| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
RJS
Ha`aha`a
1635 Posts |
 Posted - 12/18/2002 : 9:04:07 PM
|
After reading the thread on Goals, I thought it might be both fun and therapeutic in a group therapy sort of way (OK, I AM a psychologist)if we shared a most embarassing moment or two.
My "favorite one" is the first time I attended a Keola workshop -- I had been studying "Mino'aka" for about 6 months and coulds actually play it pretty good. After Keola did his talk story, he passed out a packet of music, the top song of which was "Mino'aka." K went over the first 8 or 10 bars and we all started to mess around with them. He stood in front of me and said, "You seem to have it, would you play it for us all." My hand started to shake so bad, and it was like my fingers were made of rubber. Did three tries and I just couldn't come up with anything.
Another instance, but one with a happier ending, was when I was playing a Luau for some rich folk who recently visited Hawaii. About 50 people, many of them very wealthy executives in the computer industry. Somewhere in my 3rd or 4th song I completely went blank -- couldn't even remember what song I was playing, so I started to do some arpegiatted runs on the open/closed parallel 6ths, then started to play with a couple of different progressions amoung the D, C and G chords in a few positions, adding a few turnarounds every now and then. I played for about 4 or 5 minutes before I remembered I was playing Akaka Falls -- came back into the and ended the piece. Within the next few minutes three people came and asked me if I recorded "that last song I played."
So much for spending hours working out arrangements.
Raymond
San Jose
|
|
|
cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 12/18/2002 : 11:57:51 PM
|
Hey Raymond, I have a third one for you...you spelled the title of this thread "em-BARE-ASSED".
Intentional or just a Freudian slip?!
|
Craig
My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
 |
|
|
RJS
Ha`aha`a
1635 Posts |
Posted - 12/19/2002 : 01:21:34 AM
|
Inent, sorry it it offends anyone.
R |
|
|
|
Turtle Song
Aloha
47 Posts |
Posted - 12/19/2002 : 02:53:02 AM
|
Oh, I can see how THIS thread is going to help me with that fear thing. ROFL.
Well, mine isn’t performance oriented so much, having not really performed much. Like, OK, once. At camp this summer. The thought of hearing or seeing on recording what I looked or sounded like is over the top, so I just try to remember and focus on what my purpose was.
Mine is more relational. First camp, last summer, I was both scared and excited, wildly excited to be going to Hawai’i and the opportunity to study with others. I loved the music, but the concept of Slack Key overwhelmed me, like taking on several languages to study all at once, and meeting new people, just so much going on. It was wonderful, but one of my first classes was with George and his teaching style completely clashed with my worst insecurities. I’m not saying he isn’t greatly gifted or a wonderful teacher, I just don’t connect with his style of teaching. I wish I could, I think I would be more free.
Anyway, somewhere around the second or third day I was attempting to pass him in the small entryway of the hale. He had on one of our camp t-shirts, cut off up above his, um, belly. Well, as I tried to pass, I misjudged the space and brushed up against said belly. I was so embarrassed and I apologized profusely.
“Oh, do it again,” he insisted in that pigin-ish voice of his. “Women get pregnant just rubbing up against it.”
In my mind, death just couldn’t come soon enough.
|
The seeds for the flowering of our personal peace are within our hopeful, but fragmented, selves. Reflection and silence compose the winds that nurture our simplicity that is the essence of beauty. - Frank Howell
|
|
|
|
cmdrpiffle
`Olu`olu
USA
553 Posts |
Posted - 12/19/2002 : 03:01:35 AM
|
bareassed(em) moments
Cool. About 4 years ago, there was a new-age type bookshop opening in Saratoga. A friend who worked there thought it would be neat, if on opening day I would sitin the the front corner of the store and play low key Celtic music. I knew a few tunes, had plenty of advance notice, and practiced quite a bit on my 12 string. No big deal, just kind of drone on in the background kinda job. The morning I left to go there I was a bit frazzled.
