Happy 2013

Actual mail sent to the Man today.

Dude,

Good day. Hope you had a good weekend.

This will probably be my last email of the year... and may post this in lettertodev. It has been a crazy year so far and it seems to zoom by really fast.

I have very vague recollection over what happened for the past 12 months. Except work has been rather tough due to the very challeging economic landscape globally. Anyway, when I signed on the dotted line of the offer letter, I am ready to go nowhere, promotion wise. So no matter how much I do, I don't get much. But I need to maintain good work ethics, so I will continue to work hard with a slight "so-fucking-what attitude".

Other than that, things seems to be going quite well. Some hiccups here and there but it is all part of life. For 2013, my wish is:

1. Be less angry. May seek treatment for anger management. This is one thing I never reveal to you. Anyway.....
2. Better economy situation. Improved outlook will ensure income stability and prosperity of the society.
3. Less red tape, less corporate/management bullshit, both from my government and my employer.
4. People to be a little bit more compassionate.
5. Telcos be less profit driven and focus on customer delivery.
6.Most importantly, people around me to be healthy, happy and free of obscuration, obstacles and all that shit.
7. Ease the standard of living a little in this Valley city
8. Peace and harmony
Dude, I have never made any new year resolution. That's why it's a wish.

And you think I will let this go without something on guitars and music??

What did WE do in 2012?

You got "some" guitars... I lost count.. 2 Dean Mustaine Signature, Yammy, 2 Fenders, One Epiphone, One LTD, 2 Corts......gosh....dude, just what the hell did you get??? But for each and every one, if I can remember them, are really good buy. And smart one as well. I don't recall you ever did anything stupid when comes to buying an axe.

One of the highlights will certainly be the AFJ and yes, the Garage 1....and with all the circumstances that lead to the two axes in my hand makes them the real special ones, despite some issue with the AFJ.

And yes... the Chinese New Year Jam.

I guess the rest are pretty much what I have shared since day one of the year:

1. Jeff Loomis
2. Eventually getting Jeff Loomis's album (although download....)
3. 7-string guitars (especially the Schecter Jeff Loomis Signature Model, must get!)
4. Nevermore (with Jeff Loomis)
5. Nevermore DVD (with Jeff Loomis and Chris Broderick)
6. Revisiting Megadeth, Yngwie, Joe Stump, Arch Enemy, Children of Bodom, Furyon and the great Jason Becker
7. Eric Johnson Up Close
8. Plenty of RUSH
9. 3 string sweep
10. Backing tracks jam

Dude, I don't know if I can make a list of wishes for 2013. With so many things to do, and time running out, I don't know if I can do all but here they are:

1. Dev's Boogie (Reprise)
2. The Realm of Darkness
3. Jeff Loomis Signature Schecter
4. Zoom H4n (if I am serious of 1 and 2, I better get this.. Finally found a suitable one. It's four track and portable with built-in condenser mics. CK selling RM795. Yeah stupid I know cos with another RM100, I get the 8 track... but I need something simple...On the other hand, do check it out and tell me I don't need it so I can have a peace of mind)

http://www.zoom.co.jp/products/h4n

5. With any luck Tyrant X (I don't dare to think about wanting this now.....)
6. 5 string sweep and neo classical phrases
7. Rhythm
8. Improve Blues, learn more Jazz.
9. Learn more tech stuff. Hopefully I can change pots without having to pay RM100 for it.
10. Build that cabinet
11. Any possibility for a new amp?

There you go dude. For a start, I am really focus on the JL guitar. Then again, my bank account will determine that.

Hope you had a good year and hope you get to a good start for 2013. One thing for sure is that you can expect all my junk mails to continue flood your mailbox.

Till then, here's wishing you a Happy and Healthy 2013.

5 years ago, if you talked to me about 7-string, I will think of fucking un-talented nu-metal bands. Today I want one........


 

The Best is Yet to Come

Below is an actual letter sent to the Man via woohoo mail on 12^th November 2012. Some parts were edited to protect the Man’s current location and identity, and mine.

It was an intense weekend. Plenty of musical and personal reflections…..and iStomp!

  

Dude,

It’s 2.45pm and I figure out you should be in the airport down south. By the time you start reading this, you should already be in that 5-star resort your mum was raving about. Hope you had a good flight.

There are quite a number of things I want to address here but maybe let's start with Robben Ford.

I know Robben through guitar mags but did not bother to check him out until the recent purchase of the two DVDs. I started with the earlier gig, and after the first track, like you, I died. I don’t think I need to explain further.

One thing about Robben that I found through the DVDs is that he doesn’t seem to like playing long sustained notes. There is a lot of vibe and tasteful melody in his playing, and definitely a great balance of good lead and rhythm playing – hence the “tuition material” tag on the DVDs. I wanted at one point to rush out and get my hands on his CDs but I think I got the best of Robben Ford in that 2 DVDs. That will do me for now.

Somehow, I prefer him to Bonamassa…….

Good review on the Yamaha. The guitar is quite a beauty visually. It is as Pelham Blue as it can get. I thought it was a really good description of how it sounded. Hope someone from Fender can read it.

Sure, you can argue that Fenders are now giving more options to the budget conscious crowd, given the China Fenders and the new line of Indian Jackson. But to produce something that sound THAT good at such low price, maybe not yet. Maybe even not, not with the big giants….(Cort, Dean, Schecter is capable….as long as they are made in Indonesia).

Alright let’s move on (‘cos that was discussed in lengthy details in one of our conversation).. Let’s talk about the 8^th member in my arsenal – The Cort Garage 1.

Since the last time I plugged up at home, I didn’t really have the chance to play on it. I did take it out and wipe it as well as admiring it for a while before putting it back. For some reasons, I connect well to this guitar both on the musicianship and emotional level.

I have not felt like that with any of the guitars I had.

Maybe because it’s a present from my wife and the whole story of how this was planned and how you tech the guitars and how it finally landed in my hands…maybe that really overwhelmed me. I don’t know dude. It’s a funny feeling but I like it.

In addition, the fact that it is the “many first” guitar I have adds to the whole connection. The effect is still rather vivid, especially when I see Matthias’s signature at the back of the headstock.

I have always thought that at this point in time, there couldn’t be any more chances of me having another guitar –given all the commitments – but you and wifey somehow made it happened. I am bad with words so you will never understand how much this means to me. I think the best thing to do is to do justice to it by playing more metal stuff.

This brings me to the next subject. I know I may sound like an old long-winded grandma, but I have to talk about the jam session again.

