The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Since we all presumably have a little more time on our hands than usual; What's new? What's old? What are you excited about? What are you finally getting around to?

    (Musical epiphanies, not societal ones, please)

    Les Pauls are cool.
    Old news for most, but mine got rotated to the front and I've been enjoying it. Mainly dirtbag stuff, but it is such an underrated clean guitar. Just a nice, straightforward, meat and potatoes clean. Warm but also jangly. I think there's just a lot of user error and blues daddery when it comes to these. A lot to be had here.

    Marshalls are cool.
    Not that I didn't know, but I guess I sort of didn't know. Picked up a few amp models recently from softube: the Slayer jcm800 and the Plexi. And let me tell you, taking the loudest thing you have and plugging it into the loudest amp you have is a lot of damn fun. It isn't exactly what I do, but it's too much fun. So inspirational. Ideas just flowing over here.

    For the sake of due diligence, and can report that the jcm800 actually has cleans. They blow ass, but they're there, and probably sufficient for the average jcm800 user.

    The Plexi has no cleans to speak of with humbuckers, unless you roll your volumes down. And then things get interesting. I've always resisted the notion of turning down to get cleans because I never put myself in that situation and never preferred the rolled down sound to actual cleans. Then again, I never played a Plexi.

    The cleans are fun. A bit spanky but plenty usable in a mix. I even tried my g400 as a control and was pleased with what it does. I couldn't call them jazz noises, but if you got a plexi to play jazz, the cleans are better than you deserve.

    Plugging into a computer is cool.
    Never enjoyed this and always preferred amps. But being more creative as of late, writing and recording more, I gave it another shot. I'm getting better at using what I have an am starting to like some previously disappointing plugs. Now I have all kinds of reverbs and delays to choose from and have a better idea of what is and insert and what goes in the bus (makes a huge difference).

    Also managed to salvage the prs Dallas plug in, which is a fender blackface sort of thing, I guess. I didn't hate it before but it didn't super do it for me. Now I've been bypassing the internal ir's and started using it with the two notes stuff I love and that's made a big difference.

    Now I'm content to plug a guitar in, bring up an amp, dial in a bit of reverb and noodle away. And with the creativity flowing, ideas are captured instantly and can be built upon and refined. It's still not my preference, but I've made my peace with it. And I'm having fun again. I'll probably rotate in some different guitars to keep things fresh.

    Playing bass is cool.
    I recently got a Yamaha bb before things went pear shaped and I'm just enjoying the hell out of it. The good people at Yamaha Japan make a damn fine instrument. It's inspiring, fun, and full of classic sounds and more. Great to mess with to break up all the guitar playing and it's great too flesh out ideas and recordings. Using the softube Eden bass and occasionally the Plexi and it just sounds lovely.

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    Re-imagining your musical world is cool. I've spend a good part of my day (it's late afternoon in Europe) planning a new layout for my music room to accomodate my "about to arrive" recording studio desk. With 10 guitars (racked), 10 cases (piled up), 2 amps, a large pedalboard (Pedaltrain Novo 24) the smallish room with sloped ceiling is a major challenge when I take into account the location of wall sockets, radiator, door and windows.....

  4. #3

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    What have I learned ? I only need one or two guitars. Or just a few. I spend most my time playing, learning, developing, hopefully getting better. Enjoying the actual experience of playing music, there is no greater substitute for that in life. Especially in times like this, what a joy it is to pick up the old “lap piano” and just play. It helps one get through the day. Instruments are made to be played and enjoyed because they’re being played.

