"Muse" - ings on Rock & Life

Well, here it is, the 366th (and final) post of the calendar year.  I've been waiting for this moment, pretty much ever since I started this blog.  I've posted at least once for every single day of the year.  Were there a couple of days I posted late?  Of course there were, but I think that's bound to happen from time to time regardless of how prepared and focused you try to be. Tomorrow's the first.  I've got some decisions to make.  Chief among them are: 1) Where do I start with my song-in-a-month? 2) Which band do I pay closer attention to in January? The big thing I forgot to mention in yesterday's post is this: You know those Guitar World columns that Richard Lloyd did a few years back?  I finally found the DVD's that are associated with the columns.  Both volumes.  Those will definitely be put into rotation right off the bat, and make their way into my practice plan. 2013 is going to be an amazing year for me musically.  I'd love nothing m

Back from DSM.  Long day.  Very tired.  Did find the following: 1) Both Gary Clark Jr. records. 2) The disc by RNDM 3) Some live Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (that came with a DVD!) 4) A Joseph Arthur solo disc that Mrs. Sutter didn't already have. 5) This Is A Call , the Dave Grohl Biography. 6) oh, and By Your Side by the Black Crowes All told, a pretty successful music haul, considering we spent a little more than 24 hours in the big city. Haven't cracked into any of the music yet, but that can be what tomorrow afternoon and New Year's Day is for. Really pumped about the DG bio.  I've looked at that for what feels like a very long time.  That will definitely be one of the first few books I read in 2013. More tomorrow.  Sleep now.

Just about to head out for DSM, so I thought I'd drop a quick note here before we leave. Not taking a guitar with me this weekend, but I'm definitely taking at least a little bit of something musical, on the theory that, if I don't take it, I'd have had time to use it.  I'm thinking that the folder with the manuals for the recording gear will make it into the bag, as will a notebook/legal pad for making notes on what I read, and probably another blank notebook for any lyrical/song-in-a-month/DGC thoughts that might come up along the way. I'm hoping for one of two things when we stop at B&N in DSM. 1) Gary Clark Jr.'s EP & full length releases.  He was on the Kennedy Center Honors thing, and having heard really good things previously, I was impressed and curious. 2) The Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness deluxe box set... hey, a guy can dream, right? All right, time to fly to the big city.  Details on what I find tomorrow night when w

So I finally sat down tonight and watched the Kennedy Center Honors. The part of it on Buddy Guy was excellent, but it was the Zeppelin section that really hit home with me.  Not sure if I've ever outlined this story in this space before, but here goes: For a long time with me, the mighty Led balloon was one of those bands that I cranked up loudly when they came on the radio (much like U2 was for me for a long time, too), because that's what you did .  I knew the songs, I enjoyed the music, I owned Zeppelin IV (again, that's just what you did ), but I never really "got it" when it came to Led Zeppelin. And then I got their complete discography for Christmas one year.  I didn't sit down and devour everything in one sitting (although I'd love to have a chance to try), but I got through it all in a methodical fashion, and read along with a biography or two for context.  It was only later that I discovered the massive biography I read and chronicled in t

All right, so a quick-ish one tonight, highlighting the rest of my band list(s). As of the other day, I had 8 artists that I was thinking of focusing on.  To recap, they were as follows: 1) Son Volt 2) The New Pornographers 3) Missy Higgins 4) The Decemberists 5) Drive By Truckers 6) Jackie Greene 7) Ryan Adams 8) Tom Waits After quickly generating these 8 off the top of my head, I went through my ipod and came up with the following artists to add to my list: 9) Arcade Fire 10) CAKE 11) Crash Test Dummies 12) Default 13) Incubus 14) Joseph Arthur 15) Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Then , I had a list of artists that I only had two albums by (the original list necessitated that I have access to at least 3 records).  Here was that list: 1) Ben Lee 2) Ben Harper 3) Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers 4) Jukebox The Ghost 5) Paul Sanchez 6) Primitive Radio Gods 7) Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers 8) Tool 9) Travis 10) Spoon This brings my total to 25 artists.

So, I was all set to blog tonight about the rest of my band-related project I started in on yesterday.  I found a lot more bands in the process of going about my day today, and then a bunch of bands that I have two records by, and would consider purchasing a third album for the purposes of more focused listening.  As luck (or fate) would have it, my day went in a different direction, and so I'm focusing by post tonight on another topic. I had a horrible day at work today, came home frustrated, and fully intending to spend at least a bit of time with a guitar.  What happened instead (after I spilled apple cider all over myself and went to take a shower) is that my wonderful wife started re-organizing the living room post-Christmas.  What this meant for me music-wise is that my studio stuff got shifted from one end of the living room to the other.  Which is awesome, if only because it will (hopefully) keep the cats from walking all over it.  In the process, the whole thing is bette

So, I have another musical goal/project for next year. I was doing some listening this morning, getting ready to head out and see family on Christmas, and it dawned on me as I was flipping through artists on my ipod that I've got a good handful of musicians on there that I enjoy, but don't listen to often enough.  I figured that, along with writing a song a month next year, I should have an artist to focus on each month as well.  I'm not talking about listening exclusively to that artist, just using them as a touchstone and in the process becoming more familiar with their music than I already am.  The only criteria that I had on my list were as follows: 1) I already needed to own some of their music. 2) They need to have released a minimum of three albums during the course of their career. Again, I was hoping for 12 artists.  Thus far, I have come up with 8. 1) Son Volt 2) The New Pornographers 3) Missy Higgins 4) The Decemberists 5) Drive By Truckers 6) Jacki

It seems like most of the music I've seen in the last few months has been choral in at least some respect.  Tonight was Christmas Eve service at church, and we got to hear the pastor's daughter sing "Oh, Holy Night."  That's a really hard song for a middlw schooler to sing, and I thought that all things considered, she did a wonderful job.  Her voice has a very clear, bell-like tone to it, and from the sounds of it, she could turn it into something special if she'd put in the work. I had about 5 minutes today to sit with the guitar, and I had intentions of getting everything associated with the Grohl Challenge out of the messenger bag and diving in.  I didn't quite end up having enough time for the playing, but I did  mmoanage to locate the manuals for both the recording gear and the other assorted musical pieces of equipment I've purchased over the years.  Maybe a little bit of Christmas morning will be spent treating all of it like new stuff and s

