"Muse" - ings on Rock & Life

So, I spent New Year's Eve at home alone with a guitar in my hands. Almost perfect, if you ask me. Also, I have this poster in my studio that has been hidden behind the stand for my acoustic. It's basically leaning up against the wall, out in the open, but out of the way at the same time. Anyway, it has all of the scales on it (major, minor, pentatonic, blues, etc.) plus all of the modes. Mind you, it has sat in the same place for at least six months now. Tonight, it dawns on me that it doesn't do me much good to have a giant poster filled with scales if I'm not going to use it. And, seeing as my lead playing needs work, I might want to fix the whole "hidden away" part. Needless to say, I did. Now I just need to find a way to have it out, where I can use it, and not have it feel like it's in the way. I know I mentioned it a few weeks ago, but it's still around, so here it is again: I'm really needing an excuse to crank up the Marshall and b...

A friend issued me a challenge today. It was a simple challenge. "Go home and write some music," she said. In looking back on that conversation, I'm glad she didn't use the word "songs." Then I would've had to have lyrics as well. I found a few interesting progressions, although whether they are verses, choruses, or something else entirely remains to be seen. Either way, they will make nice additions to the ever-growing pile of things that will eventually comprise an album. Got a little closer to finishing the Zeppelin book today as well.

Today was an unintentionally drab day as far as music was concerned, with most of my efforts being devoted to reading and study. I'm still plowing my way through that rather monstrously long book on Zeppelin. In my defense, I haven't had a whole lot of time to read much of anything lately. It occurs to me that I've been a rather laborious reader this year, but that's an entirely different topic. I did play a little, and do some listening, but neither of those last two took up as much time as I would have liked them too. It was essentially an all Zep day where not all that much got done. On the plus side, I'm off tomorrow, and need to get up early, which ought to leave much time for music making the rest of the day. I've got some theories about what I'd like to get to, but won't mention them yet, for fear of jinxing the process. Tomorrow will be a better day for music!

I know I've mentioned it here before, but I'm a sucker for a music movie. It can be a good music movie (August Rush), or an awful music movie (Undiscovered), and I'm still drawn in. Tonight's music movie won an Oscar (Crazy Heart), and while there are spots in the film where you can tell that Jeff Bridges is acting, the music scenes hold up well. Believe it or not, Bridges actually has an okay voice for the music that he's playing in the film. And yes, as far as I'm concerned, he is playing. I've had my guitar in my lap all night, just to make sure. I haven't necessarily played every lick, but using my ears and eyes, it seems to work. Also, my brother has informed me, officially, that he wants music for his late Christmas present... I'd write here at length about what I'm planning to get him, but I know he reads my blog, and don't want to give away the surprise. Off to run some scales and pass out for the night.

Today was insanely busy, what with family in town, so there wasn't all that much time for music. That being said, I still found a way to play a bit, running some scales, and playing bits and pieces of "Stairway" as a way to wind down at the end of the night. Picked up a couple of cool CD's while I was out with the 'fam, though. 1) Cage The Elephant. "Selftitled" 2) Travis. "The Man Who" It's the Travis record with "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?" I love that song, and I've always been curious to hear it in the context of a full album. Now I can. My CD drive has been acting a bit wonky lately, also. Not that this has a direct effect on my playing, mind you, but it DOES have a direct impact on my listening, seeing as it's my way of putting my music on iTunes. I might need to look into this... as well as an external hard drive to store all my music on.

I did my playing early today, because I knew family was coming in tonight, and I wouldn't have all that much time tonight. Turns out I was right. It was the electric for me this morning. A little bit of warming up with scales, and then some work on the "Stairway" solo. I know I mentioned it last night, but it's really helpful to have both the regular speed solo, and the slowed down one in the same track. Hearing it both ways in succession really helps to comprehend the phrasing that Page uses. Oddly enough, it seems to me that the key to the timing on the entire solo is nailing the tempo coming out of the second series of notes. If the run that follows the first slide from the 8th fret up to the 10th fret is right on, then the rest of it just seems to flow. Getting the transition right at the end of that phrase and into the next one has been the point that hangs me up. I can get the notes right, I just don't have the phrasing yet. (This is what happens wh...

I got serious about following through on this solo business today. I scoured the internet until I found a video of the "Stairway" solo played first at normal speed, and then played slowed down. I made myself an mp3 of it (for personal use only), and dropped it into itunes, so that I can have both versions in my ear as I'm working my way through the solo. That should be the thing that does the trick for me. I'll have to start updating my progress on it more regularly again, but hopefully it won't take all that much time, now that I have the right tools at my disposal. All in all, a day of both rest and progress. Can't complain at all.

Three things to hit in tonight's entry, none of them as major as I'd hoped when the day began. 1) Played some acoustic tonight while waiting for someone to come over and pick something up. Still can't really decide if all of this acoustic playing is just improving that side of my musicianship, or if I'm spending so much time with the acoustic because I'm gearing up to write again. 2) In preparation for tomorrow's stated goal of "Stairway"-ness, I got myself a bit reacquainted with the basic layout of the song. Went better than I hoped, considering how long I've ignored it. and 3) Celebrated the close of the holiday shopping season by cranking up The Refreshments. They seemed to have the right mix of reckless abandon and musical greatness appropriate for surviving another retail Christmas.

Tonight was designed to challenge my fingers just a bit. I've been feeling a little bit tight in my hands and wrists lately, in part, I think, due to the change in weather, and the stress from work. While it may have made better sense to lightly run scales on the electric if I haven't been as loose as I'd like, I ran scales on the acoustic tonight instead. Nothing too intense, mind you, but my acoustic playing needs the touching up. Felt good to really stretch out my hand. Getting the notes to ring clearly is harder on the acoustic, and the movements feel different because the neck is thicker. I need to start working scales on both guitars into the everyday routine. Also, I'm thinking Christmas Day will be the time to try the "Stairway" solo again. I've ignored it long enough.

As has happened a few times in the last couple of weeks, today was a Gaslight Anthem sort of day. Today's song-related obsession? "Here's Looking At You, Kid" off of '59 Sound. It's a surprisingly easy song, with a capo on the 4th fret. It's basically a G-Em-C-D progression throughout the whole song, with a few differences here and there. The toughest part of the song is probably the picking pattern, and even that isn't so tough. It's a fun little song, and a fun sort of kiss-off to those who came before. I keep trying to focus on varied material when I'm learning stuff, so that I'm working on different aspects of my playing. Finding acoustic versions of electric stuff, creating electric versions of acoustic stuff, just changing it up. All in all, another good day. Not enough music in it, but can there ever be enough music for me?

Watching that interview and such last night got me to sit down with the acoustic today before work. True to form, I found a couple of new ideas that I like. And maybe it was just the early afternoon optimism, but for some reason, they felt different. They felt like the start of something, as opposed to re-hashings of warmed over stuff I've heard a million times. I know I've said it before, but I need a week hidden away somewhere to just play, record, process, and write. Right now, the record I'll write eventually would have the sheen of well produced power-pop, the instrumentation of an Aimee Mann record ("Lost In Space," perhaps?), and lyrics that would purge the last three years of my life. It would have an acoustic core, electric flourishes where they were needed, and would utilize an acoustic bass. It won't be made in a giant recording studio, or in a living room. I need a room that will serve as a studio first. I crave a place where I can be loud a...

Wow. A hundred and fifty days have come and gone since I started this. Found something cool online tonight. An interview and a concert by a former classmate of mine, Cory Chisel. He and his band, the Wandering Sons, put out a great record last year called "Death Won't Send A Letter." I've hyped the album at work, and sold some copies, and can't wait to hear what he does next. While I may not have followed closely in the last decade or so, I've bought his albums when they've come out, and have run into him and supported his efforts across the years and the miles of our lives. The last time I saw him, at a 24 hour diner in our hometown, he suggested that, when I get my songs in order, we should play some gigs together. I laugh at that notion now, considering how far he's come in the years since he played in a friend's backyard after our high school graduation. If nothing else, his success proves that it can be done, and it gives those of us w...