  5. #4

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    Through participating in a joint recording project I re-discovered the joys of playing Slide- and Lapsteel guitar ! I'm tracking late at night , slip-sliding away .... we're re-working a cool old Dr. John tune, with a modern twist to it.
    Other than that my HELIX fx-board keeps me busy with programming new sounds and thinking of new ways to make (my now dormant) stage-work easier and smoother.
    Plans for a Louis Armstrong-Tribute gig next year are taking shape and I'm putting a killer band together - everybody is happy to be part of it and having something good to look forward to ! Having lots of fun picking out tunes .....
    Last but not least : after years and years of using 0.11's on my Tele, my Es-345 and my Strat I switched to 0.10's after a thorough cleaning + fresh setup of these guitars - feels great, less tiring and the tone didn't suffer. Success story .....
    So far none of my family, friends and colleagues have become sick, on a non-musical note.
    That is the good news. I leave the other half to whomever ....

  6. #5

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    I've been writing and recording pandemic-related parodies of standards (which fall somewhere on the spectrum from amusing to offensive ...) for fun. I've actually done a lot of blues/rock/r&b singing over the years, but never really tackled this kind of material. Goofing around with parodies has got me to trying to sing standards, albeit poorly and with the wrong words, but I do feel like I'm getting somewhere.

    John

  7. #6

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    Regarding Les Pauls, if you swap out the tune-a-matic for a rosewood bridge I think you'll be quite surprised by the change in sound...definitely more towards the classic archtop jazz sound. I guess "this" is what I've learned.

  8. #7

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    The buying and selling of gear is not a destination; it's not a quest to find THE "ONE" guitar or amp... you might find it along the way, but it's not a mission where you are looking for THE ONE guitar, the ONE AMP, for years... it's a journey or experience. You should experience and enjoy many guitars and amps along the way. Sure, I have a "#1" guitar that I would run back into my burning house to save LOL, but really.... I just want to experience things (guitars, amps, effects, even playing styles) that I have not yet. It's not a destination for me.

    Just as my pointy-headstock Charvel Jackson and my rack system with Marshall 4x12 was my "stop" when I was 17-22, as it should have been, after that it was my beloved Fender tele, and many different amps over the last 25 years.... when I'm 70 perhaps it will be an ES-125 and my little Harmony 1848. Who knows. Wherever you are, that's where your supposed to be at that time. Enjoy the "stop" before getting back on the train...

  9. #8

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    Telecasters unplugged are cool. Especially when your family is sleeping all around you and you need to play.

  10. #9

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    I don't play and m ore or less in the time we have had. In fact I should be using this time to work on guitar playing but not a lot of motivation it is easier to go on long bike rides and check the news. I have also had not request for any repair which makes sense nobody playing gigs so instruments at home. The only musical epiphany is I have been back listening to Barney Kessel much more and keep returning. Trying to place the reason given at times I find him sloppy and his single line stuff does not quite flow like other I like. I think the reason is Barney just has a big sound and he fills the room with guitar..................

  11. #10

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    After many years of playing in public often (about 4 nights a week over the last 16 years or so), I now realize that playing alone for oneself lacks a certain energy. And that energy is necessary for the musical magic to occur. No doubt, woodshedding has it's place, but it is an exercise to get one ready for the shared experience.

    I look forward to playing out again whenever that happens.

    Regarding guitars, as I have said many times, a guitarist only needs two guitars, a suitable acoustic guitar and a suitable electric guitar. The rest is just an art collection.

  12. #11

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    Thought the reason I didn't practice more was a lack of time. Nope. That wasn't it.

  13. #12

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    I just finished an arrangement for big band that I had been working on in my head for many years.
    My idea was combining a bossa nova with a Howard Hanson symphony. I worked twelve hours straight last night till 1:30am on MuseScore on it, and then practiced guitar till 4am.

    I play in two jazz big bands that could play it, but I don't know if the better one will still have a place to play, after this is over.

