blues

[smokehousewilly]

yeah, sure, anybody can toss that word around.

anyway. so after pissing away 2/3 of my life chasing women, money, and bogus religion, i sort of found myself in a situation where i could think about what really motivates me.

i remember the time when i was in my early 20's and somebody showed me a blues riff (the easiest one -- 4^5 - b3). it made me feel so good that it scared me. and I stayed scared until...that middle third of my life was history.

so, women can be fun and money's handy but nothing ever did to me what that riff did so...i put my toe in the water. i bought a squire from the dis' bin at Sam Ash for $25 -- a strat -- sorry, I guess I don't think i'm worthy of a tele (I liked the smokey, dark blue body, and I guess I don't believe in expensive guitars), and hammered away on my own for about a year. then i decided to take some lessons again. The neck pickup is broken and with my amp I'm afraid I don't miss it. The action is very nice.

it's been a year since then. for a while i had two teachers. one would ask me, "what do you want to do?" and I'd say, "jam." So I went to some jams and found that I got lost sometimes and walked over alot. Plus, in NYC, they just don't play minor blues. And my solos started sounding the same to me.

so I had a brain wave, which was actually initiated by my remaining teacher. I decided to learn a few songs -- to really get into them -- to commit to playing something the same way start to finish -- to begin to build a repertoire, a body of work, even if it is covers to start with. With a song, I can put my solos into context, and nobody's gonna step on me when I know what I want to play, when.

yeah, so that's the plan. over the summer I played in the subways a little -- just noodling around like those cool looking "jazz" sax players only minor blues and some major mixed in when I learned that. but i popped a tendon one night doing some funky neck-bend (it was really dumb). that was the same night the police told me I couldn't use an amplifier...and so here I sit...

..trying to learn to hug those strings like Jimi with this messed up finger. it takes me hundreds of repetitions to learn phrases but what else can I do? I have to play. That's why I don't want to lay off however many weeks I'm going to have to lay off this finger: cause I want to play. All the time.

I admire people who make it look easy. For me it's just plain hard work -- physical *and* mental. When I bend a note I swear it comes straight from my heart to my fingers. But the rest of the stuff, the music, theory, riffs, nuts, bolts and mortar of this incredible thing called electric guitar is just really so much blood, sweat and tears to me.

Yeah, so, I guess I have a lot to learn, hunh?

I hope nobody here recognizes this story, as it's a bit personal.

Rock on.

gear? i use ernie ball 011's and i bought a rolan micro cube for the tunnels.

[fenderix]

Welcome to the TDPRI! You did the right thing to register - good to have you with us.

Thank you for your introductory letter.

Enjoy!

[thejerk]

Pfft, I've seen plenty of guys with their amps down there... keep on, brother!

I can relate to your story pretty well. That music is always there for you.

[smokehousewilly]

I feel welcome indeed.

Rock on! Or twang on, as the case maybe. Or slide on. Or all of it.

here's the song list so far:

Like a Rolling Stone (Hendrix's Monterey version -- Hendrix Lite, I call it)
Mercy Mercy Mercy (Tinsley Ellis's version)
Little Wing (SRV's, mainly, but I hope to add something of my own to it).
Falling Through The Cracks Again (this is an original about 25% complete.

...and "Romeo and Juliet" (Nino Rota) just to keep me on my toes.

I guess I'm about 40% of the way to being able to get some guys together and rehearse this. There's this incredible drummer in my area that I hope to connect with...

[Memphisbound]

Too bad you don't live near Nashville...I'd jam with ya. Welcome.

[smokehousewilly]

Originally Posted by Memphisbound

Too bad you don't live near Nashville...I'd jam with ya. Welcome.

you mean you'd humble me. I've heard about you Nashville Cats.

[Memphisbound]

Yeah, but I'm of the canine variety...dog-bad:)

[hollotim]

I'm new to TDPRI also. I can really relate to how the blues makes you feel. I can listen to Muddy play over and over. He still captivates me because it sounds like it's coming straight from his heart into mine.
Keep it up!

[geardog]

That's quite the intro. Welcome. Playing can save the soul. I still like wasting time chasing women

[smokehousewilly]

Originally Posted by geardog

That's quite the intro. Welcome. Playing can save the soul. I still like wasting time chasing women

The madness isn't without a bit of method. I'm told that when I can play, they'll chase me. ;)

[smokehousewilly]

Originally Posted by hollotim

...it sounds like it's coming straight from his heart into mine.
Keep it up!

That is the thing about the blues. You too.

[geardog]

Originally Posted by smokehousewilly

The madness isn't without a bit of method. I'm told that when I can play, they'll chase me. ;)

ahh. Clever

[Hiker]

Welcome to TDPRI! The same rules apply to battery powered amps when playin' out?

[smokehousewilly]

Originally Posted by Hiker

Welcome to TDPRI! The same rules apply to battery powered amps when playin' out?

It may be that a $45 permit will cover it. I haven't looked into it since that night as I figured the tendon thing was as good a sign as any to come back and work on my chops for a bit.

