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Showing posts from September, 2014

Day Sixty Eight (Year Five)

I finally got to scratch a little bit of the musical itch that had built up over the last few days.  I got into the studio a bit later than I wanted (oh, does that seem normal this week), but when I did get in there, I did so armed with the first of the columns I've been talking about for the last couple of days. I had watched the video associated with the lesson last night before bed, and i liked the way things were explained, so tonight I started to work my way through the lesson at a moderate speed, and feel pretty good about the few tips I picked up and the way things feel like they will progress as I keep up with the lessons. Tonight was one of those nights that I could have spent another few hours in the studio, working through things and nailing down a few ideas, but I've already been awake more than 16 hours today, and so further adventures in the studio will have to wait until tomorrow.  Good day today, though.  Definitely better than yesterday.

Day Sixty Seven (Year Five)

Today was had less time for music than I had hoped it would when I started, but I still feel like I made some progress, even if it was (again) fairly late in the day. I had said for the last couple of days that I wanted to get back to the columns & lessons I had run across on Guitar World's website, and to have a chance to start looking at them in a bit more detail.  I got a chance to do that tonight with the first of them, and while I could use (and will take) at least another day with it to make sure I'm spending enough time, tonight was a better start than I've gotten the last few days. At least my week has a solid starting point where learning & study is concerned. About the only other thing I got done music-wise today was a trip to the record store.  I picked up two things: Songs - John Fullbright Stellar Motel - Mike Doughty The Fullbright record was a collective "we should find that," between me and the Mrs. after seeing him perform on C

Day Sixty Six (Year Five)

I'll be the first one to admit that I got into the studio on the late side tonight, and while I wish I had been more productive earlier in the day, I still managed to push ahead in the time I spent in there tonight. It was almost all electric tonight.  After essentially ignoring the Strat yesterday, I knew I needed to spend at least some quality time with it tonight.  Lately it feels like I'm alternating days between the acoustic and the electric.  What I'd rather be doing, of course, is spending some time with both of them every day, but I haven't been able to get that done with any consistency of late.  Perhaps tomorrow will be good in that regard. Anyway, I did a little bit of work out of the Vai 30 hour workout, and then had a bit of fun with Joe Walsh's "All Night Long." Not as much work as I should have gotten done, by any stretch.  Tomorrow I need to get back to those columns I found the other day, work on the EP, and maybe sit down with the R

Day Sixty Five (Year Five)

Today was the day I expected to have yesterday. I finally sat down and got started listening to the new Tweedy record. After that, I did something I've been wanting to get back to for the last couple of weeks: I sat down and put in a bit of time working on the EP project.  I've got four of the song ideas finished (except for lyrics) for the EP, and the thing that's missing is the slower song to put in the middle of the five tracks.  Realizing this, I picked up the acoustic and started trying to find my way around whatever that last song will be.  I found a few possibilities, but I'm not rushing to any conclusions tonight.  I'll have something sorted out by the end of the day Monday, though, that I know for sure. Probably didn't do enough with the electric today, but I'm happy with the progress I made on the record today.

Day Sixty Four (Year Five)

So, I was all set to get done with work early this afternoon, come home, and have the house to myself for long enough that I could spend a good chunk of time in the studio before The Mrs. got home.  And then I walked out of work and found my Dad waiting for me.  Completely unplanned, and completely wonderful to get to see him. That said, my plans for the afternoon/evening changed a bit.  Instead of spending time listening and playing this afternoon, I spent a little bit of time tonight doing some reading and studying from a few columns on the Guitar World website (things that I will definitely be revisiting tomorrow afternoon-Monday) that had to do with scales and fretboard knowledge. It also pushes back my listening plans until tomorrow after work, but with The Mrs. working 2-8, I should have plenty of time after I get done at 12:30. Even factoring in the relative lack of time for music today, it was still a fantastic Friday afternoon that got me pumped up for the weekend to com

Day Sixty Three (Year Five)

Today was another strange day. I (again) managed to get through the day without taking the time to listen to the new Tweedy disc.  Good thing I have tomorrow afternoon off (well, after 2, anyway), because that is the first thing on my list of things to get done after work. When I got to the studio tonight, I spent my time with the electric, and I spent my time taking a few tentative steps into the Vai 30 Hour Workout.  I know it's going to be intense, and I'm not saying I've got the free time to do it the way he breaks it down (3 ten hour sessions), but having talked about it for so long, I need to sit down and try to make some sense of it, and what it can do for my playing. I spent maybe 20 minutes tonight, going through the first few exercises, and I left the studio feeling good about what I worked on.  Maybe the secret (at least at first) is to take it in smaller chunks, and build my way up to bigger blocks of time.  It was a start, at any rate, and wanting to get

