Happy new year.
My NYE was nothing short of dull. Didn't go out, no parties, nothing. Nada. Nope.
I spent it watching films, drinking 50% proof whiskey, and listening to some music.
I also went to work on the zentar, my signature guitar. The zentar is kinda cool in that i designed/buit the thing around 10 years ago or so.. and still have the original body from the prototype.
Two things i wanted to fix: the neck & the wiring. The zentar is in it's 3rd incarnation now, and as such will feature a fretless neck, so i can play the lovely eastern scales (or maqams). Problem is i defretted a regular neck (with the help of my old man) and made a rough job of it, and filled up the gaps with super glue and laquered the neck. Naturally it's been a long time since i've done that kinda work and i did a pretty sloppy job... So i kinda went about fixing it today.
A fretless neck must be completely flat and smooth, and the problem was that although i'd sanded the laquer down after applying various coats, it was still uneven. So i sanded it down some more today.. it's flatter and better now, still needs abit more work though....
Other issue was the wiring.... The zentar is a fairly complicated wiring job, since it features 5 pickups no less (don't ask...). I hooked up the scratchplate live and ground wires to the ground of the guitar body and the live and ground of the jack... plugged in............BUZZZZZZZZZZZ.........usually when a guitar is buzzing it's ass off...it's a ground issue.. and when you're getting buzzing as loud as the signal itself... it usually means you've crossed the live with the ground.... So i take off the jack from the body unsolder the ground.. try again.. no sound... okay.. so now i KNOW i stupidly wired the thing up back to front (i wired up the jack 5 years ago, not recently... so that's my excuse).
After re-soldering the wires, plugged in...still no sound... hmm... so i turn up both volume knobs and hey! sound!
there's an issue though.. firstly in that the volumes are independant and the humbuckers or single coils should work even if one of the other is off.... and as far as i can tell the humbuckers aren't working either.... so i'll probably have to re-wire them since i'm not sure what's wrong, and i didn't do a stellar job anways 5 years ago....
once i've taken care of those... Zentar MKIII baby...
I've been taking that lucid dream Binaural beat dose for 3 days now, it's weird, i always doze off at around the same part... don't know if that's just a mega coincidene or what. Tonight is the last night i'll be doing it, since i'm curious to try others now.
Anyways, it's january 1st.. and i don't feel different, or compeled to act different, to set resolutions or anything.. it's bizzare... i've never felt so disconnected from life...
Either way i do intend to focus more on reading, learning about the middle eastern stuff properly (now that i have some books!), working on my musical studies, developing my guitar playing to the next level, and working on my new album and projects.
Call all that resolutions if you will... i certainly wouldn't... because i will actually do them all.
Well i'm off to give my brainwaves a tinker...
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
The More Things Change, The More They Stay The Same
Well, for the 3 or 4 of you that read this, i hope you've had en enjoyable Xmas.
Last one was an interesting evening. I was feeling quite down, and thought i'd try something i hadn't in quite awhile. For those of you who know about Binural beats/audio, you know the various things/products that exist in that vain. There is allot of sceptisism and rightfully so, but also you have to know that if you avoid all the nonsense on the internet and just try it properly, that for the most part is can work.
Now i've tried various ones with various results, and usually only when i've done it properly and had no expectations has it worked. Last night i tried one which helps to give lucid dreams. Now, i wasn't expecting much, especially since you're supposed to sleep right after it, and i'm something of an insomniac, but interestingly enough, the "dose" kicked in quite well... at some point during it i actually fell asleep (Which is a miracle since as an audio engineer, listening to frequencies and noise, i can never fall asleep if that's going on around me) towards the end of it.
I woke up and saw that it had finished, and was startled. Anways i fell asleep again (also something of a mircale since once i awaken i can never fall asleep again), and had some very interesting dreams... and not only do i remember them in detail, but they were Semi-lucid... as in i was seeing them from my own perspective, as opposed to seeing myself in the 3rd person... and was fairly aware and slightly in control of what was going on... if i had not been interrupted (fucking uncle switched on the lights...) i believe they would have turned into a fully lucid dream perhaps.