  14. #13

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    Many, many years ago, I had a lot of fun recording myself with a reel-to-reel tape recorder with Sound-on-Sound (yes, it was that long ago). Being bored during my Corona virus quarantine, have made me want to take that up again - this time with modern gear. I discovered that I already had some of it and that the cost of what I had to order was actually less than I expected. I now have a PreSonus analog to digital box, two small monitor speakers, a Shure SM57 mike plus the necessary cables on the way. As an added luxury, now that I was at it, I also ordered an M-audio controller keyboard. Both the PreSonus box and the keyboard comes with recording/editing software (PreSonus Studio and Ableton). I think the software will be the most intimidating part of the setup for an old guy like me and I will have to decide which one to go with. I figure it's like with photography postprocessing programmes where good results are not coming from a specific piece of software but from you knowing inside out whatever software you happen to use. Likely the results will be discouraging in the beginning, but they say that the quarantine can last a long time for someone like me who is at a higher risk if I get infected so I have plenty of time on my hands to woodshed. After all I found out how to use Photoshop when I got my first digital camera.

  15. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Ray175
    Re-imagining your musical world is cool. I've spend a good part of my day (it's late afternoon in Europe) planning a new layout for my music room to accomodate my "about to arrive" recording studio desk. With 10 guitars (racked), 10 cases (piled up), 2 amps, a large pedalboard (Pedaltrain Novo 24) the smallish room with sloped ceiling is a major challenge when I take into account the location of wall sockets, radiator, door and windows.....
    Good luck on your new musical journey. I used to have a tracking and mixing area and I loved it dearly, though it was quite the money pit. And now you have to tetris in a desk in the middle of the room and treatment and such... Ugh. Well, now's the time.

    Quote Originally Posted by NSJ;[URL="[URL
    tel:1022321[/URL]"]1022321[/URL]]What have I learned ? I only need one or two guitars. Or just a few. I spend most my time playing, learning, developing, hopefully getting better. Enjoying the actual experience of playing music, there is no greater substitute for that in life. Especially in times like this, what a joy it is to pick up the old “lap piano” and just play. It helps one get through the day. Instruments are made to be played and enjoyed because they’re being played.
    part of why I only play one or two at a time (when I play, which is generally rare) is that there's the constant sense of discovery and freshness. Once everything falls in place you find everything you need in whatever's in your hands, and that's a great feeling.

    Then I peruse reverb and YouTube because I have nothing better to do


    Quote Originally Posted by gitman;[URL="[URL
    tel:1022325[/URL]"]1022325[/URL]]
    Other than that my HELIX fx-board keeps me busy with programming new sounds and thinking of new ways to make (my now dormant) stage-work easier and smoother.
    ...
    Last but not least : after years and years of using 0.11's on my Tele, my Es-345 and my Strat I switched to 0.10's after a thorough cleaning + fresh setup of these guitars - feels great, less tiring and the tone didn't suffer. Success story .....
    So far none of my family, friends and colleagues have become sick, on a non-musical note.
    part of me plugging into the computer is doing all the grunt work. Finding combos and presets that work, tweaking everything so it's ready when the time comes. Makes a huge difference and I'm loving the results, even if I don't care for the process that much. And congrats on finding a new gauge. That's a big deal; I've never dared.


    Quote Originally Posted by John A.;[URL="[URL
    tel:1022335[/URL]"]1022335[/URL]]I've been writing and recording pandemic-related parodies of standards (which fall somewhere on the spectrum from amusing to offensive ...) for fun. I've actually done a lot of blues/rock/r&b singing over the years, but never really tackled this kind of material. Goofing around with parodies has got me to trying to sing standards, albeit poorly and with the wrong words, but I do feel like I'm getting somewhere.

    John
    Hey, you opened a new door in your mind. That's awesome. Good luck with your new direction. You're like spinal tap now, on a jazz Odyssey

    Quote Originally Posted by coolvinny;[URL="[URL
    tel:1022353[/URL]"]1022353[/URL]]Regarding Les Pauls, if you swap out the tune-a-matic for a rosewood bridge I think you'll be quite surprised by the change in sound...definitely more towards the classic archtop jazz sound. I guess "this" is what I've learned.
    I've never once considered that. I figure the sustain (spinal tap, again!) Is part of why they aren't popular jazz guitars. I went the other direction back when and put a stainless steel bridge on it. World of difference, so I can only imagine what a wood bridge would do.

