Re: WELLXV: Cat's foot, Iron Claw...Mincer's well is open for all
Here's the obvious one:
-You're pretty much the forum guy for not wanting to sound like classic rock/blues/metal. How weird do you find it being on a forum where 'classic' is the norm and there isn't much focus on innovation? is being the odd guy out with a different viewpoint part of the attraction? -Similar, perhaps, to David Torn's presence on The Gear Page?
-What's the weirdest noise you've made with a guitar?
-You're a music shop guy, right? -tell us some stories about customer lameness...and greatness.
-Where does the name Mincer come from? -do you realise what it means in England?
-Are there any particular approaches or ways of thinking about the instrument that have helped you keep away from the 'classic blues/rock/metal' rut?
-dig Reeves Gabrels?
Wow, a lot on the first one...
OK, lets see...the fact that something is classic never bothered me, however, when that is taken as 'the only possible way', be it from guitarists, magazines or manufacturers, then I put my tin foil hat on and ranting about it. Lots of people play guitar to replicate what came before. That is cool, and they probably do it a lot better than I can. Why do people start playing at the 5th fret when they hear a blues in A? Because it sounds good- I don't think the intention there is create 'art' in a sense. It is to re-create a feeling, a memory, a tone..something that compares it to something else that guitarist has experienced before. For me, though, it presents an opportunity for creation. Now, I might not come up with earth shattering licks, baby, but I am gonna jump off the cliff anyway.
Again, this is my personal approach to guitar playing and it works for me. I have no problem with anyone else's apporach and the great thing about music is that we can choose not to listen.
As far as it being fun being the odd man out, well, I probably lost gigs this way...but also got a lot more than I lost because of it. Reading David Torn's writings on the Gear Page, he is really respected there, because of his previous reputation. However, I don't think most of the people over there actually own or listen to him on a regular basis..I do, however...he's an odd guy.
Weird noise? Um, I don't really use guitar itself for weird noises...my pedal collection is pretty standard. I am more likely to trigger a softsynth with guitar..something that really doesn't resemble guitar at all. I tend to use synth and looping to do the weirdness, although its fun to play with 20 second reverbs, lots of delay, an eBow and a volume pedal.
I do work in a music store, but I teach. I avoid customers. For one, I don't want to seem like I am 'pushing' gear to people- I don't get paid for that, and it is dishonest. Also, I really don't care to debate the merits of steel bent saddles vs solid modern ones. So, I stay in my room, practice, read and listen to music while I wait for students. Some absolute lameness though happens when company reps come to the store and try to 'sell' the owners on new gear. Watching the Fender guy try to sell the new Am Std series being more expensive and 'really innovative' was pretty funny.
As far as the name Mincer- yes, I know, but I live in the US, so I don't care. The story is, it was my cat's name, taken from a King Crimson song. The cat I had for 12 years and was one of my best friends ever. He was awesome, so it is a small tribute.
As far as approaches to break out of things...yes. Be aware. All the time. Don't rely on muscle memory. Your brain is more powerful than your hands, and you can make the decision to play blues in A at the 1st fret, or the 7th...yeah, it will sound odd and all the patterns we love don't work. So you have to be aware and choose your notes wisely. If we limit ourselves to the unfamiliar, eventually, we accomplish 2 things: we suddenly don't sound like everyone else and we realize it isn't as scary as we thought it would be.
As far as Reeves goes, he gets bonus points for using Steinbergers. He isn't as 'out there' as David Torn, and his tone isn't as good, but I certainly applaud him for being himself.