Day Sixty Two (Year Five)

It was a funny day today. The one thing I was so excited to have the day free to do (give the new Tweedy record a solid listen) was one of the things that, somehow, didn't happen today. And, while I didn't get to cross everything off of my list, I got to enough of it that I can safely consider the day at least somewhat of a win when it comes to the studio. I spent a lot of my time with the acoustic, first working out of the Goldmine book, and then taking a break from that to wade into the old issues of Guitar World Acoustic in search of columns and lessons that looked like fun.  It dawned on me in so doing that one of the cool things about going through all of those old magazines will be reading all of the record reviews.  I'm sure there's some great stuff in those pages that I already own, but in all likelihood, there's more there that I have yet to discover. I also got to the reading/studying side of the songwriting part.  I'm finally taking the time t

Day Sixty One (Year Five)

Picked up the new Tweedy record on my lunch hour today.  It's a double album, and I'm over the moon excited about it.  That being said, I didn't have time to rush home and drop it in the CD player immediately on getting home from work.  Instead, I'm saving it for my day off tomorrow, when I can revel in it and give it the time it deserves. There wasn't a whole lot of time for playing tonight, either. What I did have time to do was set up what I want to get done with my day off.  That list looks something like this: 1. Work on the record/lyrics 2. Songwriting (reading & study) 3. Practicing (Vai workout, Richard Lloyd colums & DVD) 4. Acoustic work ( Goldmine book, going through old GWA issues for lessons & columns) 5. Songs: Hendrix, Matthew Sweet I figure if I can get to all of that (or at least most of it ), I'll consider it a productive day.

Day Sixty (Year Five)

Today was another solid day. I got into the studio early tonight, hoping to get a bit of a jump on some of the work I want to get done this week.  I focused, again, on the bluesy side of things, working out of the Blues book in the Goldmine series of books I picked up last year.  The book opens with turnarounds in many different keys, and so I worked on the first few lessons, looking for (and finding) some of the similarities between the first few lessons. I'm really enjoying the things I'm working on right now.  I feel like I'm making progress, improving, all the while knowing that there is still so much to learn, study, and improve upon. In a not quite related story, the new Jeff Tweedy record comes out tomorrow.  He recorded it with his son, and everything I've read has been glowing as far as reviews are concerned.  It may not be a Wilco record, but it's as close as we've come to one in the last couple of years, and I'm really excited to stop by the

Day Fifty Nine (Year Five)

Today was another good day.  Better than yesterday.  It gives me a lot of hope for the week, especially considering I've got Wednesday off, and a few extra hours off on Friday afternoon because of another shift I changed around. It was a night to focus on the genre studies aspect of my practice regimen, and tonight's focus was the blues.  I did something I haven't done in a long time.  I took the tab for Layla & Other Assorted Love Songs off of the shelf and had a look at "Nobody Knows You When You're Down & Out," as well as "Have You Ever Loved A Woman."  It felt good to get back to things that I had learned, at least somewhat, a few years ago. Year Five finally feels like it might be starting to pick up a little bit of steam.  I'm getting back to things I've needed to finish working out for a long time.  Now, I just need to make sure that I keep up the level of work I'm starting to get back to.  So much of it comes down to m

Day Fifty Eight (Year Five)

Today was a good day. I got out to the bookstore and picked up the latest issues of Guitar World and Guitar Techniques , but I did that a bit later in the day as a way to break up the playing. I got back to the playing side of things today, and it was good.  All of it was electric in nature today, and at least some of it was Clapton related, and out of an article in the new GT . I haven't spent enough time in the studio of late, but I'm still feeling pretty good about where the electric side of things is sitting right now.  I'll need to spend a good chunk of time in studio tomorrow, time with both the acoustic and the electric, but I know it will be a good day.

Day Fifty Seven (Year Five)

Tonight was another relaxing night.  It had a little bit of playing in it, but probably not enough when all is said and done. The biggest thing I got done today was uploading some of the newer music into iTunes, and then getting the iPod both synced and charged. I did a little bit of reading also, where it comes to the songwriting side of things.  Another night with the same book I've been reading from this week.  Not as much progress in it as I would have hoped tonight, but I know I can make up for that tomorrow afternoon/evening. Must do better tomorrow.

