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To Be Or Not To Be An Artist Or Musician
Is the road of life the path of least resistance or a trail to blaze? Are we born to be what we become or do we simply do what we want?
Some people spend their lives wanting to be something while other people simply are something. We all know people who even as small children showed extraordinary talent or ability or even just extreme interest in something and when they became a professional in the area of their interest it seemed to be their destiny from the beginning.
The class clown who becomes a stand up comic, the guy who drew funny pictures of his teachers on his book covers becomes a cartoonist, the kid who always brought home stray dogs becomes a veterinarian, the child who kept a diary and loved writing letters becomes a journalist or in the case of my brother, a boy who loved western outlaws and pirates became a biker and bodyguard for rock and roll bands. Did these children have a chance of not being what they eventually became? Or was it their passion and single minded devotion to their very special interest finding its ultimate potential?
Certainly, if a kid has a naturally pleasing singing voice and sings around the house, then perhaps at church and then school choirs and eventually joins a band and finally becomes a professional entertainer no one seems surprised. But what of the people who dream of stardom, or even just careers, but are too afraid or self-conscious, or lazy to do anything about it? And what if you actually are something but have yet to discover just what that is?
Many parents complain of their children's apparent lack of long term interest in hobbies and past times. The kid wants to learn to play guitar but then stops after six weeks. He takes tennis lessons but gives up after six months. Now he wants to learn to ski but lessons and equipment all cost money and if he’s not going to stick with it, what is the point? The point is that he or she is sampling at the buffet of life all the dishes that seem appealing. Only after having tasted a sample can one make up his or her mind and learn what he or she likes or doesn’t like.
In the movie Adaptation, Meryl Streep’s character meets a man who has such an all consuming passion for orchids (of all things) that she, hoping some of his passion for flowers will rub off onto her passionless life, instigates an affair even though she is married. It is his passion and enthusiasm she finds attractive, not his toothless grin, and she feels betrayed when she discovers that his expert knowledge of, and passion for, orchids is only two years old. Before orchids he held the same deep involvement with something completely unrelated and he confesses to her that eventually his orchid obsession will end and he’ll find something else over with to obsess. I’ve known people like that. Complete experts in some of the strangest things, for a while. And once their fixation on that particular subject is over they move on to something else and become an absolute expert in that. Is this some sort of misdirected genius or mental disorder?
It is sometimes quite shocking at the quality of talent you can find at an arts and crafts fair or an art show in the park or playing onstage at the local pub. Is talent God given, inherited, destined or is it simply developed, created from the desire and the need to create? Or do we view talent completely backward? There are videos on the internet where elephants in India paint using a brush in their trunk to create paintings of elephants that are better than most people could do. At first this is shocking, almost frightening. Then it is explained that the pachyderms are simply taught to move the brush in a particular direction across the canvas then move it in another direction in a sequence that eventually results in what looks to us like a painting of an elephant. A machine can do the same thing. Perhaps what we view as talent is our perception as much, or even more, than someone else's ability.
It is for this reason that when it comes to art intent is 90%. It is the intent to paint a picture of an elephant that the elephant artist does not have and it is the intent of the five year old pianist to play a pretty tune for his mom that makes one an artist and another a beast of burden.
Some people spend their lives wanting to be something while other people simply are something. We all know people who even as small children showed extraordinary talent or ability or even just extreme interest in something and when they became a professional in the area of their interest it seemed to be their destiny from the beginning.
The class clown who becomes a stand up comic, the guy who drew funny pictures of his teachers on his book covers becomes a cartoonist, the kid who always brought home stray dogs becomes a veterinarian, the child who kept a diary and loved writing letters becomes a journalist or in the case of my brother, a boy who loved western outlaws and pirates became a biker and bodyguard for rock and roll bands. Did these children have a chance of not being what they eventually became? Or was it their passion and single minded devotion to their very special interest finding its ultimate potential?
Certainly, if a kid has a naturally pleasing singing voice and sings around the house, then perhaps at church and then school choirs and eventually joins a band and finally becomes a professional entertainer no one seems surprised. But what of the people who dream of stardom, or even just careers, but are too afraid or self-conscious, or lazy to do anything about it? And what if you actually are something but have yet to discover just what that is?
