Ten questions from Nyx, #3 Besides guitar, what other instrument(s) can/do you play?

3. Besides guitar, what other instrument(s) can/do you play?

I started life as piano player, and I still play from time to time. The reason I don’t play it on Second Life is because I don’t really own a piano, just a MIDI keyboard and a sampler that has a good piano sample. I can’t get the sampler program to run while running Second life and winamp for a stream, so I don’t use it in performances.

My first music job was pianist in a recording studio.

When I was 12, I saw Johnny Cash on TV. He was signing a song, all dressed in black, and I remember him slinging his guitar behind his back, walking up to the mic to say something. I don’t remember what he said into the mic, I don’t remember the song he was singing before he slung his guitar back, but something about that moment made me think, “I’ve gotta get a gee-tar, that is bad ass cool”.

My Father had a friend, Fred Sommers who was much like the grandfather I never had. I actually had two grandfathers, but Fred was like...actually interested in me as a person. He made me a guitar (or Gee-tar) with his own two hands. He really didn’t know how to make a guitar, but wanted me to have one, and figured it could not be that hard. I recall it had masking tape position markers on the neck, and thumb tacks to hold the strap on. But it did have a strap, and for weeks I was walking around with the gee-tar slung behind me Johnny Cash style.

When I tried to actually play it, it spilt down the front. Seem it could not handle being tuned to pitch. But I still remember that guitar and thanks Fred for being a cool old man.

Getting back to the actual question, I play the Keys, Guitar, Bass, Drums, Banjo, Mandolin, Dobro, and Harmonica.

If you want to know how well I play these instruments that is hard to say. I seem to be able to get something musical out of all of them. Any performances recorded are me playing. And I’ve won awards for playing the Guitar, Banjo, and Dobro.