That’s me!

Growing Up

Aufgewachsen in Traun, der Vorstadt der Stahlstadt bin ich schon immer viel mit Musik in Berührung gekommen. Meine Eltern spielten zwar kein Instrument, dafür gab es täglich Musik zu hören. Born and raised in Upper Austria I grew up with listening to music. My parents never played any real instrument but they listened to Springsteen, R.E.M., Dire Straits, Tom Petty all the time. So even as a little boy I already new all the classic and famous music that I’m still listening to today.

When I was about 13 my urge to play the guitar got bigger and bigger, but I thought I couldn’t learn it anyway. “It’s too late!” “I’m too old!”.

What a dumb mindset I had back in the day.

Around summer 2009 I started playing with my sister’s classical guitar, I struggled a lot, hurting hands, bleeding fingers and no idea what to do.

After a few weeks I gave up!

I lived with it: “I love music, I’d love to make music, but it’s just not my thing!” But in my thoughts I still wanted to make music. In my head I was still playing the guitar on the biggest stages. Be the rhythm guitarist of the Rolling Stones, Lead Singer of the Never Ending E Street Band (after Springsteen would’ve retired ;) ). I didn’t felt good, giving up on my dream to make music and play an instrument. So something had to be changed!

Back on track

After a few months without touching a guitar I started again. And this time:

I won’t surrender!

I played again on my sisters acoustic guitar, I figured the basics out, after a few weeks of hard work I was even able to do the open C Major Chords. What a milestone that was.

So I practiced, I practiced more, I was able to play basic rhythm guitar, I even started out to improvise with the Blues Pentatonic Scale. When I was around 16 I bought my first own guitar: A cheap Squier Strat with the small Fender Amp. I felt super. I played a lot of Blues Improvisation - no Fingerstyle at all back in those days, me and my Strat was all I need. At least I thought it.

But the YouTube algorithm was already quite good in 2011. I knew the names of the top of the fingerstyle guitar scene, I knew the basics how Fingerstyle Guitar is working, but I never really listened to it, I didn’t consider playing it. But then YT recommended me “Superstition - Stevie Wonder - Fingerstyle Cover by Adam Rafferty”. I watched it, and I was blown away. He’s playing everything at the same time. I had no idea how’s that possible. But I knew one thing:

I want to play like this!

The Fingerstyle Journey begins

So I stopped my excessive Blues playing and began to fingerpick small songs. I sounded awful, I had no idea of chord theory, or basic fingerstyle techniques. And a total lack of timing. But I didn’t gave up, my technique got better and better, I loved playing it, I didn’t quit!

In April 2016 I started my membership at StudywithAdam.com. As Adam Rafferty as my guitar teacher I made huge huge steps forward in the right direction, my tone improved, my technique got better, I learned my first full songs and learned how to record it. The plan was:

Making YouTube Videos

But I knew I wasn’t ready yet, it will me take 12 more months to get enough confident to share my playing with the public. On April 2017 I published my first YT video. Hello. From Adele.

I felt super unsecure right before the puplish and also after it. “What do the people think of it, will they like it? Do they even care?”

I found out: Some People liked it, and sone people didn’t care at all. And I was happy with it. I knew there are millions of better guitarists out there, but I also knew, that I’m not the worst one. So I continued playing Fingerstyle Guitar, at least every month I uploaded a video. I also started an Instagram account where I shared smaller snippets of videos and shared my practice stuff.

Next Step: Playing Live

So even though nobody really watched my videos I knew what the next step will be: Playing live on stage.

Early in 2018 the Vienna based fingerstyle guitarist Martin Rauhofer asked me to play 2 shows in Autumn. I said yes. I was glad that someone else (with much more experience) was helping me and organized the dates and all the stuff.

On 17th of November 2018 I played my first concert ever. A 12-set long performance at Tempelbar, Linz.

How did it went? I was a bit over ambitious: I was nervous, I made some big mistakes. I had a real good time on stage, but my playing was not really good. No excuses, 12 songs are to much for the beginning.

But I didn’t give up.

10 days later I played again. At Coco Bar in Vienna. Less people, a cooler and calmer Severin Gomboc with less songs to play.

It was good. Not perfect, but quite good for the second time on stage ever. I played 2 live concerts. What a milestone, what a cool feeling.

and now?

so here I am. Yesterday (25.12.2018) I reached 1000 followers on Instagram, I have 235 Subscriptions on YT and more than 17.000 views on my YouTube videos. I’m quite happy with it. But there will be more hopefully.

My plan for 2019? Playing more shows, making more YT videos, making more original compositions, finishing and publishing my (this ;) ) homepage and maybe recording an album. And practicing singing.

So this is. Maybe one of you have come this far of the text. If so, congratulations. If not? That’s okay, it’s a long and not super exciting text.

Anyways, thank you for the support, message me anytime if you have any questions, song requests of something else. I’m happy getting in touch with you.

have a nice day,

Severin Gomboc Traun, Austria, 26.12.2018