Musical Drivel

[inky]

Thanks Monkey

[saf]

So real talk, I haven’t seriously played guitar since probably 2018. I have no callouses, my flexibility and strength are shot. and we’re pretty much back down to cowboy chords. But I’m trying to play again, I’m on day four of an hour a day and I’m working on a micro goal of being able to cleanly transition from B minor and F major and back. I was thinking of busting out the old Hal Leonard Method book but I know that thing is a momentum killer, like the whole first book is just plunking away one note on one string at a time.

Have you guys ever taken a huge break? How did you get back into it?

[DougoBlue]

I’m usually on break or recovering from one.

I tend to get lazy and play while sitting/reclining, then develop bad habits I have to break myself from.

But I play enough that my callouses are intact. My problem is I tend to just noodle around and not really concentrate on learning anything new.

[exile]

I find it helps to play something you like as then it’s not just practice as much. Find a song you like that had the transition in you’re trying now and play that.

I also often play an unplugged electric in bed, that’s terrible for technique

[saf]

I’m trying to keep playing on my acoustic so I can hear every little messy thing I do and not cheat through it, but what if I plugged in downstairs? I really want to…

[exile]

Plug in, you’re allowed to have fun doing it as well

[saf]

Guitar players of Faithless Street, what is your favorite chord and why is it E minor?

[bakamomo]

The Diminished Seventh is where it’s at – moahahaha.
(I do not play the guitar)

[exile]

Am for me

[inky]

G major. The people’s key.

[saf]

Giddy up Cowboy if you’re down to ride…

[highlife]

Bm. It’s like a happysad hopeful version of the booming Em.

[saf]

But it’s so hard!!! Anyway, you must like Ryan Adams….

Neil Young is all A minor all the time, but Jason Molina is my bby, it’s all E minor all the time. Ryan Adams is all B minor all the time.

[saf]

I got something fun for you Molina fans out there. One time one of the musicians that Molina was playing with on tour circa the Josephine album asked him to add Lioness to the set list (BECAUSE ITS A BANGER) and Jason started crying because he said it was too hard to play and he LIVED it.

With that context in mind, here’s Jason Molina playing Lioness live.

Edit:

[saf]

I could talk about Jason Molina all day, but one of my favorite things about him was that he was obviously writing music in his head without the constraints of his own ability. I love comparing the demo of “Old Black Hen” to what he ultimately put on the album. It’s not even in his register vocally. But he was a man of musical vision. He could hear what he wanted it to be without diluting it down so he could perform it.

[highlife]

The Bm is a ‘go-to’ chord, in that the song isn’t in Bm, but you go to it at some point for effect.

[inky]

Yep, that’s a Neil trademark. Get you all comfortable in the major key then throw in that swoony Bm.

[inky]

My strings started deteriorating on my U bass. We had some long gigs recently (one was almost 4 hours straight!) so they were shredding. I upgraded to these red beauties. Closer to an upright sound. 1 night in so far and I love them.

[DougoBlue]

I bought a used Ampeg bass amp last night. It has a 15” and several watts. Should work fine for practice at least.

[inky]

Nice! I love Ampeg. I play out of a 15”. I can lift it and it’s enough volume for most gigs. Otherwise I’d line out to a PA anyway.