"Muse" - ings on Rock & Life

I hit the studio tonight, albeit on the later side of things. I looked through some of the theory materials I was studying yesterday, hoping to spark something that would take me on an interesting journey for at least a little while tonight.  What it ended up doing instead was further driving home a couple of things from last night, and allowing me to realize that, for whatever reason, tonight just wasn't my night in the studio. Tomorrow night starts the weekend, though, and with it come fresh hopes of productivity.

So, I worked on a few different things in the studio tonight. I went over some of the theory stuff I had been working on for the last couple of days, and added in another small piece from the roadmaps book that I picked up as a complimentary resource.  I felt like that wasn't too bad when it comes to yet another small step forward, and was in the mood to play and have a bit of fun, so I set the book aside until tomorrow, and spent the rest of my time in the studio trying to finish off a few of the songs I had started to learn off of CD and not quite gotten all the way through.  I finished figuring out a couple of Airborne Toxic Event songs that I had stalled out on a while back.  It was good to get back to working on my listening skills. On some level, tonight was a night of small victories, but I will take them, so long as they keep pushing me down the path to where I want to be.

On the surface, today didn't seem like anything all that special when it comes to the time I spent in the studio. Taken in a little bit of context, however, I'm happy with the time I put in.  It built nicely on the work I did last night, and helped with continuity and momentum building.  I played for a while, and then went back and jotted down a few notes that tied in well to some of the theory I had been working on in The Guitarist's Guide To Scales Over Chords .  Yet again, I feel like the pieces are dropping into place one by one. With the Mrs. working a late shift tomorrow night, I should have the opportunity to put in more time tomorrow than I did today, and that should make for another productive night. More tomorrow, and in a bit more detail than there was in tonight's post.

So, today was the day I spent the weekend longing for. I got into the studio at a (somewhat) decent hour, making sure to haul all of my music-related purchases from the weekend in there with me.  Once I arrived, it was obvious to me that I'd at least start my time in there with the fretboard roadmaps book that will prove to be a nice companion to the other theory books I've been working with the last few months. I worked my way into the second chapter of the new book, and in the process found a couple new ways to look at things that will really help me to crystallize the ideas in my head.  If the first true bit of focused study is any indication, I really feel like this year will be the year of the great leap forward. A really good night, but now there is a definite need for sleep.  Can't wait for tomorrow, and another chance to improve. 

Today was a fairly quiet day, all things considered. I was able to find a little bit of time to do some reading/studying with a couple of the new books I picked up yesterday.  The time spent was good, and the new books will definitely be of help, but today ended up being more of a lazy Sunday than I expected it to be. All things considered, it probably wasn't the most efficient use of my first weekend in year five of the blog, but what it has done for me is ensure that I'll be exceptionally focused during the coming week.  It even makes it a bit easier for me to plot out my musical to-do list for the week. Having company here was wonderful.  Having what I hope will be a normal and productive week in the studio will be that as well.

The second day was an interesting hodgepodge of musical fun.  My mom is in town this weekend, so we spent most of the day out and about.  In the process, I stumbled upon a lot of really cool stuff, including: - Two books on music at the library book sale downtown, one called Classic Rock Stories about the writing of a lot of the hits in the classic rock era, and the other called Clawing At The Limits Of Cool: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, And The Greatest Jazz Collaboration Ever . - New issues of Guitar World & Guitar Techniques - A book on scales - A fretboard roadmaps book that I've been looking for for a while - A book on the redemption of Johnny Cash and the American Recordings - Lazaretto , by Jack White, on vinyl... FINALLY! All told, it wasn't a day where a lot of playing got done, but it did end up being a day where I snagged a lot of cool resources that will liven up the start to the new blog year, and help push things in a forward direction.  I'll call

