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Hello Gang Of Guitar Gangsters :

Tonight was a night of nights for me .

I was with Chan , been with him playing many times since we met in the winter of 98 just after my left hand's finger tips finally expelled the last painful piece of tiny sharp as a razor glass that was embedded there since " 62 " . I have recorded with him many times but not with the guitar . I have been a session man recording with my harmonica starting that in the late " 70's " . What made tonight special was this :

As I set up to play I realized I had not packed my harps ! I had only my electric guitar so that was that and I was playing electric guitar only for the 1st time with Chan and the other musicians there tonight . The regular electric guitar player was not able to make the session so   I was the center of action now doing electric guitar .

I had done electric acoustic live stuff with Chan before but not just electric and then only once ( it was a biggie to at a PBS special in Los Angeles two years ago ) and on only one song  . When Chan saw me arrive and hook up the electric guitar he dropped his Telecaster and went to his keyboard .

10 years of hard dedicated practice ... I was more than prepared and when it was time to where the rubber hits the road I was moving at freeway speed from the opening when Chan said " Kansas City  " in " C " and off we were to the races , every song after that speed burn arrangement seems easy to handle heh heh .

It was a walk down memory lane as Chan delivered " Talk To Me - Corrina Corrina - Georgia - More Today Than Yesterday " , and some Ray Charles stuff too we even did The Beatle's " When I Saw Here Standing There " -  fitting since the Beatles covered Chan's Hippy Hippy Shake ( their 1st hit in England mind you recorded live on the BBC TV Show " Top Of The Pops " ) and about an hour and a half's worth of music flowed by and I was on electric guitar workin it man it was a pure pleasure blast of musical goodness .

10 years - - I started on guitar at 49 , a really late time many would say in one's life to try and become not only good at a given task but to go beyond good and jump into a higher level and league of playing and players . I'm 59 , and it's getting better all the time , a dream of being able to play guitar has become and I am much more the humbled and a much more grateful person for this .

I had my Godin LGXSA

< http://www.mveducation.com/assets/products/49705_l.jpg  >

Played like butter in my hands - - so smooooooooove and easy . I just sort of fell into it .

plugged into a Carvin X-60 tube amp circa 1992

< http://www.zikinf.com/_gfx/matos/dyn/la … n-x-60.jpg  > <===<<- Russell NOTE :

The price shown is from a 1992 promo not a recent one    

No outboard FX only the " presence " and a tad of " spring triggered  reverb " were used  . With it's  single 12" inch " British Blaster " it was more than enough to cut through the mix at the session . I got a rich Bluesy sound , a British Vox sound and a Fender tube sound from this little amp tonight .

The lead lines of - When I Saw Her Standing There - made the band smile while we played it and later many commented saying to me  that it really sounded a lot like the guitar sound of that recording . I was thinking inside my head as I head this :

" Wow  I didn't know I could do that "  

Hoagy Carmichael's " Georgia I knew in the key it was written , " F " but - -

Chan said " C " and if he said " C " IT"S IN C !

Let this comment hit home on the change from F to C . I have read many times that one should practice every song they know in every key   - -  Well I was perplexed with the fact that I was not fully prepared to do justice to the chordal arrangement sound as I was able to do in F  , but on C I had to work it out fast on the fly .

I did adjust on the fly and was able to produce a really nice alternative arrangement in F that I received big smiles from Chan and the electric bass guitarist and drummer as I was given the " nod " to go for it and do a solo on it , it was really Bluesy too with gut wrenching emotional cries , smooth , silky flowing melancholy and shiny it was .

I realized when I joined this Forum  that there were many older guitar players just starting out or just getting to the point of passing entry level , I am very close to you guys believe me weather your old like a rock like me or a young buck , we are joined so's to speak at the guitar strap

I am inspired AGAIN I hope this humble rant is inspirational to anyone else who reads it young or old . Dreams come into one's live all the time and sometimes we are able to not only for-fill them but to help other achieve theirs as well  .

Here's to all of you who are in search , in their quest and thirst for achievement on the guitar and any other musical instrument . I hope you make it too !

Sincerely :

Hurricane Ramon