Guitar Contest @ Guitar Center

Rodney James · #1 03-28-2002, 09:46 AM

I have a moment for you all, Jewl, Ben and I drove 150 miles Tuesday to Grand Rapids to pick up a friend from the Airport. We get there 4 hours early, so we drive around the City, getting pictures and video action for fun, just enjoying adventure, then we drive by a Guitar center, so we pull in to check it out.

The place was killer, DBK, Jem7VWH, CRYSTAL PLANET!!!! in person, whoohoo, NICE!!! *I play the DBK, Then I ask why they are setting up some amps like a concert, and find out there was a Guitar contest, so My Girl makes me enter for the experience and fun. FUN!? *That sounds like stress!!! lol

They hand me the Jem7VWH to play, I ask for a Strap, tools and tuner so I can tune the sweet VWH. Then they tell me I have to choose one of 12 soundtracks to play over. ahhhhhhhh?
And also do a 2 minute solo after or before the soundtrack perfomance, ahhhhh? Pressure!?!?!? I don't even own a guitar right now and Im about to play in a Guitar contest, what in the???

So I look at the CD and say, mmmm, lets try track # 3 because that # sticks out to me because of the passing of Dale E, he samples the first few notes, ok ahhhh, guess that will work, now im unlocking the Jem to tune it and have to go on first in like 8 minutes.

So Jammin over the soundtrack I go, *after the soundtrack I Jammed for the solo part then handed the sweet VWH Jem to them and ran out the door to get to the Airport. (Sure didn't want to let go of that VWH)

I ended up placing 3rd place and missed 2nd by one point, now that was such a suprise to me becuase my perfomance was so shot out and scary IMO. I learned a very serious lesson!

"Good Fortune Favours the Well Prepared"

If I would of tied or placed 2nd I would of went on to the Main local event and had a week to prepare for it, *geeee!!! *that would of been great! Give me an Hour and im excited!!! *lol *So because I was not even close to prepared I missed it by one little point.......

Great Experience & wake up Call.......

johncowan · #2 03-28-2002, 02:07 PM

Rodney,

You are the man! *If that would've happened to me I'd have finished last and they wouldn't even be able to add the number of points I was behind the leader. *That's testament to your abilities. *Congrats.

JC

musicdr · #3 03-28-2002, 02:07 PM

Still pretty impressive,especially considering the circumstances!

Rodney James · #4 03-28-2002, 03:22 PM

Thanks a lot John & musicdr, it was quite the awesome experience. (lol John) *For two days now, I keep having so many thoughts running through my head of a zillion things that could of been done different, and all I would of had to do is relax and do one of them to get that one point.

Every aspect of the experience was meant to be just as it was sitting there on the Edge of a Dream.

~RJ~

(Edited by moondance at 2:24 pm on Mar. 28, 2002)