I am now officially a has been that can talk about how I used to be good…

explain.

The tips of my fingers are soft as anyone’s, so I can’t play long, and it often hurts. I have forgotten how to play scores of songs that I used to know how to play. My Amp is in the guesthouse in storage, and my electric guitar needs work done on it. I haven’t jammed with anyone for at least 2 or 3 years now… Basically I can just tell that I’m not quite so awesome anymore… I used to could pretty much pull of the lead parts in Rush’s La Villa Strangiato, or play most of 2112, and large swaths of side one of Hemespheres (Yes side one like on a record) but now, I can’t even remember most of the chord changes in em’… Many songs I try to do always include me stopping and trying to remember what to do next… Those are all basically traits of the “has been”… Including talking about past greatness… I am now one of those guys… One good thing, is that I can still remember a lot of Zeppelin tunes… They are typically much easier though, not as much to remember…



[This message has been edited by Notafraid (edited 7/17/2004 10:40p).]

Oh. Well I have been playing for almost 20 years and I would say that I suck ass playing guitar. Although most of what I'm into is punk so that would explain alot. One of these days I'm going to learn some real chords and then I'm going to rock.

I've been playing for 25 years with numerous lulls and you can get most, if not all, of the skill level back with consistent practice. Don't worry about recalling songs, learn new ones. Take your music into a different direction to rekindle interest.

Hey man, if you could once pull off Rush, you are a better guitar player than I ever was and am. I am pretty much limited to acoustic picking and rhythm rock and roll. If you started even some practice, you would probably get back your fingers.

I was officially in the exact same "Has Been" status you describe when I got an e-mail from an acquaintance saying that his rock band was looking for a new guitar player. After a one week, self-imposed, guitar boot camp, I was back in top form. After a year of playing and gigging with the band, I was better than I had been for the previous 15 years of my guitar playing life. Not to mention the fact that my alcohol tolerance level was almost back up to sophmore in college levels!

notafraid- you should schedule a gig. it's amazing how quickly it will all come back when you have the pressure of a deadline.

Thanks for the encouragement... I am in the process of teaching my son how to play guitar.. I intend on trying to live vicariously through him, but your right, I need a backup plan… He is just starting out, but I already have him doing the first parts on Working Man, and What your Doin’… His latest thing is to try and play that first part on Take a Friend… He is only 12, but Rush, Rush is a great place to start, don’t ya think?


I was actually in the process of relearning some Rush myself last night… That first song on Farwell to Kings.. I think it’s called Farewell to Kings… That was a fun album to play some of the songs off of…

Rush and Van Halen is where I started.

Closer to the Heart is great song for a beginner to learn. It's got simple but challenging fingering and picking... & power chords for the beginner's ego. Wish You Were Here(Pink Floyd) and Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love(VH) worked for me when I was learning.

Living vicariously through the son can be fun. Mine's been playing for about 3-1/2 years. He's the guitarist for the church youth group band and sometimes fills in with the adult band that plays during the contemporary service. In addition, his other band just won a "battle of the bands" competition. His playing has been tough on my gear though.

"Now I enjoy leading the Sunday service and rockin' up a tune here and there for the glory of God."

Praise His name.

I started out playing with the guys from Stryper back in the 80's. That was great but unfortunately I was called away from the Lord and spent a few dark years playing for the other side instead.

Then I came back!

But then I got bored with that once again and turned to Glam rock. I dressed up like a woman and wore leather pants. I used a lot of cocaine. I hung out in Los Angeles and partied with a group called Faster *****cat.

Anyway, guitar will change your life. It's up to you how you let it happen.

I hope this helps.








It's been a long time. Long time.

^
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weirdest post ever

Don't worry about Blak Jak Balla, he is a homosexual, Natzi, male prostitute in the B/CS area.

BJB, scares me.

Blak Jak's post is a conundrum. Its also an inside joke. People in the know are quite aware that Stryper and Faster P*ssycat were actually the same band. Don't believe me? Check it out, Holmes. They were mysteriously never in the same place at the same time, like Clark Kent and Superman or Toby McGuire and Duffman.

I got no room for emotion.

Stryper sucked anyway.

You can learn from a master and Make Aggie Guitarists Great Again!

https://www.guitarworld.com/news/eric-johson-truefire-masterclass-online-guitar-lessons

pressitup said:

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I'm about to be 66
Played in the 70's and a career got in the way.
Retired 5yrs ago and I've held an axe every day .
There are many many songs I can't remember, but your musical vocabulary expands the more time you spend with the instrument.

Hang in there. There's no greater bartender than a guitar.

I have 69 Kustom I've had since 8th grade and two Mesa Boogies.
My neighbors must hate me.

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Post pics of your gear!

maroon barchetta said:

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pressitup said:

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I'm about to be 66
Played in the 70's and a career got in the way.
Retired 5yrs ago and I've held an axe every day .
There are many many songs I can't remember, but your musical vocabulary expands the more time you spend with the instrument.

Hang in there. There's no greater bartender than a guitar.

I have 69 Kustom I've had since 8th grade and two Mesa Boogies.
My neighbors must hate me.

---

Post pics of your gear!

---

well I must not have the intelligence to figure that out.
I try to imbed and I'm told I must subscribe.
It won't let me copy and paste.
42 yrs in IT and I can't defeat the beast.

