for the crying and singing of a guitar
Backwhen in Calcutta during my college days, I happened to be in a band.
We were a humble three guitars and a drummer ensemble and a singer;
we went by the name of The Doc’Yard.
We broke many college norms to delve into western music;
when it was considered bad culture by the traditional puritans.
Singing and playing the usual Beatles hits
with a sprinkling of the Dead, Stones and many others;
before turning our hands at writing some of our own music.
I was happy drumming for the initial months and many a few gigs,
but then turned to playing the lead guitar to fill a void.
It was a time when I, as a college student, didn’t have much money to splash around.
I had a worse for wear Rs 100 ($10) guitar; a locally made solitary pickup job,
I had it rejuvenated by the professionals with a brand new pickup
and fresh lick of cream paint and a black fingerboard,
I was ready.
But my money had run out.
I needed an amplifier. I had to settle for a borrowed little contraption of unknown origin.
It sported four chunky valves, but the sound it produced at its loudest
could only be described as
‘underdriven’.
Like Mr Knopfler’s “George”, I knew all them fancy chords,
but unlike him, I also wanted to make my guitar cry and sing.
Undaunted, I spent hours trying to get the sounds of my guitar heroes; the likes of
George Harrison, Mark Knopfler, David Gilmour and Eric Clapton.
I had no pedals, no fancy knobs, no whammy bars.
I turned my fingertips raw till they almost bled,
bending the strings to get them to sing and cry.
I did try,
it was hard work, the strings were stiff and stubborn
and the amplifier refused to cry; it would only sing its own tune.
A day came when I completed my final exams and moved onto
a different phase of my life. Career and job took a priority,
and sadly, after five years, it was time to hang up my trusted guitar.
Now, after many years
and thousands of miles away from where I started,
I can indulge in my purchases; I am now a proud owner of a
Music Man 112 RP Sixty-Five.
Now I can sit and bend the strings
and hear my guitar crying and singing
so easily, so effortlessly, getting the sounds of the guitar legends of backwhen.
Today, I got out the cleaning rags and set about to dust its inner
and in the process I found, by the numbers on its parts,
this amplifier had been assembled in November 1979.
I am just sitting and thinking;
Wow!
when I was tearing my fingertips out for the want of a good amplifier,
little did I know, that by then, an amplifier had been designed by Mr Leo Fender
and already built by technicians somewhere in Anaheim, California
that would one day heal my finger tips.
Gabby said this on August 14th, 2011 at 17:49
I so very much enjoyed this one Awmyth! 🙂 It makes me picture you & your band buddies in the early days. So very happy to hear you are still playing your music. Keep rocking on I say!
littleindian said this on August 14th, 2011 at 17:58
Thanks Bonti,
Yes, its so different playing now.
I am playing for myself. Not in a band. I would give anything to go back, even for a day to be playing with my band-mates.
Wow, very impressed by how quickly you found my blog.
Autumn said this on August 15th, 2011 at 03:31
What a great blog and such an awesome find about the amp. All things seem to come full circle and I am so happy you are making your fingers bled again 😉 I mean get calloused! You are quite the musician and blogger and all round just awesome 🙂
Jane said this on August 16th, 2011 at 01:23
Thinking of you with your guitar and your shiny new amp makes me smile. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
littleindian said this on August 16th, 2011 at 13:40
@ Autumn,
Thanks for stopping by.
Yes, this does seem like joining up the ends of a circle.
An inanimate amplifier and I were destined to join up after 30 years to make music.
That’s the wow thought in my mind.
littleindian said this on August 16th, 2011 at 13:44
@ Janie,
Hello friend, good to see you back on my blog again.
You will know the lovely feeling of playing music.
This amplifier, not only has it inspired me to bend the strings again, but also break my ‘blogfast’ after years.
BENDTHERULZ said this on August 19th, 2011 at 13:01
Back with a Bang 🙂 ,I truly hope so….!! I am not too much into Rock…but yeah I would say “Thank you for the Music”
saravanan said this on August 20th, 2011 at 10:05
wow..nice this blog.
littleindian said this on August 21st, 2011 at 16:15
Yay,
Welcome back BendtheRulz.
Good to see you back again.
I do not know if I have broken the “blogfast” or if this was just my quota for the year.
littleindian said this on August 21st, 2011 at 16:16
Thank you, Saravanan.
For stopping by and for the comment.
I am happy that you liked it.
Nikita said this on August 24th, 2011 at 11:21
Great to see a post again! Great entry
littleindian said this on August 24th, 2011 at 21:30
Thanks Nikita
It felt good to write again.
Am again out of ideas, have to wait for another flash of inspiration.
From somewhere, somehow.
Good to see you too.
backwhen – coffee and biscuits were for a song | "me no big chief ... said this on September 9th, 2011 at 19:32
[…] the when, we were four fresh faced singers and guitar players, trying out our nascent skills in a band of our […]