    Quote Originally Posted by ruger9
    The buying and selling of gear is not a destination; it's not a quest to find THE "ONE" guitar or amp... you might find it along the way, but it's not a mission where you are looking for THE ONE guitar, the ONE AMP, for years... it's a journey or experience. You should experience and enjoy many guitars and amps along the way. Sure, I have a "#1" guitar that I would run back into my burning house to save LOL, but really.... I just want to experience things (guitars, amps, effects, even playing styles) that I have not yet. It's not a destination for me.

    Just as my pointy-headstock Charvel Jackson and my rack system with Marshall 4x12 was my "stop" when I was 17-22, as it should have been, after that it was my beloved Fender tele, and many different amps over the last 25 years.... when I'm 70 perhaps it will be an ES-125 and my little Harmony 1848. Who knows. Wherever you are, that's where your supposed to be at that time. Enjoy the "stop" before getting back on the train...
    I don't know that I fully agree or disagree with this. Though my tastes and needs have evolved or grown (if not changed) over the years, I've been lucky enough to find ways to incorporate my old gear into who and what I am now. Maybe I just picked up awesome stuff along the way, or maybe I just can't let anything go. Or is the musical equivalent of using the whole animal. But I use my civilized gear and my dirtbag gear interchangeably, and mix and match all the time. That became the aesthetic.

    Quote Originally Posted by Socalbill;[URL="[URL
    tel:1022362[/URL]"]1022362[/URL]]Telecasters unplugged are cool. Especially when your family is sleeping all around you and you need to play.
    I actually discovered that if the cable and transmitter part of my Bluetooth headphones dangles so that it gets trapped between my body and the guitar, it transfers the vibrations to my ears, making it a personal amp of sorts. Really cool with a bass.

    Quote Originally Posted by deacon Mark;[URL="[URL
    tel:1022368[/URL]"]1022368[/URL]]I don't play and m ore or less in the time we have had. In fact I should be using this time to work on guitar playing but not a lot of motivation it is easier to go on long bike rides and check the news.
    I hear you. I'm still working so I don't have much more free time than usual. And I'm goofing around with Marshalls instead of getting "real" guitar work done vegetarian I'm just trying to stay creative and have a little fun. Truth be told, I have other, more important creative endeavors I've been ignoring because I've been rocking out like a dork. But I just haven't really been feeling the inspiration elsewhere and it's hard to force it.

    Quote Originally Posted by Stringswinger;[URL="[URL
    tel:1022372[/URL]"]1022372[/URL]]After many years of playing in public often (about 4 nights a week over the last 16 years or so), I now realize that playing alone for oneself lacks a certain energy. And that energy is necessary for the musical magic to occur. No doubt, woodshedding has it's place, but it is an exercise to get one ready for the shared experience.

    I look forward to playing out again whenever that happens.
    I always compare playing in a band vs playing alone to, well, amorousness. Being good at it by yourself doesn't mean you'll be good at it with someone else. And some human contact would be nice about now.

  16. #15

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    Besides a small lack in motivation for the guitar because like others have said - the "gig" is down! I have picked up my bass again. I have played a lot of gigs on bass, and recorded a couple of albums worth on it, but it sat idle for years. A mid-60's Epiphone Rivoli with 2 EMG passive p/ups - very versatile tone wise.
    But, in the background, I listen to the "Smooth Jazz" channel on the cable TV box. Inspirational.

  17. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by oldane
    Many, many years ago, I had a lot of fun recording myself with a reel-to-reel tape recorder with Sound-on-Sound (yes, it was that long ago).
    that brings back memories - that’s how I started recording too. My grandfather was keen on home movies and recording soundtracks, when he died I inherited his reel-to-reel tape deck and started recording sound on sound tracks with it. I use to spend hours messing about with it. I also used it to record and play album tracks at half speed to learn stuff from.

    It was an Akai like this:

    What have we learned? Discoveries, rediscoveries, and the like.-8e313c23-fc95-4a9c-aae0-104fb7a24d0a-jpg

  18. #17

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    About gear: I like to check stuff out. Most of my all-time favorites have been unexpected.

