Originally posted by: luv2chill
You hang out with the Roots? Sweet! They are my favorite hip-hop group (well, J5 and Blackalicious are up there) and their latest LP is fantastic.
I'm definitely one of those people with music coursing through my veins. I played a few instruments growing up--6 years on the piano and played Clarinet in grade school and tenor sax throughout JHS and HS. Then, when I got to college I just stopped playing--not sure why. Got too involved in other pursuits. I still listened to lots of stuff, but as far as playing--nada.
About nine months ago I got a wild hair up my ass and bought an acoustic guitar--a Seagull S6+ Cutaway in Tobacco Burst (named Joey) . It was a love affair from the start. Not one to start small I decided the first song I'd learn was Scarborough Fair (Simon & Garfunkel--I'm a huge fan). It took a long time to learn the fingerpicking but I love that song and was very determined! After a few weeks of regular practice (pretty much daily) I had it down pat. I was amazed that my fingers could learn to go in the right places and do it every time I played. Thanks to my newly-formed callouses, it no longer hurt to play and the guitar sounded great. After I learned that song I was positively hooked... I have about 20 songs in my repertoire (mainly fingerpicked folk, folk/rock, singer-songwriter stuff) and learning more all of the time. I would say my biggest influences guitar-wise are S&G and mainly Nick Drake--I am in love with his music and never tire of listening to it. I presently can play five Drake songs (most recently Northern Sky) and enjoy the paradox of how simple they sound yet how complex they are. I'm no longer afraid of alternate tunings (thanks to Drake) and actually I really like how some of them sound. Like you I'm also a huge Beatles fan and enjoy learning lots of their songs (I try to balance Macca tunes with Lennon tunes).
These days I would rather chill with the guitar than sit in front of the computer. I am amazed at the progress I've made in such a short period of time. I am even more amazed at how soothing it is to play--at how much better I feel about...everything because I am again playing music--I can't believe I went six years of my life without it.
Unfortunately, most of my hobbies are expensive ones. I long to have a "studio" with good Mics, Mixer, Keyboard, and other instruments, but I'm sure some of that will come in time. For now though, I have my Joey and I love her . In a fire I think that's the first thing I'd grab, not due to any monetary reason (as far as guitars go it's pretty cheap!) but more because it represents my return to playing music--and even with so little hindsight I see that day last August as a very important turning-point in my life.
I guess it all sounds a little sappy, but music is just one of those things for me. More and more I feel like I was meant to make music, and I don't think that entails anything commercial... even just playing for family and friends. Conveying emotion and feeling through music--it doesn't get any better than that for me!
Thanks for starting the thread!
l2c
P.S. I lust after grand pianos.... someday when I have room and $$ I will buy one...
lol thats so funny. When I first started to play guitar, the first song I chose to learn was the beatles song Blackbird. Everybody was telling me to pick an easier song, it's gonna take forever, learn rythm, bla bla bla. 2 months later I could fully play and sing Blackbird and tap my foot in time with the metronome
Also the difficulty of that song made learning rythm so easy. Same with my super high action Guild. Once you can barr and F on that, you can barr and F on ANYTHING! Electric's feel effortless.
I also love Nick Drake. I can't believe someone even mentioned him! His music is awesome but trying to play his music is really difficult to start. I think he's got extra fingers or hands or something. Some of his guitar work seems like its made for 3 hands. His haunting melodies are just amazing as are his poetic lyrics. Its a shame it took 30 years post mortem for people around the world to really appreciate his music. And pretty much thanks to a volkswagon commercial BTW I decided to put on "Man in a Shed" right now as I type. I love that song. The combination of scales and melodies with the guitar and piano are so awesome. So much sound from just a piano and a guitar and an upright bass. Totally agree that his music is so simple yet so complex. Nothing fancy about his recordings. Its the attention to detail he puts in the few instruments that makes it exceptional. His grasp of music theory was pretty good unlike many musicians these days.
I live by NYC but go down to Philly often. If your in the area let me know and I'll toss you an invite to a Roots show or something, well actually if they are in town. They're not doing many small shows anymore, but quest love spins once in a while at this nice little spot which is basically a private party. Just don't go around askin for autographs lol
If you want to get started in audio recording/messing around at home, get a dock or breakout box for your computer. An Audigy 2 platinum is decent and cheap as hell for starter recording. It comes with Cubasis which makes it good deal. Then grab a decent cheapo starter mic like a Shure SM57 ($60-80). Works decent for both vocal and guitars. If you want a solid inexpensive vocal mic then a Shure Beta 58A is solid for the money($150ish). None of that gear is high quality but it's a great place to start and work out your ideas without breaking the bank.
and yea thats why I started this thread. We can talk about other people's music all day but in the end, nothing is more satisfying then playing your own music, no matter how good or how bad you are, none of that is as important as the effort. So many of us "used to play" and I find it a shame that we are "too busy" to enrich our lives a little more. Getting that great melody worked out, learning a song, playing with others and hitting that syncronous "groove" makes even my most forgettable days remarkable. I think a passion for music = a passion for life in general. It helps you appreciate the little things and understand yourself better.