So, I spent another evening with "The Story." The progression is quickly burning itself into my muscle memory. I'm having a slight issue with a chord change, though, and seeing as it's an easy one (E-F#m), it's oddly troubling to me. F#m is a chord that I've used, and played more times than I can count, so why it's bugging me now, I'm not sure. It's possible that it has something to do with the giant scrape I have on my chording hand from a near-injury at work today, but that just feels like an excuse at this point in the day. In all likelihood, I just need to keep playing the acoustic for a bit every day in order to strengthen my fingers. As has been stated many times in these pages, I do have a tendency to focus on either the acoustic or the electric at any given time. I need to do a better job of playing BOTH every day. Tomorrow appears to be filling up with activity (only day off out of the 10 leading up to Christmas), but I'm carvin...

Today was LONG! Getting home, I needed a quiet night with the acoustic, and I got it. It had been a while since I'd sat with either the acoustic, or the music of Brandi Carlile. Tonight I did both, and can I just say how great it felt to revisit "Looking Out" and "Pride & Joy." As for new stuff, I worked out a little bit of "Love Songs" off of her XOBC EP, and I finally sat down and learned "The Story." It's a surprisingly easy song... once you've learned the verses, you've essentially learned the whole song, but there's such a power behind it. Sometimes feeling and emotion come across in the simpler things in life. Granted, her voice is spectacular, and carries the bulk of the emotional weight in that song, but even my weathered vocals feel like they do that emotion some justice. A great song by a great artist. So glad I've seen her live! Can't wait til she comes back through. In the meantime, though, ...

Well, I didn't get to the backing tracks today. Before I shut down the computer tonight, however, I will actually burn them onto a CD so I can improve the chances I'll get to them before Monday. The last few days have been fun, scouring the internet for inspiration/things to learn. Also, I've been playing a lot while watching TV late at night, trying to pick out the melodies in the shows and movies I'm watching. I enjoy the challenge of trying to pull something out of the air that may not play again for the rest of the program. Had an interesting conversation with a customer tonight that led to me re-learning "Ventura Highway" by America. Apparently, the last time she had been in, I had mentioned that "Highway" had such a distinctive guitar riff. How she remembered this, I'll never know, but she did. She asked me if I knew the riff, and I admitted that I had known it at one point, but would have to re-learn it. She said she was in the mar...

More Matthew Sweet today. This time, "Divine Intervention." He played it acoustically on that interview I watched yesterday, and while that didn't give me all of the gloriously intertwining electric parts that made the record, it DID give me a basic blueprint off of which I can try and decipher the electric parts should I wish to. There's so much to learn about constructing songs and layering parts from that album. In fact, between that and the Beatles complete scores, you could probably teach a master class. I'm exaggerating slightly, but the point is there just the same. I ran a few more scales before work too. I'm trying to get my hand to loosen up, and trying to concentrate on breaking bad habits I've built up over 15 years. It's working. "Girlfriend" is helping break down some of those walls as well, helping stretch out my fingers when it comes to chording and reaches and the like. I need to stop my hand from tensing up when it ...

Great day of music today! Some Matthew Sweet, some movable scales, and a bit of Soundgarden. It's funny, sometimes, how you now something instinctively, but need to actually see it done in order to comprehend it. For years now, I've known the rough structure of Matthew Sweet's early 90's power-pop gem, "Girlfriend," and I've always wanted to learn it in more detail. So, I was on YouTube this morning, revisiting some of the guitar-related stuff I found yesterday, and stumbled across someone playing along to a recording of "Girlfriend." Watching the way it all fit together helped it click for me, and I spent some of the day burning those ideas into my hands. Sure enough, as I had long suspected, it's dropped a half step on the record, and whoever the player was used D-C-G as the primary progression. I need to keep loosening up my fingers, as a few of the reaches with the power chords strained my hand a bit, but that's more from disu...

I miss my old room. I recognize that this is an odd place to begin a posting, especially when it is supposed to concern my musical exploits. That being said, follow me on this one. When I was in college, I lived at home for a while, and wound up moving my room from the first floor of my Mom's house to the upper level. Short of having a kitchen space, it was basically like it's own apartment. There was a built in desk, and while there wasn't much in the way of closet space, the highlight of the room was the fact that is spanned the length of the house, and had windows all down the back side. Point being, it was an ideal place to be in possession of a lot of musical instruments, because it let you spread everything out, and gave enough space to record with drums. It was loud, mind you, but it was possible. I guess the reason I'm missing it of late is that I'm really feeling the need to plug in and rock out. With apartment living, I'm always a bit self-cons...

First order of business tonight: I noticed a pesky numbering problem with the blog. Apparently I had two Day 135's. I checked to make sure I haven't missed a day, and I haven't, so I simply pared down the numbers by one. It's right now. I actually dove back into "Stairway" tonight, with the backing track as a help (after a bit), and I'm delighted to say that, while I haven't got the whole thing down, the time off seems to have helped my feel for the first section of the solo. My fingers are also becoming more adept at simply landing where they need to be, although the longer I work on the solo, the more obvious it becomes that my both my middle and pinky fingers (second and fourth, where the chromatic scale is concerned) need strengthening and better independence than they currently possess. That's what I love about this process... actually going and working through all these things I've so consistently ignored is leading me to discover all...

So, I haven't been sleeping much lately, and I've been staying up late. listening to music, doing a bit of playing, and watching old episodes of Behind The Music on the internet. It's funny, you know, because I never met the rest of my "band," I've become the critic. It's all right, don't get me wrong, but for a decade now I've always hoped that I'd find a way to release something. It'll happen, I know it will, but it's continually happened slower than I expected it to. I've gotten close to getting something released, as I've documented before here before, but with the winter coming and the cold closing in, I'm facing another chance to make something musical of the winter. I'm going to start by finishing up the old things that have gotten pushed to the sides in the last few months. With the buildup of everything since the summer, it should be easier. Even if all I do is spend the winter writing lyrics, trying to g...

I can hear the cries already, "knock it off, why don't you?" That said, I ignored "Stairway" yet again today, for more acoustic stuff. This time around it was BNL-driven. I had learned "Be My Yoko Ono" some years back, but for whatever reason, the song had slipped my memory banks. Not quite sure how that happened, considering that the whole song is the same 4 chords (C-E-F-G) repeated over and over again. Also, it's capoed at 5 on the record. Usually I'll lower it a half step to make the song fit my voice a little better, but for some reason, I didn't go there tonight... maybe later. The song seemed a fitting tribute to my week of Lennon. I didn't mess around with it long enough to truly change the arrangement, but I always enjoy finding ways to alter the original recording just enough to make it catch the ear in a different way. You've gotta make it your own if you want covers to stand out.

So, I finally got "Double Fantasy" imported into iTunes tonight. When they re-released all of Lennon's solo stuff in October for what would have been his 70th birthday, they made a big deal about how "Double Fantasy" came with a second disc, that was the album stripped down to the bone. This, in theory, fixed John's fears about his voice after 5 years away (the original pressing of the record, also included, had the vocals buried in the mix as well as a host of extra instrumentation). Usually, when an artist claims to have pulled back the curtains on a classic album, i.e. Alanis with "Jagged Little Pill," it makes me nervous, simply because the revision never lives up to the original. In the case of "Double Fantasy," however, I may have found the exception to the rule. Maybe it's because Jack Douglas (the original producer) and Yoko were the ones behind the remixes, but the changes they made (bringing the vocals up in the mix and ...

I did it again. I came home intending to work on "Stairway" only to spend part of my evening puttering with the acoustic. Every time that happens, I always end up with some morsel of music that's new, or some twist on an old idea. It's those morsels that keep me convinced I have a record in me somewhere. I've been pretty good about either jotting them down, or playing them enough that they're committed to memory. Now the only struggle is finding the time and the headspace to let all those morsels come together.

