Martin For Sale

No one wants to buy my Martin!!!!

Hurricane Sandy and the Guitar

Will probably work out of Mickey Baker's Jazz Guitar book. Hurricane Sandy (as I type this no longer a hurricane) making the big news today.
Still would like to play in a blues band playing old stuff.

Fun

Played bass today in a band with my best friend on guitar, a drummer, and a singer. We'll be playing his 50th birthday party in January. Today I sang backup vocals as well as lead vocal on Mona, Pink Cadillac, Fire, Shake/Rattle/Roll. I'd like a Peavey Delta Blues amp.

Your author many many years ago

Daughter!

One of my two beautiful daughters!

Disgusted.

Looks like the guitar amplifier I borrowed from a friend has its reverb broken. Him being the kind person he is told me we can split the cost of the repair, but no way can I do that. My turntable is acting up. Very close to stopping piano. May give it one last shot with one more book purchase. I think I'm a guitar player.

Casino!

This Epiphone Casino is now mine. It's awesome!

Plodding Along

Just working slowly on the Christmas Song....and it's going slowly...
Played yesterday with the band at a gig for a retirement home, and things went ok. Tomorrow will be trading my PRS for the Epiphone Casino.

My Next Guitar?

Not happening

Fingers not cooperating with the piano tonight....

Take it Slow

Must not forget my own suggestion to be OK with taking this piano stuff SLOWLY; not rushing the learning. Worked on the Christmas song for a but and got a little frustrated with not remembering stuff; very helpful to remember how much it was a good idea with the other two songs to not rush learning if them, and to keep going back to them. By keep going back to them, I'm preventing that feeling of 'I learn them but then forget them' from getting the best of me. The Christmas song is sounding quite nice, I might add. Allowed myself to change a cluster that was too dissonant for my ears.

Good Music Day

Working on the Christmas Song. Here's the guitar I want: an Epiphone 60's Tribute Plus in Vintage Sunburst. It'll have to wait to be mine, though. Listened to the Moody Blues' "Days of Future Passed" with my son tonight.

My Martin D-16RGT

More thoughts (thanks Louis Armstrong)

I always wondered why rock stars want to be movie stars. And why movie stars want to be rock stars. I'm not "tooting my own horn" here, but I'm much better on guitar than I am on piano. But I'm drawn more to the piano. I feel more creative there. And I like the sounds that come out of a piano more than I like guitar sounds. And I really love beautiful piano ballad playing most. That's why the Sudnow Method continues to draw me in. It focuses me on ballad play, but with such sophisticated sounds that don't sound babyish. I guess for me to continue to make music, I'm coming to some kind of understanding. I don't think I can give up piano, because it just feels like its part of what I'm about. Funny that I don't feel that way about the guitar. The guitar is more like a fun thing for me whereas the Sudnow piano stuff gets closer to my soul. Like I said before, I have a friend (who is much better than I on piano) keep urging me to play songs that aren't just ballads. But I draw inspiration from people like Louis Armstrong and Thelonious Monk who played music they loved THEIR way.

Philadelphia Eagles Lost

And that's kind of the day musically it was for me. Should have practiced guitar but didn't. Worked on the Christmas song on piano and it's sounding good. Also went over my two other piano songs. Just a blah kind of musical day epitomized by the Eagles losing in overtime after I think they were up by 10 points in the 4th quarter. Not really knowing where I want the piano and guitar to fit in with my life. Will be playing guitar in a band with my best friend for his 50th birthday in January, and it should be a blast.

Merry Christmas

I may get an Epiphone Les Paul 60's Tribute. Sunburst. Merry early Christmas. Played one (not Sunburst) yesterday and liked it. Also played some Epiphone Dots yesterday and remain unimpressed. The day is young...played my two piano songs and began working on "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)." From now on I'll just refer to it as "The Christmas Song 2012." Looks like I originally worked on it in 2008, but it's a nice song worth relearning. Learning it Sudnow style. No one wants to buy my PRS. Been tempted a bit to use the Moody system again. Also might use a Jazz Book "Mickey Baker's Jazz Guitar" (from now on referred to as "the Baker book) as well as the Johnson book to learn guitar leads.

Thinkin' Out Loud

Possible Guitar Practice Regimen:

Johnson Book
Learning to Read in Different Positions
Baker Book
Play Along

Guitar

Started working on the Johnson book. Anticipating it might be a little difficult knowing when something is known well enough to move on. If I'm going to get serious about this self learning on the guitar, I'd probably do good to plan out how long I should practice specific topics. Oh yea, tonight is the Joe Biden / Paul Ryan Vice Presidential debate. Won't be watching.

Piano / Guitar

Played my two piano songs.

Also started the new guitar book: "Guitarist's Guide to Scales Over Chords / The Foundation of Melodic Soloing" by Chad Johnson. From hereon in I'll refer to this book as "the Johnson book." I'd like to add that I got access to the author's email, and he was kind enough to respond to some of my questions. Appreciate that!

I'd love to be able to express myself in my guitar solos but I've been so limited in doing that.

Having no luck selling my guitar and getting a new one :(

Radio

I am lying on the couch in my living room as my 15 year old's music that he's playing upstairs in his room is dripping down.....OK COMPUTER.

Remembering the Two

Happy Birthday John

Lennon, Guitar, Piano Blues

Ok, first things first: Happy Almost 72nd birthday to John Lennon who would have celebrated his birthday tomorrow.

As Dylan says, "Roll on John."

Still trying to figure out what to do with the guitar. Frustrated with piano.

Saturday

Still working on getting guitar....I got my eyes on an Epiphone Dot Studio...worked a little on piano .... No new song I tried really grabbed me... Still wondering if I should use the new guitar lead book I got .... Wondering if it's mostly just for rock/blues...I want to learn how to play leads on other types of songs...played my 2 piano songs...got the new Dylan album (Tempest) today, and will listen to it tomorrow.

Christianity

Reading "The Imitation of Christ" by Thomas a Kempis. A book to read a little bit at a time.

Presidential Debate (1)

Not in the mood to watch Romney vs. Obama (1) tonight.

Working,Thinking, Tempo, Piano, and Guitar

Still working on perfecting "Somewhere." A friend commented that I need to work on more up tempo stuff. However, when it's about me and the piano, I am much more drawn to the beauty of introspective ballads played with the sounds presented in the Sudnow Method.

Got my new guitar book delivered today; sure doesn't look elementary. When it comes to improvising or playing up tempo tunes, I'm more drawn to doing that stuff on guitar

Guitar

Looks like according to amazon tracking that I'll be getting my guitar book in the mail tomorrow. Yea!

The Bugs

Still working on ironing out the bugs with piano stuff.

Consolidation

Went over the two songs in my repertoire trying to clean them up. The next song may be "For Sentimental Reasons." Was losing interest in piano until I sat down tonight to play.

Looks like no one wants PRS. That's OK. Might save up for an Epiphone Dot Studio. It's not very expensive and seems cool.

Would really like to improvise guitar leads over songs. In this effort, yesterday I ordered this book: "Guitarist's Guide To Scales Over Chords-The Foundation Of Melodic Guitar Soloing." Time will tell if it'll help.