Remember that Monty Python episode?
Well, Last week, in prep for my job with the Topics (my guitar lesson, really) ... I spent hours setting up and tweaking presets in my Line Six JTV Variaxe guitar so I could fill in the right chords in the more difficult arrangements that this keyboard man plays ... it's tough when 2 musicians are playing chords at the same time - it's tricky to decide what range, octave, inversion etc. So, I get some really helpful patches set up that have built in detunings for harder guitar keys, and even a few patches with 4 or five strings only to help me finger the jazz chords that involve lots of string muting. (new for me).
Well, the best laid plans ... When I got to work, the battery in my guitar was dead! Grrrr - I had to use the traditional magnetic pickups and lost all my edits for the night. Whew - what a nightmare at first. Thinking on a fretboard doesn't come second nature to me, unless it's a full chord, solo type arrangement .. totally inappropriate for this band. So, instead of coasting my way into the hearts and ears of our dance crowd (which was a packed house), I had to manually shift a six speed strat to weave in and out of the (small) spaces that the keys left me. Not an easy task, but I simplified my approach, concentrated on my vocals and we had a great night.

Last night .. I was back as a soloist and a HUGE sigh of comfortable relief came over me. I love working with the guys, but I'm the rookie in the band, so it's more work than play. I plan to rehearse a few times before our Valentines Day show so I can enjoy myself instead of sweating red, heart-shaped bullets!

I'm not one to whine about a paying job, but after 40+ years of comfort ... it's weird to have to struggle. Maybe it builds character ... who knows?

Boo, Russ, you'd have been proud of me - no capos, no trick modeled sounds ... just 4 fingers on six strings. (Well, sometimes nine fingers, when I finger picked the right hand)

Thanx for letting me vent. I gotta go practice now!