Many parents complain of their children's apparent lack of long term interest in hobbies and past times. The kid wants to learn to play guitar but then stops after six weeks. He takes tennis lessons but gives up after six months. Now he wants to learn to ski but lessons and equipment all cost money and if he’s not going to stick with it, what is the point? The point is that he or she is sampling at the buffet of life all the dishes that seem appealing. Only after having tasted a sample can one make up his or her mind and learn what he or she likes or doesn’t like.
In the movie Adaptation, Meryl Streep’s character meets a man who has such an all consuming passion for orchids (of all things) that she, hoping some of his passion for flowers will rub off onto her passionless life, instigates an affair even though she is married. It is his passion and enthusiasm she finds attractive, not his toothless grin, and she feels betrayed when she discovers that his expert knowledge of, and passion for, orchids is only two years old. Before orchids he held the same deep involvement with something completely unrelated and he confesses to her that eventually his orchid obsession will end and he’ll find something else over with to obsess. I’ve known people like that. Complete experts in some of the strangest things, for a while. And once their fixation on that particular subject is over they move on to something else and become an absolute expert in that. Is this some sort of misdirected genius or mental disorder?
It is sometimes quite shocking at the quality of talent you can find at an arts and crafts fair or an art show in the park or playing onstage at the local pub. Is talent God given, inherited, destined or is it simply developed, created from the desire and the need to create? Or do we view talent completely backward? There are videos on the internet where elephants in India paint using a brush in their trunk to create paintings of elephants that are better than most people could do. At first this is shocking, almost frightening. Then it is explained that the pachyderms are simply taught to move the brush in a particular direction across the canvas then move it in another direction in a sequence that eventually results in what looks to us like a painting of an elephant. A machine can do the same thing. Perhaps what we view as talent is our perception as much, or even more, than someone else's ability.
It is for this reason that when it comes to art intent is 90%. It is the intent to paint a picture of an elephant that the elephant artist does not have and it is the intent of the five year old pianist to play a pretty tune for his mom that makes one an artist and another a beast of burden.
FRIDAY FUNNIES
The Great Thing About Rock And Roll
There was a reality show that split this particular season’s contestants into teams according to race. What was interesting is that one of the Hispanic team contestants claimed that although is family is Hispanic, he doesn’t consider himself part of any particular ethnic group, his race is Metal. He is what is known as a “Metal Head”, a fan of Heavy Metal music.
That’s the great thing about rock and roll, in fact, it’s one of the great things about America. You have a choice of who, or at least what, you can be. You may have been born into a particular ethnic, religious, national or sociopolitical family group but that doesn’t mean you have to stay there. Although your race or ethnic group might be difficult to completely deny, you do have a plethora of counter culture, religious and political groups and sub -genres to which you may claim membership. Since you choose to be a member of these groups and are not born into them, the members are much more open to accepting members from different geographical locations and customs.
Besides the sub cultures of Urban Cowboy, Surfer, Low Rider, Greaser, Gang Banger, Red Neck, Treckkie and the other social cliques that many times start in Junior High School, rock and roll offers such romantic and exotic lifestyles as Punk, Gangsta, Metal Head, Dead Head, Parrot Head, Hippie, Emo, Grungie, Mod, Rocker, Newwaver and Prog fan, to name just a few. A great thing about these social groups it that unlike some cults you can easily switch between them according to your changing taste, level of intellectual and spiritual development and to impress a girl.
Some people change their lifestyle as often as they change their clothes, literally. I grew up with a friend who was a surfer, then a biker, then a hippie, then into Prog, then Disco, then Punk, then Metal. The last time I saw him he was into going to the symphony with a picnic basket of gourmet food and fine wine.
I think that’s just fine and it must be fun to feel a part of the times, be in style and hip to the newest thing, but I wouldn’t know. I may not be trendy but I’m nothing if not consistent. No matter which lifestyle you may choose during the course of your life, most of us end up being just Mom and Dad so let your freak flag fly while you can.
That’s the great thing about rock and roll, in fact, it’s one of the great things about America. You have a choice of who, or at least what, you can be. You may have been born into a particular ethnic, religious, national or sociopolitical family group but that doesn’t mean you have to stay there. Although your race or ethnic group might be difficult to completely deny, you do have a plethora of counter culture, religious and political groups and sub -genres to which you may claim membership. Since you choose to be a member of these groups and are not born into them, the members are much more open to accepting members from different geographical locations and customs.
