-
Life is a distraction
I see playing guitar and guitars are two different (but related) interests.
I like to read books. It is another interest of mine.
I don't see reading, guitar gear or any other intrests as a distraction from practising guitar.
It's just life.
You can get a decent squier tele for 300 USD.
That's good enough for almost any situation.
Playing something better or different is a privilege.
You can also get through life drinking nothing but water. (excluding the first few months )
Drinking coffee and wine is a privilege.
-
09-30-2015 10:01 AM
-
There are many things in life to indulge in. That's the stuff that makes it fun, after all.
I like to sample nice beer, and it's really easy to go to the local store and and buy a few interesting bottles. But... I like to make it myself. Homebrewing is an indulgent pastime that, technically, distracts from the pleasure of drinking beer. Or maybe, it's that drinking beer distracts me from improving in the craft and science of homebrewing. Well, which is it?
It's both, of course. They are both fun things to do. And I like both, so I do both. I think I'm a tiny bit more well-rounded as a result (not my belly, though... I also run several days a week).
Being interested in instruments for their own sake is kinda similar. You can collect them and experiment with them and research them; you can admire them and photograph them and noodle on them. And of course, you can practice and play gigs with them. It's all good. It's what you want to do with guitars... and music... and life - that matters. As long as nobody else gets hurt.
-
From my personal experience, I find tinkering cheapies and craving for the real deal more distracting than finally enjoying the tone I was aiming for by shedding the couple grand that was needed for it.
-
My thread seems to have rubbed you up the wrong way (going by the above and your initial response).
Originally Posted by Joe DeNisco
I mean no offence and have enjoyed the discussion :-) Ironically my biggest distraction of late has been this thread! I've enjoyed all the opinions however, this forum is a great resource, and in no other way could as many opinions be shared so quickly. I've been feeling the pull of a new guitar over the last few months, so thanks for the thoughts, I'll maybe even buy a guitar off this forum ! Some wonderful instruments!
-
maybe us jazz students are naturally obsessive ....
I think you've got to be a bit obsessive
to do the necessary shed work
-
AndrewPat, I apologize. Initially, I was wrong. As always I read "into it" instead of actually "read" it. You are totally cool. Originally Posted by AndrewPat
It seemed to me that Rcampos's post answered the questions you had dead on, that is what I was pointing too.
I don't think of anything we do around here as a distraction at all. To me, it embellishes all the playing, all the practice and learning. Its a privilege to own the good stuff and even more of a privilege to share it with my buds.
Thanks for the fun and interesting post.
Joe D.
-
Cool man :-) yeah it really is an amazing resource this place - search anything and there's info on it here :-) well done members !
-
I first took the post as asking the question - does having too many options/choices - not necessarily the cost or value - a distraction.
I have 7 guitars (I've acquired over 40+ years) they range widely in value and they all bring something different to my guitar playing experience. I enjoy each one for it's own specific sound, shape and playability. At times I do think I might focus more on "music" if I wasn't tweaking tone, changing strings, picks, amps eq, etc. etc. so often in an effort to get the best out of each instrument (that definition changes every 6 months) .
I think the other reason many of us are constantly dealing with GAS is due to the nature of jazz, we hear a variety of sounds, tones, styles, clean, dirty, fast, slow, dry, wet, that capture our attention and lead to a desire to replicate. Jazz is very dynamic, very diverse and many of us may hear a style of jazz we may not particularly care for but we listen to it, respect it and think about what's being played and how it's being played . . . that's inherent in loving jazz, that's what we do, we approach it with an open mind . . . that same open mind can also be an integral part of the desire for more or different equipment.
Other than that I have no thoughts on the matter.
-
I labor mightily under the improbable and likely delusional belief that if I can get down to one really good archtop, all of my latent creative energies will magically focus, laser-like, on actually learning the material and developing a voice. Down to two at the moment (a Schaefer and a Sadowsky); almost a little afraid to find out what really happens if I get down to one! Originally Posted by ESCC
-
No need to ever get down to one, you need two in case a string breaks! Originally Posted by bmw2002
-
Excellent, I'll remember that when my wife says, "Explain to me again why you need more than one guitar?" Originally Posted by ESCC
Last edited by bmw2002; 09-30-2015 at 02:36 PM.
-
I have found that the simple processes of maintaining several disparate instruments (acoustic, electric, solid, hollow, semi- and so forth) and amplifiers (tube, SS, hybrid, analog, digital, whatever) can be a part of the creative process. Sometimes in those unguarded moments that happen when focusing on one mundane task - tuning, tweaking intonation, adjusting levels - something - a new resonance, a particular timbre, a chance rhythm, a fluffed chord - provides the starting point for a fresh (to me) melodic fragment, a rhythmic cell, a harmonic tension seeking a novel (again, to me) resolution. What begins as a session in routine practice postponement turns into a spontaneous ideafest. At least sometimes. In my mind. YMMV. Every guitar contains within it at least one song...
-
I agree, that's why I can now play 7 songs. Originally Posted by citizenk74
I have found that the simple processes of maintaining several disparate instruments (acoustic, electric, solid, hollow, semi- and so forth) and amplifiers (tube, SS, hybrid, analog, digital, whatever) can be a part of the creative process. Sometimes in those unguarded moments that happen when focusing on one mundane task - tuning, tweaking intonation, adjusting levels - something - a new resonance, a particular timbre, a chance rhythm, a fluffed chord - provides the starting point for a fresh (to me) melodic fragment, a rhythmic cell, a harmonic tension seeking a novel (again, to me) resolution. What begins as a session in routine practice postponement turns into a spontaneous ideafest. At least sometimes. In my mind. YMMV. Every guitar contains within it at least one song...