Day Fifty Six (Year Five)

Fairly quiet day today. I kept up with the reading & studying aspect of working on my songwriting, making some progress in a series of books I have on the process of songwriting for guitarists.  They are books I've used as a handy resource over the years, but have never sat down and read cover to cover.  Now is as good of a time as any to get on with the things that I've never quite gotten around to, however, and so I have started. There was listening on the program tonight, as well.  Mostly well loved songs by artists I've enjoyed for years (Springsteen, Alkaline Trio, etc.).  I could stand to update the iPod again with a few of the newest purchases, and I could definitely stand to get it back to fully charged again, but both of those things will have to wait until the weekend at this point.  Most likely tomorrow. All things considered, it was a quieter day than I had hoped for, but I still savored the chance to duck into the studio for a few minutes at the end o

Day Fifty Five (Year Five)

Finally listening to the new U2 record as I type this tonight.  Not at full volume like I should be, mind you, but the Mrs. is asleep upstairs.  There will be plenty of time for the cranking up of this record as the weekend continues to approach, though. Today's studio time was focused on the songwriting side of things.  Not necessarily working on my own songs, but more of a reading/studying approach that will improve things in the long run.  If it were work related, I'd call it reading for professional development, but being as it was free time, I can't exactly categorize it that way. The other thing I started to do today was research a potential instrument purchase.  It has been a long time since I've bought a new guitar, and I'm currently debating between a Telecaster and a Taylor acoustic.  Not sure which way to go yet, but what I know for sure is that, if I went the Tele route, I'd have enough in my guitar fund to buy it now.  If I decide on the Taylor,

Day Fifty Four (Year Five)

So, tonight I started in on the practice regimen I set up for the month, and I started on the acoustic side of things.  I went back to a book I had initially cracked open earlier in the year, the Acoustic Guitar book from the Goldmine series.  I didn't try to stick slavishly to the lessons in the order they come in the book (at least tonight), but instead chose to skip around a bit and see what was coming up soon. I took a look at some travis-picking (a new lesson), and went back to some of the things I had worked on previously. The more I play acoustic, though, the more it puts me in a mindset to want to write. Tomorrow afternoon, when I'm off, I really need to spend a good chunk of time in the studio, as I'm finding that in the evenings this week I've been more tired, and less energetic when my time in the studio rolls around.  I need more sleep and more energy. Tomorrow will be good.

Day Fifty Three (Year Five)

Got a number of things worked on today that feel like they will be mainstays going forward, perhaps the most important of them was the incorporation of what I want to work on in September into a folder system (much like I was taking lessons).  As I mentioned a few days ago, I've been unhappy with my progress lately when it comes to the actual playing side of things, and I'm hoping that a bit more structure will facilitate the kick that I need.  I've got a notebook, a list of primary resources, and a CD with songs to focus on.  If nothing else, it's a start, and inadvertently, a small step in the direction of the long-held goal of the practice binder. There was a bit of ukulele tonight, as a way to wind down.  A little Bob Dylan was on the menu where that was concerned. And there was also a bit of listening.  Finished a first run through of the new Delta Spirit, and started my first listen on the new Ryan Adams. All told, today was a good follow-up to yesterday, an

Day Fifty Two (Year Five)

Today was a good day.  Better than yesterday. I sorted out my practice regimen for (at least) the rest of the month.  I'm going to look at updating things on a monthly basis as a way to shake things up.  I feel like my playing has a tendency to fall into ruts, and it's more because I don't take the time to change things up than it is anything else.  I don't give myself enough hard deadlines, and so I don't make the progress I otherwise could/should. I spent some time playing, too.  I'm feeling pretty good about the way things are sitting with the electric.  It seems like more information sunk in the last time I made a big push with the theory side of things than I give myself credit for. I got a bit of the listening caught up on, too.  Not all of it, mind you, but enough that I feel like I'm getting closer to appreciating all of the new music that has come in lately. I'm really looking forward to the week, I think it will be one of progress and l

Day Fifty One (Year Five)

Today was a decent day.  It was, in some way, a follow up on yesterday, but only in the sense that all of my playing took place outside of the studio. I worked on some things I hadn't spent a whole lot of time on lately: scales, and learning things by ear.  It felt good to get back in the saddle a bit on both of those things. My focus the last few weeks has been a bit more all over the place than I'd like it to be.  The progress with the EP, and with getting things (finally) set to rights in the studio has been great, don't get me wrong, but to a certain extent, it has taken me away from the playing side of things at least a little bit. Glad I was able to get back to that today, because the playing really is the point of the whole thing.  I'll build on it tomorrow and start the week feeling good about things.