So, I woke up this morning with that whole "finish an EP in year five" thing on my mind.  There's an old song idea that used the intro I always heard as the first thing on my debut release.  I never wound up happy with any of the finished versions of that particular song, but seeing as how that intro progression keeps haunting me, I can finally admit that I'm going to have to re-purpose it, otherwise this project just won't feel right.  I spent the whole day going over song ideas in my head, not getting a chance to really take notes or jot down any thoughts about where the EP idea sits right now.  I know I'll find some time to get that done this weekend, it's just a matter of when. The other thing I did tonight bears a lot of resemblance to the end of last year's posts.  I worked on theory stuff, specifically scales, and I'll say that each time I head into the studio with the intention to focus on that side of my playing, I come out feeling bet

Last day of year four of the blog today.  I figured the place to start in figuring out next year is the list of things I said I wanted to get done in 2014 when I made out my list for the year way back in January.  Here's what I had written down at that point: 1) Finish writing & recording an EP (at least) I got started on this for sure, wrote and recorded a lot of music in February, and then mostly ignored it for the last few months.  Year five of the blog needs to see at least an EP completed (lyrics included). 2) Build on recent theory studies This I've done fairly well on, too.  I'm definitely more comfortable theory-wise than I was at the start of the year, and I really feel like a good, strong push at the start of things here will help cement that.  Year five needs to be the year that being able to get what I hear in my head to come out through my fingers finally becomes a reality. 3) Take lessons again Okay, so I haven't quite found time to fit thi

Studio time came late tonight.  Later than I had hoped it would.  So, while I didn't get as much playing done as I had wanted to at the start of the day, I feel like my playing is getting a lot more fluid this week.  I'm getting close to the point where a lot of woodshedding is exactly what I need for the next step in the process, and I'm hopeful that by the time year five kicks off on Friday, that's right about where I'll be. Didn't have a chance to check out any more of that John Mayer speech at all tonight, but I did manage to catch the next episode of that VH1 show The Linda Perry Project .  Further insight on just what it takes to be successful in the studio. Not a whole lot to report on today, I guess.  More tomorrow, and better.

Tonight was a really good night of music. I got into the studio and worked on a few different aspects of my playing.  I worked on my soloing, over one of the simple, bluesy progressions I had worked with earlier.  It wasn't perfect tonight, by any means, but it was a lot better than it was the last time around. And again, as usual, I worked on scales and key signatures for a little while. The other thing I did tonight was go back to the demos I had recorded in February.  I've known all along that they were going to need some electric guitar parts dropped on them at some point in time, and tonight I just wanted to play along and try to get a feel for how things are going to sound when all the parts are in place.  I've got to say, some of the tempos strike me as a bit slow (which I expected), and I may trim it down from a full length album to an EP, but just playing the electric along with what I had, I think these songs are going to sound really cool when I get them co

Three days before the end of the (blog) year, and I find myself gathering song ideas again.  It has been a while on that front, but it was fun to stumble across a couple of things in the last few days that I liked enough to make note of. One of the things I want to finish off during year five of the blog is the record that I started back in the early part of the year.  Just about the only reason it's not done yet is because I've been blocked lyrically for what seems like forever.  I just need to dive in and write my way through all of the crap I'll have to sift through in order to get something I'm happy with. Yes, it was a low-key Monday night of music for me, but I'm all right with it kicking off that way, because I've got the entire night tomorrow (the Mrs. works 3-11) to buckle down and focus.  It's going to be another fun week of pushing forward.

Tonight was a good night.  Much the same as the last few nights, it didn't feel like it had enough music in it when I started, but by the end of the night, I'm feeling good about where I am.  Tonight, it felt like the only time I was thinking about the scale patterns specifically was when I was talking myself through the way the notes fell in each of the keys.  I know that, no matter what key I'm playing in, the patterns remain the same, but I'm burning the notes into my head regardless of the patterns.  It's getting easier.  It's definitely getting easier. I'm making progress, and ultimately, as I'm in the brief run-up to the start of year five of the blog, I'm in a really good place to make the next year the biggest, most productive year so far. The other thing I did today was finish Light & Shade: Conversations With Jimmy Page , by Brad Tolinski.  It was a wonderful read, and a definite insight into the man and the music.