More acoustic stuff tonight. I know I shouldn't put "Stairway" off much longer, but I couldn't help it, I was feeling the acoustic stuff. I'm noticing that my wrist is getting sore quicker when I switch from the electric to the acoustic. I do have this tendency to focus on one over the other for extended periods of time. That, if anything, needs to be changed. There has to be an even split between the electric and the acoustic, whether it's learning one song for each instrument at the same time, or whether it's writing original stuff on the acoustic and then dropping electric lines over it, that split needs to be done better. All I listened to today was Lennon. Somehow it fits that, as I sit here typing, "Imagine" plays in the backgrouend. While I didn't have much time to devote to listening during the day, I hadn't heard it yet tonight. A fitting send-off to a man taken way too soon. "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I...

I went off the grid tonight. Admittedly, shelving the "Stairway" solo took a bit of arm twisting, but I did it, and something tells me the world won't fall apart. Tomorrow is the 30th Anniversary of John Lennon's assassination. That being said, I reacquainted myself with "Working Class Hero" tonight. I know that I'm paying homage a day early, but somehow it felt right. Picked up Double Fantasy tonight too. Seemed fitting, being the last album he wrote before he died. Also, I got a music recommendation from a co-worker whose taste in music I am quickly coming to appreciate. It's the same person who re-introduced me to Stereophonics awhile back. This time around: Temper Trap. From what I found online, they seem pretty cool. As it turned out, I recognized one of their songs. "Sweet Disposition." Pretty cool tune. J. said she'd burn it for me, so that's cool. Should be fun to see (or hear, rather) if the rest of the album ...

Well, that was an epic failure in judgment. The idea that I could, having gone through the solo on my own, without backing track for the last week, then simply crank it up, even at a slower tempo, and manage to get it right all in one day, was too much. Looking back on this, it's completely obvious too me now. Needless to say, it'll take me a bit longer on the whole "Stairway" thing. Plus, I need to find a set of headphones that work well with the guitar trainer, as the ones I had been using kept shorting out while I was playing. On the plus side, it looks like the first part of the solo can be run at faster than half speed, so that (I guess) is progress. I had figured out the notes through the triplet sections, but in my excitement over making progress, I left out the most crucial part of the solo the timing . I should have started with the trainer a week ago like I talked about doing. That'll teach me. Never put of until tomorrow what ought to be done t...

Second to last day of the grand "Stairway" experiment. I ran through "Stairway" all the way through again. All that's really left for tomorrow is all I expected to have left: the solo. I really can't wait to have most of the day to just sit and pick the whole thing apart. It'll be the first time in the last week or so that I'll actually have a big chunk of time to devote to it, at least as far as the solo is concerned. I'm hoping to get everything that needs to get done otherwise out of the way in the morning, so that the afternoon and evening can be devoted strictly to the solo. Other than that, not too much to report today.

So, I'm hitting the wall with "Stairway." Getting to the point where I think I need to be working on something else, which has me torn in a couple of different directions. On one level, I'm happy, because the month is almost over, and if I can stick with it a bit longer, it'll all be over anyway. On the other hand, I'm tempted to break from it for a bit, just to clear my head. All that said, I watched some of the lessons that are available for the solo online tonight. I found one in particular that seems as though it will be quite helpful. And still, at the end of the night, I found myself sitting in front of a blank notebook, empty chord charts next to me, twirling a pen in my fingers and waiting for inspiration to strike...

Tonight was big. I started from the beginning of "Stairway," and went all the way through each section (without repeats for the verses at this point) INCLUDING the solo. I did it slowly, but I did it, and as an added bonus, the triplets at the very end (the upper register ones) finally clicked with me! It feels good to be making progress on this thing. Granted, it could have happened so much faster, but I'll take progress at any speed. I've still got to get the timing down right where the solo is concerned, but that'll just be a matter of sitting with both the guitar trainer AND the video lesson I have and just hammering it out. All in all, a pretty good day music-wise.

So, it felt a bit like I cut last night's post short. That being said, I did feel like I got somewhere. Tonight was more of the same, work on the solo. It's getting easier. I still need to slow it down with the Guitar Trainer, though, and if I'm going to make it in a month, it'll have to be sometime in the next few days. Monday (my next day off) will be the last day of the month, so hopefully I'll have the solo down and be able to put all of the pieces together then. The only other news I have music-wise today is that I picked up a spectacular blues record tonight. It's something we had on in-store play for a few months, and from the moment we got it in it became a favorite. So, if you're reading this, do yourself a favor and pick up "Memphis Blues" by Cyndi Lauper... yes, that Cyndi Lauper. You won't regret it. She may have shot to fame with songs like "Time After Time" and "Girls Just Want To Have Fun," but damn,...

Today was good. I can't believe it's December 1st already, but today was good. I finally got around to working on the triplet section of the "Stairway" solo. As usual with everything related to this solo, I did so slowly. It's coming around, and it felt good to actually start to hear those triplets sounding like they're actually music. In listening to the solo again, it really feels like it's slowing down a lot. Actually looking at the notes as they pass by helps a great deal. If you can see the phrasing, it's easier to translate that from your eyes to your fingers. Another day of progress. Getting closer.

So I may have written last night that I had been through every part of "Stairway" except for the solo. I was wrong. I forgot about the decidedly rockin' bit after the solo that goes (primarily) Am-G-F. You know, the bit that starts with the line "and as we wind on down the road..." Nevertheless, I took care of that tonight. The only part of it that took me at all by surprise was the full Fmaj7 chord near the end. It wasn't hard, so much as it was unexpected, and once I got it down, I was fine. So now, officially, the solo is all that hasn't fully been explored. What's fun about that is the fact that, in looking back on when I officially got started working on "Stairway," it turns out that it was the 6th of November. This means that I technically have until December 6th to get it all down. Which gives me a week to learn the solo and put all the pieces together. Considering how much I'll be working in the next 7 days, that still...

To say that today took a different path than I was expecting is an understatement. There was a little Zeppelin worked on (although not nearly as much as I had hoped), some reading in relation to music that got accomplished, and a bit of messing around with hard rock type stuff. I woke up in a decidedly Evanescence mood today. That hasn't happened in quite some time. I went from there to We Are The Fallen, only to re-confirm my theory that their record isn't sequenced right. I miss my band tonight... even if it was never a "full" band, I still miss it.

I can't even begin to express how tempting it was to start doing serious work on the "Stairway" solo tonight! I held off, though, thinking that a decent night's sleep and a day off from work will make that experience a better, more productive one. I did listen all the way through again, though, for the first time in a few weeks, and it dawns on me that the song seems to be slowing down in my head. This is good. Most of the sections are quite repetitive, and with the exception of the solo, should be easy to master once everything is sorted out in my head. Even the solo sounds slower. The triplets are going to be the roughest part, I think. Getting the speed and clarity right ought to be a wicked bit of fun. Still feeling good, and still making progress!

Another day of working followed by Zeppelin. I did some reading on the band (that's right, I'm getting closer to being done with that giant biography I feel like I've been mentioning here for ages), and then picked away at the bridges and the solo some more, worried more about continuity when it comes to the bridges, and more about stretching out my fingers when it came to the solo. I didn't get as much done as I could have, but nonetheless I still feel as though I made some progress. Soon, probably Monday on my day off, I'm going to break down and get out the guitar trainer I have that slows things down and lets you play along, and make use of that in the context of "Stairway," because I haven't done that yet. I expect that, with that in play, the solo will really start to come along nicely. The way my schedule breaks down, I've effectively got two days off between Sunday evening and Tuesday afternoon, so I'm hoping there will be ample op...