There is something different about your playing. Of course, your mark is still there but in terms of precision and phrasing, it was a huge progress forward. Your metal chops have gotten more solid. But what is really interesting is that your melodic side is really prominent. This is something a little different (yes, you can play melodically but to do a whole song like that, especially during the slower A-F-G progression, dude, that was scary!!)

I think you are faring well in your journey to become the complete guitar player. I can see the versatility and diversity of style is getting wider, stronger and technically more proficient.

I look forward to the next jam session because as of all the previous sessions, that Saturday morning was highly educational and inspiring.

The past two days was a real treat for me…. The jam session, the DVD watching, mamak, dim sum and BIG SHOP was really great. I was really happy to see you again after our failing to catch up the last trip. And of course, the Garage 1.

When you said you were taking up the Overseas posting, I felt a little sad. There is no another person who is so willingly listening to my guitar crap and understand how much passion I have for the blues and why I love Rush and EJ so much. Not to mention, sharing the same passion.

Of course, it was a great career advancement for you. I encouraged you to take it up because you are still young and this is a great opportunity….If you remembered, I mentioned to you early this year – “Make sure they make you a director!!”.

And I am damn happy the plans are in for that. It means I get more emails on your guitar purchase and when I eventually end up in THERE, I get to shred on whatever that’s lying around at your place. This is self-invited, so you have no choice but to surrender your axes for a while…muahahahaha…. (cos I don’t know anybody else who have 2 signature LTDs!!!)

At this point, I am contemplating to make a trip next year for THAT exhibition!

Dude, I finally understand – albeit a little vague – some determining factors for you to take up this job on Saturday.

And put everything together, I am thankful and happy for you that you took that job.

I hope it helped to extinguish some demons in you and of course, everything in life is work in progress. So, take one step at a time.

I see great progress of you in your work (although it’s quite crazy with the schedules and datelines) but dude, honestly, I am damn proud of you mate.

Musically, I think we started a new chapter in playing and guitar hunting ( I can feel the fun in your mails and all those phone calls, I can’t imagine how it is like to be there). A whole new world has opened up for you there……..(I am still in shock with iStomp….gosh, the technology!!)

With you coming back much better as a player, and with all the videos, it sparked the flame in me to want to play much better as well, re-approach/fine tune my style and finding that lost love for metal again.

All that because you went to THERE.

Continue to challenge Fate and Life (the toughest 2 motherfuckers which without them, Murphy would have had so smooth of a journey that he need not have to coin up his stupid law of how we can be screwed by the two bastards….). It’s not easy to do it alone but always remember there is someone here who may be as crazy as you (given sufficient resources). You have probably been in much bigger and more difficult situation than me, I have all the faith in you to tide through all the shit.

And if you need a push, you know who to get to.

All that said, with you continuing to get better as a guitar player, and me having a new badass, kickass metal guitar (Matthias Jabs rocks, but that will be another story); and with both of us continue growing up as human being, I am definitely, positively and very certainly certain and sure, that the best is yet to come!

Stay strong and take good care.

PS: I still remember your challenge on the metal track. Will find time and get down to it.

After the Saturday morning session, I have defined “shred” as “playing brutally emotional and emotionally brutal”

Roti Telur Dua Tambah Ayam Kari, Ayam Dalam, Tambah Kambing, Kambing Dalam…dengan 100 Plus

Dude,

Firstly, hope you are getting better from the food poisoning. Funny title….but for 2 reasons:

1. To pay tribute to the great meal we had last week,
2. To pay tribute to this great country of ours, hopefully, we will continue to enjoy the peace and harmony as well as racial unity. Most of all, we hope the Big Shop  will continue to house the cheapest Fenders and Ibanezes in the region. Happy 55^th Birthday Malaysia!!!

Had some reflections after you left and I still want to say, it was great having you around. If not for that very abrupt schedule for the business trip, I would have loved to spend more time with you. Nonetheless, we still got many things accomplished (cos I wouldn’t have gotten down to polish my guitars if it wasn’t for the trip to Big Shop).

I have gone on and on about your HUGE progress with your shredding (since I last heard you doing the VMNTX sound file).

One thing is that I am impressed how much your right hand resembles that of Zakk – practically shredding the hell out of the strings but still clean and polished (I don’t hear you hitting other strings). That shows a very good control of the picking hand and I am sure, this helps to enhance your touch and playing dynamics as well…

On to the left hand. While I was busy taking out all the guitars, and wiping them down afterwards, I felt rather excited listening (feeling, rather) the brutality in your family. Fierce but at the same time fluid. I think I can be very sure of that, since I didn’t get to see your fingers flying although there were few times I had to stop what I was doing and look at what the hell you were doing.

There is something interesting about your chops. The fact that they sounded like some Zakk Wylde rip-off (I mean it in a good way), that shows you actually, were able to fully understand your idol’s style and successfully incorporated them into your playing, resulting in the assimilation of style that is unique to you. The best part is that you also managed to maintain the originality of your licks. You want to fight about it? Just listen to all your recorded solos. They are highly original.

And lately, you took that to a higher level.

I guess being schooled in metal really helps that development and the continuous progression and improvement. It is as if you were compiling an encyclopedia of metal shredding through the years.

Then again, as versatile as you are, give you a Fireman and you do something else.

A complete guitar player, regardless of the genre he chooses, doesn’t touch the listeners with his licks or techniques. He communicates via soul and feel. The agony of blues, elegance of jazz or in your case, fury of heavy metal, is translated from the spirit that resonates through you rplaying. BB King bends a note, and that means more than all the notes Joe Bonamassa can play (with no disrespect) and when Mustaine shreds, it gives you the courage to go murder your boss (if your boss is bad……).

Your playing and the RG has truly added some fuel to the flickering metal flame inside me.

Maybe it’s time for me to re-visit Yngwie and Randy.

Dude, the next time you are back, we have to revisit another national pride: Maggi Goreng tambah telur mata kerbau.

Being Different

Dude,

I was listening to Def Leppard’s Greatest Hits the other day and was immediately swept with some sweet nostalgic memories of growing up, guitar wise that is.

My musical choice was really different from my peers. At that time, it was the mid-90s’ so pop music was at its peak, commercial boyband pop I mean. Let’s see who was at the top: Spice Girls, Take That (fading), Backstreet Boys (just coming up), Boyzone, 911, and many others.

My choice at that time: Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Def Leppard, Yngwie Malmsteen, Mr. Big and for some strange reasons Van Halen.

It was rather difficult to find like minded friends to share stuff on those music. Back then, I would not listen to any music without guitar solo in it. So, the musical choice was rather limited.

