DIY Rock'n'roll
Somehow, at Newquay Tretherras School, they gave us music lessons without actually teaching us any music. I never learned to read music or understood musical structure. Music has played a big part in my life for many, many years and I particularly appreciate live music and still like to dance whenever I get the chance, even though at times it seems socially unacceptable to do so now that I am 45 years old. As the years went by, the feeling grew that I lacked something with regard to music. I knew what I liked and often heard tunes in my head, especially just before dropping off to sleep, but because I couldn't write them down they escaped me. Other ideas I could capture by drawing or writing but these songs have now been lost forever.
It was at the birthday party of two of my friends that it really came home to me that it was time to do something about this. Rowena and Andy, although they are different ages, share the same birth date and when they had their party I was the only one present who couldn't play musical instrument. The occasion turned into a very pleasant jamming session among their old friends and I'd be lying if I said that I did not feel left out.
I began to save up for an electric guitar and, after donating market-making funds on one occasion to the tsunami disaster, I bought one cheaply on eBay.
When I picked it up, I felt very disappointed. It seems so small that I convinced myself that I'd been said the child's guitar. But, at the Hillman Imp club National Rally a few weeks later I was talking to my mate Tim, whose real identity is Tim Scopie of The Scopies. I explain my predicament to him and he just laughed. I made things worse but for myself while I asked if guitars came in different sizes and he choked on his burger.
"If it's too small you can always play bass," he suggested.
Later, at the inevitable disco, my friends decided that I had been playing air guitar for too long. With my long arms, the grand gestures that a rock god makes become even more expensive and far too big for a conventional electric guitar.
I found that I have to fit myself around a musical instrument that feels like it was designed for munchkins. My hands aren't particularly big so I can't get my fingers all the way around the neck of the guitar but the fretboard stills feels a little cramped especially at the right hand end.
Despite these problems, my electric guitar came in an amp and it wasn't long before I was making some fantastic noises but no tunes.
I asked around for a teacher and someone suggested the music shop in Liskeard and it was through the music shop that I discovered Ellis. Ellis is one half of LSG, a duo who have their own website on MySpace, and he just loves teaching people to play guitar. Ellis is more into folk guitar these days but he does have a rock background and I really like the way he teaches me. He doesn't flood you with information, he seems to find the right speed and although he's quite easy-going his standards are very high. He's also got a recording studio in his garden shed. It's fully insulated with a mixing desk and has heat and light and an Internet connection if we want to study someone's technique on YouTube. The only trouble is that I can't stand up in his studio due to the insulating material and, for me at any rate, sitting down to play guitar doesn't feel right. I'm afraid I have to move around a bit if I'm ever to be any good or find the right notes. Sitting down might make me more accurately my guitar playing and it doesn't make it as exciting.
So after regular lessons and actually practising quite a lot, I can now play tunes on my guitar. The original amplifier soon stopped working so I bought a bigger and better one from one of Ellis's mates who runs a music shop in Bodmin. This gives me a tremendous range of effects, which -- in the wrong hands -- can make some tremendous noises. Gradually, these noises have developed into tunes. I now have a modest repertoire of about a dozen tunes but I still find singing along very difficult because, even though these are very simple tunes and I've known them for what seems most of my life, singing and playing at the same time is like rubbing your stomach and patting your head. It can be done but takes a lot of practice.
I've now reached the stage where I am beginning to anticipate, without thinking, where I should put my fingers next on the fretboard to get the desired sound. I can often play chords without looking at the guitar but whenever I get something right I still get so excited that my fingers go all over the place. I need to exercise more control and this is proving to be something of a challenge, although Ellis seems confident that it can be achieved.
I think Ellis' taste in music is much mellower than mine. He likes "pretty songs". I like high octane, garage punk and whenever we cite an example of a favourite song or riff to each other, very often whoever is being enthused to has never heard of the band or artist being recommended. What impresses me about Ellis' teaching style, however, is that he takes his time to find out what I like to play (even if he doesn't like it) and he goes to great pains to get you to play what you like.
Since starting to learn how to play,I've discovered that I am enjoying listening to music much more. Ellis has opened my eyes into how simple some tunes are to play. I have also discovered how difficult it is to play simple tunes really well. Now, whenever I listen to music, I can appreciate the virtuosity or the sheer power that bands can display. Now that might years have been opened, I want to be like these guys more than ever before.
A few months ago, Ellis had the great idea of getting all his students together and this has now become a regular occurence. The knowledge that I will be playing in front of an audience and with other musicians (ha, I said other musicians, as if I were one!)has really made me practice a lot more. Consequently, I've come along in leaps and bounds. my playing still lacks finesse, however, and Ellis is striving to teach me where I'm going wrong.
I think it's working. For instance, this week we worked out that I wasn't strumming all the strings. We both been aware that any song I played didn't flow along or sound quite as good as when Ellis played it, but he can rock along just as well as the next man -- probably better, he's actually extremely talented.
It means I don't have to learn all over again how to play my guitar but by concentrating I can already hear the difference. It feels better, too.
This has become my next learning objective. I have several of these. Another target is to be able to switch between major chords, power cords and a little bit of lead. And another is to be able to do that singing and playing at the same time thing. Not everyone can do this, you know. several of my more musical friends have told me they can't do it at all.
in the name of achieving better control in my playing, Ellis has persuaded me to buy a classical guitar. It was very cheap and he reckons it's of a reasonable quality, whereas he describes my electric guitar is little better than firewood. He's encouraging me to buy a better electric guitar, too, but I reckon that if I can play my current one well I should be able to play anything brilliantly.
I also need to calm down a bit when I playing for it's so exciting to let rip. As The Damned used to say, "Music's for zeroes, noise is for heroes" and was certain extent I agree with this maxim but, at my current level of expertise, if I get something right its ball through luck than judgement and I'm so surprised and pleased my luck then fails me. A bit more skill is required and, dare I say it, a bit more finesse. It's easy to be heroic with the guitar -- I suppose I must now try and be a bit more zeroic.
Comments
Post a Comment