I dove back into "Stairway" tonight, starting with the first bridge, and working my way through the verse progressions and up to the solo. It feels like it's starting to gel a little bit. There are still things that I struggle with, and spots where I need to go slowly, but it's getting easier. I even moved one of my music stands (I have two), from the bedroom back into the living room in order to make approaching this easier. The other thing that helped was that I just did it. I didn't think too much as I went, and I kept going until I got stuck, and then just worked on the section I had just gone through. Slowly but surely I'm unlocking the secrets of this song, and at the same time, I'm figuring out the level of dedication necessary to get to where I want to be. The work is starting to pay off, if only in small dividends, but I can see it. Some things (which definitely include sight reading of tablature, and making it sound like the record) are g...

It felt good to get back to the Zeppelin today. I stubbornly started with the beginning, and worked my way through some of the bridge. The opening went really well, considering that I've been away from it for a while, and as for the bridge... that went smoothly too, if only because I actually focused in on what the music was telling me. I stopped worrying so much about where my fingers were going and just reacted to it, and surprisingly, it started to resemble Zeppelin. Four months into this, and I still can't get over how even the smallest bit of playing makes my hands feel good. Progress may still be slower than I hoped it would be, but it feels like progress by god! Having the last two days off has helped to clear my mind a bit, which no doubt helps. Creativity is so often stunted by having too much on your mind, and yet at the same time, it's having all that on your mind in the first place that puts you in a spot where the music can help you process. It's a b...

The hardest part about starting to work on a record, especially when you have the ability to pull from years of stored ideas, is the ideas themselves. It's getting past all these small nuggets of music that I really like, and trying to make a cohesive something out of all of them. If I'm doing it solo (which at this point I assume I am), I know I need to center everything around the acoustic. So, why then am I unable to get the electric out of my hands? Something tells me it might be a good idea to turn back to "Stairway," because while I want/need this record to be made, I think I need to sit with its direction a little bit longer.

It got serious tonight. I sat down with an empty notebook and my requisite cup full of pens and actually started making notes for this little project within a project. I'm sure that a lot of what gets me started will be the ideas that have been knocking around for quite some time, both musical and lyrical, and I'm also quite certain that this will more than likely end up as a single disc or an EP rather than a full fledged double album, but hey... as long as I'm embracing the music, I might as well be working on some songs while improving my playing, right? Also of note: I had an interesting conversation today with a customer regarding the need for a local music venue. It likely won't result in anything, but it was a good chat nonetheless. Off for the next two days, let's hope something musically productive gets done!

Having resigned myself to not going home for Thanksgiving, I sat down tonight with the electric and tried to start putting the ideas together for that odd double album I've been pondering. I know full well that I should've started with the acoustic, and that I probably need more work with the electric for the lead stuff and the other parts, but for tonight I was content to mess about with the electric and ponder what could be. Truthfully it's the lyrics I'm worried about. I've been through a lot in the last few years, and I know there's enough there to fuel the album, but getting it right will take forever. Or at least that's the way it feels right now.

It bothers me to no end that I don't have all that much to report tonight. But, I suppose that a long day does equal a relaxing evening at home with a guitar in my hands. The fact that I just played, and didn't really have a set goal in mind shouldn't really be seen as a horrible thing, should it? True to form, I'm still listening to Mellon Collie, and true to form, I'm pondering in a far off way the thought of a double album. Considering that I've never completed a full single album, this might be a little bit aggressive... but tell that to Nellie McKay. I bet I could do it, too. Musically for sure. Put me in a room with an acoustic, some pens, a notebook, and a pile of blank chord sheets for a week or so, and I could likely emerge with a double album's worth of music. Lyrically? Where I've always struggled a lot more? I'm not so sure. Not that I don't have all kinds of things to draw inspiration from right now. It would definitely be ...

All of the talk about Smashing Pumpkins the other day has got me on a bit of a kick with their stuff. I found an acoustic EP on iTunes, and dowloaded that. I got some free songs off of their website, and I've been listening to Mellon Collie . Just in fits and starts though, haven't really had the time to dive into the whole two discs, although that ought to be the way I do it. It's been a long time since I've gone through the whole thing in one sitting. Almost six years, I think. Every time I do get through the whole thing, though, I wind up wanting to make a double album. For a few days anyway. Hell, if I could get on that long of a creative jag, I just might do it. Tonight's playing wasn't dull, per se, it was just me running scales and trying to absorb them at the same time. Practicality at its best. Or something. The Pumpkins need a biography.

I tried to hit on a couple of different things today. True to form, most of my playing revolved around the Zep I'm learning. Still going slowly on the "Stairway" solo, but it is definitely coming easier. I also took another sip of the big Zeppelin book I've been picking away at for the last few months. There's so much information crammed into that book that it's almost easier to read in fits and starts. As for my non-Zep playing, I messed around briefly with a song by Jackie Greene called "Uphill Mountain." It's a tune off of an old in-store play at work that caught my ear. Doesn't seem all that tough, and once I sit with it for more than a few minutes, I ought to pick it up fairly quickly.

Not a whole lot to report today. More "Stairway" at a slow tempo. Feels like I'm making progress though, which is good. Two other things of note. First, I had an interesting discussion with a customer today regarding music in all its formats, and whether or not the CD was on the way out (seemingly for the thousandth time). Secondly, I had an interesting conversation tonight regarding the world of 90's music. Just to spark debate, I'll post the question here. If Billy Corgan and Kurt Cobain's respective places in music history were switched (i.e. if Corgan had died after the Pumpkins 3rd full length album), how much more of a legend would he be? Bear in mind that Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness is the 3rd full length by the band.

Having broken the "Stairway" solo down into sections the other day, today I ignored the sections completely and just went through it slowly. It turns out my brother was right. It's not all that difficult of a solo. Sure, there are going to be parts of it that will take some getting used to. There are going to be some note combinations or runs that will take some time to perfect, especially for someone who so desperately needs to improve his lead playing, but the fact of the matter is that, if I just stick with it and go at my own pace, it's not going to be all that tough to learn. I have this problem... always have really, in that I expect things to come to me quickly. I want to dive in and grasp a concept immediately, and over time I'm realizing that certain things (music especially) take a little bit more concentration for a bit longer period of time. Hopefully by acknowledging this here, I won't let it get to me so much. I think the root of the prob...

Long day at work. The remedy? "Stairway" solo, of course! I'm going to go through it and break it down into manageable sections tonight, so that I can work on them tomorrow, on my day off! That's really all there is to report tonight. Short, I know. Hopefully more tomorrow!

So, I broke down today and started the solo. In so doing, I realized a few things: 1) I don't work on my scales/lead playing anywhere NEAR enough. 2) That being said, once I get the various phrases in my ear, things get better quickly. 3) Even working in short 5-10 minute bursts, I can feel my hand start to loosen up the more I work through a lead line. 4) I get intimidated before I start. But once I'm going, I just feel badly that I haven't sat down to work on my soloing more frequently in the past, oh I don't know... DECADE. and 5) Whenever I'm home, and not otherwise occupied, I NEED to be carrying my guitar with me everywhere until I'm not intimidated anymore!

It's funny how the smallest moments have a tendency to teach a bigger lesson. Tonight, as I sat down to page through the latest issue of Guitar World, I found myself thumbing to the tab for "Maybe I'm Amazed," arguably the greatest solo song Paul McCartney ever wrote... and on his first record by himself, no less. What was the lesson? The importance of an intro. The song proper starts with a Bb chord, going from there to F, then C, and G. I started there, only to find that the verses didn't feel "right." On having this realization, I went back to the intro, which begins with A major before going through D major, D minor, and E minor before returning to A. Following that progression, the verse made perfect sense in my head. It sounded right, and felt right all across the board. In that instance, the intro made all the difference in taking an otherwise pedestrian progression, and turning it into something classic. In some songs, the intro flows nic...