I couldn’t really fit into conversation about music with people and certainly wasn’t very popular with the girls as I can’t name all three members of 911.

But when MY music plays, nothing else matters. Maybe that was why I got more time on had to practice.

Well this post is nothing much actually. It’s just to remind me how far I have come and the journey is still on-going, with new discoveries everyday, from having one classical guitar to six additional electrics, from playing to the walls to playing in 2 of your EPs and of course Dev’s Boogie. 

It’s a post to remind me to be thankful of what I had and what I have, and also to assure me that being different is ok.

Being different is good. My best achievement was able to play the entire Highway Star solo on my classical guitar.

The 7th Son

Dude,

As expected, this is a post on my 7^th guitar, the newest addition to the family: The Ibanez AFJ 81.

It has been 2 weeks since that Sunday night when I brought it home. Initially, I didn’t know what to do with it. Looks like a cello, bulky, but yet fragile (maybe I am not used to hollow body).

First one week was spent tuning the axe up, messing around with the truss rod to get the suitable tone (string height secondary). Any attempts to play it like all other guitars of mine yielded no results. Other than some finger exercise and Yamaha lesson type chord picking, there is not much I can do. It felt really different.

Fast forward a week later. Maybe it’s the “getting used to it already” feeling, I started to feel real good about the guitar. Of course, there was that night when I made comparison with the S-65, but that’s another story.

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Dude,

File information said that this post was last modified on 19^th April 2012. So, it’s that long since I left that last paragraph hanging…..(receipt showed that the guitar was purchased on 8^th April 2012).

After your visit some time ago (mid June), I guess by this point you understand what I was trying to tell you for the past 2 months.

There is nothing I can do other than jazz on the AFJ. Sounds a little bit strange but jazz lines naturally flow out from the player’s hand.

The biggest problem lately is that the more I play, the more I realized how much I DON’T know jazz.

So, I guess the AFJ opened up a second chapter in my academic pursue in music.

With blues, I can feel it as if it was the air I breathe (in fact, it seems to be). With rock and metal, I have got good references in you and the ever growing audio visual media…but jazz…..?

I guess I need a little more time than expected on this. Need to brush up on the bebop and swing lines before going into moving into chord study and a try to do some Wes Montgomery type octave/chord melodies.

So dude, I am spending a little bit more time on home tuition with Wes, Joe Pass, Pat Metheny and Charlie Christian. Of course, the on-going tutorials with EJ, EC, Megadeth, Furyon, Randy and Yngwie is continuous.

Nowadays, tutorial means listening to CDs or watching DVDs. For the AFJ, it means finding the correct setting (been messing with the truss rod too much) and looking at printed tutorials in my mountain high guitar mags. Seems to be going nowhere though….

Jazz can be highly academic. Maybe I should explain in a separate post what attracts me so much to it.

Excuse me now. Gotta’ go study melodic minor soloing…..

If you play a scale starting from E to E of the next octave in a C Major signature, you are actually doing E Dorian. I strummed an E chord and did just that… Doesn’t make sense. Haven’t tried with an E5/Em. Could be pioneering jazz-metal then.

Guitar Hero: Pat Metheny

Dude,

You might be thinking that the first post of Guitar Hero is either Eric Johnson or Eric Clapton. As you can see now, this is not the case.

The very first guitar hero I encountered should be Yngwie Malmsteen and Kurt Cobain (getting old, can’t clearly establish the timeline). While Kurt may not be your typical “guitar hero”, he does have something we can learn from, especially, when half the world’s population picked up acoustic guitars after the Unplugged in New York session.

Then there is Malmsteen and around the same time, Kirk Hammett. That was in 1995, (although Clapton is much earlier, I didn’t really start appreciating him until later when I went seriously into blues).

But one of the most interesting discovery was Pat Metheny.

Somewhere in 1996, I saw a review of Pat Metheny’s Quartet album in an issue of Guitar World. I was quite curious about it so I ran to that little CD store and ordered it. Do remember that I had to wait for a week or two before the CD arrives, as at that time, I trust no one in my hometown knows who Pat Metheny is.

I was expecting some jazz shredding.

And boy…. Was I surprised.

I shall describe how I felt when I first inserted the CD.

The opening was piano with some guitar lines and it was dumb. Dumb as in stupid. Stupid as in NOT the way we say stupid. I was expecting some guitar acrobatics remember?

I was rather pissed (but not for long). Track two, changed my life. It was a very dark tune with very gloomy and slow rhythm. I thought it will be another stupid track and boom, came that warm and big tone. And what went on for the next 3 to 5 minutes was a sheer pleasure and that made me decide I shall love jazz from then on.

His lines were chromatic but yet melodic. Melody seems out off place but the phrasing was flawless – in the sense that if I were to put the melody and rhythm together, they would have been like lock and key – perfectly fit in perfect harmony. And that tone……

TO cut the story short I spent the rest of my life (so far) grabbing every CDs and DVDs with his name on it (Pat Metheny, Pat Metheny Trio, Pat Metheny Group, Pat Metheny with John Scofield, etc.)

His playing, until today, is still beyond my understanding.

It wasn’t until a recent email on your encounter that I decided to re-visit Pat Metheny again. Well done on dissecting his style and I believe your experience was almost the same as mine when I caught him in Singapore. Listening and watching videos of him is one thing. Experiencing the man live, it’s another.

One of the thing that really caught me is the way he compose his music. The progression is unorthodox and once again, I guess only he himself can fit a melody or phrase within the progression.

I once read that he works non-stop and many times, he composed his songs on his MacBook during flight. And you are right. Some his solo album, most notably One Quiet Night was like what you described – going into basement and just let his creativity take over.

I have always put this guy on another level – musically, together with people like Vai or Zappa and maybe Syd Berrett.

But from what I have read, this is a guy who tries to make time for his wife and sending his kids to school and picking them up…..Sounds like your average Joe hiding in a mad scientist body (or the other way ‘round)

Pat Metheny is music himself.

Distortion, sweep picking arpeggios, drugs, sex and rock and roll? Not needed if you are Pat Metheny.

Try google Pat Metheny vs Kenny G. Pat is a true defender of jazz.

Fakes, Clones and Other Stories….. (mostly bulls**t)

Dude,

This post has no significant meaning. Most of it is me ranting and whining about coming back home empty handed – without the black Les Paul Custom and what I went through for the past two hours.

I have to describe that LP again. Most notably, there is not even the slightest feeling that I was holding something made out of wood. Gosh… it was almost like one of those cheap acoustic guitars (with multi colours).

