Get off my LAWN! "Grumpy Old Farts"

[beans-on-toast]

FYI, had a gig tonight, retiree snowbird trailer park Valentine's day party. 6:45-9:45. Love playin' for the old(er) folks. Much more reasonable hours. Restaurant/lounge gig Saturday, 7-10. 5 minutes from my house. Too cool.

Do you get free eats thrown in?

 

[GonePlaid]

Did a gig tonight and my hand cramping issues returned with a vengeance. I don't know what to do. I don't want to stop playing, but the cramps are so bad I can't play. I took my usual magnesium supplement, drank two bottles of water (which poses it's own issue we won't discuss here), ate dinner with fries (sodium and potassium) as well as a banana. All stuff that's supposed to help. I guess a trip to the doctor is in order.

Can't 'like' that. Good luck with finding a solution.

 

[GonePlaid]

Sorry to hear about the hand cramping.

Yeah, none of those things will help it's arthritis or something like that. My chord hand cramps up sometimes when I play my guitar. I just try to play with less intensity and use open chords. Bummer for us all.

"What a drag it is getting o-o-old"

 

[GonePlaid]

Do you get free eats thrown in?

After the residents get the best stuff! A lotta gigs, we don't but this was a really nice bunch. Halfway through the evening, they booked us for next year's party. Maybe we'll get something else b4 they migrate back north.

 

[beans-on-toast]

"What a drag it is getting o-o-old"

The need for mother’s little helper hasn’t changed.

 

[GonePlaid]

The need for mother’s little helper hasn’t changed.

With the exception of possibly being even more necessary.

 

[sharkbait130]

Sometimes it all comes together. I managed to make yesterday a quick day at work and got out around 10 am. Gassed up the truck , hit the post office and headed home. I have a gig Sunday so I cranked up You Tube and practiced some songs. Right around noon , the phone rings. It's the drummer in my band. "Can you play tonight?"
Whattaya got" I asked. He told me the bass player in his other band had the flu and if he couldn't get anyone he would have to cancel his gig.
"Sure , why not.What time do I need to be there?" He said the gig started at 7 30. I told him I could be there at 6 and he said OK. I finished my sandwich and headed in to take a nap.
Got up around 3 and grabbed a shower. Loaded up the truck and killed some time on YouTube and TB. Headed out and got to the gig around 5 30. Turned out one of the two guitar players was also sick so he had called in the trumpet player from our blues band. This guy is incredible and recently won an award from the state of Md. for lifetime achievement in music. The drummer is by far the best I have ever played with and the guitar player is someone I had been hearing about for years in this area.
We got set up and sat down for a brain burning session to get a set list together.
7 30 hit and we cranked it off starting with Moondance. OMFG. The whole place lit up. Dance floor packed and we sounded as good as anything I have ever been involved with. It went on like that the whole night. The guitar player and I hit it off and managed to put on a heck of a show having the time of our lives in the process. Even played several songs I have never played and managed not to mess anything up. This guy was as good on guitar as anyone I have ever heard. Heck of a singer too.
The night ended on a high note too. Cranked out Uptown Funk to a packed dance floor ,said goodnight and packed up. Outside just before leaving we were talking and I got a couple of very nice compliments from everyone. The drummer said about me "This guy is the best kept secret in Hagerstown." The guitar guy said "You got that right." Coming from these guys , that is as good a compliment as anyone can get. Phone numbers exchanged and everyone decided we need to do this again. Can't wait for the phone to ring again.

 

[beans-on-toast]

Interesting recording note, the Stones always had an acoustic guitar buried deep in the mix on their early songs. It added energy without you realizing that it was there. They used to call it adding magic to their song.

This is done today to thicken songs, but in many different ways.

 

[GonePlaid]

Sometimes it all comes together. I managed to make yesterday a quick day at work and got out around 10 am. Gassed up the truck , hit the post office and headed home. I have a gig Sunday so I cranked up You Tube and practiced some songs. Right around noon , the phone rings. It's the drummer in my band. "Can you play tonight?"
Whattaya got" I asked. He told me the bass player in his other band had the flu and if he couldn't get anyone he would have to cancel his gig.
"Sure , why not.What time do I need to be there?" He said the gig started at 7 30. I told him I could be there at 6 and he said OK. I finished my sandwich and headed in to take a nap.
Got up around 3 and grabbed a shower. Loaded up the truck and killed some time on YouTube and TB. Headed out and got to the gig around 5 30. Turned out one of the two guitar players was also sick so he had called in the trumpet player from our blues band. This guy is incredible and recently won an award from the state of Md. for lifetime achievement in music. The drummer is by far the best I have ever played with and the guitar player is someone I had been hearing about for years in this area.
We got set up and sat down for a brain burning session to get a set list together.
7 30 hit and we cranked it off starting with Moondance. OMFG. The whole place lit up. Dance floor packed and we sounded as good as anything I have ever been involved with. It went on like that the whole night. The guitar player and I hit it off and managed to put on a heck of a show having the time of our lives in the process. Even played several songs I have never played and managed not to mess anything up. This guy was as good on guitar as anyone I have ever heard. Heck of a singer too.
The night ended on a high note too. Cranked out Uptown Funk to a packed dance floor ,said goodnight and packed up. Outside just before leaving we were talking and I got a couple of very nice compliments from everyone. The drummer said about me "This guy is the best kept secret in Hagerstown." The guitar guy said "You got that right." Coming from these guys , that is as good a compliment as anyone can get. Phone numbers exchanged and everyone decided we need to do this again. Can't wait for the phone to ring again.

