Hi Everybody,
I'm from Durban and I brought a Fender Strat almost 3 years ago and a Magicstomp around 2 years ago, I now also have a GT-10, Epiphone Les Paul deluxe and cheapie Telecaster. I like playing Shadows and Shadows style instrumentals....don't have a singing voice [and have a face for radio ?). Here is a link to a YouTube video of me playing at Zaks.. .This is not my best playing but sort of serves as an introduction to me here.
I have not played much for other people, sometimes family and friends and once when I first started, with work collegues (very harrowing! my nerves are my worst enemy). So this is basically my first performance to a public audience. I was extremely nervous (strangely it does'nt show in the video) but my head was going "Don't panic!, don't panic!, don't panic! ... which made controlling the shaking fingers harder and remembering which song I was on, let alone what was the next sequence!!!!. Besides the nerves, I was also playing on a open deck over the harbour with the cold breeze blowing thru (in June - middle of winter!) which was also stiffing up the fingers with the very cold hands. This is why all the palm muting went hay-wire. The guy playing rhythm with me (Roland - Durban guys may know him) has been playing for more than 20 years and is very supportive. I've only known him only for about 10 months and I don't think I would have been up there without him.
Gear used:
Fender MIM Strat - bridge pickup w/11-49 strings -> Yamaha MagicStomp for delays -> straight into the PA which I had no control over, so don't know what the settings were.
Oh, and the "guitar face" - I was trying to stop my glasses from falling off ? (I still don't know how I made it thru the set)
I prefer the modern "Final tours" style of Hank's playing, and I try to follow his fretboard positions, except where my shorter fingers don't reach or like in Sleepwalk where I'm working out my own sequence of noodling in the middle... As you can see, I'm not quite a "must sound like the original recording" guy. Also currently working on "Theme from Caravans" and "Soek nie Kak nie"...I mean "SukiYaki"...
I have a studio at home (mainly for photographic work 9m x 6m x 3m) where we sometimes put my PA and have the occasional jam session, neighbours are'nt too close - so we can turn the volume up a tad!...no complaints yet! I have been thinking about having a shadows/60s-70s/good ole rock 'n Roll type music get-together/jam session (not into heavy-metal/head banging stuff) - If anyone is interested I have started a thread here....
http://www.guitarforum.co.za/jam-sessions/shadows-jam-session-durban/
Keep on having fun! :woohoo:
Clive K
