What does Wikiloops mean to me?

I've been meaning to write this blog for some time now. I'm on a business trip to Cleveland, so here goes. Maybe others will be motivated to add their own stories.

I grew up in a home full of old time country music. Hank Williams Sr., Kitty Wells, Patsy Cline, George Jones and others were always playing on the record player. My mom would sing along as she did her house work and, on weekends, my dad would pick up his accordion and play along. I would often join my mom as she sang. I particularly remember singing along with Hank Williams as he crooned I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry.

I picked up a guitar in the later part of the '60, wore love beads, and sang songs of protest against the Vietnam war and other injustices. Those times also brought out my love for the Beatles, The Cream, The Byrds, Ten Years After, The Who, Frank Zappa and many others. Too young to go to Woodstock (14), I followed the events daily on the radio. The culmination of the Love Generation! The unfortunate offshoot of the '60s decade, however, was the loss of so many greats to drugs. Hendrix, Joplin, Morrison, Presley, and others.

Life and work got in the way as grew into my twenties and, while music was still a major part of my life, it often took a back seat to career, raising a family, and other interests. Still, though, I often recalled past years and events by the songs that were popular back then. I still do that. It's funny, during the next 30 years when someone would ask me what I would like to be if I could be anything at all, I would tell them that "I'd give my right arm to be a country music singer".

One day in my mid-50s I picked up a guitar again and started to write simple country songs. I had found my soul again! Problem was, with career and other responsibilities, I was very limited in what I could do since my guitar skills were (and are) so very limited. Nonetheless, I performed my songs for friends and family, did the odd open mic, and began to take voice lessons with a professional voice coach. Then I found Wikiloops!

I joined this site and became a supporting member in January 2016. I tell you, I've had a permanent smile on my face ever since. At first, I would just devour every track I could get my hands on. There were never enough hours in the day! I'm sure I lived in my little studio for days on end. My vocal skills and music theory skills increased as I tried various genres that I would never have had the courage or resources to try on my own. I tried pop tracks, rock tracks, R&B tracks and blues tracks. Some were successful, while others are best left to other singers.

So there it is. But I really wanted to save the best for last. The most precious "gift" that Wikiloops has given me are the friendships. We share our lives, our pain, our jokes, and our love for music. We tease each other, we support each other and we understand each other. Wow! What a joy! I want to thank Dick for creating Wikiloops. But I especially want to thank all of the wonderful musicians on this site for sharing their music. You have given me confidence to develop my talents, you put a smile on my face every day, and you gave me back my love for singing. And, I didn't even have to give up my right arm;)

Andrea

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<3 <3 <3

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Great thread!

I stumbled onto Wikiloops in 2014. I was done with SoundCloud and was looking for backing tracks, because I was tired of playing with myself: :@

That is when I found the Loops. It has changed everything for me. I am a better musician, part of a great online community...get to be creative, and most of all: because I live abroad in a strange land, Wikiloops is my connection to my music life! Love it...

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And I love to play for you my friend.

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Wikiloops and wikiloopers are simply a daily part of my life because of the music!!
I was surely frustrated before discovering and reaching this place and I did not really know my "skills level".

I've also discovered one of the most beautiful side of the world: People trough the music, this universal language.

I've already claimed my love to wikiloops and all of you many times but it will be never enough.

It's a Creative Paradise too.

All my music stuff is here for 2,5 now and to answer to the question of the thread here.
To me it's the best band 🎶

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This is really a very nice thread, thanks Andrea ;o)
I will write my post here in german because my english is simply too bad ...

Ich komme, ähnlich wie Andrea aus einer Familie in der Musik von je her eine große Rolle gespielt hat und auch noch spielt. Mein Opa und mein Vater haben gesungen, eine meiner Schwestern, eine Nichte und zwei Neffen von mir machen auch Musik, ich bin da nur ein kleines Rädchen ...

Meine frühesten musikalischen Kindheitserinnerungen sind die Songs von Heintje, einem Jungen aus Holland der in den späten sechzigern und frühen siebzigern jede Menge Songs (auch in deutsch) gesungen hat. Die konnte ich damals als kleiner Knirps mit fünf, sechs Jahren alle mitsingen.
Später dann sang ich alles mit was so im Radio in den Charts lief, hauptsache ich konnte mitsingen.