Long day at work today. Got paid for the soundtrack I made. That's right, I actually made money off of something musical today. Well, something that wasn't work related anyway. I played for a while after I got home tonight. Nothing serious or "Stairway" related, just as a way to de-amp from the day. Found a cool riff. It's dark in tone, like almost everything electric has been in the last few years... which means it might be the germ of a hard rock band type thing. I need to start writing for that again. Or for anything for that matter. Things have been sort of complicated lately, and I'm not such a big fan of life being complicated. Hopefully I can use the music as a way to process. Oh, and I'm finally feeling healthy enough to ponder vocals again. Yeah, it might just be time to fire everything up again...

To say that today didn't go as I had hoped it would is the great understatement of the week. I had hoped for a relaxing day off, and a chance to take a good chunk out of "Stairway." Instead, I found myself running errands in the rain for most of the day. That being said, I keep running the parts of it that I've worked through already, sorting out the subtle changes, and trying to psych myself up to take on the solo. I'm honestly not sure why the solo freaks me out as much as it does. I know that the key is to break it down into manageable sections, and then stitch them back together. It's probably due to the fact that my lead playing is STILL the part of my playing that I'm not so very confident about. Hopefully learning a legendary solo will help that...

Cutting it a little bit close again today when it comes to getting a posting in before the cut-off. Go me. Today's musical endeavor was a big one. A customer had asked me a few weeks back to make up a soundtrack they were unable to locate. I was fairly confident that I had some of the music they were after, so I took on the project. It turned out that I had more of it than expected, but I still had to download quite a bit of music from itunes. The toughest song to find wound up being the title track from the movie, and let me tell you, finding an mp3 of that song took some serious work... (2 hours of digging through all of the legal channels available) but I did it, and in so doing was able to genuinely make someone's day/week/Christmas. All in all, it was quite the musical undertaking, and proved to me that I'm getting better at what I do for a living. If you want to be technical, it also proved to me that the lines between what I do for a living and what I do on my...

Not all that much happened today. I read a bit of the huge Zep biography, and followed it up by going through the parts of "Stairway" I had worked on previously. No major developments, and I'm pretty upset with myself about that. I go in late tomorrow, and have Friday off, so hopefully a few major developments will happen then.

So, knowing that I've sworn off commenting on "Stairway" for a bit, I started messing about with "Free Bird" tonight for no good reason at all. I likely won't keep it up (at least until I conquer the Zeppelin), but it's interesting to note that the chord progression for "Free Bird" is easier than the one for "Stairway." The solo, on the other hand, is harder. Mostly because it's a ton of bends, and trying to get (and keep) them in tune can be a challenge. Back to "Stairway" tomorrow, but it was a fun change of pace for a night.

Three primary things on my mind tonight... sort of a musical "quick hits" of my day... 1) I need another day or two of practice on "Stairway" before I comment on it again. That way, hopefully I'll be able to offer a bit more insight into how it's going. 2) I'm kind of pumped to start a book I just got loaned on Beethoven and the creation of his 9th Symphony. I very rarely read about classical music, so this should be interesting. and 3) I could really use another album that turns my world upside down.

Okay, so, two things of note today. First, as mentioned in yesterday's entry, I did mess around a bit with the verses for "Stairway." Not as much as I would've hoped to, but st ill. I played enough to notice the subtle differences between the intro progression and the verses, and to start assimilating them. The second thing may just be the coolest thing I've seen in a long time. It's a music video for a song called "Take Me Out" by a band named Atomic Tom. The catch? They played the whole song (vocals, guitars, drums, & bass) on their iPhones! Check this out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19KBAcJ53ak Pretty cool, if you ask me.

So, having been distracted by other Zeppelin, and then various assorted things yesterday, I finally got down to a bit of "Stairway" tonight. I figured I'd start easy, and ve then work my way into the tougher stuff. So I did what everyone does... I started with the intro. I knew it in a general manner, of course (everyone does), but the smaller nuances and shifts in the chord progression were pleasant, unexpected surprises. Then again, it's always fun to go into something assuming you know exactly how it goes, only to discover that you really don't. Tomorrow, I'm adding the verses.

I took a slight detour from my stated path for November today. In fairness, it's based on three things. 1) I woke up in a decidedly Paul Westerberg mood. 2) I got to take home an in-store play that I've had my name on for 2 months now. 3) I ended the day with Seven Mary Three, while secretly craving something a bit quieter. I found the tab for 7M3's "Over Your Shoulder," and wailed away on that for a while. If there's any Zep to be had before bed, it won't be much.

Before I start tonight, I'd like to toss a shout out to a new co-worker of mine, J. who proceeded to re-introduce me to an album I've owned for years, without even knowing she did it. Thanks J! You're the best. Now, on to the whole "classic song" thing. I'm trying to be smart and break "Stairway" down into sections. It seems logical, also, to start at the beginning, which, coincidentally, is the part of the song I know the best. That being said, there's this huge part of me that just wants to start off by tearing apart the solo and learning that first. Both parts may win. We shall see. I'm off to play, and then pass out. Today was a long one. More tomorrow.

So, I started in on the "classic song" thing today... well, okay, I sort of did. My intention was to start with "Stairway," but I wound up getting distracted by the riff to "Rock & Roll" instead. Granted, after that happened, I did mess around a bit with "Stairway." Something else I'm discovering about myself: I'm doing better with this when I have a tune that I'm working on, something I'm working toward. This may seem obvious, but what I'm really getting at is that, at least lately, when I sit down to practice scales, I don't get much done. When I work on them in the context of a song, I have more success.

So, I found something today. I was organizing the workspace, going through everything that has wound up there of late, and I ran across a bit of guitar tab that has been sitting around for a few years at least... At the risk of sounding incredibly cliche, there has always been a part of me that aches to learn all of those rock classics that everyone always claims to learn on guitar. Initially, I stayed away from all of the hype, but I'm growing tired of avoiding it all, and I'm thinking I may break down and learn all the big classics. That being said, the obvious ones are as follows: 1) Stairway To Heaven 2) Hotel California and the one that I found... 3) Free Bird Tomorrow is my last day off for a week, and with the holidays approaching, now may not be the best time to try this, but instead of writing a novel in the month of November, I might just try to learn a classic. It's only a thought. Still in the embryonic stages, but it might be fun.

Not feeling all that well today, but that being said, I still managed to start the process of making the music area more user friendly. There isn't a whole lot of table space available, so finding a way to maximize writing surface will be helpful. I'm working on that while trying to keep the required resources that are frequently used readily available. It's proving to be a bit of a logistical challenge, but one that will work out well when finished off. Also, I did manage to squeeze in a little bit of time to play today, although I will admit that being sick lowered my concentration level, so not much got accomplished. Hopefully I can kick this once and for all. Not being able to sing has been killing me too. Stupid congestion.

Well, Day 100 had two things in it that seem worthy of writing about. First (and definitely the smaller of the two), I scored the tab for arguably the best tune off of the new Ray LaMontagne record. It's the last song on the record, it's called "Devil's In The Jukebox," and it's surprisingly easy to play. It's essentially a 12 Bar Blues in E, capoed at the first fret. For me, this likely means it'll sound better sans capo, but by now that's common knowledge. Second, and more encouraging, is the fact that I went to see a local concert that proved to me beyond a doubt that I'm heading in the right direction. Slowly, perhaps, but in the right direction nonetheless. I'll save the group the throwing under the bus, but suffice it to say that I left the gig believing firmly in my talent, and my ability to improve with continued dedicated practice.

So, tomorrow's the big day. Hopefully there will be some musical amazingness to report. As for today, it was very relaxing. No serious goals for the afternoon off, so I chilled out for most of the day, and always had a guitar within arms length. As a result, I played a lot, but lacked a specific goal. I need to be better about setting specific goals, be they daily or weekly, and seeing how they go in the next 100 days. First goal: Get a handle on organizing the music area of my living room. The practice space is more functional with things re-arranged, but things still feel out of place somewhat.

