Topic: Hi There: An Introduction
Hi all,
I'm new to forums and received the advice to 'lurk,' watch and learn for a while AFTER jumping in with both feet. The same friend also said to introduce myself to other members, so here goes.
I've used Chordie as my first port of call for finding songs for years but joined up because I need help finding "Tell Me There's A Heaven" by Chris Rea which I've searched for for years and even tried buying with no joy.
I've been playing the guitar for so long now I think about lying as it makes me seem much older than I am - 32 years. I have two guitars, both electro acoustic the main one being a Faith Natural Venus - she's called Carenza and I'm besotted; the best guitar I've ever owned!!!
I finger pick with my own nails (bust the slow growing thumbnail during last Monday's gig) but also use a pick (which I'll have to stick with for a while). I market myself as "Acoustic Folk/Rock" but play everything from Bach through Cole Porter, Duke Ellington and Charles Trenet to Floyd and Queen. I have plenty of traditional English, Irish, Scottish and Cornish folk too.
I also sing. I've been singing since before I knew the words and took up the guitar to be able to accompany myself. During the '80s and '90s I used to earn my living by gigging all over the South West.
I'm a Producer/Engineer and used to train 3rd year engineering degree students for a Bristol University. I invented a technique that meant that anyone with music software could have multiband processing the bands of which are limited only by the number of simultaneous tracks they could play; I wrote an article for Sound On Sound about it to share it with the world. I've also helped make a couple of people here in the UK household names with my recordings of them.
I got majorly stiffed by the Gov't on a project that everyone said they loved, everyone said was needed but no-one would stump up the money for. The then Environment Minister called Michael Meacher agreed to champion the project and made a statement on national TV about my project just before the Jo'berg Summit in '02 saying how much better value my project was; after the summit he got fired as Environment Minister and I lost my home due to the on-going investment I was encouraged to keep making - it was a couple of years later that I found out what was really going on.
I kept all my recording equipment although it has been kept in boxes for the last few years but there are some exciting developments I don't want to jinx by talking about - yet.
I've had to go back to gigging since losing my home and business, but this has been really positive as I've really enhanced my repertoire to the point where if I began playing and didn't stop between songs (which I would have to) I have over 4 1/2 hours of material!
I also teach guitar from time to time. My claim to fame with this is that one young student (8 years old) after being with me for a couple of months coached her non-musical older (12 or 13)brother for his end of year music exam and he got 86%!
I should have as a motto "On an even field, only talent prevails" but I've been on the receiving end of multi-multi-million pound per year QuANGOs making sure the field isn't even. Nevertheless, if I can help anyone out there with playing or recording probs I'd be glad to help!
On a personal level I live on a 42 acre farm (not mine and now only horses) in the village where I grew up. I shoot Longbow/Warbow (which presented some problems with my picking fingers which I overcame) and do clout shooting at over 120 metres which is my passion but music and audio is my life!!!
To end where I came in as a newbie to forums, I probably missed the thread I should've joined for this introduction, but hope you will forgive my ignorance and extend me some patience and understanding.
To you all I say "Gans pup bollonjeth oll da" and keep playing! ;-)
Gans Gwarak da yn dorn yu lel, gwyr lowen an golon!
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