So, I recorded 60 Minutes tonight.  They did a year-end music episode with segments on Adele, Taylor Swift, and Rodriguez.  I know for sure that I had seen a bit of the Adele interview earlier in the year, and I may have seen a bit of the Rodriguez one as well.  The Taylor Swift interview, however, I had not seen yet.  Why is it that, the more I see/hear of her, the more impressed I become?  One of the critics that they talked to tonight made the statement that (and I'm paraphrasing here) "if she wasn't so cute, and her audience wasn't almost entirely comprised of twelve year old girls, we'd be talking about her as a great songwriter." So, Dylan, Lennon/McCartney, Duritz, and Taylor Swift, huh?  Interesting.  Still not sure I need a whole album by her, but I'm getting perilously close to piecing together a greatest hits collection on itunes. Got my Strat and my bag of tricks that includes the Grohl Challenge back into the studio tonight.  It's a sm

Say what you will about the 22nd of December being too early to write about musical goals for next year, I'm doing it anyway.  I was sitting on the couch tonight, talking with the Mrs., and she put forth a reaction to a statement that had come up in conversation late last night.  I've been stressing out lately over the fact that I haven't done enough musically.  It got to the point last night where I was so distraught that I wondered aloud why I even kept the studio stuff out if it was never going to get any use.  This statement, of course, started a conversation about how I needed to take time for music if I felt it was seriously lacking of late.  I'm so lucky to have such a supportive and understanding wife. Tonight, she says, making obvious reference to last night's conversation, that she thinks I "should record a song a month next year."  Now, more writing and recording were already on the mental list I have been making in my head, but that's b

Today was a lot less musically positive than I was hoping it would be. I got a chance to do some listening on my lunch break, but that was really the only chance I had to focus on hearing any music whatsoever. The biggest issue that came to light tonight is that we're having trouble keeping the cats away from my recording gear.  I'm not sure how to approach this, because, on one hand, I know that the studio space I have right now isn't well placed for a house with animals.  On the other hand, I can't see the room setting up much different than it is at present. I really want to make writing and recording more of a priority next year, though, so I'm not willing to concede my musical existence to the cats by any stretch of the imagination.  I am however, starting to see why the husband gets the garage for his space.  If only I didn't have to worry about a cold midwestern winter. If only... Tomorrow afternoon (which I was hoping would be devoted to playin

So, I sat down tonight and started watching another one of those Guitar Center Sessions episodes.  This one had The All-American Rejects performing.  I remember what I imagine was their first single ever ("Swing, Swing") but I can't honestly say I've ever heard much else they've done.  Some part of me was oddly surprised they are still around. The lead singer's voice takes a bit of getting used to, but their music does some cool things, and the interview sections I've seen so far (I haven't finished the episode) have been surprisingly informative and well worded.  I don't know why this surprises me, but somehow it does.  It's been an enjoyable watch thus far, and I can't wait to finish it off tomorrow night after work. Let's see, what else today: I got to do some listening over my lunch break, but instead of sticking with the Green Day, I went back to the Kasey Anderson record.  I'm now officially half way through that album,

A few highlights from today: 1) I'm far enough into the third installment o' Green Day that I can say with certainty that one of my favorite songs on this disc will be the second song, "Missing You."  Still need to make it through the second half of the disc, but that song in particular has enough "classic" bounce to it that it provides a bit of a touchstone between the now and the past.  Also, it occurs to me that, once I've digested all three albums, I'll probably make a compilation of all my favorite songs from the three volumes. 2) I'm in the middle of more fiction right now, but once again, I find myself missing music biographies.  I'm thinking that the next one I read will be the Jimi Hendrix one I've got by the same guy who did that huge Zeppelin bio I read last year. 3) I did more random listening today than anything else, and not much real playing at all.  Some part pf me is secretly hoping that this giant storm we're s

It was back to the high school tonight, this time for the high school band/chorus concert.  I was so excited to go tonight after hearing the steady and consistent growth that was evident from 5th-8th grade, and tonight, for the choirs involved built on the successes if yesterday.  Listening to the band, on the other hand, made me grateful for the wonderful music education I received in high school.  Tonight, the different sections of the band couldn't play in time with each other.  When I was in orchestra in high school, we had a conductor that, if we were off, would stop us and add in one part at a time until he heard what he wanted to hear, and perhaps more importantly, until we heard what he wanted to hear. Bottom line tonight, the band didn't seem prepared, but they got better as they went along, and all of the choirs were fantastic.  Their harmonies and sense of togetherness were what the younger kids from last night need to see, if only to have something else to shoot

I went to a middle school choir & band concert tonight.  It wasn't a rock show by any means, but as far as shows go, it was entertaining, and demonstrated a lot about how the building blocks of musical success go about falling into place.  The 5th graders were still working through things like melody and chord structure and fitting those things into a cohesive piece of music.  They were also still getting used to playing their instruments, but even though they struggled in some basic areas, the progress they are making was obvious progress. Watching the leap from the 5th graders to the 6th and 7th graders (who had more of a grasp of harmonic structure, and a better handle on what their instruments were capable of) was a joy, and it should have made the 5th graders excited about what was to come in their musical futures, as both the older ensembles and choirs demonstrated just what a difference a year or two can make. I'd like to hope that the same can be true of my prog

I synced the ipod today.  Got the new Green Day record (how many times have I typed that phrase recently?) uploaded, along with the new Stones tunes.  Got through a couple of the songs from the 3rd part of the trilogy.  Haven't gotten to the point yet where it's too much music from one band in a relatively short period of time, but I'm getting close, so we shall see on that one. Got a chance to sit down with the guitar for a little bit tonight, too.  Not as long as I would have hoped for, but all things considered lately, I'll take what I can get.  I worked through some of the lessons from the magazines I've picked up lately, and while it felt good to get back to something resembling a bit of actual practicing, what felt even better was working my way through a few of the progressions out of my Dave Grohl Challenge notebook, and finding that I still like them just as much as I did when I first wrote them down. I teach tomorrow.  Second to last lesson for the nex

I sat down and watched one of the concerts we had recorded on the DVR over the last few weeks.  It was a Matchbox Twenty show from a number of years back, when they were on tour for Exile On Mainstream , the hits package they released in 2007.  They played a lot of the new songs that were on the second disc of that compilation.  I was an entirely enjoyable gig that didn't include "Push."  I'm saving it for two reasons: 1) The fact that they jammed on "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" right near the end of the show.  Turned in a really cool version of it, too. 2) More awesome than that, however, was the version of "Real World" they played during the show.  It had an altered tempo and an almost Motown sort of feel to it.  An amazingly cool take on an otherwise fun, if straight ahead rock number. Imported the 3rd part of Green Day's punk rock trilogy into the itunes today as well.  Didn't start listening to it yet, though, mostly

