Re-awakening the music spirit

[evangilder]

So, last weekend during my wife's birthday party, I was sitting and gabbing with an old friend about music (he's a drummer and song writer). Last Sunday, I pulled out my Ibanez Artcore and started playing again. The one thing that I found is that my calluses have long since gone away. In playing to build them up again, I pulled out my oldest guitar in my collection, an Ibanez 12 string acoustic, restrung it (I forgot what a pain THAT was!) and played for about 45 minutes.

One thing I noticed was that I am way more relaxed playing now that it's just for fun. It's musical masturbation. I'm the only one who gets anything out of it. Riffs that used to kick my azz are flowing a lot easier. But then again, this is probably the first time I have spent time with my guitars since I have been clean and sober. It's amazing how much easier it is when my head is clear.

So now I have played 4 of the 6 guitars I have again. I have been giving the Artcore a bit more attention as it is the newest guitar I own and hollow body electrics are just frickin fun!

So I don't have a point to all of this rambling. Just sharing a bit of my life that I had been missing that I just rediscovered. I took a couple of pics of my guitars with the iPhone. I plan on setting up the photo studio to get some real nice shots of all of them once I get them all cleaned up. The blue one is the Ibanez Artcore that I bought in 2005. The Acoustic 12 is one that I got as a gift about 30 years ago.

 

[A4K]

Great stuff Erich, good on ya mate!

You've hit my current mood on the head with your being 'more relaxed now it's just for fun' comment too... Drawing has become alot harder since going full time, so much more riding on them than just a 'free picture for a friend/ family member' as has previously been the case. Been quite depressed of late too as a result of this internal pressure.

Were you able to find a way to 'relax' in your photography without driving yourself nuts going for perfection? (or is that the answer to my own question - not to aim for perfection???)

 

[Njaco]

I agree on the relax comment. I just started up a band with a bunch of my old bandmates and just singing was a joy. A little rusty but fun!

 

[evangilder]

With the photography, I have always just enjoyed it through the lens, so I haven't felt pressure to be perfect. I did have trouble getting over the "Holy crap, I am flying in a vintage aircraft" part for a while, but now I just take it all in as I fly and shoot. The funny thing is that it often takes watching it on the helmet cam to see more of the flight because I am looking through the viewfinder.

Anywho, I did a little research on the 12 string and found out it was built in 1979, haven't found the month yet, but it's pretty cool to find out it is older than I thought.

 

[Melonfish]

i used to hit a lot of open mics, mostly ran by friends, and i loved it but found it really ate up time and money, plus there was a lot of effort to get new stuff in and learn it for the next lot, you can't keep doing the same set in the same place every week.
i've stepped back a bit from those (partly due to illness) and now i just play for a bit of fun at home and occasionally go out, at home i also get to play with my loop pedal so when i do go out i'll at least sound a bit fresher then i would going every week.
i'll defo second that playing sober is far easier then when you've had a few, playing in pubs means alcohol is everywhere and after a few drinks okay you get into it a bit more but damn does your playing go to hell.
i have 2 Takamine acoustics and love em both to death.
Pete

 

[A4K]

Cheers Eric! (and sorry I misspelled your name earlier!!!)

I'm better now too, that was just one of my little deppy moments sorry - made better progress with a sketch since posting that comment.

 

[evangilder]

I have a couple of friends that have Takamines and they have great tone. I have drooled over a few of them myself. But already owning 6 guitars, the missus gives me that look (which basically means "uh, no".)

No worries, Evan. Anything is art (music, drawing, painting, sculpting, photography) seems to have creative cycles. You probably have the artist's curse, being your own worse critic. One of my quirks is that I am a bit of a perfectionist, which drives my wife nuts sometimes. Being involved in anything creative and being a perfectionist can be a b!tch! But age an experience have gotten me to relax on that more.

I got to thinking about how I am a perfectionist in most things yet have learned to relax with photography. I kind of analyzed it in my own mind. I have two formulas that I use in photography that I have been using without really thinking about it. One is the "tried and true" settings and shooting that I do that will net me good, usable photos 90-95% of the time. This I call the foundation mode. The other is what I call the stretch mode. In Stretch mode, I experiment with different settings, step outside of my comfort zone and do something I haven't done before. The cool thing is that stretch mode can become a foundation too.