    About music: "Risk is what moves all of us forward. If you're playing in your comfort zone, that ain't jazz." -- Herbie Hancock

    About people: Always try to rise above the level that people are dishing out.

    Looks like three variations on the same theme!

  19. #18

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    As a professional musician I like the comments about only needing minimal amount of gear that actually needs to get the gig.
    Also the part of playing for an audience,which is 1/2 of the experience!

    As a certified Gearaholic I find myself constantly looking for the next acquisition. Or as I tell myself a tax write off, LOL!

  20. #19

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    I made my first truss rod adjustments. Something that I've been afraid to do myself and never fully realized how much it really affects the guitars playability. Definitely being cautious. It's a thrill to make several guitars that I've had for a long time play considerably better with several small adjustments!

    Good to hear, feet, on renewed LP enthusiasm. Had a Yamaha sl500 that was an excellent jazz rig and wish I still had now, of course....

  21. #20

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    Weekly big band rehearsals or gigs for the past 15 years, plus other group projects really satisfied an important need to play, learn, perform, and grow with other musicians, and I am finding it hard to feel very fulfilled playing at home by myself the last month or so.

  22. #21

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    Hello all,

    I'm looking at this forum everyday it seems, but not posting much....maybe that will change.

    I put down my sax, clarinet and flute many years ago for all the wrong reasons.
    After some long years went by I took up the guitar as something to mess around with, but it turned into an obsession....not just the learning and playing , but also an exploration into the vintage archtop world.

    Anyway....I had sold all the horns but my flute remained. I avoided revisiting that because I felt there was only so much time left for me and I shouldn't take away from whatever I might accomplish on the guitar.
    But the middle of last year I let go of that and started playing the flute again after close to 20 Years. I had been a doubler on flute and it was my weakest instrument.

    So for months I studied with a teacher to "get right" with that flute, and now I'm doing fine self directed.....
    but all along at that time I played very little guitar.

    But when I do play guitar now, I feel somehow more connected with the instrument and the music....
    I apply the practice of the flute to the guitar, and return the guitar practice back to the flute.

    So all that hesitation about playing both was unfounded it turned out and its making me a much more musically aware player and person.

    That's a big discovery!

  23. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by Stringswinger
    After many years of playing in public often (about 4 nights a week over the last 16 years or so), I now realize that playing alone for oneself lacks a certain energy. And that energy is necessary for the musical magic to occur. No doubt, woodshedding has it's place, but it is an exercise to get one ready for the shared experience.

    I look forward to playing out again whenever that happens.
    .
    I have to disagree with this (not saying you're wrong; just saying I don't see it that way). If anything, the older I get, and the more I connect to my "muse", the more I appreciate playing alone. It's not "practice" or "woodshedding" I am speaking of; it's the creation of music. Which can be done alone of course, no one else required. And "alone" doesn't make the music any less than group pieces. Now... this is coming from someone who started out at 16 playing in bands immediately... and we were quite popular immediately (we never "made it", but we did have a following, and yes even... groupies LOL). Big crowds. Then at around 26, I was home playing only, for about 20 years. (not being a professional musician, I had a day job, a wife, bought a fixer-upper... you know, "regular life" happened LOL.) After all those alone years, I longed for human interaction, musically. I got it- I'm in a band and gigging again. And it's great. But, I enjoy my alone music creation probably even more than my group. That includes gigs, where you get fan appreciation. I've lived in both worlds. And sometimes I wish ALL I had to "worry about" was making MY music, alone.

    [as a slight disclaimer: I don't view my music creation as simple "practice", or even simple "song writing"... to me there is a meditative and even peaceful element I get out of it; it goes deeper than just music for me; similar to how a martial artist sees his art as much more than just "martial" (well, the good ones do anyway)]

    Again- not saying you're wrong; just offering an alternate view... I love these esoteric threads!

