Buckjumper Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 For a number years I worked as a professional musician, never made it big or famous, thank goodness (who wants the red tops following you around all day long?), but during the course of work I got to meet some of my musical heroes and got to see their creative processes first hand. I soon found it to be a completely different world, sometimes it's a lot of fun, usually it's a lot of hard work, and sometimes it's downright scary. Some memorable moments include avoiding being blown up by the IRA when doing a gig in Reading (I guess they didn't like the music), being held hostage by a maniac studio boss - the escape from which was beautifully choreographed and involved a car chase across London and Essex by some knuckle-dragging heavies with blonde perms and spending half the night hiding in a graveyard with our treasured master tapes. I also got to live in a haunted house (no I didn't believe in them either) where there were some seriously weird and inexplicable things going on. Ah, those were the days! Loved gigging, but grew to really hate the sheer monotony of constant travelling and after all these years away from it I still can't stand medium or long distance travelling. Eventually jacked that all in and built a studio and learned the craft of production which was enjoyable. I mothballed all that about seven years ago and have done very little musically since then except write a few songs. Pending a house move the whole lot is now packed away in flight cases, and with all the effort required to build a studio properly I suppose it's unlikely I'll see any of it again in the foreseeable future, besides which the gear will probably all be long out of date by then anyway. The guitar is my primary weapon of choice, but I'm equally easy with turns on the bass, keyboards and drums, and am more than happy to ditch the guitar if the song doesn't warrant it. I played clarinet years ago but probably couldn't raise a toot on it these days without resorting to a soft reed. I'm lucky enough to still have about nine guitars which comprise a mix of steel and nylon acoustic and electric (I used to have a Hofner Verithin too, one with a Bigsby trem - very stylish!). I like to cannibalise electric guitars and my faithful old Strat is going to be my next victim. It's got a lovely fluid one-piece maple neck which is staying put, and currently has humbucker and two single coil pickups but I hate the Floyd Rose trem; nothing but gyp from day one. I'm going to rip all that lot out and drop in a trio of EMG SAs and a Kahler trem system which will require a little butchery with a router to get it to fit. This song was of the last things I worked on, back in 2005. It was one of half a dozen or so that came in the form of a few vocals and chord sequences scribbled on a piece of paper. The bass line was a happy accident that simply fell out of my fingers one lunchtime (bang goes lunch!) and set the ambience of the whole song. I wanted get a kind of Procol Harum vibe from the backing arrangement but the vox were so very fresh and beautiful (no it's not me, I'm not that angelic!) they gave it a modern twist. I think I probably used a Ludwig kit with Zildjians played with brushes to help with the retro feel, but the snare escapes me . Incorporating a Hammond solo was a no-brainer and somehow I managed to get that in the can in a single take (talk about jammy!). There's a little acoustic guitar hidden away in there which is a lovely Simon & Patrick cedar top. Although unavoidably recorded digitally in Logic there's a smattering of analogue processors chugging away - some compression with organic echoes and delays and bags of space in the final mix. http://youtu.be/QY2Ij2eIbWw I played all the instruments, arranged, engineered, mixed and mastered it. As the proggy boys from Aylesbury say: Listen to it loud with the lights off. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolpher Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 It seems like a lifetime ago, but I started playing guitar in a punk band in 1977 and had a 'proudest moment' supporting Magazine whilst still only 14 years old (the other guys were older and I was tall for my age) We also played with Wire and ATV and had some fabulous and some truly awful experiences. In my first year at Art college I was roped in to playing bass guitar in a reggae band who's bassist had hurt his hand and I fell in love with the instrument. By the end of my third year I was playing bass for a reggae band at Blues Dances every Friday and Saturday nights and playing double bass in a jazz band on Sundays. I've been in a band with the same 2 guys for the last 20 years playing rock/dance music and we have released two singles, one of which got into the dusty end of the Independent Singles chart thanks to being played by John Peel. We have given up all pretension of being 'Rock and Roll' now as I am a Deputy Headmaster and the the others are a Barrister and an Insurance Underwriter at Lloyd's. But last year we resolved to get into the studio and record all the songs we have written, not with any hope of fame and fortune but to just have something tangible to play to our children perhaps. Adrian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffers Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Tried trumpet and classical guitar - got so far but no talent. These days I just enjoy extemporising on the Native America Flute (but only when the house is empty). Used to play it to the guinea pigs when they were alive - and they would sit and listen too. Younger son, however, has picked up his mother's (singing and piano to semi-pro level) and grandmother's (amateur singing and piano to professional level) musical talents. Great pleasure to listen to his guitar practices and his band gigs (he's also a music student). His guitars a 12-string, a 6-string, A Fender Strat and a Brian May Red Special. he's a good soloist too, apparently both in guitar and voice. