Topic: I played last night! What is your worst guitar expeirience?

I played last night to a friend who came around... I had a few drinks and found this courage so I picked up my guitar and strummed (very poorly) a rendition of cold day in july. My friend who is usually such an honest lady( but in this instant a tad tipsy)  started raving about my 'beautiful country voice' and didn't mention my playing once! Obviously cos it was so rubbish... But I don't really care, it was fun!  She said 'You must keep learning, you will be amazing' and then I passed out from too much consumption. Thinking about it she probably couldn't hear what I was playing anyway, she was hammered too.

Note to self... Hide guitar when having a few drinks with friends.


So what is your worst guitar experience?

Re: I played last night! What is your worst guitar expeirience?

Tine,
I have had a few but that is expected. You cannot be on top form all the time. Or on top of your own top personal form all the time.
Maybe you were a bit nervous playing in front of her for the first time and this has made you think it was worse than it actually was.

Also she has mentioned your voice which is a good thing. I dont see myself as a fantastic guitar player and hope that my voice carries the song off better than my guitar playing.
So thing to focus on here is your voice. Still focus on the guitar but if you can sing great then most people will not take much notice of the guitar.
Another guitarist might take note of the guitar playing though, but if he thought or she thought you were bad on guitar but good at singing they would probably give you a tip or two if they could.

Dont be disheartened by a bad song or a bad night.
It is when you pick a song you are not too good at singing or playing that makes it bad not just one thing out of two. You could have played it great on the guitar and sang badly ( I know quite a few like this) and you would still have done a good job.
I have done a few songs that I am bad at playing and singing, but ye learn from playing what your limits are or what parts to strengthen up on.



Ken

ye get some that are cut out for the job and others just get by from pretending

Re: I played last night! What is your worst guitar expeirience?

I have found that I must go through a warm up before I can actually play the songs that I know. If I attempt to play without warming up, I simply mis-finger (I finger pick - or try to) the strings/notes. After I've warmed up a bit, everything seems to come into sync and I can tell how out of tune my guitar is.

If I just start playing a song, I will almost always miss the root note several time when I change chords.

Damed B chord.... I fight it too.

Re: I played last night! What is your worst guitar expeirience?

I'll never forget the night my favorite uncle, a top notch pianist in the New York music scene, came to a Mobile, Alabama bar in 1964 to hear my six piece band.
Everything went wrong. My lead singer forgot lyrics he had always sang perfectly, I hit a music stand when I swung my trumpet and music and stand went everywhere, the bass player got stinking drunk - just to name a few problems. It was a horrible night.
My uncle was very gracious about it but the last thing I wanted to do in front of him was SUCK!

We pronounce it "Guf Coast".
Ya'll wanna go down to the Guf?

Re: I played last night! What is your worst guitar expeirience?

When I was learning to play, I had re-tuned the guitar so that I could play this little song I'd written easily. So my mate...John Rodge, came down, he was helping me learn [hard work for him] and tuned the guitar properly...result...NO CAN PLAY THE SONG, can't have been that good, I can't even remember it now.

Phill

Ask not what Chordie can do for you, but what you can do for Chordie.

Re: I played last night! What is your worst guitar expeirience?

Playing to a Sony rep (underplaying him greatly) and having a caughing fit brought on by nerves halfway through a song - had to stop playing because of that - meeting over!!!

<-----<< On an even field, only talent prevails! >>----->
   Gans Gwarak da yn dorn yu lel, gwyr lowen an golon!
        >>-----> [color=#FF0000]Rudhes[/color] hag [color=yellow]Owres[/color], Kajima <-----<<

Re: I played last night! What is your worst guitar expeirience?

Like 4gits I try to warm up before I go out to play, but however well I sing & play at home I always make mistakes in front of an audience! Of course, they usually don't notice.
My worst experience was when I invited family & friends to come & see me play at a pub. They were all very quiet afterwards! I had got my wife to video me & when I watched it back I realised that my singing was almost inaudible. I wiped the tape & almost gave up completely. I had been playing at that pub for about 6 months, so why had nobody told me to just sing louder?! Even on the night my family & friends could have done that after my first song!
Anyway, rather than give up, I resolved to try & improve, which I think I have. I'm better with a mic, though!

