what is going on in your musical life

even if you're serious I really don't think you need to pay for lessons, it's just a matter of putting the hours in. IMO all you need lessons for are when you're at absolute zero and are frustrated for months waiting to get callouses, being able to comfortably change chords, etc.

Idk i wouldn’t be as serious at piano as I am if I weren’t taking and paying for lessons, nothing like shelling out $x00 a month to motivate one.

true & I can't speak for piano

It's been at least 6 years since I played music with anyone else, and even then it was very infrequently and I was never any good. Nobody I knew where I used to live played anything so short of soliciting strangers it wasn't going to happen.

I moved a year and a half ago and a whole bunch of people I've met have mentioned having played in bands, wanting to play in bands, etc. About a month ago, I finally said fuck it and overcame my intense fear of looking and feeling stupid and being bad at socializing and told a bunch of people that I'd be up for playing at any point if they were into it.

This past Sunday two of them came over and we played for a couple of hours. One is a colleague in my department, one is a PhD student and both had been in various bands at points in the past. I mostly played bass but everyone sort of switched around a bit and made noise and I played TV Eye on the guitar and remembered how shitty a drummer I am because I can barely get three limbs going but damn it was fun.

I still kind of can't believe I actually did this, and might do it again after semester break or with more or different people, whenever my wife is willing to take off with the kid for a couple hours.

Where do you live, j?

inviting people over to jam is nerve wracking but worth the pain because if you succeed you get to jam!! and that is the funnest thing.

i bought a combo looper and vocal processor pedal box and i can't wait to use it!! i just took it out of the box this afternoon and played around with it for the first time and i am in love!

Me? I live in the lansing Michigan area.

Kingfish you’re in Portland right? I actually bought a squire jazzmaster last time I was there when I still lived in Washington.

Looper news = super exciting!

i really am quite excited about it. the power to make all the noises myself feels like i got handed The One Ring -- what will i do with this enormous power?! (jk - i will use it for good, not evil)

yeah we'll see about that once it has intoxicated u

LL: absolute power corrupts, absolutely. You literally hold the future of existence itself in your hands. Be wise.

joygoat, I was asking because I'm down to jam. Seeing as I live in southern California, I may need to save up some gas money for a few days before we commit to anything.

I can play, but paying for regular lessons forces me to practice. I got good enough at bass to play out when I took lessons years ago back in Ann Arbor. I view it akin to Weight Watchers, where I need externally reinforced structure to make myself gain the better habit.

Bought a tube practice amp, too, a Bugera V5, slightly modded by the original owner.

this year i launched a website for KTUH FM Honolulu, the University of Hawaii at Mānoa college radio station. i haven't shown it off on ILX previously, so would like to plug it here.

it took a couple years to develop and i'm happy with how it turned out, tho i wish the station could stick to my recommended publishing schedule and make more writing available on the site.

check it out if y'interested: https://ktuh.org

Looks great, man!

i'm listening to the recording of last night's rehearsal for a show this wednesday and we sound so much like what i had imagined when i put the band together. it's making me so happy! i'm really excited about the show. we are opening for 2 proggy/out there rock bands and our set is 25-30 min of +/- improvised instrumental ??? with woodwinds, guitar, synth & drums :)

omg that sounds so good! do u have one wind player switching instruments or woodwind players plural?

one player switching between instruments -- clarinet, flute, saxophone
i forgot she also added some wordless vocals at the end
dream jam!!

i fucking love flute in noise/cosmic contexts

(also in genteel chamber music contexts, I just love the flute but i am super excited it is in your instrumentarium!)

what kind of synth roughly speaking?

idk what kind tbh -- "the kind with keys that sits on a table with a bunch of other stuff" is the best i got rn

it's a korg minilogue run through a bunch of effects (sorry i am the guitar player in this thing)

don't be sorry -- thank you for answering the question!! and for playing guitar!! :)

some of the setup here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BsngmhMlUJC/

ooh kalimba

he played a contact mic'd harmonium at our last show, which was fun

i still feel like a sham whenever i play improvised/experimental music, which is dumb because i've been doing some form of it on and off for a while and i think we sound good

we do sound good!!

