It is friendlier Russ, and the topics are about music, and our experiences with it, and how it fits in with arrangers and their peripherals.

It's the way SZ should be.

How's the arm/hand doing?

Ian

Ian, I'm pretty much out of jazz guitar...my main love. Can't feel much in my left hand, and what I feel is pain...lots of pain. There is an operation, which would eliminate the pain but could cost me speed and strength.

I have to watch my left hand carefully, since the feel of the strings or keys isn't there. No more "autopilot"!

I'm about brave enough to record a tune or two, to see if I can develop a technique I would be satisfied with.

I'd rather not play at all than do it poorly.

Discouraging, but not the end of the world. The pumping left-hand B-3 bass is gone, as well as the "triplicate" lead lines on guitar. Bass-upright and Fender type is also a challenge.

Talk about a life-changer. I have been working, but mostly "society" jobs...quiet, easy background jobs. That may be all I'll ever be able to do.

Looks like I'll have to live with the restrictions I now have or retire.


That sucks, but, man, has music been good to me the last 55 years!

And I'm ever so grateful for that!


Russ

I'm a bit late to the party here, but I fully agree with everyone's delight to have Scott back on here again on a regular basis.

Russ, that really is a dreadful situation to find yourself in. I guess the key is, now, to enjoy what you are still able to do, and put it out there. Good luck to you, Russ, and just keep on keepin' on.

Damn, Russ, I feel your frustration.

I had a hand injury when I was in high school...I was in a fight, and was cut with a knife, resulting in my left hand pinkie finger being almost completely severed, and my ring finger and index finger cut very badly as well.

The doc was a great surgeon, and saved my little finger, setting it in a permanently,slightly curved position, which facilitated playing quite a lot, but it took years to get back any feeling(it's still a bit numb), and, if I do a lot of left hand bass, especially on a weighted action, I still have discomfort...and I know what you mean by not "feeling" the keys.

I think you are like me in that playing music is also a "therapy" of sorts, and allows us to escape in a healthy way, and not being able to do this as fluently as we'd like, sort of takes away some of the experience, and benefits.

Having the arranger play bass lines is nice (especially with the great advancements in style programming), but I still like "rolling my own" now and again, and I would miss it.

You have my sincere empathy, and also my best wishes that you continue to recover and get back enough tactile sensation to be able to play more accurately and more comfortably.

As they say here in Canada..."Keep your stick on the ice."

Ian

I'm told that Russ really wasn't that good anyway, and that the assault was funded by an underground association of club-owners to keep him from bugging them for jobs.
They were actually paying him extra to NOT sing too, so this will result in an overall boost to the economy in Kentucky. I'll bet it will even improve the quality of race horses starting with the two-year-old class of 2012 as the mares won't be exposed to all that Jazz music that Russ plays on the horse farms.

You know I love ya Russ, but the truth must be told.
DonM

Hopefully, when you say no moving parts, you aren't referring to the keyboard.

I haven't given as much thought to these ideas. I think that some of them, like the ipad and bluetooth are very innovative. I thought about the ipad thing, actually.

Two things come to mind. You will still need buttons on the controlling keyboard. I wouldn't want to be dependent on a touchscreen for all of my needs.

Maybe, instead of an ipad, a long oblong touchscreen - either part of the keyboard or separate, where you could move buttons and functions to suit your needs. Maybe even a registration could call up a different display.

I think that these companies like Ketron and Yamaha put enormous A&R into the styles, and if everything becomes software, it will be like mp3's where only 1 in 10 actually purchase it and the rest is illegally shared and stolen. I think that this consideration will be a factor as arrangers possibly merge with tablets in the future.

Mason. I'd kick your skinny old ass, but I can't raise my foot that high!

Man, the truth HURTS!


Russ
(BTW, I really LOVE country music....from Brazil, Panama, Italy, Venezuela...ANYWHERE BUT LOUISIANA LOL)!

Thanks, sincerely, Don and others for their concern the last year. Getting sliced up AIN'T FUN!


R.

[This message has been edited by captain Russ (edited 12-14-2010).]

I accidentally posted this under the wrong thread! Go Scott!

Here is Django playing guitar with only two functional fingers. He always astonishes me how he overcame his handicap though I have always wondered why he just didn't learn to play guitar left handed rather than work around the handicap. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iJ7bs4mTUY

But you gotta love his playing. There is no one quite like him. And Stephan Grappelli is awesome too. I saw him play live back in the 80s when he was around 90 years old ... and he was still magic.

Interesting Nigel. Although I was aware of him and a problem with his hand, I wanted to know more so went to Wikipedia. He was burned in a fire,

"his third and fourth fingers remained partially paralysed. He played all of his guitar solos with only two fingers, and used the two injured digits only for chord work"

Awsome player