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….