What's Happening In Your Life?

[Grey Sadler]

Ok, better fess up here, I've already hinted at it on FB...

I have made the agonizing switch from bass to piano. I still love it, still pat out bass lines when I hear songs...but physically (and mentally), I've decided its not the path for me. I was hitting a wall during summer lessons (was studying bass and piano), so I asked to work on 6-string this fall. I hit a waaaay bigger wall there. It came down to my teacher telling me that if I couldn't devote 30 minutes/day for 6 days/week, then I really needed to think about whether to keep playing or not.

So...I take this advice, and say to myself "Yeah, I practice every day...I start with PIANO!" Some days I only worked on piano. Didn't have to lug out things from cases, plug in, and (the worst part of all), didn't have to deal with the fretting-hand finger PAIN (I can hear Austin right now...I know, should have built up something from playing bass all that time!). I haven't picked up a guitar since Monday evening and I still feel the strings on my fingertips. Not to mention that my right hand cramped the entire evening after the lesson (trying to fingerpick...sounds great but OUCH!!)...and did I mention the major neck strain from trying to sit in with my church's band (and looking at the neck of the guitar for about, um, two hours?!)

So...I resume tickling the ivories. I still have my Eagles songbook...would really like to put my spin on some of those old songs (TITTL? TTD? TALA?)

[WalshFan88]

I totally understand GS! Bass can be a very difficult instrument with fingers. It's often better to start on a guitar first because bass strings are a LOT bigger than guitar strings and require more pressure and bigger callouses.

Piano is a challenging instrument - kudos on playing it! I've always wanted to. I love the sound of the piano (one of my favorite pieces is the piano coda in Clapton's "Layla") but it is a bit too technical for me. I was never into a theory based thing or reading music (I tried, it was not for me). I'm more of a sloppy Jimmy Page meets Joe Walsh kinda guy and a bunch of technical know-how isn't very rock n' roll to me, so I rebelled against taking lessons or trying again to read music. Fact is, unless you are in a studio as a session musician, you really don't need to know how to read music to play guitar, much less rock n' roll guitar. If you are a jazz or old school country (aka before it became an 80s rock throwback) and doing sessions and CREATING jazz/classical/country music, then yes sight reading and theory is important. But if you are creating old rock n' roll or playing it live, nobody used charts!!! Steely Dan perhaps, but again that's more jazz fusion, etc. Eagles certainly didn't. It was all by ear.

[Glennsallnighter]

Kudos to you GS but you can't listen it people who TELL you how much to practise. Then it becomes a chore rather than fun. Don't think 'I'm gonna practise' think 'I'm gonna PLAY'.

I had formal piano tuition but in our house we were never told we had to practise it. The problem was finding a time when it was actually free! Ie no one else had beaten us to it first. It was played from about 8am to 11pm most days!

I've taught myself guitar (6 string), tin whistle, clarinet and recorder and can play pretty much anything I pick up. All by ear. If the Eagles do not do any tours where I can attend next year I am looking at getting a saxophone.

[DivineDon]

...then we went to Belgium where had a look at some of the history of WW1 which started just about 100 years ago.

Very interested in your trip to Belgium, GA. I've always been fascinated with WW1 since I was at school especially because it seemed so pointless and really changed the face of Europe with the fall of the Hapsburgs and Romanovs (I'm completely obsessed with the Romanovs btw). Have you ever read Sebastian Faulks' Bird Song or Pat Barker's Regeneration, a trilogy of novels based around the First World War? While fiction, they're brilliant reads and give you a real insight into the madness.

At the moment I'm reading Catherine Bailey's The Secret Rooms, a true story based on the 9th Duke of Rutland and the rooms he died in during the 1940s in his castle at Belvoir. Something mysterious happened during the WW1 when he was based in Ypres which no one can account for. His diary entries and all correspondence between June 1915 and December 1915 disappeared and Bailey, who is an historian tries to figure out the story. I've only read a couple of chapters but it's really looking promising, a cross between Northanger Abbey and an Agatha Chrisite novel but one which is completely true.

