db bump

Good quote

I have a Bachelor of Music in Studio Music and Jazz from the University of Miami and used to play and teach piano in Boston full time. These days I derive most of my income from poker and live in Las Vegas.

1985 Musician's Institute grad with a degree in music performance (guitar) and currently have two Jackson Rhoads from the first year, an ESP Kirk Hammett, a PRS Custom 24, a 1982 Les Paul Custom, and (insert drum roll) a 1959 Les Paul Custom (wish it was a burst!) that I bought in 1982, just after the 1982 Custom. It's in mint condition and I still have all the hang tags and the original receipt from the original owner. A lot of different amps- tweed Fender Champ, Marshall JMP-1 preamp through a Mesa 50/50 power amp, and two Bogners (Ecstasy and Uberschall), with a couple of Bogner Ubercabs. I mostly play metal but play a wide variety of stuff as well. I am currently building guitars in Amsterdam, but I am getting ready to relocate as I am tired of the cost of living/taxes here.

Michael

22 y/o rapper and songwriter. I do a lot of editing on other peoples songs in multiple genres. Lyrics and vocal structure. Let me know if you guys want any help I'd love to get involved!

I love PRS's. If I weren't a ham-handed bassist that can't have nice things, I'd own one.

They are really nice guitars, but for some reason I view it as a jack of all trades and master of none guitar. A Les Paul has a very distinct tone, as does a Strat, but PRS built a guitar that is a compromise between the two that seems to have no flaws but nothing outstanding either. Beautiful top though like most of the PRS guitars as I am a big flame/quilted maple fan. I built a Tele copy but with a mahogany body/maple top and maple neck that I like the tone of more than the PRS.

Michael

^Posting any pictures of that tele in the DIY thread would be awesome (pretty please!)

Done...posted a couple in the thread.

Michael

Seems like you have an amazing story. You should do an ask me thread or something

lol - Ask me what it is like to be another jaded musician!

I have no right to be jaded (apart from getting f'd over by agents and venues) it's a pretty good deal.

Everyone has their moments of bitching about their profession, but when I really think about it, it's an awesome way to make a living.

There are just some times where I won't have payments come through for months (like 3-4) so it's hard to budget (sort of like having 80% of my net worth on full tilt or something!).

Sometimes I will play to one lonely drunk in hazy bar somewhere, at other times I have played to hundreds of people who were just having a great time, dancing and going off. Ups and downs, swings and roundabouts, just like life.

The amazing part I guess is that I get paid to do it! That never ceases to blow my mind. There are so many talented musicians and artists that people never get to see or hear. I've seen a heap playing in dives to no audience and I just think, wow what a waste of talent. It's a strange industry.

In lieu of the "Ask Me" I will do some strange/standard happenings:

Standard:

1./ Going to the bar and coming back to find some extremely drunk fool with my guitar strapped on ready to rock the house! Not happy with that obviously!

2./ Numerous fights have happened at a lot of the venues I played at. The worst one invloved a large number of maoris and it was like a swat team arrived of about 20 cop cars to quell the violence - bar manager ran for his life from the car park and locked the front door to hide!

3./ Playing to no one at some random pub when all of sudded about 30-40 bikies turned up for their general meeting. I proceeded to play Steppenwolf and Deep Purple etc until they left. It seemed the smart thing to do!

4./ Getting hit on by drunk women (they are always drunk!). One just came straight up while I was in the middle of playing and said "Do you find me attractive?". There's really no safe answer there. Another want to "lie in bed with me and have me sing to her" apparently she wasn't attracted to me per se, just my passionate vocals! Thanks bitch!

5./ Having a guy spend the whole night (nearly 4 hours) glaring at me and wanting to fight me - the reason? He was a best man and it was the bucks night, I let him get up to make a speech and he seriously wavered back and forth for about 10 mins rambling ****, yeah and ummm, **** yeah he's ****in' something something. I let it go on for as long as I could, then had to pull him up so i could get the playing started. He wasn't impressed!

Strange:

6./ Some guy throwing a stool into the mirror behind a bar. Scared the crap out of me. Missed the bar guy by a couple of inches.

7./ Some guy at the bar farting the absolute worst farts in the history of farts. I mean seriously I was contemplating recommending a Doctor they were that off. The worst thing was that due to noise restrictions they had the windows and doors shut and locked and I was only several feet away. I was gagging and threw up a little in my mouth and it's hard to play and sing with that going on. One of the worst imo.

8./ Some girl doing a full on strip tease in front of me while the whole bar just stood and stared. I mean a full on everything off down to her panties. I think they were coming off until the security got hold of her. The sad thing was that there was an elderly couple coming through from the Restaurant and I am not sure that they have yet recovered.

I think I have done around several hundred shows/gigs across hundreds of venues. I know a guy here in Australia that does nearly 300 in a year!!

this is going to sound silly, but can you pm me (or post) the steps you took to teach yourself guitar. even though i enjoy playing i don't feel i am anywhere near where i should be and am pretty sure that it is in i big way due to not having a practice routine. when played the trumpet i had a routine i followed to get warmed up. some scales (since on that instrument i knew how they applied. not on guitar). and pieces i was working on. with guitar i am not sure how to create this same routine (i played trumpet for about 25 yrs). i have considered many times to go get private lessons, but always think that i will hit an upswing in the learning, but don't seem to.

yeah sure thing.

There are always upswings in learning imo.

I'm not a naturally gifted musician. I was always able to carry a tune and had reasonable rhythm, but in terms of performance level ability - I have to work really hard. I also don't posess the natural ear that a lot of really good musicians have.

I can tell when something is off but I can't learn much by ear in respect to guitar. I can vocally though. I have more inate ability to pick and replicate vocal melodies than anything else in regards to music.

I'll get some thoughts and memories together and shoot you a pm.

ty sir. i have a musical inclination as well, but for some reason guitar is giving me hell. i know there is just a simple think i am mentally not getting that will give me an aha moment. at least i hope so.

i sent you a pm

it's the collective ramblings of a fool, but anyway! lol

What seems to be your biggest issue/s at the moment? pm it/them to me and I will see if I have a solution.

I am not a technical player like I am sure may here are, I just play and sing my guts out and that makes up for my deficiencies in other areas.

So maybe gonz or mitch evans would be better to ask?