let me introduce myself

the name is petey twofinger

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=474711&songID=7894381

a lil bit about me , i lost my middle 2 fingertips on my fret hand to a lawnmower when i was a kid . i can not use my middle 2 fingers to fret , at all so i use a goofy alternate tuning for guitar . hence the nickname that was hung on me by a lead player years ago , i liked it , it stuck also he wasn't that good , even with all four !

i play guitar and bass , i have been in a bunch of unsuccessful bands and played bass at a church for a few years . later after we married i started recording at home . my wife plays bass and we have a family band with my daughter on lead vox :

https://www.youtube.com/user/ShrimpyandthePs#p/u/30/DJ9r90GjHos

i suffered a painful back injury and have not been able to enjoy making music for 3 years now .

we ( my family helps me a LOT ) built my first cbg and i find it much less painful than playing a full size instrument . i watched a youtube video and taught myself amazing grace on the cbg . my plan is to learn how to play in open tunings and slide . also i want to make a cigar box bass for my wife so we can make music as a family again . maybe have some percussion for the kids (we have 2 girls) , or a didly bo , vocals etc , but I need to get at least a dozen songs down on my own first .

i am specifically looking for instructional video , songs even reading material , anything pertaining to playing 3 or 4 string cbgs . i made a 4 string http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/4694/aa008.jpg and plan to make a bunch more , i already have 15 decent box's . the thing is i really am unfamiliar with blues , country , blue grass , basically anything you would normally be playing with these type of instruments . i have more of an underground rock background (adrian belew , mike patton , etc) .

anyway i thought it wouldn't hurt to ask for some help or a point in the right direction . i am willing to do the work and learn , also pretty exited about entering a new direction in making music . but like i said i don't have a clue where to start , or even what songs i would like to learn , even where to look !

i appreciate the fact that you read this , if you need any help with electronic stuff , i am "pretty good" with that stuff so feel free to contact me , oh , we live in the western suburbs of chicago if that matters

my lil amps :

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/5545/sdc15242.jpg

thanks again , sincerely pt2 .

Well from the photo you sure look like you know how to build a CBG!

and I just listened to the tune! -- trippy, ZZ Top meets Monster Mash then that whole ending jam --- neat --- like you need that much direction -- especially being a Mike Patton and Belew fan -- obviously anything goes -- and since you're mixing styles at will anyway....

But maybe check out on the Nation website a dude that goes by "Olds Sleeper" (also on YouTube) who has some bitchin' seriously dark and swampy moody stuff -- I think you'll certainly either dig it or at least get a little dark inspiration from his vibe --- he goes for a real lo-tech sound --- like it's all old mics and beat tape decks in a crummy old shack deep in the wet woods (who knows, he probably has proTools and just destroys the signal to get the industrial feel?) --- he's got a couple tunes that just make my bones ache with a mix of cosmic dread and sonic joy: http://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/oldssleeper.

Your little amps look way too cool!...

I'd say break out the mini-slide and a fretless CBG, plug into a tremolo effect, drench it in 'verb and you're half-way home to finding your 'blues-voice'

and if you're looking to get into a heavy gritty alt blues thing a la M Patton-type of free-to-create vibe, There's some Taj Mahal blues stuff that's real dirty and grungey -- also maybe dig up some of the weirder Tom Waits stuff --- he did an album a while back with all the 'drum' samples that actually came from field recording stuff like whacking a garbage dumpster with a bat, or a chainlink fence with a tennis racquet etc.---- very organic ---

Oh, and I feel you on the fingertips thing --- on my fret hand I had the thumb broken completely off and pinned back on, later smashed the pinky to a pulp almost lost the entire finger to infection and now that tip is just a bent little boney tip, and I sliced off the tip of my first finger with a blade --- yeesh. but I kept on playing. And now I just have to beware the errant pull-off p-twank when there's not enough tip to grab the string...

and we're in good company with Tony Iommi who chopped off the same tips as you in a factory accident before Sabbath signed.

rock on and I'm psyched to hear and see your next projects... Eric T.

