Good morning! 10:10 on this sunny Friday. I have a friend from Germany who stops in now and then, and for her this would be Samstag, or Saturday. They're 7 hours ahead of us, and would probably be enjoying happy hour someplace about now. I should also mention here that Freitag is the surname of one of the better guitarists around here, and certainly a favorite of mine. So just how do you do all that tapping stuff anyway??
Domestic news. Getting ready for hibernation, with a nasty cold snap on its way. Having gotten through December and January relatively unscathed--okay, at least in terms of weather--this will be the first time all Winter we've been slammed. I've made grocery runs in single-digit temps. It can be done. There is an exhilaration(albeit very short-lived)to 4-degree weather, I must admit. But I usually prefer to defer to my inner Cold Weather Wuss....
Music news. Still waiting on the bigger headlines, which is the release of two recordings of mine- one new and one 'resurrected'. The new one of mine is actually a resurrection itself, from a couple gigs back in 2004 with my quartet. It's the first group CD I've done in awhile. The 'resurrected' one goes back to 2007 and also has other humans on it besides myself. Looking forward to sharing those recordings with you guys. Eventually...
I'm in a pretty good stride right now with the guitar. Not that I'm telling you anything you didn't already know, but improvement is not a straight line. More a convoluted mess, where sometimes despite your best efforts you feel like you're getting worse. But if you hang in there, you do see things start to come together. I guess I have the Puritan Ethic in me just like my folks. My Dad, in his colorful way, used to say he was "up to his nuts' in it...
One thing that's starting to solidify with me is rhythm. How to not only play in time, but dig into the time. An old Star Licks video of Emily Remler talked about this, as she had to work on he ownr time, which was now flawless. "That's where the fun is", she said. Decades later, jenius-boy here is starting to get that.. Some lessons take time..
The goal is, of course, to be able to play virtually any tempo. From ballads to "tempo di tear-ass". Strangely enough, slower grooves have been harder for me. I've found a way, through practicing, but can't quite put it into words-at least not to my satisfaction. It involves kinda letting go and finding that place just behind the beat- again, the Fun Zone. Where the fun is. Almost like an erogenous zone...
Okay. This is probably enough gabbing from me for now. Thanks as ever for stopping in and reading. I do appreciate it. Happy Friday to you, especially if you've worked all week. For now, ich bin outa here. More later. PS Today's pic was taken at Robbie's, year unknown. Dan Rivero, Wayne Carter and me. Working with Dan and Wayne was also a very nice patch. Enjoyed those years! PPS Today's tune is an oldie of mine called Girl in the Red Leather Pants. Originally more of a rock tune, this 'girl' is a bit more sedate. The pants may be more snug..