Every once in a while, it all falls together making the 'so-so' nights a distant memory. Congrats on a great evening and best wishes for more.

 

[beans-on-toast]

Sometimes it all comes together. I managed to make yesterday a quick day at work and got out around 10 am. Gassed up the truck , hit the post office and headed home. I have a gig Sunday so I cranked up You Tube and practiced some songs. Right around noon , the phone rings. It's the drummer in my band. "Can you play tonight?"
Whattaya got" I asked. He told me the bass player in his other band had the flu and if he couldn't get anyone he would have to cancel his gig.
"Sure , why not.What time do I need to be there?" He said the gig started at 7 30. I told him I could be there at 6 and he said OK. I finished my sandwich and headed in to take a nap.
Got up around 3 and grabbed a shower. Loaded up the truck and killed some time on YouTube and TB. Headed out and got to the gig around 5 30. Turned out one of the two guitar players was also sick so he had called in the trumpet player from our blues band. This guy is incredible and recently won an award from the state of Md. for lifetime achievement in music. The drummer is by far the best I have ever played with and the guitar player is someone I had been hearing about for years in this area.
We got set up and sat down for a brain burning session to get a set list together.
7 30 hit and we cranked it off starting with Moondance. OMFG. The whole place lit up. Dance floor packed and we sounded as good as anything I have ever been involved with. It went on like that the whole night. The guitar player and I hit it off and managed to put on a heck of a show having the time of our lives in the process. Even played several songs I have never played and managed not to mess anything up. This guy was as good on guitar as anyone I have ever heard. Heck of a singer too.
The night ended on a high note too. Cranked out Uptown Funk to a packed dance floor ,said goodnight and packed up. Outside just before leaving we were talking and I got a couple of very nice compliments from everyone. The drummer said about me "This guy is the best kept secret in Hagerstown." The guitar guy said "You got that right." Coming from these guys , that is as good a compliment as anyone can get. Phone numbers exchanged and everyone decided we need to do this again. Can't wait for the phone to ring again.

That kind of natural high is what players live for.

What rig did you use?

 

[sharkbait130]

That kind of magic is what players live for.

What rig did you use?

My current go to rig.
Ampeg PF 500
Ampeg 2 12 av cab
Trusty P bass with chromes on it.
Sounds awesome.

 

[GonePlaid]

Interesting recording note, the Stones always had an acoustic guitar buried deep in the mix on their early songs. It added energy without you realizing that it was there. They used to call it adding magic to their song.

This is done today to thicken songs, but in many different ways.

There are a lot of little 'tricks' like that on recordings(that ya can't do live). I'd read an interview with Sir Paul where he said he laid down the bass parts on guitar then came back and played the same on the bass. That you can do live with an octaver(I use an EHX micro POG). I set the upper octave a little below 1/2 with the dry at about 1 to 2. It gives a nice blend and helps fill out under guitar solos.

 

[Passinwind]

Did a gig tonight and my hand cramping issues returned with a vengeance. I don't know what to do. I don't want to stop playing, but the cramps are so bad I can't play. I took my usual magnesium supplement, drank two bottles of water (which poses it's own issue we won't discuss here), ate dinner with fries (sodium and potassium) as well as a banana. All stuff that's supposed to help. I guess a trip to the doctor is in order.

Ouch! Have you tried the spray magnesium stuff at all? My wife has had really good results with that.

Since my van is currently snowed in I opted to use the house bass last night at my regular Fri. night jam, so I could just walk over and back more comfortably. It's a cheapie fretted four, which actually sounded just fine. But for whatever reason we were into double time bluegrass most of the night, and I got some right hand cramping near the end of the night. That's just something that I don't experience very often at all, especially on bass guitar. It was worth it though, seeing some of the less experienced players really beginning to step up is very satisfying. Many of them started playing in the their late 50s or even well into their 60s. Any health issues I have look pretty trivial compared to what a few of them have gone through. They'd fit in well here, actually.

 

[beans-on-toast]

Males naturally develop right handed wrist action during adolescense which helps with picking technique. If you were using finger style, maybe trying a pick would help with the cramping.

For me, with a Fender type bass, double time bluegrass playing would be easier to pull off with a pick.

 

[Passinwind]

Males naturally develop right handed wrist action during adolescense which helps with picking technique. If you were using finger style, maybe trying a pick would help with the cramping.

For me, with a Fender style bass, double time bluegrass would have to be with a pick.

On upright I would have had to play cut time for most of the night, for sure. This was a Squier P-J with a pretty mediocre setup. I'll have to sneak over there when the owner isn't around and work on it a little. On my fretless BGs I can handle that sort of tempo fairly comfortably, but frets really really slow me down. I think I've only ever played something like two real gigs on fretted bass in 45+ years. And I don't even own a bass pick!

 

[GonePlaid]

Males naturally develop right handed wrist action during adolescense which helps with picking technique. If you were using finger style, maybe trying a pick would help with the cramping.

For me, with a Fender style bass, double time bluegrass playing would be easier to pull off with a pick.

Hmm. What about lefty adolescents?

 

[alaskaleftybass]

Hmm. What about lefty adolescents?

CONGRATS GOF'S FOR REACHING 700 PAGES OF GRUMPINESS!

 

[the harp unstrung]

I have to admit that I had my doubts about GOFs’ stamina!

 

[the harp unstrung]

Males naturally develop right handed wrist action during adolescense

...

Let’s be frank, dudes & dudettes, there’s really only One place to go with that revelation...

 

[the harp unstrung]