Enlighten an old guy and I'll gladly post my gear.

I'm not totally sure, but I believe you need to be a paid subscriber to directly upload photos. Otherwise, you need to upload them to a hosting site (Photobucket for example), and then paste the hosting site link in your post.


I can completely relate to the OP. I played for years.....my finger tips were hard, calloused, with no feel. Then adult life took over. I pick it up now and then, but usually don't play long enough to get the calluses back. Just too much going on with me to stick to it.

I too have had lulls in my 32 years of playing. Typically I can get it back by really woodshedding for a week or two.

The one thing I often can't recoup are the songs/riffs I've written that were killer. Some never leave, others I only have a vague recollection of what my fingers were doing but I can't "hear" the song anymore so can't replay it.

In some aspects I'll come back stronger. For example fast alternate picking. When trying to get the mojo back I'll practice a technique enough that I become better than i was previously.

Heavy technique stuff like that is also the first to go if I don't keep a regular routine to focus on it. The fine fast twitch muscles annd muscle memory atrophy soooo quickly.

Tonight's exercise: economy picking.

It's different! The metronome is getting a workout.

The tuning on this one makes me think I'm going to need to substitute some different string gauges on a few stings, no?

maroon barchetta said:

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The tuning on this one makes me think I'm going to need to substitute some different string gauges on a few stings, no?

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maybe not.. just the G string is pretty far from home. The low strings will handle it, just a bit floppy.

I have played since the 90s. For the last 2 years, my guitars have been in their cases as our basement has been under construction for a good part of that (phasing a basement finish). During that time I had 1 guitar out, and I have it tuned to open C, so I haven't really played in standard in a while.

With basement fully finished, I finally got all my gear out and made myself a little play area. I threw on some vinyl from my Metallica deluxe box sets which I hadn't properly gone through, and was (not?) surprised that I pretty much remember every riff from every song, even having to go back to standard tuning. Can't necessarily play the fast ones real clean (battery, blackened, etc), but I still knew them. Hadn't played some of these riffs in decades.

I feel like once I learn a song on guitar, it's something I never really forget. And clearly, even playing in a different tuning for a few years, going back to standard was like I never left it.

Drumming is similar.. I can hear a song for the first time in 10+ years, and I will remember a random little drum fill.. even in genres I don't even normally listen to.

Man I would love to have a nice basement.

maroon barchetta said:

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Man I would love to have a nice basement.

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yeh I can't believe we waited this long (12 years in the house.. kids are 9 and 11).

Wish we did it maybe 5-6 years ago when kids were a bit smaller so they 'grew up' with it done.
It's so nice to send them and neighborhood kids down there so we can have a quiet main floor and they have plenty of space to do different things

I had big plans for a large 17x12 room down there for a full music room, but for now, it has my drums and keyboard in the corner, and the rest is kind of for them, with their huge beanbags and a projector, just a hang out room for them. I got my little guitar corner under the stairs which is fine by me.

But for now it makes me happy when I start hearing instruments down there, and come down to this;
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/r073j3jv08ubuejsir7it/IMG_0124.MOV

Has been guitar player... but still I bang the hell out of my trap.

62strat said:

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I have played since the 90s. For the last 2 years, my guitars have been in their cases as our basement has been under construction for a good part of that (phasing a basement finish). During that time I had 1 guitar out, and I have it tuned to open C, so I haven't really played in standard in a while.

With basement fully finished, I finally got all my gear out and made myself a little play area. I threw on some vinyl from my Metallica deluxe box sets which I hadn't properly gone through, and was (not?) surprised that I pretty much remember every riff from every song, even having to go back to standard tuning. Can't necessarily play the fast ones real clean (battery, blackened, etc), but I still knew them. Hadn't played some of these riffs in decades.

I feel like once I learn a song on guitar, it's something I never really forget. And clearly, even playing in a different tuning for a few years, going back to standard was like I never left it.

Drumming is similar.. I can hear a song for the first time in 10+ years, and I will remember a random little drum fill.. even in genres I don't even normally listen to.

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Class 5 combo? I love those things.

Equinox said:

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62strat said:

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I have played since the 90s. For the last 2 years, my guitars have been in their cases as our basement has been under construction for a good part of that (phasing a basement finish). During that time I had 1 guitar out, and I have it tuned to open C, so I haven't really played in standard in a while.

With basement fully finished, I finally got all my gear out and made myself a little play area. I threw on some vinyl from my Metallica deluxe box sets which I hadn't properly gone through, and was (not?) surprised that I pretty much remember every riff from every song, even having to go back to standard tuning. Can't necessarily play the fast ones real clean (battery, blackened, etc), but I still knew them. Hadn't played some of these riffs in decades.

I feel like once I learn a song on guitar, it's something I never really forget. And clearly, even playing in a different tuning for a few years, going back to standard was like I never left it.

Drumming is similar.. I can hear a song for the first time in 10+ years, and I will remember a random little drum fill.. even in genres I don't even normally listen to.

---

Class 5 combo? I love those things.

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yep me too. I got it back when it was in production, about the same time I got my 62 strat which is in that pic on the right.

I run those stomp boxes on the floor through it. (Metal zone, tube screamer and dd7 delay).
Such great tones for so little money.
Really love my fender cyber twin too though. I just need to get a new channel foot switch for it, I've been through 2 over the years and currently without one.