Lucked into the third part of Green Day's trilogy in 2012 late last night at KMart.  I had forgotten that it was coming out as fast as it has.  It's almost scary to me how out of the loop I feel musically of late.  I do know, however, that Alice In Chains has a new record coming out next year.  Kind of pumped for that one.  Really curious to see how they choose to follow up Black Gives Way To Blue .  But anyway, I digress... haven't had a chance to even crack into the Green Day yet, but I think that will end up being something for tomorrow afternoon after work. Need to play tomorrow, too, for a while.  Think I'll try to do some writing.  See if I can recapture the glory on the Dave Grohl Challenge, which I haven't looked at in forever. In other news that's awesome, the new Airborne Toxic Event record is finished, and will be out sometime next year.  There's another record I'm pumped about. Tomorrow should be a good day to get stuff done around th

So, I watched Michael Stipe and Mandy Patinkin and Stephen Colbert sing Christmas carols tonight.  Apparently it aired the other day, and the Mrs. heard about it and knew I'd want to see it.  It was fantastic.  The three part harmonies at the end were joyous for my ears.  And yet, the only thing I could think the whole time was... when on earth is Michael Stipe going to release a solo record, because I really want to hear that . I bought the two new Stones singles today, finally.  "Doom & Gloom," and "One More Shot" may not be classic Stones, but they sure have the attitude of classic Stones, and I like both songs. I also started wading through the guitar magazines tonight.  There's some great stuff in all three of them, and I can't wait to spend more time with all of it. I did a lot of listening today, too.  Working my way through the new Kasey Anderson record has been a slow, but rewarding process. It was a good day, but a day that didn'

Burned that CD for my student today.  Took it along with me to a function we both attended... and then forgot to give it to her.  Go me. Had my afternoon off today.  Did a lot of listening.  Mostly Kasey Anderson.  Some of the new record, and a lot of Nowhere Nights . Wanted to go through the magazines from Sunday, but didn't ever get there. Did a little bit of playing today, but didn't focus on anything in particular. All told, it probably wasn't a great music day for me, but it feels like it was.  I'm not sure how, exactly, to go about quantifying that, so I'll leave you all with the same thing I usually do... Better tomorrow.

Got through the first track on the new Kasey Anderson record today.  He name drops "Tweedy & Farrar."  An Uncle Tupelo reference in the first three minutes of a highly anticipated album?  I knew I loved his music. Taught today, too.  Spent a good chunk of my lunch hour downloading a few more songs for my student.  I'm closing in on 20 of the 25 from the original list, and a few of those I know I have somewhere in my collection.  We started working on "Everybody Talks" by Neon Trees.  It's got a couple of chords that I know are going to trip her up. but I was able to give her the verses and the first part of the chorus without hesitation. Still looking forward to tomorrow afternoon as a chance for me to get a bit of time to listen and play.  Not entirely sure what I'll focus on yet, other than the rest of Let The Bloody Moon Rise .  The vinyl for that still hasn't appeared yet. The other thing I'd like to do tomorrow afternoon: go throug

Taught today.  My lesson went really well.  This student of mine is picking things up really quickly.  She's getting better at learning her notes, and is doing better with holding her instrument the right way.  She's still running into a few issues with getting notes to ring well, but that will work itself out shortly, I think. As for my lesson tomorrow night, I finally got in touch with my brother tonight regarding some of the songs that are on my student's list, and he had 6 of the songs that she listed!  This means that without going through my collection all that much, I'm already up to 14 out of the 25 songs she had initially listed.  If I can pry myself out of bed early (or even on time) tomorrow, I should be able to finish up burning her CD before work.  Otherwise, I'll do it on my lunch break. Watched a cool blurb tonight on the making of acoustic guitars.  I've always wanted to make one myself, but watching that TV show, it makes me think it'll

A few highlights from today: 1) I got the new Kasey Anderson record uploaded onto the ipod... finally.  No real time to listen to it today, though, but at least it's there.  That's the way it has gone for me lately, though.  It seems like the only time I get for listening anymore is either in the car or in the few stolen moments on a Sunday morning when the Mrs. has things to do at church and I can dash off and hide with my headphones in. 2) We went into Sioux City to do some Christmas shopping, and while I found a good number of presents for others, I came home with the new issues of Guitar World, Guitar Legends, and Guitar Techniques .  Can't wait to dive into all three of them. 3) I almost bought a couple of new albums today, but exercised restraint at the last minute.  I've heard great things about both the new Gary Clark, Jr. release, as well as the new record by Two Door Cinema Club.  They were both $9.99, and I left without either one of them.  It's odd

Today's blog post starts with a thought that, even five minutes ago, I wasn't aware it would begin with.  That thought is this: I miss Dishwalla.  They were a highly under-rated 90's/200's band whose post-debut releases went too un-noticed.  Why do I open with this statement tonight, you ask?  I found a newly recorded acoustic version of their big single, "Counting Blue Cars," that lead vocalist J.R. Richards just did for an episode of "How I Met Your Mother." Under different circumstances, I'd have started tonight's post this way: December 8th is here again, and it's time to mourn the loss of Mr. Lennon.  It's been 32 years since he was gunned down outside of the Dakota Apartment Building in New York City, and his loss still reverberates through both the music world and the world at large. In other news, I watched a bit of a live Smashing Pumpkins show tonight on TV.  All of the songs in the early part of the show was new stuff

Today was at least a little bit better than yesterday. I downloaded the mp3 files for the new Kasey Anderson record.  This is exciting.  The vinyl isn't here yet, though, which is less exciting, but still, I can listen to the new record!  Have yet to do so all the way through, or really even at all, for that matter, but I have it, and the way things have gone lately for me music-wise, I'll take having it as a solid first step. The other thing I finally did today was upload the itunes card I bought on Wednesday night.  Now my students will have plenty of songs to work through, and I might have a bit of money left over at the end for a few of my own purchases.  Before I start downloading everything, though, I want to talk to my brother to see if he has any of the songs that are on the list.  I strongly suspect that he will have quite a few of them, so until I can talk to him, I shall try and wait on that. Also on the awesome musical moment list for the day is this: I saw Ni

Today was pretty much a lost day for me music-wise.  Christmas Parade tonight, and then other stuff took precedence when I got home from that.  I didn't even get the itunes card hooked into my account. What I did do was some listening, both on the way to, and home from work.  The new Green Day is still the primary car album right now, although that feels like it needs to change soon. Tomorrow night after work needs to have some music in it.  I'll shut out the world for a bit if I have to in order to get it. Sadly, I don't know much else tonight.  Much better tomorrow, I promise.

