"Muse" - ings on Rock & Life

While I didn't get to everything on my list, today was still an exceptionally good day. I got down into the studio early this afternoon, and had some fun playing acoustic along with some songs on my iPod.  That led, in its own way, to the recurrence of a thought I've had a lot in the last few years but never done anything about: putting together a set list for some solo acoustic shows.  So, I started that process. I also got ready for tonight's gig at the church, which ended up going pretty well.  After that was over, I talked with M. about the idea of the RPM Challenge and FAWM, both of which kick off tomorrow.  I know I've written a lot about them over the years in this space, but essentially, it's like National Novel Writing Month for musicians.  A record's worth of music in the month of February.  Long story short, she agreed to go in on it with me, with each of us coming up with ideas and then getting together and seeing what sort of magic happens.  I&#

Today was another long one at work that didn't really leave me all that much in the way of studio time.  That's okay, though, because I have big things planned for tomorrow, my day off. Not the least of those things is playing for church tomorrow.  In part because of that, and in part because I just need it, I'm hoping to get down into the studio on the early side.  A new issue of Acoustic Guitar came in the mail today, so if nothing else that will serve to get me started. The list is long.  Let's hope something goes right on a day off for once.

Today was a good day.  It was a long work day - longer than I had been hoping for - and that didn't leave much in the way of studio time tonight, but it did let me figure out just what I hope to accomplish between now and next Sunday night. It's a good list that involves everything from more practice time to getting ready for Wednesday night (back playing at church after a long break) to deciding if I want to attempt either FAWM or the RPM Challenge in February.  I'll spell the rest of it out as the week goes along, but those are a few of the highlights to be sure.

Today was a decent, quiet day.  In all honesty, I'm not sure what happened to this weekend.  I had such grand plans heading into it, and as the time bleeds out of Sunday night, I'm left shaking my head over all that I didn't get done. I fit in some theory work today, but not much in the way of playing or writing, and so overall it's not a great feeling heading back into the work week. I need to do better this week.  We're almost all of the way through January, and all I'm feeling right now is let down over the things that could have gotten accomplished this month.

I thought today was going to be better than yesterday, but in the end I found myself in nearly the same situation, getting small things done here and there as opposed to spending a consistent amount of time in the studio. Small progress is still progress, just not what I was hoping for.  Come on, Sunday, give me something I can hang my hat on as I head into another week.

Today was okay.  A little bit quieter than I had been expecting, but overall I had a good day. I got some good things done today, but it was all in short bursts, and what I really need is a decent chunk of time to spend downstairs.  Here's hoping that I get a chance at that tomorrow.

Another Thursday, another day where I didn't get a chance to do much of anything other than plan out my hopes and goals for the weekend. Unlike last weekend, this one is more focused on the playing side of things than in trying to get myself caught up on some of the mountain of listening.  Indeed, writing and practicing are going to be most of what this weekend is set up for. I'm hoping for, but also somewhat in need of, a really productive weekend.

Today was an all right day. It was a bit of a hodgepodge, and wasn't the big chunk of studio time that I had thought it would be, but I got a few things done in a few different spots, and it was a bit of a push forward. I'm really hoping that tomorrow and the weekend will be an incredibly productive run of days.

Today was a good day. It was, on some level, a quiet day, but it was one that set up the things I want to get to tomorrow. It helps a bit that the new issue of Guitar World came in the mail today, if for no other reason than it gets me thinking ahead. The other thing a quiet day let me do was get some work done on the other stuff that needed to be taken care of so that I can focus on the studio tomorrow.

Today was good. I fit in a bit more Wilco, and was also able to make some good progress where the songwriting side of things was concerned. I started working my way through what I'm hoping will be the first new song idea of the year.  It took  me three weeks to get there, and in the end it will go in a line with all the rest of the things that still need to be recorded, but I promised myself that I'd make more of an effort with that this year. I worked a bit on some theory study as well. All told, it wasn't a bad day, although I thought I'd get more work done than I did.

Today was a quiet one again. On some level, that surprised me, and on some level I was okay with the small bit of time I was able to get in. There wasn't a lot of playing today, but there was a bit of time to sit down and practice, so that was good. More listening happened as well, which was also a good thing. I have a definite set of goals for the next week, but I am hoping to get a chance to sit down and plot them out before I comment on them here.

Today I got to about half of the stuff I had hoped to get to at the start of the day.  Normally, I'd be frustrated about only getting to half of what I wanted to, but seeing as it was actually an improvement over the last couple of days, I'll take it. Lots of what got done was listening-related (new Tori Amos, half of the new Wilco), and thw only bummer of that was the lack of a lot of playing. The playing side of things is going to have to come to the forefront tomorrow, though.

Today was another quiet one.  There was a lot to do around the house, and that didn't leave me a whole lot in the way of studio time. Still, I fit in a bit of time doing some listening, which was conducive to getting things done around home.  If nothing else, I feel like the beginning of the year has helped me to get caught up on a bit of that backlog.  Tomorrow is already earmarked for Wilco day. That, and an awful lot of playing.

Today was a quiet one. Most of the time I had to focus on music stuff today was spent trying to sort out the weekend.  And most of that involves stuff I didn't get to on Wednesday. A very quiet, slightly frustrating (for lack of progress) sort of day.  The weekend will be much better.