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Re6/6 Posted January 16, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 16, 2012 Lovely recording Adrian. Very impressive indeed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Ian J. Posted January 16, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 16, 2012 I have a couple of guitars, a Fender Strat Plus and an acoustic, but haven't played either in years and I never really got to grips with them in the first place. Currently I'm trying to stabilize a number of computers I have with the 'old' Gigastudio program in order to do orchestral-style compositional work in Sibelius & Sonar, but how long it will be before I have something to show for it I don't know. But it makes me less of a musician and more of a composer I suppose. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
QRModeller Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 My main instrument is the violin but am ungraded however, when I finished school two years ago my teacher said I would definitely be a grade 5, but could possibly be a grade 6. I also play all forms of percussion, clarinet (regular and bass), oboe, 'top hand' for any piano-type instrument and a very small selection of chords on guitar. I would also like to learn the bagpipes. I should also say that I'm one of those people who seem to be able to play almost any instrument instantly, so many more could be added to this list. Matt. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Was asked to join a rock group as pianist in 1959 with regular 3-day week slots in a pub and a Tuesday night in a Rochdale club. We got around and mixed with many aspiring groups, some of whome made it to fame..... Great fun for 18 months or so. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Did you know guitarist Mick Green, Larry? Oh, Lord I only just found out he passed away..... Best, Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
10800 Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 This story http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/9371-album-covercaption-competition/page__fromsearch__1 was a complete wind-up of course ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iL Dottore Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Guitarist. I played guitar in my teens, dropped it when at Uni and then picked it up again in my mid 40s when I had enough spare cash to buy the gear I always dreamt of.... Since returning to railway modelling I've pretty much abandoned the guitar (alas) and the day job didn't help - being away from home frequently with little opportunity to practice (the beauty of railway modelling over guitar playing is that you don't have to model every day just to keep your skills) I hope to pick up the guitar again if I can wangle early retirement... F Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium spamcan61 Posted January 16, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 16, 2012 Until the horses took over completely, I used to play the piano. Badly. I bet they find some of the chords tricky. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 40-something Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Im a (semi) retired scratch/mix DJ - hip hop & Drum N Bass! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium eldavo Posted January 16, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 16, 2012 Retired Cornet/Trumpet/Flugelhorn tormentor. Gave it all up in December 2000 figuring after 35 years of practice it wasn't going to get any better and no way was I going to become one of those old farts playing 3rd Cornet and mumbling "In my day we never had...". Had some great times and played at most of the top Brass Band Contests, National, Open, All England Masters etc. Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debs. Posted January 16, 2012 Author Share Posted January 16, 2012 Until the horses took over completely, I used to play the piano. I bet they find some of the chords tricky. Love it!........ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bon Accord Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 I scratch away on the fiddle from time to time - I quite enjoy it but I'm not sure if 'her indoors' does! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Barry Ten Posted January 16, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 16, 2012 and the day job didn't help - being away from home frequently with little opportunity to practice (the beauty of railway modelling over guitar playing is that you don't have to model every day just to keep your skills) Get yourself one of these: http://www.travelerg...ic/ultra-light/ Brilliantly handy, stows away into a bag about the size of a tennis racket, so can be easily taken as carry-on luggage, or packed into a hardshell suitcase. I take a Line 6 pocket pod, some headphones and a few sheets of music, and it all fits into the bag. It is a little tricky to play due to the lack of a conventional body but you soon get used to it, and it's a lot better than no guitar at all. If I am away from home for more than a couple of nights, I always try and take the Traveller. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thirty2a Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Another guitarist here, weapon of choice Tanglewood Les Paul, Encore Strat and a very cheap Telecaster, well I haggled a deal on it! and an acoustic of some make or another. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Did you know guitarist Mick Green, Larry? Oh, Lord I only just found out he passed away..... Best, Pete. Sorry Pete, no. My best man (drummer Mick Swift) told me later we had met several groups that later made it big-tme (The Hollies (two of them lived just outside Oldham) and Freddie & the Dreamers), but I recall chatting to Jack Good, Joe Brown, some TV singers at a studio outside Manchester. I was only in it for the fun and was stoned much of the time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy C Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Retired Cornet/Trumpet/Flugelhorn tormentor. Gave it all up in December 2000 figuring after 35 years of practice it wasn't going to get any better and no way was I going to become one of those old farts playing 3rd Cornet and mumbling "In my day we never had...". Had some great times and played at most of the top Brass Band Contests, National, Open, All England Masters etc. Cheers Dave Ha I gave brass banding up when I was 17 to concentrate on beer, women etc etc. Its only since I came back to banding in 2005 that I realised that I'd have got much more of all of this if Id stayed in brass bands!!! I was persuaded it would be a good move to start playing again by a friend who's a MD (Eric Landon) and to be honest its been a great last 6 years, especially now Ive got a nationals under my belt. The highlight this weekend will be a band weekend at Butlins Skegness for the Butlins Mineworkers Contest, just imagine it, a January force 8 whipping off the North Sea..... Of course the bass section does have a certain reputation to uphold Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Claude_Dreyfus Posted January 16, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 16, 2012 I learned the 'cello at school. Took grade 8, failed and did not get round to doing it again. I was in the usual youth orchestras...managing to get up to county standard, but learned the most from the Chichester Symphony Orchestra. Packed with lots of good musicians, its main draw-back was most of them were deaf! Also the conductor was, shall we say, ambitious in his programs... Liszt's Les Preludes and Wagner's Forest Murmurs come to mind rather painfully! He did, however, have links with the RCM, so at least our soloists for the various concertos were performed were top-notch. I was also in an early music group - Playford dances and the like, did a few 'gigs' in a quartet and was in the backing strings for a couple of bands... Sadly I don't have the time to play now, but maybe one day... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium eldavo Posted January 16, 2012 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 16, 2012 ... The highlight this weekend will be a band weekend at Butlins Skegness for the Butlins Mineworkers Contest, just imagine it, a January force 8 whipping off the North Sea..... Never did the mineworkers though my last band, Woodfalls, has since been up there I think. I did suffer Pontins Prestatyn on a number of occasions and somehow I suspect the accomodation and weather would be very similar. High octane fuel and curry are a neccesity to survive the damp and cold! Cheers Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dilbert Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 Another grade eight musician - with the piano. Also played the cello and the trombone and had a great time in the percussion section of various orchestras (apart from hauling the pedal tympany around) I have always preferred 'simultaneously played multi-note' instruments, which probably highlights my interest in music theory (passed my obligatory grade five theory exam with marks of 97 out of 99). Soprano, alto & tenor soloist and member of various choirs in days gone by. Have also sung and played in the 'pit' of various light operatic society productions - a most enjoyable experience (in more than one way!). These days I tinker around on the analogue piano - I once attempted to tune the aforementioned instrument - I gave up on that and now leave this to the guys that have the ear, the tuning fork and the spanner .. dilbert Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debs. Posted January 16, 2012 Author Share Posted January 16, 2012 Extremely interesting and heartening replies in this thread; the (surely) higher than average percentile of 'muso`s' here on RMweb, would seem reflective of the other creativite aspects of our modelling brains. An RMweb unplugged session now seems more than just a possibility for a (future) member`s day! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted January 16, 2012 Share Posted January 16, 2012 .....The highlight this weekend will be a band weekend at Butlins Skegness for the Butlins Mineworkers Contest, just imagine it, a January force 8 whipping off the North Sea..... Skegness is so bracing. ....An RMweb unplugged session now seems more than just a possibility.... I've been "unplugged" since I left University. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Russ (mines a pint) Posted January 17, 2012 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 17, 2012 Accordion and melodeon- better on the accordion - if playing in public only ever play the piano accordion we used to have a ceilidh band which was good/fun, but people went their seperate ways and it was ever harder to get together with band members now in Somerset, South & West Yorkshire and Argyll I think its safe to say that particular line up will never play again! Originally hailing from 'brass band' country I also used to play the Euphonium but pretty much gave this up after leaving school. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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