Roots?

My first real love was every instrument other than the guitar.

The saxophone in the Dave Clark Five.
The bass on Hey Mister Bassman.
The snippet of bass to the coda on Everybody has Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey.

I still harbor a secret desire to play the drums.

What turned me so sharply?

Woodstock
Summer 1969

At summer camp that year, almost every night we were sent to sleepland to the strains of Tommy.
(It was the only album my counselors had brought)
Townsend had a magical strum going that summer.

Our overnight trip was to Woodstock.
After our return I just HAD to have a guitar. I enrolled in the camp's beginners guitar class. I learned, 'Mister Tambourine Man,' in about five minutes and played it until my fingertips bled.
(Although I was not taught to sing it at the same time - they were happy to get us to play the damn things; so my parents had no clue what song I was playing when they came up for Parents Day - I was crestfallen)

When I came home from camp my parents got me an old Gibson archtop, which would be worth a lot today; but at the time, the action was way too high, it was not electric...it took me until December of 1971 to get my parents to order a strat for me.

So here I am, a sax player on a six string, with the funky soul of a badass bass player, who wishes he could play drums...playing guitar.
It actually makes sense.

Can You See The Light?

Playing is such joy.
A mental thing.
A physical thing as well.
An orgasm that does not tire you until you finally leave the stage. How?

The mental stimulation I understand - we are expressing ideas in a symbolic language at the speed of thought. And when it works it is sublime. Even when it is not perfect it is a joy.
The physical I also understand - I am jumping and dancing and singing and sharing my inner joy with strangers who for the most part are appreciative.

Tonight I had the chance to play a local jazz club - The Club 66 - and we did a Herbie Hancock night.
Palm Grease, Watermelon Man, Chameleon, Spank-A-Lee (a favorite of mine), et cetera.

The groove was just so solid - it was palpable, a solid object in the room.
The communication was snapping.

The drummer, Ray is an old hand and smooth, not fancy but very capable of driving the beat as well as keeping it.

The bass player was focused and followed every nuance, every glance and look.

Chris, the keyboard player was in his element. He is very skilled, although somewhat eccentric.

So at first I am filling. Comping has its own rewards. When you are holding up a piece of the beat, allowing someone a sip or a wiped brow, it is satisfying in a purely productive way.
When you combine it with enhancing the sound, making it more lush and full - a joy to the heart.

I got my breaks - Love my Bennie Maupin - I am a six string sax player at heart.

But then there came a point at which the normal give and take gave way to am extended jam.
I mean we took flight.
Everybody got into it. It became a four place call and answer.
Gud Gawd - it was great!

It felt as though all of us were in the zone, simultaneously. It was wondrous. It was only when it was over that I noticed I was sweating and in need of a shower.
I feed from the light - I have seen it and need more.

I Need an Excuse

When everything is working, not just functional but firing on all available cylinders you are left with two opposed feelings - conflicting feelings.
Satisfaction - everything is working, and well at that!
Guilt - So why am I not more successful?

All my excuses are gone in a sense. Now, the only things I can blame to are external - and that in itself is a cheap shot I refuse to use.
It's on me to push my art - my mission is to hand out as many business cards as humanly possible.

Who but me is responsible?
I can wait a lifetime for another Brian Epstein to find, acknowledge and craft me into the next Beatle or...

Or I can laugh with a bit of gusto and sally forth, tally ho...see what happens.
It is in my hands.

It is up to me. Always has been but the reminder is timely now and again.

Off The Beaten Path

Have a smart phone?
Android or iPhone? Not enough representation from the Windows phones to be included, yet.
Androids are based upon Linux.

I have may apps for musical use.
Apps that make lyric generation easier. Or composition.

I also have a background in electronic engineering so I have apps that allow me to design and test schematics.

Tools that allow me to remotely wipe my phone should I lose it...also try to locate it et cetera.

One that I find invaluable is called Screebl.
"Screebl is an application that controls your screen based on orientation."

If the phone is sitting at zero degrees or ninety degrees, it will shut off.
If it is inclined in between those two it will remain on and active.
Ingenious.
One, I never have to use a button or tap to end my session with the phone, just put it down. And two, this extends battery life significantly without much from me. The display, more often than not is the culprit when it comes to battery usage.
Neat.

Maildroid - the only mail app that works every time. Expensive but worth it, imo.

WiFi Explorer is another useful tool - it allows for a WiFi connection between you Android device and your PC.
Move, delete, rename, make a new folder, zip files - all the functions of Windows Explorer within you Android device.

mooLa is another - a checkbook. It also complies statistics so you can see where your money goes. It has a bug or two; using save and repeat will eventually make it crash. But it is far easier and intuitive to use than the others.

CamCard is great for taking a photo of a business card and integrating the info into your contacts. It also eliminates the collection of cards on your desk - the best selling point, yet.

Music?

Chordwheel - want the notes for a scale or chord? Relative? etc?
Caustic - a DAW
Band In a Box Remote

GuitarPro
GuitarTapp - 3 ring binder of songs, scrollable while you play. A teleprompter for guitarists.
Maestro - composition
Musical Note Pad - composition


Miscellaneous:
InstaPaper - allows you to  save online content for later use, offline - save an article to read when on the plane.
MyCarLocator - Set it when you leave the car and then it'll draw a map back to the car.
PocketInformant - a day planner, but the new version, number three is incompatible with my phone and the sync function leaves much to be desired.

And you thought you had beaten the rabbit holes in your path?

Just Do Your Craft For Fifteen Minutes Without Stopping

A friend told me about a discipline that might be of use, musically.
Being a writer, it came out this way.

Write for fifteen minutes without lifting your pen.

I loaded up fifteen minutes of tunes in need of overdub and let it rip.
No, I didn't get the outcome I was after, but I did find the avenue with which to approach the song.
"Okay, I see it...now."

I think it is also the desired effect when employing this when writing.
(No, really?)
Not that you solve the current stalemate but that you move the landscape around.

Perspective really means a lot.
Discipline in actions is a form of self hypnosis.
Trying to reach a place of concentration. Where the world no longer intrudes. Maybe crafting for fifteen is the equivalent of chanting, "om..."

What changes is the method used to achieve this state of concentration. A tape with subliminal suggestions or playing without hitting the STOP button for fifteen minutes.

When I can blot out everything but the music, what flows from me is the best, absolutely the best of what I have to offer.
It, without exception manifests when I play in public - without provocation. I just fall into it as I take the stage. Time has no meaning, I see nothing, I hear everything.
The difficulty for me is doing this - concentrating when alone.

I now have a new technique to use.