[
Date Prev][
Date Next] [
Thread Prev][
Thread Next]
[
Date Index][
Thread Index][
Author Index]
Re: away with mirrors
Travis,
Great post, LOL! Mayhap the loop of my response might bring this
slightly back into topic.
Have to agree using various instruments for a live gig, especially when
a friend makes a request for you to use something that you've never
used in a live experience (in this case it was a Tom Yocky
http://www.tomyocky.com 6-string lap dulcimer, "With Wings") being run
through with an A-B box also connected to a then stock MusicYo!
Steinberger Spirit GT-Pro guitar and then going into a few effects and
a Fender Princeton combo amp (this wasn't mine as well). After having
quite a few technical difficulties (all dealing with patch cables) and
finally having one of them take out my guitar, I ended up playing the
majourity of the gig with the lap dulcimer (Boss UV-50, Yamaha UD-Stomp
and 2-4 minute Boomerang) and then was asked to jam with the next guy
who was on in the open-mic night. To say that I was mortified and
would've given up the whole thing had it not been for several people
(not to mention a few of the other acts/bands that were there that
night) coming up and saying that they really dug what I was doing.
Won't rant about the quality of Guitar Center patch cables, really, I
won't. ;)
Majour Tangent:
The other bit of fun was getting to go to Chuck's
(http://www.wmcworld.com) the week after in order to have the
pickups/electronics yanked out and to have a set of Seymour Duncan
(SH-2 in the neck, SCR-1 middle, and a SH-14 normal spacing in the
bridge) pickups, a push-pull pot (turn on neck pickup for the three
other settings from the 5-way switch), a dual concentric pot (neck and
bridge tone), a new 1/4" jack put into the guitar. Been fiddling about
with the improved Spirit GT-Pro and man, what a difference! I've got
harmonics, I've got sustain and I've got a worlds better sound out of
this instrument in my view. Wonder what a GL would sound like with
similiar electronics to it.
Lee
On Nov 20, 2004, at 1:02 PM, Travis Hartnett wrote:
> I also used to suffer from the beat-myself-up-after-every-bad-gig
> syndrome. For the first five or six years I played in public, I had
> probably two or three enjoyable shows, and the rest left me despondent
> and suicidal. Two things that really helped were 1) playing out a lot
> more (several times a week) and 2) playing a instrument other than my
> primary one.
>
> A lot of musicans get wrapped up in identifying their musical ability
> as their self. "I am the Mighty Guitarist! Playing guitar is my
> Reason To Be!! As my playing go, thus goes my LIFE!!!" And so on.
> This is frequently a recipe for disaster. And if you're only playing
> one 45 minutes gig a month, that's a lot of time to build it up in
> your mind before hand as THE MOST IMPORTANT 45 MINUTES OF THE MONTH.
> And, if it fails to meet expectations (and what could meet those
> expectations?) a lot of time to kick yourself in the ass afterwards.
> Some people can maintain a healthy perspective while listening to a
> board tape of a show for three days after a bad show, but most can't.
> If you're playing more frequently, and more than one set, a bad gig
> becomes just one data point in many. Also, once I started playing in
> situations where we played more than one set, I was surprised to find
> that the second set was almost inevitably better than the first.
>
> The second thing was when I started playing just keyboards in a band
> (I'm primarily a guitarist). Right before the first all-keyboard gig
> I remember thinking "Oh hey--I'm about to play in front of a lot of
> people on something that I haven't spent years practicing on, maybe I
> should be getting nervous?" And then the gig started and it occurred
> to me that my job that night was to operate the musical tool in front
> of me to the best of my ability. Not to be THE MIGHTY KEYBOARD
> PLAYER, MASTER OF ALL HE SURVEYS. Which, is the perspective you
> should always have, but being away from my surrogate Object of Power
> and Self-Esteem (the guitar) really highlighted it for me.
>
> Oh, and the correct answer to any post gig "Hey man, that was great!"
> type statement is always "Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!" End of
> discussion.
>
> TravisH
>
> On Nov 20, 2004, at 8:57 AM,
> Loopers-Delight-d-request@loopers-delight.com wrote:
>>
>> . . . I made a conscious effort to be a bit
>> more gracious in accepting the kudos, while still
>> being self-aware of the areas in which I needed
>> improvement. This made a world of difference.
>> A simple 'thank you' worked much better than a
>> discourse on the importance of reliable patch cords
>>
>>
>> This is a problem I still struggle with a bit. To audience
>> members who are strangers it's easier to just smile and
>> nod and say thanks and let the subject drop. But with
>> friends and colleagues (particularly other musicians)
>> it's hard not to admit seeing all of the problems/flaws
>> that you assume were just as clearly evident to them.
>>
>> It's even worse if they're close friends . . . 'cuz then
>> one's mind invariably plays the trick of coming up with
>> the notion that these friends' compliments and praise
>> are meant to be "encouragement" after a particularly
>> BAD performance. My mind always says: "OH NO! IT
>> MUST'VE BEEN EVEN WORSE THAN I THOUGHT IF
>> SO-AND-SO IS TRYING SO HARD TO BE ENCOURAGING.
>> GOSH! NOW I REALLY FEEL LIKE SHITE!" Heheh.
>>
>>
>
>
"Vi Viri Venivirsium Vivius Vicci."
- Faustus