Kind of a slow day today.  That said, here's what did get done: 1) Skyped with my brother, and sent him a song off of the new Green Day record.  I think I'll send him one song/day until he has them all.  Somehow that sounds like a fun game. 2) Picked up that itunes card so that I can buy all of those songs my student wants to learn.  Didn't have time to get the card until later on tonight, so I will start buying them tomorrow sometime.  Before that, however, I ought to see if my brother has any of them, and then scour my collection to find the others I already have (It's got to be more than 6, right?) 3) Ran into said student tonight, and she told me that, in the 24 hours since yesterday's lesson, she has found 10 more songs to put on her list of one's she wants to learn!  We are going to be busy for a long time, I think. Tomorrow night needs to have some time for me to play in it somewhere, too.  I can feel the tension building up in the back of my neck

So, my lesson went really well today.  I had challenged my student to find songs she was excited about learning as a way to push things forward, and she found 27 of them! This will be good, because, from a teaching perspective, it's always easier to get someone motivated to practice if the practicing is tied into songs they are passionate about. Some of the work she has in front of her in order to learn these songs is the stuff I've been trying to drill into her head all along, and some of it will be things that pop up along the way, but that's the fun in this journey. I told her that I'd find an itunes card tomorrow afternoon and download all of the songs she wants to learn but doesn't have a recording of, because I know how vital it is to be able to hear something in order to make it come out right.  I'll spend some of my afternoon off working on that, as well as my own playing. Today wasn't so much about me, but it was still a great music day, bec

My lesson went really well today.  This student of mine picks things up exceptionally quickly.  We made it through a couple more basic songs today.  "Happy Birthday," and "Mary Had A Little Lamb."  Her ability to sight-read is really good for someone who's ten. I did a lot of listening today, too.  Wallflowers in the car, and some Alkaline Trio at home.  It had been a while since I'd busted out the Trio, and their burst of energy and angst was just what I needed to get a few things done around the house. Did some more organizing, too.  I'm finally happy with where the primary resources are set up for me in the studio.  I'm sure there will be a bit more moving around to come, but for now this will work out well, I think. What I need now is time to sort through a lot of the CDs we've tried to incorporate from S.'s collection into what is now "our" collection.  Maybe Wednesday afternoon.  I've got it off, after all, and what

Fairly quiet music day today. I got up pretty early, considering that I had a respite day from the usual Sunday morning activities.  Trying to recover from a cold, and succeeding at least a little bit.  I did a lot of listening this morning.  It was nice to have some time to just sit with the ipod at home, on the couch, and just kind of surf around to whatever sounded good (music pun!) to me at the moment. I teach tomorrow.  I'm really excited to see the progress my students have made this week.  Holiday music flying around in one lesson, and in the other, I'm expecting a bit of direction on how my student wants to move forward.  Should be an interesting week from a teaching perspective.  Let's hope it's also an interesting week for me from a playing perspective. Still waiting for the new Kasey Anderson record to arrive in the mail.  I like typing that and knowing that it will be an actual record.  I keep checking his website for updates and not finding anything. 

So, it was Christmas Party time for work tonight.  Took the Mrs. with me and we all went to Sioux City to see Rockestra.  It's their version of a Trans-Siberian Orchestra type thing, with strings and percussion backed up by electric guitar and bass, drums and keyboards.  It was pretty awesome, actually. Truthfully, there's a TON more I could write about tonight, but I'm exhausted.  I will post a more complete update tomorrow.

So, it's happening, the much ballyhooed re-release of The Smashing Pumpkins Mellon Collie & The Infinite Saddness is finally coming out on the 4th of December. We've been hearing about this for at least a year.  It's been pushed back at least once, twice probably. It's a 5 disc set with a bonus DVD of a live show in Chicago.  Not including the original 2 discs that comprised the original release, there are 64 unreleased tracks, demos, etc.  The original album is a masterpiece, but it's not something I sit and listen to all the way through other than about once a year.  Still, I really, really want this re-release.  I'm pretty sure that it's the extra tracks and the view into Billy Corgan's writing process that is what fascinates me here.  If it came with a DVD documenting the making of the record, it would be amazing. Then again, these double albums are always interesting to me.  Just the notion of writing that many songs for the same project i

I started the new Soundgarden disc in the car on the way to (and from) work today.  It, moreso than the Green Day, will require a closer listen at some point with the headphones, but still.  At least I started, right? After dinner, I sat down to finally watch the episode of Austin City Limits with Mumford & Sons.  It was astoundingly spectacular.  They put so much energy into their live performances, even their slower paced songs are a foot-stomping good time. Sadly, not much playing tonight.  Looks like tomorrow will have to be an awesome sprint to the Zeppelin finish line.  Even so, I'm feeling better the last few nights, if only because I've gotten more of a chance to play in the last 72 hours than it feels like I had in the whole week prior to that. I can't believe it's Friday tomorrow.  The week has gone by so quickly, and I've been pondering my Friday post since about Tuesday night.  Should be interesting to see what direction said post ends up taki

Tonight was AWESOME! I got home around 6, torn between dropping King Animal on the stereo with the good set of headphones and cranking that up, or dropping the DVD for Zeppelin's Celebration Day into the BluRay player and watching that . I decided on the Zeppelin. It was an amazing decision.  The whole show clocks in at just a tad over 2 hours in length, and the version of "Stairway" near the last third of the gig really helped my confidence with that.  I'll be the first to admit that I haven't spent as much time with it as I had hoped I would at the beginning of the month, but much like last time, I'm trying to make up for lost time here at the end.  The parts that it helped with the most were the third run of notes (that spot has always tripped me up, it's something about the timing, I think), and then the triplets near the end.  I've pretty well got the hang of the really high run of notes right near the end of the solo after playing tonight,