Today was a good day that could have been even better. Most of the time I spent music-wise was spent getting together with M. to run through songs for the end of the month.  It's crazy to me to think that we haven't played much since September.  It was only two hours in the middle of the day, but it was much needed. The plan was to get together with M. and then come home and head down to the studio for a chunk of practice time and a good long listen to a lot of Wilco.  In the end, those last two things didn't happen that way, but I'm well aware that, by the end of the weekend, those things will get done. Today was at least some of what I needed, and I'll take that for sure.

Today was okay.  Not the complete success I had been hoping for, but still something. I made it to the studio early in the day, with the hopes of making a return later in the day.  The return didn't materialize, but I got in a bit of good practice time during my early session. I was also able to fit in a bit of listening, but it ended up not being the Wilco.  I had planned on sitting down with that in my evening, when I had a bit more time to devote to it. As a result, I was also unable to get around to much in the way of songwriting.  That will happen by the end of the week, likely on Wednesday.

Today was a good day, even if I didn't get down into the studio until late.  I still spent enough time down there that I felt like I made good progress, and I was also able to set up tomorrow's hopes and dreams for my time in the studio.  It needs to be a big day, because it's my last day off before the semester fires up and I go back to work. I've got three things I want to get to tomorrow, and they are: 1.  Listening (new Wilco reissues) 2.  Practicing 3.  Songwriting I told myself that I was going to try and make a more concerted effort to write songs this year, and that starts tomorrow.  In reality, it should have started long before now, but it's been a busy couple of weeks. I'm hoping for nothing but good things with my last day off, though.

Today was a quiet one. After the busy day yesterday, today was a day where I struggled to get a foothold. I spent a bit of time in the studio tonight and played for a few minutes, and probably should have hung in there a bit longer than I did. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Today was a great day. It finally felt like the start of the year that I had hoped for. I not only had time to sit down and get some of the basics set up for the year, I also finally got the chance to get the Telecaster plugged into the Marshall and have a bit of fun. Today was a good day indeed.

Today was a better day than yesterday. I was able to get in a bit of a start on the things I hope to get to this year. With any luck, tomorrow and the weekend will be the time that things really start to take off for me.

Today was a quiet one, which I wasn't expecting. I spent a bit of time at a meeting at church that focused on planning out the music for some worship services, and I had a good time with that. It was the listening and practicing for myself that never really seemed to catch on today. Here's hoping that tomorrow is going to be a better day.

Today was another good day.  I spent all of it with my brother, which I needed a lot, even though I just saw him over Christmas. Tonight we finally got around to some music discussion.  He took a look at my list of goals for the year, and sees it as a really good set of steps to get me where I'd like to be from where I am.  I picked his brain about a few of the nagging questions I still had as I get started, and he was able to put my mind at ease. Having a chance to sit and chat with him is always good for my musical soul, because he constantly drives me to be a better, more well rounded player, and I'm pretty sure that I can never thank him enough for all of the advice, support, and encouragement he offers every time we chat.

Today was a good day. My brother got here around noon, and we have been hanging out ever since. We talked a bit of music, but I am thinking that a lot of time will be spent on that tomorrow.

Today was a busy day, full of fun and family. Really, the only bummer about that was that it didn't leave much in the way of time for music.  All of that will change tomorrow, though, as my brother is coming down for a quick visit.  I've got a few things that we had talked about over Christmas that I want to follow up with him on, so that will be good for the musical progress. I'm also really hoping that tomorrow will give me a good chance to sit down and play for a while, whether that's down in the basement with the Strat, or in the front room with the Tele, I'm not sure, but my hope is that I'll have a good chunk of time to practice.

Today was a decent day.  In truth, it felt like the first day this year that I really had anything approaching a chance to sit down and start working things out.  Even with that, I didn't get as much done as I had hoped to, but it was a step in the right direction at the top of the year. The other cool thing that happened was the arrival of the new issue of Guitar World .  It looks like it has some stuff in it that will be really helpful as things get moving. All told, today was a good day that maybe should have been better.

Today was a quiet day.  I had all of these grand plans when I went to bed last night, and maybe it was the Mrs. coming home early that threw me off course, but things just never got in gear today. I fit in some listening and did a bit of work on a few small things, including checking out a really cool lesson online, but the playing side of things just never ended up where I wanted it to today. Here's hoping that tomorrow has a bit more traction.

Today was a good day. I spent a bit of time getting the new music opened up, and then picked up the Telecaster for a few minutes in an attempt to get the ball rolling on the year.  That's going to be a bigger priority tomorrow morning than it ended up being today.

Today was a quiet one. We were on the road for a lot of it, which didn't leave me a lot of time in the studio tonight. The Mrs. goes back to work tomorrow morning after the holidays, and I am hoping to get a whole lot of work done in the studio. It will be nice to get to some of the things I have been planning over the last few weeks.

Happy New Year! So, considering it's the first day of the year, it seems that it's finally time to lay out my plan for what I hope 2018 will be.  Here goes... I broke the year down into some main goals (4 of them), and then a bunch of secondary goals... things I'm hoping to accomplish, and while I know they'll get some attention, I'm not sure how much or how regularly they will happen.  Anyway, here are the lists. Main Goals 1.  Continue my work mastering the fretboard 2.  Practice more (something I didn't do well at the end of 2017) 3.  Finally finish a recording project of some sort 4.  Beatles Study and if this is the big stuff, here's the rest of it, Secondary Goals 1.  Learn "A History of Rock & Roll in 100 Riffs" 2.  Do more listening 3.  Read more music books 4.  Be a better lead player (this could almost be on the Main list) 5.  Zeppelin Study 6.  Keep a better record of what I work on 7.  Learn a so