The Process
Jerry and I have been exchanging emails mostly about tunes to learn/relearn/practice for when we get together.
Soon after the initial contact Jerry had sent me their old set list (the guys had played together before) to see if there were tunes I was already familiar with. I knew and had played many on the list. Our goal is to play the Casino's and other larger gigs. We've all played in clubs and parties and the like, and while it's not about the money, we're just not interested in spending a ton of time to learn songs, rehearse, move gear, maintain gear, and not get paid. This means maybe not playing the tunes we would like to play all the time, but we are all about the same age, and like similar music, so while we won't be playing our favorites, we'll have some fun, make a few bucks, and play music.
First up for me was getting back up to speed. Hence the title of the first blog post. After searching around the storage area, doing a little research online, my good'ol standby practice rig was still the best thing going.
I use a Rockman X-100 Headphone amp to learn songs. It has an AUX jack that I can plug in a source and it mixes with the guitar input. The effects on the X-100 make just about any guitar sound great, so it's pleasant to listen to. With the advent of the iPod, this is the ultimate play-along tool.
Additionally, it didn't take long to remember that many tunes I liked, the original artists like Bob Seger and Van Halen detuned a half-step. Jerry and I decided we'd forgo me having to use two tunings, and just play everything tuned to A-440.
Soundforge is a beautiful thing. Instead of having to re-tune my guitar to learn a song and play along with it, I now just bring it into SoundForge, adjust the pitch up a step, and re-save it out to the iPod. Works like a charm!!!!
Well I'm off to practice a bit. This pretty much catches us up to today. Future blog posts will include the tunes, learning them, and progress reports if they are too embarrassing. While the last time I gigged was 1995, the last time I played cover tunes was a few years earlier than that. I can't imagine what I went through without MP3's, IPods and you tube video's. Learning new material is really enjoyable.
I also found that while playing initially really hurts like hell (wrists and back mostly), the next day I feel great and have full motion in my hands for awhile. We always hear playing an instrument can be therapeutic, but I never thought in such a physical sense.
Soon after the initial contact Jerry had sent me their old set list (the guys had played together before) to see if there were tunes I was already familiar with. I knew and had played many on the list. Our goal is to play the Casino's and other larger gigs. We've all played in clubs and parties and the like, and while it's not about the money, we're just not interested in spending a ton of time to learn songs, rehearse, move gear, maintain gear, and not get paid. This means maybe not playing the tunes we would like to play all the time, but we are all about the same age, and like similar music, so while we won't be playing our favorites, we'll have some fun, make a few bucks, and play music.
First up for me was getting back up to speed. Hence the title of the first blog post. After searching around the storage area, doing a little research online, my good'ol standby practice rig was still the best thing going.
I use a Rockman X-100 Headphone amp to learn songs. It has an AUX jack that I can plug in a source and it mixes with the guitar input. The effects on the X-100 make just about any guitar sound great, so it's pleasant to listen to. With the advent of the iPod, this is the ultimate play-along tool.
Additionally, it didn't take long to remember that many tunes I liked, the original artists like Bob Seger and Van Halen detuned a half-step. Jerry and I decided we'd forgo me having to use two tunings, and just play everything tuned to A-440.
Soundforge is a beautiful thing. Instead of having to re-tune my guitar to learn a song and play along with it, I now just bring it into SoundForge, adjust the pitch up a step, and re-save it out to the iPod. Works like a charm!!!!
Well I'm off to practice a bit. This pretty much catches us up to today. Future blog posts will include the tunes, learning them, and progress reports if they are too embarrassing. While the last time I gigged was 1995, the last time I played cover tunes was a few years earlier than that. I can't imagine what I went through without MP3's, IPods and you tube video's. Learning new material is really enjoyable.
I also found that while playing initially really hurts like hell (wrists and back mostly), the next day I feel great and have full motion in my hands for awhile. We always hear playing an instrument can be therapeutic, but I never thought in such a physical sense.
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