So, I taught today.  It went okay.  I got a bit of progress out of my student, which feels like a major victory after the last few lessons. Maybe it has to do with learning styles, but I find it interesting that both of my students are working on the same song, and one of them picked up the basics in the course of one lesson, while the other has had the music for almost a month and is still struggling to put the second line of it together. What that tells me is that I need to do a better job of altering my approach with one student while keeping my approach pretty much the same with the other. Didn't get a chance to do much playing for myself today, or to really have a chance to even think about anything involving my own musical journey until it was later in the evening, and I was exhausted.  Here's the good news that comes out of that, though.  I've got tomorrow night off from any responsibility except for music.  I'm supposed to go to dinner right after work, bu

So, I imported the new Green Day, as well as the new Soundgarden into itunes today and synced the ipod.  Then I took the new Green Day record with me in the car for the trip to and from work.  I like it.  It feels a bit like the record they made as The Foxboro Hot Tubs a few years back... garage rock-y, and filled with joy and reckless abandon.  This trilogy idea Billie Joe and company hatched might just be one of the best ideas of the year. Found a link to a cool website today.  http://www.music-for-music-teachers.com It's got songs and resources for those of us that are trying to make in-roads by teaching others to love music. And speaking of teaching, my lesson went really well tonight!  My second student wanted to start learning some Christmas music.  We started with "Jingle Bells."  She made it all the way through by the end of the lesson, and though she's got some work to do, she did really well for sight-reading the song for the first time. Didn't d

Great interview with Jimmy Page in the current issue of Rolling Stone .  He talks a lot about riff writing and the '07 reunion show that just got released on CD & DVD as Celebration Day .  According to RS, it's the most extensive interview Page has ever given.  Oh, and he hyped Zeppelin re-releases next year with outtakes and extras.  Outtakes and extras?  Seriously? Finally got a chance to sit down and just play for a little bit.  Squeezed a few cool lead lines out of the Strat, but nothing seriously worth recording.  Stumbled onto a cool chord that I'd like to find a way to incorporate into the Grohl Challenge somehow.  Tried putting a few things with it, and they almost stuck, but nothing worked out well enough to justify hanging on to. I'm really, really hoping that this upcoming week is a solid one for me musically, because aside from my B&N orders coming in, this last week was pretty much crap for me from a musical standpoint. I teach tomorrow.  Let&

Two (maybe three) music-related accomplishments today.  Here's a quick list: 1) Finished When I Grow Up , the Juliana Hatfield biography.  It was an interesting read about a musician I didn't really know that much about.  The book was engaging and well written, and ultimately it made me want to check out her music, which should be the point behind rock bios.  I think I'll start with the record she talks about in the last chapter of the book, and work my way forward. 2) My Green Day and Soundgarden records came today.  Seriously, how fast was that?  I have dutifully opened both discs, but with more company over this afternoon/evening, I haven't had a chance to listen to either one yet. 3) We put up the Christmas tree today.  I know what you're saying... you want to know how on God's green earth that has anything to do with music.  Well, I'll tell you.  Putting up the tree involved shifting things around on the left half (the half with the recording stud

Okay, so it turns out that we had plans after I got off work tonight, so my grand plans for "Stairway" and such were foiled by prior commitments. Nevertheless, I got in a little bit of reading in the Hatfield bio over my lunch break today, so that counts for something, right? One of the other cool music things about today?  I finally had a chance to bring up a bit of music at the new job.  We were talking during the last hour about songs, and somehow one of my co-workers started singing muppets songs, which got "Mahna Mahna" stuck in someone else's head.  So then I got to mention The Green Album , and all of the cool artists (Airborne Toxic Event, Alkaline Trio, etc.) that are on there, and have people listen to a bit of stuff... thereby hopefully turning them on to some cool stuff they weren't aware of before. Also of note: my brother sent me some more Parov Stellar (wickedly cool hip-hop jazz) last night.  Just 5 tracks, but hey, it's 5 more than

Happy Thanksgiving to all. Not much in the way of music making today, what with the holiday and all, but I did find a bit of time to make some more progress toward finishing off that Juliana Hatfield bio. I'm thankful for music every day, but today gives me a chance to reflect on the journey of the last three years.  I know there's still a long way to go, but the progress that has been made so far has been worth every second of work I've put in.  Do I know I could have gotten more done?  Absolutely, but it makes sense in my head to be thankful for the work that has gotten me to where I am while still embracing the work that is yet to come. Tomorrow it's back to "Stairway," and the Dave Grohl Challenge, and the rest of my rock & roll odyssey.

Another mostly quiet day filled with rest and recovery.  I did work a full day, though, so that's progress, right? I did some listening today.  Some of the new Alanis disc.  Although I can't honestly say how much of it I'd be able to give a quality review of right now.  Sick brain isn't wonderful at concentrating yet.  Still, I felt better as the day went along. I got a couple of pages of reading in by the end of the day.  I'd really like to finish off this Juliana Hatfield bio in the next day or so. Didn't really have the energy to do much playing, though. Maybe tomorrow before all of the festivities kick in.  We shall see.

So, I know this is posting way, way late, but I've got to get it in so I can get to 365 posts this year. I had the flu yesterday, so I stayed home sick from work, and didn't teach. I was really lacking in energy for most of the day, but I found it in myself to do a bit of listening in the middle of the afternoon.  What bums me out is that I just picked up that new Zep disc and the new Alanis, and I didn't even have the energy to get up and import them so I could listen to something new . I started to feel better last night, though, so I sat down to watch PBS's American Masters documentary on David Geffen.  I didn't get to see the whole thing, but the parts of it that I did get to watch were really fun. I was so out of it yesterday that, while I could have finished the Juliana Hatfield bio with a day at home, I didn't have the strength or the concentration to read.  Feeling better this morning.  Hopefully that translates into making it through work and

Taught today.  Introduced both major and minor chords in a bit more detail.  Seemed to me like my student at least grasped the basics of what I was trying to get across, so that's awesome.  She's still doing really, really well. In other musical news today, I had to run a few errands out of town, which afforded me the chance to do a bit of music shopping for the first time in a long time.  Here's what I snagged: 1) The latest issue of Guitar World , which had Aerosmith on the cover, and a big article with Kim Thayil from Soundgarden. 2) "Celebration Day," the new CD/DVD combo pack of the '07 Zeppelin reunion show.  Everything I've read about it has been amazing, and the clips I've seen have been wonderful.  Can't wait to sit down and check out the live show. 3) "Havoc & Bright Lights," the Alanis record that came out back in August.  Ever since I watched that Guitar Center Sessions episode, and heard the single, I've been

