Connecting People Musically

In the world today, it seems like there are many things that divide people. People are divided over which sports team is the best. Other people are divided over which political party or politician offers the best hope. Different languages and dialects can prove to be challenging when communication is needed in a number of countries. Although there is division, one of the best forms of connecting people is through music.

As My Guitar Lies Bleeding in my Arms

Music... poetry without any words

Hey there. I love music. I've always been into music since as far back as I can remember. From my early days playing on a recorder to my later years jamming on a guitar. I strongly believe that music can transcend words.  A beautifully crafted piece of music can saw much, much more than any words can.  As a kid, I would spend more than enough time playing the recorder.  I still remember how to play the thing too.  lol  That seed led to me play more instruments throughout my years:  flute, trumpet, keyboard, bass, guitar...  When I was feeling a little upbeat, I would grab the flute and play.  When I was feeling tense, I would grab my guitar and play.  Guitar...  I'm particularly proud of being to play guitar.  Not because it's "cool" or anything of that sort, but because it was a new instrument for me to learn to play.  The guitar that I learned on  was a 20 fret Fender Stratocaster that was gifted to me by my uncle from Minnesota (which I, in turned, gifted to my son).  Soon after, I picked up an "easy" to learn guitar book with Metallica songs in it and got to work.

The Day I Became a Flute Player

Hey there.  This weekend, while I was relaxing at home, I decided to play some music.  Not on the iPod or radio, but play a musical instrument.  Most of you already know that I play guitar.  I have both an acoustic guitar and an electric guitar.  Both are pretty special to me.  The acoustic was given to me by wife (girlfriend at the time she gave it to me) and my electric is a Kirk Hammet "Skully" (KH-602) guitar.  But I'm not here to talk about guitar, I'm here to talk about my flute playing.  That's right, I play flute.  From time to time, I managed to eek out some time to play.  Last weekend was one of those times.  I grabbed the book that I would practice out of in JR. high and high school and test out my skills.  No doubt that they've diminshed some, but after 18 years of first picking up the instrument, they have yet to completely erode.

Felt Good to Pick Up My Axe

Hey there. I own a Kirk Hammett 602 guitar (KH-602 or "Skully" as Kirk likes to call it) and I haven't given it much justice as of late. I got it many, many moons ago at the Marshall store in Hollywood. The one right across the street from Guitar Center. I remember walking in and checking out the gear and fell in love with it. Felt good, felt great playing. I asked the clerk for a cable so that I can check it out. He did and after a few minutes of me playing some Metallica stuff, the clerk hooked up next to me and we jammed some songs together. After a good 30 min jam session (we were basically the only ones in the store) he asked if I was interested in taking it. Typical sales guy, pretends to be your homie then gets you buy something. I told him that the $1200 price tag was way out of my reach. Love the guitar, just not the price. He then revealed to me that he's is the owner of the store and because I'm a "cool guy" he'd give it to me for $700 and throw in a guitar case. Did this guy practically slash the price in half?!?!?!!? Instead of me pouncing on the deal, I was being a geek and asked him if he was sure about that. The guy practically said that he owns everything in the store and it's really up to him to decide how much he wants to sell things so he said it was more than cool. Needless to say, I took it. I'll never forget that guy for hooking me up. Thanks to you, owner of the Marshall store. You're one bad ass guy.