What I do with photography is when I am doing a shoot, 50-66% of the shoot is in foundation mode. The other part is stretch mode. The perfectionist in me comes out in the post shoot review. That's where I look at the stretch shots and study what I like/don't like. If it is something I want to repeat, I put that on my "try it again" list in my mind. As you get used to the new stuff that you learned in stretch mode, it becomes part of your foundation. So you build a larger foundation each time. Over time, you find that your foundation is big enough that you can create great things more easily while still learning.

Now if I could only consistently get my foundation guitar playing good. But being a chronic insomniac gives me time in the morning to do a little playing before I go to work. Like this shot I took with my webcam the other morning at 3:30 AM.

 

[A4K]

Love the shot Eric!

MANY THANKS for the advice!

Yep, I'm also a perfectionist (in anything I do), and indeed my own worst critic, so hear ya completely!
Ivett often says I'm way too hard on myself, but while she is right, my thinking is that if we don't push ourselves as far as we can go, we can never improve (establishing those foundations, as you put it).
Still, a man can push himself too far (mentally) and I do need to learn to back off with myself a little now and again. Will sure give your advice a go

Thanks again mate, and I'll stop hijacking your thread now

(Wish I could play the guitar too btw..!)

 

[vikingBerserker]

Awesome!

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Good stuff Eric.

Music is a healing thing in my opinion.

 

[evangilder]

Love the shot Eric!

Yep, I'm also a perfectionist (in anything I do), and indeed my own worst critic, so hear ya completely!
Ivett often says I'm way too hard on myself, but while she is right, my thinking is that if we don't push ourselves as far as we can go, we can never improve (establishing those foundations, as you put it).
Still, a man can push himself too far (mentally) and I do need to learn to back off with myself a little now and again. Will sure give your advice a go

Geez, Evan, are you my long lost brother? I would be there are a lot of people out there in creative pursuits that are the same way. There is definitely a balance of perfection versus creativity, and I would venture to guess that people who are really successful in creative ventures have a good handle on that balance.

I agree on healing, Chris. There is more power in the rhythms than I think science has explored. It certainly helps me when my mood is sour.

I have ordered a MIDI cable for my keyboard to be able to do some MIDI sequencing again. Best Buy wanted $60 for a MIDI cable! So I ordered one from Hong Kong for $5 that is close to the same thing. In the mean time, I have been programming rhythms and drum tracks with Garage Band on the MAC. FUN, and amazingly easy compared to the stuff I used about 15-20 years ago. I am looking to buy a PreSonus Fire Studio that is a firewire based input for the computer with XLR, 1/4" and MIDI interfaces on it that also have pre-amp effects for guitar and microphones!

Amazing what spending a couple of hours with an old friend will do to re-ignite the creative side. When I finish my latest music creation, I will post it for you guys to hear. I am working on three different compositions, both very different from each other.

 

[Lucky13]

My toy that I bought a few months back....

 

[evangilder]

Gretsch makes some nice guitars.

I was playing in garage band yesterday, learning the app and just experimenting. I put this tune together. It's busy, because I was playing around and using different styles and ethnic flavors.

 

[Melonfish]

Also if anyone has any current console or a decent pc, i would consider buying "Rocksmith"
its essentially guitar hero that you plug a real guitar into (you get the game and 1/4" to usb cable)
also great for beginners, i'm getting it for my son.

regarding your biggest critic, i really am my own worst enemy, i've tried recording myself many times and each and every time i delete it because i'm disgusted with myself lol. yet friends and my wife say i have a fine voice and my m8 who really can sing reckons i'm nashville tuned, if you sing something or there's something playing i'll automatically start singing a harmony, i'll do 3rds 5ths and 7ths without thinking. tis fun. i've had compliments whilst out singing in pubs too, but i'll always hate the sound of my own voice... which is odd.
anyhoo yeah i trust my wife, she wouldn't pander to my ego, and when i do hit a bum note she proclaims it loudly (much to my uber disgust lol) so i get that whole side of it heh.

 

[evangilder]

Yep, and there is some psychological thing that happens to the fingers and brain when the red record light comes on. I have had many times in the past when something can be played flawlessly every time, until the red light comes on, then things go to hell. Weird that.

 

[A4K]

I know that feeling Eric... almost a form of 'stage fright' I think, no doubt springing from our wanting everything to be 'perfect'...

I was a profesional solderer by trade, for example, but if anyone I wasn't comfortable with came and watched me working, it was all I could do to stop my hands visibly shaking and concentrate on the job... I would get paranoid they were scrutinizing and criticizing my work! - That just proves how important our workmanship is to us, I guess!


Liked 'The Return' too mate! A little 'busy' around the 3/4 mark (IMO) , but still really good I reckon!