Some of you may have wondered where I’d gone over the last month, as I have been unusually quiet. In fact so quiet a certain gentleman reached out and enquired of my wellbeing (Thx you know who you are).
To be honest my mojo evaporated about a week after the last Open Mic.
Once Adi had put the OM8 flyer out, I enthusiastically started building some midi based backing tracks via GP7 and Reaper for the next “gig”, it took a while but by the end of the week I had some rudimentary but useable BTs but when I played and sung over them there was no passion. So I just put things down for a couple of days but had no real enthusiasm. My mojo had gone. Again !!
Picking up every few days I’d spend about 10 minutes on my 30 Licks course with a huge dose of CBA, then went around 10 days not even bothering. OM8 posts got me in a lower mood as I could not find any songs I wanted to play. Yes I had songs I could play but not “wanted” to play.
Anyway the timely message made me think I am just a whining grumpy old man who needs to get his together. Thursday evening I picked up the SG, went to my collection of mainly Southern Rock 10 minute BTs and had a Mixo Dorian fest for about 2 1/2 hours and ushered away the ghosts. Friday I thought about doing a mellow chilled AOVYP melancholy impro and knew I had the right track, albeit Aeolian in the Key of A.
So I spent the evening editing the BT from 10 to about 4 minutes and then went to my lick library to pull a handful out I’d been experimenting with.
Anyway this is the end result, in the multiple loops to wash away the clams I might have lost some tuning but it is what its is.
Backing Track is from Elevated Jam Tracks
There’s a few licks from Justin BL1 and the rest are variant from the Corey Congilio material Clint posted earlier in the year. Much as I love Justin there is some good stuff on Truefire.
Oh and I seemed to get lost around the 3 minute mark, as that was more
Was tempted to do this as another Madman’s Diary Chapter video intro but not feeling it sits with the new gaff. So maybe I’ll consign that to history and memories of the old Forum.
Anyway, feel free to feed back. The extended vibrato at the end should keep Darrell of my back!
All that aside I enjoyed your jam. Some tasty licks and lines, sweet tone, and no sense of over-playing. I confess I was studying your bending action closely to remind me of what I have not been practicing.
Thursday 10 days back I played three songs at my local Open Mic but had as much, maybe more fun, hanging with the sound guy and eventually becoming the sound guy for the last 30 minutes or so. Since then, no action. In that time I can use a bout of Covid as my excuse, reason is probably fairer. Also not quite sure what to play at the next Community OM, and given the start time may opt out of playing. And all my bending and scale practice ceased, not much since I posted a super short little attempt at the Wonderful Tonight intro licks on my Bending topic, which slipped under the radar.
Enough of my own whining. Keep on jamming and I hope you’ll reconsider the Diary entry, I always enjoyed the verbals before a song.
That was good stuff Toby. Your mojo is back! Laid back and mellow, I enjoyed it.
There can be many reasons for not picking the guitar but so long as you come back to it before the callouses soften, all is well.
Hey Toby good to see you in action again! I hope this jam helped you regain your mojo as you sounded really good and the tone was spot on. Lovely licks here and there and the whole experience was super pleasant to listen to. Let’s hope you will find something that will fire up your heart for the next OM but hey, even if not - there is always another one! all the best
Nice vibrato at the end mate, definitely getting there!
There are a few bits where the end of phrases went the opposite way to what I thought they might which left me with a feeling that they hadn’t quite resolved, but that’s just me
I’ve also got major mugwumps at the moment, I can’t play for toffee, my fingers just don’t do what’s in my head anymore, I’m almost feeling like I should start from scratch again it’s that bad!
Stick with it, you’re back in the saddle again get some superglue and stick yer a55 to it
Hi Toby,
It is a pity to read that you are/have been in a bad state…I had remembered that you were busy with other things …jobs in the house /project or whatever, but not that your head let you down for a while. …just then the blues/music should be able to pull you out of the misery,
I wish you all the best and keep sharing your feeling, that’s really the best way, so very good what you did
Greetings ,Rogier
If this comes out, when you are NOT motivated, what comes out when you are? I like this very much, melancholic and really sensitive. Hope you’ll get back your mojo, think how far you’ve gone in all those years.
Can’t see someone like that in your video
Keep your head up!
Thanks, yes the plan was keep it simple and slow and ease back into things but there was severe RBS but still happy with the outcome. I hope you are recovering well and I am sure you’ll find something for OM8 but realise timing may be a little late for the household. Standing sound guy must have been fun and a good way of learning “show” settings in real time. Jury’s out on the video diaries but maybe more my current mood, so who knows,
Thanks Gordon. Getting there but still not fully engaged. You’ll likely recognise most of the Cory licks from the PDF I sent you, all transposed into the Key of A. I just tweaked a few endings or linked in other phrases. Plan is to take a handful each time and work into a new BT. That will help memorise them but see how to explore them in different context. I am hoping that will give a stronger foundation for learning the longer solo like licks in some of the other courses. You should try it
Rick, appreciate that but the thought of pre-bends makes me shudder. I am ok hanging at the top while a bend rings out and then starting the next phrase from there but diving straight in has been, what you’d call “interesting” and tonally challenging. I guess its all about having that natural feel for the top of the bend in all the “normal” places and the confidence to do it before picking ? Mmm ?
Now the next set of licks should have some slides in and the “getting lost at 3minutes” should have included 3 double stop slides (7b & 5) before a walk back to the Pattern 2 root in the 7th fret but I missed the cue ! Next time. As I say getting there !
Hi Toby, I thought that was awesome. Really expressive and definitely melancholy. If mojo is talent you haven’t lost it… but I don’t think that’s what you mean.
I haven’t been playing guitar for anywhere near as long as you, but I think it’s ok for interest to wax and wane over time like many things. Sometimes you feel it and sometimes you don’t. Like going to the gym or for a run. Just keep the habit and your mojo will come back eventually.
As I say getting there. Saturday was spent listening to a load of songs and finally getting some possible OM material that gave me a lift. Impro-ing over the previous few days had returned some sanity, so thought heck lets record something. Hearing these licks in contexts make them much easier to apply but its a rolling project and hopefully more to come.
Definitely know that feeling. I get to the point of think what am I doing and why is everything such a struggle again, even the simplest of things. Take your time, keep it simple and you’ll bounce back. As to the resolving issues, I’d have to agree, as I certainly fumbled a few times not getting to where I had planned. Always so different once the record goes red and never the same as a free flowing, no pressure noodle. But all part of the learning process.
That might have been the me from the parallel universe No other things bar the usual, it was just a head thing but hey that’s what the Blues is for, so this was a good way to bounce back and a suitable track. More to come for sure.
together. Thursday evening I picked up the SG, went to my collection of mainly Southern Rock 10 minute BTs and had a Mixo Dorian fest for about 2 1/2 hours and ushered away the ghosts. Friday I thought about doing a mellow chilled AOVYP melancholy impro and knew I had the right track, albeit Aeolian in the Key of A.
