Nowadays you can find me on the overwhelmingly crowded guitar side of the internet.
Last autumn was the last gig of my fusion band and the last time I had sticks in my hands. The band split afterwards so I lost our rehearsal place that I couldn't afford alone.
Soon after we had major water damages in the basement due to the sagging of the drain around the house. So the next 6 months were total domestic chaos: demolishing the finished basement, cleaning the mess, heavy machinery digging all around the house, rebuild the basement, hysteric wife, kids sleeping anywhere but in their rooms,...
"Fortunately" my drumkits were piled in the only salvaged corner of the basement and our insurance company paid for everything, phew!
Couldn't play drums and needed to play some music to relax. At work was an electric guitar gathering dust in the office of a colleague, he lent it to me so I could scratch a bit. I had started on guitar at 12 years old, took classical lessons for a month but stopped cause I couldn't see how it would help me to play Maiden tunes. So I sold guitar and moped to buy drums. The only thing I remembered was a D chord. So I bought a book of chords, started to strum and really liked it. Soon I was addicted.
I was surprised the stuff coming quite easily for me.
It's like all the coordination, finger control, feel for rhythm and song form I got from drumming; combined with all the things I found useless in college (ear training, sight signing, harmony, theory, vibes and piano scales); all crystallize to make my learning on the fast track.
I practice rock, blues, shred, improvisation, scales, modes, folk strumming, fingerstyle,…avoiding tabs as much as possible to develop reading and my style.
I’m like the sponge I was for drums when I started 30 years ago.
I find basic rock guitar to be much easier to learn than basic rock drums and that's probably why there's about 10 guitarists for one drummer out there. Two-note power chords, basic rhythms and the 5 -note pentatonic scale for solos where whatever you play will fit without thinking about it, and you're all set.
I take technique lessons with the best in town, not repeating the mistake I did with drums waiting 5 years to get lessons and having to undo lots of bad technique.
I bought a Godin then a Les Paul with a Line6 amp (already craving for a Marshall wall
).I took the MI harmony course, Gambale and Holdsworth books to read on the beach during my vacation. I suck it all in.
And with all responsibilities, job, family, house, I manage to cram 2 hours/day of practice time.
And I'm Ace in a KISS tribute band with a gig in November
.My wife doesn't understand what she calls my “teen attitude” and thinks it's my mid-age crisis!?
I just get a kick out of it and I'm pumped.
Any of you had a similar experience?
Glad that things are back in order.. .gif "Smile")
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