Guitar anyone? Electric or accoustic

[Jess42]

i did my worst stuff when i was completely depressed. you know i've been through a path of self-discovery only to arrive where i came from. i guess i just had an insane episode last year when i joined, all i know is that i played badly, i sang badly, i wrote awful. I'm better than then at least, but the fire is gone. I wish i still had that recording from when i still lived in the netherlands where i used that echoplex. I was way worse technically, but the fire, the inspiration has been missing since that time. The only thing i can get lost in right now is playing something funky.

I am just the opposite. the darker the feelings, the more depressed, the more F'd up I feel emotionally, the more good stuff pops out of my mind. I love blues, I sing like crap so I am a guitarist only. If I sing, I guarantee more people would be suicidal than me . You just have to find that inspiration. With me feel goody, warm feelings and love hold no inspiration. Raw sexuality, depression, anger, and other darker subjects is where I find my inspiration. If I watch a Disney movie before I gig, my playing sux.

[CalmRage]

I am just the opposite. the darker the feelings, the more depressed, the more F'd up I feel emotionally, the more good stuff pops out of my mind. I love blues, I sing like crap so I am a guitarist only. If I sing, I guarantee more people would be suicidal than me . You just have to find that inspiration. With me feel goody, warm feelings and love hold no inspiration. Raw sexuality, depression, anger, and other darker subjects is where I find my inspiration. If I watch a Disney movie before I gig, my playing sux.

even when i'm utterly miserable i don't sound dark. i only once managed to make my playing sound dark and that was when i accidentally forgot to take my prescription meds for a weekend and suffered from withdrawal including mild hallucinations and an overwhelming sense of dread. I played my guitar (then i still played an ibanez guitar) with a fury that never came back and i scratched my pick onto the strings for a certain effect too and i sang along with the songs too, i was in good voice that day. I was listening to a Frank Zappa live album recorded in 1982 and a lot of it sounds quite dark and a lot of it is instrumental.

[Lara the Lover and the Fighter]

even when i'm utterly miserable i don't sound dark. i only once managed to make my playing sound dark and that was when i accidentally forgot to take my prescription meds for a weekend and suffered from withdrawal including mild hallucinations and an overwhelming sense of dread. I played my guitar (then i still played an ibanez guitar) with a fury that never came back and i scratched my pick onto the strings for a certain effect too and i sang along with the songs too, i was in good voice that day. I was listening to a Frank Zappa live album recorded in 1982 and a lot of it sounds quite dark and a lot of it is instrumental.

Tell me you recorded that. o.o

[CalmRage]

Tell me you recorded that. o.o

i didn't have a recording device running that day. It sounded pretty dark and heavy though.

Ever since then i knew that forgetting to take my antidepressants is not pretty, at least when one is taking high dosages, as i was getting at the time. Now i take them irregularly without noticing anything (by irregularly i mean that i often only take them once a day instead of twice a day).
That guitar broke down a couple of months later and was never the same and the "repair job" i had done on it was really badly done. I should've demanded my money back, but i didn't know better. I like the Strat better anyway.

But a couple of months later i actually smashed my acoustic guitar to pieces in a fit of rage after arguing with my dad, although i must admit that in this case it was pretty one-sided. I was frustrated that he couldn't admit his mistakes. But the short while where i only had an acoustic guitar did a lot for my playing. I wish i still had an acoustic. I love acoustic guitars and electric guitars equally.

[Lara the Lover and the Fighter]

i didn't have a recording device running that day. It sounded pretty dark and heavy though.

Ever since then i knew that forgetting to take my antidepressants is not pretty, at least when one is taking high dosages, as i was getting at the time. Now i take them irregularly without noticing anything (by irregularly i mean that i often only take them once a day instead of twice a day).
That guitar broke down a couple of months later and was never the same and the "repair job" i had done on it was really badly done. I should've demanded my money back, but i didn't know better. I like the Strat better anyway.

But a couple of months later i actually smashed my acoustic guitar to pieces in a fit of rage after arguing with my dad, although i must admit that in this case it was pretty one-sided. I was frustrated that he couldn't admit his mistakes. But the short while where i only had an acoustic guitar did a lot for my playing. I wish i still had an acoustic. I love acoustic guitars and electric guitars equally.

I know what you mean.  When I play acoustic I get this weird feeling like I want to play electric too.  I know I don't have enough hands to play both but I still feel the urge.  It's weird.  Like the way I want to fly. HAH!

[Aquarelle]

Some of my beauties (the most used ones):

[CalmRage]

i played awful today. i used to have a real good sense of rhythm but now i constantly veer off-beat. It's less abilities than me being nervous and overcompensating.

edit:

alright now i did something that sounded actually quite nice again.

[Jess42]

i played awful today. i used to have a real good sense of rhythm but now i constantly veer off-beat. It's less abilities than me being nervous and overcompensating.

edit:

alright now i did something that sounded actually quite nice again.

