I was rehearsing a new song with my new friend Ray today. It was fun. But I'm getting tired of long traveling times. It takes me at 45 minutes to get anywhere in Taipei (15 mins walk down the hill, 30 mins on the MRT or bus)...and about 1 hour and 15 minutes to get to the other side of the city. Well, yes, I did it in Brisbane for many years. It was very good training, traveling from South to North everyday on public transport. But oh....I miss Alor Star and driving cars to get some place in 10 minutes.
It was funny....getting to know Ray as a musician, and his lovely wife Eva. Ray was insisting he was not a 'guitarist' per say, but more of a singer who could play decent guitar. Maybe. So am I a 'pianist' or am I a singer who can play decent piano? Am I a singer or am I a muso who can sing decently? I've often felt like the latter.
**I'm watching Taiwanese MV's as I type. If I see another video with busses, greyish coloring, wind blowing through the grass....I'm going to SCREAM! So annoyingly similar! Don't people get sick of ballads here????**
Ray was quite nit-picky about what he was gong to play EXACTLY. So different from John. John played awesome licks at the drop of a hat, but never could play the same thing twice. He was so frustrating to record with coz he would go off in his own tangent [his own idea of what stuff should be]. And he didn't play best stuck in a studio. Awesome to jam with live.
Ray looks like he's the opposite. Definitely not the free and easy jammer. More painstaking in his approach and more demanding of the guitar's sound [which I'm grateful for. I've had multiple tussles with Mr Ong about using a mic to record acoustic guitars instead of lining in ]. Ideas don't come to him fast and smoothly. But he's more of a craftsman. Probably a very reliable player in a band...he will arrange stuff with care and play it for you well within the structure. But not a person you sit down and to get random ideas.
Ah I miss John to jam around with. There are not many people I can bounce ideas of musically....but there are new people to work with and it's getting more and more fun. Pity everyone who's good is loads busy.
I need to get my life in some kind of order....sigh.
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