" Old Guy is Rocking"
Simon & Patrick Pro Flamed Maple (mmm, nice...)
Norman ST68 acoustic

Re: I played last night! What is your worst guitar expeirience?

I also have a voice that kind of hides the missing beats I sometimes chord.  Or changing chords too slow at times.  It happens more in front of people.  Keep the practice going.  And play more in front of friends.  You'll get used to it pretty fast.

You can see all my video covers on [url]http://www.youtube.com/bensonp1000[/url]
I have finally found happiness in my life.  Guitars, singing, beer and camping.  And they all intertwine wonderfully.

Re: I played last night! What is your worst guitar expeirience?

norm

your story reminds me of my very worst guitar experience under very similar conditions.  some friends came round to dinner and to cut a long story short by early evening they were sober and I was not. infact I somewhat beyond caring. it all seems to have gone very well. However but the next morning  I thought, ye gods, I butchered those songs on the guitar. ever since then I  never play after a drink. 
   

j

Re: I played last night! What is your worst guitar expeirience?

Tine wrote:

Note to self... Hide guitar when having a few drinks with friends.

I disagree with that Tine...If your friend(s) are over and for some reason the guitar pops out...go with it..alot of people have never had the experience of sitting around the livingroom and listening to someone play and sing...And since you were complimented on your singing doesnt necessarily mean that the guitar playing sucked..but that your singing just grabbed their attention more...And you also said "it was fun" and that my friend is what its all about smile

Re: I played last night! What is your worst guitar expeirience?

Tine, playing in front of my whole church i almost dropped my guitar

The world is only going to get worse!

Re: I played last night! What is your worst guitar expeirience?

Tine, playing in front of my whole church i almost dropped my guitar

The world is only going to get worse!

Re: I played last night! What is your worst guitar expeirience?

My worst guitar experience was when I was lying in a hospital bed in Charlottesville, Virginia, doped almost into a state a total unconsciousness from morphine rushing through my veins,  dreaming that my dream guitar (    1976 Fender Stratocaster) was sinking in the mud and there was nothing I could do to stop the destruction..................... I'm glad it was only a dream.

Give everything but up.

Re: I played last night! What is your worst guitar expeirience?

Shoot Tine, if that's a bad day for you, I'll take your kind of bad days right along.  Sounds like a darned good one to me. 

I haven't had too many bad days that way, but I've blown it a few times when playing bass in a praise band.  Once during a short solo I slipped up and threw in an F instead of an F#, which was pretty sour.  Another time in a song that went from slow paced to rocking, I lost my place and started thumb slapping out a hard (and very loud) rhythm at the beginning of the final soft stanza.  During a worship song.  While on stage. 

- Zurf

- Zurf

Granted B chord amnesty by King of the Mutants (Long live the king).
If it comes from the heart and you add a few beers... it'll be awesome! - Mekidsmom
When in doubt ... hats. - B.G. Dude

Re: I played last night! What is your worst guitar expeirience?

The thing is.... now that one person now knows you play and sing and has heard you play and sing, you can count on it that at least a few more will have heard about it by now. So even if the guitar is hidden away, when you have friends round again it WILL be mentioned. Especially after a few drinks. I rarely get away with leaving the guitar alone when I have folk in now. And if my nephew is one of them then you can count on me getting talked into a couple of songs. Go with the flow. You'll love it.

I remember once taking my guitar away camping and then totally forgetting every song I knew. Nightmare! I leave it at home now.

Is anything really made up of zeros and ones??

Re: I played last night! What is your worst guitar expeirience?