Are you playing in front of people? Why so nervous?

When I first started playing in a band at real gigs. I would get this feeling like snakes in my stomach. You know like garter snakes when they come out of hibernation. Hands shaking, legs weak and all the other stuff. I used to slam 1 beer beforehand, then be turned around facing the drummer. After the opening riff was played and the verses kicked in, I then could turn around and play in front of everyone. I did this about a dozen times and then it became no big deal. There will always be mess ups in live music, there is absolutely no way of getting around them but it's how well you can recover and find where you need to be after the screw up that takes skill. Dropped picks, broken strings, guitars coming out of tune, and tripping are all part of the game. It happens to the bigtimers too.

[CalmRage]

Are you playing in front of people? Why so nervous?

When I first started playing in a band at real gigs. I would get this feeling like snakes in my stomach. You know like garter snakes when they come out of hibernation. Hands shaking, legs weak and all the other stuff. I used to slam 1 beer beforehand, then be turned around facing the drummer. After the opening riff was played and the verses kicked in, I then could turn around and play in front of everyone. I did this about a dozen times and then it became no big deal. There will always be mess ups in live music, there is absolutely no way of getting around them but it's how well you can recover and find where you need to be after the screw up that takes skill. Dropped picks, broken strings, guitars coming out of tune, and tripping are all part of the game. It happens to the bigtimers too.

i'm playing in my room alone and i still get nervous.  i think too much.

[Jess42]

i'm playing in my room alone and i still get nervous.  i think too much.

Definately do not overthink it. It should come natural. When trying to play with CDs, remember those songs were recorded in a studio and have been tweaked to perfection. Perfection is a hard thing to come by. Don't believe me? Learn a song, just one song and get it down pat and perfect, riffs and solos. Then go on youtube and watch the band play the same song live. If you have the ins and outs of that song from the album down pat, you will see thier mistakes live or little improvisions they make during the song.

Zoot Threepwood, Wow that's hard to write down. It is all about fun, a release of energy and improvise if you feel like it. Take a song and make it your own sound. That in itself is fun. See what you can do with your talent. There is absolutely no need to feel nervous by yourself. Even at a gig in front of an audience unless you just totally "F" up and the rest of the band has to stop and start all over again, which ahs happened to me by the way, most people won't even notice. The only ones that will are musicians that know how to play the same song.

Don't believe me?, just check out AC/DC and the song You Shook Me, Hell's Bells or Highway to Hell to name a few. I know these songs by heart from the CDs and know the solos by heart from CD and if you watch Angus Young, the solos always sound different than what was mastered in the studio and different from show to show. Same with any band.  Have a little faith in yourself and confidence in your abilities. That is the key.

[Jill F]

Jimmy Page never played a song the same twice, and neither did Ritchie Blackmore- even on the few "composed" solos he did.

[V M]

It always bugs me when someone is overly technical on guitar because

a)They are often very critical of other peoples playing and constantly interrupt to point out some lame flaw they've noticed and...

b) Even though they play the songs note for note and are technically correct, they often don't have any feel to their playing

I'd rather jam with someone who has a good feel for the music, if I want it to sound exactly like off the cd, hell, I'll put in a cd

[Jill F]

It always bugs me when someone is overly technical on guitar because

a)They are often very critical of other peoples playing and constantly interrupt to point out some lame flaw they've noticed and...

b) Even though they play the songs note for note and are technically correct, they often don't have any feel to their playing

I'd rather jam with someone who has a good feel for the music, if I want it to sound exactly like off the cd, hell, I'll put in a cd

^OMG! THIS!^

This is exactly why I hate jamming with trained automatons.  Not everyone who got trained at Berklee or MI is like this, but I know plenty who are.  It takes a lot of time to unlearn this soulless technical training that makes everyone sound almost exactly the same.  I still wonder if John Petrucci ever figured out how to play a proper 12-bar blues or how to improvise without sounding stiff.   I'm so happy I'm generally self-taught and not yet another MI clone.  At least I can convey gut-wrenching angst or extreme happiness.

[Jess42]

It always bugs me when someone is overly technical on guitar because

a)They are often very critical of other peoples playing and constantly interrupt to point out some lame flaw they've noticed and...

b) Even though they play the songs note for note and are technically correct, they often don't have any feel to their playing

I'd rather jam with someone who has a good feel for the music, if I want it to sound exactly like off the cd, hell, I'll put in a cd

Oh yeah, I second Jill on this one and tip my hat if I wore one to V M.

When someone starts talking about theory and the circle of fifths the very first thing that pops in my mind is they play piano or teach music. Guitar is a totally different beast.

[Jill F]

Lots of great guitar players don't even read music.

[Jess42]

Lots of great guitar players don't even read music.

Jimi Hendrix couldn't and I would guess that most don't that most people try to copy.

