The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Hi folks, my last gig was in January 2020. I'm not a professional guitarist but I always played in bands, wrote songs and scores for theater, films, computer games and online campaigns. The pandemic stopped all this like 2 years ago.

    The last gig was with our soul-jazz organ trio, January 2020! Since then we did a few rehearsals that's it. But we have a gig scheduled on april, 8th. With a new drummer and I find him quite inspiring so I'm looking forward to that.

    I also started to rehearse with a funk band in summer of 2020, but if I recall correctly we did like 3 rehearsals altogether. Then theoretically we were ready to hit the stage. In November 2021 we dared to schedule a first gig but it was cancelled by band members due to the pandemic situation here in germany last fall. Like a week ago I asked them "how about doing a gig now" in our signal channel as the restrictions were released. Well it's an eight piece band and there is always someone who'd "rather wait till the pandemic is finished". I haven't much hope for that. ;-)

    I miss playing out so much ...

    I miss playing out so much (in the firm grip of the pandemic)-220804_dog_park_kultur-jpg

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  3. #2

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    Can you create something like a core section of members who are not afraid to go play live again, so the others can see where it's at (if you survive or not )?

    I know the covid blabla continues, but I've largely stopped following it since we're again allowed to show our faces. I've seen talk from several countries that the virus is becoming endemic (it was evident it would from the start) and that we should let it (that too was evident to me).

    AFAIAC it's time to go back to our lives, with or without those who prefer to keep hunkering down.

  4. #3

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    I think the members of the are less afraid about their health but more about quarantine. Most members in the band are self employed so they fear loosing work if they get infected.
    I think in Germany we have the most restrictions in Europe. And the lowest vaccination rate.

    What you suggest is exactly what we are doing now with the trio. The drummer told me that lately he just went to parties, got infected despite of the vaccination and went through it. He feels relieved and free now.

    I also think that we should just go on with our lifes. Vulnerable persons had and still have the opportunity to protect themselves through vaccination and/or masks. Yeah, we have to go on with our lifes.

  5. #4

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    I hope you have a blast at the gig. A soul jazz organ trio is my dream group.

  6. #5

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    Good luck--I am looking forward to playing with groups in public again soon.

    Without going into details, though it varies place to place, we are *mostly* in the "green zone" in the US. There is a bit of a resurgence in certain places (NYC) which seems to be mainly in the over-70's, whose vaccine immunity (2 shots) has waned. Hospitalizations are not increasing though so far.

    Here's hoping it continues. If you or your family is over 70, get your booster. The BA2 variant is the most infectious yet--almost as infectious as measles.

  7. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
    Here's hoping it continues. If you or your family is over 70, get your booster.
    FWIW I've gone through it all. Recovered from Covid in May 2020, got the vaccination as soon as it was available in 2021 and got the booster in 2022. I think vaccination is the only way to get out of this.

  8. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by AllanAllen
    I hope you have a blast at the gig. A soul jazz organ trio is my dream group.
    Thanks. It's my dream setting too. Though we sometimes phantasize about adding guests from time to time – like our great friend Erdal Tosun on saxophone. But now we'll do the restart first and then we'll see what follows. One step after the other. ;-)

  9. #8

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    Hi, G,
    I believe there are real and "potential" jobs in many areas of the country. And, many restaurants/bistros/clubs would be willing to try live music as a way to increase revenues and exposure. However, there is still a real concern for the elderly musician--above 50 y.o. that contagion could be very serious and life-threatening. So, that's the challenge. I have used my 2-year Covid hiatus to develop two sets of new material in addition to my old programs. But, as a Baby Boomer, I'm not psychologically ready to throw caution to the wind and play live in crowded venues. However, if I were in my 20's, 30's, and 40's, I'd, honestly, have no concern since this is, in reality, largely a life-threatening pandemic for the elderly*.
    Marinero



    Older Americans make up a majority of COVID deaths. They ...

    PBS: Public Broadcasting Service › newshour › show › older-americ...










  10. #9

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    I can understand people's hesitancy to get out and be among a crowd of people partying. My wife and I, both vaxed and boosted, caught Covid at the end of January. I had hardly any symptoms at all, which lasted 3 days, tops, followed by occasional lapses in energy for another few days. My wife, who was in bed, miserable, for over a week, was sicker than she has ever been in her life. She now has the boosted version of Long Covid – she will suddenly crash in the middle of the day and have to lie down; she gets occasional brain fog; and she will have shooting pains in different parts of her body. Yes, we are seniors, and at risk for this sort of reaction.

