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Joined a new band?

Working on a new album?

Building your own gear?

Trying to nail a new riff or playing style?

Tell us what you're working on!

I'll start...

  • Re-launching this forum was the big focus for me. I started work on it months ago. The hard part was making sure we didn't lose any content or force people to reset their passwords or anything dumb like that. I think I did ok.

  • Next I wanna try and get this place buzzing again. So I'm working on a weekly newsletter that'll hopefully get people posting again.

  • Guitar-wise, I'm so out of practice, if I can just set up 5-15 minutes a day of practice time, that'll be great. I bought the Music is Win course and wanna work through that over the next few months but it all depends on how much time I can scrape away from work ?

  • On bass, pretty much the same thing. I'm loving playing bass but I need to scrape together a few minutes a day of practice so I can get "natural" at it. Right now, if I'm not playing bass on Rocksmith, then I don't really know what to practice / play.

Over to you!

What are you working on?

    So I only just discovered that Joan Armatrading plays Down To Zero in D tuning (all strings tuned down a full step - unlike open D or Drop D that require different chord fingering) from this stunning video:

    so now I'm playing the hell out of it!
    YaYYY

    I love Joan a LOT... and consider myself very lucky to have seen her twice in Johannesburg... once long ago at the old Standard Bank Arena and again at The Teatro at Monte Casino on July 11th 2015. scheize!!! was it so long ago already ? Joan is definitely a big part of the soundtrack of my life and a big part of the reason that I play guitar today.

    Hello there! Wow! My password worked like a charm! Thanks for taking precious time out to get the website up as you like.
    Well, I'm Raine Carosin, and I collaborate with quite a few different people - I just go with the flow! I'm not pressed to make money out of my music, though I did give it a good try, but didn't succeed at all. Seems it takes money to make money - it's true! Hard fact!
    My YouTube channel has quite a bit of my music endeavours on it, but very little guitar. Since about five or more years ago, when the arthritis first started, I had to start taking it easy, and now the dust piles up - literally!
    But, I did write a song last year called DUST and I was over the Moon when Graeme Robertson (VORTEXIA) from England (whom I've never met face to face) spurred and pushed me to get the song finished! I have no regrets now, f'sure! We formed a duo called TRONADA many years ago and haven't looked back!
    Currently (but on hold) there's a song for which I have the lyrics, but Graeme says that the guitar work I've managed (I can only play a few chords) aren't interesting enough and may sound very similar to Dust, so I have to rework it when I get time.
    I had a wonderful experience when I took advantage of an offer from Uriel Natero (UrielPiano) to turn one of my songs into a piano instrumental. It's called I WANNA TAKE YOU FOR GRANTED. I tell you, OVERWHELMED is not the word! It's so beautiful! I could cry again!
    If you have a song you'd like the same done, approach Uriel. I personally recommend Recording Studio - On Line - Producción Musical
    https://www.facebook.com/Recording-Studio-On-Line-Producci%C3%B3n-Musical-1524630394281381/?hc_location=ufi
    I don't know if that link will work, but anyways. He's awesome, I tell you, and totally very highly disciplined, and his work is exceptional. I am well and truly blessed, f'sure, to have had this amazing miracle happen to me!

    Anyways, before I criticize myself so much that I lose the popularity contest within myself, let me invite you to browse my name. I'm the only combination of "raine" and "carosin" in the world at this time... so I'm easy to find.
    You can find my poetry, art and other stuff on the WWW.

    I'd best get on with chores and stuff.
    Best to Y'All
    Raine and Pierre

    rcarosin Hello there! Wow! My password worked like a charm! Thanks for taking precious time out to get the website up as you like.

    Glad it worked so well for you!

    Just a heads-up, please don't advertise money-making websites or things like that. (I removed that link.)

    Welcome back to the forum ? Keep being awesome.

      Me wife's nerves!

      Honestly, I'm just getting back into playing. A few months back - when Tokai started bringing them gorgeous Cat's Eyes in - I bought a CE 80T. Man oh man. Reason being I can't really play a large bodied acoustic like my Larrivée any more.

      So on this Tokai, I'm really just doing finger strengthening exercises and working in a little technique while I'm at it. The odd ditty pokes its head in now and then. I used to be able to play (most of) Anji, so we noodle with that. Dust in the Wind, a little bit of a few other pinger-ficking pieces from here and there, just to keep me hands in the game as it were.

      But mainly, the exercises.

      Anyone else?
      dh|

      domhatch

      domhatch So on this Tokai, I'm really just doing finger strengthening exercises and working in a little technique while I'm at it. The odd ditty pokes its head in now and then.

      I miss having my classical guitar lying around. We've just moved and I haven't yet unpacked her.

      Just having her lying around in the open has lead to many a short practice session. And, like with you, a few ditties as well. Not gold but not shyte either.

      And my chord-switching improved dramatically.

      I'm not much of an acoustic player but there is a simplicity to acoustic guitar that encourages regular practice and a stronger focus on your compositions. (Whereas on electric, I'm mostly just tempted to wail away like a mad-man with little regard for my neighbors or even my own ears. Plus it just feels like a shlep to first plug in my guitar and turn on the amp. #lazy)

      The other nice thing about classical guitars is that the nylon strings don't stress my dainty little programmer fingers too much ? I've got a booming steel-string Yamaha but I can't play on that for more than 5 minutes without some pain.

      What's my point in this rambling post? I'm a weedly-weedly fan but it's really nice to have an acoustic in the open for a bit of impromptu "screwing around" or finger-strength building.

            This...

            But once that's done, I dunno! I'm heading back into semi-retirement - I'm not passionate about the genre. Though the songs are fun to play and the guys are great fun to work with - that'll be my last gig with djents ?

            Sure something will find me - funky with more space and -dare I say it- with a more commercial appeal. Maybe a cover band or a electro-pop vibe ?

            V8 sad to hear it's over coz I've really enjoyed hearing about your journey on this!

            Excited to see what's next for you bud

            • V8 likes this.
            • V8 replied to this.

                NorioDS Thanks bro - it's not quite over yet! Sure I'll stay in touch with the guys and hear how the albums does (maybe we break even ?).

                I am looking forward to the great unknown - perhaps some bass lessons or even make good on that promise I made myself to one day do a solo acoustic gig.

                  V8 shew. hectic man! not a major fan in general of the genre, but let's just say i appreciate the work that goes into producing the sound. we use django in the office (just two of us) and occasionally something like this will come up on the stream. extremely refreshing!

                  good luck with the gig/s, and likewise - all the best with the future
                  dh|

                      2 years later

                      I can't call guitar playing "work" bUT , busy learning Comfortably NUmb, the wall part II, Chris Isaak Blue Hotel, Hollies Long cool woman in a black dress,

                      strataxe I can't call guitar playing "work" bUT , busy learning Comfortably NUmb, the wall part II, Chris Isaak Blue Hotel, Hollies Long cool woman in a black dress,

                      Great songs. You recording your progress as you go along?

                        NorioDS Not yet, must actually to compare(roll eyes) like I'm gonna get close to Gilmour, the rest not too hectic.

                          strataxe It can be hugely motivating to hear your progress.

                          When V8 and I did our little Pointy vs Paddle challenge, recording my progress helped me see the value of all that practise. So by the time I was getting sick and tired of practising, all I had to do was play an early clip and a more recent one to see it was worth it.

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