btoth76 Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 Hello! This Tuesday I attended the Guitar Clinics event with Gus G in Budapest. It was very nice. One and a half hour with three other pupils, and Him... To my surprise, Gus is a very nice person: down to earth, no eccentric habits. Professional, yet humble. The other guys did not speak English well enough, or - probably - they were too shy. On the other hand, I was rather talkative - trying to avoid playing in front of Him. :D Anyways I did, as He asked us. He pointed out to focus more on my picking hand, as it seems slower than my fretting hand. He also, recommended some things to practice which will help. He took us very seriously, listened quietly and answered our questions. Despite of the fact that His genre is too harsh for me, I have to say He is a brilliant, flawless, and very open-minded musician. He showed us some rapid shredding when we asked about it, then, - the very next moment - He was playing jazz without ever hitting a wrong note. The other surprising thing for me was, how less He cares about the instrument itself. I have asked about His setup preferences, action and such. It seemed, that He wasn't really aware of these things. Even His no.1. seemed to be a very basic, stripped-down ESP with chunky neck profile with a volute. The only thing He was caring for, are the pickups. SD Blackouts, with built-in 20db boost function. It sounded super-hot. He was playing through a small Blackstar practice amp, with gain at 10. Just by turning down the volume pot, His guitar cleaned up so nicely that He could play some nice jazzy chord progressions on it. I was curious about His picking technique. He said, that it is essential to pick from the wrist and never from elbow. And He demonstrated it quickly. Then, I pointed out, that He wasn't picking from the wrist, rather His thumb and index fingers holding the pick were moving. He seemed very surprised, started to play again while looking at His own hands. Then He looked up and said: "Indeed!" and we laughed. It was a very nice evening. Big thanks to Gus, and shop "Mezzoforte" in Budapest. I hope, the shop will upload the pics they took, and I can share them here. Cheers... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the dog Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 sounded like fun.....I'm envious..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 hey Bence, excellent report on the Clinic. It's pretty amazing that once you meet some of these heavy hitters, you find they are very humble people and it's not uncommon that some of the greatest players no squat about the gear they use, nor do they care what they look like. they are tools to them, that's it. Good for you on going, and take it slow with absorbing what you got out of the clinic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted October 22, 2015 Author Share Posted October 22, 2015 Thank You, Ray! I am still absorbing the things I have heard and seen. I feel, it was very fruitful as I am looking at some of the things from a different perspective now. Like accuracy, and quality of playing. He was also seriously emphasizing the must of learning theory. He has frightening skills, still He wasn't showing signs of a big ego. He talked to us in very friendly manner. He never smiled at us, while we were trying to replay some of the licks He showed us. Cheers... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 sounds like Gus G is a great guy, and he can play.. that's for sure.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted October 28, 2015 Author Share Posted October 28, 2015 Hello! Got some pictures from the shop. You can clearly see who is the misfit there: that's me. :D The video of the mini concert after the guitar clinic: Cheers... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveinspain Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. C.O. Jones Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 Misfit? Why, is it because you have the nicest guitar in the room? Anyway, thanks a lot Bence! Really enjoyed that video, it would have been difficult for me to sit/stand still while he was playing. What an inspiration, can't wait to get home and switch on my dirty channel. Looks like you guys had a great time with Gus, very cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted October 28, 2015 Author Share Posted October 28, 2015 Thank You, Marcos. It was indeed a big fun. I started to practice with a metronome, according to His suggestion. Will see how it will help with the synchronization of hands. Well, I was the odd guy there. Gus asked: "Are there any metalheads?". All the guys raised their hands, except for me. "Ah so, You aren't a metal fan..." - He said to me. Later, He asked whether we like the Beatles. Same situation. He turned to me and said: "I almost started to like You" :D Cheers... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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