So, I re-arranged one of the chord progressions from the Grohl Challenge today.  Switched two of the chords around, and made it sound a little more, I don't know, radio friendly?  Pleasing to the ear, maybe.  Either way, I like the flow of it better now than I did before. Sat down for a bit of time with the Vai workout too.  Did a couple of small sessions with it.  I need to somewhat restructure the setup of the studio in order to make practicing easier.  Mainly this is to incorporate a music stand where it can actually be of some use.  I've got one of the table-top ones, but it needs to find a way to be out front more than it is right now.  I'll say this much for sure, though, the finger exercises he includes feel like they're really going to do some good.  I really hope that I can dive headlong into this thing, even if it doesn't mean doing the whole 30 hours, I'd be happy (and probably improve leaps and bounds) if I got half an hour out of each segment, and

Tried to watch the Guitar Center Sessions with Slash today, but discovered that the one I recorded somehow picked up about fifteen minutes in.  Found another airing, though, and recorded that one, so hopefully that will work out better. Read a lot more of the Juliana Hatfield bio today after work.  I'm over halfway through it now, and I'm still really digging on it.  I think I'm going to have to check ut more of her music than I've heard when I'm done with this book. Found something unexpected when I picked up the guitar for a bit tonight: a cool, bluesy sounding riff.  Cool enough that I recorded it after playing through it a few times.  Even impressed the Mrs.  "oooh," she said, walking past the door, "I like that."  Then she paused and said "sometimes I forget I'm married to a rockstar." Remember when she made me promise that, when we got the living room and the studio stuff organized, I'd record some stuff?  Me too.  I

Another rough day at work.  Did some listening on the way home at the end of the day, and had designs on doing some listening during my break this afternoon, but that didn't come to pass.  Having a fully charged ipod with the second Missy Higgins record now uploaded is an improvement, however, so that's good at least. It was also going to be a heavy evening of playing, but after another long day, it turned into an evening of watching music-related TV.  I finished off the Alanis Guitar Center Sessions, and watched most of the one with Switchfoot. Alanis, at one point, made the statement that all of her best songs are usually written in 45 minutes or less, and that, for her, if it doesn't happen in that amount of time, the song's not worth it.  I can count on one hand the number of times that has happened to me when it comes to songwriting.  Then again, I can also count on one hand the number of times in the last six months that I've spent 45 minutes focused solel

So, I made another 40+ pages of headway on the Juliana Hatfield bio tonight.  Still really enjoying it. Syncing and charging the ipod tonight as I type this.  I looked for my car charger earlier, and was unable to locate it.  In all likelihood, it's buried way under the passenger seat, and I just didn't look hard enough, but still. Sat with a guitar on my lap tonight, but no real focus.  I was just kind of blasted out after a long day of work.  So, again, I played, but wasn't able to follow up on last night's blast of progress, which in a way is a shame, because I had the house to myself tonight. Tomorrow, I need, need, need to spend some serious time with "Stairway," because that effort this month has been decidedly lacking. The one thing I can say for today: music got me through an otherwise rough work day, and for that I am (always) grateful. I need to find a way to adjust my playing schedule now that my work schedule has evened itself out.  Getti

I finally took a bit of time tonight to sit down with my song thoughts and the Dave Grohl Challenge notebook.  First time in a long time.  Here's what I discovered: 1) There's only 1 song idea that needs to be phased out, and only then because it sounds too similar to another chord progression that I have written down. 2) I'm starting to hear a bit of connective tissue between ideas, which makes me think that there will actually be something cohesive (at least an EP) that sees the light of day from this. 3) The smaller bits (runs of three chords, a single melody line, etc.) need a lot of work to get to the point where they are even somewhat finished, but I like all of them enough to at least have them in the running for the final project. 4) There's 1 idea that stands out because it doesn't fit in with all of the others, but that too is cool enough to use for something at some point (maybe the hard rock band if B. and I ever try working that out again). 5)

So, I didn't teach today.  My car wouldn't start after I got done with work tonight, and I had to have it jumped in order to make it home.  My student's father (who is also a close family friend) came out to jump my car, and they suggested we re-schedule.  I was all ready to teach, but they wanted to postpone, which was probably the smart decision. What did I do instead?  Came home, sat down on the couch, and watched an episode of this show I've been recording called "Guitar Center Sessions."  The episode I watched tonight featured Grace Potter & The Nocturnals.  It was incredibly cool to watch performances... people actually playing instruments on live TV, and then sit and listen as the interview segments basically walked you through the band's entire career, from formation right up to present day.  Each episode is an hour.  Nothing too ridiculously long, but they give you just enough that you come away feeling like you got let behind the curtain a

Taught today.  Lesson went well.  My student is really coming along nicely. Had a few minutes to play for myself today as well, and it felt like I was knocking rust off.  My three days of rock & roll bliss didn't necessarily have as much music in them as I would have liked them to.  I'm tired of having situations like this and feeling, at the end of them, like I've screwed up another opportunity.  I didn't even get to "Stairway." In other news, apparently in the course of some more unpacking today, S. found another huge pile of CDs.  Lots of R.E.M. and Oasis, from what she says, and the second Missy Higgins record.  I know full-well that organizing and sorting her music is going to be one of the last things we get to, but when we do, it seems like it will be an easier prospect now than it did a month ago. It's looking like I'll have most of tomorrow night for myself (S. has meetings), so I'm really hoping that, after my lesson, I'll b

Another semi-frustrating day music-wise. I started in on the organizing of the rest of the music stuff, only to abandon it part of the way through in search of a better way through than a giant list.  After spending the rest of the day thinking it over, I think the list is still the way to go, but there needs to be some organizing done before the list is made (magazines by title and year, etc.). Did a little bit of playing this afternoon, but again, nothing for a long enough period of time to be considered noteworthy. I did , however, stumble across an interesting article on NPR again today.  This time it was about artists who are overdue for a new record.  On the list: Damien Rice.  I couldn't agree more.  I loved both of his records, although according to a link in the NPR article, he wasn't too fond of the second one.  Haven't gotten a chance to follow that link and read the article yet, but that is definitely happening tomorrow. The other cool thing about today