The pain in my head is starting to lessen, but some of it still lingers, and I'll admit that it slowed me down at least somewhat today in my attempt to get a lot done in the studio. That said, I was able to fit in a bit of studying in between calls today at work (it was pretty quiet for a Saturday), and after doing that, I'm pretty convinced that I've got a solid grasp on the note placement when it comes to my fretboard studying the last few months. I didn't get nearly as much work in today as I had hoped to, but I got a couple things worked out tonight, so I'm good with what did happen. I also managed to get the music imported and synced that I had mentioned in last night's post, so that's a small win, too.

In spite of my headache, I got back into the studio tonight. Things are still getting easier when it comes to making my way around the fretboard.  Even though there hasn't been as much time as I had hoped there would be at the start of the week (last night being a complete washout, playing-wise), I'm still happy with where I'm sitting over last week. That said, there are some things that I didn't get to tonight that are on my list for tomorrow already.  Most of that list has to do with gathering up the piles of music in the living room and getting them into the studio, and then getting some of it imported into iTunes and synced onto the iPod.  Beyond that, I've got to keep working on my playing over the weekend. As always, it's my biggest chance during the week to spend a considerable chunk of time focused in on my playing.  With the way the week has gone, I've got a really good feeling about the next couple of days.

As silly as it is, I tripped over my own feet tonight, fell, and knocked my head hard enough to give myself a headache and a cut on my eyebrow that bled a little more than I'd have liked it to.  I'm pretty sure I didn't manage to give myself a concussion, but when I made it home, I sat on the couch with a bag of frozen peas on my eye to bring the swelling down.  How rock star is that? As a result, I didn't make it into the studio tonight, but I did manage to catch some music making on TV, thanks to our DVR.  Apparently, Linda Perry (of 4 Non Blondes fame) has a new reality show on VH1 called Make or Break: The Linda Perry Project , where she brings unsigned artists into her studio and works with them to improve their craft, with the end goal being to sign one of them to her record label.  As someone who needs to finish a record by the end of the year, it was really cool to see behind the curtain, and look in on the amount of work it takes to get a project to the level

I've made a lot of progress in the last couple of weeks when it comes to making my way around the fretboard.  Something that always had that "hunt & peck" type of feel to it previously is feeling more comfortable and is definitely opening itself up to me. With all of the studying I've been doing, tonight I went back to The Guitarist's Guide To Scales Over Chords , just to see how I was feeling where the scale patterns themselves were concerned.  As expected, the work I've been doing of late has yielded pretty solid results.  There are still one or two patterns that give me a bit of trouble, all on the minor scale side of things, which admittedly, I didn't spend as much time with in the initial push. The Mrs. works the next two nights, which opens up my studio time quite a bit.  I'm pretty sure I'll be working out the small minor scale related kinks, and continuing to make significant gains when it comes to my overall comfort with navigating

Got into the studio on the late side tonight.  The Mrs. actually had a night at home, so it was nice to get to spend a bit of time with her. That said, when I got into music mode tonight it was mostly centered around reinforcing the steps I took last night.  I went back over most of what I covered yesterday, just to make sure I had it down, and kept studying small bits of theory in an effort to be adding on to where I already am. Not a lot of time today, but I feel I made the most of what time I did have. Picked up Grand National and April Uprising by the John Butler Trio today as well.  I had special ordered them both the last time I was at the music store, and they both came in today.

Today was a day filled with small victories that feel like they might be the start of the great leap forward I've been looking for. My stolen moments of studying theory are starting to add up.  I've been going through all of the little things for the last week or so, fitting in a glance at scale tones whenever I can sneak a moment.  Going back and studying sharps and flats has made the fretboard come into clearer focus.  The scale patterns that I started working on a month or two back are also falling more into place thanks to this line of thinking.  Having the poster with the good fretboard diagram, the circle of 5ths, and the scale tones on it has also made things a lot easier of late. Based on the way tonight went, I've got really high hopes for the rest of the week.

