Hey guys, thought we should strat making some plans for the next garage days. I reckon we aim for late May/early June. May is a write off for me unfortunately and the only Saturdays in June that I'm available are the 1st and the 15th but if other dates will suit people better I don't mind sitting this one out.

Songs wise, we'll pick mostly from stuff that we have already done so there shouldn't be too much learning involved. If anyone has new songs that they'd like to incorporate however suggest them here and we will chat.

@NorioDS @slowpoet @guidothepimmp @Lu22 @Hasie @klaasvakie

Jislaaik okes. Too true all of this. @Hasie much has been said and I don't plan on repeating anyone on purpose. My journey with the axe has been up and down. Short version - Got a guitar for my 18th Birthday. 'Borrowed' by a friend a year later, never saw it again. 2 years of no playing. Got one again for my 21st. Hardly played. Upgraded it later years and played 'slightly' more. Got involved in church band 7 years later and played for 7 years. After I left the church 'band' scene I was a bit stuck with nothing to play, no one to play with and wondering what next. For just over a year I hardly played. I joined this year awesome forum in Oct '15 and got started again - I was very motivated by everyone and felt completely inferior to everyone. I was dead scared of posting the first entry on the forum compo, but glad I did. The feedback from other members kept me going.

I also realised that I enjoy song writing a lot. My recording quality is CRAP, my gear (compared to a lot of others') is very weak and I have almost zero chops, BUT - I have found that I love to create. Trying to emulate some dude's song is cool and all, but I get more value out of what I come up with. So what if it stinks. It's mine!

2017 I hardly played again, and this year has been a challenge. I have to literally remove the dust from my guitars when I pick them up, and then I play the same stupid noodling sounds over and over again, no progression, and no regression. Just 'as is' for a few months. Frustrating yes, but probably necessary at this point.

Don't be to hard on yourself. You don't have to justify owning a guitar by playing it all the time. Enjoy the time with your family, it goes by too fast. The guitar will always be there.

Can you believe it...musicians that all agree :shock-horror-disbelief: ?

Bill-Rosenberg I latched onto the guitar style that really inspires me. What do you enjoy listening to? What music makes you think, Wow! I want to do that

This - still keeps me going. I hear and want to do it.

morph Eventually in the mid 2000's I worked with V8 and he inspired me to pick up a guitar again

For my sins...! , @morph is a handy singer & player to begin with and needed litttle encouragement to serenade the ladies in the office (I couldn't play a entire song back then, but since inspired, I now can) ?

Hasie because I know I will never be as good or have the speed and technique

This is NOT true. It's that 'base' set of skills you are still developing - once you've got a certain level of practice/time invested, things open up and DO become easier. I thought I'd never play a Satriani riff, earlier this year I dedicated month to trying- I can now play two rhythm sections recognizably (not quite to tempo though).

The amount of peeps I've seen start and give up - heish - I'd say the ratio is 1/20 that carry on to some kinda proficiency. Playing guitar isn't easy, but I think it's worth it.

StephenG sometimes the best practice or thing you can do is to just leave the guitars for a while.. then come back to it a month or so later and you will suddenly find you have improved

Agreed, constantly surprises me how this works. But it does. Maybe it takes a bit of time to pop out the rut, so a break is useful?

daveo1977 What I can see from what the others wrote is that that door stays open.

Always - I like chillin w/mates and we pass around a couple guitars and jam while braai'ing/etc...It's a great skill to have. You never know when someone will call on you to play (I got dragged onto stage at a wedding to join the band for a few jimi songs - was a hoot!)

NorioDS @Hasie Like you, I'm a metal-head and, like you, I haven't bothered trying to play it because I know I'll suck. Well that changed with this challenge and I ended up playing a lot of metal-ish riffs. And it was MAD fun!

It was great fun! Pity we weren't able to get together, I really did want to share a few tricks that work - sadly I have zero video production ability (no edits) and making one take tutorials is most frustrating :sadface:

klaasvakie , I just don't beat myself up about it

No 1!

klaasvakie how to chisel out some "me-time" f

No 2. I don't have kids, but if I did, I'd have the same need - and issues getting around to it.

warrenpridgeon The passion for music/guitar exists outside of the actual playing. I know that doesn't really make sense...

I tell myself there's a balance. Creative pursuits require energy, if you are using all your energy on family and work, there's little left for developing one's own pursuits. Personally, I need to spend more time on exercising, a healthier me = more energy. I'm not gonna get the kinda cardio workout I need playing guitar!

Everyone is different in that requirement - I've recently got serious about my diet (zero gluten, avoiding processed sugars) which has had a major effect on my lifestyle. Means I spend more time cooking and less playing, but I've found I have more energy. Less time playing playing, but far more inspired fun.

@Hasie I'm in process of shedding my 3rd musical skin...in 1999 I went overseas of a few years and sold almost all my metal gear (BC Rich Warlock, Marshall Super Lead 100W + 4x12, etc...). I only had a beatup pacifica (in pieces)) and a metal zone stashed away. In 2012 I had a bunch of gear collected over the years, that I never used and had little intention of using again. And last year I also cleared out the stash that somehow grew to ridiculous proportions again.

And I know I'm not the only one...GAS (i think) is a stage of exploration and development as you find something you like, explore it and move on. Perfectly natural!

Everytime I make space in my 'musical life', it gets filled by something new.

The biggest surprise(s) over 27yr of on/off hacking? I'm rather fond of my strat, love playing bass and I really dig playing nylon strings . Never thought I'd say ANY of that when I started off butchering Slayer riffs in the late 80's ?

Allo @Hasie!

I find my musical passion cyclical - I've either had periods of lots of playing or no playing. I've noticed the more musical interactions I have, the more likely I am to be inspired to consistently play (and develop).

There was a time when I didn't have a playable guitar (I took it apart and three years later put it back together again) - other times when I just havn't played at all.

I remind myself why I originally started - I heard a sound I wanted to make. After that I realized it's healthy for my mind to have that creative outlet, playing basically keeps me sane.

At a certain point of playing there'll be a snowball effect - you'll have enough of a base to learn faster/easier. In my experience it doesn't feel linear. I get a bit down, try to stick to it and then "all of a sudden", there's a light bulb moment ...A slog along the plateau followed with a step/level up in ability. Rinse and repeat.

Keeping stoked? I found being in a band, playing another instrument (in my case, bass), gear (diminishing returns though), recording (challenges/band), musical interactions (watching bands, jamming, hanging out w/muso's) - all helped me keep up a level of enthusiasm or re-kindle my stoke .

E.g. After I left the band in Oct, I floundered for a while, put down the bass and picked up the guitar again, Took a frustrating while to feel comfy again, but I hear my gains from bassing it up