Tell me about...

[songsmith]

... the person who's given you the most or best advice about your career in music.
I like to give advice, I don't want people to have to learn the way I usually do, and if they appreciate it, it makes me feel pretty good. I've also gotten lots of good advice from people over the years that really truly helped me.

Who gave you the best advice?
--->JMS

[Colton]

... the person who's given you the most or best advice about your career in music.
I like to give advice, I don't want people to have to learn the way I usually do, and if they appreciate it, it makes me feel pretty good. I've also gotten lots of good advice from people over the years that really truly helped me.

Who gave you the best advice?
--->JMS

I'll be the first to hop on this one.


1. Felix Kos
This man has taught me more things about playing than I ever thought was possible. Structure, keys, and riffs were a pretty big part of it, but theres so much more to the blues than knowing what notes to hit. I can't even start to tell you what he's taught me. I'd have a bigger book series than Encyclopedia Britannica. I owe this man damn near everything, and I'm not real sure any of his advice was ever 'spoken', and we've never even 'sat down' together. I remember the first time this man ever put me 'on the spot'. That's a story.

2. Pat McGinnis.
Everytime I've seen this guy (except last week, maybe since I asked) he has had a good story/lesson/or just plain something smart to say. Thanks for the 1/5/4 pat. 'Grab the bull by the balls...' that was a good one.... Now onto the 'zen'
(See: PMAC on Rockpage)

3. Thunderfoot (Bob, Hurricane), and a million other people are on this list. I'm afraid to keep going.

[felix'apprentice]

Wow. Hmm ..

Probably the thing that sticks out most in my mind was one night at the Trackside i was about to play and i completely froze. I couldn't even remember what i was doing. And Chris Myers came up to me and said, Kayla, is this what you love to do (play guitar) and im like well ya, he says well just do it then and forgot about everyone else in the room. Soon after i was fine.

Id have to say also that i've learned a lot just watching Felix Kos play. Dudes amazing, and hes showed me some pretty neat stuff - showed me how to play simple man the first night i met him ... and he gave me some guitar lessons on a beer bottle

And I have to give mad props to the fellas at the music emporium - everytime i go in with a clueless look and a problem they hook me up and show me what to do.

So many great people in the local music scene. I will take any advice i can get. Its great when people you look up to will take the time and show you something and give you advice. From my aspect, ive only be on the local scene a few months and its been the time of my life and i dont want it to change anytime soon.

Ok im done. lol

- kayla

[BT]

Steve Oswalt... he's a big reason why I started doing what I'm doing.

[BDR]

I've mentioned it different times here over the years, but the OP really pushed me toward what I'm doing now as far as live performance goes. I've always had the itch as Johnny will tell you, I never turned down an opportunity to jump up on his stages back in the late 80s/early 90s to offer backing vocals. What a rush that was. He showed me in my early days how to command an audience — self-confidence is 99 percent of it. Of course, you have to be able to throw down and stuff, but even if you've mastered your instrument, if you can't pull it off on stage in front of people and blow their hair back a little each time, you won't hang. There's too many other bands out there and people can easily forget about you. You gotta give them something extra and he showed me a long time ago what that "extra" was.

Since then, over the past several years, I've watch him offering sage advice here on Rockpage to young up and comers and the funny thing is, i am still learning from this dude. You rock, my friend.

Aside from that, there are a lot of knowledgable cats on this site with years and years of experience. It's not a rare occurrence that something's said here that strikes a chord with me. What a resource for 21st century musicians. Rockpage is, simply put, a roomful of the region's most experienced and accomplished musicians, each with his or her own war stories to tell and lessons to teach. All you have to do is pay attention. Where else can you get this kind of support? Nowhere.

r:>)

[Feelgood]

I've learned along the way. Though some of the best advice I received would have been from the touring manager of Soilwork one night in Cleveland while on their tour bus. I got to sit and bs with him for a couple hours and gained some perspective.

Other than that, I live by my own advice which is never stop having fun. When we all start playing music it is all new, exciting and fun. Our first bands are jokes but we love it more than anything. Each show is a new chance to have fun with friends. There is a subtle innocence to it all. The day I lose that same fun and excitement, I will be playing music for the wrong reason and will quit. That's my own advice for myself.