Nobody owns improvisation imo

If you sound good you’re doing it right

i loved being in a noise improv combo, best musical time ever, would noodle again

I love learning and rehearsing pieces on piano but man do I also love noodling on it. I might be a more effective noodler if I knew my theory better but I'm having fun and not hurting anybody

update: we recorded our show and i made a bandcamp -- here it is
http://planquartet.bandcamp.com

we had to split it into two tracks because bandcamp says so but it was meant to be heard as one piece

Cool! Will listen when I get home this afternoon.

I have a new project being rolled out today that I've decided to call "THE BEST EVER."

Me and a couple friends have started a house music band. We hope to put out an EP later this year. Here is a sample:
https://soundcloud.com/balboa-park/sunset-summer-quick-master

I got a vintage Rickenbacker! This thing is so rad. I've been interested in them for a long time, but they've certainly been outside of my budget. But I ran across this Electro ES-16 model from 1966 at a shop here locally. They were student model Rickenbackers made for a couple of years. This one is super short scale but as far as I know, it's basically a 420 or 425 with a thinner paint finish (and no Bigsby). Same electronics, toaster pickup, maple body, varnished rosewood fretboard, Kluson tuners.

It's just delightful sounding. The difference between the toaster pickups and the '70s-and-after high output pickups Rickenbacker has used is a lot more extreme than I realized.

can someone recommend me a small electric guitar - not just short scale, more like mandocaster size but without the doubled strings?

idk, maybe get an acoustic-electric ukulele and restring it to suit your needs? I mean, you'd only get 4 strings that way though.

I tried looking and was caught up in a wash of Epiphone Les Paul-shaped ukes complete with bad burst finishes, but then I happened on this. Seems pretty bad-ass for a uke.

these are all four-string but: https://eastwoodguitars.com/collections/tenor-guitars

what about if i got an eastwood mandocaster 12 and just took out one string from each course? Would the lesser tension fuck things up?

https://eastwoodguitars.com/products/mandocaster-12

I just don't like double course strings but I really want a tiny gtr

That seagull one looks awesome but more acoustic-electric than I'm thinking

I have def seen mandolas / mandolins with four strings.

https://goldtonemusicgroup.com/goldtone/instruments/gme-4

http://jazzmando.com/bill_bussman_jm.shtml

Would like to try electric mandola some time, they sound tasty with effects. But what I want most right now is an octave mandolin. More beef and more fretboard real estate; no need to transpose in my head (As I suspect I would with a mandola).

The Gold Tone GME-6 is exactly what I’m thinking of! And I could almost afford it at some point.

Fender announced a new tenor Telecaster this week

That's great, Tim!

Played "Autumn Leaves" and "Lester Leaps In" (at ≈200 bpm, not whatever Parker played it at) at my favourite Gatineau bar last night. I think it went decently.

Going to do my first wedding gig in August. The owner of a school where I work asked me to play at his. At least I have lots of time to figure out and prepare repertoire.

Are you going to be the solo guitarist while people are coming in for the ceremony etc?

I recommend reviewing the johnny b goode scene from Back to the Future

I think so, Jordan. Karl: it is never far from my thoughts.

Good luck Sund4r.

My current "acoustic 80s" band is also playing a wedding in April, but the couple wants us to focus on Americana/country/alt-country (as opposed to synthpop). It's doable, though we will be dropping anything Whiskeytown/Ryan Adams-related. Working on some Son Volt instead.

does springsteen work?

i'm getting ready to finally "release" some music, which just means posting it on bandcamp. it shouldn't be a big deal but it is to me. my wife has never heard anything i've ever recorded, for example. plus all the lyrics are kind of a downer because i wrote it during the 20+ years when i was really depressed (i'm totally fine now and will never be depressed again! (a quarter jk first part and a full jk on the second part)) so i'm worried someone i know will take them too literally. anyway, look out for it on your bandcamp near you sometime soon

One of the people I sent feelers out to asked if I wanted to play at some fund raiser at (but not for) the university art museum. I'm playing bass, learning actual covers, and we only get to practice a couple times before the show because of kids and jobs and all that. I should be far more terrified than I am right now.