Yesterday I had the awesome privilege of interviewing Will
Rauser, a guitarist who has been playing for thirty years but still considers
himself an amateur! He has a lot of great advice for amateur guitarists (and
going by Will’s standards, if you’ve been playing for less than thirty years,
then consider yourself still an amateur!) and also for baby bands. Check out the first
part of the interview:
On playing guitar and
guitar heroes:
Mildred Achoch: How's
your music coming along?
Will Rauser: I am
playing...just not as much personal practice on guitar. Playing bass for a
friend's church on Sunday morning, then guitar in my own on Sunday night. My
band is taking a holiday break
Mildred: How long
have you been playing guitar?
Will: 30 years
Mildred: Wow! Do
you ever get bored with it? Or is it a constant learning experience?
Will:Well, let's
see: Do I ever get bored? Yes, sometimes...but when I do, I will either put it
down for a short time (never too long), or I force myself to work on something
that I just can't do (like a classical technique or a country lick) Yes, it is
a constant learning experience.
Mildred: Who are
your guitar heroes?
Will: My heroes
are mostly rock guys: Edward Van Halen is my #1 guy; followed by Neal Schon,
Jake E. Lee, George Lynch, Micheal Schenker, Gary Moore But I also like Phil Keaggy (I
have seen him 3 times, met him once)
Mildred: Ever
heard of Steve Vai? I don't know much about guitars but I think he's pretty
awesome!
Will: Have I ever
heard of Steve Vai? LOL...of course...I love his work He IS a genius!
Mildred: he he
he. Yeah I knew the chances of you knowing Vai were like 100 percent
Advice for amateur
guitarists and baby bands
Mildred: What
advice would you give to a baby band in general and to an amateur guitarists in
a baby band in particular?
Will: Well, that
is two separate things, but they aren't mutually exclusive, but let's see if I
can give you something…For the amateur guitarist (of which I am still one,
BTW...lol), I would say that you practice what you don't know. In other words,
if you can already play something well, don't keep regurgitating it...that's
not practice, that's playing. Always work on things you are not good at.
I would also say to practice new skills slowly...worry about
speed later...slow and steady win the race. It's much better to be accurate
than fast
Think melodically...playing melodies with feel makes you
sound faster than you actually are.
And I would say that you should learn chord/scale
relationships....my musical knowledge has always made up for a lacking in
technique.
Mildred: Eeek!
Does that mean learning to read music?!
Will: I don't
read music real well...I can decipher notes on a page, but I cannot read just
looking at the manuscript paper. However, I CAN read key signatures, and I do
understand how to apply scales to chords, and I can solo in just about any key.
Mildred: Wow. Did
you consciously seek to learn this or was it a necessity as you continued to
improve your playing skills?
Will: I sought to
know my instrument as well as I could, because I figured since I didn't have the
physical talent, I could make up for in study and practice...it worked. As far
as [advice for] a baby band, my advise is play, play, play...gig as much as you
are able. Even free gigs...just play. Yes, you WILL have bad gigs...those lead
to experiences that you will one day cherish. Don't play bad gigs IF you KNOW
they're going to be bad gigs...but I mean, there will always be gigs with bad
weather, sound issues, broken promises, and sick band members...play them
anyway.
Mildred: Any
advice regarding band cohesion/band drama? But how can you tell a gig is going
to be bad? Are there any signs?
Will: Well, this
is just my opinion, and how our band works is not everyone's cup of tea...but
my advise is to find players that you gel with rather than those who have
immense talent but are buttholes. Personally, we don't put up with
drama...everyone should share the vision or else they can get their own band. Certain
personality traits and conditions are okay to deal with (like, say, someone
being less humorous than others) and should be respected...but some things are
just not an option to deal with.
Mildred: In your
opinion what are the deal breakers?
Will: The deal
breakers? That can vary, but allowing someone's girlfriend or boyfriend (or
spouse) to interfere with the band business. The band members are IN the band,
their spouses are not.
Mildred: Ah. The
Yoko Ono syndrome. lol! Are there any other deal breakers?
Will: Another deal
breaker would be to not learn their parts of the music...if they keep coming in
and they have not learned their parts, you are wasting valuable time trying to
make up for their lack of discipline. Another deal breaker is lack of
professionalism: You can be an amateur band and still act like professionals.
Be polite to whoever brings your band in, treat other bands with respect (even
if they don't deserve it), be ON TIME (that is a huge one), and never act like
you're superior (even if you are)
I would also recommend that "democracy" doesn't
always work in a band situation...yes, there is a certain amount of that, but
everyone cannot have an equal say...sometimes a leader has to make a call, and
others need to submit to that...argue about it later (well, not argue, but
discuss)
Mildred: Should
each member buy their own instrument or should the band collectively chip in to
buy the instruments?
Will: I
personally believe each member should have their own personal equipment (like
guitars and amps)...HOWEVER, sometimes it is necessary to help a member out
when things are tight. But, things like the guitarist having his own guitar is
pretty obvious. Our singer uses a wireless microphone...and he always forgets
to buy batteries (lol)...we remind him...it's a small thing, but sometimes we
have to say, "Hey, man...I buy my own strings and replace them...I have my
own picks...I buy my own cords...all you need is batteries..." lol
Look out for part two
of this interview where Will Rauser will be talking about the best and worst
gigs! Meanwhile, watch this !!!