For the musicians

[Shady Ultima]

Before you start thinkin, "Here we go, another 'What Instrument do you play' thread" stop. This is not like that.

Yes, I would love to know who plays what on this site, but that's not what this is about. This is about actually learning about music. Just a thread where we can talk about experiences in bands, experimentation we've done, reviews of equipment. Link us to anywhere you have recordings, and we can give a critique.

For example.
I play guitar & bass.
I own a Tokai 1976 "Original Series" electric guitar, an Alcivar acoustic, a barracuda bass and an Applause acoustic bass. I have two amps, both for bass, one being a Washburn BD30B and the other a Samick, which I don't have here with me. I own a Jimi Hendrix Wah pedal, a Digitech BP50, a Boss DS-1 and a DF-2.

I have some recordings, but I definately don't feel like letting anyone listen, because they're utter crap.

[MrMister]

I play lead guitar(although not in a band since I was like 20), bass, drums, and keyboard. I also have a set of turntables and a mixer that I haven't used in a while.

I've been playing lead guitar for a reaaallly long time, so I think I'm pretty good.
The first time I played in a band, I was 15, and we were doing like Opeth covers. I only played a few shows with them cause the singer wanted us to do all of his gay acoustic ****, and whenever I wrote something, he'd say it was 'too metal,' and if he liked it, it was too difficult for him to play. So I stopped playing with them after a few shows. Funnily enough, no one cared about them after that. Then I made my own band with a bunch of friends, who were very talented. I had more creative control, and we were doing some sweet soundscaping and the other guitarist and I were shredding and harmonizing ****. It sounded superb, and we were like really popular in town for a while. We kicked *** all through high school, then disintegrated when me and my drummer went off to college. My roommates were pretty metal, and we played together a few times, but it never took off.

Yeah, the band I played with mostly in high school was really cool, we used to do all sorts of crazy ****, like put a bag with a bunch of cooked pasta and fake blood inside in my shirt, then have my buddy dressed up in a fucked up costume come out and slice it open with a machete. Then we'd throw the **** all over the audience while the bassist was improvizing some Primus ****. It was a good time. I still hang out with those guys, and we jam occasionally.

I own several Ibanez RGs, an ESP, and an acoustic.
I have a Gibson EB0 bass.

[Apex]

I play the electric Triangle actually.

Learned when I was a wee lad.

[Moosetroop11]

I've played classical guitar for over half of my life, but only over the last few years have used electric instruments.

Now I play lead and rhythm, although something tells me I would have been better off a bassist. My current amp is a 100W carlsbro, and I use either a Vintage metal axxe or a Wilson Emerald depending on my mood and the song. I also have a pretty basic bass, I don't even know the make.

My first band went no-where, but I was pretty content until the drummer, who had alot of control, decided to kick the bassist out and get a new guy. That new guy convinced the drummer to kick me out too, and then he left >.> This just left the drummer and his brother with no band XD So me and the bassist who was kicked out formed our own band. I write most of our songs. We've never had much of an opportunity to play in front of an audience, but we're getting some songs recorded proffesionally in a month or so and that should draw some attention to us.

In classical guitar I'm working towards grade 5. The exam is sometime too soon >.>

[Shady Ultima]

Alright, good thanks Moose and Mr.

I've been in numerous bands as well. I started my first band when I had only been playing bass for 3 months. I barely knew how to play, and right away I learned to sing and play. We invited a lead guitarist about a month in, and he stayed for almost a year. He was much more punk then the rest of the band, and he refused to adapt to our style, and so eventually he quit. We then focused on heavier music, with me being the main writer. We found a rhythm guitarist, and played many gigs. It was shortly after this that I lost my voice for the first time. Sadly, the high school I was at was not too fond of heavy metal music and eventually I was kicked out.

Almost immediately after I joined a Death Metal band on bass/vocals. This band played one gig, but due to some differences I left after that gig.

It was shortly before quitting that band that I lost my voice for the second time.

I played with multiple guitarists over the next year trying to find a sound that would fit my voice. I had been having trouble with my metal vocals since losing my voice and wanted to try singing. My buddy was a big time Green Day fan and we tried to get a punk/grunge thing going, but after a year of not being able to find a reliable guitarist, we pretty much gave up.

I had begun learning guitar and it was around this time that I formed an acoustic band. I was lead vocals/acoustic lead, and we played a few talent shows. We tried to bring in a bassist and a drummer, but after that fell through, the band eventually fell apart.

The summer following that my friend who was a drummer gave me a call to come jam with a guitarist from our school. The guitarist was very nu- metal influenced, and I wasn't exactly on the best terms with him. But we formed a hard rock/heavy metal band with both of us singing, and we were rather happy with the material we wrote.
This was the best band I have been in so far because we had a good amount of creative share going on.