Day Fifty (Year Five)

Today was a good day. I have the house to myself tonight, while the Mrs. is out of town for a meeting.  It gave me an excuse to grab a guitar out of the studio and crash out on the couch and practice for a while. I  can't even begin to explain how good it felt to get back to some semblance of normalcy when it comes to practicing. At any rate, it was a good way to get my fingers warmed up for what I hope will be a great day in the studio tomorrow.

Day Forty Nine (Year Five)

So, most of tonight's time in the studio was devoted to playing back through the music for the song I finished off yesterday.  Tying up loose ends, changing a chord here and there to change the way a certain part of the music feels, those kinds of things. The funny thing about the whole process is that, when all is said and done, the guitar I go back to in order to make sure everything holds together isn't the Fender, and it isn't even the really nice Guild acoustic that has been through everything with me.  No, the one I go back to in those instances is the kick-around, off brand acoustic I bought on a whim.  It has minor neck issues that have never quite been resolved, and at this point it could really use a new set of strings, but the body on it is the perfect size. I figure, if the song sounds good on a rough around the edges instrument with bad strings, that it will sound fantastic on a better one with new strings. There wasn't a lot of time in the studio ton

Day Forty Eight (Year Five)

I finally got my good day in the studio. Today I had a chance to listen to all of the new Justin Townes Earle record, and get started with the new Delta Spirit.  It was nice to have the time to sit and actively listen to music, as opposed to just having it on in the background as I'm driving or doing something else. The best part of the day, though, was all of the time I got to spend with a guitar in my hands, working on getting the rest of the music figured out for the opening track of my EP.  I got it figured out sometime this afternoon, and then went back into the studio tonight, just to make sure that I was happy with what I had ended up with earlier in the day. Looking a couple days ahead, my goal for the weekend is to sit down and, adding in the newly finished music, make sure that the EP will flow from song to song the way I want it to.  After that, I should probably focus a lot of my attention on the lyrical side of things before I start recording again. All things

Day Forty Seven (Year Five)

Knowing that I had tomorrow off, one of the things I wanted to get done tonight was to get at least one of my scheduled errands crossed off of tomorrow's list early, the theory being that then I would have more time to spend in the studio on my day off.  Having pre-ordered Single Mothers , the new disc from Justin Townes Earle (out today), it made sense to me to stop off at the record store on the way home from work tonight and pick that up.  What I wasn't counting on that turned out to be awesome was this: I found, not only JTE's new record, but also Somewhere Under Wonderland - Counting Crows (Vinyl) Ryan Adams' new, selftitled disc Into The Wide - Delta Spirit I'm really excited about the new Delta Spirit record, if only because that one wasn't even on my radar screen.  I guess I've been doing a poor job of researching upcoming new releases of late, because I didn't even know this one was scheduled.  Although, in an interesting twist of fate,

Day Forty Six (Year Five)

Today was a pretty good day.  I spent the day kicking around thoughts about the opening track to my EP in the back of my mind.  By the time the end of the day rolled around, I had come to a few conclusions about the parts of the chord progression I've been stuck on for what seems like forever.  All that remained was to get home and test out my thoughts on an actual instrument, just to make sure they held water in the real world. When I got home, I headed straight for the studio to do some playing, and I was happy to discover that the ideas I got during the work day made sense.  With that predicament solved, I was able to get the intro and the chorus progressions completed (they wound up being different after all).  Now all that remains is to finish fleshing out the verses (and I'm pretty sure I've got at least a working theory of how those ought to go). After getting the EP worked on, I spent a bit of time relaxing and doing some listening, and then called it a night

Day Forty Five (Year Five)

Today was another fairly quiet day.  In the time I was able to find, however, I got into the studio and got a few things done. Aside from putting away a few CDs, the organizational side of things is pretty much complete in there.  Adding in the extra bookshelf and the chair, and getting the posters put up make the room feel whole (finally).  I'm sure there will be other things that come up, but for now, that part is done.  Which means that it really is time to get back to work.  The studying, learning, and writing need to begin again in earnest.  I've got everything set aside for the writing side of things, having grabbed a couple of books out of the closet tonight in preparation for the week ahead.  In a perfect world, I'd like to find enough time to get some work in on the lyrical side of things this week. I also need to get back to practicing.  Working through scales, working on a song or two, and doing some work on various genres & styles will be the focus thi

Day Forty Four (Year Five)

