KNOW MY GEAR: SAMEER MAN SINGH

Age: 29
Started playing at the age: I guess it was around 20 or 21
Inspirations:

I don’t particularly have a guitar hero per se. I didn’t know what I was doing with a guitar (maybe I was a picnic guitarist) until I heard and understood Chuck Schuldiner’s riffs which seriously made me want to learn playing. Listening closely to Players like Kim Thayil took me into an internal ‘de learning’ process. Later players with unique styles like David Gilmour, Niklas Sundin and inventive players like Yossi Sassi, Luis B Galvez have inspired me. I’m not really into virtuoso players but admire them a lot.

Favorite bands/musicians:

I love what Peter Lindgren and Mikael Ackerfeldt have done in Opeth. Similarly, Ihsan’s guitaring in Emperor albums (latter ones) is amazing. Keith Scott (Bryan Adams) is just this feel good guitarist that makes me want to pick up and play something. Currently, I find Mekaal Hassan’s Jazz improvisations in his band totally engaging. It’s not just the guitars, but the whole experience of listening to MHB- very nice. I am also going back to listen to players like Joe Walsh, Brian May, Angus Young etc. Locally, I like players like Iman dai, Bibhushan, Sunny, Ashesh etc.

Currently in:

Maya (WTF?? Cant believe I still say that)..mostly I play at home..and jam with friends sometimes.

Also played with:

A bunch of college bands not worth mentioning.

Also does:

A friggin 9 to 5 job. A bit of RJing (Xtreme Show at Kantipur FM). A bit of writing.

GUITARS:

I have a beaten Hohner Professional LP 57 with Kent Armstrong PAFs.

EFFECTS:

I’m an overdrive & distortion fanatic. Currently I have

Ibanez Tubescreamer TS808 (Reissue)

What can you say about this one.. It’s an old classic and the most raped and aped pedal on earth. The 808 and its cousins have literally shaped world tone history. I might get this one modded to Analogman Silver specs.

Marshall Jackhammer (JH – 1)

I like using this sometimes but to get something I like out of it, I put in the TS 808 at front.

Emma Reezafratzitz (RF – 1)

It has a uniquely incorporated ‘bias’ function that is a cool tool. This is the most ‘tubelike’ analog pedal I’ve come across. A little thin on its own but a TS808 again turns this thing into a different beast. Distorted sounds are unique.

BK Butler Tube Driver (Model 911)

If it is good for the likes of David Gilmour, Eric Johnson and Billy Gibbons, it’s good enough for me. Handmade by BK himself, this is indeed a special pedal. This is my first tube device and runs on a specially spec’d and selected 12AX7 vacuum tube. In fact, I don’t even regard it as a pedal. It’s a preamp in the simplest possible form with a true bias knob. Amazing.

BOSS Digital Delay

An old favorite for many.

TOTAL COST

Around 1 lakh (minus amp)

DREAM SETUP

Well if this is about giving flight to your fancy, here I go.

A Suhr Pro Series S-3.
A Driskill Diablo with BRW fingerboard
A Tom Anderson Drop Top Classic
A PRS Custom 24 (10 top)
Komet Concorde 50W head hooked to a 1968 4×12 “A” Marshall Cabinet with Celestions.
Diezel Einstein Combo
A VOX AC 30
A Pete Cornish rig with Analogman compROSSor, a great TS808, Butler Tube Driver, Klon Centaur, Pete Cornish Soft Sustain, TC Electronics SCF, Moogerfooger MF-104Z Analog Delay and a good noise suppressor. All these hooked up with Evidence Audio Cables. Drooool ~~~~~~~.

STUFFS A GUITARIST MUST KNOW BEFORE BUYING A GUITAR

Buying a great guitar is one of the few joys of life everyone wants to indulge in but few can afford. It’s not like buying a CD player or even a pedal or an amplifier. A guitar you wield connects to you and becomes a part of your persona. It becomes an extension of your self so as to say. With all the bewildering choices available, it’s a tough decision to make. As a certain dialogue in “The Matrix” goes “As with everything ..the problem is choice”.

Apart from the “quintessential”, there are some practical considerations which could prove useful before you succumb to your latest GAS (Guitar Acquisition Syndrome).

1. Cheap/Budget/Expensive:

Budget considerations are always there but I hate it when beginners say “I’ll do with a cheapo for now” and then buy a nice one later. They end up buying toys. The point is, a badly made guitar won’t inspire you enough to play let alone learn and improve. Things like neck comfort, string action/adjustability, tuning stability, playability and of course sound, are crucial when you start out. The earlier you get acquainted to what a good guitar should be the better. It’s good to be modest, but don’t be pennywise pound foolish. Forget about those expensive shoes, the latest mobile gizmo and modifying your latest monster bike or even buying one in the first place. Even keep off dates..if you have to!! Save up and buy real gear. Selling a used/no name guitar can be quite frustrating in our context. Go buy a guitar you can truly afford and you think you deserve.

