"Muse" - ings on Rock & Life

Quiet day today. Got a few tracks farther in the Alice In Chains record. Talked to my brother for a little bit tonight.  He leaves for his music camp in North Carolina in a week.  He's so excited, and so nervous at the same time.  And me?  I'm just jealous.  What I wouldn't give to spend a week doing nothing but playing guitar. Other things I'm excited about right now?  The new Barenaked Ladies record comes out next week already!  Can't wait to hear that next Tuesday. I'm hoping that tomorrow afternoon affords more time to play than tonight did.  I could really use it right about now.

Kept going with the new AIC record today.  "Voices," the fourth track on the record is a definite favorite so far.  I'm about halfway through it so far, and it's definitely a worthy follow-up to Black Gives Way To Blue . In other news, now that the month is essentially done with, I've finally found a chord progression, and a tempo for that matter, that I'm happy with.  It's a verse progression, I think.  And it might fit in with the other progression I stumbled on about a week ago.  Right now, though, that second one is a transition into something I don't have well defined yet. Really happy that progress is being made right now, even in the small doses that it has been showing up in recently.  All told, a day that could've had more music in it, but a day with a new song idea is a good day for me.  I'll build on it tomorrow, and we'll go from there.

There are some things in music that are instantly recognizable.  One of those things in an Alice In Chains record.  Doesn't matter who the singer is.  Proved that to myself by cranking up the new AIC in the car today on the way to work.  So far, it has been everything I expected: heavy guitars, and cool harmonies.  A few tracks in and still waiting for the first cool acoustic moment.  I think Jar Of Flies was my favorite Alice record, though, so no surprise, really. Taught tonight as well.  These lessons seem to be a bit more wide-ranging than I really want them to be.  My student follows along really well, though, and is making good progress, so I can't complain.  Might've helped if I wasn't still sick. That said, it was nice to sit down with the acoustic for a bit tonight, even if it was mostly for lesson prep and teaching.  Need to play it more than I am of late. Quiet day today.  Hopefully tomorrow is filled with a ton of musical awesomeness.

So, I did something today that I never do: I took a sick day.  Therefore, I didn't teach a lesson tonight.  Hoping to reschedule that to another night this week, but we shall see. Much to my surprise, considering the holiday yesterday and the flooding we've had in the area, my order of the new Alice In Chains record, The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here , actually arrived on time today, so that was awesome.  Unfortunately, with my head feeling the way it does, all I did was unwrap the record.  I'm really hoping that, at some point tomorrow, I feel decent enough to drop it on the stereo and do some listening, but we shall see. Picked up the guitar for a couple of minutes, but being sick stole my focus and I didn't get much done. Did, however, watch The Voice eliminations tonight.  Still absolutely shocked that Sarah Simmons went home tonight. I'll do better tomorrow, I promise.

So, here's the story with today. All weekend long, I've been getting more and more under the weather.  With each day that has passed, I've felt progressively more rotten, and today was the day that it all caught up with me.  I was essentially immobile, and on the couch all day. That being the case, I just didn't have the energy, or the focus for that matter, to work on anything music-wise. In fact, about the only thing I did manage to get done today was a tiny bit of listening this morning before it sank in just how terrible I was feeling. Not necessarily the most inspiring way to start my second thousand posts, but I'm really hoping that by the end of the day tomorrow, I'll be feeling better both on the health and the musical progress front. 

Just realized that tonight's post is number 1,000 in the life of my blog.  Somehow I feel like that fact deserves more pomp and circumstance than I'm going to be able to give it tonight, but anyway... Watched Sound City today, and it further proves my theory that everything Dave Grohl touches turns to gold.  It's a fabulous documentary about the history of a recording space, told by literally all of the people who made it what it was.  The first three quarters are about the ups and downs of the studio's existence, and the last quarter of the film is Dave getting all of the major players together to record new music on the studio's legendary Neve console after he bought it and moved it to 606 Studios, the recording studio owned by Dave and the Foo Fighters. Played some today, too, but instead of taking a look at everything that has come before during the year, I stumbled onto the germ of something new, and spent a bit of time working on that.  Made a bit of progr

So, we headed into Sioux City today.  Last minute decision. Picked up the latest issues of Guitar World and Guitar Techniques , so those should be fun to page through at some point tomorrow. Stopped at MidBell as well, and I found a few things there also: 1) The Rock Guitar poster to match the poster I bought from them a while back.  The one today was the one I could've sworn I had all those years ago, but can't turn up anywhere.  I'm sure, now that I've picked it up again, the old one will turn up.  That being said, it's another piece to the puzzle that will be my studio space in a few months. 2) Aside from the magazines at B&N, I also picked up a book I've looked at for years called Zen Guitar .  It's less about exercises and more about the mindset that you take with you to the instrument.  I think it will be good for me. 3) We stopped at the library today, too, and I checked out the latest Springsteen biography, simply titled Bruce .  It'

