These few days I have been quite busy and to be honest I didn’t have that much of a mood for posting. I don’t know why, really, just that over weekends I try to spend more time away from my computer since I give it too much time, in my wife’s opinion. So, due to my target I have thought about what makes a site move better or worse. And I don’t speak here about optimization for search engines, but i speak about YOU! Yep, you are the main factor, believe it or not. And if you think about, it has nothing to do in particular with websites, it is the same with anything around us driven by people. Think about a company, think about your family, thing about your BAND! Yes, I really believe this! What makes a band move is you!

OK, there are other factors such as luck, knowledge, a particular situation where you fit, talent, but I can observe that one of the main factors is you and how much are you willing to put into this.

Think about it. If you wait for other people to find you, you will wait for nothing since I don’t think anybody will notice you when doing nothing. Instead, you should do your best to find concerts, gigs, play in front of as many people as possible, make a name for yourself, be proactive! I know I have never liked those free gigs, we had enough of them here, locally, where the city council organized kind of a “city fest” where we celebrated Day of The City, Tulip’s Festival (we have some local thing with tulips here in our city), etc. I have always hated this, but if I think about it, they are good. They are good because such kind of shows expose you to people. If you know to play your card, you can make a name for yourself.

There is a big chance that, if you read this, to meet 2 criteria: have a band (or had in the past) and have a site. Now, if you do, then please think about how similar these 2 things are. Try to be more proactive with your website and you will see how traffic will increase, try to be more proactive with the band and popularity will increase!

Be prepared to make efforts

As with any other thing, running a band is the best when you do it full time. If you do it after work, it won’t be the same since you can not give 100% to your band, you will need time for your job. I have always thought about a local band here that has nothing to do with rock music actually, but decided at one moment to leave their city and move to capital, sleep all in a rented apart and spend 100% of their time doing music. I can say that they had a very big success, it still happens now after 10 years and I know this happened because they had their mind set on music and on band, not on doing anything else!

In my opinion, the reason for which a band succeeds or fails is the quantity of effort you put on it’s development. You need to work hard for it, it is not enough to play good since there is no doubt here that all people reading this blog play good, right ?

I know I didn’t stop doing other things in order to make it big with my band, I have always played in a band while doing other things (like working, doh!) and as time goes by it is more and more difficult to do this and I don’t even think I could do it(or want it) anymore from where I stand at this moment…

Learn a bit of marketing

In your journey to success it is very important to understand a few things, like a bit of marketing for ex. I didn’t know that some years ago, and at that moment, playing like somebody else was not such a big problem. Why would it be? They play like this and do just fine! Well, indeed, THEY do just fine, not us! So I think a bit of marketing won’t hurt anybody. If you study it a bit, you will understand why your manager(supposing you have one) tells you to find a particular style that nobody else plays there or just find a particular thing that identify you, why he asks you to dress in a particular way or an other, why he asks you to be consistent in your music and general style, as a band. By the way, if your manager doesn’t understand this, change him!

It is very similar to running a website, really! Just that it depends if you have the passion for it.

So, one having said here a few things, let’s see why your band failed(from not making it big) and what would you have to add to what I have just said here! Shoot!

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This morning, Cosmin, my band colleague (bass player) sent me some links to a few YouTube videos, asking me something like “Uuh?What do you say?!” All the videos were oldies, like for ex Wonderful life from Black. Man, this song is old and used to be on heavy rotation here about 17-18 years ago (?) when our TV stations didn’t have too much to play so they played the same old stuff over and over again. I remember from that period Cars with Drive. Man, I liked that stuff back then, but it stuck so deep into my brain that I don’t think I’ll ever enjoy it again. Also Stevie Wonder’s I just called to say I love you! Damn, and it was an other one, Stevie B, Because I love you. This one I had it on tape…

Now, listening to this song that Cosmin showed to me on YouTube, I asked him why does he show it to me? Well, how about we play it? What?!! I started to laugh! He then showed me some Al Bano and Romina Power, that made me feel suspicious, he is a Iron Maiden fan, for God’s sake! Man, wake up!