I got there about an hour early, went in and looked around. Something didnt feel right, but I couldnt place it.
It became very clear after a few moments. I showed up not with a brown case with a 12 string, but a shorter black case with my National Style O, steel resonator guitar. Before leaving I even opened the case and checked the resonator. I can only figure I was nervous and totally brain dead. I intentionally walked out with the wrong guitar.
Not being the most practiced public musician, this was suddenly a non recoverable situation. I was completely freaked. My mouth was dry, I felt like the complete idiot, and frankly would have taken any excuse to run from there.
Of course the steel guitar was in taropatch, the 12 string in DADGAD....so pitifull me is having to re-tune, (nice new korg tuner safely enclosed with my 12 string at home)
I sat in this overstuffed comfy chair they had in the corner, with big wing sides, couldnt sit and hold a guitar without it banging into the side. (this was like strike 15 out of 3 in my little brain)
I suddenly knew I was going to get sick. A couple of employees came over and no doubt attracted by pale sickly looking guy with the shiny guitar. So the manager I think very politely askes what I am going to play. I said I was playing some nice ki ho'alu tunes. She asks about that and I said something like "its Hawaiian slack key guitar" It just came out. Hell, I probably meant to say Celtic, but I said Ki ho'alu. (my tongue is sticking to the roof of my mouth with each painful syllable I uttered) Cindy, my friend comes over and asks if I'm ready or something. I said off the cuff that I told the manager I would play her some slack key. My friend is like, oh ya, cool, whatever.
When I realized that I wouldnt have to re-tune, I calmed down a lot. Its the little things sometimes.
Anyway, ended up pulling off about 2 hours of playing. Sometimes the same things slowed down. They had quite a few people come in that morning, and quite a lot came over to listen to me. No doubt more interested in the shiny guitar, but hey...I'll take what I can get.
The store was very enthusiastic about it.
I went home and slept the rest of the day. Totally worn out from getting myself all jacked up over nothing. |
my Poodle is smarter than your honor student |
|
|
|
Mark
Ha`aha`a
USA
1628 Posts |
Posted - 12/19/2002 : 2:24:32 PM
|
hmmmmm, choosing just one em-bare-assing moment is hard.
About a dozen years ago I got a solo gig at a local hotel bar. Why I took it is mystery -- I don't know a single Eagles tune. Most likely I was broke.
Anywho, the place is completely empty, so I decide this would be a great time to learn to play finger-style guitar. So there I am, noodling away on scales, chord runs, stumbling through what little I could remember of a few Bossas and standards. At some point I look up and see exactly two people in the joint, each at his own table, each intent on his drink and ignoring me. Fine says I, and I continue my noodling.
At my break, I run into guy number one in the, uh, bathroom. He says something knowlegable about the guitar I was playing, so I ask him what he's in town for. Turns out he's a well known session guitarist on his way North, bye, see ya later. Keep up the practicing... Oy.
I return to the stage and flub my way through another set, playing to the only guy left in the room. Who, as luck would have it, is a jazz guitarist of impressive lineage who's just moved to town and wanted to check out the local scene.
I ended up taking lessons from him...
Happy Holidays!
Mark |
|
|
|
cpatch
Ahonui
USA
2187 Posts |
Posted - 12/19/2002 : 2:52:39 PM
|
OK, I don't have any guitar stories because I'm wise enough not to play in public. But I used to sing on my church's worship team (contemporary stuff) and have at least one story I can tell about that. First off, I got tricked into being on the worship team in the first place. I sang part of a song to a friend who was worship leader at the time to see if he'd heard it and his response was, "hey, that sounds pretty good...you should stop by one of our practices." So I did, just for fun, and stumbled through the practice singing very quietly in the background. At the end of the practice my friend came up to me and said, "OK, see you on Sunday!" At which point the only thing that prevented me from saying "not a chance" was the brain's complete inability to control speech during a stricken state. Surprisingly enough, however, even though I'm a lousy public speaker I found that I'm much more comfortable with public singing (as long as it's not a solo), and things worked out well...I ending up singing with the team for several years.
