ALTERED STATES.....

[onewilyfool]

You know, I had a tough day at work today, and it is 6:30 and my wife is coming home late tonight.....so.......I had a couple of nice shots of tequilla.....nice brand Porto Vallarta....smooth. But I digress.....after a couple of shots, I picked up my trusty guitar and you know....I'm pretty good!!!! The question I am asking is this: Does alcohol actually improve one's playing, or is it all in the ear of the beholder????? I know this for SURE, if I go to an open mic, I will definitely loosen up the vocal chords with a little sniff.....I'm feeling pretty good now....so whatever your answers are, I'm sure I will agree with you....lol

[Acousticat]

I took a puff once, But didn't inhale or did I, It was the Sixties and I don't remember. What was the question?

[gearbasher]

Drinking and playing guitar are kinda like drinking and meeting women....there's a song about it, "She's Looking Better Every Beer".

More importantly, the more your audience drinks, the better you sound.

[Johnt]

But I digress.....after a couple of shots' date=' I picked up my trusty guitar and you know....I'm pretty good!!!! The question I am asking is this: Does alcohol actually improve one's playing, or is it all in the ear of the beholder????? I know this for SURE, if I go to an open mic, I will definitely loosen up the vocal chords with a little sniff.....I'm feeling pretty good now....so whatever your answers are, I'm sure I will agree with you....lol[/quote']

 

Don't drink too much or you may find yourself web camming and before you know it you've put yourself on U Tube/Myspace whatever, I am sure you'd still sound better than I ever would even if i played through a pitch shifter!

 

BUT you're right, few whiskies and I become James Taylor playing Ted Nugent and John McLaughlin's licks!

 

Then I sober up and it's back to 3 chords again!

 

Hell though it;s harmless!

 

I don't know what Sal was suggesting, smoking some sort of illegal substance?

 

No way I will admit to that he said (ACID)ly!!The 60s was all about forgettiing which is a bit of a ***** really because I know some good things happened!

 

As for open mic sessions....... well I see a mic and scarper! I used to be able to sing well but years of smoking,boozing and doing other things have ruined my voice and my taste buds.

 

But my fingers play on!

 

BR

 

John

[ksdaddy]

Haven't had a drink in 4-1/2 years but even when I had pure Colt 45 flowing in my veins (well, maybe a little blood too) I knew better that to pick up a guitar. I only THOUGHT I sounded better.

 

Last summer when I, a couple Doctors and other "experts" thought I had back problems I dipped into my wife's um.... "glaucoma medicine" and then tried to play guitar. What a joke. I tuned it for about 45 minutes, never did get it in tune. Spent the next hour watching tv nervously drumming my fingers and thinking there was someone at the door.

 

Guess I couldn't go back to 1975.

 

Yeah, side note to anyone who saw me gimping around at last year's Homecoming. The doctors were full of shavings. There's nothing wrong with my back other than it being made in 1960. I did my own research and it turns out I screwed up the piriformis muscle and it was pinching the sciatic nerve, making everyone think I had a screwed up back and I was on a downward spiral. So daily stretching excercises (aka Masochistic Pretzels) made it so I can walk normal. Two MRIs, many doctor visits, and far FAR too many narcotic, and about $10,000 pumped through my insurance company did nothing but make me walk with a cane and lose a year off my life (at least as it relates to actually DOING things).

 

This isn't the ksdaddy medical report and I had no intention of derailing, but I urge anyone to get a second and third opinion on anything wrong with them.

[nid2007]

I know exactly what your saying Wiley. LOL

 

and then after I'm done pretending to be Pete Townshend, I move over to the computer for some drunken downloads off itunes.

[guitarstrummer]

Interesting topic. My own observation is that you NEVER, let me repeat, NEVER EVER want to drink and then perform in front of a sober crowd. It makes it harder to duck when they start throwing things.

 

And ksdaddy, glad you got things sorted out. I know you were in a lot of pain at last year's Homecoming. In a way though, it could have been a blessing. After all, all the pain meds probably helped you ease the pain of your first ride on an airplane.

 

I've been going through a similar problem for the past six months and after seeing all the docs and spending all the money that you talked about (ever notice how the "specialists" keep getting more expensive, the higher up you go on the "specialist food chain"?), I still don't agree with their "diagnosis". I keep telling my wife that we won't know what's actaully wrong until after they do the autopsy. Unfortunately, I think they require you to be dead before doing one of those.

[TheLiveSoundGuy]

Speaking of altered states, why is it that herion tends to bring out the true artist in musicians?

[jannusguy]

nothing better than retiring to my dock after dinner with a bottle of wine and an herbal digestif to serenade the dolphins. if i should start to sing, they don't howl. i improvise some of my best instrumental stuff in this setting and then i promptly forget it. gotta get one those little tape recorder thingys. file under: happy.

[guitarstrummer]

Speaking of altered states' date=' why[i'] is it [/i]that herion tends to bring out the true artist in musicians?

 

 

Not sure what "herion" is. But, if you mean "Heroin", I'm not sure I agree. It might have something to do with the state of mind of the members of their audience ("Birds of a Feather flock together").

[TheLiveSoundGuy]

 

Not sure what "herion" is.

 

It's heroin for dyslecics.

 

Or the right handers who string their guitars left handed but play them right handed and upside down. Or the left handers who string their guitars left handed and play them right handed, or the guys who are ambidextrous, who play with their feet.

[guitarstrummer]

 

It's heroin for dyslecics.

 

Or the right handers who string their guitars left handed but play them right handed and upside down. Or the left handers who string their guitars left handed and play them right handed' date=' or the guys who are ambidextrous, who play with their feet.

 

[/quote']

[TheLiveSoundGuy]

Never touched it.

