May Birthdays 
So I was reading the great Dave Wronski columns in Guitar World (the one about dynamics). And all of a sudden it hit me. Just because the amp is turned up really loud doesn't mean you always have to play that loud!
Which should be kind of obvious, but I've always tended to go for less volume, possibly because I play a lot of acoustic & a loud amp is a really different thing.
Anyway, I tried it at a gig last night. Turned up way louder than I normally do (this, by the way, involved getting a new amp, but that's another story) and playing lighter. SUCH a difference. I felt like I wasn't ever struggling, my hands were looser, and the rest of the band was tighter because they could hear the melody. Fantastic!
So thanks Dave.
—Matt Heaton & the Electric Heaters
Boston's Premier Surf/Noir Combo
http://www.heatonsurf.com