Got done with work at about quarter after 5 tonight.  I don't go back until noon (okay, probably a bit before noon) on Tuesday.  Effectively, this gives me about three and a half days off, if I don't include tonight.  So, you're asking yourself, what did I do tonight that propelled me into my weekend of musical awesomeness?  A few small things that will pay dividends in the overall spectrum of the weekend.  I, 1) Brought in my shoulder bag from the car.  It's got all of the stuff I usually carry with me for lessons in it, plus (somehow) all of the manuals for every piece of guitar related electronica that I own.  I'm really hoping to not only get some songwriting done this weekend, but also some recording.  And if that's going to happen, I want it to start the right way, hence, the manuals. 2) Did some listening.  Our Lady Peace in the car on the way to and from work, and a bit of lighter, more mellow stuff in the other free moments.  OLP proves to me again

A few things to touch on tonight: 1) I ordered the new Alice In Chains disc yesterday.  Really excited to hear what comes after Black Gives Way To Blue .  That record was a testament to the power of their legacy when it was released back in 2009.  What I enjoyed the most about that record was the way that the harmonies on it held up, with William DuVall occupying the opposite end of the vocal register from where Layne Staley had been. 2) Apparently there's a new Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes record coming out this summer.  I really dug their first record, and bought the second disc, but wasn't quite as high on that one.  In all likelihood, I'll wind up passing on the new one, but we shall see.  What I'd rather have is a new disc by Delta Spirit, but their most recent disc came out last year, so I'm probably out of luck on that one.  Seems like longer ago than that. 3) Also in the spirit of new things, there's a new Springsteen documentary coming

Sat down tonight with that song idea I was tossing around last night.  Didn't get anything lyric-wise, but I made some progress from the original idea I had for the music.  Something about it just wasn't working for me, so I kept the same chords, but changed the inversions a bit in order to get something I liked a lot better. Kept at the Sound City record today.  What I'm liking about it is just how eclectic it is.  Haven't sat down to watch the documentary yet, but now I'm even more excited about seeing it.  I want to see how he intersperses the story/history aspect with the performances. I'm getting better about seeing the inherent patterns of notes as they lay out on the neck.  Maybe it's just patterns of notes, or specific sounds in specific spots that I like, but for some reason tonight it feels a bit easier than it has in the past.  It's a small piece of progress, but I'll take it. Good day today.  I'll do better tomorrow, but I still

Took the Sound City soundtrack with me on the way to work today.  Only a few songs in, but man , that disc is rockin!  So good to hear Stevie Nicks' voice drifting out of my speakers again, too.  Such a classic sound.  Instantly recognizable. Taught tonight after work.  My student was her usual slightly unfocused self, and so we wandered around from AC/DC to Neon Trees to Adele.  Made for an interesting lesson. Found a song title today, too.  It's been a frustrating week in some respects... and it's only Tuesday, but if I can turn this title, and the frustrations that it stems from into a cool song idea, then it'll all be worth it for me. In other news, apparently Chester Bennington, the lead singer from Linkin Park, is fronting Stone Temple Pilots now.  Which is fine, except that the new song sounds nothing like STP.  So, um, why not call your band something else?  Snarky?  Yes.  But also true. That's all for today.  Better tomorrow, I promise.

A few quick notes today: 1) Got something from DiscMakers in the mail today... it was the hard copy of that ProTools guide I had downloaded a few weeks back.  To my great surprise, not only was that included in their big envelope of musical happiness, but there was also a pamphlet filled with awesome recording tips and techniques, and some other stuff in there as well! 2) Picked up the soundtrack for Dave Grohl's Sound City documentary while the Mrs. and I were out the other day.  Haven't cranked it up yet, but I have a feeling that tomorrow on the way to work will be the perfect time for that. 3) Ray Manzarek, keyboard player (and founder) of The Doors, has passed away at the age of 74.  Cranked up "Light My Fire" in his honor tonight.

