“Breaking Strings”

Breaking strings has always been the bane of my existence. I play hard. I don’t play super hard but I play my acoustic guitar with a sense of purpose. That’s what makes the rock ‘n roll come out. The downside is that the strings just can’t take the burn of my deep, deep rockin’ and so every now and then, I pop a string. It used to be worse. Sometimes during a gig, I would break up to 3 strings. Once I broke 3 strings in ONE SONG! However, after adjusting my technique and the type of pic I use, I have it down to a more rare event.

That being said, yesterday in rehearsal I broke a string in the middle of working on the song “Well Anyway”. Usually when this happens, all rocking stops until I change the string. This process generally takes about 1-2 minutes. Yesterday, however, a different process took place. When I broke the string, the band just kept playing the section of the song that we were currently in. They played for awhile and then they started jamming on it. Greg took a solo, Ale got all jazzy on the drums, Eric rocked the keys, etc.. It was awesome. So, we have created a new band sensibility. When / if a string breaks, that is not cause for commotion or stagnation. It is now a reason to jam in the middle of the song until the string is back and we can rock again.

Once again, little tragedies become little gifts!