-
And in my case, that song is "Autumn Leaves." Originally Posted by citizenk74
Every guitar contains within it at least one song...
-
The story of my Eastman 803 Uptown
Base price of guitar ... $2,600 (From what I remember, it is like 8 years old)
AZ Shadow PUP ... $100
Countless step-ups ... about $1000 (ballpark)
Custom bone/ ebony bridge ... $500 (Courtesy of Schnieder Guitars)
Fret leveling ... $100
New bone nut .. $100
JS Vintage Electronics ... $50 with the installation
Awaiting Custom Armrest project... $400 (Courtesy of Schnieder Guitars)... I hope It's to help with my stupid arm. I have "short tendons" in my forearm. And I need more blood (I'm a vampire) going to my forearm.
Worth it...
To my girlfriend...NO!
To my coworkers...NO!
To me...playing a guitar that makes the world turn off and my musical brain turn on...priceless
Last edited by Irez87; 10-03-2015 at 08:56 AM.
-
what is a step-up? Originally Posted by Irez87
-
shoot, sorry. I meant setup. I was thinking stair master. Orri, I gotta get my ass to the gym
That's about how much I've probably spent over the past 8-10 years I've had the guitar. I gotta learn how to do those truss rod adjustments myself. But I like how the guy sets my guitar up. And he's been good to me with my many guitar ideas.Last edited by Irez87; 10-03-2015 at 08:47 AM.
-
What a nice lot! I just bought a Lux and a Rex but they are missing the tailpieces...
Wondering if you have any tailpieces for my Lux or Rex you might be able to part with.
Best,
Ion
Originally Posted by Ol' Fret
-
I sure will join.
-
Don't bother. They are cheap "commie dreksticks." Original tailpieces for these are worth more than the guitars themselves, and are more appropriately used to restore high-end carved East German-built archtops, IMO. Originally Posted by Ion Birch
-
I see... that's probably why so many are missing the tailpieces in the first place ha!
-
From my perspective, one distraction (distraction from what?) is being concerned about how other people spend their time and money regarding guitars. I asked "distraction from what?" because the answer to that would indicate what what we are concerned about focusing on.
I can assume that the distraction being discussed is distraction from actually playing guitar. I will assume that is the distraction being referred to, since that seems the most obvious. So, given distraction from playing, how does anybody here know how much time any other member is spending on playing and practicing? Does it really matter since the only thing we have control over is how much time we, ourselves, spend on these activities?
If instead of being concerned about what others do, we focus on what we, ourselves, are spending our time and money on, then we can look at our own real priorities vs the priorities we may wish we had. Our real priorities become clear when we look at where we spend our time. If we wish to align our real priorities (i.e. where we actually spend our time) with what we wish our priorities were (i.e. where we feel we should be spending our time, what our desired goals really are), then we can do so by simply changing how we spend our time.
None of this is dictated by the type and quality of guitar we own.
Some here have said that a high quality (expensive?) guitar makes the time we spend with it more enjoyable and therefore makes it easier to spend that time withe the guitar. To me, this makes perfect sense for some and not others, depending on an individual's values. Again, we come down to the fact that we, as members of this forum, are individuals, each with his or her own goals, interests, values, etc.
With all that said, I can say that I no longer spend any time looking at and searching for, another guitar. I found the one that does it for me and have therefore been able to move on to focusing on playing it. I could argue with myself that I could have been jut as happy with a cheaper guitar, but why bother? Then, my focus would become arguing about guitars instead of simply allowing myself to enjoy the one that does it for me.
When reading any forum, I start getting the feeling that often, participation becomes a means of avoidance as we discuss things that really don't matter if we are focused on our own goals. This idea of "avoidance" is a common one in books such as "The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield and similar that talk about getting down to doing your art and the reasons we don't.
This doesn't mean that all participation in a forum is avoidance. Clearly, there is much helpful information to be gotten from forum participation (that is how I found my guitar and also discovered learning paths that I am pursuing), and each of us has to determine for ourselves what our motivation to participate on a given day is. Sometimes we just don't feel like practicing or playing, and a forum or watching youtube videos becomes an enjoyable distraction.
But then, this begs the question as to WHY we don't feel like practicing or playing. We can drive ourselves crazy going around in circles on such things. There is a real downside to the easy access to the internet that we didn't have back when there wasn't such a thing. Before the internet, it seemed that we accepted whatever guitars were available to us for what they are and simply went about the business of practicing and playing. Now we can explore any thought that crosses our mind with a world of people in a forum and issues that would have seemed silly and not worth concern back before the internet, can be built up into major issues in a forum.
There is another thread currently around here about goals for the year. My goal for the year is focusing on playing the guitar that I have, and if I do anything with buying/selling guitars, it will be to unload those guitars that I no longer play and need. As such, my active participation around here will drop off as my playing time increases. I have spent much time since getting my "lifetime" guitar, examining my goals and aspirations, and have settled on a path to achieve these. This involves practicing and playing, and not acquiring more guitars or being concerned with what other people are, or are not, doing with their time and money.
Have a great year and thanks to all for the incredibly helpful information I have received reading these forums...
Tony
-
On another forum, a member wrote a post in which he described his loss of motivation to play, seemingly in the hope of advice and encouragement from his peers. Instead, many of the forum regulars – who talk daily about the kit they are buying and selling – confessed that they too hardly play anymore. But they had no regrets. Trading, buying and selling had become their interest.
Reply With Quote
“Shearing style”
Today, 05:26 PM in Comping, Chords & Chord Progressions