Today was one of those days where it didn't feel like I got a lot done, but I know that it will be a day I look back on and think that the small things that did get accomplished were springboard steps to bigger and better things. With the exception of one box of desk stuff that's still sitting in the living room, the studio space is back to being uncluttered and (mostly) useable.  Still debating re-organizing the room to make things even better, but I figure that can wait until I get done sorting the rest of the music stuff. And speaking of the sorting... I feel like I'm starting to get a clearer picture of exactly what's here .  It's taking longer than I want it to, but tomorrow's project (what I hope will be a comprehensive list of all the magazines, transcriptions, and articles I have at my disposal) will go a long, long way toward solving that issue. Not a whole lot of playing or listening got done today, but between tomorrow and Monday, that will defi

One of the cool things about the continuing process of organizing all of S's. stuff is that she keeps finding more and more music.  Today's finds included the following records: 1) The Crane Wife - The Decemberists (I own this already) 2) Picture Perfect Morning - Edie Brickell 3) Too Many Bunnies - Happy Flowers 4) Strategic Grill Locations - Mitch Hedberg 5) What's Left For Kicks? - Monks Of Doom I almost took the Edie Brickell record with me for the car ride back to work when I came home at lunch, and the realized that I wouldn't have enough time to fully process something brand new in the 6 minutes it would take me to get there.  So I opted for the Wallflowers instead, and vowed to take a listen to the Edie Brickell sometime in the next three days. The other thing that I'd like to take a moment to make note of tonight is that I'm really missing not having a music biography in my life right now.  I think that tomorrow, when all of the playing and o

Okay, so with yesterday being as haphazard as it was, I'm going to try and make tonight's post a bit more focused. I listened to the second new Stones song from their upcoming hits package online today.  NPR had a story about it.  I was surprised, again, to discover just how good the song is.  Apparently, 5 decades in, the Stones can still bring the rock and roll fury down upon the world.  Admittedly, the riff sounds a bit like "Street Fighting Man," but still.  Nevertheless, I'm feeling like, instead of just buying the new songs, I ought to at least consider buying the new collection.  I'd love the Super Deluxe, 4 disc, 80 song version of it.  If only it wasn't so astoundingly expensive.  Regardless of that, here's the link to the story on NPR's website. http://www.npr.org/blogs/allsongs/2012/11/08/164632745/hear-the-rolling-stones-brand-new-one-more-shot In other happenings tonight, I started reading a long Guitar World article on The Beatl

So, one of my friends has a picture online of them in a bee costume, and all I can think is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qVPNONdF58 I'm in the market for another record that will turn my world upside down.  Feels like it's been a while on that one.  I know that the new Kasey Anderson disc is out there in a couple of weeks, but right now that seems so very far away. Had two more people today ask me if I taught guitar.  This might just turn into a respectable side-business yet. Crazy busy day otherwise.  Got to talk music for a bit with my brother, though, so that was good. Also of note, apparently the Civil Wars have cited "irreconcilable differences," and broken up.  They had one of the coolest records of last year.  It bums me out that they have split up. Ran a tiny bit of "Stairway" today, too, but didn't spend enough time on it to comment. Tonight's post is increasingly not structured at all.  I'll try to be a bit more cohere

Taught after work again.  My student is making slow and steady progress, which at this point, I will take as a victory.  She still has trouble focusing, but I feel like we're getting somewhere. Also of note when it comes to my teaching: it's looking pretty certain that I'll be getting a 3rd student at some point soon.  Their parents have agreed to lessons, and all that remains between now and them starting is getting a broken string fixed.  This is awesome news. Worked on "Stairway" for a while tonight.  Felt good to get back to it.  I ran through everything up to the solo, and was happy with the way it's coming along.  Granted, this was the easier part the last time, too, but it's feeling better now than it did then, so I'll take that as a win. Found my magazine boxes tonight as well.  Started filling the first one with all of the resources I had pulled and set aside the other day.  I've got three more to fill.  Whether I use them all or not

Taught after work.  The lesson went really, really well.  My student is really picking things up quickly.  She's working on melodies for simple songs right now, but I planted the idea of chords going along with those melodies today.  Within the melody discussion, we're also working on getting her through all of the notes in the first three frets.  After focusing in a lot on specific songs the last few weeks, today's lesson was more on notes and chords, which will be okay.  The way I see it, if we can get her comfortable with all of the notes in the first three frets, most of the major chords, and almost all of the important early minor chords will be covered. Finally held firm to my vow from last week and put the new Wallflowers disc back into rotation in the car.  Got through the first couple of songs driving home from work/teaching tonight.  Still really digging it. Didn't make much progress today with either the organizing of the music stuff or "Stairway.&qu

So, just for fun today, I went back and looked through the first 15 or so posts from the first time I tried to work my way through "Stairway."  Here's what I found:  In the first half of the month that year, I hardly worked on it at all.  So even though I didn't really look at it much today, I still feel like I'm ahead of last time, which is cool.  That being said, I still need to put in some good work on it tomorrow, or else it will feel like it's starting to get away from me again. Here's what did get done today: 1) Had a good conversation with the people leading the praise band at church.  That was a long overdue experience, let me tell you.  They don't really have a lot of time to rehearse right now, their other commitments being what they are, but they did suggest I get together with the piano player and start by working with her, so I'll try and set that up sometime soon. 2) Finally gave the ipod that sync and full charge it's bee

Started in on "Stairway" again today.  With everything I learned the last time I tried it, I can already feel that the song is easier underneath my fingers.  The transitions on the chord changes are smoother, and the chords up the neck in the bridge are quicker as well.  I'm really feeling confident about this, and I didn't even spend that much time with it.  (If I really wanted to feel dumb right now, I'd go back and look at my posts from the month I tried to learn it before, just to see if I made the same sorts of remarks then.  I bet I did). I know my primary goal is going to be getting the solo down pat, but it never hurts to get those chord shapes underneath your fingers at least a few times. I picked up a few magazine files today when we were out shopping.  Now that I've found some of the resources I'd spent the last month plus wondering about, I don't want to misplace a main piece of the lesson plan I'm creating.  It just made sense to

How some things end up where they do, I'll never know.  I found my "Stairway" tab, buried at the bottom of the last pile of magazines I sorted through.  It was right next to about three or four other things that I'd been searching for on and off since I moved in August.  What puzzles me is that I know I had set that stuff aside in a spot where it wouldn't get mixed in with a bunch of other stuff.  Oh well... I found it, and that's what's really important.  Now I can spend some of my Saturday off working on that solo. I'm thinking that the magazines I've got here need to be sorted by year, and that there needs to be a list that says what transcriptions are in it, and what the major lessons are from each issue.  If I'm going to be able to find things, both for use in my teaching and my own personal use, that's one of the little things that is going to make this easier on me.  I'll work on that tomorrow, too.  Then, once that's don