The guy who served me was probably the boss (this was at the HQ, they have a stand alone shop with plenty of Thai made acoustics). He said the design of the Custom is much slimmer than that of the Standard – which he felt was much better as the Standard tend to cause backache. Priced at RM1299, he also stressed that the Grover tuners was “very solid”. Here’s what turned me off further:

1. There was this “L-Shape” gap between the nut and the neck. At first I thought it was crack but it was quite symmetrical on both sides of the neck. Wonder why they had to cut a “L” to fit the nut….
2. Action was like my Yamaha Classical (ok, this can be fixed with some set-up)
3. white binding did not join well at tip of headstock.
4. Distance between all four control knobs seems out. If you look from far, it’s as if they are all over the place.
5. Serial numbers are just numbers without any alphabets.
6. No wood feeling.
7. And the #1 thing – the weight

Sad dude… had to let it go. The shop offered installment….

Still trying to let it go.

Ok, let’s move to the Boss BR-800.

I call Roland Asia Pacific (RAP) earlier this afternoon and was informed it will cost me RM 1999 to get it. Now here comes the best part:

Me: Thanks, so that is RM 2000

RAP: Yeah

Me: Do you have ex-stock in your showroom

RAP: (long pause) yeah I do have it in my showroom.

Me: Ok, that’s great.

RAP: But you need to purchase it from our dealers

Me: Huh? Like….. who’s your dealer?

RAP: Where are you based in?

Me: PJ

RAP: You can go to (the Big Shop), (where you got your AXL) and (the shop near our “studio”, beside the chee chong fun kari besar….)

Me: Ok thanks…(hang up and had a good one minute of South Park moment – those staring at the TV screen and blinking ones…..)

If RAP was established to go to end users, why ask the customer to get from dealers?

I don’t understand……

Ok… thought I should give it up as well.

I still have the Marshall Carbon Fibre Series. So went to Marshall’s site to check it out.

Don’t understand what was the significance of the series other that the carbon fibre housing. Didn’t bother to think about it further because after the Zakk ad (which is a damn cool ad), came all the overview. Looks impressive but I was immediately turned off. It’s a digital amp – programmable and all that stuff.

That was it. I am done with Marshall (because the current Vietnamese MG series are bullshit). And this…was another level of bulls…

Sigh… at the end of the day, I guess I will probably settle for that Ibanez Artist (24 frets LP shape) or the Classic Vibe 60s’.

Alternatively, I can rely on the “Now Everybody Can Fly (and Let-Us-Rip-You-Off-with-all-The-Hidden-Extras)” airline for a RM 0.10 promo, fly to Jakarta and get a Signature Series Artrock (cause it’s like premium) or others.

And get a proper Indian amp there.

“That’s an electric guitar… It’s an Epiphone” Those words greeted me when I requested for the Les Paul to be taken down for me to have a look.

You gotta be kidding. I played in SB Influence and I wrote Dev’s Boogie. Of course I know what an electric guitar look like.

Sigh………

Projects, Dreams and Aspirations

Dude,

I cannot agree with you more. I read all your post on your guitars but I do recall you talked about the “closing your eyes” thing (I remember cos’ that was some of the “deep” things we occasionally talked about). I believe the bond brings out the characters deep down inside the player, to some extend, some hidden gems within him/herself (Like how different you sound playing Strat and Les Paul). You did funk and killer blues on my Strat and recently, on the Fireman, which normally, is not your style. But you pulled them off flawlessly and more terrifying is that, you did it with vibe. Of course that was part SB as well.

I still feel what you got is ridiculous… for below RM800, a limited edition guitar. I guess that further confirms the quality of Indonesian build guitars. Glad to know you got the right one and as I mentioned, I bet you will be more brutal the next time I see you. That’s good, cos’ this lazy bastard here needs some push and inspiration……

Till then, my bullshit for the day:

Been not doing anything other that work for the past weeks since the last post. But one good thing amid the chaos was Furyon….more on that next time.

I was in the guitar room the other day (mopping the floor) and started to think: If given all the resources (money, in most, if not all cases), what upgrades would I do with the existing axes (and those coming)?

Here’s what I will do:

 Squire S-65

We know what this baby can do but I guess at the end of the day, I will keep it original. While I may have to sacrifice its “gig-worthiness” it has proven itself to be a good studio guitar. So no pickup change (although I have a very good feeling that with a set of good pickups, this guitar can kill) or even set-up. I think the high action actually enhance the tone – maybe due to the huge gap between fingerboard and string for vibration.

All this for nostalgic purpose because it was through the S-65 that got me where I am today.

Ibanez SA 160QM

Reset intonation and trem springs. I will still use trem on this but it needs more springs to keep it in tune. Change volume and tone knobs (having crackling sounds now) and a DiMarzio SH-2 single coil for the neck. The bridge humbucker has a sweet crunch tone. So I will keep it intact.

Squire California Telecaster

Uncle screwed up my volume knob. So, with this axe, change volume and tone knob to original Fender Tele stuff.

As I do not have an acoustic guitar, this baby, with its low and clean output seems appropriate for live setting. So, pickups stay.

And yeah, I will glue the spring at the bridge so it doesn’t buzz…long story this one.

Epiphone Les Paul Classic

This guitar literally has my blood, sweat and tears on it. There’s nothing I would change.

Fender Mexican Classic 50s’ Reissue Stratocaster

After much consideration, this is probably the one that will go on the surgery table for the most modification:

1. Refrets dude… I am convinced I need jumbo (or extra jumbo) frets on this baby
2. Change all knobs and pickup selector to original Fender USA specs.
3. This is crazy but me wants Super-Vee Trem
4. SH-2 DiMarzio set (if there is a set)
5. If the DiMarzios are like typical single coils, then I do hum cancelling

Epiphone Les Paul Custom (Coming Soon)

Reset-up definitely. Dude, I have forgotten how and what they did on your Dean, but I am interested to put EMG 81 and 85 on the this. That means I will need to make battery cavity on the body huh?

If that is too messy, then it will eventually be the combination of DiMarzio Tone Zone and Humbucker from Hell for bridge and neck respectively or cheaper option is Seymour Duncan is Jazz and Screamin’ Demon.

Dreams, dude…. But sometimes, if we dare to dream, dreams really do come true…..

……but it’s a limited edition Cort. Ridiculously affordable, excellent playability and sound good? Definitely not sold in this home country of mine……

2 Become 1 (When Player and Axe Unite)

Dude,

I am still very much in the topic of feel and vibe. You had mentioned very correctly that no matter how technically proficient one is, he or she, can never play as good as the masters: even with perfect note-by-note execution.  Reason is simple - We are not them and we are not with our own instrument...

