So, like, I'm this guy. And like, I do stuff...
Chemist, musician, artist, programmer, coach, husband, dad, uncle, etc.
So yeah.
Advice-wise? There are no stupid questions, just stupid people.
Website: Not My Site!
E-mail: sporkopolis2001@yahoo.com
Gender: Male
Occupation: Chemist
Age: 32
Member Since: October 16, 2003
Answers: 1249
Last Update: June 1, 2006
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i want to teach myself to play guitar. i have a guitar and a couple song books. i can play chords and a few simple songs. but when i download tabs from the internet, they're always wrong. whats a sight where i can find accurate tabs? (link)
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There's no such thing as an accurate tab. All tabs, even the best ones done by professionals in those Guitar and Guitar Player and other such magazines... always wrong in one way or another. Tablature is meant to be a guide, show you the someone's thoughts on how to play a song... tablature in that regard, does not instruct.
Remember, all tablature that you can download is just what someone like you or I has figured out on their own - tablature is an old tradition, for the purpose of trying to better understand and learn songs. They are a decent place to start, but you can't rely on tablature.
Your best tool will be your ears - play along with CDs, play using the tablature, and don't be afraid to screw up or to rewind to re-hear something to make sure you think you heard it right. Listen to bits and pieces, then pick up the guitar and figure out how to play it. Your ears, once trained, will be your greatest tool.
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How can I have a different index page instead of index.html?
My site is all in PHP and I want to have index.php instead of having index.html as the start page.
Help!
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You can have an index.html page set up to instantly redirect you to index.php.
Really, many servers allow for the index page to be index.whatever - it is all dependent on how the webserver is configured.
That said, the redirector is easy to do and skips needing to find out how the server is set up.
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How do I get my brother to start returning my calls instead of giving me the excuse that he's busy?
I only call every few weeks or so. He acts like it's no big deal and it's infuriating to me. Should I just wait for him to call? (link)
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It might just be that your brother doesn't care. I know that sounds harsh, but many seem to go through a phase of separation from their family where they want little contact as to help them establish their own life outside the scope of the sibiling and parental relationships that they grew up with.
Now, that said, it still sucks if you try to call him infrequently and he just blows you off. I would hope he'd have the courtesy and respect to try to return your calls... but really, you can't force him to do it. Perhaps he doesn't realize how much it bothers you... perhaps that it is emotionally a negative thing... It might be worth your effort to talk to your parents about it - perhaps they could give him a subtle hint to return your calls ;)
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how long does it take for SQUASH to grow if you water and keep up with it well everyday?
ive had one for about 1 month and a half and its still kinda small.
any thoughts?
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It is a bit early in the growing season for squash - they are usually a late summer / fall harvest. They will start to grow rapidly in a few weeks - I think July/August is when the various gords really kick it into gear.
Cucumbers, zuccini and the like start a bit sooner.
Of course, depending on where you live geographically, you can adjust what I've said up or down by two weeks (generally speaking).
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I didn't know what to put this under but anyways. Lately I can't sleep at night I just lay there in bed for like 3 hours before I can even sleep at all. Does anyone know what's wrong or how to make me sleep? (link)
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There could be any number of reasons causing this. If it is really causing a detrimental effect in your life, you really should consider talking to your doctor about it. Insomia is not something to disregard - it can be a sign of other issues (illness, anxiety, etc), and it can cause other issues (oddly, the same list).
Also, look at your eating habits and consider how much physical activity you get - if you eat sporadically or eat particularly unhealthy things, and you don't get much physical activity, those can cause your body chemistry to go all whacky, and can indeed cause insomnia.
But again, this is something I'd suggest you take up with an actual physician.
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What's the quickest time it's ever taken for your account to be upgraded after you paid? I know it takes a while but I'm just wondering how long it took for the current paid users. (link)
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I believe the admin makes the change once the payment is processed. I also believe that the admin is out of town until Sunday.
