I learnt to play the bass guitar when I was in high school not so long ago and I have been experimenting with my abilities for awhile just to see what I could do. I even join a kind of make band with some friends of mine and we sometime play a few local gigs. So I recently was introduced to some really amazing bass guitar effects by a great bass player friend of mine and so I have to share.
Part of wanting to be a professional musician – and hopefully a superstar rocker – is playing live. Especially if you’re trying to get yourself noticed and not just leapfrogging over everyone by selling your soul to Simon Cowell! There are some weeks when I play a gig a night, occasionally with two sets each on Friday and Saturday. I’m amazed I still have any voice left come Monday morning, but when you start to get your name mentioned in local and regional press, or even further afield, it makes it all worthwhile. I will literally play anywhere I’m asked to (or paid to), but have always managed to avoid the acoustic set – until this week.
I don’t know what frightens me so much about being up on stage alone, without the support of my wee backing band and a bit of electricity, but whenever acoustic shows have been mentioned before, I’ve always managed to wriggle out of it. There was no way I could say no this time, unfortunately, as I had been asked to play at a house party/leaving do for a good friend of mine who is heading off to Australia. Which is how I came to be stood in the corner of a large living room, filled with friends and acquaintances, armed only with my guitar and a fixed grin, looking for all the world like a Doug Hyde print brought to life.
Everyone was very kind afterwards about my set and my music in general, but I know it wasn’t my best performance. A mixture of nerves and too much nerve-settling alcohol before I stood up made sure of that! I guess my acoustic nerves are going to be something I have to get over if I want to be that superstar rocker I’ve always dreamed I’d become. After all, Nirvana Unplugged was one of the best selling albums of all time; perhaps AC Unplugged could beat it one day?
Music is my life and I was humbled recently by how much it meant to me when I went out drinking with some friends in Isleham Village. A small village in Cambridgeshire, Isleham conceals a wonderful secret. The Griffin village pub is host to ‘The Pub Band’ a motley collection of the staff and their manager. Not only were they brilliant to listen to and watch, but they were kind enough to show me their web page after the gig.
The internet has revolutionised the way I listen to music. I have stored my entire collection of vinyl and CDs onto a cloud portal following my chat with ‘The Pub Band’. It is amazing and has enabled me to put all of my thousands of hard copy singles and albums into storage freeing up space in my dining and living rooms. I found I could even listen to all of my music via mobile internet when I went on holiday to Spain last month. The web is now an essential tool for all my music needs, but it goes further then that now.
When I was in Isleham, ‘The Pub Band'shared far too many beers with me and whilst we were comparing favourite artists and gigs, we got talking about online promotion. Whilst I have been using this blog to great effect according to the pub manager (and lead guitarist), he thinks I could be doing far more to promote myself and my gigs to the wider online community. He also showed me an article published by The Telegraph to help illustrate just how seriously online music is being taken.
YouTube is something I haven’t been using as much as I should be. Twitter and Facebook are also forums that I have been wary of using, but ‘The Pub Band'collectively shook their heads and told me that again it is another essential in controlling my online profile and marketing my self effectively. They laughed when I commented that it felt too forced and intrusive and reeled off a list of bands and artists who have had Facebook and Twitter pages for the past five years. As I said earlier, I was humbled by this group of people not just because they were great musicians but because they were so clued up and knew exactly how to sell themselves to the crowd offline and online.
The web is something that I am learning more about everyday. I suppose I should try Facebook and Twitter and tie them into my blog. For now though all I can say is if you’re ever in Isleham visit The Griffin Pub and have a chat with the band. They are wise beyond their collective years and brilliant musicians.
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