, you better practise more - I'm going to REALLY work at this guitar playing, I might just catch you up in a year or fifty!!!
Am I jealous? Hell, YES! Do I want to give up because I'll never be that good? Hell, NO! I'll settle for "Decent Rhythm Guitarist".........makes me want to practise more. Get better. You know what I mean?
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
Vic, I've got a friend who picks up his guitar just to fumble around with it. He's been doing it for years and probably does not know a song from beginning to end. His tone though. Man, it's some pretty stuff. I wish he'd someday dive into it for real. Oh well. I'm also quite sure you're a lot better than you're caring to admit these days. I've seen a few of those videos.
So, my now normal weekly bass jam partner has not contacted me yet this week to line up anything except to say that his wife is starting a class at nights this week. Wednesday night IIRC, and he'll know more better after that as far as being able to jam and when. Hopefully something happens for tomorrow or the weekend. Looks like a major (for us) winter weather system is hitting us Friday evening. One of those 2-3 times a decade things. As long as it doesn't knock out the power, we'll be fine. I also forgot to mention earlier that he'd like to do a couple of Led Zep songs eventually. "Gallows Pole" and "The Ocean" Parts of "The Ocean" will take some time.
And on my Son's front with the drums. He's picked out two AC/DC tunes to go along with the one Metallica song. It was "Enter Sandman", but is now changed to "For Whom The Bell Tolls". This one is proving to be not that difficult. A lot of repetition, palm muting and field dressing cats as they explode from the amps volume. The AC/DC tunes are "Back In Black" and "You Shook Me All Night". Rhythm on everything, except one little fast chromatic going down the frets thing on FWTBT.
Add to it one number that I'm doing electronically with someone. We hoped to have the "first chapter" of it doen a couple weeks ago. I think I finally got my part felt out pretty good. Trying to get a really clean take on about 2 1/2 minutes of Richards doing a few versions of a shuffle. Man, it is kicking my tail.
So, for the short term I have to learn:
For Whom The Bell Tolls - Metallica (I'm hanging on my own with this one. Not bad for a geezer.)
Enter Sandman - Metallica (thanks again cnev. btw, I ordered a book. I'll pm you about it when it get in)
Back In Black - AC/DC (already know two fo the rhythm pieces)
You Shook Me All Night - AC/DC
The Promised Land - Elvis (think I found out that I can play it pretty easy a couple nights ago.)
Money - Pink Floyd (This might be the one Pink Floyd song I don't like and never bothered to learn it.)
The Ocean
Gallows Pole ( I can do this OK. Nothing great.)
So, in return for all of that, my son gets to learn:
The metallica and AC/DC songs mentioned earlier, but on drum.
Honky Tonk Woman
any my friend gets to learn some Neil Young Songs. I'm thinking "Down By The River" and/or "Keep On Rocking In The Free World". He's also taken a few from my list and come up to speed on them in short fashion.
I'm finding that there's more to learn than just songs too. Intros, outros, transitions, etc, all need to be hammered out.
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
Well Roy I have tabs like the Metallica song for the two AC/DC songs. I know the Shook Me all Night long tab has the solo also I don't remember if Back in Black does we never ended up playing it much.
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
Thanks cnev. I think I've got what I need here for it all. Back In Black has a solo. I'll just play the chords for now. I have not looked inot the other one yet other than a glance. I should be alright. :D
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
Wow, you.ve got a lot going musically, Congratulations1 I'm envious, I'm having trouble finding anyone to jam with. I've got plenty of stuff I need to improve but it's fun to just jam sometimes. It's great you son's interested, my 9 y.o. daughter is starting to get interested in guitar and she wants to write songs (something I've found frustrating everytime I try, can't seem to put together more than a phrase or two let alone a whole song) but I'm trying to encourage her.