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ok..so i want to learn how to play my electric guitar. would the person who teaches people be at a place that sells guitars? or a separate place? what am i supposed to say when i walk in? do you have an idea on how much i would go and how much it would cost? (like once a week, every week day, and so on) what will they teach me? dont say how to play...duh. but what will i learn? do you have an idea how long the lessons will be? (an hour, or what) and do you know how long it would be for me to be able to stop going to lessons? (a month? 3 months? how long?) and am i supposed to bring my guitar in each time i go to lessons? or am i going to be playing one of theirs? i think that would be pretty embarrasing to walk in holding a guitar ready for lessons...but it wouldnt seem right to be playing theirs when you should be getting used to yours or something. but whatever. or do you think i should just buy a tape and learn myself? please help! (link)
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It always worries me when people talk about guitar lessons and they mention learning from tablature...
Learn to play guitar not from tablature, but from sheet music, chord notation, and playing by ear (listening to a song and figuring out how to play it). I've often found that lazy teachers use tablature as a crutch, and so that they don't really have to teach you anything. The really good teachers are able to impart to you a better understanding of the instrument and of music theory in general.
There's nothing wrong with taking lessons - in fact, the more effort you put into the lessons, usually the more you'll get out of it and be able to advance your skills faster.
Why should it be embarassing ot walk in holding a guitar? I walk into work with three guitars fairly often... if anything it is heavy to carry that many of them, but hey, I'm a freak... ;)
Early lessons shouldn't cost too much - anything in the $15-25 range is fairly par for the course. There are also such thing as group lessons (though most of those I've seen are for classical guitar), but I find the group approach too impersonal.
I know people who have played for years and years, and felt like taking lessons for a while to improve their technique. I know people who never took lessons. I know people who took lessons from the beginning and still take them. There's no set rule on how long anyone should take lessons for music, much less if they need them at all... it is all up to the individual - you have to ask yourself how you feel you best learn and make your decision from that.
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what is lactating?? (link)
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Particularly common in women who have given birth recently, it is when the breasts produce milk. Thus, any woman who is breastfeeding her baby is currently lactating.
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I have been needing to go pee more than 3 times a day...is that bad? And doesn't it take abour 6 hrs or so to digest? (link)
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6hrs? No.
Most people pee far more than only 3 times a day.
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I have a severe allergic reaction to using this product to treat acne. My face swelled, it itches, it's hot and burns and my skin is severely dry. What can I purchase over the counter to get rid of this reaction, without consulting a doctor? (link)
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It probably isn't an actual allergic reaction, but instead you are highly sensitive to benzoyl peroxide, or you were applying too much of the medication.
If the rash continues, you could consider either hydrocortisone cream or benadryl cream to reduce the burning, itching sensation.
Likewise, you might be stuck with sulfur-based anti-acne products - while they do work, they really reek quite badly and can damage clothing worse than the bleaching effect of benzoyl peroxide.
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as a level 3 mod, can you see who asks a question? like if it's personal. like if someone asked one person in specific? (link)
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Yes I can... but it isn't as if I go around looking at who wrote what all the time. The L3's are able to do this because often we are the ones who investigate abusive behavior, such as when someone harasses a columnist - we need to be able to tell who the offender is.
So yes, we can do that. But we usually don't do it unless there's a very, very good reason.
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ok thanx. yeah...i think a regular guitar is what i want..not a bass. the songs i mentioned with the guitars dont sound like a bass at all...but when i think of a regular guitar i think of out of control with those really high notes. i dont think any song would sound good with a bass...i dont like it at all. but it could just be because there isnt much going on in the song...and mostly all you hear is the bass. do you have a song i could download so i could hear what a regular guitar sounds like to see if thats what im wanting? i can see y playing a bass by yourself wouldnt be much fun...ew :p (link)
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I find playing bass by myself fun, but then again, I've been playing bass for a while, so it isn't quite the same.
And keep in mind that almost every song you've heard has bass in it... it just isn't the lead instrument, so it doesn't necessarially stand out. That's why I mentioned Flea, because his bass playing CAN stand out front in a lead role.
Pretty much anything by Collective Soul has lots of guitar in it.