  24. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by Spook410
    Thought the reason I didn't practice more was a lack of time. Nope. That wasn't it.
    My situation is quite annoying. For me, it WAS time I was lacking. But .... this "lockdown" has both me and my wife home, 24-7. Her corporate job requires her to be on the phone pretty much all day, 8am-6pm sometimes. So NO AMPLIFIERS for me. And I am primarily an electric guitarist. I'm not a fan of playing unamplified, to me, the amp is part of the instrument, that's just how I look at it. (keep in mind... I'm not a "jazzer" like most of you probably are, owning a nice acoustic archtop and being perfectly happy playing without an amp)... I'm a tele guy. Dry string isn't much fun, lol. I have acoustics, but I don't play them often. That's more for my "singer/songwriter" side... and oh yeah: I can't really sing either, because.... her phone calls/meetings. All day.

    We don't live in a tiny house (it's a regular bi-level, where half of the ground floor is the garage), but these houses are not quiet; the design is like a funnel right up/down the stairs. My only option is headphones, which HATE. sigh. "What about in the evenings?" Glad you asked... thanks to this effing "lockdown", she has to do her yoga and pilates classes AT HOME, ONLINE. Which means, again- no amps for me, because she has to hear her instructor on the iPad. Then it's dinner. Then after dinner, it's the only time of day I can actually spend any time with my wife so... no guitar.

    This virus has caused me to play LESS guitar. The big thing really is, I usually get to play after work/before she gets home from her classes... that is now gone. I'm going INSANE. Seriously on my last nerve. If I didn't know how important playing every day was to me before, I DO NOW. And I can't even satisfy myself with gear purchases LOL, because I can't spend the money... because I'm an independent contractor... I stay home, I don't get paid (unlike corporate).

    -apologies for the rant... I had to get it off my chest, LOL-

  25. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by zizala
    Hello all,

    I'm looking at this forum everyday it seems, but not posting much....maybe that will change.

    I put down my sax, clarinet and flute many years ago for all the wrong reasons.
    After some long years went by I took up the guitar as something to mess around with, but it turned into an obsession....not just the learning and playing , but also an exploration into the vintage archtop world.

    Anyway....I had sold all the horns but my flute remained. I avoided revisiting that because I felt there was only so much time left for me and I shouldn't take away from whatever I might accomplish on the guitar.
    But the middle of last year I let go of that and started playing the flute again after close to 20 Years. I had been a doubler on flute and it was my weakest instrument.

    So for months I studied with a teacher to "get right" with that flute, and now I'm doing fine self directed.....
    but all along at that time I played very little guitar.

    But when I do play guitar now, I feel somehow more connected with the instrument and the music....
    I apply the practice of the flute to the guitar, and return the guitar practice back to the flute.

    So all that hesitation about playing both was unfounded it turned out and its making me a much more musically aware player and person.

    That's a big discovery!
    This is a great post! I went through something similar. I actually wrote myself a letter in my "no music" time, entitled "I didn't need music to save my life". Only to find out 15-20 years later, that I cannot live with out it. I feel more in touch with music now more than I ever have, except perhaps in my first early years of 16-20 years old. When I was actually LIVING it, not just playing it. And playing music to me means more now as well (see my post above)

  26. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by Stringswinger
    After many years of playing in public often (about 4 nights a week over the last 16 years or so), I now realize that playing alone for oneself lacks a certain energy. And that energy is necessary for the musical magic to occur. No doubt, woodshedding has it's place, but it is an exercise to get one ready for the shared experience.

    I look forward to playing out again whenever that happens.

    Regarding guitars, as I have said many times, a guitarist only needs two guitars, a suitable acoustic guitar and a suitable electric guitar. The rest is just an art collection.
    Yeah, I pretty strongly agree with everything you say. I'd add that I've found that the shared experience does at least as much to improve my playing as woodshedding, which can be a series of dead ends without real-world feedback. Spot on about how many guitars one needs, though what one needs emotionally is not necessarily the same as what one needs practically.

    John