I think I’m going to start doing guitar lessons again. I’ve gotten so busy with my job that I haven’t really had a lot of time for it, but I think I’m going to work something out. And I want to open up some options to do some lessons over video chat as well (Skype or iChat).
If you’d be interested in doing some guitar lessons (in-person or online) or learning/talking one-on-one about guitar tone and gear, email me at nathanwrightmusic [AT] gmail [DOT] com
At the end of the day, my “success” in music isn’t much, so my advice isn’t much. But I do feel like I’ve learned a lot along the way in my journey with the Lord and with music and I want to share that with you.
Have you ever looked back at something and knew you missed out on something huge? Ever thought about where you’d be today if you had made a different decision or seized that one opportunity? I haven’t “made it” in music, but I’ve had some potentially life-changing opportunities come up.
I start playing with a guy when he’s getting offers from different labels, but for some reason nothing ever falls into place. Someone calls me to play with them that could easily have me busy every week all over the country, but it’s not only up to us and those above in management can’t make it happen. Prior commitments prevent me from being able to play with them that one time they ask me and I’m never asked again. Someone else is just a better fit playing with them…then they get signed.
Everyone misses opportunities. I’m not the only one. And you aren’t either. And considering where I’m at now, it’s obvious that none of those have worked out.
I’m grateful for that.
Really digging these new music previews from The Digital Age.
These guys have been part of the David Crowder Band for years and now that they’ve called it quits, these guys have been building a studio and are now making music again. And wow…it’s great!
Check it out here!
Sometimes people will ask me something like, “how do I make it in music?” or tell me “I want to do this for a career, but don’t know how.” I’m always humbled by comments like those, because I have no idea why they’re asking me! I honestly can’t say that I’ve “made it” or even know how!
I remember being a senior in high school and writing on Xanga (yes, remember Xanga? about how I had finally figured out what I wanted to do with my life. Remember, I played guitar in middle & high school, but really just acoustic and really only at my church and my school’s praise bands. I liked music, but wasn’t really doing anything with it. My senior year, I decided to quit sports (which I had always done and was kind of known for doing) and focus on music. I had started a band that would eventually become Six Piece Suit and really wanted to focus on finding other guys to play with us and starting to get around. I started working on playing electric some then too.
I remember sitting at my family’s desktop and posting to Xanga this post:
“It’s so clear…I want to do music for the rest of my life. I want to tour around the country playing and leading others in worship. I don’t want to do anything but serve the Lord and play music…why wouldn’t I do this?”
I had no idea what that necessarily meant. Or that I’d be posting this 6 years later. In some ways, I’ve been able to do this on a much smaller scale. Of course you always want things to last longer, be more successful, but it’s pretty cool to see God’s faithfulness in that because that’s the only way I can look back and smile about this.
But I haven’t “made it” in music. I am not signed to a label or playing enough to support my family on any of that income. If I was honest, I’ve had a few potentially life-changing opportunities that have just fallen through…one of which happened in the last month…
To Be Continued:
Check Out “[Part 2]: A Missed Opportunity” Coming Soon…
A couple of months ago, I asked about the newer Deluxe Memory Man with Tap Tempo pedals Electro Harmonix was making. From my last post, you can see that I decided to get one myself. I love it. Amazing sounding delay and now with tap. The only issue is that they’re hard to find and get a hold of and they’re a little more expensive.
Well apparently EHX has answered with a new version called the Deluxe Memory Man Tap Tempo 550. It’s essentially the new blue DMM they started making last year that I have (which they have now titled the Deluxe Memory Man Tap Tempo 1100), but has less delay time since the NOS IC’s are harder to come by. It’s still using some NOS IC’s, just not the same as the 1100′s. And they’re green…which is kind of weird, but kind of cool. I like it.
One of the dealers I use a lot has some of these in stock and they are cheaper than the 1100 as well. Hopefully this will be a good alternative to the harder-to-find and more expensive DMM-TT 1100.
So I’d be interested in hearing how anyone who grabs one likes it and how it compares in sound to the 1100. Leave a comment and let me know! I may have to have some Deluxe Memory MEN.
Now that my pedalboard has been like this for 6 months, I’m finally updating it on here…sorry guys!