Besides the sub cultures of Urban Cowboy, Surfer, Low Rider, Greaser, Gang Banger, Red Neck, Treckkie and the other social cliques that many times start in Junior High School, rock and roll offers such romantic and exotic lifestyles as Punk, Gangsta, Metal Head, Dead Head, Parrot Head, Hippie, Emo, Grungie, Mod, Rocker, Newwaver and Prog fan, to name just a few. A great thing about these social groups it that unlike some cults you can easily switch between them according to your changing taste, level of intellectual and spiritual development and to impress a girl.
Some people change their lifestyle as often as they change their clothes, literally. I grew up with a friend who was a surfer, then a biker, then a hippie, then into Prog, then Disco, then Punk, then Metal. The last time I saw him he was into going to the symphony with a picnic basket of gourmet food and fine wine.
I think that’s just fine and it must be fun to feel a part of the times, be in style and hip to the newest thing, but I wouldn’t know. I may not be trendy but I’m nothing if not consistent. No matter which lifestyle you may choose during the course of your life, most of us end up being just Mom and Dad so let your freak flag fly while you can.
The New Age Of Music Videos
A couple of years ago I read a statistic on the Internet that claimed that there were more animated music videos produced in 2009 than in all the years up to 2009 combined. This seemed hard to believe even with the use of Flash, AfterEffects and other computer programs making “animation” production within the reach of anyone with a laptop.
But then I noticed that video hosting sites such as Youtube and Vimeo had tons of “songs’ listed on them. These video sites probably now have a song selection that rivals iTunes. The song videos are songs accompanied visually by artwork, usually the song’s CD cover or a photo of the band.
If any artwork or photographs are used in film, even if it’s just one, the film can be considered “animated”. Animated film refers to the manipulation of still artwork as the visual basis for a film and even the simple cross dissolving between still photos constitutes animation. By that definition there certainly are a boatload of “animated music videos” being produced.
A “real” music video, that is; a film that can work as an interesting piece of visual information that is in sync to a piece of music rather than relying on character dialogue or voice over narration, is still an exciting and effect promotional tool and self contained entertainment product.
A recent example of some interesting music videos are the new Van Halen videos that have surfaced on the web. Some criticisms have been that David Lee Roth’s lip syncing is bad. In the video for their new single, as opposed to the fan footage shoot live at a preview show performed in a small nightclub, the band is acting as though they’re performing the song but they know we don’t really want to hear how they really sound now, we want to hear the recording. Yes, Roth’s lip syncing is off but that’s his way of telling us he knows that we know he’s lip syncing and that he is probably actually sing live along to the record and therefore isn’t really lip syncing (to those in the room at the time).
The live video is interesting in that whoever shot it was standing in front of the bass amp. The drums are there but the guitar is barely audible and the vocals are nonexistent. If it wasn’t for Roth’s lips moving you’d think the tune was an instrumental. But the extremely bad mix serves a purpose. Wolfgang Van Halen’s bass is up and center and makes it clear that he is indeed an exceptional bassist who deserves his place in the band despite any whispers of nepotism. And it presents a bit of a mystery in that although Roth’s lead vocal is completely buried in the mix, Wolfgang’s backup vocals are loud and clear. Why would the lead vocal be buried but the back up vocals clear? Wouldn’t they both be coming out of the same P.A.? Perhaps what we were hearing was Wolfgang’s vocal monitor that would have been right in front of him and therefore in front of the videographer and with only his vocals coming through the monitor that’s what the video picked up. Even if the back up vocals were prerecorded tracks it does seem strange to get the back ups and not the lead vocal.
If anyone doubts the effectiveness of the music video in today’s music scene just realize that we’re discussing a twenty-something year old band who haven’t had a record out in years and who haven’t had a hit in a decade because of a homemade video some fan shot in a tiny little bar in New York. That’s the continuing and ever growing power of video.
But then I noticed that video hosting sites such as Youtube and Vimeo had tons of “songs’ listed on them. These video sites probably now have a song selection that rivals iTunes. The song videos are songs accompanied visually by artwork, usually the song’s CD cover or a photo of the band.
If any artwork or photographs are used in film, even if it’s just one, the film can be considered “animated”. Animated film refers to the manipulation of still artwork as the visual basis for a film and even the simple cross dissolving between still photos constitutes animation. By that definition there certainly are a boatload of “animated music videos” being produced.
