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MUSIC BLOG - 2012
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Copyright 2012 Christina M. Guerrero
11/19/12
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By accident, I finally found out what "Live From Daryl's House" is. (I discovered a guitar pick with those words on it back in 2010). Daryl Hall invites artists to his studio, where they perform and hang out. He records the sessions and posts them on the web and on TV, so it is considered a "web show." I'm a bit behind the times on this, so I'm glad to have figured it out.
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I thought I had heard just about all types of music until I heard Poets of the Fall. The music is unbelievable. It's alternative and indie rock, but like nothing I've ever heard before. I just sat and listened to their songs one day while looking for work, and writing. I sort of fell in love with "Sleep" and imagined it as the soundtrack to a short story I wrote.
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Ah, good old Journey. No particular reason.
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"Let's Dance" is doubly cool. It's cool because David Bowie is the main artist. And it's doubly cool because Stevie Ray Vaughan plays the main guitar part.
08/10/12
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Still hearing crickets chirping. Might have to try some solo ventures for now. Maybe busk at a farmer's market. And just do it, in terms of an amateur night at a club. Eventually, you gotta get up there and go for it.
05/15/12
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This is hard work. All of it.
Practicing. After the daytime stuff, when it would be nice to relax. When the sun is out, and it would be nice to enjoy it.
Learning songs. Some of the notes don't stick as well as others, so there is a lot of repetition until things flow.
Connecting ... or shall I say ... :::trying::: to connect with other musicians who are serious about jamming. The responses so far ... just the sound of crickets chirping.
Searching for the perfect guitar pick. I'm ready to start stealing again. No, not from stores. But anywhere else I see an unattended guitar pick, it's mine.
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Couldn't get "Don't Stop Believin'" out of my head.
So I got my "Wheel In The Sky" sheet music and started playing the first few measures ... badly ... over and over ... and over.
For now, the ear worms are gone.
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"Wheel In The Sky" is difficult, unusual and intricate. I think my brain exploded a couple of weeks ago when I tried to play the first three measures, and I've had a headache ever since.
03/13/12
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Someone once told me, "In order to play well, you need to play the guitar like you're making love." I almost said, "Uh. Sorry. Can't relate to that." But that might have initiated a lot of awkward questions that I wouldn't have felt like answering. So I pretended to understand, and then had to observe couples discreetly: at the mall, at parties, at the library ... to see how lovers touch each other. I kind of get the idea. What helped more was to watch Stevie Ray Vaughan and Neal Schon play their guitars. They both love their instruments. I also like the way Tommy Shannon (part of Stevie's Double Trouble) plays and treats his bass.
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Thinking about starting a Youtube account and posting covers of the songs I know.
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Don't you hate when guitar riffs get stuck in your head? Like "Don't Stop Believin'"? And you find out how to play them, and play them over and over, hoping to make them go away, and they're still stuck in your head? Happens to me all the time.
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Have been improvising a lot better, especially during those Stevie Ray Vaughan excursions. I'd like to play his solos the way he did, but it's taking a while to learn how.
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Tried improvising to SRV's "Texas Flood" a few days ago. Played the beginning, then just tried to keep up, in order to feel the song's rhythm and essence. A very mellow, slow song.
01/26/12
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Sheet music can be disappointing sometimes. It doesn't always reflect what happens in a recorded song, so you have to figure it out on your own. It's annoying because you'd like to play the song the way you've heard it for years; on the other hand, while figuring it out, you learn about music theory and song writing.
01/19/12
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Still too busy to post much.