99% Of Music Is Played To The Walls

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 9 Apr 2009 6:48 am

The walls reflect the practice sessions in the homes of steel guitarists. Audience participation is zero. Do these thoughts ever enter the minds of forum members? After years of practice, this defect in wasted lifestyles is becoming more apparent. Perhaps there are better ways to approach these practice sessions.

Archie Nicol R.I.P. · Post by **Archie Nicol R.I.P.** » 9 Apr 2009 7:00 am

Ah, but Walls have ears....and ice cream....and sausages.

Arch.

Ray Montee (RIP) · Post by **Ray Montee (RIP)** » 9 Apr 2009 7:28 am

Virtually every aspect of my life has been to play steel guitar to the best of my ability. I listened, I studied, I practiced, and practiced and practiced some more and did play with some really good local bands in a variety of settings but NOW........

after all those years of basic isolation with a room full of some of the finest equipment money can buy,
I find myself wondering if it was all for naught?

I'm in a slightly larger room.......and altho' I'm intrigued by everything I hear on steel guitar, I simply no longer seem to have the motivation to put myself thro' the same olde routine any more.

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 9 Apr 2009 7:45 am

Perhaps there are better ways to approach these practice sessions.

Bill, invite the crickets in to listen.

Ellis Miller · Post by **Ellis Miller** » 9 Apr 2009 8:09 am

Bill Hankey wrote:The walls reflect the practice sessions in the homes of steel guitarists. Audience participation is zero. Do these thoughts ever enter the minds of forum members? After years of practice, this defect in wasted lifestyles is becoming more apparent. Perhaps there are better ways to approach these practice sessions.

Session playing is not that much different except the pay may be better. There may eventually be an audience but there is no impact at the time of the performance.

While I appreciate an audience, it is not the reason I play. My greatest joy is the interaction with other pickers.

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 9 Apr 2009 8:23 am

Well said, Ellis. I concur.

Ben Jones · Post by **Ben Jones** » 9 Apr 2009 9:03 am

Hello Walls.....

CrowBear Schmitt · Post by **CrowBear Schmitt** » 9 Apr 2009 9:11 am

Well, if walls could talk then I'm sure you'd hear
A lot of things to make you cry my dear
Ain't you glad [Ain't you glad]
Oh, ain't you glad [Ain't you glad]
Ain't you glad [Glad]
Glad that walls don't talk

now if shoes could tell where you've been .....

Rick Campbell · Post by **Rick Campbell** » 9 Apr 2009 9:22 am

Walls don't complain because it's too loud.

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 9 Apr 2009 9:45 am

Practicing and performance are two very different things. The hours I spend practicing are to center, challenge and strengthen myself. Those hours are some of the most precious and important parts of my life. If I find myself degrading them it means I have other more important problems such as depression that I need to contend with.

Scott Hiestand · Post by **Scott Hiestand** » 9 Apr 2009 9:46 am

Bill Hankey wrote:The walls reflect the practice sessions in the homes of steel guitarists. Audience participation is zero. Do these thoughts ever enter the minds of forum members? After years of practice, this defect in wasted lifestyles is becoming more apparent. Perhaps there are better ways to approach these practice sessions.

Bill, an interesting topic. But with all due respect, if I understand you correctly, I don't consider it a "wasted lifestyle" at all.

I see nothing wrong with not only practicing in isolation, but practicing or playing with never having an intention of being in a band or playing with others. The older I get, the more I realize how "personal" playing music is. Now, I am in no way denying the benefits of musical collaberations - after all, where would we be otherwise? In a very dark place! And in most cases, that is where our inspiration is born. I recently got back into a band and it has been a great and exhilirating experience. All I am saying is, I don't think people who choose to "hole up" should be cast in a negative light for doing that. However we can get enjoyment out of this beautuful instrument (or any other for that matter) is valid and therefore worthwhile, IMHO.

I still practice alone...hopefully my walls are smiling (most of the time!)

Rick Collins · Post by **Rick Collins** » 9 Apr 2009 10:14 am

Bill, Bob Hoffnar has it right.
Treat at least half of your practice session as rehearsal for a real presentation.
And, practice this part as if the audience is actually in front of you.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 9 Apr 2009 11:47 am

I've often gotten paid good money for playing to the walls. Oh, there might be a bartender or waitress standing in front of one of the walls. The club owners weren't happy, but that's their cross to bear.

I used to work with a songwriter named Chris Fertitta who had a song called "Playing for the Wives and Walls Again," about such a scenario. I'm sure you can get the gist of the song simply from the title.

