# getting my chops back together



## Waldo97 (Jul 4, 2020)

I've played guitar for about 50 years and piano for about 60 years. My piano playing is grounded in childhood lessons but guitar is self-taught from my late teens. For a long time I focussed on guitar. I drifted for years and pianos and drifting were pretty incompatible. Then two years ago some dumb shit with the people I jammed with caused me to drop guitar playing completely to focus entirely on piano -- mostly jazz. I've also dropped jamming, at least with the old crowd. My piano playing, general musical knowledge and musicianship continue to improve. A lot.

Cut to now and I've covid practiced piano pretty steadily for nine months but without gigs have lost some of my motivation to practice. Yesterday hauled my tele off the wall, plugged it in, tuned it, and started playing. The ideas are still there and the fingers work, but my callouses are MIA.

Any experience ressurecting guitarmanship?


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

After major surgeries I have struggled with energy, callouses, and speed, but it's mentally like I've never stopped practicing in my subconscious mind. A few years ago I replaced most of my gigging life with a recording life and I never stopped my instruction life for more than a few months so the motivation still exists. Lots of folks are doing ensemble work online with the exchange of parts and/or performance videos.


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## Waldo97 (Jul 4, 2020)

Part of setting aside the guitar was that there are simply too many guitar players out there. I play piano better than guitar anyway it just took me fifty years to figure that out. Unfortunately, hauling a piano around just to jam over old rock and 'americana' with a bunch of players of varying ablity and hoping everybody is playing with their ears wide open. You know what I'm saying…?

And for playing out, I know guitar players who can do the early jazz thing much better than me. And they need me to bring something different to the party, which is piano.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Waldo97 said:


> And for playing out, I know guitar players who can do the early jazz thing much better than me. And they need me to bring something different to the party, which is piano.


Jazz piano is what I enjoy listening more than anything these days. 
Do you have any links of your jazz piano playing that you would consider sharing? 
Who are some of the jazz pianists you like to listen to?


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## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

A keyboard and amp aren’t much harder to carry around than a guitar and amp.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

Kerry Brown said:


> A keyboard and amp aren’t much harder to carry around than a guitar and amp.


Speak for yourself 

Sincerely, 

Guy with 9.6 lbs Tele and Twin Reverb.


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

I think you have an acoustic too, eh Doug? Put it on a stand beside a couch. It's nice to not have to make a big deal about it when gradually getting back into shape. I got a few aches and pains in the arm and neck because with winter & lockdown I am overdoing it somewhat.


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

double post


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## Waldo97 (Jul 4, 2020)

KapnKrunch said:


> I think you have an acoustic too, eh Doug? Put it on a stand beside a couch. It's nice to not have to make a big deal about it when gradually getting back into shape. I got a few aches and pains in the arm and neck because with winter & lockdown I am overdoing it somewhat.


Yeah, I have my old dobro. It's getting a 48th birthday makeover so I've set up the tele in the kitchen to twang on it while I'm cooking.


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## Waldo97 (Jul 4, 2020)

greco said:


> Jazz piano is what I enjoy listening more than anything these days.
> Do you have any links of your jazz piano playing that you would consider sharing?
> Who are some of the jazz pianists you like to listen to?


Cool! Here's one. http://jazzagejazz.ca/resources/videos/a1 Some of these Days.mov

I don't have any special piano models -- couldn't copy them anyway. If I could, I suppose mostly swing players like Fats Waller, Teddy Wilson and Basie. And a soft spot for Claude Hopkins.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Waldo97 said:


> Cool! Here's one. http://jazzagejazz.ca/resources/videos/a1 Some of these Days.mov
> 
> I don't have any special piano models -- couldn't copy them anyway. If I could, I suppose mostly swing players like Fats Waller, Teddy Wilson and Basie. And a soft spot for Claude Hopkins.


Thanks very much for the link. EXCELLENT!
I remember watching that in the past. 
Possibly you posted it in this forum some time ago?

The location looks VERY familiar somehow. Where was it filmed?

Personally, I enjoy watching YT videos of Herbie Hancock. 
I also like Thelonious Monk and Oscar Peterson. The list actually goes on and on when I start to think about it.

Thanks again!


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## Waldo97 (Jul 4, 2020)

greco said:


> Thanks very much for the link. EXCELLENT!
> I remember watching that in the past.
> Possibly you posted it in this forum some time ago?
> 
> ...


Thank you! Yeah, so many great piano players.

I probably did post that at some point. We were at the Gananoque Brewing Company in Gananoque. South side of King Street (Hwy 2) just east of the bridge over the Gananoque river.

here's my take on the Charleston:


http://jazzagejazz.ca/resources/videos/Charleston%20Lake.mov


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## Sketchy Jeff (Jan 12, 2019)

Waldo97 said:


> Any experience ressurecting guitarmanship?


Recording yourself. It's become so easy with phones and / or a USB mic and some freeware DAW. It's surprising both how good stuff sounds that you thought was boring to play and how much work remains to be done on stuff you thought you had under your fingers. Plus when you end up in the doldrums you can go back and listen to stuff you recorded 6 months or a year ago and hear something interesting or motivating that you lost track of. And when things get boring you can lay them together in a multi-track arrangement and enthusiasm for that gets you through to when the playing itself gets to be enjoyable again.

j


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