Slowly but surely...

I learned "1979" by Smashing Pumpkins. Fun song to play. Right when I started this blog I also learned "Proceed With Caution", an instrumental by The Dillinger Escape Plan, and I figured out how to play "Celestial (The Tower)" by ISIS. With the former two songs, I learned them by reading the tabs (short for tablature - guitar music where the notes are translated to numerical positions on the fretboard of the guitar), but with the ISIS song I learned it by listening to it. It's an easy song, but I'm sorta proud of myself for figuring it out. It's a fun song to play because it's a fuckin' jam, but also because most of the time you're muting the strings when you play, making you feel like you're playing some sort of percussion rather than a guitar. Not much going on with the left hand, but the right hand makes up for it. I haven't completely mastered the song yet; it'll take some time for me to get faster.

Despite not being able to whip through ISIS riffs, I'm now able to play "Flowing" by 311 the correct way. And when I say "correct way" I mean fast enough. It's good to see myself making progress, it's incentive to keep working. "The Song Remains The Same" will be mine soon enough. Oh yes, it will be mine.

My fingers smell like loose change...

I had the house to myself tonight, so I decided to open up Li'l Rosie (that's my amp's name, which I just made up on the spot) and wail. I played from about 11pm to 1:15am. Bung. I'm learning some songs Mr. Blonde (my dad's band) plays so that maybe I could go up and jam with them sometime during a gig. Here's what I know so far (I know a lot more than these songs, but these are the ones they play):
Led Zeppelin - Heartbreaker
Led Zeppelin - Celebration Day
Led Zeppelin - Rock and Roll
Led Zeppelin - Misty Mountain Hop
Led Zeppelin - Custard Pie
Radiohead - Creep
Toadies - Possum Kingdom
Velvet Revolver - Fall To Pieces
Velvet Revolver - Set Me Free
Weezer - Hash Pipe

Here are some songs I'm still learning/a little shaky on:
Led Zeppelin - The Song Remains The Same
Led Zeppelin - The Wanton Song
Smashing Pumpkins - 1979

I also learned "Zero" by Smashing Pumpkins because I was in the tuning for it, but Mr. Blonde doesn't play that one. Either way, that song fucking owns.

It's been rough getting back into guitar because my mind still thinks I can play like I did 5 or 6 years ago, but my hands don't want to cooperate. Not only have I lost my speed and accuracy, but my calluses have gone the way of the dodo, leaving tender tips in their place. After playing for a couple hours, sometimes it hurts just to type. Ah well, time to sack up and stop being a pussy. Stevie Ray Vaughan played so much that he would shred the calluses on his fingers, and then keep playing until they bled. He would fill the cracks and missing pieces of flesh with super glue. If that's not a fucking badass, I don't know what is. Then again, he did put cocaine in his morning cup of whiskey...

Ch ch ch ch changes

I've changed the title of my blog as well as the address. It's now http://blog.ginocide.com, so please update your bookmarks/links.

Stepping up to the plate...

Like I said in my last post, I've been listening to way too much ISIS; specifically, their latest album, Panopticon. It's simply amazing. And it's exactly that: simple. It's definitely minimalistic and not very technically demanding, but great music doesn't necessarily always have to be. There isn't a lot of singing, maybe 10% of the album has vocals, and when there is singing, half the time it's traditionally sung, while the other half is growled. The music focuses on creating atmosphere. There is a heavy use of repetition and swirling melodies. The entire album is one living, breathing piece. It's definitely one of those ones where you listen to it through headphones and just get lost in it, sorta like Tool or Radiohead or techno. Sometimes I wish I did drugs just so I could experience it in a different way.

Anyway, this is my first attempt to get back in the game. I just finished watching Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and for some reason I really wanted to play my guitar. Being that it was 2:30am, I had to play with my headphones plugged in, but alas, I didn't have a 1/8" to 1/4" adapter for my headphones. So I had to make this stuff up sans amplification, but I managed to hear what it would sound like in my head. Looks like I'll have to wait until tomorrow to get the full effect. I called this the "ISIS Ripoff Riffs" because it is very simple, with layered parts that build off one another. Riff A is the low-end heavy riff. Riff B is two octaves above Riff A and has three variations - just strings being added to give the revolving "melody" a sense of movement. Riff C is basically Riff B down one octave. This one is added just for a little flavor. Sometimes two guitar parts aren't enough. Despite how easy it is to write parts that are octaves above or below one another, I find it very sophomoric and somewhat boring, but I guess I've gotta start somewhere...

I'll try and remember to document the date and time I write stuff down. If I forget, and you're musically inclined but lacking originality, please don't rip me off. It would be cool too if I can setup some software and record myself so I can post audio clips of what I've written. Ah, things to come...

Masturbation

I've been wanting to take music more seriously again now that I'm "done" with college and I've been listening to way too much ISIS, Neurosis, Mastodon, and Meshuggah to let my creative thoughts come and go without seeing fruition. This blog will be a living reminder of my progress and a motivational tool for creativity. It will (hopefully) be solely about music and, more specifically, where I am going with my music. Unless you're writing in a blog to inform others of something vastly important, I think blogs are purely self-indulgent and somewhat masturbatory. Don't expect anything but that from this one.