Guitar Repairs
It was rather evident during my sessions with Andrew that my old EKO E20 had seen better days. The lower frets have been worn for some time and it was becoming increasingly difficult to hold down any kind of chord without buzzing or ripping my fingers apart. I’d got to the point of putting it aside and even considered replacing it, despite it still being my favourite acoustic guitar for it’s warm, almost bass-y sound.I’d been asking musician friends about any luthiers they might know. The good ones all seemed too far away. Andrew finally put me in touch with Ben ‘Beej’ Shand, a guy […]
Studio Session 2
I have to say how much I am beginning to enjoy these sessions in the studio with Matthew. It’s great to be able to bounce ideas off him and get feedback when I ask the odd technical question. Last week was the guitar session. This went very well indeed, and we had good time for Matthew to demonstrate some of the layered vocal work he was doing on another couple of tracks.Today’s hour-long session was to add my vocal track to Watching the Rain, and we did several ‘takes’ to allow Matthew to choose the best bits. Once little thing that […]
Open Mic at ‘The Hop’
I’m so pleased to say that despite the initial nerves, my section went very well, I think. I fluffed my words a couple of times and my mic usage was a bit erratic, but I don’t think it mattered too much. The Hop was quite empty (I guess Monday night isn’t going to be as packed out as a Friday or Saturday), so really I was just singing to my guests, Claire, Ken and Pat, plus the other artists that 360 manage and their guests. So – it was a lovely informal evening, not too much pressure, and chance to build […]
Last rehearsal
Last rehearsal with Andrew was on Wednesday before my first open mic at The Hop next Monday. This went pretty well I thought, only a couple of slips. One particularly with the mid-section of (Don’t Hurry) Slow Down, where I simply can’t see the fret board while singing, to get the upper bar chords right. I guess I’ll have to modify my singing over that part for now, until it becomes more “muscle-memory”.Anyway, the nerves, I admit, are setting in a bit now. I’ve been rehearsing at home and do about an hour each day since Wednesday, but the rehearsals have […]