Replies

petey twofinger July 14, 2010 at 12:33am

(http://oldssleeper.bandcamp.com/album/gemini-ep

very cool .
petey twofinger July 14, 2010 at 12:17am

i really was only kidding about feeling "robbed" .

but it seemed interesting cause one of the rules of the contest was vocals only .

imo there may have been a little more to it than i care to discuss in public , but i was thrilled to take 3rd , it was a treat for him to host our entry , so i cant complain . the lesson i really learned was , think before you type on the internet , . . .
Eric Townsend July 13, 2010 at 7:33pm

Oh, make sure to check out OLDS SLEEPER (http://oldssleeper.bandcamp.com/album/gemini-ep) I don't like the first song 'don;t need drugs' it just feels like it doesn't belong to the album, but the rest of that stuff? -- damn!! SOOO vibey -- I think you'll appreciate it -- I just heard some of your other links (very cool atmospheric soundscape stuff!) and think you might like his seriously lo-fi engineered atmosphere

Eric Townsend said:
Boy did you ever get robbed on that -- hate to say it, I couldn't even get through the first place winner -- just cloying and cheesy and nothing I would ever listen to, I bailed on it before a third through. Yours should've gotten first absolutely -- but I think he went with the other Spies primarily because he loved the counter-harmony guitar figure at the end -- very Frippy -- which I did think was cool as hell. But yours has a clearer concept and more creatively cartoony and fun vocals -- more in line with the vibe of the thing. yup you got robbed. I can't imagine why that first one won. really -- it kinda sucked.

petey twofinger said:
3rd place , we just did the vocals , i submitted 2 songs , the one i spent a few weeks on , this one took us an hour and a half total , i really prefer the first one , but i kinda talk smack in it so he obviously didn't choose it . the songs that took 1st and second you would have to listen and judge for yourself

http://www.adrianbelew.net/smarties/spies%20-%20linnea%20ann%20and%...

scroll down for the other winners if you care :

http://www.adrianbelew.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=ca...

here is more original stuff from my last solo disk

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=474711

our family band , my wife plays bass , my kid sings , i play guitar , and figure out the midi :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj6rKbU__4I

we have 2 albums , one when shrimp wa 5 and one when she was 13 , a double album , 30 cover songs .
Eric Townsend July 13, 2010 at 7:14pm

Boy did you ever get robbed on that -- hate to say it, I couldn't even get through the first place winner -- just cloying and cheesy and nothing I would ever listen to, I bailed on it before a third through. Yours should've gotten first absolutely -- but I think he went with the other Spies primarily because he loved the counter-harmony guitar figure at the end -- very Frippy -- which I did think was cool as hell. But yours has a clearer concept and more creatively cartoony and fun vocals -- more in line with the vibe of the thing. yup you got robbed. I can't imagine why that first one won. really -- it kinda sucked.

petey twofinger said:
3rd place , we just did the vocals , i submitted 2 songs , the one i spent a few weeks on , this one took us an hour and a half total , i really prefer the first one , but i kinda talk smack in it so he obviously didn't choose it . the songs that took 1st and second you would have to listen and judge for yourself

http://www.adrianbelew.net/smarties/spies%20-%20linnea%20ann%20and%...

scroll down for the other winners if you care :

http://www.adrianbelew.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=ca...

here is more original stuff from my last solo disk

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=474711

our family band , my wife plays bass , my kid sings , i play guitar , and figure out the midi :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj6rKbU__4I

we have 2 albums , one when shrimp wa 5 and one when she was 13 , a double album , 30 cover songs .
petey twofinger July 13, 2010 at 6:30pm

3rd place , we just did the vocals , i submitted 2 songs , the one i spent a few weeks on , this one took us an hour and a half total , i really prefer the first one , but i kinda talk smack in it so he obviously didn't choose it . the songs that took 1st and second you would have to listen and judge for yourself

http://www.adrianbelew.net/smarties/spies%20-%20linnea%20ann%20and%...

scroll down for the other winners if you care :

http://www.adrianbelew.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=ca...

here is more original stuff from my last solo disk

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=474711

our family band , my wife plays bass , my kid sings , i play guitar , and figure out the midi :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj6rKbU__4I

we have 2 albums , one when shrimp wa 5 and one when she was 13 , a double album , 30 cover songs .
Eric Townsend July 13, 2010 at 5:49pm

How can I hear the 'finish my demo' track -- that sounds interesting as hell...want to hear that.