    But we have a young friend in her 20s, a strong modern dancer in a vibrant dance company (the dancers have rehearsed and taught throughout the pandemic – dancing, running, and jumping with masks on). She also caught Covid a couple of months ago after having been vaxed and boosted. She has not been able to dance for 2 months. She cannot breathe when she lies down, so she has to sleep sitting up. She also gets the unexplained shooting pains, which for her means she sometimes cannot walk. Absolutely no comorbidities – she was fit and healthy two months ago.

    So, yeah, neither of them had to go to the hospital, so their cases are "mild" – which is a clinical term, not a description of how they felt. But even though the huge majority of positive-testing cases come through it just fine, there is still the possibility of it turning your life upside down.

    My wife and I, and our young friend, did everything "right" – masked when going out, not eating inside restaurants, etc. – but, like millions of others, we caught it. My doctor (and my wife's doctor) have told us that catching or not catching it is a matter of luck, and I believe that's true. However, going to parties and acting like everything is safe now – even if you catch it, it's a walk in the park – is akin to flipping a double-headed coin and expecting it to come up tails.

    As I say, I can see why some people would rather not take off what flimsy guardrails we have. Death is not the only dire consequence of Covid-19.

  11. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ukena
    Death is not the only dire consequence of Covid-19.
    I'm tempted to say that death is not the direst consequence, esp. not if we have to continue not being able to live [like before]. The problem with being vaccinated is that your chances to die of it are really slim if you're not already near the top of the waiting list...

  12. #11

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    I am going to head off to an open mic this evening for the first time since last fall. I live alone. I am really getting the desire to have a face to face conversation with others in a social setting. Not sure how long I will stay. Case numbers are down in this area. Not sure how long they will stay like that.

  13. #12

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    It's not only the medical concerns that still hinder live music. Most musicians i know are more or less ready to live with the virus, many had it or are going through it now. However, all the planning and scheduling an individual or a production company does may go out the window in a second, if anyone involved in the project gets a positive covid test at any time. Places are harder to fill, concerts are harder to organize, and the bigger something is, the more difficult it is to pull through.

    So many of the musicians i know that have projects coming out (me included, i have an album ready to be released), are postponing the whole thing hoping things will be better after the summer (which i'm not sure they will be..). But hopefully the way covid is handled by regulations will eventually change, because without that happening live music cannot really function.

  14. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by DanielleOM
    I am really getting the desire to have a face to face conversation with others in a social setting. Not sure how long I will stay.
    Take a mask (FFP2/N95 should be best) for in case and for the rest keep a reasonable distance from others the same way you would if you knew they had the flu or a common cold, avoid people with suspicious symptoms and places with a clear lack of ventilation. Minimal, reasonable common-sensical precautions that should still allow for having a good time. I think you'll be fine ...

    if anyone involved in the project gets a positive covid test
    Just avoid situations where you need to get tested as much as possible

  15. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by DanielleOM
    I am going to head off to an open mic this evening for the first time since last fall. I live alone. I am really getting the desire to have a face to face conversation with others in a social setting. Not sure how long I will stay. Case numbers are down in this area. Not sure how long they will stay like that.
    Pro tip: Be sure to take (and use!) a clean foam cover (for the mike) or something to shield you from whatever creepy-crawlies are on it, and likely to find their way in the turbulence around it to your mucous membranes. A clean handkerchief will be better than nothing. Ignore the weird looks and just do it. Shared mics have always been a source of contagion; in today's toxic environment what once have been a sore throat, cold, flu, whatever - could be a life changing (or ending) threat. I speak from experience; the most godawful flu I ever had was from a jazz jam. I took great pains not to touch the mic, nonetheless, I got sick and was out for a week. Please practice Safe Singing.
    Last edited by citizenk74; 04-05-2022 at 12:50 PM.

  16. #15

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    I can relate to that - I had to get kissing disease as a 1st year student despite not having engaged in the most common contagious behaviours (kissing and sharing glasses); the only logical vector can have been a shared fencing mask.
    Later, one of the 1st things I contracted in Paris like many newly immigrated people who never had the disease: chicken pox, most likely from touching surfaces in public transportation. It'd be interesting to see if anti-covid measures have decreased the incidence of this disease among immigrants from regions where it is less common.

    We had our 1st big concert with ensembles from the musicschool I go to last Friday plus another even on Sat. evening. On Sat. morning we got a message from the mother of one of the members of the (all-ages) ensemble I played with, to inform us her son had been tested positive that morning. I hadn't been close to him (and he's so much smaller I'd probably have been safe anyway ) but I did a self-test anyway this morning to comply with contact-tracing guidelines. Negative (evidently ). Idem for my partner who's been teaching without mask since about a month now and despite numerous cases detected among her pupils.