A “real” music video, that is; a film that can work as an interesting piece of visual information that is in sync to a piece of music rather than relying on character dialogue or voice over narration, is still an exciting and effect promotional tool and self contained entertainment product.
A recent example of some interesting music videos are the new Van Halen videos that have surfaced on the web. Some criticisms have been that David Lee Roth’s lip syncing is bad. In the video for their new single, as opposed to the fan footage shoot live at a preview show performed in a small nightclub, the band is acting as though they’re performing the song but they know we don’t really want to hear how they really sound now, we want to hear the recording. Yes, Roth’s lip syncing is off but that’s his way of telling us he knows that we know he’s lip syncing and that he is probably actually sing live along to the record and therefore isn’t really lip syncing (to those in the room at the time).
The live video is interesting in that whoever shot it was standing in front of the bass amp. The drums are there but the guitar is barely audible and the vocals are nonexistent. If it wasn’t for Roth’s lips moving you’d think the tune was an instrumental. But the extremely bad mix serves a purpose. Wolfgang Van Halen’s bass is up and center and makes it clear that he is indeed an exceptional bassist who deserves his place in the band despite any whispers of nepotism. And it presents a bit of a mystery in that although Roth’s lead vocal is completely buried in the mix, Wolfgang’s backup vocals are loud and clear. Why would the lead vocal be buried but the back up vocals clear? Wouldn’t they both be coming out of the same P.A.? Perhaps what we were hearing was Wolfgang’s vocal monitor that would have been right in front of him and therefore in front of the videographer and with only his vocals coming through the monitor that’s what the video picked up. Even if the back up vocals were prerecorded tracks it does seem strange to get the back ups and not the lead vocal.
If anyone doubts the effectiveness of the music video in today’s music scene just realize that we’re discussing a twenty-something year old band who haven’t had a record out in years and who haven’t had a hit in a decade because of a homemade video some fan shot in a tiny little bar in New York. That’s the continuing and ever growing power of video.
The Pride And Prejudice Of The Baby Boomers
In my post about the Rock & Roll Rehab Show’s premier I commented on the advanced age of some of our audience members. Although I may have worded it so as not to sound prejudice against older folks, my displeasure at having octogenarians in the crowd may have be apparent. I now wish to apologize.
At the start of our show Greg Piper, the show’s star, gave our lighting guy a small digital recorder with which to record the audio. After the show the lighting tech handed him back the recorder but had not turned it off so it recorded Greg’s meet and greet with the audience after the show and recorded their comments. Hearing their enthusiastic comments and “youthful” attitudes has made me ashamed of my first impressions.
One gentleman who was part of a group of which one lady admitting to having a son in his sixties told Greg he and his wife had recently attended a David Bowie concert in Seattle where they both dressed up “Bowie-ish”, a tradition among hard core Bowie fans.
I stand corrected, maybe these are our fan base. When my Grandmother was in her late eighties she told me that she didn’t feel any different, mentally or emotionally, than she did at thirty. Her body was falling apart but inside she felt the same. Perhaps we rock fans are never going to “grow up” and are going to be teenagers until we die. Amen to that and thank God Rock & Roll Rehab is only a joke.
As Baby Boomers we grew up with the concept of a “Generation Gap.” something I believe is unique to our generation. It is a separation between us as a generation and our parents that does not dissolve with us becoming adults or parents ourselves. Our identification with our generation is as strong in some of us as our identification with a religious, political or ethnic group.
An interesting illustration of this was the television series All In The Family where middle class, middle aged and conservative Archie Bunker clashed comically with his son in law, young, liberal Mike Stivik. One episode in particular always stood out to me because it showed how the characters’ differences could be used for humor even in the most mundane of circumstances.
In this episode there was an entire scene where Archie and Mike argued over how to put on a pair of shoes. What is especially poignant to me now about this scene is that although originally I agreed with Mike’s argument, he puts both his socks on first before putting on his shoes, I now agree with Archie who puts on a sock and a shoe one at a time. I never thought I would ever agree with Archie Bunker on anything!