Well, I got one project looked into today. It doesn't look as if I'll be able to pull the vocal from that song for one of my customers. It's planted firmly in the middle of the mix, so some of it exists on both the left and right channels. I'd imagine that if I had ProTools, I'd be able to separate the vocal from the rest, but no such luck. I'll try a few other options tomorrow, but round one goes to the ever-sneaky engineer who mixed the track all those years ago.

This week must be the week of strange musical projects/offers. Between pulling the vocals on that song, getting asked if I play guitar, and then being asked to create a soundtrack that has never been put onto CD, it has been eventful indeed. Granted, it's not like they were asking for original music or anything, but still... a customer was looking for a soundtrack that doesn't exist, and when I called up a list of all of the songs from the film, they wondered aloud if I would be able to help them out in creating one. I told them that, given all of the music I have, it was likely that some of the tunes would be in my collection, but that yes, I would investigate the making of said soundtrack. Like I said, lots of projects this week! Yay!

A couple of interesting things went down today. First off, I got asked by a co-worker if I teach guitar lessons. So, that one could either prove to be an interesting addition to my schedule, or it could have been a one time mention that will never be brought up again. We shall see. Also, having been obsessed with the new Steven Page record, I went back and messed about with some old BNL stuff, including "Brian Wilson" "Be My Yoko Ono" and "Tonight Is The Night I Fell Asleep At The Wheel" Fun times all.

So, as I believe I've mentioned before, part of this whole process has to do with improving as a musician, and the other part of it involves being open to the experiences that result from my making a conscious effort to place my music at the forefront of my life, and just what happens. Today at work was one of the "see what happens" sort of days. I had a lady call the other day looking for karaoke music involving Marilyn Monroe. When nothing was available, she expressed her distress, and I resorted to telling her that I might be able to pull the vocals from the tracks she needed. So, finally today, she stopped in and dropped off the CD. Just another project to undertake because I pushed the music to the forefront! No word yet on whether or not I'll have any success.

I finally got serious tonight about trying to finish off the hard rock stuff. Originally, I was just going to put together an EP with the best of what we already had, but as has held true for the last 3 years now, I keep getting new ideas that seem to only work for the band. That being said, I dragged out my white board as a way to make notes. It seemed less abandonable that a notebook, and set about doing not only some listening, but also a little bit of sequencing. It will likely take me a few days to come to any decisions about anything, and then some time to create bigger arrangements than those we had back in the day (which mostly consisted of an acoustic part, and a vocal line). Wish me luck, because away I go!

So, I'm a week away from 100 days. Wowsers. I got through the rest of the Steve Page album today. Wound up doing most of it in the car, but still. It's a solid record. It still sounded like the other half of Barenaked Ladies to me though. I'll definitely need to listen to the rest of it in the stereo with headphones to see if that changes at all, but I liked it. The writing was good, the instrumentation was clean and crisp. When it comes to going through old band stuff, I wasn't as successful today as I had hoped to be, but I did have some fun with the electric this afternoon. That descending progression played at the corners of my brain all day, though, which is a good sign. Other than that, I read a bit more of the Zep book. All in all, a good day.

Strange day today. Didn't find as much time to play as I would have liked to, but nevertheless, I did putter around a little bit more with that progression from yesterday. It's still cool. It's based on a descending pattern, and would be really cool with some strummed acoustic underneath it. Tomorrow's plan (because I'm Off! On A Sunday!) is to try and figure out what the chords would be underneath said progression. In fact, I'd love to spend the whole day just messing about with all of that old stuff, and seeing what happens. The other thing I'd like to do tomorrow is make it through the rest of the new Steven Page record.

I stumbled onto a fun little chord progression tonight in my playing after work. It's loosely based on something I came up with years and years ago, but this particular progression is darker in tone, and generally more interesting than the earlier one (which had a fun, ringing sort of tone). I'm not sure exactly where this is leading, if anywhere at all, but it seems like the basis for yet another progression that might be designed for the old band. Something about leaving that unfinished must still be haunting me...

So I started the process of getting my fingers back in the swing of things today. They took a little bit of convincing, but it feels wonderful to be playing again. I started out just intending to loosen up my fingers a bit, but wound up picking out melodies while watching TV. It's a particularly fun challenge, since the musical bits in shows are only repeated a couple of times at maximum. I came very close to having one switch over to a different idea entirely, which for me, is sort of the point. Aside, of course, from being somewhat helpful in picking out where notes fall on the fretboard. I like the speed it requires. Also, I started back in on the Zeppelin book. All in all, a nice, relaxing day in which progress was made toward the goal. It may have been a small step, but it was a step nonetheless.

One of the things this experience has taught me so far is that a part of the growth process (in music, or anything) is embracing the truth. It's okay to talk about where you're at, but only for a little bit, because eventually all the talking gets in the way of moving forward. That being said, indulge me for just a little bit. I'll admit that I got caught up in all this reading about record labels recently. I'll admit that it has distracted me from the playing side of things. I've always had this amazing ability to focus in on one thing, and do that one thing really, really well. Sometimes it's a blessing, and sometimes a curse. I got a little too focused on the reading side of things recently, to the point where I realized that I missed the way the strings feel underneath my fingers. So glad to have tomorrow off, so I can get a lot of playing done! Other things that struck me today... 1) There is a movie coming out (or maybe it's out in select theate...

So, I will openly admit (even after yesterday's bold statement of a lot of great things to come), that I had modest expectations for today. In fact, I had but a singular goal: FINISH THE BOOK ON MERGE. I am delighted to say that I accomplished said goal, and that it was, from beginning to end, a fantastic and informative read. Now, I can move on to something else (gladly), because I sure felt like I talked about that thing on here FOREVER! And besides, this is a blog about musical adventures, not a book club. The only other music related thing I accomplished today was to write to the director of the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Symphony regarding photos of Saturday night's amazingness. And speaking of amazingness, he responded during the 8 hours I was at work! With good news! Also, with tomorrow night AND Thursday off, I'm hoping I can get back to the important stuff... the PLAYING!!!

I did a lot of reading today, music-wise. Not necessarily as a way to wind down from the emotional highs of the last few days, but more so because after all of the action in the last 72 hours, I was kind of worn out. On the plus side, I'm very nearly done with the book on Merge. And speaking of the intersection of music and reading, next I really need to finish that big book that Keith Shadwick wrote on Zeppelin. THAT has been sitting, basically untouched, since before vacation in the end of June! I've picked it up here and there, of course (as mentioned in the last three months or so), but never for an extended period of time. Also, I'm not beyond the realization that I'm fast approaching the 100 day mark here. It's been an amazing run so far, but there is still so much progress to be made, so much to learn, and so much to play. In an odd sense, thank god that winter (a season I usually dread) is coming, because it will give me less excuses to be doing anyt...

Oh, What A Show! I'm going to try and incorporate a Top 5 Moments list in here too (because it's been too long), but it may well run long, so... 1) A looping pedal... used with a CELLO! That's right, Josh Neumann had a Cello with a pickup in it, and used a freaking looping pedal with it! He was the first one onstage after the opening act, so that wound up being the first official moment of the Brandi Carlile portion of the gig, and Oh, What A Way To Start! 2) "Crazy" Brandi & The Twins did a short 25 minute set with just the three of them (she described it as an "acoustic barnburner" set, before taking a break and coming back with the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra. While the barnburner set was fun (and I secretly wished they had gone on longer), she closed that part of the show with "Crazy," written by Willie Nelson, and performed originally by the amazing Patsy Cline. It was just Brandi, acoustic & vocals, and was incredi...

BRANDI CARLILE TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm just about to head out the door, but wasn't sure when I'd get home, so I figured I ought to write a little something before I left. There will be many updates to come in the next 24 hours or so. Hopefully a setlist or something. This should rule! Only wish I wasn't going alone.