Here’s my current pedalboard. It’s a Pedaltrain PT-3…a little bigger than a PT-2, but smaller than a PT-Pro or my old Showcase board. Most of the pedals are the same ones I’ve been using, just missing out on a few. I did get a Deluxe Memory Man with tap tempo…sounds dreamy.
The weirdest thing about this board is all the delays really. I know delay is “the thing”, but here’s how I’m using it:
Anyways, that’s what I’m running and doing now.
James Duke plays with John Mark McMillan, ALL THE BRIGHT LIGHTS and does a lot of studio stuff for a lot of people. I really do not need to write this blog, because James has his own blog and talks about his gear on there…and he probably knows a lot more about his stuff than I do. So read James’ blog…it’s full of all kinds of treats.
This is what James is playing through around February-March 2012. Here’s the pedals (not certain on the signal chain):
He also uses a Micro POG, Walrus Audio Deep Six Compressor or Kent Pedals TRANNY boost sometimes. James’ board is a Pedaltrain PT-3 put together by Motley Customs and made with Voodoo Lab supplies and Lava cables.
James plays a Revelator S (Strat), an American Strat, a ’52 reissue Tele, a ’66 Mustang and a Gretsch Anniversary Hollowbody. He mainly plays through Matchless Chieftain and a Trainwreck Rocket Clone.
For more on James’ gear, check out this post on his blog. Here’s a demo video Travis from Motley Customs made of James playing:
My friend, Austin at Pursuit Custom Audio, sent me a message a few weeks ago to tell me about something he’s been working on. It’s called the IC-1 and it’s an isolation cabinet.
We’ve all experienced a time when we’ve been told to turn down our amp. It happened to me last weekend at a church we were leading at. Sound guy tells me I’m not in the house much because it’s too loud on stage, but he doesn’t understand that I don’t have a master volume switch and I’m compromising my tone. Neither of us can win.
We’ve all been there. You can try to put the amp backstage, in a closet or a cool soundproofed box with insulation all over, but if it’s not there or available…it’s a tough place to be. That’s why I love the idea behind this IC-1.
It’s an isolation box…and a cab. Simply run your speaker cable to it, plug in, mount the mic inside, shut it and go. It’s got a mic clip and mount, jacks for you to plug in your speaker cable, and XLR, pyramid foam for insulation, and even a speaker included (Eminence Private Jack…I’ve had one before and liked it, especially for the price!). You don’t even have to have a head to use this cab, you can run it from your combo out of the speaker jack! And the best part is that it’s portable. You don’t have to be at church, but anywhere you go, you can have this with you and not compromise that tone you need and desire.
This seems like a no-brainer and easy winner for anyone who is tired of having this volume problem and having to compromise tone. Check out Pursuit Custom Audio’s IC-1 Isolation Cab!
So I read these books over the weekend about the rapture called Left Beh…
just kidding…had to do that with a title like that one!
Seriously though, I played with Chris Orr outside of Birmingham this weekend and it was a great weekend. Ty was back playing keys with us (first time out on the road since we’ve started working together) and my brother, Avery, played drums too. It was a great weekend. It rained most of Saturday and Sunday, and we were ready to get home after the Sunday morning services. We tore down quickly and got everything by the door to wait for the trailer to be pulled up. Then it happened…
We were going for a record time of packing the trailer. I think we got it all out of the church and into the trailer in three minutes. I was the one packing in the trailer nicely and a few others were bringing the gear out. I got the Duesenberg, but someone must have overlooked my Tele in my Incase case.
We got the phone call when we were probably 45 minutes or so down the road and had just finished lunch. We could’ve gone back but Chris had to go back in the next few weeks anyways and I could make due with the Duesenberg. I tweeted asking if anyone was able to bring it from Birmingham to Atlanta and I had quite a few responses. So hopefully my friend Michael will bring it back to me tonight.
It’s not that I didn’t have it and thought I wouldn’t get it back…it was the fact that it was left that made me feel so bad. Almost like leaving a kid somewhere. You may get them back perfectly fine, but YOU still left them.
Am I the only one who has left a guitar or piece of gear behind?