I had contemplated doing something far more poweful and dodgy, but i talked myself out of it, since i haven't used the binaural stuff in awhile and didn't fancy giving myself an anxiety attack. Especially since i'd been reading up on the forums about them before using it. It was ironic to see all the stuff i read happen when i took it.. Proof that the mind really does create what we want it to. But i relaxed during the dose, and aside from some REM eye flickering, some interesting visual stuff, i enjoyed the experience. At times it felt like i was sinking, and i could feel my subconcious mind opening, relaxing, making me feel more "Connected"... was the best i'd felt in awhile actually.
My reasons for doing this was purely because this time of year is not a good period for me. Aside from Xmas being a family holiday, and in all reality.. i don't have much of a family, never really did in the normal sense of the word, It's reminder of how things were, and how they are now.
I don't really like to talk about it that much, and have no intention of changing that habit... hence me babbling on about the Binaural stuff like a salesman. Around now till Mid January i'll be in something of a "Funk"... and best thing to do is just keep out of my way so to speak... not that there seems to be anyone in my way.
It's strange.. This Xmas i have realised that in all reality, i really don't have anyone in my life in terms of friends or relations... I mean i have people i know and get along with quite well.. but for the last 9 or so days i've mostly been alone and indoors, whilst most are out amongst friends and loved ones. Weirder still... is that i've slowly become accustomed to that way of living... Heck, it took Xmas to come along for me to REALLY notice how bad i'd gotten.
The problem is breaking that.. Reclusive nature is something which grows on you, and being around people and going out actually becomes an uncomfortable experience... To the point where people are asking you out all the time and you're making excuses for not going out.. when in all reality all you do is sit at home...
I'd be lying if i said i'm going to work on breaking the habit... I'm more interested right now on focusing on my playing and music... Hopefully i'll have the new album out sometime early next year (i'm gunning for around April perhaps..).
Now, i'll leave you all to your parties and social status... Have a fun & Safe New Years Eve.
Last one was an interesting evening. I was feeling quite down, and thought i'd try something i hadn't in quite awhile. For those of you who know about Binural beats/audio, you know the various things/products that exist in that vain. There is allot of sceptisism and rightfully so, but also you have to know that if you avoid all the nonsense on the internet and just try it properly, that for the most part is can work.
Now i've tried various ones with various results, and usually only when i've done it properly and had no expectations has it worked. Last night i tried one which helps to give lucid dreams. Now, i wasn't expecting much, especially since you're supposed to sleep right after it, and i'm something of an insomniac, but interestingly enough, the "dose" kicked in quite well... at some point during it i actually fell asleep (Which is a miracle since as an audio engineer, listening to frequencies and noise, i can never fall asleep if that's going on around me) towards the end of it.
I woke up and saw that it had finished, and was startled. Anways i fell asleep again (also something of a mircale since once i awaken i can never fall asleep again), and had some very interesting dreams... and not only do i remember them in detail, but they were Semi-lucid... as in i was seeing them from my own perspective, as opposed to seeing myself in the 3rd person... and was fairly aware and slightly in control of what was going on... if i had not been interrupted (fucking uncle switched on the lights...) i believe they would have turned into a fully lucid dream perhaps.
I had contemplated doing something far more poweful and dodgy, but i talked myself out of it, since i haven't used the binaural stuff in awhile and didn't fancy giving myself an anxiety attack. Especially since i'd been reading up on the forums about them before using it. It was ironic to see all the stuff i read happen when i took it.. Proof that the mind really does create what we want it to. But i relaxed during the dose, and aside from some REM eye flickering, some interesting visual stuff, i enjoyed the experience. At times it felt like i was sinking, and i could feel my subconcious mind opening, relaxing, making me feel more "Connected"... was the best i'd felt in awhile actually.
My reasons for doing this was purely because this time of year is not a good period for me. Aside from Xmas being a family holiday, and in all reality.. i don't have much of a family, never really did in the normal sense of the word, It's reminder of how things were, and how they are now.
I don't really like to talk about it that much, and have no intention of changing that habit... hence me babbling on about the Binaural stuff like a salesman. Around now till Mid January i'll be in something of a "Funk"... and best thing to do is just keep out of my way so to speak... not that there seems to be anyone in my way.
It's strange.. This Xmas i have realised that in all reality, i really don't have anyone in my life in terms of friends or relations... I mean i have people i know and get along with quite well.. but for the last 9 or so days i've mostly been alone and indoors, whilst most are out amongst friends and loved ones. Weirder still... is that i've slowly become accustomed to that way of living... Heck, it took Xmas to come along for me to REALLY notice how bad i'd gotten.