So many of my weekends come to a close with me wishing for "just one more day in the weekend."  This would be another one of those weekends.  I am eleven days from the end of year four of this project, and instead of celebrating what I've accomplished this year (far more than in years past, in spite of some slow progress the last month or two), I'm beating myself up over the progress I haven't made yet.  It's not healthy, I know, but it's true.  I'm telling myself that year five needs to be the breakthrough year, the time when everything just sort of falls into place, and I'm knowing that I've held that hope at the start of each of the last four years too.  I need to focus on the positives, the strides that I've made, but it gets so frustrating to feel like I'm so close to being where I'd like to be... only to know that I'm not quite there yet.  This is the thing that keeps me coming back, day after day, it's the story of

Good day today. I got into the studio this afternoon for a decent chunk of time.  Again, it felt good to be in there working on improving.  This afternoon, it was about putting something on the speakers and working on my soloing.  It's getting better, but I'm still conscious that I'm thinking too much, instead of just relying on feel and knowledge, which tells me that I'm not doing enough yet. Tomorrow afternoon needs to be a bit more focused, because I can feel I'm getting closer to having everything click. Tomorrow also needs to be more bluesy in nature, and have a bit more listening in it, as well.  Today's playing was good, but it wasn't the leap forward I hoped for.  I'd like tomorrow to be more productive.  I keep going in search of a great leap, feeling that it's right at my fingertips.  I need to do a better job of pushing just a little bit farther every day, in pursuit of my goals.

This weekend seems like it will be one of theory study and blues playing.  I got into the studio just enough tonight to see what direction my energies were flowing in. I know that tying up some loose ends where the theory is concerned definitely needs to happen this weekend.  I'm going to try and devote a lot of time tomorrow to that point of focus. I'd really like to spend some time with the jam tracks I've got loaded onto my iPod as well.  I've done a bit of work with them since I got them all uploaded, but not as much as I would like. Yeah, it was kind of a quiet day, music-wise.  I really just used my time in the studio tonight as a way to get myself pumped up for tomorrow and Sunday.  My Friday nights are always weird that way.  Nothing a good night's sleep and a fresh set of eyes can't get working on tomorrow, though.

Got back into the studio for a decent amount of time tonight. I spent a good bit of time tonight running the scales I've been working with against a metronome.  With the last couple of days being musically quiet ones for me, I ran things at a slower tempo than I otherwise would have, but that was all right for tonight. After working that way for a while, I switched over from the metronome to playing in front of the gigantic poster that got put up in my studio recently.  It has a really good fretboard diagram on it, as well as a circle of fifths (which could be a tad bit larger) and the scale degrees for all keys.  It was good to be able to follow along with both my fingers and the notes.  It was an easy way to bring the key signature, sharp and flat stuff back more toward the front of my brain.  More of that sort of practice tomorrow and over the weekend should get me to where I need to be on that front. I know I say it every week around this time, but I'm really looking

It was really good to get back into the studio tonight.  There wasn't as much time as I had wanted to spend in there, but at this point, it was more than I got last night, so I'll take it as a good thing.  On a somewhat related note, I had forgotten until I looked at the schedule today that I'm working a short shift tomorrow, thanks to a training session.  Going in at 10 and being done at 2:30 might just leave enough time to get caught up on the time I've missed out on all week. Honestly, it just felt good to sit down and play.  I did a bit of studying today in between calls at work, but most of that was looking over the list of scale tones in each key, and running scales in my head.  By the time I got in there and got to work, it was late, so most of my playing was focused on working on soloing over things that were on my iPod. Tomorrow is going to be a much better day.  That I can guarantee.

Between work and family time today (The Mrs. had her Dad, Aunt, and Sister in town), there wasn't much time at all for anything musical.  I had really high hopes of spending at least a little bit of quality time in there tonight, but by the time we got home, there was precious little time left to do anything. I'm getting in the studio tomorrow, no matter what it takes.  I've got a lot to tie together, and tomorrow is the middle of the week. Long day.  Gotta do better tomorrow.

Slow-ish start to the week. I got some time in working with scales, as per usual, and am feeling pretty good about the way things are headed after yesterday's focusing in for the week.  I've still got a ways to go before I'm happy with my progress, but there wasn't as much time to focus in tonight as I hoped there would be at the beginning of the day. I'm frustrated by my lack of time in the studio the last couple of days, but I need to take the time I do have and make the best of it, and I feel like I did that today. What I'm really hoping for tomorrow is a good chunk of time to spend in the studio, working through the things I've been keying in on for the last 48 hours or so.