So, I finally proved that point to myself. Once during our meeting on 29^th January 2012 and another, during our very recent visit to the BIG shop on 11^th February 2012.

The trip was a guitar test fest. We did the new Ibanez Fireman, PRS Custom 24 (still doubt it as the 25^th Anniversary edition), Fender Eric Clapton Blackie, Sterling John Petrucci Signature Model, Jackson Indian RR and removing many other guitars from its shelf. I remember we also inspected some cases and bags as well as seeing some new stuff, such as the Planet Wave Guitar Rest….

You found a good axe with the Fireman, while I found mine in the form of Custom 24. Had make and signature been a factor, I would have been really impressed with the Blackie, but it was disappointing.

There you go. A good guitar is the guitar that bonds with you, despite its make or model. It is the guitar that made you sound good and confident. You were doing everything on the Fireman – funk, metal, pop and of course, some real serious shredding. So, you know the guitar is good for you.

I was pretty excited with the Blackie. You were there. You saw the whole thing. I was turned off. Real off.

So dude, it really doesn’t matter what guitar one uses. I had such close connection with my S-65 and despite it being an entry level axe (with high action), I thought I did quite a good job in Dev’s Boogie. All on the S-65.

To be good, one has to bond with the instrument. I had a EC signature with me, but we weren’t talking to each other. I always look to people like Eric Johnson, David Gilmour, Eric Clapton, Gary Moore and recently, Zakk Wylde on how they are so at ease on stage. They bond well with the guitar and that helps to convey all the emotion and vibe they have at that moment.

My axe, my partner in crime.

So…how does that Guitar Rest work?!!!!

Come Out and Play

Dude,

This is something that is very close to my heart. Playing live.

First of all, my sincere thanks and appreciation to you for inviting me to join those competitions and that very special wedding gig. It took me out of my own (imperfect) world and into the real one.

I actually enjoy playing live (if it is not a competition). Everything is so carefree on stage and I can spontaneously play whatever that comes to mind – improvisation, I call it. That is the epitome of “Freedom of Expression”

Playing live means you truly communicate with other musicians in a musical way. I don’t know how to express this in words but I am sure you understand that. It’s like the Mind Games session. No practice. Just let the music determine the flow. No competition. The music takes the lead.

Playing live challenges us to control our mind, body and soul – all in order to ensure perfect execution of techniques and maintaining the role as a responsible band member. This will definitely enhance the musicianship and take it to another level. For me, I am always hoping for the Dev’s Boogie or Mind Games level which once again, the mind and soul takes over.

Story time……

I did my first “live” performance when I was 15 during a campfire. That’s right. A campfire. A friend was the organizer (The Red Crescent Society – they organize the campfire and invite kids from other school to join – mostly to know girls and all that, as we were an all boys school). I wasn’t a member of the society but the “payment” was a roti canai breakfast….so why not?

To help this good friend, I rope in WL and another guy (the same guy in my guitar class) to do Two Steps Behind. The venue was in the middle of the school field, dark (with the fire as the only light source), I did the vocals and all single line melodies, including the solo on my Yamaha Classical. My 2 friends were covering the rhythm on steel strings. All that in front of 200 people. That’s right, 200 people. There were some dumb idiots clapping along. Wish I could go over and smash their head with my CG-100A. It’s a rock song for God’s sake, not Chinese pop. Damn…….

The best comment I heard after that was “Don’t know who is that guy but he did a good job with that Bon Jovi song….”

Sorry Jon. Sorry Joe. That night, this kid got the credit.

Of course, it wasn’t until more than 10 years later I got to do it again, this time, in a real rock band.

Despite all I have just mentioned, I still think I am not geared for live performance. Deep down, I am still very much a bedroom player. The stage fright and to some extent, some little boy bashful-ness is still there.

With every chance I have on stage today, I try to take myself less seriously; so I can learn to let go. I think the first time I ever smiled on stage was probably during your bro’s wedding gig… That should be the vibe of a life show. I guess that’s a good start.

Every moment on stage should be savoured and enjoyed to the fullest. Even something as disastrous as Asian Beat had very valuable take-home lessons.

Being able to perform on stage is a blessing. It doesn't matter if there is a hot shot musician in the audience – because it is not his stage.

Just play.

I am still very determined to use that shaker on stage….one day dude, one day…

The (Alternative) Essentials

Dude,

This started off as a “what-goes-in-your-toolbox” post but I thought since there are already countless articles on that, let me share with you some other important stuffs which others may take lightly upon. They are not necessary to be in the toolbox, but I always make sure they are accessible.

Music Stand

I wouldn’t have bought one if it wasn’t for your bro’s wedding gig. This is the best investment I’ve ever made. I used to practice sitting down, with the manuscript on the table. After 10 minutes, my neck feels the strain. After 30 minutes, I will get stiff neck for the whole day (and many a time, continued through the next day) and if I am determine enough to sit through whatever I was doing for an hour, I will die. Music stand literally, saved my life!

Micro-fibre Cloth

I was a champion for guitar polish until Mr. Shopkeeper introduced me to “Magic Cloth”. To support a friend doing business (friend is more of his boss actually) I bought one, but did not use it (it came from the Shopkeeper, I was skeptical) until my Mum (the greatest Mum on Earth) told me about her new discovery – a cloth so good, you can wipe oil and dirt off the kitchen tiles without any detergent or liquid. Guess what – it was microfiber cloth. She was right. I could get rid of fingerprints and dirt on the guitar with just one wipe. Note that this was back in 2005, where microfiber was just introduced as a household cleaning tool.

I now use 2 pieces of cloth – micro fibre for “polishing”, and another piece (not microfiber but lint-free cloth) purchased from Shell petrol station, to hold the guitar while doing the wiping.

Polish is still important, but I will probably do it once a year. Now is to get a real good polish.

Brush

Any type of brushes, with art brushes being the best choice (although I am contemplating Chinese brush). What is it for? For those hard to reach places – between your strings and the body, bridge, pickup mounting, trem spring cavity, body-neck joint, and where ever the cloth can’t reach.

Zip lock bags and bubble wraps

What the hell? Put your glass slide in, zip it up and roll it. Rest assured it won’t be crush by whatever you have in your tool box. You can extra-secure it with a bubble wrap around it. Zip locks helps to prevent the slide from… sliding out. You can also throw that glass slide into your gig bag and not worry being greeted by glass pieces by the time you need to use.