The problem is breaking that.. Reclusive nature is something which grows on you, and being around people and going out actually becomes an uncomfortable experience... To the point where people are asking you out all the time and you're making excuses for not going out.. when in all reality all you do is sit at home...
I'd be lying if i said i'm going to work on breaking the habit... I'm more interested right now on focusing on my playing and music... Hopefully i'll have the new album out sometime early next year (i'm gunning for around April perhaps..).
Now, i'll leave you all to your parties and social status... Have a fun & Safe New Years Eve.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Last Week Of The Semester, New Music, Old Habits
Well, the break is over and i went to work yesterday.. and boy.. it was a loooooong day... got home at 8:30 pm... nice...
Fortunately this is the last week of the semester, but it's going to be an ass of a week... tommorow especially since after work, i have a small dinner function to play for... at 8pm.. so i'll probably be waking up at 6 am.. and going home at 11-12ish.........nice....
Albet i'm still 50/50 about doing the function......it's great money... but i'm exhausted and showing signs of fatigue....
The weekend wasn't bad, i hung out with someone who i hadn't seen in awhile, which was a nice change from the norm.. The danger of what i do is that sometimes you forget to live an actual life.. and doing so actually feels quite weird... perhaps it's just me... Either way that little change of pace has helped me a great deal: got some new music in the works for my upcoming album..
This next one is going to be really different from most of my stuff... mostly because it will be vocal based... yep... not instrumental. Don't get too woried, there'll still be plenty of guitar on there (i haven't gone commercial or anything), i just feel that there's allot i want to say musically which needs to be put into words, and that's what i'll do with this album. It'll definately be a one off thing though, since i already have plans for the next album, which will be instrumental (and rather different from my other works also).
As for the old habits...well... nothing i can do about that... i always drift around this time of year... eventually around february i pick myself up again.. Somethings change, some don't...
Old Habits Die Hard..
Infinity should be out in 3 days...
Fortunately this is the last week of the semester, but it's going to be an ass of a week... tommorow especially since after work, i have a small dinner function to play for... at 8pm.. so i'll probably be waking up at 6 am.. and going home at 11-12ish.........nice....
Albet i'm still 50/50 about doing the function......it's great money... but i'm exhausted and showing signs of fatigue....
The weekend wasn't bad, i hung out with someone who i hadn't seen in awhile, which was a nice change from the norm.. The danger of what i do is that sometimes you forget to live an actual life.. and doing so actually feels quite weird... perhaps it's just me... Either way that little change of pace has helped me a great deal: got some new music in the works for my upcoming album..
This next one is going to be really different from most of my stuff... mostly because it will be vocal based... yep... not instrumental. Don't get too woried, there'll still be plenty of guitar on there (i haven't gone commercial or anything), i just feel that there's allot i want to say musically which needs to be put into words, and that's what i'll do with this album. It'll definately be a one off thing though, since i already have plans for the next album, which will be instrumental (and rather different from my other works also).
As for the old habits...well... nothing i can do about that... i always drift around this time of year... eventually around february i pick myself up again.. Somethings change, some don't...
Old Habits Die Hard..
Infinity should be out in 3 days...
Thursday, December 11, 2008
It's the Weekend
And i'm bored out of my fuckin skull...
Been off since last thursday actually, because it's a religious holiday here, which was good because i needed the R&R, but alaas.... the free time has bored me to death, and with the lack of motivation that always hits me around this time of year... and you have a very lackluster vibe going on...
There are various things i should be doing... but for the life of me i can't seem to muster any initiative to actually do them....
I guess i should try and get round to working on my music.
Heck.. i can't even be bothered to write anything interesting here... too much bloody effort...
Been off since last thursday actually, because it's a religious holiday here, which was good because i needed the R&R, but alaas.... the free time has bored me to death, and with the lack of motivation that always hits me around this time of year... and you have a very lackluster vibe going on...
There are various things i should be doing... but for the life of me i can't seem to muster any initiative to actually do them....
I guess i should try and get round to working on my music.
Heck.. i can't even be bothered to write anything interesting here... too much bloody effort...
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