2. Used/Old/New:

This is entirely a personal choice and depends on the guitar in question and the state it’s in. I would never buy a used Gibson but would readily go for a battered Fender. Shopping for Vintage guitars could be a topic of its own. It is believed that “ageing” does wonders to wooden artifacts. An old guitar has wood that is well settled, a character of its own and has stories to tell. Some people believe that guitars made the “old school” way (hand crafting) are superior. Personally, think any good quality machine made guitar can sound as convincing.

3. Sound-Testing a Guitar:

It may sound weird but when buying a solid body electric guitar, the first test you should put it through is an acoustic test. Play it unplugged before you hook it up with the big Marshall at the store. An electric guitar despite all its electronics is still an ‘acoustic’ instrument. Try to listen to how the wood sounds. Try to rest it close to your body and feel the resonation when you strike a chord. You can try listening to the wood vibrate by sticking your ear to the upper horn on a strat type guitar. Then play it clean on an amp and so on and so forth. Crank up the guitar at loud volumes and check if there’s any abnormal feedback which can be due to loose poles and copper windings in the pickups.(talking out of personal experience)

4. Finish/Looks/Shape:

The looks of a guitar largely determines its sale value in a beginner market. No one wants to invest on an ugly guitar that plays well. Don’t feel guilty if you find you are irresistibly attracted to the finish rather than quality. We’re not blind creatures,, but its a fact that you don’t buy a guitar to hang it on a wall. The finish on the guitar affects the tone to a certain degree. Wood breathes. Poly -urethane and other plastic finishes “seal” a guitar and affect its vibration. Thinner finishes like nitro-cellulose are more delicate but let the wood ring naturally. Certain shapes and guitar construction techniques make the sound waves well up and propagate nicely throughout a guitar body. Its not like you chop a log, take a plank of wood, cut out some crazy shape, stick in two pickups and a lo.. great guitar is invented.

5. Don’t be a Brand Nazi:

Don’t limit yourself to brand-G or brand-F or brand-P because it’s a big company and can afford plush adverts in guitar magazines and endorses major players. There are records of certain production “phases” when big companies have put out crap equipments. You may not go wrong by sticking to a well known brand but might be missing out on some greater stuff which is not as well advertised. Instead do intensive research and settle on the brand for its merits. When you decide you want to buy yourself a great guitar out of passion, do consider small passionate luthiers who believe in putting out top notch instruments instead of companies concerned with fulfilling their fiscal year targets.

STUFF A GUITARIST MUST KNOW BEFORE PLAYING LIVE (ON THE STAGE WITH A BAND)

Some points (again to make this concise, I’ve done away with the “quintessential” like band coordination and onstage presence.)

1. At least a basic understanding of how a PA system/monitoring works.

2. Guitar players are egoistic creatures by nature and need. To get a decent playable tone compression and sustain, he instinctively increases the gain to his comfort. What this does is the sound guy increases the overall volume of the band to match the guitar. Result – mud. High levels of onstage sounds sometimes “spill” into live mics resulting in “ghost” sounds/signals. I don’t have a lot of onstage experience but as guitar players, we should work for a perfect mix – a resultant sound effect –which is a compromise.

3. To reverb or not to reverb: Reverb is an essential component in creating an ambience in a recording that makes a sound full and alive. Reverb creates space and a lot of us use a bit of reverb when playing at home. But inappropriate use can drown your sound both on stage and in studio. Especially at a live venue try to use as less spring reverb from your amp as you can because the natural reverberation of the venue compensates. This is especially evident in places like stadiums where the sound bounces off concrete structures creating a loose “mush”. Even a dry signal can sound wet. In a studio, the best approach would be to utilize the natural reverb of the room you’re recording in. Effects like reverb and delay can be added later digitally.

STUFF A GUITARIST MUST KNOW BEFORE RECORDING IN A STUDIO

1. Amp/Board ? : Personally I would always prefer and recommend using an amp. But it might not be possible when you are recording in a studio that has no proper facilities or useable room acoustics. If you’re in an acoustically toneful or treated room large enough to contribute to the tone recorded, use an amplifier.

2. Gain: As metalheads, the natural instinct is step on the gas and go over the top. But while recording, gain/distortion should be handled with care. The more gain on tap, the less dynamic or ‘true’ the sound. I like the idea of using moderate gain even if it means doubling the track later to make it sound huge. It also depends on what kind of music you play.

