Day 221 - My Guitar

I picked it up second hand at a local music store. The pickups died about a year later. So I replaced the pickups with Seymour Duncan Hot Rails, and a Blues Humbucker. It was the first time I ever replaced my pickups, so I configured them to use a 3 way switch that turned each one off, play in parallel, or serial. All which produce different tones.

I began playing guitar when I was 16 (amazing where 25 years goes) on my Uncle's Martin acoustic guitar. Playing late at night was no easy task. I used to put pillows at the bottom of my door and strum very very softly. :) Eventually, after some late night discussions, I asked my mom to help me pick out an electric guitar, which I could play with headphones at night, and power up the amp by day... >:)

A few years earlier when I was 12, I was teaching myself to play my Mom's little Baldwin Fun Machine organ. I found myself playing songs, and eventually writing small melodies. One of my first songs I learned to play was Auld Lang Syne, which I played for my 3rd grade music class. I always liked that melody.

This eventually led to me playing the electric pianos at stores while my mom shopped. She'd plop me by the keyboards and I'd play and play. When I was older, I was at a Target in LA (missing my keyboard at home) and stopped by to maybe play a bit. After a bit, there was a group of people looking at the pianos. The salesclerk smiled. I guess I must of been good for business. :)

When I wasn't programming, I was writing music and learning and playing the keyboard. I eventually took the plunge and bought a Yamaha V50 with a built in drum machine and sequencer. It had 16 bit sound sampling and was amazing. The drum machine, although not advanced, did help me improve my timing, so much I picked up my guitar and started playing and never stopped.

Today I still love to play guitar. Just about every night, I find the time to play an hour or more. Its amazing how I can get lost in playing. When I look up at the clock and notice 2, 3 even sometimes 5 hours just disappear.

I find the same happening with photography. I just lose myself in it, because I love doing it so much.

Sept 27 2008

Day 221 - My Guitar

I picked it up second hand at a local music store. The pickups died about a year later. So I replaced the pickups with Seymour Duncan Hot Rails, and a Blues Humbucker. It was the first time I ever replaced my pickups, so I configured them to use a 3 way switch that turned each one off, play in parallel, or serial. All which produce different tones.

I began playing guitar when I was 16 (amazing where 25 years goes) on my Uncle's Martin acoustic guitar. Playing late at night was no easy task. I used to put pillows at the bottom of my door and strum very very softly. :) Eventually, after some late night discussions, I asked my mom to help me pick out an electric guitar, which I could play with headphones at night, and power up the amp by day... >:)

A few years earlier when I was 12, I was teaching myself to play my Mom's little Baldwin Fun Machine organ. I found myself playing songs, and eventually writing small melodies. One of my first songs I learned to play was Auld Lang Syne, which I played for my 3rd grade music class. I always liked that melody.

This eventually led to me playing the electric pianos at stores while my mom shopped. She'd plop me by the keyboards and I'd play and play. When I was older, I was at a Target in LA (missing my keyboard at home) and stopped by to maybe play a bit. After a bit, there was a group of people looking at the pianos. The salesclerk smiled. I guess I must of been good for business. :)

When I wasn't programming, I was writing music and learning and playing the keyboard. I eventually took the plunge and bought a Yamaha V50 with a built in drum machine and sequencer. It had 16 bit sound sampling and was amazing. The drum machine, although not advanced, did help me improve my timing, so much I picked up my guitar and started playing and never stopped.

Today I still love to play guitar. Just about every night, I find the time to play an hour or more. Its amazing how I can get lost in playing. When I look up at the clock and notice 2, 3 even sometimes 5 hours just disappear.

I find the same happening with photography. I just lose myself in it, because I love doing it so much.

Sept 27 2008