Riverman
Artist / Performer
Posts: 7,348
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Post by Riverman on Apr 5, 2015 23:13:06 GMT
I can really relate to that feeling of dread. But also to that dread turning gradually to enjoyment as your experience grows. I take the view now that every performance is good in terms of adding to that fund of experience, even (or perhaps especially) the ones that go less well.
I played a couple of outdoor gigs at an Easter market over the weekend. New experiences included wondering whether the light drizzle encroaching on the front of the stage would result in electrocution; persuading a drunken passer by that there was no point in him joining me to sing on stage, as he requested, as he wouldn't know the lyrics to my songs; being buzzed, mid song, by the largest bee I've ever seen; and trying to give a withering look, also mid song, to the teenage boy who shouted "you're f****** s***" as he and his gang of mates passed by (an act of bravado rather than a carefully considered musical critique, I like to think, though who knows? He's entitled to his opinion!).
The point is, if you remember that you're doing this because you want to, and you want to get better at it, then it's all good. Learn your material thoroughly, practise twice as much as you think is necessary, then do it as much as you can. And enjoy the ride.
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Riverman
Artist / Performer
Posts: 7,348
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Post by Riverman on Apr 5, 2015 11:40:40 GMT
I'm pretty sure I'll have it Leo, but I'm away from home at the moment. If no-one else comes forward I'll check when I'm back. Be another week or so.
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Riverman
Artist / Performer
Posts: 7,348
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Post by Riverman on Apr 5, 2015 8:44:21 GMT
I played one of these a couple of weeks ago. Like other all koa guitars I've tried, it had a very distinctive sound which I liked a lot. Whether it's worth the money is entirely subjective, but I did think the tuners were disappointing - they appeared to be the same ones Martin use on the 15 series slot heads (at a fifth of the price).
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Riverman
Artist / Performer
Posts: 7,348
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Post by Riverman on Apr 2, 2015 15:15:10 GMT
Every two years? What, whether they need it or not?
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Riverman
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Posts: 7,348
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Post by Riverman on Apr 2, 2015 8:53:43 GMT
Thanks Andy, yes please!
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Riverman
Artist / Performer
Posts: 7,348
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Post by Riverman on Apr 1, 2015 22:36:06 GMT
It appears that the experiment is about perception as much as anything, and specifically audio perception. So if, without knowing what I'm playing, I describe a maple back and sides guitar as "bright", a mahogany one as "woody" and a rosewood one as "rich" sounding - and the majority of participants do the same - I guess that implies something. Or maybe not. Sounds like fun anyway...
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Riverman
Artist / Performer
Posts: 7,348
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Post by Riverman on Apr 1, 2015 17:58:01 GMT
That rather depends on why you wanted it signed in the first place, doesn't it? But, unless you want to hang it on the wall or keep it in a glass case, rather than remove it why not just play the guitar wherever you want to, and let the signature take its chances. Whatever it looks like, you'll always have the memory (and the photographic record) of the signing.
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Riverman
Artist / Performer
Posts: 7,348
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Post by Riverman on Mar 31, 2015 16:16:33 GMT
If I do get to participate in the experiment at Lancaster, and I intend to if possible, I'll be glad to post an account of the experience here (being careful not to give too much away, in case others are going to take part too).
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Riverman
Artist / Performer
Posts: 7,348
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Post by Riverman on Mar 30, 2015 16:40:04 GMT
Great advice chinanight. Playing through a PA is a whole other challenge. I've lost count of the number of times I've ended up dissatisfied with my performance on account of not being able to hear the guitar properly.
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Riverman
Artist / Performer
Posts: 7,348
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Post by Riverman on Mar 29, 2015 21:23:50 GMT
Thanks for the reminder, I've been meaning to sign up to this since I read about it in the Fylde newsletter.
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Riverman
Artist / Performer
Posts: 7,348
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Post by Riverman on Mar 29, 2015 20:53:56 GMT
Lots of excellent advice here. I've found it helps to be stubborn, so as to turn the inevitable occasional crushing sense of failure into a determination to be better next time.
