musicians...

[petarggh]

Music being my other major time sink (behind computers) I'm naturally curious about other people's musical endeavors.

Disregarding the link i left in the TF2 thread (that song was a joke to annoy a professor) --playing music is one of the most satisfying things I've done in life.

SO! You guys should talk about what kind of music you've played, or what gear you use, or what instruments are you favorite--or whatever. It's just really fun to see musicians pop outta the woodwork.

I'm not gonna say much about me in this first post --because i don't want this to be a thread about me haha (so if there's no interest it'll just die quietly and alone )

My current band is (sorry it's myspace) ghost tree but my music is all located here. Though most of these songs are recorded terribly--the ones at my site are representative of my mindset over the years they were written.

YAY

[Zambini]

I want to learn Piano, but I'm such a lazy bastard I haven't learned more than the first 2 verses of "Mad World" and learned (but can't play) the beginning to "Midna's Despair" from Twilight Princess.

But Piano is the most pleasant instruments (aside from acoustic guitar) to hear played.

[screwballl]

Originally Posted by petarggh

My current band is (sorry it's myspace) ghost tree but my music is all located here. Though most of these songs are recorded terribly--the ones at my site are representative of my mindset over the years they were written.

YAY

Got some decent tunes there... pretty good for a garage band... hell Blink 182 and a lot of those names started out as garage bands

[petarggh]

Originally Posted by screwballl

Got some decent tunes there... pretty good for a garage band... hell Blink 182 and a lot of those names started out as garage bands

heheh--thank you =)

Though technically we're a bedroom band as none of us have a garage.

If any of you are in san jose (ca) we have 2 shows there in the next 3 weeks.


(another thing: if any of you are musicians and nerds--- can you think of another inexpensive way to self record? the songs on revolutionincognito are done with a PoS usb preamp. I need a better solution )

[screwballl]

One group I heard through the intarweb tubes that is a small group of nerds recording is called "futuristic sex robotz".. they have a "back to the future" song based on the movie and some about "f**k the MPAA"... they have a good tune for a rapping geek squad
May want to do some digging and see how they're getting their info out there...

[theburan]

I play guitar on and off. Not really good, just don't put the time into that I need to to get proficient, but I have fun.

I use an Ibanez GAX70, tuned to drop c, an epiphone Les Paul (with a flat black and flat red paint job, i love it) for standard and drop d tuning. I run them through a Digitech RP350 guitar processor, and then either to a Line 6 Spider 2 15w amp (which kinda sucks), or a pair of Sennheiser hd280's (which rock for playing guitar by myself.).

It's a fun hobby to mess around with... just never have the time for it though.

[stevensonmat2]

This thread is relevant to my interests. I'm a drummer and I've been playing for about 3 years. I've done some studio work and played with a few bands, and I have an audition for a new band next week.

I play all sorts of music, from jazz to rock. Latin jazz has to be my favorite though ;) I recently moved to a larger city with a decent music scene, so hopefully I'll be able to seek out some good opportunities.

I'll post some pics of my kit later. It's a Yamaha Oak Custom with a 24" kick drum and 12" & 14" toms. For cymbals I use Zildjian A customs, K customs, and a few Paistes.

[petarggh]

I really like a lot of those line6 effects (directed at theburan)--but I'm not the biggest fan of the clean tone. Just doesn't have ...enough. Right now I'm playing through a Crate BV120. It's not great, bud man it has balls haha. When I droptune and rock some low thunder i shake the building. The amp I want most right now is one of those fender hot rods (or deville) with 4 10inch speakers. They are so sweet sounding, but can crunch. And aren't as heavy as my half stack.

I'm guessing you're a metal guy (with tunings like that). What bands you listen to most? I'm still rediculously in love with Dark Tranquillity.

Stevensonmat2--> I totally hear ya with the latin jazz . I played tenor sax for 4ish years in the high school jazz band, and those drummers seemed to love the latin. It's more energetic than a lot of the ballads we did, and it keeps you thinkin with all those syncopated rhythms and off beats. Also, it makes ya feel spicy, ya? :P

If only ya lived here . We're on our FIFTH (maybe 4th) drummer due to, erm, personality issues. (not with me i swear). It's always fun to play with new drummers. Such stylistic difference in rhythm can totally change a song.

[theburan]

I dont like the effect much on my amp... but hey, it's a cheap amp. That's what the rp350 is for, lol.

And I do like metal and rock. The ibanez gets used for System of a Down almost exclusively... I haven't gotten around to learning the few Queens of the Stone Age songs that are tuned like that yet.

As for the epi, I play mostly rock with it, not so much metal (although Trogdor is always a blast to play). Someone's in the Wolf by QOTSA is a blast to play, rage against the machine is also fun. To be honest, I mostly just learn the cool riffs from songs I like, everything from cream to buckethead... I almost never practice enough to play the whole song all the way through, lol. There's one or two songs that I've put the time into... but mostly I just pick up one of them and play a few cool bits, and maybe just make up a tune and jam for a bit... it's a nice way to relax, even if it's not all that productive, lol.

I'll have to get some pics of my epi though... i love that thing. Picked it up used.. pretty sure the last guy who had it painted it himself, but it just works, in a weird way.

Also, lately I've been listening to alot of non-metal bands... lots of weezer, lots of queens of the stone age, some rage against the machine, some reggie and the full effect, colonel claypools bucket of bernie brains (awesome band, les claypool and buckethead together... just dang.), and some bedouin soundclash. And coheed and cambria lately too.

