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I haven't written in this thing in quite some time eh? Yes. So what the hell have I been doing? Well, I'll tell you. I'm taking two bullshit classes at GRCC that I have consistently skipped. I just cut my hair yesterday, finally. I didn't want to - I like the rockstar look - but I sort of need to look respectable for a short while because I'm about to get a real job. I just started banging apps to the face, so I expect some callbacks soon, and if not, I'll just go harass managers until I get an interview. So I've turned into what I would call a fulltime musician, except it's actually overtime and I don't get paid (yet). But my time and effort is paying off. I've been playing guitar since Thanksgiving, but in recent times I've been playing the shit out of the thing. There was a short stretch in January that I practiced a good amount, about two or three hours a day, and built up some decent callouses. For the last month or so I've been averaging six to eight hours a day on the guitar, though it's not all what I'd call good practice. I put in three, perhaps four hours of good practice working on songs each day, and then spend a few more hours just screwing around, though the screwing around really is beneficial. I just cruise around scales up and down the guitar, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, try to make different sounds and tones, see if I can play the same tune in unison but in different positions on the guitar. I'm challenging myself to really think about it, to become versatile. My ear is better than it has ever been. I can pick out pitches, keys...all kinds of crazy shit. Sometimes I really sound like hell, but sometimes I impress the hell out of myself. Often I'll just sit around and play my iTunes and try to play over top of what is on (assuming it's not tuned nastily); I can almost always find my way, and sometimes a song to which I'm jamming for the first time in the end sounds pretty fucking awesome with my addition. I've been cramming my brain with music theory, really getting it ground in there, because I'm starting to write. I wrote a song the other day. I don't really want to put forth my original ideas at this point because I think they are too valuable to waste on poorly-written music, so I pulled a Muse and somewhat blatantly ripped off the obscure section of a somewhat popular solo piano piece. I wrote it out for bass, voice, lead guitar, and rhythm guitar, so it really is my own creation as far as voicing and such. And I'll have to write lyrics for it; I haven't done that yet, just sorta hum it. I have it scored in Guitar Pro and have it as a MIDI and would really like to share it here because I think it is fucking beautiful, but I'm going to hold off because I want to put it to the test. When I start performing this piece, I want to see who is the first person to come up to me after the show and say "Hey turbotard, you ripped off So-and-So's Such-and-Such a piece, I think that is fucking awesome/sacrilege." I will make out with that person on the spot, unless it's a dude, in which case I will ask him for his little sister's/niece's/granddaughter's phone number and try to make out with her. But yeah, in the past ten days I've been playing the crap out of my clarinet in addition to my guitar playing, an extra two to three hours of practice a day. I sound better than I ever did as a music major. Well, that's not entirely true. My technique is more even and my tone is much more rich, but I'm still a little bit short of tonal smoothness. That will come in time, undoubtedly, because I am a meticulous perfectionist at times. But it's been wonderful getting back into the clarinet. Three days ago I found a SHIT-TON of music I'd been missing, about $500 of solo stuff, stuff I'd been missing since I was a music major. Before that I was just playing etudes and scales and such. So anyways, yeah... I joined a band, and then another one. About a month ago I went and saw my buddy Matt, the drummer for this local group called Mavericks and Monarchs, play. His drumming impressed me, and their bass player was pretty sick even though he didn't really show off much. But their guitarist/lead singer was fucking horrible, at singing and the guitar. You can check him out on myspace...honestly, this dude plays out of tune and sings like a retard. The fella is just way too over the top. But I heard a lot of potential from the bass player. So I in essence talked Matt into firing the dumbass and into letting me replace him. It's kind of a tall order considering how long I have been playing, but I think we can make it work. We sat down and just discussed things and played a little bit the other day. Our playing will get serious when Gish (the bassist, and although I'm sure he's an SP fan, that is actually his name) moves in with Matt this Saturday. But Gish has a good background in theory and is willing to try about anything he said. I told them I would rewrite the guitar parts and lyrics for all their songs, and that at the same time I'd like to play a couple of songs written by famous people. I imagine it's so much easier to get your chops as a group playing a tune you like. So I've been working on shit that I like, the Radiohead, the Pink Floyd, the David Bowie, the The Doors, the Muse, the Black Sabbath, the Metallica, the Guns N Roses, the Megaman 3... I want to fucking perform them! I'm finally getting to the point that I can start ripping apart some of the solos. God damn it I love the electric guitar. It really speaks to my soul. I was lucky with the guitars I've acquired. My buddy Scott gave me his Yamaha electric, which is a rather good practice guitar. I acquired (what I think is a 1976) Gibson S-1, a sweet-sounding semi-rare vintage Gibson. I'm not going to explain what's awesome about this thing at this point, but let me assure you it is. I'll just put up a picture of each.
Top left is my Yamaha, top right is the Gibson, and below that is the SWEET purple plush case for the Gibson. I also have in my possession a couple of pedals, but they're not mine, though they sound grr-reat! I also am about to acquire a recent-year Fender Stratocaster; old family friends have one not getting used, are about to give it to me really cheap if not for free. And it's teal! So yeah, I've been rocking it every opportunity I get. Two other guitarists, a bassist, and myself also formed a sort of project/group just to see what we can put out. I'm going to be the keyboard guy when we need one and do other shit when we don't. We need a drummer still, but one of the guitarists said he'd learn drums if we could get a singer. I told him I'd sing once practiced. I've got a mean falsetto, damn it! But yeah, this is getting difficult to write, I'm still fucking wasted, tired as shit, and need to get up in 6 hours and eat lunch with my mom, then goto the Rockford vs East Grand Rapids JV lacrosse game because my friend is Rockford's coach and his dad (with whom he never got along too well) is East's coach. Baio and I are going to get tanked and dress up in East clothes, go sit on the East side and heckle our friend's dad. It should be splendid! I'll try and write again soon, this was kinda fun.
Top left is my Yamaha, top right is the Gibson, and below that is the SWEET purple plush case for the Gibson. I also have in my possession a couple of pedals, but they're not mine, though they sound grr-reat! I also am about to acquire a recent-year Fender Stratocaster; old family friends have one not getting used, are about to give it to me really cheap if not for free. And it's teal! So yeah, I've been rocking it every opportunity I get. Two other guitarists, a bassist, and myself also formed a sort of project/group just to see what we can put out. I'm going to be the keyboard guy when we need one and do other shit when we don't. We need a drummer still, but one of the guitarists said he'd learn drums if we could get a singer. I told him I'd sing once practiced. I've got a mean falsetto, damn it! But yeah, this is getting difficult to write, I'm still fucking wasted, tired as shit, and need to get up in 6 hours and eat lunch with my mom, then goto the Rockford vs East Grand Rapids JV lacrosse game because my friend is Rockford's coach and his dad (with whom he never got along too well) is East's coach. Baio and I are going to get tanked and dress up in East clothes, go sit on the East side and heckle our friend's dad. It should be splendid! I'll try and write again soon, this was kinda fun.