Know what the best part of a lazy Sunday afternoon is?  Getting the chance to actually sit and listen to music for a while without other things getting in the way.  There has been a lot of new stuff coming in lately, and to have time to absorb at least some of it was a definite blessing. I did some studying today, too, but most of my efforts centered on cementing my path going forward.  I'm feeling more comfortable with the scale patterns I've been working on the last month or so.  What I really need to do now is make sure that the notes for each scale are committed to memory, both in terms of the note names and the numbers associated with the scale degrees. All of that ought to be a matter of quick review.  I've got the knowledge in my brain, I just need to bring it back to the forefront. It was a good, relaxing day.  One that has me knowing where I need to get to this week in order for it to feel like a success.

Didn't feel like I got enough time in the studio today. While I was in there, though, it was all electric focused.  I've had one of those "200 Tips" issues that Guitar Techniques put out a while ago sitting on my music stand for a while now, and tonight I decided to open it up and go through a few of them.  There's some really good stuff in there that will help push me along the path. Also, I finally got all of the electric songs I want to work on this summer burned onto a CD, so that I can slow down some of the solos should that need to happen.  I got caught up importing some of the newer music while I was putting that burn together, and that took me away from the studio for a bit. Tomorrow needs to be a better music day than today was.  More time in there is the answer to that, especially because it's the only spot that offers much in the way of peace lately.

Got in a couple of sessions today.  I don't feel like I played particularly well, especially when it comes to the time I put in this evening, but I feel like even that taught me something about where I sit right now. It's a strange feeling, but it's true.  I got a lot out of my sessions today.  Learned a bit where theory is concerned, watched a couple of lessons online, ran some scales with the metronome, searching for (and finding) weaknesses in my playing that need to be corrected as I continue. I feel like I ought to have more to say about a day that went decently for me musically, but there just aren't a ton of words tonight.  More tomorrow, though.

Got into the studio tonight after an exceedingly long day at work. Having spent the week saying that I really needed to get back to acoustic stuff, I did just that.  Sure, some of that time was spent figuring out "Santa Fe Girl" by Jackie Greene, which, until tonight, I hadn't quite spent enough time focused in on to truly solve.  Tonight, though, I got the capo placement and the chords right. So much of what I write about every day, of where I want to be as a musician comes down to that, spending the right amount of time focused in on the right thing, or the next thing, or the important piece that I'm missing. Tomorrow I need to spend a lot of time focused in on practicing and studying and learning.  I need it to be a really big day.  For my own sense of self and sense of progress more than anything else.

Much better night tonight. Once again, there was a solid mixture of acoustic stuff and electric playing.  I've done a better job of establishing that split this week, which is a good thing. The acoustic side of things tonight continued to be focused in on figuring out some Jackie Greene songs.  I've been on a pretty big kick lately when it comes to his music, but then again, getting caught up on his entire discography is bound to have that effect on someone.  The good news is that I've made some progress figuring things out.  I'm not bound and determined to unlock every song from every record, but there are definitely a few from each release that I'd like to learn. As for the electric side of things, most of it (again) was theory based studying.  If I'm going to get my list of songs learned this summer, I need to start working on it a bit more diligently.  I'll learn one off of the list this weekend.  Not sure which one yet, but I'll give myself an

Tonight was a slightly unfocused night in the studio. It was a night of acoustic stuff, but most of what I got accomplished involved tinkering with different songs by Jackie Greene and Johnny Cash.  If nothing else, I set up the next list of songs I want to figure out. Tomorrow night I need to start getting back to the Acoustic Goldmine book, as well.  Every time I sit down with the acoustic for an extended period of time, I reconnect with the emotional side of that instrument.  There's so much to learn still in that book, so much information designed to improve my playing.  I need to take better advantage of it. I know it's crazy, but I'm already looking forward to Friday.  I really need to spend a lot of the day in the studio.  Getting a weekday off of work is such a rare commodity.  I need to do a good job of using my time wisely.