I hinted at this a while back and now here's the full story..My new years resolution last year was to get out of the house and play live with other people. Most of you would probably agree with the fact that when you play by yourself- you can be a very forgiving audience-- TOO forgiving in fact. False starts, bad tempo, skipping over and not working on the hard parts. So I wanted to shake things up a bit and see what happened..
Went on Craigslist and just typed in something like 'guitar jam, acoustic' and saw a bunch of hits. One caught my eye and was relatively close to me so I replied. The ad said 'experienced drummer and so-so guitarist looking for a singer'. Not a perfect fit- but i wanted to see where this could go. A few emails back & forth and I explained how I'm not really 'a singer'. More of a guitar player who can sing (there is a difference). I also emphasized what I was looking to accomplish-- improve my guitar skills by playing with other people. He said they were easy going and come by and give it a try, as they play every week.
So I showed up at the drummer's house a few months ago. Pulled in the driveway and see a few people standing at the side door to the garage.
One guy comes up to me and says "Are you the singer?".
"NO I'm not the singer.. I'm a guitar player who.. I'm Al."
He starts laughing and calls back to his friends, "He says he's NOT the singer!"
What have I signed up for here??
So in the garage we go.. And I wish you could have seen the look on my face as he opened the side door...
First, there was the sound insulation on the door as it opened.. Had to be about 6 inches thick!!
Then the blue/blacklight streaming out..
Inside was INSANE! Full drum kit, amps, equalizers, speakers, carpeted floor, couches, mic stands, music posters everywhere!
After picking my jaw up off the floor, I managed to sputter "WHO ARE YOU GUYS??!"
"We just like to jam, man." he says.
Well no shit, Sherlock!!!
So we sat down and had a beer. I drank mine VERY fast. Had a feeling that liquid courage would come in very handy tonight. Talked about music likes and dislikes.
Turns out the drummer was in a band many years ago. VERY good player.
The guitar player was doing ok with basic chords and some cool riffs but not really finishing anything. They needed a singer to kind of be 'the glue' for them.
They were open to anything I wanted to play. When you're playing in that environment, you gotta keep up or get out of the way!! When I started a song- i needed to play it TOP TO BOTTOM. If I stopped playing or singing, the wheels fell off.
And it was PERFECT!
I'm not saying it sounded perfect.. It was just the perfect environment for me, and just what I was looking for. Added pressure and adrenaline.. So different from playing alone in front of your computer or in the basement.
Side note here-- I don't think you're aware of where you are as a guitarist unless you do something like this.. Or at least play to be heard by someone else. I was playing things that they enjoyed, and it was stuff I didn't think was particularly good.
I've been back quite a few times.. They play every week! A few new players have shown up. Another guitarist/singer (who used to be in a death metal band??).. And a guitar and bass player that used to be in a ZZ Top cover band. Remember what i said earlier about keeping up or getting out of the way? It was more 'getting out of the way' when they first showed up.. they're DAMN good!
I'm trying to learn from them, and sometimes they'll ask me how to play something. It sounds like an odd mix of people, but somehow it works, and we find songs that everyone enjoys playing.
Another side note-- I bought an electric guitar! Very tough to hear an acoustic while 2 electrics, a bass and drums are wailing "Sharp Dressed Man" or "New Orleans Is Sinking"!!
**Edit-- for those that are interested, I've put up a clip of my playing my new tele on page 2 of this thread.
I will admit that it's not always a home run. Sometimes I'm disappointed in my playing or singing. But I am convinced that playing live with other people is how I'll get my playing to the next level.
Still mulling what this year's resolution will be..
Happy New Year everyone!!