Als Teenager machte ich erstmals in einer Band mit der dann später einige andere Bands folgen sollten.
Mit Rock, Blues, Latin Rock, Hardcore & Hiphop verbrachte ich in diesen Jahren meine Zeit.

Um es kurz zu machen: Nach einigen Jahren in denen ich praktisch keine Musik mehr gemacht habe entdeckte ich per Zufall Wikiloops, das war im Juli 2014. Seit dem bin ich hier mit viel Freude dabei.
Ich schätze an Wikiloops die Qualität und Vielfalt der vertretenen Musiker und freue mich immer wieder hier mitmachen zu dürfen. Für mich ist Wikiloops nach wie vor eine Art musikalisches Paradies ;o)
Besonders positiv empfinde ich den Umgang der Musiker untereinander hier, es gibt praktisch kein Konkurrenzdenken, und alle hier begegnen sich auf Augenhöhe, das ist sehr sympathisch ;o)

Ich wünsche euch allen weiterhin viel Spaß hier, vielleicht jammen wir ja mal zusammen, würde mich sehr freuen ;o)

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I never thought I'd play music again after having a stroke and the associated problems that come with that. Upon finding Wikiloops I spoke with my doctor about it and he suggested I use it for "music therapy". My intent was to just listen to the wonderful music made by the very talented, and kindhearted, people here. Couldn't resist trying to play again and it has been a long road so far. However, it has been the primary reason I turned my life around again. I play slow (people call it "old school" now...nope I'm just slow now) but that's ok with me. Never thought I'd be making music again. Man, never know what you have 'till you lose it.
I will be forever grateful to Dick and the people here for being so kind to me with my limited abilities. The "Loops" literally gave me back my life and I just want to say thanks to everyone here for that. Seems so inadequate but even though it takes me days to play a song half decent please know it is a gift you, the Wikiloops family, gave me.
Peace,
keith

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Wow! Keith, that's incredible. Thank you so much for sharing your story. I look forward to more of your contributions.

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Hi Andrea:
I would think there are others with stories like mine here. The people (like you) as well as the music makes me smile everyday. Thanks for that and please, please, please, MORE DOO WOP:)
keith

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Yes, many here share the same story of not having played for a long time because of various reasons (many are the same though, work, kids, marriage). Finding Wikiloops has brought playing music back to my life, and in a way it has changed my life. I never would have thought I'd get to play again, and with such talented musicians. And in a way the biggest bonus is that I am lucky enough to be able to go to two meetings already and meet some of the people, and that was even better.

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Hey Andrea

This is a great thread, and a great idea to start it!

And Keith - wow… what a story. Kudos to you, man - stroke is no joke.

And TeeGee - I hope to come to Steinfeld this year!

Mine is a similar story to most folks over 50 on the loops - I sang in a couple of rock bands early to mid eighties doing the circuit and trying to get a deal with our music before settling into what turned out to be a varied career in (first) Law Lecturing and (next) Copywriting. I'm now pretty much retired from working, and focused on writing.

Lyric writing has always somehow been with me, though there have been a few gaps across the decades. I did the lyrics for the eighties bands, but very little after 1983 and college. The late 90s took an upturn on a second Lectureship to Kuala Lumpur and the formation of an accapella group. I would take a well known tune and write a Corporate lyric around it which the group would then vocally arrange and perform. I also wrote some Comedy lyrics to keep the audience attention - accapella can be quite dry to the new listeners. The group is named Six2Eight if anyone is interested. There is still a website and a few videos on both Youtube and Facebook.

I have also written spoof lyrics to many well known tunes from Broadway musicals and looked to "localise" them to fit the Malaysian sense of humour. This resulted in three musical outings on the Malaysian Theatre stage - two revues (Broadway Parodies Lah! and Broadway Parodies Lagi Lah!) and one in 2010 where I wrote a libretto story to stitch the songs together (Mamak Mee-ah!).

I found wikiloops on a search for Blues backing music. This would have been mid to late 2014. For some reason (perhaps Andropause) I had half an idea to get some backing and look to get some gigs around the local circuit (didn't pan out - the thought of lugging gear up and down dark stairs at past midnight with creaky knees was a useful reality check). The Google search upchucked a few free Blues guitar lesson sites which yielded some useful downloads and then gave the Wikiloops site link. I clicked on and it was like - Wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww… all these guys jamming all these different music styles and creating all these amazing backing tracks. And I could join in! It was like - I never realised how much I had missed singing my rock blues. I remember picking up a pen and suddenly having about twenty song titles written down. A light had been turned on, and a jack had been plugged into my brain - the lyrics and titles just came tumbling and tumbling and like, bleugh on the page and later the screen. My handphone and iPad became my lyric notebooks.