Anyway, looking forward to seeing your photos.

btw, my sympathies to everyone feeling low and stressed - I'm a fully paid up member of that club

[tjh532]

At the moment I'm reading Catherine Bailey's The Secret Rooms, a true story based on the 9th Duke of Rutland and the rooms he died in during the 1940s in his castle at Belvoir. Something mysterious happened during the WW1 when he was based in Ypres which no one can account for. His diary entries and all correspondence between June 1915 and December 1915 disappeared and Bailey, who is an historian tries to figure out the story. I've only read a couple of chapters but it's really looking promising, a cross between Northanger Abbey and an Agatha Chrisite novel but one which is completely true.

DD, I would love to hear what you think of your book when you are finished. It sounds fascinating! I love history, and the WWI era is one that I have not read a lot about. It sounds like a really good book.

[DivineDon]

DD, I would love to hear what you think of your book when you are finished. It sounds fascinating! I love history, and the WWI era is one that I have not read a lot about. It sounds like a really good book.

Sure, tjh I'll post a review when I'm finished. Thanks for your interest

[Freypower]

Very interested in your trip to Belgium, GA. I've always been fascinated with WW1 since I was at school especially because it seemed so pointless and really changed the face of Europe with the fall of the Hapsburgs and Romanovs (I'm completely obsessed with the Romanovs btw). Have you ever read Sebastian Faulks' Bird Song or Pat Barker's Regeneration, a trilogy of novels based around the First World War? While fiction, they're brilliant reads and give you a real insight into the madness.

At the moment I'm reading Catherine Bailey's The Secret Rooms, a true story based on the 9th Duke of Rutland and the rooms he died in during the 1940s in his castle at Belvoir. Something mysterious happened during the WW1 when he was based in Ypres which no one can account for. His diary entries and all correspondence between June 1915 and December 1915 disappeared and Bailey, who is an historian tries to figure out the story. I've only read a couple of chapters but it's really looking promising, a cross between Northanger Abbey and an Agatha Chrisite novel but one which is completely true.

Anyway, looking forward to seeing your photos.

btw, my sympathies to everyone feeling low and stressed - I'm a fully paid up member of that club

Have you read Robert K. Massie's books Peter The Great, Catherine The Great & Nicholas & Alexandra?

N&A was one of the books which had the greatest influence on me. It's an amazing story, brilliantly told.

[StephUK]

I apologise if I've been sounding like a 'grumpy bunny' here recently. Life has been a bit of a downer recently. Health problems are getting me down a bit. Also, my cat was attacked by a neighbours dog - he's OK(although he has developed a kidney problem) but was badly traumatised. The neighbour then threatened me. The police were involved & it all got a bit unpleasant & upsetting. My elderly parents(85 & 87 years old) are a worry to me, 'cos of their health problems.
Sometimes it all gets just a bit too much, doesn't it?

I still love the Eagles music, even if I was a bit disappointed after the shows I saw in June. I still adore Will Hollis too, of course(even with the beard).

Hopefully things will lighten up a bit soon & I'll feel more cheerful again.

Just wanted to explain why I haven't contributed to the board much recently, and for being somewhat negative when I have contributed.

[DivineDon]

Have you read Robert K. Massie's books Peter The Great, Catherine The Great & Nicholas & Alexandra?

N&A was one of the books which had the greatest influence on me. It's an amazing story, brilliantly told.

Yep, I've read them all!! I told you I was obsessed with the Romanovs Massie is an authority on the Russian royals. Have you read his account of the Anna Anderson story re Anastasia - very interesting. It definitively rules out Anderson through DNA from Prince Philip and proves she was a German munitions factory girl instead who went missing after an explosion in 1918. However, it still doesn't explain how this factory girl knew intimate details from the Romanovs lives and still fooled some of their inner circle including the doctor ~ that's what I find fascinating. And of course Rasputin's involvement...just compelling...


Sorry to those not feeling the best, I hope the new month brings new changes for the good.

[thelastresort]

Sorry to hear that Steph, hope all works out soon.

DD - you sound like my old history teacher, he too was obsessed by Russian history and the Romanovs (the most I can remember now is that they were executed in Ekatrinesburg and weren't expecting to be!). Funny you should mention Belvior, I went there years ago whilst staying in the area and it is certainly one of the grandest buildings I have ever visited. Situated high upon a hill and by my reckoning from it you can see the cooling towers of a power station at least a dozen miles away. Would certainly pay a visit again if I ever passed by.