Olive Oil

Or recently Canola oil. Cooking oil is probably very very low in moisture (had it been high, imagine this – Cook prepares a wok of oil for frying stuff, oil heats up and oil start splattering around. Cook runs away. Neighbours thought here is gun fight in the house. Neighbour calls police. Police come. Cook arrested for negligent…..and the story goes on with the finale of aliens taking over Earth. Don’t ask me why. Long story.).

Dude, I don’t advocate this but if the fingerboard – particularly unfinished boards, particularly, rosewood – is having signs of dryness and cracking (….and BIG shop is closed for a week so you can’t get lemon oil), get into your kitchen, get a cotton bud, dip into oil and “brush” on the fingerboard.

Oil protects metal surfaces as well but you need to experiment if cooking oil will cause fret wires to turn black. Lemon oil will. I doubt olive oil will do that.

Cotton Buds and Tissue Papers

Cotton buds to brush oil, tissue papers to wipe off excess oil (tissues are disposable, micro-fibre cloths are not).

Sandpaper

I used to have the finest grade in my toolbox. I thought there will be metal deposit on my cable jack due to moisture, which may interfere with the signal. I think too much. Never heard of that before (eventhough from the electrochemistry point of view, it’s possible)

Anyway, if you are a fingerpicker, this is essential to shape your nails. I remember having one manicure lesson with my classical guitar teacher on how to shape your nails!

Rubber Bands/Tying wires

Or anything that can bind things together. It’s always nice to keep cables rolled up nicely to fit into gig bags. I always save up all the wires’ tying cables that come together with electrical appliances. Comes in real handy.

Sitting Cushion

I sit on a chair with a marble seat. Try playing for an hour sitting on that. Enough said.

Mineral Water and Dequadin Lozenges

Try playing for an hour straight without any liquid to keep you hydrated. Enough said.

Of course, don’t forget the “real” essentials – pack of picks, cables, tuner, metronome, extra strings, etc – all in a good gig bag.

I would have put chocolate and ice-cream as well as teh ais and nasi goreng telur mata kerbau ayam tepi as some of the essentials, but that will be a little too much isn’t it?

If Your Heart Says OK, It’s OK

Dude,

I believe you and I are primarily, lead guitarists by “training”. These days, I am a little more into exploring rhythm, after re-visiting the music of Jimi Hendrix. But do allow me to share something that is very close to my heart – lead playing.

When I first started on lead, I tried real hard to study all scales and modes, all lead playing techniques and every single article on lead playing that I can lay my hands on. After all that, I am very much stuck with the pentatonic box… and none of those music theory have been of any great help (don’t get me wrong, music education is important, but that’s also a huge problem for me).

So dude, knowing that I can’t progress much; I decided to surrender to fate.

Today, I build most of my solos on pentatonic. Pentatonic is probably the most versatile group of notes you can ever have within the musical scale. Blues, rock, metal, jazz – you can easily fit any major or minor pentatonic, sometimes both.

Having said that, it probably means that theory is not really significant for me……What makes a great solo then?

I’ve always thought the Solo of Death Award goes to the song Lonely in the Night by Eric Johnson from the album Venus Isle. You just gotta listen to it and tell me how you feel. I just don’t know how to describe it. It is my all time favourite solo.

Maybe, that’s what important to me in building a great solo. It has to tell a story. It has to stand out. It has to have melody, tone, harmony and emotion, plenty of emotion.

Of course, if I can’t describe what makes a great solo, here are some that will help me to do it:

1. Mr. Crowley – Randy Rhoads
2. Cry Me a River – Zakk Wylde
3. Time – David Gilmour (in fact, anything by David Gilmour)
4. The Spirit Carries On – John Petrucci
5. Tornado of Souls – Mary Friedman
6. Limelight – Alex Lifeson
7. All Along the Watchtower – Jimi Hendrix
8. These Days – Ritchie Sambora
9. Punch Me I Bleed – Alexi Laiho
10. Wall of Denial – Stevie Ray Vaughan
11. Stairway to Heaven – Jimmy Page
12. Right Now – Eddie Van Halen
13. Just Take My Heart – Paul Gilbert

There are many more of course. I did a quick mind scan and this 13 came up, maybe due to the immediate emotion they invoked. You may notice that some of my biggest heroes are missing here – Eric Clapton, Uli Jon Roth, Yngwie Malmsteen and many instrumentalists such as Satch and Vai. While doing this, the criteria were more towards song rather than instrumental. To fit a solo into a song and make it awesome is much more difficult than a whole instrumental of guitar solos.

To sum it all, I think the best solos come from deep within us. We reach down deep into our hearts, feel the song and play according to the emotion we feel. Whether it is a positive or negative kind of feel, as long as your heart approves it, whatever comes out will be awesome.

Stairway to Heaven solo was done on a Telecaster. Can you believe that?

Now Everybody Can Play (Shred, Strum and Pluck)….Terms and Condition Apply

Dude,

Yeah, I know. I shamelessly drew the title from the tagline of a budget airline, which I am still trying to sort out whether to like them or hate them.

But seriously, it is so easy for one to pick up guitar these days.

Nowadays, you can get a fairly good piece of axe with the price of RM500 (or below). A certain effects pedal manufacturer can offer a distortion at less than RM100. More and more brands are now coming up with “Starter’s Pack” – with axe, amp, gig bag and cable all bundled into one nifty looking box. If you know the sales guy well, he may even throw in a set of free strings!

If you think about it, for a beginner, browsing through guitar store today can be quite an exhausting experience. Unless you know what you want (or in my case, it’s the wallet that decide what I will get), you will have to go through a jungle of a showroom (not before doing endless research on the net to find which brand and model is suitable).

Guitar lessons are getting more and more sophisticated as days go by. Back then, I would be damn happy to get my hands on some VCDs or some featured lesson on mags. Today, you get YouTube and recently, there is a new trend in music education – Skype. More and more artistes are coming out with instructional DVDs (most ridiculous one I have is Jeff Loomis’s one, makes me want to stop playing and concentrate on other things).

Dude, more schools are popping up everyday, with the BIG shop forming its own academy. Gone are the days you need theory to get some paper qualification. So many courses today are structured to be practical in its approach and teaching process.

And of course, an important factor…. Buying power.

Dude, I don’t know how many times you encounter this, but I witnessed some really expensive purchases, once in Singapore – an ESP Flying V – by not so great players (mostly decided by the dad’s or mum’s wallet).

And I have also seen some really great players (like Uncle) who are stuck using really cheap/budget gears (also decided by their wallet, but their own).

Now, you may be thinking I am drifting from the title. You may be asking “Dude, what the hell are you trying to say?”