[UncleScabby]

Zilly - "Turn off that bass overdrive or I'm not even gonna run you through the PA." I never plugged it in again. Thank you Zilly.

[DirtySanchez]

I can't even begin to nail this one. I learn something from every musician I talk to. Beginner to seasoned vet, there is always something. Every live show I see teaches me something no matter what genre/style. I always observe. Observation has probably taught me more than any advice.
I definitely got a ton of good advice here on Rockpage too. Especially about recording. (I'd say Chad Straw gave me the best advice about that.) I've even learned a lot from seeing some horrible bands/frontpeople over the years. I learned what not to do

[BDR]

I've even learned a lot from seeing some horrible bands/frontpeople over the years. I learned what not to do

These are probably some of the best lessons you'll learn from an observation standpoint.

Yeah, before I ever took the stage with my first "gigging" band, I spent a solid two years, three or four nights a week, studying other people's stages. There were many times where I said to myself, "I will never do that."

Since I started gigging, I've seen a lot of people who were "just spectators" and later were firing up their own projects. Kitty Whip Dawn is one that comes to mind. She came to a lot of our shows over the years before getting the Whip rolling and now they're in the thick of it.

Hope we helped in some way.

r:>)

[JackANSI]

You kinda take a piece of the puzzle from everyone you meet.

Biggest influences on how I play now are:

Andy Beasom, drummer in the ska band I was in. Learned timing, space, and budgeting notes.

Chuck Rainey, bassist for all kinds of acts. I learned the meaning of groove from him.

And Richard Bona and the Wooten brothers. You can make emotions with music alone.

[songsmith]

Felix helped me out a lot over the years... I learned a lot about improvisation by watching him. I came from the metal arena, where instrumentalists largely play the same thing everytime to keep it all on the same page. Jamming with him and the boys is an education in connecting with the music and letting it go where it will. I've only had very short sit-downs with him showing me little licks, and I still play every single one of those licks. If he shows you something, pay close attention, you'll be using it down the road.
Another guy who really affected me is Jim Mosey, local guitarist who's been in bands almost as long as I've been alive. He taught me how to manage a career so that it lasts, and lots of little tidbits about playing local gigs that I've counted on tremendously. He also did selfless things, like buying whatever crappy instrument I was selling, because he knew I would not eat that day if he didn't. He's one of those guys who lived it.
Steve Koehle is my tech guru, I learned more about sound and the electronics that make it and reinforce it from him than any other source. Zilly's a close second.
I've picked a few famous brains, too. Conway Twitty, one of the most successful performers in country music history, sat with me and told me to maintain my upper vocal range, as he had seen fellow legends reduced to mere shadows as they aged, because they didn't challenge themselves vocally. Vince Gill encouraged me to look at accolades and popularity with a jaded eye, that those things are the icing, not the cake.
In the bluegrass thing, the members of the Hillbilly Gypsies have been invaluable in lighting the way to "the next level." It's really cool to have access to someone playing a step or two up from where we are. Denny Cerully also helped me tie into the past to help point where I want to go.

I could literally name names all day long, but I have mixdowns to do, so, off I go!--->JMS

[RobTheDrummer]

Andy Beasom, drummer in the ska band I was in. Learned timing, space, and budgeting notes.

Me and Andy were always in district and regional band together in High School, that's cool man, haven't heard of him in years!

Anyway, I have many influences. It's really hard to name them without leaving someone out. My earliest was my first teacher Jason Burkle, he's the reason that I wanted to be good! Going to punk shows at the YWCA, always watched the drummers. That was definitely an inspiration, my favorite was always Coinmonster, Dave is the shit!

In recent times, there are many drummers that have influenced me. One of the biggest has definitely been Bill Hocherl. Every time I talk to Bill, I learn something about drumming, myself, and about life. We may not agree all the time, but just being around the man, it has made me a better person. Pretty much learned from most of the drummers on here at one point or another. Every time you see a drummer, you can pick something up, or learn something new....that's another thing I learned from Bill.