So, the one hundredth day of the blogging year was supposed to be an epic confirmation of all things music.  Instead, it has turned into a frustrating day where all I can think about is how I'm going to spend my weekend re-organizing the shelves of music stuff in the living room.  And maybe the whole studio space.  Partly to make things easier to access, and partly to keep the kittycats off of my recording equipment. Also, it's November.  And so once again I wrestle with the desire to write a novel, and tell myself that it's okay to work on a classic rock song.  And, seeing as how 2012 was supposed to be "finish year," and I haven't really finished much of anything yet, here's my plan: I'm going to re-visit "Stairway," I'm going to start with the solo, I'm going to nail it, and then i'm going to refresh my memory on the rest of the song from there, since I learned the rest of it pretty well two Novembers ago, and I'm fairl

Finally took a few minutes to just sit and play today.  It was long overdue.  I didn't even work on anything in particular, just sat and played for a while. Tomorrow night I'm really hoping to have some time to dedicate to the Vai Workout and the DGC, because the little bit of work I got in on the workout last night just didn't cut it for me.  I've been craving that longer chunk of time that never really seems to materialize. Also, we perform for the praise team in a week, and I still don't have the list of songs we'll be doing for either next Wednesday or next Sunday.  I understand that I was gone for a week, but I've been back for almost two and a half weeks now, and the fact that nobody has made any effort whatsoever to set up a practice time is starting to get on my nerves.  What really gets me is that I emailed them my concerns on the 4th of October, and other than a basic acknowledgement of my email, none of them have been addressed in the slightes

Taught today.  Started working on Christmas carols with one of my students.  They have been asked (by my lovely wife) to perform for the annual youth Christmas Play, which happens this year on the 12th of December.  We're going to be learning two songs, I believe, "Jingle Bells," and "Go Tell It On The Mountain."  We're starting with "Jingle Bells."  The notes are all perfectly in her wheelhouse.  It's all things we've covered before.  And yet, there was trouble focusing today.  It happens, I know, but I know she's quick enough to pick this up faster than she seemed to today.  And I still can't get her to use more than a couple of fingers to find notes. Anyway, enough of that for now.  I got home tonight to find that S. had added a few music books to my shelf of rock & roll awesomeness.  Two books on R.E.M., and Juliana Hatfield's biography now have a spot on that shelf, and I've got to say... I want to read them all r

No lesson today.  My student was home sick. One theory on this is that it will give me more time to play.  I'm still hoping for that later on tonight, but for right now, here's a quick update on everything before the non-musical part of my life steps in and demands attention for a while. I took a couple of isolated baby steps (i.e. not enough progress for my blood) in regards to the Vai workout last night.  For my own sanity, I need to take at least a few more tonight. After re-setting Kasey Anderson's story the other day, today I saw a link to a story about an artist putting out 3 records this year.  In my head, somehow, there's a bit of a disconnect there.  That statement probably deserves a longer mention in this space, but that will have to come at a later date. Here's the other crazy thing I stumbled across today.  It's only 94 days until February's "album in a month" RPM Challenge.  I know it's bad form to mention that as I'm

Considering that I teach tomorrow, and do so right after work, I figured that this afternoon might be a good time to do some lesson planning for my students, and for myself. We're dog-sitting for S's. mom this weekend, so I took my strat, my Dave Grohl Challenge notebook, my lesson notebook, and my copy of Vai's 30 hour workout over with me.  There will be updates tomorrow on everything. I've decided that now is the time to start messing about with that workout in a serious manner.  Not in a giant 30 hour stretch, mind you, but definitely in manageable chunks.  I figure, even an hour here and an hour there are bound to result in improvement if I approach it with the clarity and focus that Vai is prescribing. I know I talked about Kasey Anderson a lot yesterday, but since I didn't mention it in yesterday's post, I'll say it today:  I'm really excited to hear his new record.  Especially since it might be the last we hear from him for a while. Also,

I got back to playing for at least a little bit today.  It's amazing how much the simple act of strapping on a guitar functions as a shield from everything else going on around you.  Those of us that have come to cherish that feeling on a part time basis long to have the ability to feel that way all the time.  We tend to sit and wonder about how awesome it must be to play music for a living and get paid for it.  What we tend to overlook is that those who are getting paid to do what they love are often not making enough money doing it to survive.  In an era where major label deals simply aren't what they used to be, and even those labels are cutting costs (and corners), it's tough on artists out there.  And as much as we like to think that the advent of the internet, cheaper recording software, and itunes makes it easier for musicians to be heard (and, to be fair, it does) those same things that can be tools of assistance have also led to the market being crammed full of p

Today was another day made up mostly of listening.  That part is getting kind of frustrating, honestly.  I'd really love a day where I could just crank things up and rock out for a bit.  Hopefully that will happen tomorrow, as I've got a Saturday off.  The listening part was made up of a lot of the new Marcy Playground record.  They cover both "Whiter Shade Of Pale," and "Hallelujah."  Kind of an odd juxtaposition, if you ask me.  I had never, ever heard someone cover "Whiter Shade" before.  They did a kind of cool version of it, though. S. threw down a bit of an ultimatum yesterday that I don't think I made note of last night.  She said that once things get re-organized in the living room/studio space, I actually have to record some stuff.  I'll accept that ultimatum.  I really need to get back to my Dave Grohl Challenge.  I played through a couple of the ideas in the few minutes I had to play before work this morning, and I still really

Finished up the last track on the Dan Andriano record today.  I knew I was close to the end of it yesterday, I just didn't know I was quite that close.  I put in the new Marcy Playground record in its place.  Jon Wozniak (the lead singer for MP) has such a distinctive voice, and such an odd lyrical approach, I think I'd recognize him anywhere.  Only a couple of tracks in so far, but it's good. Taught tonight after work.  I had my student working on chord progressions while we were away for the wedding week, and she wound up starting to write something while we were gone.  She's also made substantial improvements in getting her chords to sound clearly, which is really cool.  She wants to play a song (or two) during the Christmas play this year at the church, so next week we'll probably get started learning that. Started to re-arrange the studio stuff tonight as a way to make room for some of S's stuff in the living room.  Found what I think will be a more con