Started in on "Fall Apart Again" tonight. That songs has an interesting rhythm guitar part. Turns out that it's really three acoustics playing different parts that all add up to what you hear on the record. Should be an interesting challenge to blend them all together into a single acoustic part. I'm up for it though. I can't believe the concert is tomorrow! I'll probably get an early start on my way to Cedar Falls, as I haven't a clue where it is I'm going. Besides, I'd rather have too much time in the Cedar Falls/Waterloo area than feel rushed. I'm still kind of bummed that I'm going to this by myself, but I'll get over it... trust me. Also, on a completely un-related note, I think at some point I might need to investigate learning "Rude Mood" by Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Forty Eight hours or so until the Brandi Carlile show! Not that I'm excited or anything. Still reading up on Merge. I know I've said it before, but I'm really enjoying that book. I'm into the beginning of a chapter on Neutral Milk Hotel... another band I've heard a lot about, but never actually "heard." I got the chance to pick up the acoustic for a few minutes before work today. Not long enough for my taste though. To be honest, I haven't played much in the last few days. And my electric is feeling neglected too. I'm thinking I need to learn "Fall Apart Again" in the next 48 hours, in honor of the concert. And not just part of it. Lyrics, Music, able to get through the whole thing. Cross your fingers.

So, I sent an e-mail to my Dad the other day, recounting what had happened in the last few weeks, and updating them on what was coming up (i.e. Brandi Carlile on Saturday!). My Dad, in his usual fashion, sent a response that contained the following line: "I do not wish to totally reveal my ignorance of post-1960's music, but who the heck is Brandi Carlile?" That's the way it's always been in my family. Everyone is supportive of my addiction to/obsession with music, but nobody really understands it. My step-mom and my brother come the closest to understanding, but then again, they both play, so they ought to. I'm still not sure exactly what I would have done if my brother had turned into one of those people who "hates music." And you know, I think that part of the reason I'm in so deep, part of the reason I could never really live without it, and part of the reason I've struggled during the times it's been absent from my life for a p...

I noticed something tonight that's interesting. Major events in my life (or at least ones that require some sort of emotional recovery) tend to occur on Mondays. This always winds up working out well for me music-wise, because new stuff always drops on Tuesdays. Today's purchase was the new record by Sister Hazel, which I didn't even know came out until I got to work. The last big one in my life came in May of 2005, also on a Monday night, and the next day, I picked up 3 new releases as a way to cope: Crimson (Alkaline Trio), Rebel Sweetheart (The Wallflowers) and Out Of Exile (Audioslave). Secretly, I wonder if my brain "plans" it this way, so music can come along and save my life again. Also of note: after reading about Merge (and therefore Superchunk) for the last couple of weeks, I finally broke down and checked them out a bit at work tonight. Gotta say... loved it! Will definitely be picking some of their stuff up soon.

Read some more of the book on Merge today. Also, ensured that I'll have enough songwriting fodder for the rest of my days. That's really all I can say about today.

It was a long day today. So much so that, when I got home from work, all I could really do was sleep for about the next four hours or so. When I woke up, I did a bunch of music stuff in rapid succession. I read some more of the Merge Bio, I sat and played acoustic for a while, and I got another couple of lines lyric wise. I know I keep going on about this book, but what I love about it is the feeling that it instills. The feeling that you can do anything you want to, that if you can dream it up, you can make it happen. All the artists in this book are just people. They're not gods. And if they can live and hate and breathe and burn like the rest of us and STILL create all this amazing music that has changed people's lives, then why can't I do that too, you know? It seems like the sort of thing that has to happen either in an enclave of like-minded souls, or off somewhere completely by yourself. (On a side note, I shut out the world after work, and enjoyed the exper...

Back to the acoustic tonight. It seemed like the way to relax after a long day at work. I started with "Wagon Wheel" by O.C.M.S. and then played a bit of "Friends" by Cracker, followed by "Yankee Sailor" by Great Big Sea. All things I've mentioned in the past, I know, but at the end of the day, it's just nice to kick back with stuff you're familiar with. So, tomorrow's Sunday, and that means one thing... it's the start of Brandi Carlile Week! Concert on Saturday @ Gallagher Bluedorn. Looks like I may be flying solo on that one, so that should be an adventure. I'll probably start listening to her stuff exclusively a few days before the gig, but I may well start learning some of it tomorrow. Not sure where to start though. We'll see where the week takes me on that one I guess. I surmise I'll know more tomorrow.

So, I've made it a personal quest not only to document the progress that I'm making in my playing, but also to mention the various assorted musical connections I make (or almost make) along the way. Here's the latest story on that front... A customer stopped in and asked about the new Sara Bareilles record the other day. We only had 1 copy left, because all of us freaking love that record, and have been selling it like mad. I hand the guy the record, and he proceeds to tell me that his daughter is friends with the amazingly talented Miss Bareilles. Apparently, this guy's daughter interviewed her for an assignment in grad school, and wound up getting invited onto the tour bus after the show to hang out. Turns out, they hit it off, and became fast friends. So, apparently they've kept in touch, and this guy and his wife have even gone around the country to see a couple shows here and there. I told him that, the next time he talks to his daughter, he needs to te...

Picked up the electric today for the first time in a while. Plugged it in and everything. Neighbors be damned. In all seriousness, I didn't crank it up that loud, but it felt good. I found some tabs for The Gaslight Anthem online, so I rocked out to that for a bit. Picked up the acoustic today too, if only to run through "Dead Flowers" a couple of times. I've been quite sick, but it seems like perhaps my voice is coming back, if I can stop coughing long enough to sing, that is. And yes, even though by now it likely seems repetitive, I finished off a chapter in that book on Merge Records. All in all, I didn't get as much done as I could have, but I still feel good about what I did manage to get accomplished.

No lyrics today. First time in three days. I'll be honest, it feels a little strange to get nothing today. I did pick up the acoustic though. I think I may need to go out tomorrow and have a new set of strings put on her, but other than that... I did do some more reading today. This book on Merge Records is really cool, and set up well. Back to the acoustic thing for a moment, it's funny, I always seem to start in the same place when I pick up the guitar. For me, that starts and ends with G. I've never wondered before where this places my approach to playing and writing, but the thought this morning was that I wondered whether it's an impediment. The need to change it up a little bit was perhaps the primary thought. Still, somehow, starting with G this morning did surprise me in that it sounded fresh for an instant or two. Nothing planned for tomorrow, hopefully the music takes a front seat.

So, I know I'm late in posting, and I know that means I'll have technically missed a day for the first time since July 31st, but something quite serious came up with someone I'm exceptionally close to, and suffice it to say that sometimes you just have to be there for those you care about. This was one of those times. Still, $20 in quarters will go in the change jar come Friday. Gotta have some excuse to not miss days, and not having the extra cash to donate will definitely be a good motivator. That being said, I did get some music stuff done today. Believe it or not, I actually got more lyrics down on paper this morning. It's a chorus, of that much I am absolutely certain. Which project it fits in with remains to be seen, but hey nobody ever said the process of lyric writing was easy. I've got the next two days off, and I'm excited to see what 48 hours of (mostly) free time gets me from a musical standpoint. Should be an adventure.

Hardly anything to report today. Bottom line with that is that I'm feeling deathly ill tonight. Not sure how I made it through my shift. I'm off to bed, but I WILL do some music -related reading before I pass out for the night. Hopefully things will be better tomorrow, because today feels like an epic fail...

I got lyrics today. That alone should count as some sort of minor miracle. It was only a few lines, and who knows if it'll lead anywhere, but I got lyrics today about everything that happened last year, so maybe I've finally healed enough to process some things. Also of note: I talked to B. for almost an hour and a half. It had been FAR too long, and was really good to catch up a bit. Sounds like she's been through a bit of hell lately, and while it stinks that conversation blooms out of tragedy, it was still wonderful to hear her voice. I think maybe that conversation was just the thing I needed. She has no idea how much of a catalyst she is for my musical activities. Bottom line: I miss that girl like crazy, and I miss the music we made too.

