It is humbling to hear this kid on his home made guitar. It is a great reminder that can you play is much more important than what you play.
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A dose of perspective on GAS
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
- Start date
It is humbling to hear this kid on his home made guitar. It is a great reminder that can you play is much more important than what you play.
I would love to jam with him on that with my bass and/or percussion.
GAS is one of the ways we compensate our shortcomings during our journey looking for that moment of full musical satisfaction.
That is the conclusion I have to after years of wasting money. Whatever I have, I am going to practice and get better as long as I can.
Then there’s Fulu Miziki…
‘We like the sound of PVC tubing’: Fulu Miziki, the band who make music out of trash
Tone wood? How about tone plastic? But it’s a sad situation.
The good thing is that it saves wood and recycles plastic.
There is something to be said for the way a piece of gear makes you feel. It can inspire you to play and practice, and it can pull things out of you creatively that other gear doesn't. I def play different things on my p bass than my MTD.
That video totally makes your point well. For me, getting a real teacher cured GAS.
Having a great teacher and seriously studying music been a great help to me too. Frankly, suffering from some cutbacks at work and knowing my disposable income is down has cooled my GAS because it just is not as much of an option for me this year.
Yeah the wallet does limit choices, one hundred percent.
The day after I had my first real lesson I sorta started scrolling through gear stuff and it hit me very clearly that not a single thing I was looking at was going to help me with the material I got from the teacher.
Even though I knew that already, that moment was one of tangible relief.
In general my thinking is along these lines:
But, @krfoss makes an important point:
Personally, I've reached a point where I have two #1's that both inspire me, in different ways -- which happens to correspond nicely with my two different bands. No GAS for me anymore.
I certainly see the point of Dr. Cheese's OP, but I also identify with this post.
While I've sometimes spent too much time down the synth/effects rabbit hole, the sounds I've chased (and sometimes caught) have helped me to produce the music I really wanted to produce without compromising my creative vision. They have also inspired me to go in musical directions I never would have if not for having access to a generous array of sounds. All of this enabled me to eventually create my own signature recording sound.
Artists and bands like Stevie Wonder and Parliament-Funkadelic would have been awesome even if they only had access to conventional instruments, but the amazing and unique sounds they generated with synths and effects helped set them apart. I guess it all depends on one's own creative goals.
Take the Stevie Wonder test.
Could you take something basic, like a harmonica, and make meaningful music? Creativity will show itself with any tool you have.
True. But since I've had the pleasure of hearing what Stevie Wonder can do with a wide variety of instruments and sounds, I'm glad he's had access to all of it.Take the Stevie Wonder test.
Videos like that have helped me with enjoy the simplicity of two basses with just a rumble amp and some off brand pedals. I see many artist from West Africa and Northern Africa make some of the best music ever. Most of the gear they have isn't the best but the way they play is amazing. There was a drummer I believe in Malaysia or Indonesia forgive me if I got any of those locations wrong, I must look him up on youtube when I get the chance but he had a kit made of pretty much garbage but played really well and awesome. He was donated a real drum kit but plays his DIY kit still and sounded just as good on both. There was also a boy I follow on instagram who repairs snare drums and drums and made a business out of it in Nigeria and it's amazing to see him play some complex awesome stuff on vintage gear he has restore. It's humbling and makes me thankful but also want to put in the work to let limitations breed creativity.
This is the West African group I am referring to. There are many more like them and they are all amazing same with all over the world.
It's also humbling if you ever read into some origins of musical history. Much of early Carolina folk was using older instruments on hand. Same with Irish session music, it was peasants who had very little musical education hence why some older players play pancake style fiddle in a not so perfect way but sound amazing, tin whistles, tenor banjos etc. Many use another instrument I love the Anglo-Concertina which was a cheap toy at the time and also accordions that lack tuning in B/C which are now standards and expensive in those genres! Sicilian-folk also used mandolins and played a much different style of classical Italian and was viewed as wrong or not the way it should be played. I can go on and on about musical history how our ancestors or at least origins of music was played on cheaper instruments but now today these songs and artist have become standards. At lot of people also in folk genres or cultural music of their country or culture almost always rock one instrument, it shows that what has worked for their ancestors and culture is all they need. This is of course a generalization but I rarely see hardern session Scottish or Irish players have 20 fiddles or concertinas, it's just not needed once you invest in one, it works! Same with Hawaiian music... it was music that took western American folk and kept it simple and used open tunings and everyone stuck with one instrument etc... I can go on for hours and I doubt anyone would read this... XD!
To sum up. Thank you for posting this, if anyone research their idols, or history of some music genres they will see much of them used simple, or what was consider not great gear but made history and make music. Also some instruments with folk or cultural origins are simple and many pro players have no need to own tons of models. Look up any folk music, Irish, West African, Hawaiian etc. Have a great day all, stay humble and creative!
This is the West African group I am referring to. There are many more like them and they are all amazing same with all over the world.
It's also humbling if you ever read into some origins of musical history. Much of early Carolina folk was using older instruments on hand. Same with Irish session music, it was peasants who had very little musical education hence why some older players play pancake style fiddle in a not so perfect way but sound amazing, tin whistles, tenor banjos etc. Many use another instrument I love the Anglo-Concertina which was a cheap toy at the time and also accordions that lack tuning in B/C which are now standards and expensive in those genres! Sicilian-folk also used mandolins and played a much different style of classical Italian and was viewed as wrong or not the way it should be played. I can go on and on about musical history how our ancestors or at least origins of music was played on cheaper instruments but now today these songs and artist have become standards. At lot of people also in folk genres or cultural music of their country or culture almost always rock one instrument, it shows that what has worked for their ancestors and culture is all they need. This is of course a generalization but I rarely see hardern session Scottish or Irish players have 20 fiddles or concertinas, it's just not needed once you invest in one, it works! Same with Hawaiian music... it was music that took western American folk and kept it simple and used open tunings and everyone stuck with one instrument etc... I can go on for hours and I doubt anyone would read this... XD!
To sum up. Thank you for posting this, if anyone research their idols, or history of some music genres they will see much of them used simple, or what was consider not great gear but made history and make music. Also some instruments with folk or cultural origins are simple and many pro players have no need to own tons of models. Look up any folk music, Irish, West African, Hawaiian etc. Have a great day all, stay humble and creative!
Oooooooohhhhh....the truthful sting of rational fact. Nice summation.
It's hard for me to get the full blown G.A.S anymore after jamming with some of the heavy hitters I've performed with. When they show up with pawn shop Schecters, Squiers, and whatever amp they managed to cobble together at the last minute and then proceed to burn the house down, you can't help but realize that you kinda look stupid standing there half-assed playing through a $3K worth of bass/rig. Honestly, the G.A.S. does happen, but it's more from a want for variety rather than a need to acquire gear to "make me better". I'm only as good as I can be with the amount of practice I'm willing to put in and that's that.
