Any musicians here?

[azlakes]

Re: Any musicians here?

... you guys ever here this style of music?

www.mtv.com/videos/abigail-williams/322860/into-the-ashes.jhtml

Ouch - give him a Halls lozenger. This is not something you can hum on a sunday morning while casting a line

 

[Clam Biter]

Re: Any musicians here?

Played flute in high school. Six girls and me . My pecs didn't bounce right so I played "7th" chair. Fresh yr of college played 2nd chair except for ROTC I sat only chair. Flute and piccolo. Also played "fife with out keys. Had a tenor guitar and a tenor "banjitar" that is whay my guitar playing friends called it. Now a days only the fife. No fife and drums in San Diego area though.

 

[mthieme]

Re: Any musicians here?

Played flute in high school. Six girls and me .(

Darn, there were only three girls in my flute class. I picked flute because it was the smallest thing since you had to lug whatever around all day.
Dad taught me piano at an early age - which has helped tremendously with my typing skills. Learned some guitar and bass and sax along the way, but haven't picked anything in many years. Probably couldn't hum a tune now.

 

[i386]

Re: Any musicians here?

I played Trombone in school from 6th-12th grade. I enjoyed it, but haven't played it since.

I've been playing guitar since about 1987. And banjo since about 2005.

For me, it's an off and on thing. I enjoy playing, but I lose inspiration after a while because my equipment isn't so great. I have a really nice electric guitar, but what I play it through (though adequate) just doesn't inspire me anymore. I'd like to have a professional quality tube amplifier and a few effects. $2500 would probably get me there.

http://www.mesaboogie.com/Product_Info/Rectifier_Series/RectoPreAmps/RectoPreAmp.html
http://www.tcelectronic.com/G-Major.asp

The banjo is pretty much the same deal. It's a cheap Korean model. Once the novelty of learning how to play a little wore off, I began to realize it just didn't quite sound right. A good banjo made with the right stuff is about $1800 and up.

http://www.deeringbanjos.com/DeeringProductPages/Sierra.html

Boats, boat restoration, fishing, guns, music, tools, etc... Guess I have more hobbies than I can afford.

I don't have everything I want, but I want everything I have. I've been told that's a good place to be.

 

[mthieme]

Re: Any musicians here?

I've been playing guitar since about 1987. And banjo since about 2005.

Always wanted to give the banjo a go.
How difficult is it - say compared to guitar.
I never really got past strumming on a guitar.
It looks like the banjo calls for more precision (picking).

 

[axeslinger1957]

Re: Any musicians here?

Always wanted to give the banjo a go.
How difficult is it - say compared to guitar.
I never really got past strumming on a guitar.
It looks like the banjo calls for more precision (picking).

Tenor (4-string) isn't technically challenging after guitar. The issues are the whacked-out tuning and the funky chord shapes. Flatpicking is flatpicking, so they share that technique. Now a 5-string is a whole 'nother beast. The tuning's different from the 4-string and at least to do bluegrass, you have to play radically different. Before I lose the use of my hands I would like to acquire a 5-string and see if I can successfully learn "frailing".

 

[i386]

Re: Any musicians here?

I don't really understand the old-time/frailing/clawhammer technique. I play "Scruggs" style. The former is normally played on an open-back banjo. Remember Grandpaw Jones from Hee-Haw? That's how he played. If you've already learned how to play guitar, you can learn banjo too. The left hand is the same (easier in my opinion), but the right hand technique will seem very alien. You'll have humps to overcome just like guitar. Remember how unnatural and seeming impossible some chords (F major and barre chords come to mind) were on guitar? That's sort of how your right hand will feel on banjo. If you overcame those earily hurdles on guitar you can do the same on banjo. My banjo is an inexpensive Gold Tone model. It has a removable resonator so you can play either style. It's fine for learning on, but as you transition from beginner to intermediate you'll want something that sounds a little more authentic. For that you'll want something with a bronze tone ring in it. Everyone that makes those are very proud of them.

 

[SuperNova]

Re: Any musicians here?

I play drums. Currently on a five piece Taye maple set with a mix of Zildjian and Sabian brass. Cobra pedals and stands. Vic Firth 5a sticks for rock and some thinner sticks for more intricate work. Neil Peart and Buddy Rich are my heros. With three kids I don't get as much time to play anymore and the skills are suffering badly.

 

[mrcool]

Re: Any musicians here?

oh man, i've been playing in bands as long as I can remember, rock bands, country rock bands, blues bands I even played and sang in a Beatles cover band (still have the Beatle boots and wig)
Geez I to have more stuff than I could mention, but I guess some of the highlights would be:
Guitars
A 60's Fender Tele (blue floral)
A pink pasliey fender tele
A 50th anniversary tele (I'm a telecaster man)
A Rickenbacker 325 (John Lennon)
A gretsch Tennessean
A Guild D-4 accustic/electric
Basses
A 70's Fender Jazz
A fender bullet
A Musicman Stingray
A Hofner Beatle Bass 500/1
Amps
A Fender Concert (60 watts-all tube)
A peavey bandit
A fender Frontman 2-12 (solid state)
An Ampeg Gemini
A hartke 200 watt bass head with a 2-10 and a 1-15 bottoms
A Peavey megabass head
A Peavey TNT combo bass amp