No matter what guitar we use, or which guitar instruction method we use, all are useless. What we need is just passion and love for what we have and play. Sometimes people need to realize that even if we don’t play as well as John Petrucci or we don’t own that Fendeer Custom Shop SRV No.1, our appreciation for music is already, the greatest reward. Furthermore, no use playing like JP if we don’t have his heart and soul (for me, no use playing like JP cos’ can never do things he does).

With all the gears and amenities so easily available today, it’s not surprising there are more and more Melvins out there (check South Park’s definition of “Melvin” or in our case, you know who). On the other hand, it also gave birth to some really good players and enable others to improve their game.

So, folks, listen up. You may be able to afford that EVH guitar (RM30,000, you gotta be kidding) or stuck with a Squier S-65 for the rest of your life. It doesn’t matter. As long as you have the heart to play, you will achieve that greatness one day. If music and the guitar you play doesn’t discriminate you, then why should you?

You can only start having 25 (or more) guitars if you really show the passion. My musical brother showed me that you need a lot of passion and commitment to achieve that – and playing wise, fully command his hero’s, Zakk Wylde’s playing style and able to summon it by command – as well as bold enough to make sacrifices. He has the heart, so he deserve 25 (and more). You Melvins out there, at least learn to play properly first.

Till I get my own 25, I hope more people can pick up guitar. That will lead to more new (and good) products in the market, more resources available and more guitar oriented concerts in this country. Hopefully, I will be better then.

So, pick up your axe and fight like a farmer.

RM30,000 for a guitar… you gotta be kidding.

Dev's Boogie - Afterthoughts

Dude,

What a post that was……alien spacecrafts crashing into each other………

I am listening to Dev’s Boogie while doing this reply. I can feel some frustration in my playing, which I believe was born out of the thought that why did I waited so long to write and record my own music? Thinking about the wasted time (and years) really helped  push me to almost perfection.

As usual, I cannot recreate that anymore. Will need a driving force.

Macedonian, Sumatran, Iraqian…… That’s hilarious…I want to see you pull them off... Yeah, the shopkeeper is really something. I remember him ordering a RG for me without me confirming it. I think he was quite bitter about it.

Anyway, he did invite us to a singles launch with his band of void decks. For me, that’s all flash and no substance.

My dear shopkeeper, if you have gone to a point where you can afford to rent a venue to launch your single – with press and media people and all other nitwits and numbskulls who were dumb enough to attend – and at the end, I still don’t hear anything about you (I don’t listen to ERA FM) or see you in papers or TV, then you are wasting time.

Sometimes, it’s not about the plan and objective. It’s all about seeing where you will end up at. If you can’t see that, don’t waste your time living in your fantasies. Get out and get real. Mastubatory noodling will get you no where.

Dude, I almost forgotten the 2nd version recording session. Your original was really wicked, although I know you really hated it. But if I remembered correctly, here’s an account of what happened.

You had a good run doing the second version with the LP but somehow you reach a point you started having some issues with some phrases. I was there looking at you and you should have seen your face dude… You were angry but focused. That showed how committed a musician you were then, and even more so today.

I then decided to leave you alone. I remember turning the lights down, signaled to you from the control room to relax. Then, I walked out. I remember hearing you nailing all the notes and phrases…which was quite a delight. After a while, everything went quiet and next thing I know, you were in the control room together with hot-shot producer, reviewing what you had just recorded.

First time hearing that floored me. And these were your exact words: “This is my response to your superhero theme”….

That was the quote of the century.

It was a different solo altogether but it still has the SB stamp on it and as usual, wicked, evil but yet highly melodic and technical. You were right: It gels well with the theme from my first solo.

To top you, I may have to look for that lesson on Hungarian pentatonic…no kidding dude, there is such thing!!! Maybe shopkeeper can show me how, and throw in that diminished void-deckian harmonic minor flat fifth……Till then, I think he functions better as shopkeeper..

Dev’s Boogie

Dude,

As we all know, this is not any boogie-woogie. This is no holds barred shredfest.

We know how the song came about but if you allow me, I will break down part by part and share what is the inspiration behind it.

To begin with, there was no plan to record Dev’s Boogie. You know why? Because the whole songs were not laid out to be that way.

The first 2 part of the intro was a lick I rip from a Guitar Player lesson on minor “oriental” sounding licks. I added the “Marty Friedman” to complete the clean intro before launching into the high gain licks part. I am very happy with the tone, played on the bridge. The pinch harmonic was crisp and clear.

All rhythm were played on the bridge pickup. The Am – Fm – Gm progression was actually by David Bryan’s keyboard intro in the opening of Bon Jovi’s Live in London 1998 Concert. Sambora then came out and did some talk box licks, before the band opened the show with Livin’ On A Prayer. The progression gives that rock feel and “raise your sword and fight” kind of vibe.

The progression maintained through the song although second part is two measures less – to prevent it from being too monotonous.

My first part solo was the very first solo I composed prior to recoding. As you know with all my work in SB Influence, all solos are improvised in the studio, with most of the song being heard for the first time there. I don’t really know what was the theme behind the solo. Even during composing, I basically just winged it and practice it over and over again so I can play the same thing during recording.

First half of the solo is standard minor and minor pentatonic fare and as I approached the second half, I threw in a good dose of minor harmonic licks. If you listen carefully, they are very similar to what I did in Mind Games.

The ascending lick and half time feel melody serves as break for each part – intro, Dev’s solo, my solo, interlude, etc – just to break things down to ease the musical flow of the song. If you remember, we attempted to do harmony on the break but just couldn’t get the timing right. The plan for it was to double track the part but due to communication breakdown with the producer, it didn’t see the light of the day.

I slowed down the piece with a slow part with just one chord strumming. The plan was to have someone solo over it in a live show (with spotlight on the soloist) as well as some choir vocals (don’t ask me why). Because it sounded too dull, I messed around with some melody using keyboard during mixing (to simulate the choir). I had a few version of it and the producer had probably chosen the best one for the final version. There was even plan for a piano tune on it but that is another story. Would have been great cos’s that will put some Dream Theater vibe into it.

The main progression then surfaces again, this time, two measures less. Initially I had flanger on but once again, producer took it out during the final mix. However, I thought it was rather good as the rhythm was thick sounding.

My solo for this part was totally improvised during recording. As of all my electric works, solos are done using neck pickup.

Then comes what I always thought to be my proudest achievement – the harmonized licks. This is purely Iron Maiden influence and I am really happy how it sounded, although a little too repetitive. I thought the repetition added more character to the music as well as paving a nice flow to end the song.