3. Mic Placement : This is very important when you decide to use an amplifier to record the signal. Even today, this aspect of recording a guitar I feel has been neglected in our country. Think out of the box. I mean literally. Close micing is not the only option available. Even an inch of difference in speaker cone and mic placement can alter the tone recorded. Consider using more than one mic to record your guitar. Once you have set up your rig, walk around the room to listen to spots where you hear good sounds. Place a microphone there (even if it means hanging a mic by the ceiling!!). Nothing is too weird in the quest of tone. Of course a microphone and your ear are two different things and but it is a step towards capturing the vibe at that spot.

4. Mixing: This is a very subjective matter.. but needs objectivity. It is best for all the band members to be present while mixing a song. Try to visualize the whole recording graphically in terms of a sonic landscape. You can then decide where to “plot” your rhythm guitar, the leads, the bass, keyboard ambience etc etc.

5. Listen to your heart : Be relaxed and hope for the best. Being too choosy and fussy can take the fun out of things sometimes. Despite knowing pros and cons of things.. we do tend to make decisions we know are not supposed to.. which is not always a bad thing.

Rock on!!

Interview With Jason Shrestha (Night/Beyond)
Appeared on ktmROCKS Mag Issue 13 

Which band do you think is the best (past, present and future) in the local scene?

I like Mukti and Revival and Cadenza from the past. I haven’t really observed any local band in the present. What is the first ever album you bought? Do you still have it? Metallica’s Black album was the first ever album I bought which I don’t have anymore. I was in fourth grade when I bought it after watching the music video of “Nothing else Matters” on MTV which I really liked.

Who is your idol as a musician?

I cherish Steinar Sverd Johnsen, the keyboardist of Arcturus. His playing is in an “avant garde” style which I haven’t heard from others a lot. In the genre of Black Metal he is very open minded, even more than others regarding the same genre. Before hearing about Arcturus, I was listening to more of Dark Throne type of extreme metal. Then I saw a review of one of their albums which had been rated 10/10. A friend from London sent me the CD. However, I was not able to digest the music properly back then, but as I gradually listened bit by bit, I fell in love with playing style of Sverd. Niklas Sundin of Dark Tranquility is also another idol to me. It was only after listening to Niklas Sundin that I decided to learn how to play music and make it a part of my future in any possible way. As I said before, a majority of the music I was into was extreme metal, but in the later stages, I got hold of “For the love of God’ by Steve Vai which opened a completely new window for me as far as guitar playing was concerned. Hence I would like to place Steve Vai in my “idol” list. A.R. Reheman is also a great figure I’d like to include as an idol for me musically. He is a genius musician and with profound concepts which I totally relish.

What’s the first ever song that you listened to and instantly thought of learning guitar?

“Wherever I may Roam” was the first song that I learned. Back then neither did I have any distortion effects nor an electric guitar. I learned that “sitar” type riff on my uncle’s classical guitar. Another song was “Jump in the Fire” which I simultaneously learned with “Where ever I may Roam”.

Which bands/artists do you think represents the genres “heavy rock” and “metal” best?

I don’t really know what heavy rock is. There a few bands that I think represent metal the best. Talking in terms of “Spirit” as in a motivational aspect, I feel that Manowar truly represents the genre. And in a general point of view, Megadeth and Metallica are the bands to be mentioned.

What do you prefer- Black Metal or Death Metal? Why?

I like both. But when going in depth, the reason why I am not fond of very extreme forms of Black metal bands like Vaarg Vigernes and Count Krishnak is because they say “Asians are shit. Brownies are shit”. So I would be happier not representing these infamous characters. Even when seeing young guys here wearing shirts of Varg Vigernes and saying “Varg vigerness is God”, I feel like they are humiliating themselves. However, Ishan (Emperor) and Kristoffer Rygg (Ulvar), in the time they started out, showed everyone that there was a way to play the relishing music of Black Metal without burning churches or carrying out any other sort of anti-religious acts. They proved that their music always spoke louder than their actions. Arcturus, Emperor and Covenant are the black metal bands I like. When talking about death metal, I used to listen to stuff like Cannibal Corpse. But since I believe that the concept is the most important key of music, I later found their concepts of extreme violence (serial killing, etc) to be fake. I go for death metal with more profound philosophical concepts. Hence I equally like both Black and Death metal depending on their specified definition.

Which bands are you so over with that you don’t want to listen to any of their new song/album?

Definitely Cradle of filth. Period! I can’t even listen to one song especially after the Midian album. Another one has to be Children of Bodom.

Make a top 5 list of your favorite guitarist. I wish I could place Subash Pant’s name in all 5 slots! Haha! So my favorite guitarists in no particular order are: Subash Pant (ex Ugrakarma, Beyond), Steve Vai, Tommaso Talamanca (Sadist), Marty Friedman and Paul Masvidal (Cynic). Which band/artist would you kill to play/jam with?

At the moment, our very own band, Night. I haven’t been able to jam with them currently. Moreover, I haven’t even done a full on electrified performance with the new line up due to my job commitments. So this really makes me awfully eager to play with Night as soon as possible.