(Obtuse mind reflection:)Wonderful life seemed to me so anti-guitar that I couldn’t even imagine us playing it on stage. Where would you put an electric guitar in there? But because he says he would love us to consider it, I looked some more on YouTube and there it was: I found a cover, Hyperchild playing Wonderful life!

Man, I really enjoyed that one, it comes closer to rock, love metal, I think, HIM style music…

So I say, OK, we could do this . No solo, no keyboard, well…no problem!

The very interesting that I was thinking about is the fact that it is the same dusty song (please excuse my appreciation of it, I like it but to me it is dusty) and just changing the way of expression, you get a totally new song, with a totally new life… Adding a guitar in there opens the minds of guitar centered guys (like me for ex, I put myself on the top of the list because before listening the cover I said no, but after listening the guitar version I said, hell, yeah, why not?!)

Now I also think of something else: since a few days we try to cover Bon Jovi’s Living on a prayer which is a great song. Just that it doesn’t quite work on us. Now I think I know why: we try too much to match the original and we will never match Jon Bon Jovi’s way of singing or the energy the record transmits. What we should do instead is to find a better way of expressing us over the same song, to represent us and respect the original song also. Like that cover of Wonderful life for example…

So, just look at the same think from an other angle. Should not be difficult…right?

Here’s the cover:

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After watching some of those giants of music behaving totally unpredictable and missing concerts when everybody was expecting them on stage (as an example I had the happening with the lead singer of Velvet Revolver skipping a show when the others were there) my mind jumped to some rehearsals when we were waiting on our drummer and he was not coming.

Calling him at home, his sister tells us he’s sleeping. Well, wake him up!!! She comes back 1 min later to tell us that he said he won’t come! He is tired! Fuck! At least warn us before we come here!

Well, this is a little example where no money were involved, we had nothing to lose than our time cause without the drummer you can’t do much, if you think about it. However, when money are involved it is an other thing. So I was wondering what would come first? (to stick to the subject, I speak about guitar players):

• a guitar player that is just unbelievably creative and a technical monster but (as it happens in most of the cases with gifted people) thinks too high of himself and is not reliable in terms of respecting appointments, shows, etc
• or a reliable guitar player, not the best in the world but somebody to count on?

Don’t rush yourself to judge, saying that such “unreliable” person would die soon, artistically or socially speaking! Not quite! Think of all the musicians who went up on stage stoned, drunk (see recent events with Eddie Van Halen), think of Axl Rose leaving the scene in the past or not coming to shows, think of Nirvana bass player who is said to have been awaken just before some shows from all the alcohol he drank, etc…

However, in artistic environments, I think that the individual value of an artist is highly appreciated and if you look around, people, managers, everybody around “stars” tolerate some degree of “rebelliousness” if what they receive has a great value in terms of artistic production.

So, how much would you tolerate/accept and where’s your boiling point where you just say stop, up to here, no more? Would such a guitar player be looking for work or his artistic genius will always keep him popular and asked for on long term?

What’s your take on that?

By the way:stumble this!

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A good friend of mine asked me yesterday evening what guitar effect I would recommend him. Not really understanding the question and being set on the fact that he doesn’t play solo guitar, my mind jumped to stompboxes so I recommended him a BOSS DS1, a BOSS chorus pedal, this kind of stuff. No, he says, I would want one of those multi-effects. Well, I say, now you’re speaking!

So, I have immediately thought about BOSS GT-10 which tends to be my favorite lately, but it was out of his planned budget. So, considering the needs and budget, we looked at BOSS ME20 which is less expensive and offers him more than enough power for driving the rhythm guitar.

So, my question to you is: what is your opinion regarding this? Is the BOSS ME20 a good choice? Would you recommend something else? Why? Is there anybody driving a ME20 who would like to share his practical experience with it?

PS: I tent to be locked on BOSS due to the fact that I currently own one and I am more than happy with it after so many years using it !