[Space Pup]

If it weren't for the copies of the police reports, I would have no memory of my 20's what so ever.

[ajsc]

I took a puff once but never "exhaled"

[Doc]

Hmmm,

 

I have a drink before almost every gig. Actually, playing country and drinking beer/whisky on stage simply go hand in hand.

 

However, I will say that whenever I catch older long-touring acts (e.g. Steve Earle), I've been noticing that they're always drinking Poland Spring.

 

Truth be told, whenever I go on tour, I'll always try to take a few nights off boozing. People always want to buy you drinks and it can get tough to turn them down. My golden rule is to stick to beer as much as possible.

 

I recently saw an interview with Kris Kristopherson where he said, "Hell, I've been doing this for years -- it's what I do -- so I guess I don't need to get drunk to do it."

 

That was a great documentary called "Naked Nashville"....anyone seen it?

[peiplayer]

I think experimentation with various substances is quite common for musicians and other artists and I have nothing against taking a snort of some kind before performing if you can do it. Some musicians seem to play best in this state, some don’t. I saw a performer recently so drunk he couldn’t stand up in fact he actually fell off the stage. An aide helped him up, find a seat, and passed a guitar to him. He then delivered just an awesome set taking another drink right in the middle of it. The aid came back out to help him off after it was over.

I’ve also read that Jimi Hendrix used to time his ingestion of LSD so that it would hit him right as he began his set. I can’t imagine what that must be like. Here’s a quote from a Dylan interview with Playboy when asked about music and grass:

 

DYLAN: Being a musician means-depending on how far you go-getting to the depths of where you are at. And most any musician would try anything to get to those depths, because playing music is an immediate thing-as opposed to putting paint on a canvas, which is a calculated thing. Your spirit flies when you are playing music. So, with music, you tend to look deeper and deeper inside yourself to find the music. That's why, I guess, grass was around those clubs. I know the whole scene has changed now; I mean, pot is almost a legal thing. But in the old days, it was just for a few people.

[onewilyfool]

You know, a lot of great things came out of the 60's and early 70's........I think.....

 

I remember getting high (in my mis-spent youth) listening to Hendrix and everyone commenting, "He must have really been stoned to play that!!!" Well, of course, it was US who were stoned....lol....

 

Yes, police reports are a great reminder of what we did in our 20's..... Just as my friend said, " I really knew when my relationships were over, by the restraining orders. Real completion......"

 

I agree with Mike......NEVER play in front of any crowd that is not drinking if you have been drinking.....lol.....Hopefully, THEY have been drinking MORE than the player....

[harmonicchaos]

whew i've had 4+ cups of strong coffee (didn't realise i had that many until i started feeling loopy. need to pay more attention to how much i drink) today. i think it's affecting my playing and not necessarily in a good way:-#

[Rollie LeBay]

Ever notice that you never hear anyone advocating having a good ether binge before taking the stage?

 

Uncle Buck

[jannusguy]

i remember seeing little feat on the waiting for columbus tour. lowell was so hammered they had to carry him off the stage halfway thru the show. the band soldiered on without him but i was disappointed. he was dead not long after. saw the stones once and keith was so tanked he was playing in an entirely different key from the rest of the band most of the time. at least it sounded that way to me. did 2 shows with eddie fisher (remember him?) he stank of scotch and weed the first show. his fly was open for the first three songs until i could get his band director's attention to let him know. something to be said for having your wits about you in front of a paying crowd.

[PetPeeves]

I've found that I limit myself when playing. I can't seem to get out of my own head, you know? So when I do have a shot of whatever, I tend to loosen up and play a little better. If I go beyond that it starts to work against me. My fingers just won't go where the hell I tell 'em to. Enjoy the tequila! Yummy.

[ballcorner]

Anything that relaxes people makes them play better, but the downside to a drink is that it often slows the tempo.

 

So, have a tequila, and use a click track that was set up when you were sober.

[TWilson]

In my misspent youth, I used to play a lot of pool. Couldn't shoot a lick stone sober but after about 2 beers was relaxed enough to shoot the shots without worrying about missing. That's when I played the best. If I had too many, crossed that line, I couldn't find my own butt with both hands and the pool magic was over. I find it's the same way with the guitar. Sip a couple beers or glass of wine and get a little loosened up and all is good. Too much and the fingers turn into kilbassas!

Note to ksdaddy-had the same experience with the piriformis muscle but my Doc caught it right away. It still took 6 months of therapy before it went away. Also had the MRI which was good as it exposed my abdominal aortic aneurysm and 2 illiac artery aneurysms. I have to hav CaT scans every six months to see if they are going to go Kapow like my G string. They haven't grown in 2 years, knock, knock on wood. Next CaT scan is May 20th. Sorry, back to the forum! lol

[jannusguy]

In my misspent youth' date=' I used to play a lot of pool. Couldn't shoot a lick stone sober but after about 2 beers was relaxed enough to shoot the shots without worrying about missing. That's when I played the best. If I had too many, crossed that line, I couldn't find my own butt with both hands and the pool magic was over. I find it's the same way with the guitar. Sip a couple beers or glass of wine and get a little loosened up and all is good. Too much and the fingers turn into kilbassas!

Note to ksdaddy-had the same experience with the piriformis muscle but my Doc caught it right away. It still took 6 months of therapy before it went away. Also had the MRI which was good as it exposed my abdominal aortic aneurysm and 2 illiac artery aneurysms. I have to hav CaT scans every six months to see if they are going to go Kapow like my G string. They haven't grown in 2 years, knock, knock on wood. Next CaT scan is May 20th. Sorry, back to the forum! lol [/size']

 

must be nice to have health ins.