I'd like to take a moment tonight to hit on an upcoming release that has been on my radar, and yet still somewhat under my radar for at least a month now.  One of my all time favorite bands has a new record coming out on the 4th of June.  That's right, kids, Grinning Streak , by Barenaked Ladies drops the first week of June.  Their last record, 2010's All In Good Time , their first without Steven Page as a member of the band, had a great first single, but on the whole left me with a "man, wait till their next record" kind of feeling.  Finally got around to listening to the first single off of the new record today, it's a song called "Boomerang," and it feels like classic BNL.  It's got an upbeat tempo, a clever lyric, and a strong vocal performance from Ed Robertson. Watched 4 of their webisodes about the making of the record tonight as well, and I've got to say that watching those has only heightened my expectations.  So much so that I

Actually did get the chance to sit down and watch one of the movies I had mentioned yesterday.  I chose Not Fade Away .  It's a pretty cool flick, although the trailer didn't necessarily do it justice.  The story was more true-to-life, in that the endings aren't always happy or sad, sometimes they just dissipate and fade away into nothingness.  The movie chronicled the initial excitement of rock & roll, and the middle phase where people are in and out of various lineups.  It also did a realistic job of showing the many pitfalls of trying to leave a footprint in the music business.  All told, a pretty cool movie that didn't quite live up to its potential, much like the characters that inhabited the world of the film.  One I'll go back to for sure, though. Charged & synced the ipod today, too.  Sunday mornings are usually good times for me to get a bit of listening in, so I wanted to have everything fully charged and ready to go in the event that the opportu

Today was mostly a day of listening.  I've still got the new Airborne in the car, but today felt more like a Counting Crows sort of day, so in the moments of time that I had today, it was there that I turned. If I had to mention what I'm truly excited about right now, though, it would be tomorrow.  A full and unplanned day off, to get some rest and then get some serious practicing done.  The last couple of days have felt a bit cramped, music-wise, a bit less productive than the few that directly preceded them, and with tomorrow, I'm looking to change that. I'm also pondering watching either: Sound City or Not Fade Away Not sure which one yet, but I'd definitely like to sit down with at least a portion of one of them. That's really all for today.  Better tomorrow.  

Tonight's post has what feels like a bit of a breakthrough for me.  It starts in a familiar place, and then branches off into something that feels greater than its beginnings, so stick with me on this and see if I can successfully put into words what I'm hoping I can. So, anyone who has been following of late knows that we've been watching a lot of NBC's The Voice this season.  The show is fantastic and the talent they have, both in judges, and in contestants, has been great this year.  That's not really the point of this though, and neither is the next bit, although it helps to set up what I'm trying to express.  Blake Shelton, famous country singer-type, is one of the judges.  His presence, I think, has gotten the Mrs. to turn the radio dial over to the country stations more of late.  She sheepishly admitted as much to me tonight when she got home from Sioux City. "It's just so much more in depth than most pop music," she said, "you can

Taught today.  A good lesson.  My student is progressing nicely.  I think a few more weeks and we'll really be able to dive into some T. Swift, which she will be thrilled about. In trying to motivate her, I had pulled a few tabs off of the internet last night, so I spent the fifteen minutes or so before her lesson working on Swift's "Love Story."  The tab I found was mostly correct, so that was a bonus. Downloaded a few free handbooks from Berklee's website today, too.  One on songwriting, and the other on music theory. A good day for listening and resources, as it turned out. Getting closer to the weekend.  I'm thinking that tomorrow night will be a night spent with an acoustic in my hands for a while.  Tonight, it was good to teach, and I felt like I was on the verge of discovering something awesome involving chord progressions.  Whatever it was, it danced right at the edge of my consciousness for a while before drifting away.  It'll be there tom

So, I've got one student who started in on some AC/DC tonight (on acoustic guitar, no less), and tonight I spent some time wading through Taylor Swift songs for the other student I'm working with right now.  On one hand, it makes me want to shake my head.  On the other... how cool is it that two kids who are essentially the same age are into so much different music? Didn't have much of a chance tonight to do much playing for myself.  I did , however, manage to stumble across another one of my patented (they have to be patented by now, don't they?) mini-chord progressions that just happen to strike that "this is a song idea" fancy in my head.  So hopefully that goes somewhere in the next couple of days. Aside from that, there wasn't much today playing-wise.  Really disappointed in that. Voice eliminations tonight, too.  Most of my favorites are still around.  A few surprise saves by America, but that's what happens when the coaches don't get t

Started breaking down walls in my playing tonight.  I really tried to focus in on running scales in just the first four frets.  Worked through a few different scale choices: - Minor Pentatonic - Blues - Chromatic The chromatics were far and away the toughest of the bunch, but with a little bit of work, even those started to come a bit easier. In other news, kinda pumped to read the big Rolling Stones feature in the new... Rolling Stone . Also, watched an old episode of Austin City Limits that featured Monsters Of Folk tonight, as well.  Pretty cool.  And, as always, the latest episode of The Voice aired tonight.  Sarah Simmons sang "The Story" by Brandi Carlile!  Overall, I thought the performances were stronger tonight than they have been the last couple of weeks; although as usual, there were a few that didn't quite work for me. All in all, an okay day.  Not as good as it could have been, but all right.  Better tomorrow.

