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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

All guitars, no scopes session

14 August 2011 - 11:00 am - 2:00pm

Here C.A. John baby and I jammin

All telescopes, all the time make for one dimensional astronomers.

Among other things, I goof around on guitar, and enjoy plucking along to tunes and with other guitar players. I recently discovered that fellow Chicago Astronomer Jeremy is a pretty damn good string player, and so...

We are going to jam together this Sunday for a couple of hours, (Weather permitting). We will meet-up by the Galaxy blocks, just south of the Adler Planetarium building and enjoy a lazy Sunday by the lakefront.

If you play a instrument, (master Strat player C.A. Rich, this means you), stop on by and join in the jam. And even if you don't play, it would be cool to have you join us and share the energy and laughs.

I will post a go/no-go early Sunday morning.

Surfer Joe

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

[Paulie pchris00]

Aug 13, 2011 0:29:38 GMT -6 Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe said:

You would have made a better Beatle than McCartney.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

We now have Four possible guitar players joining in on the jam and maybe a singer or two.....

The weather looks good, as the rains are forecast for much earlier in the day. Bring a sandwich and drink...but, no booze. Park District Property you know.

Come hear me hit sour notes and try to keep up with the talent...

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Update:

There might be two more strings...



It'll be bunches fun.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

I'm still a go.

The rains have ceased, but the cloudy skies may keep some away.

I would rather have bright sunny days, but at least it's not 95 and humid. If it's me solo, two or many - just like setting up a telescope, it's all cool.

And...let's set another date too to get a mass jam going.

But...I will be there just after 11:00 am ish.

Sufer Joe

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

One Astronomer guitar player..and one plucker

14 August 2011

What a funtime with Jeremy, Heather and Paulie.

I goof around on guitar, picking out notes, following tunes and I thought just that side of ok. But what Jeremy does with a guitar is amazing.

I was on-site first on a very windy morning by the lakefront, but was confident that the rain already had done it's thing and indeed was done. But damn it..I forgot a patch cable for the MP3 player. By that time, Sir Paulie arrived on and I gave him my parking spot while I went to get a cable at the Shack.

I arrived about 25 minutes later and Jeremy & Heather were there and we start..

Unsure where to start, I deferred to Jeremy, who has classical training and made his guitar come alive. With flourishes, bends, hammerons, mutes and incredible fret work, I did all I could to keep up, plucking simple root notes. We played "Miserlou", and a small handful of tunes...

I wanted to play intelligently along, but couldn't...(I don't like being lacking at anything), but his discipline and mastery was just too cool...

I gave my guitar to Jeremy...and could not believe it was the same guitar, as he played around with my portable amp and did Hendricks, Zeppelin and a host of others...we we just enjoyed the show....

-(I was like that dude in the tv commercial for Citi Bank and so way over his head at Band Camp)

...

With that, Jeremy and Heather had to leave and Sir Paulie and I hung out for a time...and when he left, I spent some alone time with the guitar, and a beautiful breezy day. Something I don't do often enough. I also took in a show at the Adler Planetarium...since I was in the area anyway.

Pics are cool, but vids are better...

(Big shout out to Heather for taking most of the pics!)

I hope we do this again soon... ;D

[jeremy]

Joe, what a fun time today! You have a great rig to jam on, perfect for lakeside licks. You are ripping it up out there too! That guy in the band camp commercial just looks lost, you on the other hand were all over it and not afraid to jump right in. You've got a great ear and impressive pickin work, I can't wait to hear more. Sorry our time was a little limited today. Next time I'll work up some Beatles for us to jam with.

Thanks for posting the video too, that amp of yours sounds great on there! Impressive for being outside in an open area.

Keep on pickin!

[Paulie pchris00]

When Jeremy played "Thunderstruck," I thought the Sox should be running out at any moment!

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

What do you get when you combine a few hours under the Sun, playing guitar and having fun with friends....

Sun at -26.00

Distance: 1 A.U.

Azimuth: 180 degrees

Astro Joe's Azimuth: 75 degrees

Time exposed to deadly solar rays: 4 hours

Although I did feel the heat of the 2012 Sun on my skin, I had not realized the extent of the solar radiation...

Only discovered this afternoon while prepping for a workout.

I'm embarrassed by it and it looks silly. It looks like I plunged my arms in vats of blueberry/raspberry pie filling.

