Get the most out of your gear – and your life
It all began with a little bit of Jerry Garcia sprinkled into my daily life as a child.
I grew up in the late 90s — the era of floppy discs, landlines and the mighty Wu-Tang Clan. My parents were teachers, both of whom loved to listen to their favorite music on vinyl records.
My dad was a big Grateful Dead fan, so naturally I was a huge fan as well, and I must admit too that as I have grown older, Frank Sinatra has truly grown on me from my mothers side as well. In other words, Music has always been a part of my life.
Jerry Garcia though has played a huge role in my musical growth, and I am extremely grateful for that fact. I often say that his voice and guitar playing were regular parts of my life as a baby before meeting some of my own extended family members. The Dead’s improvisation and the off the cuff approach they took while meticulously working on their craft throughout a decades long career is something that I will always admire, and cherish that I’ve been able to witness the tail end of it. Something tragic to me though, is the way it devolved into a stressor for Garcia that ultimately – through years of unhealthy habits and risky behavior – consumed him.
I wish I could have seen Jerry Garcia perform in person, but he passed away when I was only 6 months old.
I look to him as someone who has took a great burden upon himself as the leader of not only a massive community of people… but a workforce of people and a cultural phenomenon with no specific agenda other than to bring traveling circus beyond description from town to town.
His example is a two sided one; of a man ripe with purpose and passion who has worked hard for the talent and praise he has earned, but who hadn’t learned the correct coping mechanisms to handle all of the responsibility that came with. It
The yearning for comfort, good health and happiness something that I have dedicated all of my time to struggling to balance, as i’m sure you might have too, and it’s one of the many reasons why I think Fretboard Hustle is so important – at least to me.
Playing guitar has been a huge part of my life. I originally played drums, but learned guitar later on and never looked back. There is something magical about the instrument that brings out emotions in our bodies that we weren’t quite aware of before.
Being able to pick up an acoustic guitar and create music with nothing more than your fingers, some wood and some metal is a huge deal that is the culmination of generations of workers and players who were passionate about improving the quality and affordability of guitars.
Jerry Garcia was one of the most influential guitarists in rock and roll history. He’s been credited with shaping the sound of The Grateful Dead and inspiring generations of guitar players, but unfortunately Garcia didn’t live to see his 60th birthday. His death is attributed to a heart attack caused by obesity and drug abuse. It’s important that we don’t ignore our own health when we’re making decisions about gear or playing style because it can end up costing us more than just money if something goes wrong later on down the line.
It’s a tradition that is passed down and appreciated by generation after generation, tying us together and lifting us up. For musicians in todays modern music industry landscape however, it is not quite the same as in 1965 when Jerry & the Dead who were then “The Warlocks” burst onto the San Fransisco scene.
Learning to play guitar has a tendency to be expensive. I’ll never forget the $1700 price tag that my first professional level acoustic had – and then thinking about how much collectively my mother had spent on guitar lessons to get me to the point where I could even think about deserving such a nice instrument. But it was worth every penny, and what made it even more of a wake-up-call was realizing how much cheaper and easier it could have been if I learned earlier on that my skills were the truly valuable resource to think and care about.
To combat this common occurrence that can lead to disastrous effects like Gear Acquisition Syndrome (GAS) Fretboard Hustle’s gear focused YouTube Series Go for the Gear is made to help players out from under that high-priced rock, but also aims to looks at gear purchases from a bigger perspective about the musicians we are and the needs we have.
I wanted to create an all-in-one hub where by following along with our development, you could not only learn what I’ve learned in less time, but also prevent years of bad habits and wasteful, negative experiences. My commitment to you is that as I’m building this website, I’ll be constantly trying to learn more myself to prove to you that this is a life-long process that we can all learn to appreciate and grow together with.
Jerry Garcia was one of the most influential guitarists in rock and roll history. He’s been credited with shaping the sound of The Grateful Dead and inspiring generations of guitar players, but unfortunately Garcia didn’t live to see his 60th birthday. His death is attributed to a heart attack caused by obesity and drug abuse. It’s important that we don’t ignore our own health when we’re making decisions about gear or playing style because it can end up costing us more than just money if something goes wrong later on down the line.
Thank you for tuning into FretboardHustle.com and taking the time to listen to some of my thoughts
Bryan