Today's studio time wasn't as lengthy as I thought it might be going into the day.  I'm secretly hoping that this means really good things for tomorrow.  That said, here's what got done today in the limited time I had. 1) A bit of consistent listening.  Mind you, most of that was running through the new Counting Crows record again, but still.  I'm really enjoying that right now.  It's amazing how smoothly the new songs fit into their catalog alongside the classic cuts from earlier records. 2) I learned some Roger Miller on ukulele.  Because you never know when you might be in a situation that calls for "King Of The Road." 3) I did a lot of thinking about the EP project today.  It seems like it was always running in a loop at the back of my mind.  No major breakthroughs or anything, but hopefully tomorrow will actually bring a chance to sit down and work on it.

Day Forty Three (Year Five)

So, my opening tonight may well be a silly one, but here it is: The studio organization may not quite be perfect yet (although it will be by the end of the weekend), but I feel like I may have found the piece that will tie everything together.  Ever since I moved into the studio, I have been searching for a quality, comfortable chair to sit and listen to music, read, study, write, etc. in.  Truth be told, in my head I was looking for an exact replica of a chair I had in college.  Well, I may not have found that chair, but I found something that is close enough, and tonight, it sits in my studio. Naturally, I broke it in with some listening, and a little bit of guitar playing, but to be honest, it was a completely exhausting week, so there wasn't much else that got accomplished.  And with having to work in the morning, I'm not inclined to burn the candle at both ends, at least until tomorrow night.

Day Forty Two (Year Five)

Today wasn't the huge day I had written about optimistically yesterday, but it was still a time to get somethings done.  Some of those things included: 1) Getting the last two records by The Gaslight Anthem ( B-Sides & Get Hurt ) uploaded into iTunes.  Those discs have gotten overlooked the last few times I've gone to put music on the computer, so it was good to finally get that done. 2) I got back to the uke tonight.  I've been going in fits and starts with that of late.  A few days away from it, and then a good number of days where it becomes a focus again. 3) I kept working with the glimpses I found last night of how the opening track to the EP is supposed to sound.  Made a bit more progress. Was it the night I hoped for?  Not quite.  Was it still productive, and time well spent?  Absolutely.  Hopefully the weekend will offer up a bit more opportunity to get lost in the studio.

Day Forty One (Year Five)

Still working diligently to get everything in the studio squared away, and while I didn't get all the way there tonight, I got most everything squared away.  With one more go at it tomorrow night after work, I should be able to call it good. Sat down and worked on finishing off the songs for that EP that I hope to have done by the end of the year.  I'm getting a bit of clarity when it comes to the way the opening track is supposed to sound.  Hopefully there will be more time for that tomorrow than there was today, because I feel like I made good progress on other things in the studio, and didn't give the songwriting quite enough attention. I did , however, finish listening to the new Counting Crows record.  I need to live in it for a while longer before I write any sort of formal review of the record, but my initial reaction is that it is breathtaking in its sweep and grandeur, and that even the shorter songs seem like longer pieces, full of peaks and valleys.  It is (s

Day Forty (Year Five)

Today was new Counting Crows day.  New studio recordings of original music for the first time in six years.  Six Years!   It doesn't seem like it has been that long since the last record, but Somewhere Under Wonderland more than makes up for that, and I'm only half way through listening to it.  There was just something magical about having the windows down and the stereo cranked up as the summer is fading, with Adam's voice floating across the air. So yes, needless to say, following all of the other family responsibilities today, I spent almost all of my time listening to the new record, and uploading it (and select other new purchases) onto the iPod. Hearing new music from this band just makes me want to get down to writing in a serious manner.  Seems like tomorrow night might end up being a long studio night.  And, for the record, I see nothing wrong with that.

Day Thirty Nine (Year Five)

Today was a much better day than yesterday. I got the last piece of artwork put up in the studio, and did some listening in the process. I haven't gotten around to the new record by the New Pornographers yet, but that one might have to wait a little bit,  as the new Counting Crows disc comes out tomorrow, and that will definitely occupy my listening in the next few weeks. I got myself in the frame of mind for the new Crows record by learning "Recovering The Satellites" from 1996. I got some of the CDs that had piled up put away as well.  Things have really come along well where the organizational side of things are concerned in the last few days.  The studio is really coming together well. Feels like it has been a long time coming, but now that things are looking the way they are,  I'm really looking forward to seeing the way the fall goes for me musically. About the only thing I didn't get around to today was syncing the iPod, but considering that I would