I had to move away for college, and I joined a band at my new home as the lead vocalist. It didn't turn out well, because I wanted to write my own lyrics and the guitarist didn't like that.

Finally, I am in a band again now, and I was enjoying it until our most recent gig. They told me they didn't want me to play with them, and now they're considering booting me because I won't follow along with what the guitarist wants.

I'm also re-working my solo material with new influences and a more eerie sound. I am hoping for a darker side of the music then was being worked on previously.

[drenrin2120]

I play guitar. Electric mainly, though I have an acoustic. I love it. I'm also taking up drums too. I've been in one band, but we fell apart due to retarded band members. I wasn't depressed about it. I got one question for you guitar pros out thereon Charas. Now, this may sound dumb, but bare with me, I can palm mute easily, but only downstroking I find easy. Any techniques or tips you can give me to make an upstroke palm mute easier? You know, for those fast palm mute sections in a song.

[Desimodontidae]

Me and my friend write **** but it never takes off. We're really unorganized...

I occasionally make techno and weird **** with my friends on FL and stuff...

[Black Massacre]

I make techno sometimes. I havn't played in a band though. I did write this one song and just threw it in the trahs, but i'm guessing someone found it and gave it to a band to sing. It was sung too. They didn't even look for the owner. Bastards.

[Emerates]

I play guitar.  No real position to speak of, just whatever I want or can think of at the time.  I've only been playing for about a year and a half, so I'm still learning a lot of stuff.

I have two guitars, an Ibanez, model unknown, and a Gibson SG.  The pics are in the photo thread if anyone ever cares to look.  I have three amps, but I only use one, my Peavey 112 50 watt amp.  The other one in my room is my shitkicker 10 watt Rocktron what-the-****'em.  My third is a two-piece Marshall set I have yet to even open.  It's just sitting in my garage, because I don't have any room for it anywhere in my room, a drawback to sharing a room with your broja.

A list of songs I've learned to play, pretty much in full:

Foo Fighters: All My Life, Everlong, learning In Your Honor right now.
Everyday Combat by Lostprophets
The Acoustic Song by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Caught In The Rain by Revis.

Yeh.  Not much else to say about meself right now.

[Shady Ultima]

Originally posted by drenrin2120
I play guitar. Electric mainly, though I have an acoustic. I love it. I'm also taking up drums too. I've been in one band, but we fell apart due to retarded band members. I wasn't depressed about it. I got one question for you guitar pros out thereon Charas. Now, this may sound dumb, but bare with me, I can palm mute easily, but only downstroking I find easy. Any techniques or tips you can give me to make an upstroke palm mute easier? You know, for those fast palm mute sections in a song.

Yea, I have a hard time with that too. I'm just trying to practice Slayer.
And Emerates, I'm goin to be re-building my solo project completely.

[DeusExMachina]

Im a pretty decent Bass player.


About 8 years ago I played in this one band, the music was really progressive melodic cool, and the song invariably turned metal as it progressed. The Music was brilliant.
But out singer......This was before I had the balls to sing in public, out singer was this mormon african fellow, who sounded like the dude from Creed. Ruined it.

We kind of disbanded after a couple od shows.

Ive since taken up singng....I love metal, but i so do NOT have a metal voice.....but Im told that Im pretty decent for a fresh singer.
I play guitar as well, but for some reasonn I always end up playing bass in a band.

[Linkizcool]

I write songs for my friends and all.

I have a 30-year old Finnish acoustic and a very cheapo electric. I have a Line6 Spider II 30 watt amp and a Boss ME-50 effects pedal. My reall passion is flamenco, though.

[Emerates]

Flamenco is pretty sweet.

I can write lyrics like the badass that I am, but I can never really apply any guitar stuff to it, so I have good lyrics just sitting in a blue binder on my floor.  It's pretty sad.

[Linkizcool]

Yeah, flamenco is beautiful.

I can't write lyrics that express myself enough, so I just stick to the music.

[Desimodontidae]

Originally posted by drenrin2120
I play guitar. Electric mainly, though I have an acoustic. I love it. I'm also taking up drums too. I've been in one band, but we fell apart due to retarded band members. I wasn't depressed about it. I got one question for you guitar pros out thereon Charas. Now, this may sound dumb, but bare with me, I can palm mute easily, but only downstroking I find easy. Any techniques or tips you can give me to make an upstroke palm mute easier? You know, for those fast palm mute sections in a song.

Uhm... just rest your palm at the bridge right where the strings meet the bridge and pick way up the string. You should probably learn The Trooper by Maiden... or at least the triple picking palm muted rythm section... it'll really help out with that.