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It's been a while
xtremehardy388
Posts: 2,759
Sorry I've been MIA. I've been busy with college (graduated a month ago) and working with Public Safety. However, I finally brought out the acoustic to mess around with and found an old passion. I have to admit...I love the Elixers that my girlfriend got me. Add the fast fret and and I'm a happy camper. However, my problem(s) is(are) finding time to play, getting the "spark", and figuring out what to play. I jammed with some friends over on some songs I would always play (about 6 years ago) and they all got chills because it took them back to where they were. How do you all get the "spark" and find time to play? By the way, are there any members here that remember me? Hope all is well with everyone
Grand Rapids '04, Detroit '06
JEFF HARDY AND JEFF AMENT USED TO LOOK THE SAME
"Pearl Jam always eases my mind and fires me up at the same time.”-Jeff Hardy
JEFF HARDY AND JEFF AMENT USED TO LOOK THE SAME
"Pearl Jam always eases my mind and fires me up at the same time.”-Jeff Hardy
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playing guitar is one of my releases. i have so much energy and so much shit built up inside of me that i have to get out, and when i am not pushing weights around at the gym i am releasing that stuff by playing guitar. it is just something that i make time for. even if it is for only 5 minutes a day, playing guitar is just something that i feel like i have to do every day. i try to figure out something new every time i pick up a guitar. maybe i heard something on the radio or on the tv that i had not heard in a long time. i challenge myself to improve my ear by trying to figure something out by ear. i also have the rocksmith game for my xbox, which keeps playing guitar fresh. i am still in my band and had been in a second one for a short time, so looking forward to those rehearsals kept me motivated to keep playing. i had been doing a lot of writing and recording for awhile when i was going through some rough times, but since i have gotten past all of that i have been feeling particularly uninspired with regard to writing.... but just playing is enough for me these days, ya know?
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
The true test of knowing if you play enough is when you pick a guitar up to show someone something, and your hands hurt after two minutes!
In the end you can never force that spark. It will hurt the situation and not help it. At least that's how it goes with me.
https://www.facebook.com/aghostwritersapology/
I eventually found my gear a week later (I think I had posted about it). It was ditched in some bushes and rain got into it. Thankfully nothing was destroyed. The only thing lost was a digital camera (with some irreplaceable photos
The band is still technically together but our drummer sold his gear and we haven't seen him in over a year. The bassist and I still jam...when there's time. He works 60+ hours a week (gotta love growing up, right?)
I still play for friends every so often (and yes, my stamina is not like it used to be!) But like it's been said, ya can't force that spark. I miss it, though...I miss the rush of setting up my gear (and if any of you remember my board, it would take a good thirty minutes), the excitement of practice....but most of all, the innocence of playing. Back then, my biggest worry was about the girl I was getting rejected by...that fueled my playing. Now there are much bigger obstacles in life. I can't seem to clear my mind or find enough time to really play. Sure, if I hear something on the radio, I'll fiddle around with it (when I find time) but otherwise, I just don't have that burning desire. By the way---my latest songs I've learned were "Boyfriend" by Justin Bieber, "What You Know" by the Two Door Cinema Club, "Tell Me How am I Supposed to Live" by Michael Bolton, and "Dirt Road Anthem" by Jason Aldean....my tastes have since changed...as I've been told, I'm a 13 year-old girl fighting the country music singing mid 20s guy....but then obeying the 50 year old woman....
I'm hoping I'll find that spark soon...I miss talking gear but it seems like everyone is in the digital age where stompboxes are becoming obsolete...
JEFF HARDY AND JEFF AMENT USED TO LOOK THE SAME
"Pearl Jam always eases my mind and fires me up at the same time.”-Jeff Hardy
Pedals will NEVER become obsolete. Just like tube amps, you can't replace them.
https://www.facebook.com/aghostwritersapology/
JEFF HARDY AND JEFF AMENT USED TO LOOK THE SAME
"Pearl Jam always eases my mind and fires me up at the same time.”-Jeff Hardy
https://www.facebook.com/aghostwritersapology/
Nope. It's all just sound. Just another colour of paint.
I played today (with one of the guitar back tracking sites) and felt pretty good. I only used a few pedals (which is out of the ordinary for me). I'm hoping that this summer will reinvigorate my drive and passion. Has anyone made any major changes to their rigs in the past year or so?
JEFF HARDY AND JEFF AMENT USED TO LOOK THE SAME
"Pearl Jam always eases my mind and fires me up at the same time.”-Jeff Hardy
i started out with digital effects processors and such, but that was too complicated for me. give me a good guitar, a very good vintage amp, and a couple of boxes just to color the amp tone some and i am a happy dude and i will be good with that set up for a long time.
unfortunately, i hate to be the one to break it to ya, but if your drummer sold his gear and has fucked off for over a year, i can say with a fair degree of certainty that they are not coming back. if i were in your shoes, i would fire that guy and audition new drummers. having to replace someone would be enough of a motivating factor to get the rest of your band together and everyone would have to be there for auditions and to jam with any people auditioning. and in my humble opinion that would create that spark you are looking for. there is a certain spark that occurs when you are faced with the choice of disbanding or the necessity of finding a new drummer. we had that same issue in january when we fired out longtime bass player. the band was about dead and 4 of the 5 of us decided we wanted to continue with a different bassist and we had to audition a few and now the band is as productive as we have ever been, just without all of the drama and crap and fighting that we dealt with for so long. sometimes when i am in a funk musically or just kind of burnt out or disinterested in music when we have a few months between gigs, the spark comes when i get the band together just to practice and work on things. i would try that if i were you. it is like putting on old shoes, and just see how good it feels.
i never realized there was an innocence about gigging. mostly because i would get shitface drunk at shows and i never really took it all in and appreciated how lucky my band was and how we were able to write our own ticket on any stage in the metro area. for me it was all about getting drunk for free, showing off, and hopefully but rarely getting laid
i would audition drummers if i were in your situation. that will certainly spark SOMETHING...
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
also, i have been using my strat a lot more lately :shock: :shock: i have always been a gibson guy, but i found the fourth position on the pickup selector on the strat and i absolutely LOVE the tone i get from it.
here are a few video clips from a show we did last month where i was playing the strat... they are a little sloppy because we had just learned those 2 songs 2 nights before that show and we just decided to grab our collective nuts and go for it
http://www.gloriousblue.com/av.html
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
I recently played (earlier tonight) with NO pedals, at all! It was crazy...I was forced to play and rely on my talent rather than pedals. I did okay.
I don't gig like I used to. Working plus doing the Fire/EMS gig forces one to be aware of their surroundings. I can't (and don't want to be) around a ton of drunks for various reasons.
I figured our drummer was gone. I'm proposing to my girlfriend in a month and her dad is a darn good player (check out "Bleedrail" or sound click. He's damn good) and he's got a studio. We mess around every so often. It's just a nice stress release, ya know? I am glad stomp boxes are going to be around for a while. I'm trying to get back into things. I seem to be stuck in the past, though. I'm learning so many 90s songs, I feel like I'm behind with the times. What (might be) is worse is that I have no desire to learn anything relatively new (other than learning "Boyfriend" by Justin Bieber....yes, I smacked myself in the face....) I'm just not into the new rock that I hear. Is that a bad thing? Also, have any of you tried switching your pedal placement, just for fun or experimenting?
JEFF HARDY AND JEFF AMENT USED TO LOOK THE SAME
"Pearl Jam always eases my mind and fires me up at the same time.”-Jeff Hardy
Anyway, as long as guys like this are around pedals aren't going out of fashion anytime soon:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UMzuJFNg38
And yes, that's a 30min rig rundown...