Yeah and I really have to add that contrary to popular belief that gutarist do not get drunk or do too much of anything before they play. One or two drinks is fine and actually loosens you up especially if someone has stage fright but the image of being totally messed up during a show is just more of an image thing. Too much and you won't have very many gigs anymore. Oh yeah I'm sure some light up or drink one, me I have to drink one and have lit up a little tiny bit but that is the limit. The party is on after the show backstage or on the bus or in the hotel room.

People are surprised at how the image isn't reality but hey, we all have an image to protect and the drunken messed up musician is one of 'em.

Nikki Sixx in some concerts(you can find it on youtube) downs a fifth of Jack Daniel's, Yeah right. Tea more than likely in a whiskey bottle.

[Jill F]

Jimi Hendrix couldn't and I would guess that most don't that most people try to copy.

Yeah and I really have to add that contrary to popular belief that gutarist do not get drunk or do too much of anything before they play. One or two drinks is fine and actually loosens you up especially if someone has stage fright but the image of being totally messed up during a show is just more of an image thing. Too much and you won't have very many gigs anymore. Oh yeah I'm sure some light up or drink one, me I have to drink one and have lit up a little tiny bit but that is the limit. The party is on after the show backstage or on the bus or in the hotel room.

People are surprised at how the image isn't reality but hey, we all have an image to protect and the drunken messed up musician is one of 'em.

Nikki Sixx in some concerts(you can find it on youtube) downs a fifth of Jack Daniel's, Yeah right. Tea more than likely in a whiskey bottle.

I found I gig and record best stone cold sober.  Recordings don't lie.  OK, maybe one beer...

I played only one gig drunk ever because the drummer was two hours late and the remaining two of us were suckered in to swilling beers by a seasoned pro guitatist/alcoholic while we waited for him to show up.  It was the worst gig ever.  It was mostly the other guy not remembering when to come in while I'd be playing a holding pattern until he'd figure it out, but my playing was pretty sloppy and I had to wiggle and cheat my way through guitar solos because I lost count of how many bars I'd played.  It's probably OK if it's an original nobody's heard, but this was all covers of well-known songs.  I heard my drunken Blackmore impression was pretty spot on though and the booze probably didn't hurt my Bon Scott impression.

I've known plenty who have admitted there wasn't actually booze in the Jack bottle props.  So cheesy.  It's sad when you do see a show where the booze is clearly real though.  On that note, suck it Volbeat!  I walked out on them after the fall-down drunken "We don't effing wear women's clothes" rant.  Yeah, dude, is there something you wanted to tell us about yourself? LOL

[Jess42]

I found I gig and record best stone cold sober.  Recordings don't lie.  OK, maybe one beer...

I played only one gig drunk ever because the drummer was two hours late and the remaining two of us were suckered in to swilling beers by a seasoned pro guitatist/alcoholic while we waited for him to show up.  It was the worst gig ever.  It was mostly the other guy not remembering when to come in while I'd be playing a holding pattern until he'd figure it out, but my playing was pretty sloppy and I had to wiggle and cheat my way through guitar solos because I lost count of how many bars I'd played.  It's probably OK if it's an original nobody's heard, but this was all covers of well-known songs.  I heard my drunken Blackmore impression was pretty spot on though and the booze probably didn't hurt my Bon Scott impression.

I've known plenty who have admitted there wasn't actually booze in the Jack bottle props.  So cheesy.  It's sad when you do see a show where the booze is clearly real though.  On that note, suck it Volbeat!  I walked out on them after the fall-down drunken "We don't effing wear women's clothes" rant.  Yeah, dude, is there something you wanted to tell us about yourself? LOL

Bon Scott impression while drunk? Ain't that a prerquisite for doing a Bon Scott impression? So sad he died way to young but I think he was probably drunk most of the time on stage or at least buzzing pretty good. But he was the singer so his coordination could be off a tad and no one would really care or probably notice as long as he wasn't falling down drunk. AC/DC is a long way from the Valentines and he was perfect for AC/DC. I even like Brian Johnson as good as Bon Scott.

2 Beers is my limit, more than that I start getting sloppy. Believe it or not solos aren't effected as much as the main riffs. But at home practicing, that is a different story. Or just jamming with the rest of the band just to see how much we can take before crap hits the fan and blows up in our faces. This is a good thing because in a case like yours, we know exaclty what we can do before we do too much.

[V M]

A poem:

I love my guitar

I love my guitar and my guitar loves me

My guitar makes no presumptions, assumptions or judgments upon me

My guitar does not play stupid games or gossip about me behind my back

Even when it seems there is no love for me in this world, my guitar is there and unwavering, always ready to sing

I love my guitar

[Jill F]

This is my Stratocaster. There are many like it, but this one is mine.

My Strat is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life.

My Strat, without me, is useless. Without my Strat, I am useless.