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Post by : Kevin  
  Date : 9 July 2009  
  Subject : Gear  
  Title : Music for the poor  
         
  QUESTION:  
 
First off, I would like to say like many others, you are a musical magician and create insane music. I am a black 16 year old kid who was raised in the ghetto, and never was able to really get into music until I started to get into bands like Do As Infinity and L`Arc~En~Ciel (do you like them, by the way?) but soon found myself engrossed in learning how to play instruments. This somehow led me to Megadeth, and a very great guitarist called Marty Friedman. Along with Paul Gilbert and Jimi Hendrix, you fuel my musical inspiration for playing the guitar. You especially, because I think we have a lot in common (I also enjoy very heavy music, but also am very fond of Japanese pop and rock such as Mika Nakashima, and I enjoy some chinese music as well, such as Jay Chou.) I feel like I have gone off in a completely different direction from my question so allow me to get back on subject and ask it. I am 16 years old, and very poor. I can't really afford good gear, I have a bad guitar that inhibits my playing, and a horrible sounding amp made from a obscure company. I am trying to save up money to get a BC Rich Mocking Bird, or a Fernandez Burny MG-360 (I'm a huge X Japan fan!) but I know this will take me some time. Recently, I have been very passonate about my song writing and want to play with a band, but due to the quality of my equipment, unless I use somebody elses instrument it doesn't sound as good as it should. So my question is, are there any sort of outlets for me to get cheap equipment that has a ok tone and works. I wasn't very confident of my playing skills as a guitarist, until a insane guitarist who used to be in a Filipino band called South Boarder (check them out sometime!) let me use his Telecaster, and all of a sudden the licks I was playing sounded totaly different. They were cleaner, the tone was beautiful, I loved it. I know I can't afford something like that for a while, so can you think of anything maybe in the 100-150 dollar range that would get a nice tone? I'm confident that if I can even get a somewhat decent guitar, my playing will make up for the gap between it and super expensive equipment, but as it stands now with the horrible condition of my guitar, unless I plan to switch to playing Bluegrass I'm in trouble!
 
     
  MARTY'S ANSWER:  
 
I was in your situation, only I wasn`t poor in the ghetto, but at the same time I was not rich by any means and I had zero money. What I did was teach people who knew a little less than I did-for example I had only played gtr for 3 months but my student had only played for two...I charged very little and learned things for myself along the way. I also did my acoustic practicing outside, in a public place and people would put nickels and quarters in my case even though I could barely play. Either people paid because they were tone deaf and thought I was good, or they were just being nice because I was out there trying. Either way I got something out of it. I suggest these methods to you, and best of luck. PS yes, Do As and L`arc are great!
 
     
 
 
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