Dos and Don'ts: or how to avoid feeling like a 'bloody idiot'

michelew
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Mon May 30, 2011 5:57 am

nesh16041972 wrote:
A bloody idiot.....hmmmm....

This story is also ancient history, I was 14/15 I think and having this performance at school. Those were the days that I absolutely loved to play and sing Elvis-tunes and a lot of Elvis' songs start out with the singing and then the music comes in (like Blues Suede Shoes, One night and so on), I had already played a number of songs and getting more relaxed I guess.

Anyway I went on with Tutti Frutti, you know the '"A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom!" (yeah yeah, I know it's originally a Little Richard-song) and after the first line I started to play of course ............HUH???? :ohmy: WHAT happened??? :huh: Sómething was completely off, well I had totally forgotten about hitting the I-chord first, so that I would have known in what key to sing.....well as you can imagine, the guitar and the singing were nót in the same pitch, it was hilarious of course, the audience laughed, I laughed, and I quickly started over, but I indeed felt like a 'bloody idiot', haha! :blush: :laugh:

Lesson: Néver ever forget to check the key you're about to sing in! ;)

Nessa
Nessa,

Great story! Great lesson! Hilarious. B)

M.


suziko
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Mon May 30, 2011 2:41 pm

I'm loving these stories!! So many of them I can relate to (cranking the wrong knob when adjusting a string is definitely one I can relate to!). This isn't really me being a bloody idiot, but more just an embarrassing guitar-moment. Not long after i started learning to play guitar, I came down with a band ear infection. The ear drum in my right ear ruptured and I basically lost all hearing in it for a few weeks. I was registered at the time for a group guitar class that met at the university, and I'd be damned if I was going to miss one of my lessons! Throughout the class I kept noticing my teacher looking at me in a bemused way. I realized that unless I turned my head about 90 degrees to the right (so that my left ear was pointed at the sound hole), I could not hear anything I was playing. I was often on the wrong strings or wrong frets entirely, and I couldn't tell. I'm sure he was thinking something along the lines of, "Oh, geez....I've got a real prodigy here!"

During that same session, we had a bad ice storm one evening while I was in class. This is a semi-regular occurance in the midwest. I had walked to class (about 1/2 mile there and back), so after my class I began my treacherous walk home. The sidewalks were covered with a sheet of ice and I learned, the hard way, the value of carrying your guitar in a hard case instead of a gig bag when I slipped and landed right on my case. Passers-by kindly inquired about me, but luckily all that was hurt was my pride.


michelew
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Mon May 30, 2011 4:07 pm

Suzi,

Yow!! I'm glad came through unscathed. And I assume your guitar did too.

So the lessons are, if you're going to attempt to use your guitar as a toboggan, make sure it's in a sturdy case and if you can't hear a damn thing hit the wrong notes with confidence and smile.

I'm loving these stories too.

M.


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Music Junkie
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Mon May 30, 2011 8:29 pm

michelew wrote:
don't go bowling with a long thumb nail - or if you do don't expect to be able to play good bass notes anytime soon (4-6weeks later)

Michele
Along that line, don't leave a solid 7 pin when you have a wicked hook as a lefty. I have to try and throw a straight ball and it just about rips the nail off of my middle finger on my picking hand..... ;)

Other lessons:

1. Don't use your picking hand nails to rip apart night crawlers while trout fishing...... How's that for a nasty thought...... :woohoo:
2. Don't use your picking hand to dig for sprinkler repairs. Nails either get bent back or caked with mud.

Pretty much, if you want to grow nails to use for fingerpicking, you really limit some other activities that you might be used to doing..... B)


michelew
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Tue May 31, 2011 4:41 pm

Music Junkie wrote:
michelew wrote:
don't go bowling with a long thumb nail - or if you do don't expect to be able to play good bass notes anytime soon (4-6weeks later)

Michele
Along that line, don't leave a solid 7 pin when you have a wicked hook as a lefty. I have to try and throw a straight ball and it just about rips the nail off of my middle finger on my picking hand..... ;)

Other lessons:

1. Don't use your picking hand nails to rip apart night crawlers while trout fishing...... How's that for a nasty thought...... :woohoo:
2. Don't use your picking hand to dig for sprinkler repairs. Nails either get bent back or caked with mud.

Pretty much, if you want to grow nails to use for fingerpicking, you really limit some other activities that you might be used to doing..... B)
.

It doesn't tickle. Does it? Yes I'm finding that my guitar nails can sort of be useful, but generally they are not as strong as I except them to be. When I forget and start to use them to pry something open they generally bend. They can be useful (and not) for gardening too. I'm actually wearing them shorter now. In fact I'm working with a pick so much that I've been considering losing them for a while. But, I do like to fingerpicking a bit too.


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Music Junkie
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Tue May 31, 2011 5:21 pm

michelew wrote:
It doesn't tickle. Does it? Yes I'm finding that my guitar nails can sort of be useful, but generally they are not as strong as I except them to be. When I forget and start to use them to pry something open they generally bend. They can be useful (and not) for gardening too. I'm actually wearing them shorter now. In fact I'm working with a pick so much that I've been considering losing them for a while. But, I do like to fingerpicking a bit too.
I have really been thinking about that too. Especially with summer coming up and my anticipated time up in the mountains. Also, I have new windows coming in and I am thinking the installation of those will probably be easier without them. I gotta say that if someone would have told me I would be worried about my nails someday, I would have probably punched them in the nose..... Manly man and all........ ;) ;)

J


michelew
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Tue May 31, 2011 9:53 pm

Perhaps we should start a 'Are you tough enough to wear guitar nails?' poll. It would be interesting to see who has them but still feels a little self conscious and who would like to but doesn't due to image.

M.


willem
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Wed Jun 01, 2011 11:20 am

Perhaps I can contribute..............

I worked on appliances for years. I learned to love Playtex Living Gloves. They wear like iron and protect your hands. Large, of course, for me.

Along the lines of artificial nails, there are some made of metal which you can file and bend and create a perfect fit for your nails. (I can create fine fake nails, but don't play well enough to need them.) These are around $5 each.

Let's have a show of hands to see what youse guys nails look like!

"I'll show you mine................if............."

Samster


willem
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Wed Jun 01, 2011 3:37 pm

twocat wrote:
Perhaps I can contribute..............

I worked on appliances for years. I learned to love Playtex Living Gloves. They wear like iron and protect your hands. Large, of course, for me.

Along the lines of artificial nails, there are some made of metal which you can file and bend and create a perfect fit for your nails. (I can create fine fake nails, but don't play well enough to need them.) These are around $5 each.

Let's have a show of hands to see what youse guys nails look like!

"I'll show you mine................if............."

Samster


Oke Sam,,i drum too Image


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neverfoundthetime
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Wed Jun 01, 2011 4:32 pm

Willem, way back in time, a friend of mine had a girlfriend with nails like that... I always felt he was brave man living very dangerously!
;-)


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