In any case, this has nothing to do with my embareassing story. On one particular occasion (and remember this is in church) we were halfway through our initial set when I somehow noticed that my fly was completely undone. I was center stage front and there was absolutely no way I could remedy the situation without being completely obvious about it so I had no choice but to finish out the set and hope (pray) nobody else noticed. After it was over I managed to calmly walk to the back of the church (where the male ushers were gathered), and zip back up (much to the intense amusement of the ushers) before returning to the stage. At least one of the nice things about having this happen in church is that nobody will admit that they noticed!
Oh, and to make things worse I managed to do this two more times over the course of the next few years. I'm still not sure if this had anything to do with the gradual decline in attendance over this same period of time.
|
Craig
My goal is to be able to play as well as people think I can. |
|
|
|
RJS
Ha`aha`a
1635 Posts |
Posted - 12/19/2002 : 11:48:17 PM
|
OOO, I love this stuff.
Deborah, I know what you mean about George's workshops. On the other hand, I've been studying with him individually for over a year, and he is much much better at that. Real patient and kind. Breaks things down more. If you get a chance to work with him individually, you might have a different experience.
George told me once he was playing at a bar and no one was listening, so he played the same song for almost two hours -- no one seemed to mind.
Raymond
San Jose |
|
|
|
hapakid
Luna Ho`omalu
USA
1533 Posts |
Posted - 12/20/2002 : 01:58:22 AM
|
Ouch! I'm not sure if dredging up mistakes is therapeutic or not!
But I was playing for a church ladies luncheon (hawaiian theme, go figure) a few months ago, filling in for a Samoan buddy who had to work, and I just blanked out. I had worked up "Little Grass Shack" to about the speed that Gabby used to do it and at the end of the bridge, I couldn't remember "It won't be long, till my ship will be sailing back to Kona..."
I sang the first stanza twice more and dove for an ending, changalanging my hapa-haole heart out. It wouldn't have been so bad if everyone in the audience didn't know the song by heart.
I also sang "Kanaka Waiwai" without missing a lyric. It seems singing in another language makes you concentrate better.
Mele Kalikimaka e Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!
Jesse Tinsley |
Edited by - hapakid on 12/20/2002 01:59:16 AM |
|
|
|
MiBo
Aloha
USA
9 Posts |
Posted - 12/20/2002 : 5:40:11 PM
|
I'm in a hula band and I love to play rhythm guitar on the auana songs. The audience is there to see the dancers, so the musicians are fairly free to make little mistakes, as long as the we make the dancers look good.
The leader of the band got a gig needing a bit longer of a program. He says, "Mike, you can play slack kay, let's put you on the program for a solo." I relented, mainly because I wanted the challenge.
I had a couple months to practice, so I arranged with one of the ukulele players to back me up when I played "Opihi Moemoe." He would keep the chord changes going and I would work on the "lead guitar."
We had it down pat, rarely a mistake in practice. On the night of the show, my number came up. I had time to re-tune during the leader's patter. I took a seat, pulled the microphone close to the guitar (I didn't have an acoustic-electric at the time), and started playing.
The very second I started, I freaked. There was this most unsettling booming sound coming at me from everywhere. Through the sound I could barely keep track of what I was playing. At one point in the song, I came unravelled and just sort of noodled my way through the changes, not following any sort of melody. I was starting to panic, and I remember thinking, "I can't stop in the middle of the song - the show must go on!" Fortunately the rhythm ukulele player kept the song going, and as I listened to him my heart rate resumed normal and I finished the song.
Turns out the booming sound was me! I had never heard myself solo through an amplifier. The big bass notes of the low strings were loud enough for the audience to hear (of course), and were loud enough to distract me from the melody.
This is one of those lessons you can only learn by trying. |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
Topic Locked
