do you perform for yourself or an audience? if your a cover band then it matters. if your playing as a performer (as i do) then you should put your own stamp on it. if your just playing to entertain yourself....play it as it will make you happy.

DITTO

i call it hitting the pitch, while the intro is playing turn away from the mic and hum or whatever sound you feel most comfortable making. when you feel happy that you're in key, go for it.

of course it's always advisable to sing in your own comfy key. when i'm rehearsing a new song, i'll sing unaccompanied at full boar and try notes till i find the right key then just transpose the chords from the copy.

it can be a bit naughty if you have to learn a solo in Ab, i hate Ab!

hi gjimmy17.

it's actually in Db and a 3 chord trick (Db-Gb-Db-Ab) if you have trouble with barre chords, i suggest you use a capo on the 4th frett and play A shaped chords. alternatively capo on the 1st frett and play C shaped chords.

any samples? just checking.

I also have the Boss ME50, all I can say is that it's a nice piece of kit. For stage use I just use a little reverb, echo and chorus. Fuzz/distortion as and when required, mainly to get a volume boost for solo's.

hey bensonp, i was nervous about what i wrote, but i'm glad it was you that wrote what you did.

up until i saw that crack about old farts, sorry old guys, i was beginning to like youngsters again.

That's Swansea Wales UK.

I'm sorry for the confusion I know "fag" might mean something different in the US, but it means cigarette here as in;
"While you've a Lucifer to light your FAG, smile boy that's the style" which is a war time song, I'm not sure if it's the 1st or 2nd world war. And apparently "Lucifers" were matches.

I live just 30 minutes from Swansea depending on traffic, rush hour can take an hour and a half too!

i always do, but it still sounds sour

hi, i've always found that if i try and write a song it comes out eventually, it's hard work and rubbish, so i don't bother. what i do, do is (usually) when i'm in the shower or just waking up in the morning a line or two will spring into my mind, from where i don't know, i try and remember the words till i get down stairs and into my studio (it's just the front room really) and write them down. then i forget about them. sooner or later i'll be strumming a few chords and i'll get something interesting, then i'll look for some words, and there you are.
other times they'll come together then it's usually time to work out the chords. it's a dirty job, but.....

i wish you the best of British mate, if you're thinking of pubs and smaller venues they seem to be closing at warp speed.

some comforting news for you grah, it's quite mild here in the old country, wet but mild.

bensonp, sounds like you need the nad warmer, if you got 6 inches of snow, that's almost in touching distance.....