I think the problem is that we all have an image in our head of the "perfect" performance, in which we make no mistakes, the audience is quietly attentive then bursts into rapturous applause, etc. It's inevitable that, in some respect or another, this will happen very rarely (if ever). And I guess it's human nature (at least for aspiring performers) to dwell on the usually minor things that went wrong - sometimes just a few duff notes, or a fluffed lyric - rather than what went right. Most audiences, in my experience, don't notice mistakes - even ones you feel are fatal! - if you just keep going, and especially if you don't let the rhythm of the piece go to pot. It's as if they're always looking ahead to what comes next, rather than thinking back to what they probably didn't even realise wasn't what you intended. In this respect it helps considerably if you write your own material, in which case only you know what was "right" and what wasn't!
It may seem difficult, but try playing your stuff at about half to two thirds the speed you're inclined to set off at. As has been mentioned, most people speed up during a performance and you need to be going at a pace where your mind can be a phrase or two ahead (either musical, lyrical or both) so you don't hit that blank spot, with no idea of what comes next. But if you do, just keep going - in that situation I'll just keep the rhythm going by playing an alternating bass pattern, and if I realise I'm on a hopelessly wrong chord, and can't remember what the right one was, I'll even just choke off the strings with my left hand so that all the audience can hear is a rhythmic "thud"... I guarantee that their feet will keep tapping while you get your head back around the tune. It sounds bizarre, but it's worked many times for me.
In many ways the best piece of advice I was given was nothing to do with the performance itself. When someone comes up to you afterwards and says they enjoyed what you did, there's only one appropriate response. Not "oh I thought I was rubbish", or "it was perfect when I played it at home earlier", or "sorry about all the mistakes". Just say "thanks, I'm glad you liked it"...and understand that their judgement is actually far more important than yours. You're playing to entertain people after all, and if they liked it then that's exactly what you did.
Good luck!
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Riverman
Artist / Performer
Posts: 7,348
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Post by Riverman on Mar 29, 2015 16:35:41 GMT
Tempted...very tempted!
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Riverman
Artist / Performer
Posts: 7,348
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Post by Riverman on Mar 29, 2015 13:25:28 GMT
Thanks for the comprehensive review Andy, and it was good to meet you, albeit briefly towards the end of the weekend. I was staying in a hotel offsite - bit too old for a camp bed! - and my energy levels were a bit low after a recent spell of poor health, so I wasn't around 24/7 like most were. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the weekend very much, and subsequent events have of course made it even more significant. This was, I think, my fifth RMMGA meet. They've changed a little over the years, but one of the nicest things about them is the sense of community. I met up this time with someone I hadn't seen for about six years, and we clicked into playing some tunes together on the Sunday afternoon as if it was a regular thing for us. All in all a great advert for the way the internet has enabled like minded people to find each other, get together and indulge their shared interest in guitars and music generally. Though I'm a newbie here, perhaps I should be thinking about Halifax this year...
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Riverman
Artist / Performer
Posts: 7,348
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Post by Riverman on Mar 24, 2015 17:08:08 GMT
I don't know how it works, but in theory the benefit of the Humidipak is that it will always seek to maintain humidity at the optimum level, ie 45-50%. So there's no danger of inadvertent over or under humidification. I guess if you just used silica gel packs you'd have to check that you hadn't gone too far in the dry direction, though admittedly that doesn't look likely in the environment you're describing.
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Riverman
Artist / Performer
Posts: 7,348
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Post by Riverman on Mar 24, 2015 8:58:47 GMT
I once used the Planet Waves Humidipak system on a friend's guitar which had suffered from being kept in too dry an environment, and it certainly improved things. The handy thing about the Humidipak is that it works both ways, ie it will dry out an over humidified guitar or hydrate a dry one, depending on what the individual instrument needs. Might be worth a try.
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