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Guitar chord forum - chordie → Posts by PapaTom
>>>>he was a great admirer of bobs.<<<<<
LOL! Without the apostrophe in "bob's," this looked to me as if you were suggesting he was a great admirer of "bobs," which would be the abbreviated term used in Britain to describe a sex toy, specifically a "Battery Operated Boyfriend."
That's NOT what you were thinking.....right????
>>>>Anything sounds right if you sing loud enough.<<<<<
OK, so screw the chord changes. It's my SINGING I need to work on?
When I see a discussion group starting to fade, I often find myself fighting the urge to post something...ANYTHING, just to keep the interaction alive. I need to fight that a little harder, as I've posted some stupid stuff lately, not only on this newsgroup, but on others.
Anyway, the Chordie Forum seems to have come alive again, so I guess we all just needed to wait until we had something un-stupid to say!
Zurf:
Thanks for your little piece of inspiration. After trimming down pretty well as I worked 15-16 hour days in concert production this summer, I've noticed that I'm already getting kind of mushy around the middle again. The scariest thing is that it has happened so quickly.
I, too, have been under much stress about (the lack of) work and other issues, and food feels really good when you can't afford much else. However, I hereby officially join you in the quest to return to health. I'll be danged if I can rest my ukulele on my belly two-three months from now!
Actually, I've been fooling around with a Bb that's an octave up and A LOT easier to finger. It doesn't work for everything, but in this case, while everybody in the room's neck veins are popping out as they try to hit that note on "frieeeeeeeeeeends," I can sneak it in!
I'd rather have had the whole chord progression, but you guys have convinced me it probably wouldn't be as effective as just hanging on two chords and squawking out that last Ringo note for two bars. But hey, what would YOU think if I sang out of tune? Would you stand up and...
Dang...now I've gotta deal with playing the much-loathed Bb on my uke. Thanks, guys!
>>>>How does it sound?<<<<<
I think it's close, but I'd really like the full set of changes to the counter melody you described, as that's what I usually sing (to avoid having to hold out that long "frieeeeeeeeeeeeends" note!)
Thanks, Stonebridge
The very end of "With A Little Help From My Friends" (in "D")
"Yes, I get [C] by with a little help from my [G] with a little help from my __________________."
The chords kind of slide down the scale as Ringo struggles to hold out "frieeeeeeeeeends." What exactly, are these eight chords before the final "D"?
Peace and Looove
As a side business, I have produced voice prompts for telephone auto attendant systems for about 26 years. Despite numerous, spirited attempts to get some clients to pay careful attention to the way they've set up their telephone customer service procedures, very few of them ever get it.
What's happened, I think, is that we've become so enamored by the technology that we rush to apply it before we even know what our objectives are. In the end, none of it actually works FOR us.
I sure miss the days when you'd call a customer service line, get a live voice saying "please hold," then wait for two hours to speak to someone who knew EXACTLY how to fix your problem!
This happens to me not only with my music, but with my drawing, my writing, and all other aspects of my life. If you were away from the instrument for three days, you were probably distracted by issues at work, with family, etc. This can block not only creativity, but, sometimes, the ability to do anything at all that involves concentration.
I say get your head clear first, then pick up the guitar again. It may be a week or two from now, but you won't lose any of the progress you've made. In fact, you might even end up playing better than you did before!
Hey, Zurf.
I feel your frustration. I've worked at home for very long periods at various times in my life. The "cabin fever" that you speak of got so bad at times that I took jobs I didn't want and didn't like JUST to get out of the house.
Your idea about walks around the block is a good one. Remember that even people in offices get a one-hour lunch break, so don't feel like a slacker if you step out for a bit. Chances are, you probably eat lunch in front of your computer, anyway!
And of course, the good old guitar is a great friend to have when you're at home working alone. In my case, I've got ukes in every room, so it's real easy to pick one up any time I'm feeling stressed or lonely.
>>>>I'll bet if you were visiting Nashville with the PLAN of VISITING (and not checking out a crime scene), you'd find a way to enjoy it!<<<<
I'll bet you're right. But, just so you know, Manhattan isn't quite as bad as your friend made it out to be. That whole thing about not looking anyone in the eye is a leftover from the 70's. I live on Long Island and travel into NYC by train all the time. The only reason people don't look at other people anymore is because they're too busy looking at their text messages and iPods!
