Hergest Ridge

“… uncle bill will never leave a will, and the tumor is as big as an egg. he has a mistress, she’s puerto rican, and I heard she has a wooden leg.”

Thank you, Mr. Tom Waits.

Yes, I’m still a newbie when it comes to making music, but wanted to have something for comparison purposes down the road. And since I’m on a sharing kick, I decided not to hog the vid and instead show it to the world.

Next time someone tells you that you’re holding the guitar wrong, point them in the direction of Andy Mckee. Granted, you probably don’t want to start out with this particular grip, but it does serve as a nice reminder that if everyone did everything the same way, life wouldn’t be nearly as exciting.

If you know why you are being told to do something in a specific way, and have a reason to do it differently, go to town and experiment!

Without a proper intro to this new chapter of my life, I give you a look at some of the music that opens up my heart and soul, as experienced by myself and other people that obviously share my passion.

When you’ve listened to a performer like Mike Oldfield for as long as I have, the first thing you want to learn to play on a guitar is one of his pieces. There are many to choose from - well over 20 unique albums - but none are easy to replicate. Even with the chords memorised, the absence of the high tempo, unique timing, and Mike’s method of “mouling” each note leave the piece little more than a distant shadow of the original. An Oldfield fan would recognise the piece, but someone hearing it for the first time would not get the sense of wonder that the original often evokes.

I am making efforts to look at other, more realistic musical goals. One thing I learned within hours of picking up my first, very own guitar, is that a piece of music, no matter how worn and imprinted on the mind can sound new and refreshing if you play an instrument along its side.

While I muddle my way through this new level of musical landscape, I often find inspirational pieces along the way. When I find a chord for a piece I want to try, I head over to YouTube, and look for others that have been down this pathway before me. It really helps me either get into the piece, or sit and admire someone else playing it, while I sit, watch, and shake my head thinking “this is one I’ll be watching for a while, before doing the piece justice myself”.

I leave you with a home vid of “Where’d You Go” (Fort Minor Original), played by 18 year old monkey1655. I heard this song on the radio a few times, and the emotional vocals had me hooked. The voice of the female singer and the lyrics themselves really make you feel the pain and sorrow of this piece. I wanted to learn this piece myself, but after seeing this video, I thought I’d leave it along until I have a bit more experience behind my belt.

Here’s the original. Keep this song close to your heart this Christmas.

What could be better than mid-day research on a newly discovered band? It all started with Amerika. The video itself is worth watching, even if you don’t understand the lyrics.

Memorable quotes from my Rammstein research:

Amerika: A German song, partly in English, about how America reigns over world culture and politics—for good or bad.

Jam Showbiz described (Rammstein’s) ‘Mutter’ as “music to invade Poland to.”

If we choose or reject music, cinema or any art form only for political reasons, then we are missing the point of art.