I also have in my studio An 8 piece Mapex drum kit loaded with DDrum triggers and an Alesis D-5 brain.
My wife and I also run sound for other bands;
we have:
JBL SRX 725 tops
JBL SR4715 subs
JBL monitors
Mackie 24 channel mixer
Peavey 16 channel mixer
Behringer 12 channal mixer
3-QSC RMX 2450 power amps
1-Mackie 1400 power amp
Lots of rack mount stuff (FX, EQ's, compressers,x-overs)
A bunch of Shure mics (SM 58's, SM 57's, one Shure wireless)
A couple of snakes
drum riser
A bunch of lights (mostly par 56's) and all stands
Show pro light board
Show pro fog machine
There's bunch other stuff, but whats the point
Ohhh, and a Trailer to haul it all
Then there's my Toyota 4-Runner to pull it (No, wait I use that to pull my BOAT!!) Double duty
The website and to hear songs I play is www.olddogsnewtrick.com I'm on bass

 

[axeslinger1957]

Re: Any musicians here?

I don't really understand the old-time/frailing/clawhammer technique. I play "Scruggs" style. The former is normally played on an open-back banjo. Remember Grandpaw Jones from Hee-Haw? That's how he played. If you've already learned how to play guitar, you can learn banjo too. The left hand is the same (easier in my opinion), but the right hand technique will seem very alien. You'll have humps to overcome just like guitar. Remember how unnatural and seeming impossible some chords (F major and barre chords come to mind) were on guitar? That's sort of how your right hand will feel on banjo. If you overcame those earily hurdles on guitar you can do the same on banjo. My banjo is an inexpensive Gold Tone model. It has a removable resonator so you can play either style. It's fine for learning on, but as you transition from beginner to intermediate you'll want something that sounds a little more authentic. For that you'll want something with a bronze tone ring in it. Everyone that makes those are very proud of them.

I get confused between frailing and clawhammer. They're variations on a theme, aren't they? I always thought Grandpa played clawhammer. As for Scruggs, seems to me that was him on "The Ballad of Jed Clampett", wasn't it? I thought that was supposed to be an example of frailing.

My banjo playing is probably best described as "flailing"...
or maybe "failing"!

 

[i386]

Re: Any musicians here?

I get confused between frailing and clawhammer. They're variations on a theme, aren't they? I always thought Grandpa played clawhammer. As for Scruggs, seems to me that was him on "The Ballad of Jed Clampett", wasn't it? I thought that was supposed to be an example of frailing.

My banjo playing is probably best described as "flailing"...
or maybe "failing"!

If I'm not mistaken, old-time/frailing/clawhammer are all about the same thing. I don't think you use finger picks for those either.

Yes, that was Lester Flatt and Earl scruggs playing The Balled of Jed Clampett. Earl used finger picks. Whenever you hear that style of playing it's considered "Scrugg's" style. He was a pioneer.

Scruggs was the rock and roll/heavy metal axe slinger of his day. What he was doing was a radical departure from folk/gospel music. I'm pretty sure a lot of parents didn't approve.

Maybe some of our senior members wiser than me can comment. I just read. Maybe they were there or heard from their elders.

 

[projecthog]

Re: Any musicians here?

Just sold the Applause from Ovation, good sound but a pain to sit with.

Played in bands all through my Teens and Twenties, mostly hard rock and blues, and barroom repertoires.
Still working on getting the US made Gib SG and a pale blue mid or late 50's Les Paul, and have an old Egmont semi with home altered pickups and a Gibson neck, a Washburn 12 electric, a Washburn B16 Banjo, and a whack of harmonicas, mostly Hohners singles for blues and stuff. (Oh...and Paul Butterfield too Whammerjammer yeah!) and a el cheapo fiddle with very good loud sound (Its one of 3 million Stradivarius's)
Other generic "mood pieces" flung around the house for memories and always a desire to go back and do it some more, but never getting to it.

Love the old basement jam meets and old timers who do their thing with fiddles and related gear.
Bluegrass was my favorite after the hard rock died out in me (But not really)
got into Mississippi Blues because Johhny Winter did, and got a hold of a nice Dobro which I played for a while and always liked doing Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed stuff with the semi, but petered out on that too.

Now we're talking and wondering if I should get back with my brother (bass player) and his kids and do some more mixed Bluegrass and Rock weekend Bar gigs for $300 a weekend, as I was laid off recently LOL.

I think it is more dreaming then anything else, as it never materializes.
I will probably just be happy to make some more noise with the "new" equipment when I get it together again.

The banjo and acoustics sit waiting, get played very little, and the Rockstar dream died in about '82. I blow a couple of good blues rifts every once and a while when I get the urge or when conversation excites me, but playing in a band will most likely stay a thought.

Rock on

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: Any musicians here?

Back in Cali my father has a very early Gibson yellow tweed amp. I'd say it's 25 watts if that. It has to be 1950 sumthin vintage...

The coolest thing about it is the belt some old bluesguy used to replace the handle...Man I used to look at it and just wish it could talk and tell me where's he's been and who played through it....