The big difference between NY and Nashville seems to be that the music scene is a little more concentrated in Nashville. Most of the important clubs seem to be on one strip, while, in NY, they are scattered all over the city (with the exception of the Bleeker Street/Greenwich Village scene). I guess any time you squeeze so many attractions into one small area - as in the case of Nashville - it's going to draw all the city's "odd" characters.
No dissing of Nashville intended. I've definitely only seen it from a somewhat tainted angle. Perhaps my next trip will be solely for pleasure!
Glad you enjoyed the trip, BV. I've been to Nashville many times on criminal investigations and was quite disappointed by the downtown scene there. I didn't want to bring that up before you went, as I didn't want to hang a cloud over your trip; however, I'm really happy to see that your experience (and, apparently, the experiences of many others) was much more positive than mine.
Somehow, each time I tried to "experience" the main strip, I couldn't see past all the druggies and homeless men and women on the streets. Being from New York, I suppose I've always had a romanticized view of what Nashville is - and I always assumed it was a lot cleaner and safer than Manhattan. 'Turns out ANY city that creates magic has its dark side, too.
I guess in retrospect, it WAS really cool to walk those same sidewalks that so many legends have walked. Thanks for re-framing my view of this cool place.
>>>>My goal was to be able to ensure there would always be a guitar at my Dad's summer parties. <<<<
This line is the one that brought the tears to my eyes.
Have you ever heard Dan Fogelberg's "Leader of the Band?" Here is the chorus:
edit - lyrics cannot be posted in the forum 
GREATLY appreciated the thought!! Here's a link to the song for those interested in seeing the chorus!! http://chordie.com/chord.pere/www.linde … e_band.crd
I've just been working and away from my uke all summer, so far. I usually get back into it in the late fall/early winter and spend a lot of time perusing the posts. Contrary to what some of you might think (from some of my dopey threads) I don't like to post when there's nothing to say!
The lesson that was reinforced by this experience is one that has repeated itself throughout my life: as a musician, as a traveling investigator, as a long-distance bicyclist, and now as a semi-pro concert techie. It's that the mind is incredibly effective at making the body do things above and beyond what one would ever imagine it can do.
Throughout this six-week run, my bones and muscles have taken a major beating, to the point where my wife literally had to pull me out of bed many mornings. Most days, I would wake up completely convinced that I could not physically get through another day. I could not lift my arms above my waist line and felt as if my calf muscles were ready to spasm and collapse at any given moment.
Yet, without fail, two hours later, when the crew arrived and the energy kicked in, I would suddenly find myself leaping onto pickup trucks, climbing under RVs dragging 50 lb cables behind me, hoisting five foot speaker columns into the air, and doing all sorts of things I don't remember ever feeling fit enough to do when I was in my twenties. Magical, what mind power can do. I'm now recommitted to at least TRYING to apply this lesson to all areas of my life.
Well, my six-week stint as a "tech" for my town's summer concert series is winding down. Over the past month-and-a-half, we've had The Beach Boys, The Rascals, The Bacon Brothers, the cast of Jersey Boys, and several other name and non-name acts that drew anywhere from 1,000 to 20,000 people.
Some of the biggest and best shows this year were definitely the Tribute Bands. Hotel California was the best Eagles tribute I've ever seen, just as Night Fever was the most spot-on Bee Gees knock-off you could ever imagine. Believe it or not, we even had an excellent Elvis impersonator (Rick Alvitti) this year! And Big Shot, Long Island's own Billy Joel tribute, drew 20,000 people to our town beach on a Tuesday night, closing down both parkways that lead to the beach for several hours.
The "star" acts were also good, but a little tired. Al Jardine's wanna-be Beach Boys was a bit like a loose jam in somebody's basement. The Bacon Brothers (Kevin and the other guy) put on a quality show, but the music was a little too serious for the party crowd of 10-12,000 they drew. Others like Gary US Bonds, Joey Dee, The Association, and The Grass Roots were simply forgettable. Felix Cavaliere's Rascals were definitely a highlight and put on a stellar performance.
