I lived a small "manshon" (tiny yet modern apartment) with my wife surrounded by thin walls and many other people so, whenever I practiced the electric guitar, it was always acoustically (without an amp).
Doing this is good for finger strength but detrimental to tone and musicality, so as you can imagine, I was over the moon.
After Shimazaki san offered me the studio to practice in I went there to use it approx once a week on my day off from teaching. He gave me the full tour and it was one shock after another. This was a professional studio!
There was a waiting area, a control room with a full mixing desk, a large recording room and eating area and a party area!
Shimazaki san: "Why don't you be the engineer here?"
Me: "What!? You're joking right, I don't know the first thing about sound engineering.
Shimazaki san: ...."you can do it"
I was so grateful I had a place I could practice with the amp at (relatively full blast) and not have to bother anyone, and I really wanted to pay him back somehow but, running this studio further into the ground definitely wouldn't have been a good idea.
However, this was the first of many many MANY times that Shimazaki san asked me to be the sound engineer for the studio.
I knew that teaching wasn't what I was supposed to be doing, I say this because despite actively trying to be a good teacher, preparing early and engaging 100%, I never saw any significant progress from any of my students. I love talking to people and I sought out the best ways to help students individually but, at the end of the day I honestly just wasn't that good at it.
So this was a chance; and I decided to take it. I didn't tell Shimazaki san but I did prepare to be offered the job again....
((TBC))
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