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How do you deal with...

DutchRay

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 15, 2015
Messages
872
not playing with others?

We dutchies have been in lockdown since early december and I'm slowly going insane... I want to make noise, I need to get in the zone, I need to make music with friends...

To pass the time I've been setting up my gear, dealing with bad frets, cleaning bad pots, switching tubes etc. and while I have plenty guitars, amps and pedals, there's not much left to do...
I got myself a Ditto+ and dug out my Champion 600 and that has helped a little. Still miss the air coming from the speaker at high volume but for now it has at least it has me playing...

So how do you deal with the feeling of being ready to go but nowhere to go to...
 

ourmaninthenorth

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 28, 2009
Messages
7,119
I'm missing the shows, and I do love going to gigs, and generally messing about with like minded musicians, talking about gear and such.

But as to playing, I'm never happier than doing it solo...always lone wolfed it. I do however sympathise with gigging musicians, and those that get great enjoyment out of band playing..it must be driving you all nuts.

The great thing about being a one man band is that I only get to drive myself mad...a destination I have made great strides towards.

Despite being the only player in the room, I'm sometimes not the best player in the room.....

:LOL:
 

guitarbob123

Active member
Joined
Jan 2, 2009
Messages
214
I guess now is the time to practice new things/techinques that you don't normally incorporate to your playing.

I don't know the type of stuff you play but I'm going to guess blues/blue-rock cause that's what 90% of us play 😂

Maybe try and pick-up some Al Di Meola stuff or Jeff Beck and dig into those, the range of technique between the two of those guys is more than enough to teach an old dog new tricks.

It's nowhere near as much fun without that interactive aspect, the response of the guys you're playing with and reacting to whatever they're doing too, but it's something to focus on I guess!
 
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MikeSlub

Administrator
Joined
Jul 15, 2001
Messages
15,167
Agree with you - really missing playing music with others. I must admit that I'm not playing as much as I should be. Mass vaccinations can't happen fast enough! o_O
 

Nick-O

Active member
Joined
Aug 12, 2015
Messages
223
I was standing 6ftt apart wearing a mask talking to the chap how works on my guitars about this very thing yesterday. I said I think it is having an effect on my timing. I noticed that over the months, there is nobody to play off if you know what I mean? I think we are almost out of the woods though, but we can't become complacent when we are this close to the end of this nightmare.
 

Strings Jr.

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 17, 2016
Messages
670
I suppose I should count my blessings. Gigging hasn't slowed down at all for me. I've only had two weekends off since before Thanksgiving, and one of those was Christmas. I'm also booked four out of the next six weeks. It's almost like Covid never happened. The venues are packed, nobody wearing a mask. I don't understand it, but I'm not complaining.
 

Mattyboy75

Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2020
Messages
94
I suppose I should count my blessings. Gigging hasn't slowed down at all for me. I've only had two weekends off since before Thanksgiving, and one of those was Christmas. I'm also booked four out of the next six weeks. It's almost like Covid never happened. The venues are packed, nobody wearing a mask. I don't understand it, but I'm not complaining.
Wow, where are you? It seems everywhere around the world is in lockdown when I see news and footage of places etc.
 

Mattyboy75

Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2020
Messages
94
I don’t play in a band but did jam with friends regularly. I have bought an Electro Harmonix dual looper pedal with built it rhythm. Keeps you playing and is great for keeping playing in time.
 

Doc Sausage

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 21, 2006
Messages
1,707
I wouldn’t get too excited about it ending this year. Or next...Variants will keep it alive indefinitely. The Bubonic Plague made comebacks over 40 years. 😐
 

Doc Sausage

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Joined
Nov 21, 2006
Messages
1,707
I'm in Middle Tennessee. Doing gigs from the Alabama border up through Central Kentucky. Out of all these gigs, only once have I played the same place twice.
Good for you. There’s only two ways a pandemic ends. Either the pestilence runs out of fresh hosts (one way or another) or people put the fear aside, learn to live with it and move on. 👊
 

DutchRay

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 15, 2015
Messages
872
Thanks for the responses!

Being single and locked down, I don't speak to people very often, maybe twice a day...
I've been going for long walks, pushing myself to play new music, trying new gear, talking to a shrink and while it certainly relieves some stress, it's no where near enough. The thrill of playing with/in front of others gives me a sense of urgency, the need to be on point. I guess that's one of the things I miss the most.
I wish I could get on a plane to Florida or Tennessee, in the Netherlands there's no real exit strategy other than vaccination and that's not going to happen on a short term. Then there's the question which bars and stages have survived, they've been closed since march, reopened in June and were forced to close down again early October.
Still hopeful though, I'm pluggin in my Bassman and turning it up, maybe a some neighbor drops by and we can have a chat about how loud 45W actually is :cool:
 

Iguana

Active member
Joined
Aug 22, 2018
Messages
108
One man, studio only guy here. Last time I played live was a one off birthday thing for a bass player I know. I would love to form a band with him and his brother the drummer. Sadly that won’t ever happen. Circumstances simply don’t allow for it. I do feel for you guys who play out a lot. It must be difficult.
 

gakees

Active member
Joined
May 11, 2004
Messages
141
Our band, which has been together for 25 years, has played an outdoor restaurant gig a couple of times a month for the last 5 years. And, if the weather was bad, we would move inside to play. Well, we haven't played outside since the Saturday before Thanksgiving because of rain or cold weather and covid restrictions don't allow for indoor playing now. Thankfully, I have a Zoom R8 and spend a lot of time recording. That is what keeps me going.
 

jrgtr42

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 24, 2005
Messages
2,308
I'm not in a band or gig out at all, but I have been taking some time during "all this" to stretch out on my playing, learn some different styles / techniques, some new songs.
I didn't get a ton of time to myself to play before this, with work, the kid, other household stuff etc. |But I've been furloughed from my full-time job since erly april. I've been working part time at a senior living residence that my wife works at, but I do have much more time now in between to make noise.
I've always had pretty good internal timing, but |I'll still put the metronome on my phone once in a while.
To OP - do you have ways to file-share with your band mates? IT's not the same but you can have, say, the drummer or other guitarist (if there is one) record up a track and you can play along with it. Or recordings of gigs prior to?
 

Doc Sausage

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Joined
Nov 21, 2006
Messages
1,707
Going to watch my step daughter perform tonight with a band. In a brew pub. With no mask. In California, no less. Covid cases are magically plummeting since Jan 20th. The virus saw Joe Biden and ran the other way. It’s a miracle, I tell ya!
 
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