What this scene now shows me is that age itself is a factor in life’s many decisions and politics, religion, morals and ethics sometimes have nothing to do with it. Sometimes one’s beliefs are caused by nature, not nurture. In this case I have learned, unfortunately, that with age, bad knees and the addition of a serious amount of bulk, it becomes rather difficult to get one’s foot up onto one’s lap so once it’s there it makes much more sense to put on both the sock and the shoe at one time. At Mike’s age it’s no big deal and it feels great to have stocking feet for a while before the cold, hard shoes go on. But at Archie’s age it’s easier and thus less painful to just get it over with and get the whole foot shod rather than having to lift both feet up into your lap twice.
No matter how much you may be determined to never become your parents, if you think of them in terms of their age you will inevitably and eventually become just like them, old. Of course, that’s only if you’re very lucky.
At the start of our show Greg Piper, the show’s star, gave our lighting guy a small digital recorder with which to record the audio. After the show the lighting tech handed him back the recorder but had not turned it off so it recorded Greg’s meet and greet with the audience after the show and recorded their comments. Hearing their enthusiastic comments and “youthful” attitudes has made me ashamed of my first impressions.
One gentleman who was part of a group of which one lady admitting to having a son in his sixties told Greg he and his wife had recently attended a David Bowie concert in Seattle where they both dressed up “Bowie-ish”, a tradition among hard core Bowie fans.
I stand corrected, maybe these are our fan base. When my Grandmother was in her late eighties she told me that she didn’t feel any different, mentally or emotionally, than she did at thirty. Her body was falling apart but inside she felt the same. Perhaps we rock fans are never going to “grow up” and are going to be teenagers until we die. Amen to that and thank God Rock & Roll Rehab is only a joke.
As Baby Boomers we grew up with the concept of a “Generation Gap.” something I believe is unique to our generation. It is a separation between us as a generation and our parents that does not dissolve with us becoming adults or parents ourselves. Our identification with our generation is as strong in some of us as our identification with a religious, political or ethnic group.
An interesting illustration of this was the television series All In The Family where middle class, middle aged and conservative Archie Bunker clashed comically with his son in law, young, liberal Mike Stivik. One episode in particular always stood out to me because it showed how the characters’ differences could be used for humor even in the most mundane of circumstances.
In this episode there was an entire scene where Archie and Mike argued over how to put on a pair of shoes. What is especially poignant to me now about this scene is that although originally I agreed with Mike’s argument, he puts both his socks on first before putting on his shoes, I now agree with Archie who puts on a sock and a shoe one at a time. I never thought I would ever agree with Archie Bunker on anything!
What this scene now shows me is that age itself is a factor in life’s many decisions and politics, religion, morals and ethics sometimes have nothing to do with it. Sometimes one’s beliefs are caused by nature, not nurture. In this case I have learned, unfortunately, that with age, bad knees and the addition of a serious amount of bulk, it becomes rather difficult to get one’s foot up onto one’s lap so once it’s there it makes much more sense to put on both the sock and the shoe at one time. At Mike’s age it’s no big deal and it feels great to have stocking feet for a while before the cold, hard shoes go on. But at Archie’s age it’s easier and thus less painful to just get it over with and get the whole foot shod rather than having to lift both feet up into your lap twice.
No matter how much you may be determined to never become your parents, if you think of them in terms of their age you will inevitably and eventually become just like them, old. Of course, that’s only if you’re very lucky.
Rock And Roll For The Ages
Last night was the official premier of the Rock & Roll Rehab Show at the Hayworth Theater. We played to a capacity crowd, thankfully, but encountered something I just did not see coming.
A few minutes before show time I was informed that there was about a dozen “white haired old ladies” waiting to get in. I went out to the lobby to have a look and sure enough, there were a half dozen couples all looking to be in their seventies and eighties.
There is a ticket agency in Los Angeles where theatrical producers can allocate unsold tickets which then are distributed for free so that the unsold seats don’t go empty. We gave them twenty to cover for those we know who always say they’ll show up and then don’t. These octogenarians were who the agency sent over.
I felt I had to warn them. The Rock & Roll Rehab Show naturally appeals to an “older” audience but by that I mean Baby Boomers, the Sixties Generation who grew up on Rock & Roll, not their parents. I explained to them that this was a rock and roll show and can get loud so they should think about sitting in the front row because sitting in the back won’t make much difference, it’s a small theater, and if they have to leave because of the sound it will be easier from the front row.
“Should I remove my hearing aid?” asked a sweet, white haired lady.
“Yes, you won’t need it,” I replied.
“At least we’ll only be in pain for an hour,” remarked one of the gentlemen.
