malada

https://armiphlage.dreamwidth.org/

Welcome to the Zoo Crew!

I don't know how you found me... do tell the tale.

Is armiphlage a "Fire on the Deep" reference? It sounds familiar. Great look.

Doing something musical every day - working on it. I try to rotate what I play: my new (to me) Hagstrum Super Swede electric, my 12 string acoustic, my phony Fender bass. I'm building strength in my hands and callouses on my fingers.

(Maybe get a blister on your finger, maybe get a blister on your thumb.)

I learned to play guitar from my friends who were almost exclusively finger pickers. After all these I'm learning how to use a pick.

Real bass players don't use picks. (LOL) If I was playing METAL I might use a pick on the bass but... nay.

I've rewired my practice set up: an old laptop to play out songs plugging into a 4 channel mixer to practice with. I use headphones so I don't disturb my housemate. I have to remember to take of my sweater because I tend to sweat a bit when planing the bass. It's both physically and mentally demanding right now.

Sat down at an old and shitty keyboard I bought at Goodwill and started doing chords and scales again. My hands shook when I first sat down but I'm remembering my fingering from my piano lessons. It's for ear training. The lower registers just don't sound right but the upper ones sound in tune. Due to the way the keyboard is wired it's not the keyboard - it's my ears. I'm trying to retrain my brain so it knows that the sounds are actually okay. I'm trusting my electronic tuners.

Repaired old headset - so don't need to spend 150 dollars replacing it.

I checked out 2 small 4 channel mixers for functionality They were being thrown out at work. They work very well.

Checked dual channel 45 watt Crown amp. Again, being tossed at work. Both sides are good.

Checked out old speaker columns from my old band. Hey, they're ancient but they still work. Kind of wish they were smaller though.

( I will need to recheck one of the mixers and the amp after they fell off one of the columns. I should have known better than to place it up there. The columns are tall not super stable so when I bumped one the amp and mixer fell five feet to the concrete floor. The amp case got bent up so hammer and pliers were used to straighten it out. Retesting slated for Monday. )

Wired up new connectors for said amp and speakers. I need some more wire to finish the job. Slated for Monday.

Checked old microphone and cables. Still good. I've got more cables and odds and ends to check out.

Re-wired my ancient, 12 dollar electric no-name short scale guitar. I have no idea what brand the guitar was/is but I think it originally came from the 1950s and had two pick ups. It only had one when I found it in a swap shop in the late 1970s. The faceplate had been replace and the whole guitar had been repainted. It has a gold marijuana leaf painted on it. I had taken out the POS pickup that was in there and installed a no-name bass guitar pickup, replaced the tuners and the bridge. After removing an unnecessary and troublesome switch and replacing a stripped screw I plugged it in and it still works. Very punk sounding. New strings are on the docket. I'll add that to my 'play' list.

No, I'm not going to restore it. It sounds fun, it's easy to play and I don't want to break the magic.

Years ago, my brother wanted to learn how to play electric guitar. I had an old Stromberg Carlson PA amp (tube amp) that I lent him. It matched really well with my short scale guitar. Really rock n roll. He either lost it or threw it out. Similar models on EBay are going for 250 dollars. Gee, thanks bro. I'll be looking for another shitty tube amp to rock out with.