Shameless self promotion, anyone?

[SigTauGimp]

I looked around, and didn't see a thread like what I had in mind, so I decided to go ahead and try it out.

Here is where you would post up any music and/or video game things that you have done yourself, or ask for/give opinions on other people's creations.

I'm very interested to see who else is musically inclined, or possibly participates in creating text adventures/games/Dungeon Master/Flash Games and the like...it could even be a "speed run" video of yourself finishing a game...

I play guitar as a little side-hobby, and have a few videos of original songs here.

Who else has creative hobbies?

[jayson]

Very nice playing Chris!

The whole of it reminds me of John Fahey. I particularly like the sound you get with your right hand tapping technique.

I also play guitar, though I have no video to which I can link.

[SigTauGimp]

Thank you very much for your kind words, R of G...yeah, I'm a big fan of the "candyrat" style guitarists...Andy Mckee, Antoine Dufour, Robert Taylor, Andrew White, and the like.

How long have you been playing, if I may ask? I always find learning about people's musicianship that I know, in a non-music circle, intriguing.

[jayson]

You're welcome. Thanks for sharing your music. Also, feel free to call me Jayson.

I have been playing for just under 9 years having begun in January of 2000. I'm almost entirely self-taught. I have two friends who have been playing since their teens (one of whom is a semi-professional musician) who showed me some things here and there when I first started, but not any proper lessons per se.

My interest is purely on the level of hobby, but an obsessive hobby.
By that I mean that although I hold no illusions of ever being a professional musician or recording artist, I still constantly seek to improve my playing. Even if I only play for my own enjoyment and that of my friends, I still think we'd all enjoy it more if I play well. My only real goal is to be as versatile as possible like my (living) guitar heroes Marc Ribot and Bill Frisell. To paraphrase Ribot, the most important thing a musician can do is understand his/her role in any possible musical setting and play appropriately.

[SigTauGimp]

Very well put, Jayson. I have almost the same musical upbringing, with the exception that I started playing back in 97-98'ish. Self taught, had a few friends that had some professional schooling to help out every now and then. And it's an obsessive hobby with me, as well.

[obscurejude]

Put me in the obsessive hobby camp as well. My stolen internet connection is a little weak to stream your video STP. I'll check it out when I go back to school tomorrow.

[Tank]

I was in a band named Push Off for 5 years. We recorded a few EP's and one LP and released them on our own to not much fanfare. It didn't help that we went through a lot of members, me being the only one that was there from start to finish, and a few of our members fell into the the standard rock star clichés.

Our highest point was playing the White Stripes homecoming show at the Masonic Temple in Detroit in '05. We played all over the place in 5 years but that was probably our biggest show. We broke up in late '06 after, of course, playing one of our best shows. The Push Off Myspace page is still up here and my personal Myspace music page can be found here.

Thanks in advance to anyone who checks it out, I hope you like what you hear.

[BROWNINGS CHILDE]

I have been playing guitar for about 17 years now. I started with metal, or the metal of the age (Metallica, Pantera, Slayer etc.) I played fast and furious shred metal. I learned from tab and could play many of the Kirk Hammett solos before I could play an open G chord. (Or even knew what one was for that matter) Then I went to college and took a few lessons. Started over from the beginning. Chords, progressions, some theory. I got deep into blues at that point, focusing on Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton etc. At some point I learned to sing and play a song at the same time. (I think my first one was Tears in Heaven) I really enjoyed it, so I started to focus only on songs that I could sing and play, and perform by myself. I started playing acoustic guitar exclusively. (My stratocaster broke, and I only recently got it fixed some 10 years later, and still havent played it since getting it fixed) Recessed a bit in my guitar playing, trading technical chops for singing freedom. I currently play alot of Dave Matthews, Jack Johnson and the like. I keep a running song list on my computer of songs that I know so that I don't forget to practice them once in a while. Some 200 or so songs. I have about 10 originals. (Mostly blues) Anyway, thought I would contribute. I have been looking for a thread like this.

[Tank]

I have been playing guitar for about 17 years now. I started with metal, or the metal of the age (Metallica, Pantera, Slayer etc.) I played fast and furious shred metal. I learned from tab and could play many of the Kirk Hammett solos before I could play an open G chord. (Or even knew what one was for that matter) Then I went to college and took a few lessons. Started over from the beginning. Chords, progressions, some theory. I got deep into blues at that point, focusing on Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton etc. At some point I learned to sing and play a song at the same time. (I think my first one was Tears in Heaven) I really enjoyed it, so I started to focus only on songs that I could sing and play, and perform by myself. I started playing acoustic guitar exclusively. (My stratocaster broke, and I only recently got it fixed some 10 years later, and still havent played it since getting it fixed) Recessed a bit in my guitar playing, trading technical chops for singing freedom. I currently play alot of Dave Matthews, Jack Johnson and the like. I keep a running song list on my computer of songs that I know so that I don't forget to practice them once in a while. Some 200 or so songs. I have about 10 originals. (Mostly blues) Anyway, thought I would contribute. I have been looking for a thread like this.

Sounds like we've chewed some of the same musical dirt. SRV and Hendrix were the main reasons I picked the guitar up in the first place. And I too fell into the trap of learning a lot of leads before I knew how to play a lot of the songs the leads were in. It took getting embarrassed a few times when I tried to jam with other folks for me to really buckle down and woodshed.

Lately I've not been playing as much, but when I was I was messing with alternate tunings and listening to a lot of acoustic artists like Nick Drake and some of the solo John Frusciante albums. If you haven't heard some of those albums you might want to check them out.

[SigTauGimp]

Hooray!

More peoples!

