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Showing content with the highest reputation on 08/09/2019 in all areas

  1. I have found that I sometimes get so nervous when playing in front of others that it's debilitating. I forget the lyrics, sing in the wrong key, my hands shake and can't find the correct strings and I often just look terrified. I'm determined, though, to keep at it and have been working hard over the last couple of years convinced that it'll get easier with more practice and experience. I was very fortunate to attend the Guitar Gathering in Nashville in June this year and my good online friend @gotto and I put our names down to perform the Bob Dylan song 'Forever Young' as a duet. It was a great experience, and one I'll never forget, but my nerves did appear as I stepped up on stage and I struggled - sorry Greg! However... my fabulous singing teacher gave me an opportunity to perform at her Summer Concert one month later and I decided to have another go at the same song, sadly this time without Greg. I put in loads of preparation and rehearsal time, made my own backing track so I wouldn't feel quite so exposed, and my teacher, Heather, and her colleague, Laura-Jane, kindly offered to provide backing vocals. There were over 200 (friendly) people in the audience, but fortunately I couldn't see them because of the stage lighting 😆. Anyway, I was very pleased with how it went. Could it be better - yes; were the guitar chords and strumming about as simple as they come - yes; did I go slightly out of sync with the drum beat at one point - yes. However, I think this is genuinely the first time I have performed live without making any errors with lyrics or chords. I enjoyed every minute of it! If anyone out there would enjoy performing live, to any kind of audience, but puts it off because of nerves or lack of confidence - I say just go for it. Somebody recently said "nobody ever died of embarrassment". Everyone has to start somewhere and is bound to improve with practice. Ian
    5 points
  2. Ian, seems your reaction to performing is perfectly normal. Keep up the good work. My personal hero, Glenn Hall (Chicago Blackhawks goalie) played 502 consecutive games in net without a mask and threw up before every game. Henk
    2 points
  3. One little trick I used on this one occassion was this... there were 2 other guitars strumming open chords, so instead of copying them, I used barre chords, and "arpegiated" the chords, for a different sound. My acoustic electric was plugged in direct to the PA. I gather it was effective because after I was asked what and how was I playing that...
    1 point
  4. Great job Ian! I noticed this too, when you were playing guitar you really settled into the song; you voice became steadier and on pitch, and the feeling came through too. Perhaps playing while singing felt more comforting, I've only played on stage once in a pick up situaton with a good band, and led a 12 bar blues with a singer... I was a bit shaky at the start, but I too settled in a bit after a verse or two.. Don't know if I'd have the voice to sing as well, but I see you have a singing coach so thats a great step too. Keep it up! Regards; Neil
    1 point
  5. Thanks Cap! Yes, I've noticed how the smallest, unexpected things can cause a distraction and then everything seems to go to pieces in that nervy environment. As part of my prep this time I deliberately tried to simulate as much as I could - I had my wife try to distract me or put me off, I practiced with and without a mic and amplification, I had the guitar too loud and too quiet and the same with the backing track and mic. I'd recommend to anyone thinking of playing out to get as much experience as possible and try to simulate a real word (non-ideal) environment in practice. Ian
    1 point
  6. Ian! Great job! I noticed that you did EVEN BETTER the second verse when you were playing guitar and really busting it out! There can be so many distractions when performing live (our own errors, insufficient monitoring, and even errors by bandmates can be even more distracting because I think "what the heck was that" and then have a break in concentration). I sing 3 songs in my band's sets (to give our lead singer a break) so I can relate. Also, you looked as cool as a cucumber. You might have been nervous on the inside, but you certainly didn't show it. Cheers!
    1 point
  7. Congrats on performing live!! That is not an easy task. I get that way in front of the camera playing for my YouTube channel. It takes time and lots of practice in front of the camera/people. You'll get there!!
    1 point
  8. Yo do us proud and you're in good company. It's said that Kris Kristopherson was so nervous before every live performance he upchucked before he went on. Lotsa luck.
    1 point
  9. In the comments section of this lesson's YouTube video, I asked Steve to explain the concept he was using when playing a Bm lick over an Em chord and a G lick over a C chord. In his response, Steve referred to Larry Carlton's super arpeggio concept explained in the video below. The graph in the video clarified everything for me, so I thought it was well worth sharing this on our forum here as well. Wim
    1 point
  10. Thanks, Ian. Yes, it was fun experimenting with some dissonant slide guitar for the intro and the flanger and distortion effects for the other parts. Chris Cornell's unplugged version sounds much more harmonic than Soundgarden's original. I want to record an unplugged rendition as well. Wim.
    1 point
  11. I purchased 3 pedals in the last year. I have a Flashback Delay, Boss CE-5 Chorus, and East River Drive overdrive. I have enjoyed playing with them, but I wanted more. I was looking at pedal boards. Even with these few items the cost keeps building. The few pedals I have also created a cable nightmare. I started thinking about multi-effects pedals again. I can't afford the Helix, or Headrush, or high end Boss pedals. I read reviews about the Boss GT-1 which were pretty positive. It isn't fancy like the more expensive models, but it packs massive power in a small case. The little guy is pretty heavy, and the design feels solid. It has a small screen which allows you to setup amp and effect combos like a virtual pedal board. Operation is pretty simple. There are 3 large easy to use buttons to control moving through different setups, tuner, looper, etc. There are 99 presets, and 99 which I can edit the way I want. There is also a huge online library of patches (presets) to download so support is strong. If you don't have just the right sound then you may be able to download it. I spent the first night going through all 99 presets. Whew! I really was a little disappointed, and I even thought maybe I would return it. The second night I played only about 35 presets. I had a blast! I spent more time trying to ring some sound out of it. I mostly play clean, but I am a delay fan so all these choices are a little overwhelming. There really is a huge sound pallet in this little pedal. I haven't found a really good sound setup for a nice warm acoustic, but I read it is in there maybe with some adjustment. There is a some fine hippy-dippy effects in here, and I had some of the most fun with them. I also played what I believe is a Van Halen tribute which actually sounded better when I wasn't playing because the wonderful distorted swirling sounds as the note faded away. It also has a volume/expression pedal which I really wanted. I think it's a keeper! Boss GT-1
    1 point
  12. @Randy120 Im glad for you that you've found a digital amp that you are very happy with. Like youI my first ( and still only) amp is a Fender G DEC 30. I thought as a beginner Electric player that it would be ideal for me. But like you I found a myriad of choices and a not so hot menu confusing and difficult to use. So consequently to this day I only use 1 or 2 of all the amp models regularly, (called Jazzmaster ) I'd rather spend my time learnig and playing than fiddle. So, being fairly dissatisfied with the sound of the amp ad well, I am about to step into the world of tube amps. A somewhat retrogressive step, some would say. No menus, no multiple effects, no 99 amp models; just built in Reverb and tremolo ;that's it. Will this lead too massive spending on pedals and make my floor look like it's covered in black spaghetti? I don't think so. But this remains to be seen. So Randy I hope you really enjoy your new gear!
    1 point
  13. I just added 99 new patches from the Tone Studio software. I now have 198 different setups in a single pedal. Premier Guitar Boss GT-1 Review
    1 point

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