I'm so glad I'm not alone here! Thanks for the encouragement too... It's the nerves you see... I never used to fear performing in my youth! I can't believe I just said that. I guess sometimes I feel like I have left this too late. Alvee said he forgot songs when camping... I have gotten so useless at remebering songs too. I think it is harder to remember stuff when you hit 25... And as my daughters father pointed out a few weeks ago... I am pushing 30! Cheeky git. xx

Re: I played last night! What is your worst guitar expeirience?

I always pack some cheat sheets in my guitar case now. Saves you making a complete hind end of yourself.

Is anything really made up of zeros and ones??

Re: I played last night! What is your worst guitar expeirience?

There were four guitar players on a sailing trip to Greece. Nobody brought a guitar. There were a couple of guys I could tell were probably pretty good but I'll never know for sure because nobody brought an axe. I went and bought a Martin Backpacker.
alvee33 and tine, at least you guys gave it a go. Far better to get up and do it even if you splatter it off the wall than back off and wonder if you could possibly have really contributed to the party.

We pronounce it "Guf Coast".
Ya'll wanna go down to the Guf?

Re: I played last night! What is your worst guitar expeirience?

Yeah! Lessons learned. I now get talked into a few songs on a regular basis. I'm even starting to remember a couple. The longest I played at one party was about 3 hours. The more alchohol consumed the greater the need for singing. I'm kinda trying to get it together for my sister's 40th birthday in August. There WILL be A LOT of singing!!!! Could be a noisey night, my brother plays the bagpipes lol

Is anything really made up of zeros and ones??

Re: I played last night! What is your worst guitar expeirience?

Yeah... My friend wants to hear my 'progress' that's if I have made any by then! hahaha!

Re: I played last night! What is your worst guitar expeirience?

I sailed to Montserrat (sp?), in the Carribean, in 1995 (just before the place was wrecked by a Volcano).  Anyway, me and my mates went ashore for a few bev's and we ended up in some bar that was frequented by all these young Doctors from The American Hospital (or a name to that extent).

It was mobbed with all these bright young things from the states, and both myself and my mates were absolutely ballbagged.  One of my pals, Tim, told this compere fella that I was an ace guitarist and would do a show for them (I'm not 'ace' on the guitar by the way, far from it).

Anyway, they got me up on this stool, and with Tim and Pat holding me up on either side, I crucified Bob Marley's 'Redemption Song'.  I really couldn't see the guitar or nothing for the booze comsumed.

By all accounts, the curtain came down on the show when my shorts had ridden up and all these (mainly female) beautiful young doctors were treated to the sight of my plums hanging out my shorts.

The wee-taking for weeks after took a bit of getting used to after that like.

Oh, new poster here, er, hello.

"And on payday, we'll tear the place down.
With a pint, in our hand's, and a bash 'em out band.
Sure we'll dance, to the sound, of the rain falling down.
In our Northern Industrial Town."

Re: I played last night! What is your worst guitar expeirience?

Now that's an interesting 1st post!

You may want to tone down the imagery though, some folk take offense a lot easier than I do.

But, man, you got me laughing out loud.

Is anything really made up of zeros and ones??

Re: I played last night! What is your worst guitar expeirience?

Aye, no problem (although, believe it or not, I did tone down my original, quite graphic, description).

No problem'o though fella.

"And on payday, we'll tear the place down.
With a pint, in our hand's, and a bash 'em out band.
Sure we'll dance, to the sound, of the rain falling down.
In our Northern Industrial Town."

Re: I played last night! What is your worst guitar expeirience?

Welcome aboard, Colin. I think you'll find this place a good place to be. There are loads of helpful folks on here willing to share knowlege and stories. Pull up a stool and make yourself at home. Just make sure your shorts fit correctly. lol

Is anything really made up of zeros and ones??

Re: I played last night! What is your worst guitar expeirience?

When the plums are swaying,
They don't mind your playing.
Welcome

You can see all my video covers on [url]http://www.youtube.com/bensonp1000[/url]
I have finally found happiness in my life.  Guitars, singing, beer and camping.  And they all intertwine wonderfully.