Dick Wood · Post by **Dick Wood** » 9 Apr 2009 12:02 pm

I just count the flowers on the wall,it don't bother me at all...Does it bother you.....Bill?

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 9 Apr 2009 12:12 pm

The steel guitar for me came into my life by chance. It would be very interesting to learn how the enticement of sitting down to the instrument came about with each forum member. Music appreciation from others remains as a huge plus to build a much needed incentive to keep primed while developing the first stages of bar, volume pedal, tunings, etc., familiarization. Once the future artist works through the first stages of learning, in most instances he becomes securely bound to the instrument. The walls of the practice room will resound as the student quickly learns the value of putting other things aside to find time to practice.
Stage 2 quickly binds the hopeful to sequences of commitments that will not be denied for any other activity. This thread will attempt to address the long range view of gradually practicing longer and harder, as you work through higher levels of achievements.

Bo Legg · Post by **Bo Legg** » 9 Apr 2009 12:19 pm

It's just a matter of selecting the right wallpaper

Bill Hankey · Post by **Bill Hankey** » 9 Apr 2009 12:46 pm

Dick Wood,

A change of scenery always worked wonders in the past. With the passing of time we seem to be more inclined to stare at the same floweriness. In most situations, there wouldn't be an overabundance of choices.

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 9 Apr 2009 12:48 pm

Here are two of my favorite lines to use when playing mostly to the walls:

The first is from the inimitable Victor Borge who, playing to a half-empty house in Cleveland, said "Oh, I see Cleveland is a very wealthy town; each of you has purchased TWO seats for tonight's performance." ROTFLMAO!

The second one I think I read here on the Forum and goes something like this: "We don't mind that the audience is small; we play just as enthusiastically to 5 people as we do for an audience of 7."

Dick Wood · Post by **Dick Wood** » 9 Apr 2009 1:33 pm

Bill,it's uncanny,it's like there's this pipeline between us man.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 9 Apr 2009 1:47 pm

Archie Nicol wrote:Ah, but Walls have ears....and ice cream....and sausages...

That's going to have been lost on most of the Forum, Archie. Walls Ice Cream and Walls Pork Sausages are unknown over here.

http://www.walls.co.uk/uk_en/products/default.aspx
http://www.wallssausages.co.uk/fresh-sausages/

YUM-YUM

Archie Nicol R.I.P. · Post by **Archie Nicol R.I.P.** » 9 Apr 2009 2:32 pm

I know, Alan. But most of Bill's posts are quite incomprehensible over here.

Wonderful topic hi-jack, a plate of bangers and mash.
Yum-yum, indeed.

Arch.

p.s. Thats bangers, not banjers.

Josh Yenne · Post by **Josh Yenne** » 9 Apr 2009 3:09 pm

The thing that REALLY gets me is this.... WHEN did people lose the art of clapping? I mean... people are up there pouring out their soul and they end a song and not a SINGLE person claps....

During a gig in Davis, CA a few years back we had a PACKED room and no one gave us even a clap... it was literally EERIE!!!

We got to the point where we were actually making cracks over the mic but, of course, no one noticed..!

We then decided to write a song (and we have the phrase to describe the situation now)

we entiteled it APATHY SANDWICH

I am 31 but the people that are 5-6 years younger than me seem like a completely different generation...

I was hoping this apathy was just in california where we are so "cool"

Dick Wood · Post by **Dick Wood** » 9 Apr 2009 3:29 pm

Josh,not to derail Bill's thread but people not clapping has spread to most of the bars in Dallas/Ft Worth so it's not a California thing. Unless you are a headliner,you are nothing more than a local cover band and people just aren't going to respond.

Our band routinely opens for National acts at Billy Bob's and there might be as many as 5000 people there and more often than not,we end a song and not one clap.

We've noticed young people typically yell instead of clap for the National acts so applause seem to be being replaced by yelling.

Josh Yenne · Post by **Josh Yenne** » 9 Apr 2009 3:43 pm

Yea... this is right along the lines of the thread so i dont think it is derailing it....

The idea of just respecting the musician, whether you like the music or not, has gone out of society a lot...

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 9 Apr 2009 3:50 pm

What's worse than not clapping at the end of a song is clapping during the song, out-of-time. A large proportion of our music is syncopated, but audiences always insist on clapping on the on beat rather than the off beat.

The Steel Guitar Forum

99% Of Music Is Played To The Walls

99% Of Music Is Played To The Walls

I'll have to agree with YOU on this one................

Re: 99% Of Music Is Played To The Walls

Re: 99% Of Music Is Played To The Walls

ahhhhh...modern society