I'm the same with my CBG build -- few tools: have a drill and a beat miter box and some rasps and clamps, etc...but by trying for some small level of craftsmanship, something about the quality of final build made it feel loved and organic

speaking of songs, I just posted my very first tune to iTunes and the rest of the stores in another week or so (posted through TuneCore so it takes a little while to get approved by all the various stores) --

I Need A Reason (Eric Townsend) -- give it a preview if you get a chance (lame that the previews on there are so short, haven't figured out yet a Facebook BandPage and all that proper marketing stuff yet. If you dig the preview I'll try to send you an MP3...my big measure of success would be if I could sell enough units worldwide in the next ten years to pay for the $9.99 TuneCore fee and the $35 US Copyright fee --- then I'd feel like it was a roaring success!

peace, ET

petey twofinger said:
thanks !

i spent 5 nights on that guitar , just feel silly i didnt try this last year when i first read about this stuff . it was actually more fun / less challenging than i thought . i dont have many tools , skill saw , jig saw , hand stuff , but i didnt miss the fancy stuff . the metal amp was a real headache !
i will check out your recommendations . i know some waits fans so i will find out what the name of that album is and get it . one of he things i want to come up with is some more unusual and organic percussion / drums . right on !
thanks for listening , and the kind words , thats awesome . that cd is 16 years old now ! it still sounds goofy , mission accomplished . speaking of belew he had a "finish my demos" contest , so me and my daughter recorded a duet and snagged 3rd place , we were robbed !
thats too cool you didn't let your accident get in the way of playing i admire that .
see ya round , pt2 .
petey twofinger July 13, 2010 at 4:54pm

thanks !

i spent 5 nights on that guitar , just feel silly i didnt try this last year when i first read about this stuff . it was actually more fun / less challenging than i thought . i dont have many tools , skill saw , jig saw , hand stuff , but i didnt miss the fancy stuff . the metal amp was a real headache !
i will check out your recommendations . i know some waits fans so i will find out what the name of that album is and get it . one of he things i want to come up with is some more unusual and organic percussion / drums . right on !
thanks for listening , and the kind words , thats awesome . that cd is 16 years old now ! it still sounds goofy , mission accomplished . speaking of belew he had a "finish my demos" contest , so me and my daughter recorded a duet and snagged 3rd place , we were robbed !
thats too cool you didn't let your accident get in the way of playing i admire that .
see ya round , pt2 .
Eric Townsend July 12, 2010 at 8:02pm

Well from the photo you sure look like you know how to build a CBG!

and I just listened to the tune! -- trippy, ZZ Top meets Monster Mash then that whole ending jam --- neat --- like you need that much direction -- especially being a Mike Patton and Belew fan -- obviously anything goes -- and since you're mixing styles at will anyway....

But maybe check out on the Nation website a dude that goes by "Olds Sleeper" (also on YouTube) who has some bitchin' seriously dark and swampy moody stuff -- I think you'll certainly either dig it or at least get a little dark inspiration from his vibe --- he goes for a real lo-tech sound --- like it's all old mics and beat tape decks in a crummy old shack deep in the wet woods (who knows, he probably has proTools and just destroys the signal to get the industrial feel?) --- he's got a couple tunes that just make my bones ache with a mix of cosmic dread and sonic joy: http://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/oldssleeper.

Your little amps look way too cool!...

I'd say break out the mini-slide and a fretless CBG, plug into a tremolo effect, drench it in 'verb and you're half-way home to finding your 'blues-voice'

and if you're looking to get into a heavy gritty alt blues thing a la M Patton-type of free-to-create vibe, There's some Taj Mahal blues stuff that's real dirty and grungey -- also maybe dig up some of the weirder Tom Waits stuff --- he did an album a while back with all the 'drum' samples that actually came from field recording stuff like whacking a garbage dumpster with a bat, or a chainlink fence with a tennis racquet etc.---- very organic ---

Oh, and I feel you on the fingertips thing --- on my fret hand I had the thumb broken completely off and pinned back on, later smashed the pinky to a pulp almost lost the entire finger to infection and now that tip is just a bent little boney tip, and I sliced off the tip of my first finger with a blade --- yeesh. but I kept on playing. And now I just have to beware the errant pull-off p-twank when there's not enough tip to grab the string...

and we're in good company with Tony Iommi who chopped off the same tips as you in a factory accident before Sabbath signed.

rock on and I'm psyched to hear and see your next projects... Eric T.

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Introduce Yourself!

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