Most of all, this experience gave me an opportunity to relive my teens, twenties, and early thirties, when I was often part of the acts that people were going out of their way to please. It was quite humbling to be bringing cold water and sandwiches to many of my former band mates, though!
My job this summer was to connect and operate the huge generators that powered all the equipment, which included massive sound and lighting systems, two RVs and occasional tour buses brought in by the acts, and a giant video screen and projector. I also ran and protected all the cabling for this equipment, operated the video system, and served as the intermediary between the concert organizers (who have no experience in the music industry) and the acts.
Unfortunately, this gig was a little more physically demanding than my body is ready to handle at 47 years old. I've spent the entire summer coated in Ben Gay, Gold Bond Medicated Powder and a bunch of stuff you don't want to know about. There were many opportunities to get on stage and sit behind a fully miked drum kit hooked into an arena-sized sound system, but my arms couldn't even lift a stick most of the time. Likewise, the numerous cuts and splits on my dry, cracked hands has made playing the uke nearly impossible for several weeks. I hope to get back to the instrument soon.
Thanks for all the support when this gig was still a big unknown mystery for me. I'm glad I did it, and I am confident that it has earned me a steady position with the Town department that presents musical performances all year round. Perhaps now I will have time to relax, sit back, and practice getting around those "B" chords!
Cool concept, Ringo. In this day and age, such an idealist fantasy seems silly, but if I had been around a lot of people at noon yesterday and even one person flashed me the "peace" sign, I'd have been pretty moved by it. I wonder how it all worked out. Beatles don't have quite the impact on the world as they used to. My guess is that Ringo's little birthday wish will carry a lot more weight when he's dead and gone.
Happy Birthday, me favorite drowma!
>>>PapaTom - Good suggestion on drum instruction.<<<<
Thanks. Every once in a while, I manage to contribute something worth a read 
If you are fairly adept at the instrument, when approaching a "slower" song, try just tapping and plucking around the strings while your other hand is forming the chords. It's pretty hard to hit a "clam," as the notes that form the chord will be pretty much all that is available to you. This, for me, is what makes playing a ballad much more interesting than just strumming all six (in MY case, FOUR) strings at the same time.
For more creative strumming patterns for faster songs, I'd get yourself a book of basic drum rudiments and try applying some of these to your guitar.
Well, thanks for all the additional good wishes. In case you missed it, I recently posted a new thread called "Having a Funky Day Revisited," in which I announced that some really exciting work has come my way for the summer -- and possibly beyond.
I guess SOMEONE out there has me in their box already!
Thanks again, everybody.
Once I got the bug to play the uke, I couldn't sleep thinking about it, either. When I finally invested $40 in one, I couldn't put it down for several weeks.
Regarding the urge to get up and play a song, I feel that almost every day. For a couple of weeks, I've been working on the Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End medley from the B-side of Abbey Road. Sometimes, no matter what I am doing, I just have to drop everything, pick up my uke, and play the whole medley, start-to-finish, again...including "Her Majesty!"
I ride a bicycle. I'm not all that fast and I'm not a great hill climber. Still, one of the things that make me happiest in life is being on a bike saddle. I've ridden virtually every day since 1996 and have done several pretty long bike tours, but the bike clubs I encounter on my rides blow by me without breaking a sweat.
Yet, when someone asks if I ride, I respond, without hesitation, "Yes, I ride!"
In case anybody is interested, things are looking up for me these past few days. Most exciting is that I just found out on Friday that I'm going to spend the next few months doing production work for my town's summer concert series, which features The Beach Boys, Felix Cavaliere's Rascals, and many other favorite groups from my childhood. Ironically, I actually played with many of the bands featured in the series as a drummer in the 80s and 90s. It's going to be weird doing tech work with them this time around, but I'm just so excited about getting back to work (and in the MUSIC field, after years as a "suit") that it just doesn't matter.
Thanks for your support when I was at my lowest a couple of weeks ago. Today, my uke sounded happy for the first time in a LONG time!
That was the most energizing few minutes I've experienced in a while. I was very visual when I was a drummer, but nothing like this guy. The best part is that he's pretty solid, too!
Thanks for this link. It made a lot of my friends and family feel good today.
Guitar chord forum - chordie → Posts by PapaTom