I save the best for last. Your solo. Every time I listen to this song, I get something new feelings about it. I feel that your solo actually added the balls needed for this song. They are melodic but brutal at the same time. Thanks for the killer melodies dude. Definitely another highlight of the track.

I spent two weekends mixing, adding keyboard and doing drum programming with the hot shot producer. Overall, I am quite happy with it.

So put them all together, there you have it. Dev’s Boogie.

I hope more people can get to hear this track. I have so far shared it with only two person – one guy whom I met at the mechanic. This Chinese guy had some issue with his audio system and went to your neighbourhood mechanic for some repair. He had John Petrucci’s Wishful Thinking going on. So conversation started from there and he owns a alarm company and plays an Ibanez Prestige RG. This 45 year old gentleman’s comment – not bad, good rock vibe. That was the first and last time I saw and spoke to him.

The other person is a guitar teacher (although he is more like a shopkeeper). His comments - “Sounds like you just play through some repeated progression from some guitar lesson jam track. I do that with my student all the time”. Well, if you think about it he is quite right. Then again, right or wong he may be, it doesn’t matter.

Most important, Dev’s Boogie pushed me to play beyond my usual capability and I had some great stuff recorded from your magical hands. It was a confidence booster for me and I really hope to have more chance to record my stuff.

Till then, I am looking forward to Return to Boogie.

Here’s probably what happened when you unleashed the fury from 1:54 to 2:04

1. Some earthquake happening in some land
2. Mustaine decided to compose Dialectic Chaos and hired a brutal guitarist to record it to top us
3. The sonic wave created as a result of speed and brutality of the solo sent some interference to global network and electronic systems, causing the world wide web to be down for 10 seconds and malfunction of electronic-based parts
4. All Dream Theater’s members’ mind froze for 10 seconds
5. Al DiMeola’s fingers cramped for 10 seconds
6. Planets in the solar system got misaligned for 10 seconds
7. Planets beyond
   Milky Ways
   experience some tremors (for 10 seconds)
8. Some alien spacecrafts crashed into each other due to the sonic wave as of (3) above
9. Our southern neighbour ( the island country), sank 10 inches down sea level (for the record they are sinking average 4 inches/year)
10.  Council of Guitar Gods made you the Supreme God

Back to the Future: From Past to Present (Reprise)

Dude,

Building the Music Bakery has always been a dream and given the daily life commitments and all that, it is going to be a challenge and struggle. I will eventually get it done, as I really want to build a place to work out all the crazy ideas and put them into reality; A jamming place or  at least a place to chill musically (with some lychee jellies for snack).

This Music Bakery thing has been going on for years. Having my own practice space right now seems like a good start. I don’t need a state-of-the-art studio. I just want a sanctuary to express myself musically. That will be the real Sanctuary of Rock.

Sometimes, I really admire your drive to get things done. Having two albums completed is a great achievement dude. I am always hoping you will have a third one out ASAP and as usual, whether I am playing or back at the control board, you will have my full support!!!

You mentioned about musical priorities… that prompted something though. I don’t know what is mine. Still trying to find out what I really want, but you just gave rise to that little something I always dreamt of doing (never want to re-visit this cos’ of various limitations until you mentioned “musical priorities”).

Performing in a stadium and all that are fantasies (at this age now, it’s a fantasy, back when I was 18 it was a dream). Do get me wrong, they are fun and I will always pray for that to happen, even for 5 minutes…..

I don’t think I have shared this with you, but I have always wanted to do soundtrack – for movies, video games, etc. Due to my limited vocabulary, I can only do instrumental stuffs. You know, stuffs like soundtrack to some violent video games or some dumb B-grade   action movies. There is something about the audio-visual connection that attracts me.

To be able to make music that gel with emotions and characters, that for me is fulfilling. That is why I dig your song so much, because each of them tells a story, almost like a soundtrack to your life ( pun intended, in a serious manner).

As I grow older, these dreams seem to be much harder to achieve, sometimes out of reach. I look forward to the day when I can slip into the disc player, the soundtrack to my life…

On guitar buying; Dude, we should never stop if we can afford to buy more guitars. As mentioned, if it’s not for the realities of life – home loan, bills, etc – I would have gotten the following: Squier Classic Vibe 60s’, a black Epiphone Les Paul Custom, Epiphone Dot, an Ibanez RG, 24 frets with locking trem, PRS SE Custom 24, any good Taylor Acoustic, Gibson SG Studio, a flying V (affordable one  is the Epiphone Korina) and ultimately, the Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster.

Being a player is one thing and being a collector and able to appreciate each make and “attitude” of the guitar is another. But being both at the same time, it’s empowering!

Guitar players are a difficult lot to understand huh?

Back to the Future: From Past to Present

Dude,

I guess the past few posts described how I acquired the six guitars I have today and what were the primary influences that helped developed my techniques and style.

It has been almost 18 years since I first played my open E string and C major chord.

Things have not change much since then….

Learning is a continuous process (for a lifetime). I am still discovering new things every day (like the performance of Marillion with Dream Theater). Even all these years of playing guitar, I still find it a challenge to execute all techniques and licks with perfection: bearing in mind, dynamics and tone colour.

Those cds which had accompanied me through the years are still receiving heavy rotation. It’s amazing that every one of them still sound as fresh. My heroes remained the same, with more being introduced every now and then.

Each and every day, I still try to live my rock ‘n roll dream – I am living it as a chemical salesman at this moment. Not the best thing in the world but at least, I can still write this blog during office hour, in the office.

I would probably stop buying guitar (for the time being, still got too many I need) and focus on gearing to produce my own stuff – A  portable 8/16-track digital studio, a good microphone and a reasonably powerful computer – and I am ready to go (not before a little basic in Pro Tools). Add a nice sofa in the room, I’ll have that “Music Bakery” I have always dreamt of.

As I’ve mentioned, learning is crucial. There are many things for me to learn, and many more for me to “un-learn”. I am stuck quite long within the blues-rock genre and I really wish I can do a little metal or jazz sometimes. The day will come….(if I can stay more than 5 minutes on TABS…)

I don’t think I will ever stop playing. This is the only thing I feel I am good at, at least, for a bedroom player..

I actually sat through a TAB for more than 5 minutes while learning Eric Johnson’s The Boogie King. At the 7^th minute, I launched into some licks from “Crossroads”. So, 7 minutes seemed like a good start

Oh yeah, I figured out that my Telecaster-Larry Carlton connection was in the song “Emotions Wound Us So” from the concert Live in Blue Note (Tokyo 1993). It was a yellow Schecter Tele, black pickguard, 24 frets with rosewood fingerboard….