“No,” I said, “You’ll go numb after the first song.” Then looking for a silver lining I continued, “It’s not just music, it’s a trip to the past to the Sixties. You all were part of the Sixties!”
“My son’s sixty,” said the white haired octogenarian.
I had to laugh.
“We like music,” said one of the other men in the group.
“Well, this is loud rock music, not Benny Goodman or Glenn Miller,” I told them trying to sound knowledgeable of the Greatest Generation’s taste.
Surprisingly, we only had six of the twenty walk out after the first few songs and the ones who remained said after the show that they really enjoyed it, “it took them back.”
From now on we’ll have a supply of ear plugs to offer our audience. Although, that still won’t guard against the sex and drug references in the show which some might have found more offensive than the volume of the music. We really need to find “our” audience.
A few minutes before show time I was informed that there was about a dozen “white haired old ladies” waiting to get in. I went out to the lobby to have a look and sure enough, there were a half dozen couples all looking to be in their seventies and eighties.
There is a ticket agency in Los Angeles where theatrical producers can allocate unsold tickets which then are distributed for free so that the unsold seats don’t go empty. We gave them twenty to cover for those we know who always say they’ll show up and then don’t. These octogenarians were who the agency sent over.
I felt I had to warn them. The Rock & Roll Rehab Show naturally appeals to an “older” audience but by that I mean Baby Boomers, the Sixties Generation who grew up on Rock & Roll, not their parents. I explained to them that this was a rock and roll show and can get loud so they should think about sitting in the front row because sitting in the back won’t make much difference, it’s a small theater, and if they have to leave because of the sound it will be easier from the front row.
“Should I remove my hearing aid?” asked a sweet, white haired lady.
“Yes, you won’t need it,” I replied.
“At least we’ll only be in pain for an hour,” remarked one of the gentlemen.
“No,” I said, “You’ll go numb after the first song.” Then looking for a silver lining I continued, “It’s not just music, it’s a trip to the past to the Sixties. You all were part of the Sixties!”
“My son’s sixty,” said the white haired octogenarian.
I had to laugh.
“We like music,” said one of the other men in the group.
“Well, this is loud rock music, not Benny Goodman or Glenn Miller,” I told them trying to sound knowledgeable of the Greatest Generation’s taste.
Surprisingly, we only had six of the twenty walk out after the first few songs and the ones who remained said after the show that they really enjoyed it, “it took them back.”
From now on we’ll have a supply of ear plugs to offer our audience. Although, that still won’t guard against the sex and drug references in the show which some might have found more offensive than the volume of the music. We really need to find “our” audience.
Live Gigs And Guitar Problems
My biggest worry when it comes to live performance is equipment failure. I don’t worry about performance problems since I rehearse enough that I can literally play the set in my sleep and I’m not a great technical player anyway so anyone expecting perfection from me is at the wrong show to begin with. But what does concern me is staying in tune, not breaking any strings and having all the cords and the amp working.
In anticipation of an upcoming show I had my guitar restrung and intonated by a professional guitar tech. After a couple of rehearsals and the gig I noticed the guitar seemed out of tune even when the electronic stage tuner said it was in tune. I discovered the intonation was off again so even though I was in tune low on the neck I was sharp when playing high up the neck. Apparently this was caused by my use of the vibrato or “whammy” bar.
The bridge of my guitar is inset in the body of the guitar rather than “floating”, independent of the body where it can lock back into position after the whammy bar is used. I have to take the guitar in to have the bridge “floated” before our next show. The last show actually went very well. My funky tuning on a couple of songs gets chocked up to my sloppy playing anyway which is part of my charm. Isn’t it?
In anticipation of an upcoming show I had my guitar restrung and intonated by a professional guitar tech. After a couple of rehearsals and the gig I noticed the guitar seemed out of tune even when the electronic stage tuner said it was in tune. I discovered the intonation was off again so even though I was in tune low on the neck I was sharp when playing high up the neck. Apparently this was caused by my use of the vibrato or “whammy” bar.
The bridge of my guitar is inset in the body of the guitar rather than “floating”, independent of the body where it can lock back into position after the whammy bar is used. I have to take the guitar in to have the bridge “floated” before our next show. The last show actually went very well. My funky tuning on a couple of songs gets chocked up to my sloppy playing anyway which is part of my charm. Isn’t it?
FRIDAY FUNNIES
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