Which mainstream band/artist in our Nepali scene should call it a day?

The list is endless. But briefly, it would be Kamal Man Singh a.k.a. Kamal can’t Sing, Dhiraj Rai a.k.a. Dhiraj nai.. hahaha! And for the bands I think The Axe should call it a day and as well as the new X-Mantra. I even get embarrassed myself when watching that crappy “hami dherai sano chau” video, really a disgrace. Unfortunately, our keyboardist is playing with them as well but I’m sure he can make them sound better! Haha!

What is your dream/gear or setup?

I really want the Marshall Valve State amp which I’ll hopefully buy soon. My dream guitar is the Japanese Ibanez 7 string which I already have because of its prestige neck and the fact that it is Japanese made. As for pedals, just a basic setup of a Boss Overdrive, Delay and Reverb are on the list. That’s all for now. Things will gradually add up on the list as I explore more deeply into the art of guitar playing.

Which guitar chord is your favorite?I don’t have a specific chord that I like. I do however have favorite scale which is the minor scale. So I guess my favorite chords are the minor chords because I am more comfortable with them.

What do you think the guitarist is important in a band?

Every member is important in their own way in a band. As far as the guitar player is concerned, in a general way, if the drums and bass provide framework for the music I believe the guitar adds flavor and sets a kind of direction. You can say that it is the decorative part of the band’s music. I am not saying guitar is everything or guitar is nothing. It depends upon one’s taste. It is important in different ways for different people.

What’s the best thing that ever happened with you as a musician?

When I was in Malaysia, a jazz guitarist offered me to play jingles for a TV channel telling me that my life and future was bright in that field. This offer made me feel very proud of myself and was much honored.

And the worst thing?

Well… umm… the worst thing isn’t a particular event. Whenever I don’t get to play music, get to practice, etc I get depressed. I have this burning desire to excel but when things come in my way to stop from excelling I get depressed.

You used to have long hair, why is it not long anymore?

Well due to my studies and work, I had to cut it. Since my job is non music related, having long hair is apparently inappropriate.

Who do you think is a better guitarist? You or Sameer Singh (Maya)?

What kind of “mango” question is this? Well, I think he is a better composer than a guitar player. I’m more into soloing than he is and he’s more into riffing than I am. Perhaps on the basis of “virtuoso” I may be better and in terms of composing he may be better than me, but not precisely. I don’t really have specific answer for this.

Which song/band do you always listen to when you are depressed and lonely?

I usually listen to Dark Tranquility in these situations because it gives me energy especially when I’m nostalgic and think about the way I used to think – how innocent I used to be. I listen to The Gallery album most frequently.

When do you get depressed and lonely?

As mentioned before when I am unable to play or practice. Sometimes I feel empty without any remarkable reasons – perhaps, due to the anticipation for someone special to come in my life. Haha!

If you were threatened for you life and had to play guitar in a backing band of options a)Nabin Bhattarai b)Sugam pokhrel c)Kamal Man singh – Which one would you choose?If my life was on the line, I would play for whoever would give me the most money. But, I wouldn’t even play for Kamal Man Singh over my dead body. So between Nabin Battarai and Sugam Pokhrel, whoever would pay me more and my identity would have to be anonymous.

How would you describe yourself as a guitar player?

I feel like I‘m a “mango” guitarist. Hahaha! I haven’t really thought about this before. Well, I guess I have the burning desire to excel. I still have that fire. I’m stilling learning and probably won’t ever stop. I guess you can still call me an unofficial student of music.

What are the recent albums you are listening to?

I am listening to Anathema – Alternative 4. It has been a bout 6-7 months already. I’m still not done listening to it. I find this album very authentic. It portrays the empty side and sadness of a person. It makes me realize that it’s not necessary to have a lot of instruments to divulge a certain emotion or feeling(s). It brings to mind that simplicity can be more important and powerful than complexity at times not just in music but in other aspects of life. I really like the way it release so many emotions in a very simplified manner. A huge lesson I learned from this album.

Were there any nepali pop songs you learned while learning guitar before? If yes, what were they? What about currently/recently?

Oh yes. I learned “Mero Ankhama” by Deep Shrestha because it had difficult chords in it. I still sing 1974 AD’s “Tyo Raata Ma”. And even songs by Sabin Rai. Haha!

What bands of other genres besides rock and metal do you listen to?

Actually, I can’t really differentiate genres that well. Especially sub genres. I don’t know what genre Sting falls in. Is it pop, or jazz pop or rock? I like some songs by him. Oh, there have also been times when I have enjoyed listening to Shakira’s “Whenever, Wherever”. haha!

What other instrument besides the guitar would you like to master and why?

The flute, i.e., the nepali basoorie. Well, because first of all its an eastern classical instrument and I find it very soothing as I am into more soothing type of music these days.