I LOVE altered tunings at the moment...that's one of my big influences right now...CandyRat Records and all those crazy cats and kittens...but, like you two, I did the same thing...I remember learning the entire "...And Justice For All" album waaaayyy back. I even remember buying "The Kirk Hammet Guitar Method" to get a feel for how he would do his solos.

I think that throughout my whole playing experience, I've went through most of the genres...rock, blues, metal, alternative, even a bit of country and bluegrass. I've always thought it was nice to have a wide range of familiarity with all of the different styles.

[Tank]

Hooray!

More peoples!

I LOVE altered tunings at the moment...that's one of my big influences right now...CandyRat Records and all those crazy cats and kittens...but, like you two, I did the same thing...I remember learning the entire "...And Justice For All" album waaaayyy back. I even remember buying "The Kirk Hammet Guitar Method" to get a feel for how he would do his solos.

I think that throughout my whole playing experience, I've went through most of the genres...rock, blues, metal, alternative, even a bit of country and bluegrass. I've always thought it was nice to have a wide range of familiarity with all of the different styles.

Country is the one genre that has always left me scratching my head. I love old country but I'm not into most "young country" as they call it here in Detroit.

I'd love to learn how to play the pedal steel but I just never got around to it. I did start messing with slide but dropped that when I joined my last band, which was a cover band, to learn all the cover songs we did.

I did pick up a banjo and mess around with that once. It left me looking like .

[BROWNINGS CHILDE]

I learned a few country tunes to appease a couple of friends. Couple of Johney Cash tunes, and Willie Nelson. But for the most part, The Eagles is as country is I get.
As for alternate tunings, I love DADGAD. I think that even a first time guitar player sounds kinda cool in this tuning.

Tank, I have never heard any of John Frusciante's solo albums, but I love the Chili Peppers, so I am going to check his stuff out soon, thanks.

What music do you'all listen too, but don't play because it doesn't fit your style, or too hard, or too many other instruments?
For instance, I like to listen to Slipknot, Incubus, Sublime etc. But have never learned any of their songs.
Oh, and the too hard, Dream Theatre, Monty Montgomery, Andy Mckee, Steve Vie

[BROWNINGS CHILDE]

Dude, Sig. If you are playing Andy Mckee very faithfully, thats sic.

[Tank]

I learned a few country tunes to appease a couple of friends. Couple of Johney Cash tunes, and Willie Nelson. But for the most part, The Eagles is as country is I get.
As for alternate tunings, I love DADGAD. I think that even a first time guitar player sounds kinda cool in this tuning.

Tank, I have never heard any of John Frusciante's solo albums, but I love the Chili Peppers, so I am going to check his stuff out soon, thanks.

What music do you'all listen too, but don't play because it doesn't fit your style, or too hard, or too many other instruments?
For instance, I like to listen to Slipknot, Incubus, Sublime etc. But have never learned any of their songs.
Oh, and the too hard, Dream Theatre, Monty Montgomery, Andy Mckee, Steve Vie

I love DADGAD as well. A lot of the songs I was writing for the band near the end had one guitar in DADGAD and the other in standard. I wanted to get away from having two guitar parts that were the same and instead have two parts that intertwined and complemented each other. As far as other tunings check out some of the crazy ones Nick Drake used. I can just pick one at random and sit down and try to work out song ideas. It's kind of like an exercise in retraining your brain when it comes to the guitar, at least for me.

As far as stuff I can't play, that's a ton. I've always liked a lot of metal, but I just don't have the natural feel for a lot of it. I grew up listening to a lot of blues, funk and R&B, so if it isn't a head bobbing groove I have to work twice as hard to get the feel down. Reggae is the same for me as well. I play hell trying to get on the upbeat after 20 years of living on the downbeat.

[Tank]

Oh, I almost forgot. I'll check out the music links tomorrow. Right now my wife is asleep right next to me and I'm half deaf from standing next to a Fender Twin for the last 20 years, so I can't get it loud enough for me to really hear without incurring her wrath.

[BROWNINGS CHILDE]

Lol, I know the feeling.

[SigTauGimp]

There is quite a bit of country/bluegrass that I don't play, because it doesn't really feel natural to me...as for the too hard section...Dragonforce gives me some trouble...well, quite a bit of trouble. I can play quite a few of the riffs and solo sections, but at 23045723bpm? No, thank you.
Vai and Satch give me pains as well...I'll learn a riff of two, but just can't quite get the same "feel and vibe" that they have when they play...
As for all of the candyrat artists, it's just a matter of patience, and dexterity...I can play a few from the different people...Andy Mckee(Drifting,For My Father,Rylynn)...Antoine Dufour(Spiritual Groove, Drac&Friends,Into Your Heart)...and Andrew White(Here Comes The Rain, Far, Holy Island, Spanish Gentleman).

To be honest, I don't really like playing other people's stuff all that often now-a-days...it's fun every now and then, but it's pretty infrequent for me.

[BROWNINGS CHILDE]

I learned Tears in the Rain By Satch, It was the crowning achievment of my young guitar days. I still like to play that one. I learned a few other riffs from the technical masters. But, I have never been able to play with real speed.

[alinda]

That was lovely Sig, I added your vid to a page that I frequent, free air time!!

[SigTauGimp]

Thanks a bunch for the compliment (and free publicity), daa'lin.

[SigTauGimp]

Finished up a new song this week...as soon as I can get a decent camera to record, it'll be posted up onto my YouTube channel.

[BROWNINGS CHILDE]

Played Dave Matthews "A Christmas Song" for my parents church on Christmas eve. It was really pretty neat. Havent performed for anyone in several months.