Hmmmm.....pie.

100 SPF Sun block next time....or... "How to look like Hank Hill in just a couple of hours"...

D'oh!

[Paulie pchris00]

I like the story behind Jeremy's guitar, if he cares to tell it here.

Also, it was a joy to listen to you guys play along to "Stairway." Hasn't everybody who's ever picked up a guitar played that (or tried to) at some point?

I've never had to the urge to play, but Jeremy was making it look so easy Sunday that I let it cross my mind. I don't have the time to devote to learning an instrument though, and don't see the point of picking one up if I'm not going to give it an honest effort. Plus I kinda sucked the couple of times I played Guitar Hero.

[RobbW]

Ha, Joe! Any excuse to post a pic of the guns, huh?! Who knew astronomer geeks could also be meatheads?

Paulie, Guitar Hero is the closest I ever get to strummin' a real guitar. It would be interesting to hear if Jeremy play GH and what he thinks of it. I have heard some strummers b@tch about GH that it's harder to play than a real guitar. I have seen others pick up GH and play it like they've been playing their whole life.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Here's my story and I'm sticking to it....

For the longest, I had always wanted to play the guitar...electric specifically. But never had the time, money nor discipline. I did pick up a classic circa 1960's Gibson acoustic, but it never took.

After a bad breakup, I was free and needed diversions. Looking on-line, searched for a beginner package - something cheap. This way if I sucked, no big loss. After searching for a few days, I came across a Stratocaster knock-off. A low end electric just to see if I had any competence playing...

Package came with: Guitar, gig bag, cable, Instruction DVD, 10w Amp, tuner and some other stuff I forget about.

All for $49.00...!!!

I bought it, but did not expect much, after all...it's $49.00.

I was surprised on what I got. Not that I was any expert in guitars, but it felt solid, kept tune and sounded good, (to me). I was happy...

I used to take time out from working on the Chevelle when I first got it and played to oldies...

- Dig the Chevelle in primer and no mustache...!

One of my neighbors would stop by and help me out and was a guitar player himself. I used to ask him to play "D'yer Makr" for me...and he did...

Unfortunately, a short time after this pic was taken, he was found dead on the street from a seizure. I was saddened at his passing, as we had some good times with him teaching me some chording and he playing and singing.

(A month after his passing, I had my guitars on their stands, unplugged and alone. When I heard the high E plucked. I turned quickly to see what caused it, but no animal was around. I like to think it was he who did it... )

Slowly, I picked out notes on the guitar, by ear and playing along to tunes. I like surf music and spent some time trying to learn Ventures works. And it was therapeutic, helping me heal and building confidence of self worth.

After about a year, I was meandering about with it, developing bad playing habits and dirty techniques. With no discipline, I was starting to get dejected and felt I needed a teacher/structured lessons. Looking around, I came across the "Old Town School of Music"...and for $79.00, I got a few weeks of Rep 1 classroom lessons. That was fun. I learned chord play, and actually could play tunes. A lot of Folk-based music at Old Town and at the end of the course, they have all "graduates" from all classes perform with their classmates and my class even serenaded a Happy Birthday for me...



Good times...

I took a second class, Rep 2, but didn't get as much out of it as I did the first.

When I started there at Old Town, I was the only one with an electric, whilst all the others had acoustics. I did have this little practice amp...

...that plugs into the cable port on the guitar and sound decent. But later, I brought my Gibson acoustic to the remainder of the lessons.

I used that little portable practice amp often and was part of my very first clumsy guitar duo, just months from picking up a guitar.



That gig was lubricated by liquid spirits and car bomb shots...

Somewhere along the way, I lost some of the chording dexterity, but picked up the lead picking..and was better at it. And it was over a weekend that I stopped looking at my fingers and let my ear and hands take control of the playing. And like a switch that got activated, it was now from muscle memory that my goofy fingers started to land on or close to the proper spots on the fret.

Encouraged, I was on the look out for a more substantial portable amp that I could take with my to the garage or lake. I did play with a plug-in FM wireless set-up, and I used to use it in the car while working a night time security gig. It's fine, but I wanted beefier. Trying out the 10w amp that came with the guitar, hooked up with a inverter...it was better, but clumsy.

I came across this...