[Boy'nBlack]

I try to keep up on music. It get's harder; but not from lack of time, age, or any of that stuff. It's just that I can't find new stuff I want to actually play. If I know it, it's been done time and time again. I still love music too much to not practice...or just flat out blow off steam! It centers me, like Randall and Go Karts.

Anyway, I still play guitars and tickle the keys a bit. I'd say "Piano", but with the space here in this little house, fat chance. That thing sold with the last house...it made it's last move. I have my trumpet, coronet, and oboe at work in case no one is playing poker and need to fill time.

I played in band since they'd let me start, which I think is 3rd grade. I, being me, picked a coronet. Everyone was percussion, trumpets, Sax's, and the girls were clarinet and flute. I wanted a trumpet, but so did a 1/4 of the class. So I was coronet...the freak that payed off later in Junior high. Our teacher from then on was the University's professor's wife and loved she had a freaking coronet to use. Being fill/accent type, that's how I picked up the oboe as well.

I didn't even pick up a guitar until my sister dated a cool guy that played. I think I was a freshman? I plucked around when he wasn't looking, then got busted, and he left it for me to play with a pignose and some tab books. Sis hated that he did that, cause it meant he liked me...LOL. It was a bad-ass Ibanez and I wouldn't even do that if it were me. Eventually we started hangning out and watching them play. Mind you, that was Dokken days...which speaks of my idolization of George Lynch I'm sure.

But it was fun finally seeing new music being played that I loved, but didn't know a thing about strings. I had to learn it all too! So...instead of the far side of the park to play, dad let us use the paint booth of the garage. That had several effects. They all liked the sound, and I later found out why I was kicked out to go do errands with sis's boyfriend all the time...the booth fans remove pot smoke very well.

Anyway, that's still the stuff I love to play. AC/DC, Dokken, CCR, Dire Straits, B.T.O., and Van Hagar. I'd love to say SRV, but I fumble and get off beat in just about every song. I'm not the lead type and love the rhythm part mostly. It's that old fill and base role I come from. I like it's purpose and it's not a crowded line waiting to do that job...no one fights over rhythm. And hey, Malcom makes ACDC, man!

I'm shy too (go figure), and don't like spotlight stuff like that. I've only played on request for like 3 people, and it shocked the hell out of them. I kinda get Eddie Faced as well as put my body into a bend and the rhythm. I get embarrassed over that stuff. I played on our ship's band where I only did jazz/metal stuff I was experimenting with (and still do), and I have a small bar I play in every time I go home (horrible name...Turtle Heads in Joplin, Mo). I go, bring my close friends, close my eyes, and play to have a good time. On request of the owner, I have 3 manditory songs: Take'n care of business (open), Are you sure Hank done it this way (and sing), and put Money For Nothing in there when I feel ready. Love it, but return to the recluse outside of that very certain environment. I have some you tubes, but she kept getting my face in the shot and just started mounting my helmet cam on the head to avoid that so I can post them. We've tried the band thing, but people must move on and it's hard to keep one together. I think we've had 3 that lasted more than a year...and all metal. Get a "country" band, I think one could make it. They're full of suckers now that don't know it's pop.

My guitars are a Gibson SG '61 Reissue, Jackson DKMG, Gibson Explorer, and just recently picked up a Jackson Dinky Reverse JS1 about two months ago just to try and get the GF to play...and something I don't mind beating up a bit. I mainly use DOD pedals now. Have a Digitech box...but a buddy gave me some software that's just superior in all ways. I play on an old 2x12 Marshall stack...tubed :D

The wind items are just stuff from HS. A Kohlert trumpet and a Yamaha Standard oboe. If I could learn something, it'd be the banjo (Steve Martin ROCKS!), bagpipes, and/or the fiddle (not the violin).

In College, I stood in for the 1pm-3pm local station in Pittsburg, KS. It was the fill spot once again, but that's where you advertise for the bands playing at the bars that night or coming weekend. Made lots of friends that way, realized no one could see me, and eventually started to sit in on some on-air jams. Ya, small town...but they still got stuff like Kittie, Unwritten Law, early Korn, and some other bands that finally broke through. It's ironic, because the guy I replaced at GE ran the studio Korn recorded from and met up again randomly, and ran into Unwritten Law as they're San Diego based and are friends of friends that came to a backyard firepit thing. "Hey, ya...I know you. What the hell are you doing out here" is cool to hear.

Ok, essay done. Thanks for starting a thread like this! Very often can we break the seal and get into people's heads. And I think you'll find musicians have big fat swelling heads

[edit]See you guys talking metal, so want to chime in with the metal I like to play (I only mention rock): Anthrax/SOD (love Scott Ian), Korn (remove 2 strings on a 7 string), Six Feet Under (drink rum and smoke luckys if you want to be vocal), Megadeth (get a bit angry), and love playing harmonics with both Slayer and Pantera...neato accent to a fill guy!

Originally Posted by theburan

Also, lately I've been listening to alot of non-metal bands... some rage against the machine

Hey, they're a great experiment for the non typical neck playing. It really could open you up to new technique if you try to mimic Tom Morello. If you don't play with the volume or the switches, their music will make you do so. Neat stuff to get into outside of just fret board work. Just be careful...you might become a radical like me if you dive in deep. Being a friendly guy that you are, it'd be hard to mockingbird without bringing the de la Rocha effect into the actual guitar play. It can involve you a bit more than you may forcast.