I can't somehow imagine my life now without the loops. I don't record as much as I would like, but I do check in when I can to see how my online music friends are doing. I do enjoy the process of getting the rhymes and stories into lyrical shape and fit them to some amazing musical compositions from the loopers. Wikiloops has given me back the music of my soul. I will confess to a secret part of me that would love to get back out on the stage and look to go and make a grab for the fame and the lights and all that goes with it. But I won't let it drive me. Just to keep sharing the love and the lyrics and making new friends across the globe is enough. I remember Sting on accepting some Grammy or another saying "music is its own reward," and it is so true. To be able to write and share is a joy and privilege - many others should be so lucky.

Cheers all

B

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I've been off the Wikiloops grid for a few months now for various reasons which are not worth going into here. But I completely agree. Every day I'm not on here, I really, really miss it, but personal circumstances are not making it easy at the moment. I'm desperate to get back on the saddle and start getting stuck in again. This place is my musical sanity, my musical outlet and a constant source of joy and amazement at the talent out there.

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And Keith - wow… what a story. Kudos to you, man - stroke is no joke.

To gwailoah:
Thanks for the above sentiment. You certainly are right about that. Any and all kudos however go to my loving family and powers greater than us all. As for my part, I'm just a stubborn old coot is all that needed to come back for my wife, children and grandchildren. I really enjoyed your background story-a very interesting journey my friend.
keith

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I'll throw in my 2 cents of WikiLoops History:

As a young boy, music has always been something that was around me. Being a real Queen lover, some songs keep sticking up on the walls when my speakers were a little too loud for the neighbours.

But aged 21, I found out that I had the ability to look at an instrument and try to understand how it should sound when I played it. That was the moment when I started to mess around with different instruments.

Never learned how to read notes or even which cords to hit, something inside tells me how to play and out comes some small riffs.

Nowadays I help people to understand what music is all about: It's a feeling that you get from listening and playing along. Some of the uploads here came from sessions with people that have never touched an instrument and just learned how to play by imagination.

For me, WikiLoops is the best place to learn how to turn the imagination into music and I am glad that Dick made the site.

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Keith your story is lot like mine. I have Temporal Lope Epilepsy and I have had to give up driving and working. Wikiloops is my lifeline and my medicine. Music has always been my passion but here on this site was the first time I found support and encouragement xx

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Hang in there Tu. It is encouraging to see what I have always felt which is the healing power of music. I think equally important is the support we receive here at the Loops. Only place like it on the Net.

Lets just hope the big pharma companies don't ever find this out or we'll never be able to afford this wonderful medicine:)

I'm in your corner and rooting for you kiddo:)
keith

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Dear Keith,
Thankyou for your kind and supportive words..means the world to me ! ;)

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Tu:
:)
keith

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Hey :)
I've visited this thread a few times before, but never really found the right thing to say, or the right moment. Thank you people for sharing your stories and pointing at some of the no-so-obvious things wikiloops can be to an individual.
Now, I had a short but intense moment today in which I noticed another aspect of "what wikiloops means to me", and I've been thinking wether it may seem appropriate to mention it around here, but re-reading your openness, I do feel it does, so, here I go:

I happened to visit an area called Zeeland, a small part of Holland with a beautiful shoreline facing the north sea just today, and in one village I noticed an old army tank sitting on top of the dam which protects the village from the sea and went to have a look at that. I'm not much of a weapons fan, but I already figured it must be some kind of memorial thing.
Turns out, it marks the spot where two groups of british marines managed to land in october 1944, a spot where maybe 30 marines in their early twenties lost their lives in an attempt to fight the german nazi regime. The overall mission was a success, but not so much for those brave british boys named on the memorial site.
It may seem very odd, but looking at those names and that british tank I felt like "yes, and -besides all music- that is one of the things why wikiloops is worth having, because I rather see the brits and french come over to jam at the wkiloops meeting in germany than to experience what these folks experienced in 1944."
We germans are quite concious of how things can go wrong the very bad way, and seriously, even tho I was born in 1980, this aspect of having a friendly community across many nations on wikiloops is something that does mean a whole lot to me.

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