Crate Profiler Model 5 Amp Feature Set:
Stereo 2×4″ speakers
5-watts of power
8″ tall weighing less than 6lbs
Stereo DSP including Chorus, Flange, Wah and Tremolo
Separate Delay, Reverb and 3-band EQ
USB port for computer recording
Includes Mackie Tracktion 2 Recording Software for recording USB output
Carying handle
Headphone output mini-jack
CD/mp3 player input mini-jack
Powered by 9-volt battery or AC adapter

Again, for $49.00.

And I dig it bunches. All I wanted was a decent portable amp that sound good, but it came with a whole bunch of effects and is very sweet...and at only 5w, blows others away...as demonstrated by Jeremy at the above video.

Speaking of speaker amps....

Years ago, long before I ever thought about guitars, I found a large guitar amp in the alley, a Dean Markey one...

I quickly threw it in the Chevelle and later that evening plugged it in...but nothin'. It was dead. I played with the wiring, looked at the fuse, whiffed the insides for burnt components...but I couldn't find any thing wrong. And so, I hoisted it up to the attic and left it there for about 10 years. When I got the guitar pack and using the tinny 10w amp, it hit me suddenly that I have a larger amp upstairs. I brought it down to the workshop and again plugged it it...hoping that time alone would have fixed what was the matter with it. But no.

I was disappointed and again played around with it, this time with more interest. Nothing. I looked at the tube fuse again, and it looked ok, but I replaced it anyway......and it came to life!!!!

Plugging the guitar in, I now was bathed in fat thick sound from a larger speaker pushing air...

Sweet!

Now, not a Marshall, Orange or other high end amp, but I like it and the price was perfect...! And a lovely friend of mine saw these Beatle Plectrums and thought of me...

So I use now, the Crate, the Markey, the plug-in amp and sometimes...route through my surround system...

I also have some pedals, Chorus, flange etc....

I dig them, but the Crate amp does all of them well. I use them every once in awhile for a change and in the pic are also a Hush pedal to quite line noise/buzz and in the white box is the "Spot" system to power the pedals in a a/c daisy chain, as these things eat batteries insanely.

It's been a gas these past three years, and I find that I listen to music differently now...picking up and separating the different parts of the tune, rhythm, lead, bass and other layers - trying to play them. I still don't have the proper discipline and play all dirty-like - improper finger work and all. But I'm determined to play more proficiently and competently....slowing down and developing...just as long as it doesn't push out any astronomy...

My neighbors like to hang around in the garage when I mess around to tunes and bring me tributes in return, (booze, hot dogs, pie etc...). Even A lovely or two...

Only once have I taken the guitar on an observation session...

This was with C.A. Paulie, Hillary and Patrick for the Perseid meteor shower at our private spot.

On the 31st of December of 2010, I found hundreds of 45's outside my garage that some just left...a lot of R&B, oldies, Motown etc....

I played along to some disks...!

But, I'm having a hoot and great fun goofing around and finding fellow guitar players who tolerate me is always a treat...

And I have been following my favorite local Surf Band: The Cocktail Preachers/13 Tikis/Raygun. Slick surf and makes me smile...

Telescopes, Muscle cars and Guitars...I have had a blessed life.

[RobbW]

A story so nice you post it twice?!?!

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Ha...!

I thought 2x for our slower Astronomers.

(It was a glitch and removed.)

[RobbW]

Aug 16, 2011 13:11:09 GMT -6 Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe said:

(It was a glitch and removed.)

Great, thanks! Now my comment is going to look idiotic!!!

[jeremy]

Robb, that's a good question and I had wondered the same thing back when GH came out. I do have Guitar Hero, and I found it was awkward initially on the easier levels as it was a lot of single note licks that were strum slower than the original song. As an example it might only look for you to play every 4th note. I then found the harder levels easier because the left and right hand were more like how the original song would be played from a rhythm standpoint. You can't play chords on GH of course, and you only have 5 buttons when a guitar has 6 strings and 22-24 frets, but that's ok because it's a fun game! Point is it's always great to rock out whatever your instrument (GH, air guitar, guitar, tennis racquet, etc...)!

I love your story Joe on how you started, and your guitar journey so far. It has so many great elements, the best being that you keep coming back to it and taking your play to the next level. That's what it's all about! I'm looking forward to our next jam!

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Great, thanks! Now my comment is going to look idiotic!!!

Giggle... ;D