Don't Put It Off...Do It!

I'm only getting the surgery because the other fingers started going all rubbery on me, and I got to the point where some days I can't even do a cowboy chord.
This is the state my dad got to, without the guitar playing part because I had taken that over 20 years earlier. He waited too long for anything to be done about it.
 
I told him, he just laughed and reminded me that I need to get out of the studio more. ;)

When the Oscars were on I was reading a book, and my wife said, "Check this out!" Sure enough, there was that gorgeous woman and Jared Leto. Jamie's still close with the 30 STM guys, so I thought that was pretty cool.
LOL. Very cool.:cool:
 
If I've learned anything over the past 6 months, it's that we all hold onto life by a string, and that anything can happen to diminish our skills
Les, for what it's worth, I broke and dislocated the ring and pinky fingers on my left hand a few years ago. The hospital said they were fine and just needed wrapping up until they'd healed. They weren't fine, both healed and knitted eventually but neither would straighten properly and I couldn't touch the palm of my hand with either finger. They did offer to re-break and set them (kind folks that they are) but I declined. My doctor gave me exercises to try and get some movement back in them but when I mentioned guitar he smiled and said "perfect" hence my re-introduction to the instrument. I started off with extra super light 8's and now, after four years, I'm back to 10's. The fingers still don't work 100% but the guitar certainly helped my recovery :)

As an aside, I wonder if the guitar playing youngsters of today realise how lucky they are? When I was fifteen or sixteen I had to get on two busses to get in to town buy sheet music which may or may not have made sense to me. These days it's all there on t'interweb and it's brilliant!!:D
 
As an aside, I wonder if the guitar playing youngsters of today realise how lucky they are? When I was fifteen or sixteen I had to get on two busses to get in to town buy sheet music which may or may not have made sense to me. These days it's all there on t'interweb and it's brilliant!!:D

First, sorry to hear about your broken fingers - but how great that they healed via effort and guitar!

You are so right about how much easier it is to get sheet music and honestly, even lessons on the internet!

PS, We only had oxcarts to travel in when I was a boy...;)
 
We only had oxcarts to travel in when I was a boy...;)
Les's first set of wheels.

13374615-western-music-guitar-and-wagon-wheel-in-old-west.jpg
 
First, sorry to hear about your broken fingers - but how great that they healed via effort and guitar!

You are so right about how much easier it is to get sheet music and honestly, even lessons on the internet!

PS, We only had oxcarts to travel in when I was a boy...;)
Well, I learned something this morning. You're not as old as I thought. I figured you were around BEFORE the wheel....:D
 
We only had ox carts as well but we ate the ox, it was hard times :cool:
 
I am just starting back into a (hopefully) creative, productive period musically. The last album I did was with a long term songwriting partner, we had written quite a few tunes together when about 10 years ago he was diagnosed with cancer with a "short term" prognosis. We finished the album "Alexander/Berry - Waking Dream" in 2007, and he proceeded to beat his cancer and is still with us. However, he has since gone through some personal issues, including a throat injury (he was our lead singer) and is no longer productive.
I guess the point is, Les is correct, don't put it off, get to work. I did some of my best work to date on that project.

Here are a couple samples:
Nursery Rhymes has me on all instruments except flute, with one of my first attempts at (midi) string arranging:
https://soundcloud.com/goat-n-gitter/nursery-rhymes

Bug is something of a homage to early Pink Floyd, with my very long serving buddies Ken and Mark on drums and Bass:
https://soundcloud.com/goat-n-gitter/bug

My partner would typically come in with a partial lyric and melody, and I was tasked with finishing the lyrics and putting the idea to music.
There's lots more on soundcloud under my user name from this album, if you enjoy it.
I would post it in the clips thread, but it is all pre-PRS for me.

Thanks for listening (if you do)

Tom
 
I am just starting back into a (hopefully) creative, productive period musically. The last album I did was with a long term songwriting partner, we had written quite a few tunes together when about 10 years ago he was diagnosed with cancer with a "short term" prognosis. We finished the album "Alexander/Berry - Waking Dream" in 2007, and he proceeded to beat his cancer and is still with us. However, he has since gone through some personal issues, including a throat injury (he was our lead singer) and is no longer productive.
I guess the point is, Les is correct, don't put it off, get to work. I did some of my best work to date on that project.

Here are a couple samples:
Nursery Rhymes has me on all instruments except flute, with one of my first attempts at (midi) string arranging:
https://soundcloud.com/goat-n-gitter/nursery-rhymes

Bug is something of a homage to early Pink Floyd, with my very long serving buddies Ken and Mark on drums and Bass:
https://soundcloud.com/goat-n-gitter/bug

My partner would typically come in with a partial lyric and melody, and I was tasked with finishing the lyrics and putting the idea to music.
There's lots more on soundcloud under my user name from this album, if you enjoy it.
I would post it in the clips thread, but it is all pre-PRS for me.

Thanks for listening (if you do)

Tom

This is truly interesting and unusual stuff! Bug also reminds me of "Boris the Spider" by the Who. Maybe it's just the subject matter, but...cool!
 
Les working his way through Europe...

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There's a pic of me all dressed up at about that age playing the accordion at a pretty big party given at a hotel or club, for my grandfather's birthday - there was a big band at the party, and they played along with me. It was late 1950s...funniest pic ever. Seriously.

I'm going to borrow it from my mother and scan it. You guys will crack up.
 
This is truly interesting and unusual stuff! Bug also reminds me of "Boris the Spider" by the Who. Maybe it's just the subject matter, but...cool!
I never thought about the "Boris the Spider" connection, but now that you mention it, I can see that...
Thanks very much for checking it out. I'm very flattered that you like it.

Tom
 
I'm working on an ad project, so haven't concentrated on my own material the past few days. But...I just want to report I was able to play guitar, had a good day.

Oh, there's no guitar on the ad I'm working on. Figures that my hand would decide to work today. But I took a break to see how it would do, and it wasn't too bad. It's not like it was before, but with a few workarounds, I was able to not embarrass myself in front of...myself. LOL ;)
 
That jazz tune was great (the Spartacus titled one)! I wish I could write good stuff like that, but the only genre that seems to make sense to me is metal.
 
That jazz tune was great (the Spartacus titled one)! I wish I could write good stuff like that, but the only genre that seems to make sense to me is metal.

I had to learn to genre-hop as part of my ad scoring work. So I'm sort of a jack of all trades, master of none. ;)
 
I'm only getting the surgery because the other fingers started going all rubbery on me, and I got to the point where some days I can't even do a cowboy chord. Also, the 4th and 5th fingers started curling toward the palm of my hand. So it's Stage 3, which means you're in trouble if you don't do the surgery. There are more conservative treatments if you're not at Stage 3, I'm told.


What's a cowboy chord??
 
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