Horrorhiker

I've always played guitar alongside bass, but I more recently learned to play drums especially for a band that I couldn't find a drummer for. I'd always dabbled, and thought I was pretty good until I actually tried, and found that I was woeful! So I had to practice a lot in order to avert a disaster! The band was called Hurricane Jim and the link to those recordings are in my signature I believe..I cringe when I hear that stuff, but it's good for personal development I guess. Anyway, this experience made me want to practice and get better, so I played more, and eventually signed up to play drums in a brass band that my wife played in. They were desperate for a drummer, and I agreed to do it on the proviso that I would be learning and would play by ear rather than read music. The band master gave me a fair bit of pressure despite that proviso and after a while sort of forgot that I couldn't read music, leading to a few animated discussions in the band hut. Long story short, I did get better at drums and ended up doing loads of gigs, got to know a completely different community than I would ever normally get a chance to, and even marched with a snare a few times for rememberence parades which was amazing. I can even read a little drum music now, which, though will never come in useful, I'm quite satisfied about. I gave up the band due to internal politics being too toxic, but it was definately a brilliant experience on the whole.

Hello! I just happened to catch this. (*GRIM FINGER INJURY STORY TRIGGER WARNING*) Funny enough I was thinking lately about posting about my own finger injury. In 1999 I was in my first job at Tesco and left on the spur of the moment. The only job available locally was in an abbatoir packing plant. (I can't believe I did this as I'm now a fairly big animal advocate and a vegetarian). Anyway, after 1 week there, I was on a machine that derinded joints of meat, lost my concentration and felt a small tug to my finger. No pain to speak of. Looked down to find a lot of claret and the tip and one side of my right index finger absent..bone visible at the tip. Just stood there in a bit of shock I guess, until someone noticed, and called the first aider over. The event is imprinted on my brain and I really remember peoples faces as I was led out of the room. Sweet Like Chocolate by Shanks and Bigfoot was playing on the radio. I'd started playing bass in 1993 and was doing ok in a light touring metal band. We had a mini tour a fortnight after. I had a lightbulb of bandages on my finger like yours. My solution was that I gaffer taped a pick to my third finger and did the gigs. Every time it would result in the bandage failing and blood flying everywhere by the end of the gig. A bit painful, but fully metal. I don't recommend it obviously as this no doubt prolonged my recovery, but i did get through it. Also it got me and the band in the local press! Since then, I've found fingerstyle a challenge because I'm basically plucking with bone. So I switched to pick playing after my finger healed and played that way ever since. However, I've recently started relearning playing with my fingers as a challenge to myself and it's miles better after persevering a bit, and I'm wondering if a lot of it was always psychological. It's not painful per se, it just feels weird more than anything. It has been 25 years since I seriously tried to play fingerstyle and I wish I started straight after healing now, so that's a bit of advice I guess. Anyway, so that's why I was going to ask for tips on here myself (no pun intended). So basically, I believe it is possible that you can play virtually as normal when healed, even if the tip goes as mine did. It'll feel a bit strange, but mine feels like very light pins and needles at worst. Cold is a bit of a problem, and can cause a dull ache. I'm assuming thats your fretting hand? Which I would say is easier on the finger than if it was on the plucking hand too. I don't know the full ins and outs but I believe fully that it will be a much better experience getting playing again than you imagine. Different hand/finger but the most inconvinient thing I have is that I can't open ring pulls with my index finger, but I've been playing the bass with no real difficulty since it healed. Just to say, One weird thing that happened to me is that when the finger healed, the skin pulled to the side, so that my scar moved round a bit from where the injury actually happened, so that could happen. The waiting game is the hardest bit, but once you actually get playing again, it'll feel great. Re the tip, I'd say fingers crossed, but maybe just a simple 'good luck' will suffice! P.S Watch out for infections..get it seen at the merest hint of pain/redness/weird smell. My wound got pretty badly infected and I had to have it scrubbed after having a 5 injection nerve block in some very painful places. That was not the best day out! I hope all goes well anyway!

Thanks very much for the feedback, pleasure doing business with you! Hope you enjoy it.

They must have been mentioned on here before, but Electric Six to me are highly underrated, in the sense that they're known as a bit of a novelty band. Some of their deep cuts are amazing. To me, in the same sort of league as Crash Test Dummies. Known for a couple of hits and then percieved as disappeared, but have always been going and doing excellent stuff. Body Shot by E6.

Not 100% relevent but I have a famous persons name as it is. I'm always torn as to whether to change it, or keep it. (for music purposes, not IRL).

I got the bundle about a week ago after my band got back together after along hiatus. I literally had nothing but a bass at home and I noticed this deal the day after we agreed to reform..it was a no brainer I thought. The cab is a bit bigger than I need but I thought it was such a good deal that I'll give it a go. I play in a relatively heavy band and used to use a k212 which was ideal, so I expect to get on well with the 410. (Haven't tried it with the band yet). It's 29kg so not silly heavy for a 4x10. If you can put the back seats down it should be ok I would have thought. I've played at fairly low levels and it sounds ..ok..you don't get the best out of it obviously, but it will work. We do some acoustic stuff too and I'm probably going to use a combo for those occasions, though I am toying with getting another smaller cab and still using this head. For practising, it is easily the best amp I've played for headphone use. It sounds great through headphones. I thought that if I find the cab too cumbersome, I'll just sell it and buy something used and smaller.

I write quite a lot that are basically my internalised feelings about a film I've watched, or a book I've read. For e.g. I wrote a song recently about the film 'Midsommar' and the lyrics are all about having problems, and then finding yourself, but in an unhealthy way.For the music, I tried to write something that sounded a bit folky with a sinister undercurrent (like the film). It isn't what came out exactly, but having a starting point is what's important. I find it's a good way to write, as the emotions and whatnot are already there by default..if that makes sense. I'm also into creative writing, and invariably write song versions of the stories I'm writing. 2 birds, 1 stone.

Unfortunately that's becoming more and more dominant. Probably not the place to have it, but there's an interesting debate as to whether the internet has done more harm than good. Imo, no matter how advanced the technology, humans will always be humans (I.e extremely flawed).

Highly relatable. Successful and happy band..that's usually a choice between the two in my experience, unless you're very lucky. I've always stuck to original bands myself as most of the satisfaction is with writing, but it doesn't half make playing music a much harder, and a more caustic experience. You essentially need to be comfortable with travelling for 6 hours and playing to one man and his Dog, and then travelling 6 hours home again while having a laugh about it, in order to not get bitter. Always a mistake to let your local crowd inform your ideas around your popularity etc. A strange existence, where you simultaniously require a big ego on stage, and also no ego at all off of it. My old band has just got back together and some of that is down to me getting more laid back and happy to have fun. Getting a group together that's equitable and who all enjoy playing what you're playing is the thing to aim for imo, as apposed to 'fame' strategies. Its great that you got sorted. A bit of space from the toxic element really makes things clearer. I'm wishing you every success not only for your benefit, but for your ex singer's required reality check too.

Yes there's something about his solo stuff which is a bit more...conventional? Which while not in every case, is better in this one imo. A lot of the stuff is really catchy and powerful. Also re The Smiths it's amusing to see so many folks who live in Smiths T Shirts furiously back pedal whenever Mozza puts his foot in it in interviews.

My wifes favorite band is the Smiths and it's always been a running joke here. I do impressions of a thick throated Morrissey trying to fit 2 too many words into every line reguarly. However, there was a Morrissey solo album left in the car once and now I really like some of his solo stuff a lot. First of the Gang to Die is superb imo. Much as it pains me.