Here I want to make a confession: I am a stupid idiot! I have posted about BOSS GT-10 a few days before and said I own a BOSS ME-5 without actually thinking too much about it. A few days later somebody asked me by mail something about how I soldered the input jack because it seems tricky to him. Did I remove I don’t know what thing before soldering it or did I find an other way? Did I remove what?! I must confess it was long ago since I haven’t open my multi effect to look inside it so I didn’t remember so I looked in my gig bag in order to open the screws and there I had it, the reason for which I say I am an idiot: I don’t have a BOSS ME-5, but a BOSS ME-6!

I think it is the 3rd time since I own it when I make this confusion! I own it and play it since so many years that I just don’t look at the name anymore, so writing the post, I was quite convinced I have a ME 5. Damn! No! I have a BOSS ME 6. There, I said it! It really bothered me since I realized I made that mistake in the post about GT10 and I couldn’t sleep at night!

That’s it, I am with my head in the clouds! Quite often I can’t find things that are really in front of me so this doesn’t quite surprise me. Nor my wife if you would ask her…

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There is this guy on YouTube that sings and plays an acoustic guitar so beautiful and peaceful that I couldn’t help not to become a fan as soon as I have heard him. He gives me such a warm feeling and I would listen to him for hours. I just imagine this guy has such a beautiful, rich and accomplished life because you could only sing this way if you have inner peace and you are happy with who you are…

He covers various songs, sometimes using a harmonica too, has a very beautiful calm voice and he never shows his face in those videos. Some of you may already know him from YouTube, but I don’t think it will be a problem listening him again, isn’t it?

Unfortunately, as much as I would have loved to embed a video here, he disabled this feature so I can only point you to his channel and wish you a nice audition! Here’s a short list out of his currently 96 songs:

• You’ve got a friend(James Taylor)
• King of the road(Roger Miller)
• A song for Adam( Jackson Browne)
• Let it snow

And his channel here: FretKillr

Is this guy great or what?

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Speaking of when much is too much…couldn’t this guy stop adding necks to his bass guitar or what?
Ah, I know…he plays in 4 bands at once…

Hmm, or he’s just the guy from the CDs store, who wanted his moment of glory, picturing himself with this monster bass?! Fuck, yeah!

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About three weeks ago I have posted about a great guitar processor that I really want to make my own, BOSS GT 10. I am a long time user of BOSS and I like their effects and how they operate, how usable and tough they are. Really, they are kind of a tank, no kidding!

Today I have been pointed to another one that I didn’t know about, Roland GR 33, which is an other kind of toy. It is not a guitar processor like GT 10 but a guitar synthesizer, works on MIDI and boy, it rocks! Well, not rock is the word here, but for those of you involved in playing some electronic influenced music, new age or just want to sound strange, complex or just play around, well…that’s what you need: Roland GR 33.

Later edit: very interesting how you get the sound from your guitar. There is a specialized pickup which actually work as 6 pickups in a row, one for each string. The “normal” pickup gets the sound from the strings as a whole while this pickup gets the sound for each string feeding it to the MIDI synthesizer. Because I couldn’t find a similar video for Roland G-33, here’s one for GR-20 but I think the video tells enough to figure out for yourself about GR-33 also (click on video tab to watch the promotional movie).

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Did you ever happen to see a (once) good guitar player that didn’t practice for a long time? I guess most of you did(probably in yourself too), because usually guitar playing, when not a profession or a serious hobby, happens in young age. Then life rolls over us. It happens! Or to put it an other way, “life’s a bitch and then you die”(well, that is the pessimistic point of view that does not define me, just that I like how it sounds).

So, if you look at this guitar player that now plays like a 14 years old, it’s quite embarrassing. For someone at 14, sounding flat works. For someone who’s supposed to have some experience and history in playing the guitar, sucks!

I have seen such persons. Damn, I have even seen myself! I have seen how some good player that I used to look up when I was a teen, couldn’t solo anymore…

But, at one point this guitar player started to practice seriously, and man, what a learning curve he had! Soon, in only a few months he became again someone to look up to! What happened? Nobody really learns that fast, right?!

Dr J spoke on his guest article here a bit about muscle memory, and boy, he’s right:

“We musicians rely so much on muscle memory and I firmly believe that the most productive time you can spend teaching your brain to remember the movements is really only the first 15-20 minutes of a practice session. After this amount of time, the brain is no longer interested in storing muscle memory information and if you continue to practice without taking a break, all you are doing is exercising your muscles.Give your brain a rest and go do something else for a while, then get back to practicing.”