In NYC, it's not unusual for pretty much nobody to be really clear on what the rules are at any given time.

[nvilletele]

Originally Posted by smokehousewilly

In NYC, it's not unusual for pretty much nobody to be really clear on what the rules are at any given time.

Not limited to NYC, my friend. And anyway, I always thought that in NYC, people knew the rules, but just never let them get in the way of doing what was necessary . . . .

[Veitchy]

Wow. Nice story man. You clearly have a real passion for the music. IF you keep working at it, it'l serve you better than all the lessons in the world.

Jam on man.

[smokehousewilly]

Originally Posted by nvilletele

Not limited to NYC, my friend. And anyway, I always thought that in NYC, people knew the rules, but just never let them get in the way of doing what was necessary . . . .

Well, that is one of the cool things about this place. And that's why I wasn't sure about whether the permit would do the job or was even necessary...and that's why I played there for a while before finally getting tossed.

If it weren't for the finger, I probably would have just gone to another station. But between that (since it keeps coming up, I ought to say it's getting much better) and the fact that I knew I had to take my game up a notch and that required preparation...

[smokehousewilly]

Originally Posted by Veitchy

Wow. Nice story man. You clearly have a real passion for the music. IF you keep working at it, it'l serve you better than all the lessons in the world.

Jam on man.

Thank you very much. You too. Twang on, I mean. Or whatever.

[smokehousewilly]

All:

When I showed up for my lesson last week, my teacher was doing some stuff on pro-tools, and it looked so visual and simple that I was instantly infatuated. No, that's not the right word -- but definitely strongly interested. I think having a tool like that could make me a bit creative and productive...

However, I've never used it, I'm sure I can't afford it, and wondered if anybody had any ideas on "lite" versions, or any other considerations on a humble entry point into the software.

You guys are the best. And I don't even own a Tele yet (though if I did I'd want it set up like a Strat). I'm humbled.

[Blues Hurler]

Welcome. And if I may suggest, try to get to the point of playing with others as soon as you can. Nothin' beats it. Good luck!

[jazztele]

Originally Posted by smokehousewilly

any other considerations on a humble entry point into the software.

.

I highly reccommend cakewalk's home studio. i'm running a version over 5 years old, but i belive it can still be had for under $100.

you might also want to look into Band In a Box for making your own backing tracks and jamming at home. again, under $100.

[JamesL]

Glad to have you....I play blues also...that is about all I can play...I am not one of the articulate well rounded players. I hear the samples of people playing here and it blows me away and I feel like I can't play crap...but then I do a little blues solo and hear how my tele sounds through a good tube amp and I feel better...I am not very good but I play because I like the sound....play because you enjoy it....that's all that matters

[Bonneville Bruce]

Welcome Smokehousewilly,

Cool intro, living and playing the Blues, turn adversity into music is the way to go. Keep up the sacred charge of playin' the Blues.

[smokehousewilly]

these posts are great, thanks and ditto.

re:cakewalk: that was the name I couldn't remember; and i'd never heard of band-in-a-box, i'll look into them both. Thx.

How about pedals, guys. Looking for that fat blues sound with a bit good old fashion '70's rock and roll punch. Also, need to emulate a Leslie for one tune...I'd heard of the "rotovibe."

playing with others: indeed! I was jamming with some guys during the summer, but started getting squeezed out and that sort of messed with my confidence, which was a signal to me -- once again -- to get my act together a bit more.

I did find a great drummer, and my loose plan is to put together 4 tunes (about 75% there now) and round him up to rehearse them and see what comes of it. I can now sing to some tunes (that's progress) and am about 90% on an original tune which frankly makes the blues look like "Sesame Street" so I'm not sure about it...

Some folks did invite me out to another jam last week, which I thought was very cool, but I did not feel ready...I'm not sure if I chickened out -- which I cannot even allow myself to do -- or if I really needed to be in my cave a bit longer...

re blues = sacred, et al: amen! truth and love and warfare and all that matters.

james: I experienced that very thing today at 30th St. Guitars. Sometimes it seems like everyone can play better than I can. And that may be true. But somebody once told me (about drumming, actually, but I'm sure it applies) that "it ain't about how who's better, it's about the heart!" And even my teacher, who has some pretty heavy credentials (God bless him, because he really is *good* and I'm just a humble student) has confessed to experiencing the same feelings.

fwiw, I had a little blog going about playing in the tubes...http://downinthetunnels.blogspot.com/
it's only four entries, but, well, that's what it was like during the dog days of a Manhattan summer. Enjoy it if you can.

[smokehousewilly]

I found something called "Audacity" which is free and seems like a great place to get a handle on the basics of recording on my pc...

[smokehousewilly]

OK...have settled in with 12 gauge strings on the axe and I really love them. Was at 30th St. guitars recently checking out Tele's. Love the necks. Was quite intrigued by the Thinline. I'd like to give one a workout sometime.

The proposed set list is expanding. I've added some easy, sing a long type songs and am still working on the ambitious stuff. I estimate I'm at about 89% of being ready to rehearse the list.