Some random songs off the top of my head for acoustic guitar: Blind Faith "Can't Find My Way Home"; Yes "Mood For a Day"; and anything off any "unplugged" cd.
Excellent examples of electric guitar: pretty much anything by Joe Satriani; Cream "Sunshine of Your Love"; anything by Jimi Hendrix (Jimi did play acoustic as well, but his electric work is what stands out).
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Im a fairly avid musician that has somewhat recently purchased a brand new LTD-B55 bass (if you are unfamilliar with the product - its a five string) from a local music store. Well, i've been prolonging it for quite some time, but its inevitable. I need new strings.
I need a cheap-reliable online source (the local music stores only carry 1 brand of very overpriced, bad quality strings for a 5-string) to get strings, im looking for a set of 5-string GHS Bass Boomers.
Any help is appreciated, thank you. (link)
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I've got a Sam Ash locally, so I generally go there or to another very local store that isn't worth mentioning (since the odds of you living here are slim to none). www.samash.com - their on-line store, would have 5-string bass string sets as well.
I was not happy with GHS boomers on my 5-string. I use pretty much D'Addario strings across the board. I despise Ernie Ball strings (they tended to break far more often than any other strings I've used).
Darco strings were fucking AMAZING for bass, but I don't think they make them anymore, which was a very sad day when I heard that news.
By nature, bass strings are pricey because our strings are double and triple wound - that takes lots of metal and lots of precision in the manufacturing process. Add a 5th, very fat string, and that's even more metal, so 5-string sets are inherently painful to buy.
Can I assume you've tried the old trick of boiling your old strings in water with baking soda? That can at least prolong the life of your old strings by a bit if the time/money factor is playing heavily into your string buying ability.
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i just asked a question not to long ago about guitars and what kind to get. do you have a bass and a regular guitar? when ppl say regular...are they talking about an acoustic? or is there a bass and a regular electric guitar..? have you ever heard the song slice paper wrists by poison the well? if not...could you please download it? at the beginning a guitar plays for a little...and then a different kind comes in..or it might just be the same guitar. but anyways...is the guitar at the beginning a bass? or what is it? 12 seconds into the song...another guitar comes in for like 3 seconds. is that the same guitar as the one in the beginning or different? or if you've heard the song cold by crossfade...is that a bass? or..youve probably heard the song ohio is for lovers by hawthorne heights...is that guitar a bass? also...another song...fucking determined by mudvayne. is thaaaaat a bass? that one seems to sound different than the other songs i have been saying..but im just not sure if their playing "harder" or what. possesion by otep also..that guitar seems to sound different too. if you dont feel like downloading any of these could you please give me songs to download to hear the difference between bass or a "regular" guitar if there is such a thing...that isnt acoustic. thanx! (link)
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Dazed and Confused by Led Zeppelin starts out with bass. The guitar comes in over the top.
Bass is lower. Bass is often playing in a linear fashion - you don't usually play chords on a bass, or searing guitar solos - that's not the point of a bass guitar. Bass is low, and creates sort of the backbone of a song along with the drums - bass is considered part of the rhythm section in a band.
Anything by the Who has kickass bass going on in it. Red Hot Chili Pepper's bass player Flea is outstanding at playing funk/slap bass.
When I talk about a 6-string, it can be either an electric or an acoustic. Electric guitars are just that - electric - they have pick-ups to translate the vibration of the strings into an electric signal that the amp plays back.
An acoustic relies on the quality of the strings and the resonnance of the wood. Yes, they can be amped, but it will still sound acoustic as opposed to the often thinner sound of the electric. This is also why electrics are often used with electronic effects like distortion, flanging, chorus, wah, etc...
Does that help?