When learning to play the guitar, you actually store patterns in your brain and in your muscles. It happens in music practicing, but it also happens in domains that have less to do with skills, but with capabilities, like in lifting weights. Really! This is why you find yourself taking some automatic actions in some particular situations, without “thinking” about it before. Like if you practiced box, wrestling, etc, if attacked, you will find yourself reacting fast and precise without recent previous training. It’s in you, sleeping, people!

So, when starting again to practice, your muscles start to remember things they were used to before! And if you really enjoy what you do, it comes so fast to you that you will be amazed. What the 14 years old will need to fight and struggle for a few years in a row, you will get in only a few months with a good, relaxed but constant practice!

All it takes is will, because the skills, you have them in you! Start practicing and you will see how fast you will learn it again.

I can not tell you how I felt when after a longer period of not playing constantly I started again and after only a few weeks I gained that joy and feeling of knowing my way around the neck. In the first days I had the impression that my fingers were some kind of cucumbers while after a while I started to feel the guitar neck as very comfortable and friendly.

If you find this familiar, let me hear you, guys, don’t let me feel alone out here

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I came back from today’s rehearsal and I only have one thing in my mind: I was surprised by how well my old combo is working, how good the sound it. Until now, because of commodity, I played on the combo I had there, brand new, but still, a cheap one, Harley Benton.

I tried hard to fix the sound, worked on my processor EQ settings, I though the pickups of the guitar are the problem but no matter what I tried, I could not make it sound well. Today I brought in my old combo and God, I was surprised by how it sounds. My combo is not a brand one, it is an old(and quite cheap, I bought it second hand about 9 years ago and didn’t fix anything since then) Russian combo, Accord is the name and it is …a bass combo, or at least this is what I think it writes there, even if I have no damn clue of Russian language, is writes something like “bass”. Well, I can tell you that it has such a rich and fat sound that I just love it. I have 1 general volume, 1 gain, treble, bass and 2 mid-range knobs and it looks like it survived a war, but when I play it I love it! Or maybe is just me, but it gives such a fat sound that makes me feel playing on loose, low tension strings, even if I have medium strings.

Today I felt that everything went better, suddenly my fingers obeyed me, I didn’t suck (that much), and everything because my amp gave me THE SOUND!

I guess that the person who said that “sound makes the music” was damn right!

That person surely was a guitar player and he had a good amp! For sure!

PS: On similar topic, also read Jack Pribek’s We are the seekers of tone

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Today is 19 so it is again one of those days when I publish here the stats for the previous month, what I did and what I intend to do in the next month.

This month I can tell you it was full of surprises and things to learn. I am not a big blogger, even if I work in this business, I am an IT person, but as much as I love the domain, blogging was not quite a hobby for me so far and I discover a lot of things while blogging here. I can tell you that blogging is a special kind of “art”, not like a regular site, where you would offer a particular service. In blogging you need to have that “special something” to catch public attention day by day. Blogging, is based on social awareness, I think that the main source of traffic for blogs is direct traffic. When direct traffic becomes your main source of traffic, I think you can call yourself a successful blogger. I learn this day by day and I still have a long way to reach that point. So, coming back to my stats…

This month was kind of a crazy one for me. One of my articles, funny top 10 rules for a power metal band was stumbled hard and I suddenly received 1525 visits in one single day! This was until that moment the highest peak for this blog. I was a bit curious why this happened since this article was on Digg and did quite nothing and was on SU since 1 month and again, did almost nothing. Well, it generated about 400 page views when it was submitted and then I thought it was over.

Boy, I was wrong! Suddenly, it received 1525 visits over night! I was thrilled! But wait! The second day I received 3587 visits for the same article! I couldn’t believe my eyes! And then 2429 in the next day! The traffic went a bit down after the first days, but still went on for 10 days with a media of 1200-1300 hits per day for this article! I was just thrilled seeing my stats like this for more than 10 days!

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