Always remember, you are constantly picking up new influences all the time. That's what is so great about music, the fact that it never gets old, it never dies. The passion is forever, even our loved ones of past still teach us lessons. Never forget that.

[rickw]

Best advice has come from the musicians I've played with along the way. Pearls of wisdom every one. Like "don't get out of the van tiill it stops dumbass" and " lose the girl, we gotta pack up".

Really, the musicians. But one time a long time ago (age 18), I didn't know where I was heading at all. Girlfriend at the time said to keep playing and singing always. Advice taken.

[rickw]

wtf? I have no idea how I got the emoticon in there! Age 18.

[RamRod 1]

It wasn't my parents. They hated my guitar but I fixed them. I quit college and went on the road. LOL!

[Banned]

"Steve, man just do it. Go with what you know and do it"
~ B. Stotler
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Do or do not, there is no try
~ Yoda
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[MOONDOGGY]

Best advice I ever got was from Fat Vinny (RIP).

At the first Rockpage benefit at Peter C's, I was 'forced' to go up during a blues jam. I was brought up on classic rock and blues. My father, brother, and I always jammed in A. It's moronic to think that I couldn't do a simple blues jam in E, which is what they did at this benefit show. I butchered a simple 12 bar blues and sweat that 15 minutes of shame more than any other bass experience.

I later went up and played a few Dream Theater songs that I had been practicing for weeks with my brother, Rob B, Harold H, and Troy E. I thought this part of it went fairly well. (At the time, DT was the ONLY music I listened to.)

Afterward, Vinny said to me, "How come you can play that fast stuff, but you can't play something as simple as the blues in a key that you're not used to?" He then proceeded to tell me the best advice I ever got:

"Start listening to ALL music. Listen to music you hate. Get out your mom and dad's old albums, and listen and learn every type of music you can."

It was a slow process and I still have trouble listening to some country, hiphop, and pop rock music, but he was exactly right. The more versatile you can make yourself, the better you'll be.

Thanks Vinny!!!!

[ToonaRockGuy]

I remember that Rockpage jam, Moondoggy. You did look rather uncomfortable during the jam, I was on drums for that one. I remember talking to you a bit kind of in that same vein, without the advice, but I was also amazed that you could play DT, but struggled with just grooving the blues. It's good that you took Eric's advice, he was a hell of a man.

For me, my best stuff came from talking with Felix about music, playing alongside John McKnight, and both playing with and watching Bobby Watters. Felix really taught me over the years that less is more, especially after playing with John, who has chops for days. Bob is such a tasty player that every time I see him play, I can grab something new from it.

Most of my learning comes from playing with kickass bass players. Over the years, I've had the awesome honor of playing with some of the best that the area has to offer, including Jeff Clapper (Hurricanes), Billy Nusom (Banditos), Paul Rainey (Bad Daze), Tim from Hair Force One, and Robert Port (Scream). They all have one thing in common: even though the styles are all different, each and every one of them has a pocket big enough to park a Mack truck in, which makes my job easier, and it's taught me to just roll with it and groove my ass off.

[bassist_25]

"Don't play for praise" - my father.

I was a freshman in high school, trying to stake out my own personal identity at the time when he offered that advice. What he meant was that if I play just for the satisfaction that it makes people love me, I'm going to be left disappointed. I have to play for the love of music.

I've recieved all kinds of music advice throughout the years, from "Don't noodle on stage between songs" to "Be tasteful; less is more" to "Tritone substitutions are a great way reharmonize twelve-bar progression forms." But that simple advice that my dad gave me is what has helped maintain my sanity in this crazified business. It's been very helpful when I lose sight about why I picked up an instrument in the first place.

[MOONDOGGY]

That's pretty well put Paul.

I got similar non-spoken advice from my brother in our early years of music. We both started, like most, on Metallica. When most of my brother's guitar player friends were getting more and more into mainstream music that would please the ears of the masses, he fell in love with Satch, Vai, and DT. For whatever reason, he loved the fact that he had to lock himself in his room for 6 hours a time just so he could master one little lick. He liked the challenge, and it came across to me that he always played to get better, not to impress his friends or the ladies.

Being the younger brother, I just followed suit, not really realizing that it made me work the same amount (almost) to get 'good' and not popular.