Doctor J

I hope the poor chap who modelled for the trophy didn't have to endure what looks like a very unpleasant skewering.

Amazing. That without the fancy wood layering as a production model would be very welcome.

Mozart weeps for you and dabs his eyes with Bach's handkerchief.

Your time here should have exposed you to the fact that not everyone plays music to satisfy a creative urge. I'd say most posters like playing someone else's music. It brings them joy. There's no need to get pissy and rattle your artistic sabre at them. I've no interest in playing covers, be they artistic expressions in my bedroom or straight down the line in a pub. I recognise that many do, however. So what if they do?

To satisfy demand

Your average punter down the Rat & Ferret is not there for Johnny Cash and his emotional renditions, however. They're there to have some beer, dance and sing along to songs they know and like. I'm sure the chaps in covers bands would agree that much of what they play is steered by the audiences they play to and, as such, sticking somewhat closely to the original, keeping the punters happy, thereby keeping the landlords happy and, by doing so, getting paid is the name of the game, rather than turning Good Times into an emotionally wrought ballad and sending everyone home in tears - however artistically meritorious that may be. There's a time and a place for artistic interpretations, down the pub on a Saturday night is not it, however.

Roll good!

I only want and need to be as good as the music I write and record requires. Sometimes, I need to do some practicing to be good enough but, in general, my chops are as good as I want them to be and have been for about 30 years. I listen to a lot of different styles of music but being a pop and slap master is of no interest to me whatsoever, for example, even if I might occasionally enjoy listening to music which utilises that technique. I used to use the Prove You Wrong album by Prong as my benchmark. If I could play along to that, I was a good as I needed to be. These days I just know what kind of shape I'm in. I play guitar and drums too and, generally, a similar policy applies in that I haven't really got an interest in compiling and array of techniques or skills I have no musical interest in utilising. However, having only restarted playing drums a few years ago, I'm not where I want to be on that instrument yet. I want to be a better drummer than I currently am, because the music I want to play requires it, but I must balance that with keeping my standard on everything else. Bottom line, I'll be as good as I need to be to get my musical ideas down but don't have the desire to be any better than that, in order to seek the approval of youtube or the fantasy of a megastar band picking me out of the audience because of an accident to their dude. I don't bring my boots to the match either, just in case, if you know what I mean 😉

Sounds good to me, I'm in.

Foxy 👍🏻

Based on my own experience, I'd say learn to play the music you like, first, by whatever means stimulates you. There is no right way other than the one which keeps you interested. You can move on the becoming the new Jancko Pansaurdius later, but start by finding the joy in playing music first.

Is the answer you're looking for that modern pop is largely unmemorable, repetitive sheeeeeiiiiite with no discernible sense of melody and it's hard to sell fast food or insurance over monotonous, monosyllabic self-pity/self-aggrandising?

That's the spirit, Andy, best of luck with it! 👊🏻

Into what? Got any hints?

The Beatles I Want To Hold Your Wand I'm A Laser And I Love Hen With A Little Hell From My Friends

Don't think of sound engineers in an "Us vs Them" context. You're all there to work together. You want your band to sound good and, guess what, so do they. Introduce yourself, be pleasant and give them some idea of what you think your band ought to sound like. If you don't they have to guess. Don't tell them how to do their job and they won't have reason to dislike you but, also, don't be shy about telling them what you're looking for, politely, of course. You'll be amazed how receptive people can be when they're engaged in a two-way dialogue about how you all can work together to achieve the best results with a minimum of angst.

RATM - Take the Mower Back

Iron Maiden - Wasted Bears

Frankie Goes to Hollywood - The Power of Gove 😢

Duran Duran - Onion of the Snake

The same could be said for this forum, lots of people looking for, and offering, advice on different things. Much of which has been asked before, several times. Not everyone has been engaged long enough to have seen it all before, it's not their fault. Just let it slide, it's not worth getting upset over.

Think of it as disco-based theatre 😉