I got a chance to play this afternoon! Got home after lunch, cracked open a practice journal that I hadn't written in since January, shook my head at the incredible length of time between then and now, remembered my vow to play more and complain less, kept it open, and started to write down some observations. like this one, for example.  I struggle with some of the reaches on notes in the first four frets.  Everything 5 and up (so, 6th string root A minor pentatonic) I don't really have a problem with, but notes primarily in the first and second fret range, the reaches sometimes don't ring as clearly as I'd like them to. That is something I've sort of noticed in my playing for a long time, but haven't acknowledged.  I'm not sure whether it was the conversation with my brother the other day, or whether it's that plus some other factors, but I'm finally feeling free to admit the flaws in my playing, and from that, I'm ready to make the necess

In my excitement over my impending studio space, I've started trying to figure out, not only how to organize things, but also what resources and tools I'm still missing.  One of those things is the columns that Richard Lloyd wrote for Guitar World a number of years ago.  I've got most of the original magazines, but like the Vai workout, I've searched periodically over the last few years for a PDF version of all of the columns.  Always with no luck... until today, when I found a 14 page PDF that has some of the columns in it.  It's a place to start, anyway, even if it isn't everything. Last night I vowed to play more and wish less, so I played again today.  Ran essentially the same scales for a little bit less time, but I still felt good about the fact that I'm finding more time to play.  The best part is that I know there is more time available, because I wasn't as focused with the free part of my afternoon as I otherwise could have been, so while that

Sometimes, in order to take time for something, you need to make time for it.  That's what I did tonight, staying up a bit later in order to have some time with a guitar in my hands. As I walked out the door today, I was running notes in my head for pentatonic scales, from the low end of the neck all the way up to the top.  Somehow, then, it seemed fitting that I end the day by actually sitting with a guitar and running the scales. I find myself thinking about scales patterns a lot during the course of my day.  More lately than ever before. I get that this is an odd thing to admit, but there you have it. All told, there was listening today in the car, but the best part of my day, musically, was sitting at the end of the day, even for 25 minutes, with a guitar in my hands, focused on improving my musical situation. More practicing tomorrow, and more time involved.

Had a short conversation with my brother this afternoon.  Every time that happens, I feel like I come away with something new to turn over in my head.  Usually it's something that has been staring me so blatantly in the face that it should have been obvious.  Today it was this: "When you're a musician, and you're working toward a goal, there are so many avenues to go down, so many things to keep up on, from listening to theory to keeping up with the periodicals associated with your instrument to attending gigs.  Sometimes, the thing that gets lost in all of that is the reason that you picked up the instrument in the first place: the playing/practicing." He's right.  I've gotten so hung up in so many other things that the playing has taken a backseat lately. That said, I did sit down this afternoon and work out a bit of "Bride & Groom" from the new Airborne disc.  It's a ridiculously catchy, fun song to play. 76 days before the sta

Okay, so way back on the 29th of April, I had posted that I was going with ProTools, an interface, and a refurbished laptop as opposed to an instrument, and now I can finally tell you all more about why I decided the way that I did: The Mrs. has been accepted into the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, starting this fall.  How, you ask, does this relate to my musical exploits?  I shall tell you.  The catch is this: the student housing is 3 bedroom townhouses, which leaves a bedroom for us, a study for the Mrs./guest room, and... wait for it... A RECORDING STUDIO/MUSIC ROOM FOR ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Finally, a room that I can set up just for music.   In it will be the following: 1) Computer/ProTools setup 2) The Boss 1180 BR-CD 3) Stereo 4) Music Collection 5) Instruments/Amps/Music Stands 6) TV & Music DVDs 7) Big Comfy Chair for listening 8) Table/Workspace 9) A Bookshelf with Tab books & Assorted music bios, magazines, etc. Dear Haven of Roc

I did end up teaching today, much to my surprise, and I'll tell you what: my student has made so much progress since the start of last fall.  We're getting her closer to where she needs to be when it comes to evening out her strumming, and making sure her chord changes are smooth, but her confidence is growing, and I'm getting her to work on something until it's finished now, so that's awesome. I'm only 8 songs into Such Hot Blood , but this record, so far, is the culmination of all of Airborne's work so far.  It's the most cohesive record they've ever made.  The songs flow in and out of each other exceptionally well.  It comes down to the difference between having an album be a collection of songs, and having it be an album . Watched the second night of live performances on The Voice tonight.  It seemed to take a while for people to really get going, but the showings got stronger as the night went on. Also, I played around a bit with a fresh c