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i want to know what kind of guitar to get. not too expensive, but not really cheap. and also what kind of amp? i have no idea about anything, but i really want to get a guitar and then take lessons to learn how to play. a friend of mine has an ibanez. im pretty sure thats what it was called...so anyways is that a good kind? anything about guitars would help me out a lot. also..is there other kinds besides bass? im not going to be in a band or anything, maybe one day since my friend is already in one, but so is bass what i want? or what? please just tell me anything i need to know...and what to get. thanx! (link)
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Check out previous answers to similar questions from my column: http://www.advicenators.com/column.php?u=MFS&t=14
I'm having difficulty understanding if you intend on playing bass, or if you are looking for a 6-string (rhythm/lead) guitar. While the bass guitar is a guitar, the approach to playing the instrument is fairly different than that of the 6-string.
If I were you, and I was once, many years ago... I'd figure out exactly what instruent it is that you intend to play. Go to music stores and try out guitars and basses. Do the same at friends' houses. Pick an instrument that fits you.
A few nuggets of wisdom:
A shitty amp can make a great guitar sound like ass. A great amp can make a shitty guitar sound decent.
Pick a guitar that feels comfortable in your hands. If the neck doesn't seem to feel right, don't buy the guitar.
Don't ever EVER buy a guitar based on what it sounds like running through a bunch of effects or on some top-of-the-line amp that you'll never, ever buy. Play the guitar clean, and play it on an amp similar to what you intend to use yourself.
I own guitars and basses from Fender, Ibanez, Paul Reed Smith, Yamaha, and La Patrie. I also like Gibson, Epiphone, Takamine, Alvarez, Heritage, Gretsch, and a few other makers. I hate Yamaha electrics, but like thier acoustic guitars.
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I am going for my first interview ever, tomorrow. What should I wear? The weather is suppossed to be high 80s,so i need something I wont sweat in. I want to make a good impression. Any Ideas? (link)
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This all depends on where you are going for the interview. Generally, the standard is to dress one step higher than the clothes you'd wear to that job on a daily basis. Also, consider if this is a professional position, or just a simple summer job.
Running on the assumption that this is for a summer job, ideally you want to look nice - not over-the-top, but you'll want to dress like you would for a nice dinner party or something along those lines (yeah, that's about the lamest example I could think of... oh well.)
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i dunno if you know the answer, but do you know of a good digital camera that costs less than $300????? (link)
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www.pricewatch.com
scroll down to the section on Cameras - Digital
You can sort by price.
I am partial to Nikon cameras - lots of them in the family and we're all very happy with them. Cannon's aren't bad either. Supposedly the Kodak digital camera is good, but I'm not sure what price range they are.
A lot of this also comes down to what kind of resolution you want - you're not going to be able to get a high-speed 8megapixel camera for under several thousand... but if you just need maybe a good 3 megapixel all-purpose camera, any of the "big names" should do the trick - I'd try finding a camera in your price range on PriceWatch, then google for reviews of that camera - also, some reviews of digital cameras will be in the non-supscription area of Consumer Reports' website - well worth checking it out.
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everyone at my school says cheerleading is a sport and some say it isn't a sport..don't answer this question if you are going to write something mean or stupid. so is cheerleading a sport? and if no why is it on espn? (link)
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I'm not sure about "sport" - it depends on how you define what a sport it.
Cheerleading is clearly athletic, and can be competitive. So as far as that goes, cheerleading competitions are showcases of athleticism mixed with choreography, etc. There's discipline involved... etc... it is similar to gymnastics, ice skating, and other such things...
The ordeal is that it is judged. "Winning" is far more subjective than it is in head-to-head sports like baseball, football, volleyball, etc.
So, really, I havne't answered your question, but hopefully at least shown that like many things, this isn't a black-and-white issue.
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why doesnt this site let you share your poems anymore? i mean I know this is a advice site but it was nice to get fead back on your poem and ADVICE on how to make it better. So i was just wondering cuz it really helped make my peoms better. (link)
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Because there are other sites better suited for getting feedback on creative writing. This is a general advice site, not a creativity forum. That is why we have tried to ask that people not post poetry asking for feedback - it just doesn't fit in with the purpose of this site.
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is there anything wrong with a bi racial realationship (link)
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Nope - not at all. In fact, it supports genetic diversity, if you think about it. That and I don't believe in races - sure, some have different ethnic backgrounds and varying shades of skin pigmentation, but we're all human.
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