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Led Zeppelin are admitted occultists.  Big shot rock stars are notoriously self-absorbed (though I don't know that to be true of the fellows in Zep).  It would not surprise me in the least if the boys from Zep were self-focused enough to permit their curiosity to take them into realms outside their ability to control. 

Of course, the same is true of many of us, so I say this not as a criticism but merely as a recognition that it would not be surprising were they to have become involved in Satanism. 

As a matter of humor, I can never understand how Satanists work.  Assuming that there is a Satan, then we already have a book that tells us how things turn out...

- Zurf

Hardly that!  Just a tidbit I picked up along the way. 

- Zurf

One of my room-mates in college had his brother for a visit.  Neither one drank very much usually, but on this particular occaission I had just been given a refrigerator full of delicious and rather strong homemade beer.  So they got to drinking and talking.  Now, their parents were an interesting mix.  Both were immigrants to the US.  Mom from Germany and Dad from India.  As they got to drinking, even though both had been raised in northern Virginia and generally carried no accent I could detect, my roomate started displaying an Indian accent and his brother a German one.  The more they drank, the stronger the accents.  Very entertaining.

- Zurf

As above, I prefer the term supernatural.  Natural describes those things that science can analyze and determine.  Supernatural, as I understand it, is to describe those things that outside the analytical.

To pick a very popular subject, let's think about Creation.  Science can look at how old something is, it can look at what must have taken place in the past, but it cannot determine WHY matter came to exist.  It must have happened because we have it.  We see it.  We feel it.  But we cannot know from science WHY matter came to exist because that is beyond the measurable and repeatable.  From that perspective, all religious explanations for the emergence of Creation are supernatural explanations, and as such become something much easier to think about logically and less emotionally. 

When using terms like paranormal, it makes it sound something outside of what is supposed to be.  I am quite convinced that everything that is, is supposed to be, and to the extent that we think it isn't what needs to be adjusted is our perceptions and not reality. 

As far as ghosts and such, I am a Christian and accept Scripture as truth.  Scripture, and especially stories in the Old Testament, describe the existance of ghosts and mediums.  It would be rather hypocritical of me to "accept" Scripture and then deny what it says.  Nevertheless, it is something I'd rather not muck around with.  That is not to say others shouldn't.  You do as you see fit. 

- Zurf

I tried and failed so many times trying to follow along in a book that I can't even tell you.  I've definitely caught the fever this time and am sticking with it.  What I did different is that I got a book that teaches what to do not how to do it.  "You Can Teach Yourself Fingerpicking Guitar".  It's meant for kids, but that's OK.  So I went through a few lessons and learned until the lessons got really hard for me.  Then I took what I had learned stylistically from the book and started playing songs until what I had learned from the book was fully incorporated into my playing.  It's been several months and I haven't opened the book to move to the next lesson (but it's about time).  But I'm playing songs and enjoying it!  My songs don't sound like the covers, but I'm playing them and that makes all the difference in the world to me. 

Keep it up and have fun.

- Zurf

With drums, the percussion sound carries very well.  Different cadences were used to communicate different things.  In modern warfare, the generals sit in bunkers and watch television screens sent information from satellites.  It used to be that the generals sat on a hill on the battlefield and gave commands that were communicated to battlefield officers via different drum cadences.  Especially when gunpowder got to be used more and more, leaving the battlefield officers literally in the "fog of war".  There were different cadences for withdraw, advance, flank right, flank left, etc. and so forth.  They could be heard by the soldiers on the field of battle even above the screams, guns, explosions, and general confusion.  That's a western thing.  Don't know if it's also true for African drum use in battle.  Many thanks that I have never had to learn first-hand. 

I had thought that music resided in the brain somewhere between language and mathematics, somewhat linking the two in use and thereby advancing both language and mathematics functions.  It has been shown that students who study an instrument tend to perform better, but I am not aware of whether that is because students who would tend to do better anyway because of socio-economic or other characteristics tend to study music or vice-versa. 

- Zurf

The only thing I know about punk is that Johnny Rotten (I think) said that Heavy Metal is what happened when the punk bands learned to play their instruments. 

- Zurf

mhebert - I agree with you.  The laid back attitude here is wonderful.  However, is it better for us to police ourselves or to always have to wait for the moderators to do the policing?  I think it's better if we can gently and politely nudge one another back into line rather than waiting for moderators to do it. 

I have not noticed Paranormalguitar being hostile.  A little touchy perhaps, but hardly hostile.  He is young and  impatient about like I would expect a young man to be.  He'll learn.

- Zurf

If Red Hot Chili Peppers played the version, then you've got a 50/50 shot of it being "good."  I like about half of their stuff as a listener.  As a quasi-musician-wannabe, I appreciate their skill and innovation all the time.  But as a listener, about half is good.

Now Jimi - flat out innovator.  He broke every rule and made up new ones.  Some of the tones he coaxed out of his instrument don't appeal to my ear, but to say that he wasn't an exceptional musician, innovator, showman, and artist is not giving him due credit.

- Big D

I'd be likely to meet with a luthier to custom build something to my taste.  Or, depending on the rules of the question, I may buy several guitars or perhaps lessons (in an exotic locale that has free-flowing rum drinks). 

- Zurf

So long as it went into the audience in general and not into an actual audience member such that it had to be removed, then it went well enough.  Thanks for the chuckle. 

- Zurf