My Indian name would be...
..."Plays Guitar Like a Bassist."
Last night after practicing my exercises that my teacher gave me last week, I pulled out my acoustic guitar. I haven't played this instrument since before I started lessons, and I haven't played it regularly since I was a teenager about 19 years ago. To me now the guitar is so tiny that it's uncomfortable. I'm sure I could get used to it, but then that would be time away from my preferred instrument, the bass.
What I did find on the positive, though, is that the work I've been doing to fix some of my technique problems on bass is quite in evidence. I was never a good guitar player, but I'm a good bassist. When I'm holding the guitar now, I hold it correctly, something I doubt my teenage self, even with the lessons I did have, never, or at least rarely, did. I can strum quite easily and change chords fairly well. I was even able to make a 1st position F major chord (the bane of guitar chords for me).
Last week at my lesson my teacher gave me exercises for strengthening my fingers and building endurance. There are definite weak points, and it's something that I'll be working on for a while, not just a week. On Sunday afternoon I was doing everything and then went to play the Sunday evening church service. My elbow was killing me by the end of the music part of the service, and we couldn't end fast enough for my taste. Of course, that part of the service ended up being particularly long just to mock me. My pain, though, wasn't because I'd done anything bad. I certainly don't believe I've injured myself, just that I really am building up my strength.
I was joking last week after I had my lesson that I'll have forearms like Popeye by the time my teacher is done with me. I think that initial assessment was right. Perhaps it explains in a round-about way why I thought a certain one of my favorite bassist's forearms were particularly sexy. Because they are. It's in the bass player job description.
And before you jump to conclusions, bass player forearms = sexy. Popeye = not so much. (Unless one has a sailor and/or spinach fetish...)
Totally unrelated but a good quote I read:
"Clint Eastwood is too cool, and though he might be missing on the higher cultural elements one might commonly associate with someone who is suave, he has a certain intelligence that elevates him beyond simple bad-assery."
Heee! :D I just like such a cool way to slip "bad-assery" into a sentence. Find the rest of the article:
Suave: Ten Cool Characters
Last night after practicing my exercises that my teacher gave me last week, I pulled out my acoustic guitar. I haven't played this instrument since before I started lessons, and I haven't played it regularly since I was a teenager about 19 years ago. To me now the guitar is so tiny that it's uncomfortable. I'm sure I could get used to it, but then that would be time away from my preferred instrument, the bass.
What I did find on the positive, though, is that the work I've been doing to fix some of my technique problems on bass is quite in evidence. I was never a good guitar player, but I'm a good bassist. When I'm holding the guitar now, I hold it correctly, something I doubt my teenage self, even with the lessons I did have, never, or at least rarely, did. I can strum quite easily and change chords fairly well. I was even able to make a 1st position F major chord (the bane of guitar chords for me).
Last week at my lesson my teacher gave me exercises for strengthening my fingers and building endurance. There are definite weak points, and it's something that I'll be working on for a while, not just a week. On Sunday afternoon I was doing everything and then went to play the Sunday evening church service. My elbow was killing me by the end of the music part of the service, and we couldn't end fast enough for my taste. Of course, that part of the service ended up being particularly long just to mock me. My pain, though, wasn't because I'd done anything bad. I certainly don't believe I've injured myself, just that I really am building up my strength.
I was joking last week after I had my lesson that I'll have forearms like Popeye by the time my teacher is done with me. I think that initial assessment was right. Perhaps it explains in a round-about way why I thought a certain one of my favorite bassist's forearms were particularly sexy. Because they are. It's in the bass player job description.
And before you jump to conclusions, bass player forearms = sexy. Popeye = not so much. (Unless one has a sailor and/or spinach fetish...)
Totally unrelated but a good quote I read:
"Clint Eastwood is too cool, and though he might be missing on the higher cultural elements one might commonly associate with someone who is suave, he has a certain intelligence that elevates him beyond simple bad-assery."
Heee! :D I just like such a cool way to slip "bad-assery" into a sentence. Find the rest of the article:
Suave: Ten Cool Characters