Took Such Hot Blood with me in the car today for the trips to and from work.  Needed to spend a bit of one on one time with that record. Watched the first of the live rounds tonight for The Voice.  Some great performances, and a couple that I thought should be better than they turned out. Took a few minutes to glance through some upcoming releases tonight, as well.  Artists and release dates are listed, not much for titles yet on the site I checked.  Further research tomorrow might yield more success on that front, however. Ben Lee (5/14) Alice In Chains (5/28) Barenaked Ladies (6/4) Jason Isbell (6/11) Sara Bareilles (7/16) KT Tunstall (8/6) Deer Tick (TBA) I'm scheduled to teach tomorrow, too, but there's a chance my student has strep throat, so I'd say there's also a chance I won't be teaching.  We shall see.  If I don't end up teaching, I might actually find a bit of time to work on my own stuff for once.

Bell Choir practice was good this morning.  We've been working on a "challenge" piece since right around the beginning of the year, and it's finally starting to come together.  On some level, that seems like a very long time.  Then again, when you only get a half hour a week, and most weeks not everyone attends, I suppose we're doing pretty well for ourselves. That doesn't have anything to do with guitar (I know), but served to start my day on a musical note... forgive the pun, it was unintended.  Usually I can find some time before church to hide away and do some listening, but that didn't happen this morning. Found a bit of time this afternoon to watch a couple of the concerts we have saved on DirecTV.  One by Garbage, and a little bit of one by Alanis Morissette.  Both were fun. Tonight, then, I was reading through some interviews on the American Songwriter website, and stumbled upon one that Sara Bareilles had given last year.  It came out aroun

It was unbelievable... right as we were leaving for Sioux City this morning, MidBell called to tell me my poster was in.  It was on our list of places to hit anyway, but we definitely stopped there to pick it up.  They had gotten a few more posters in, including the one that I swear I already have somewhere, and I was so very close to just buying it (perhaps again) because it was right there in front of me, but I held off, because if I do still have it, there's a pretty good chance it's already framed, and then all I'd have to do is put it up when it got down here. Hit up B&N today, too.  Picked up issues of Guitar World and Acoustic Guitar , and the movie "Not Fade Away."  It's a music movie by the guy who directed The Sopranos.  I'd seen the trailer, and waited for it to come out in theaters.  It never did, at least around here.  And then I walk into the music department at B&N, and there it is staring me in the face.  Boom.  Sold. At anothe

I only had a couple of things on my list today that absolutely had to get done.  They were: 1) Obtain, and load into itunes Such Hot Blood by The Airborne Toxic Event 2) Sync and charge my ipod. Done, and Done. The ipod is fully charged for the first time in what feels like a long time, and the new Air Tox disc is loaded and ready to roll.  The Twitter hype has only continued to build.  Fingers crossed that it will all be true as I head out with the Mrs. for a road trip into Sioux City tomorrow. I want to hit up MidBell to see about my poster.  They still haven't called.  The funny part?  I searched for the poster online tonight, and discovered that the company that makes it also makes another poster that I either have somewhere, or looked at often enough that I feel like I own it.  Talked to my Mom tonight to see if she remembers anything that might be hiding in the basement of her house.  She said she'd check on it and get back to me.  If it's there, I'm goi

So, in case you couldn't tell, the Mrs. co-opted the blog last night. My copy of Such Hot Blood is officially in Iowa.  According to Amazon, it has departed Davenport, and is on its way to me.  Tomorrow is going to be an awesome day. Finished both Start by Acuff, and Orfe by Cynthia Voight in the last couple of days.  Both were excellent.  One was a music novel, and the other will definitely help me continue to outline my musical path.  I saw so many comparisons between the things discussed in Start and my blogging and practicing life for the last three years. In other cool news this week, according to Paste magazine, the members of The Civil Wars have solved their differences, and will have a new album coming out sometime late this summer.  Barton Hollow was an amazing record, and I can't wait to see what they come out with next. Also, in the email today was a free 50 page guide to getting the best out of ProTools.  I haven't ordered anything yet, but it's cool

Broke down and ordered the new Air Tox today.  Amazon can get it here by Friday, which is a day sooner than Saturday, which is good.  They could've had it here tomorrow , if I had wanted to fork over an extra $3.98 in shipping, but when the album is $9.99, it seems insane to pay a third of that to get it here 24 hours sooner, so yeah, new Airborne on Friday after work! Taught tonight.  Second lesson for the new student. I'd write more but tired and wife is whiny and I'm done blogging for now. So I'm going to go away now.  I'll write more tomorrow.