Oh random occurrences, how you manage to foil my plans at every turn. Good thing that I read some more on the whole record label thing early before work. I'm working my way through a book on Merge Records (I think I've made mention already, but hey), and it's been really great so far, because it shows just how small they started out, and it outlines their process through interviews with those involved, and bits of written back story here and there. All in all, if the whole label thing is ever going to happen for me (and I have to believe that it will), this book seems like it will be of great help. I feel really badly that I didn't get much of a chance to rock out today. Here's hoping tomorrow gives me a chance to do so.

Seventy days already? Is that really possible? Only another month until I'm at 100? I've got to start kicking a bit more rock & roll butt than I am now! So, in response to something I wrote yesterday, I got the list of music I've hooked my brother up with in the last few years... or at least some of what I've gotten him. Enough to make an informed decision anyway. And the wheels are already turning in my mind. I followed up by asking him what he's listening to at the moment. Secretly, I'm trying to figure out just how far out of his comfort zone I'll be taking him this time around. As for the stuff I've been working on, I played a bit of electric before I went to work today, but didn't have time for much else. I open in the morning, though, so hopefully my evening will be free for a heavy dose of rock!

So, I tried to divide up my musical day, and while I was successful in the dividing, I was less successful in getting all that much accomplished today. I played some electric before I went to work today, still focusing on the hard rock progression I stumbled across the other day. The verses are coming along nicely from a musical standpoint, but the chorus, not so much. Then tonight, I played a bit of acoustic, deliberately staying away from the writing side of my brain. It was nice to just sit and strum as a way to relax. Back to the writing and plotting tomorrow. Also, my brother wants music for his birthday (which was a couple days ago). It feels like I've gotten him so much music in the last few years that I now need a list of what he has from me and what he doesn't. God forbid I'd repeat something.

The funniest part about this whole hard rock band thing, was that it all started out on acoustic. We would sit in the living room (and later in the back room with the studio) with acoustics, and trade chords and ideas back and forth until something clicked. It usually did, and it was almost always based around the weirdest chord we could find. Because, if you could take some off the wall sounding chord and make a progression out of it, then subconsciously it would be cool. I like to think I've got a pretty good ear for radio, and while a lot of our old demos were extremely rough around the edges, they had some potential. In a real studio, with drums and bass behind them, they could've made a pretty good record. I thought that then, I think it now. It's why I sat down with the acoustic today, and tried to find a way to flesh out the progression I got the other night. I made a little progress, but I think what needs to happen first is a going through of the old demos,...

Today's entry follows up directly on yesterday's. As further proof that every time I pick up my electric, I get something for the hard rock band we almost started when I lived in GB, it happened again tonight. If it didn't feel so untrue to the heart of the project, I'd find a vocalist here, figure out a way to get approval from B. and just dive back into that wholeheartedly. And yet, even as I write that, I know that simply slotting someone else in behind the mic and soldiering on isn't possible, because so much of what that project should've been centered around B. and her initial enthusiasm. She had enough to get me in all the way, so that when she faltered, I kept the fire burning. I think maybe I owe it to both of us to finish the musical side of things to the best of my abilities, get some decent recordings nailed down, and then send it off to her for a bit of her musical magic and some lyrics. How long will it take? I'm honestly not sure, but s...

Tonight's musical endeavors (aside from checking out CDs at the library) were effectively two-fold. 1) I sat down for a bit with the accumulated notebooks and chord sheets that in theory contain the start of my solo record. and 2) I did some more reading on the whole record label thing... which will in theory end up releasing my solo record. And yet, even after 3 years, every time I pick up my electric, a riff for the hard rock band just tumbles out of it... yes B. that's directed at you, wherever you are out there.

Is it strange that I've gotten so used to doing this every day, and so far into it, that I've forgotten what I've touched on and what I haven't? I hope that's not strange, because that's my reality. I was thinking about it today, and while some small part of me has wanted to start my own record label for the last five years or so, the true genesis of wanting to actually make it happen stems from a conversation I had earlier this year. It started with my wanting to open an independent record store, and ended up as so much more. From that initial idea, things morphed into a club/rehearsal space here in town (affectionately dubbed the "Ingersoll Rock & Roll Theatre & Lounge." It'd be part club & rehearsal space (as I said), part lesson studio, part recording studio, and part indie store. The record label would run out of the offices there, and supply the small indie store with a bulk of its product. It occurred to me that having that...

I didn't feel like working today. Instead, I wanted to stay home and spend the day plotting my record label that I've wanted to start for years now... if I'm not mistaken, I've made mention of this fact in this space before. Using my better judgment (and ignoring my feelings), I went to work anyway. It was by no means a terrible day. I found out that I got my Saturday efore off on the 16th for the Brandi Carlile concert in Cedar Falls, and I worked with good people. As usual, there were some good people who came in, and some not so good. About halfway through my shift, it dawns on me that I keep getting ahead of myself. As of right now, I have no other band's music to release on this hypothetical label of mine other than my own... aside, perhaps, from a random project one of my co-workers keeps talking about doing. Anyway, considering that my stuff is nowhere near done, I ought to get that squared away before worrying about the label. Helps to have somethin...

Today was a fun hodgepodge of musical goodness. I played some acoustic before heading off to work, picked up a Hendrix magazine and a Guitar World DVD on Zeppelin while I was at work, and read some stuff on record labels once I got home. All in all, not as much playing as I'd hoped for, but still a day filled with any number of musical things. The wide variety of activities was awesome today. It's nice to know that I can fill my day with various musical things, and feel accomplished, even if I've got to work. Some days it's a struggle to feel good about it if I'm scheduled late. Still a process, two months in. In fact, it's been exactly two months to the day! I started on the 24th of July, if I remember correctly.

At the request (or should I say frustration) of someone who actually follows my daily ramblings... here's a belated Top 5... (You Know Who You Are!!!) Top 5 Guitar Solos I'd Like To Learn (as always, in no particular order) 1) Stairway To Heaven - Led Zeppelin 2) Hotel California - The Eagles 3) Wanted It To Be - Sister Hazel 4) Nobody Knows You When You're Down & Out - Derek & The Dominos 5) Little Wing - Stevie Ray Vaughan (I know, I know, it's like a 6 minute solo...) and for your bonus... 6) Classical Gas - Mason Williams

Kind of a slow day today. Slower than I had hoped, at any rate. I sat with the acoustic for a little while and tried to work on some original stuff, but it was slow in coming. Got some bummer news that I was expecting today, but that didn't mean it stunk any less, so I'll probably head back to the acoustic before I pass out. Oh, I also finished off a book on The Beatles after the breakup today. It's called "You Never Give Me Your Money," and was a fascinating look at what happened after April of 1970. Not sure what I'm reading next, but it may well be something on starting a record label. I ordered a few books on the subject from work, to add to the ones I already have. I've always wanted to start a label of some kind.

Today has been a great day. In between doing some stuff around the house, I've basically had a guitar in my hands from the moment I woke up. I've gone through some of the Lead tab stuff from yesterday (but not with the DVD yet), paged through the new Guitar World, and done a little bit of stuff in terms of originals. Not as much as I would've liked to yet, but the night is young, and I've still got tomorrow. Haven't gotten in touch with J. yet, but that'll be tomorrow's project. Off to do more playing. Oh, and I forgot to dream up a Top 5 for today, so you'll just have to wait on that one. Hopefully another great one tomorrow!

So, it probably should've been obvious, but the finger exercises that are in that DVD tab book are arranged and structured so that they take you through a logical progression, starting with simpler topics, and then building on them. Each new pattern they introduce starts and ends on a different degree of the scale, to ensure that one gets accustomed to the sound and the feel of the different patterns. I noticed this before work today, and considering that I have the next two days off, I think that both the tab and the DVD definitely warrant some close practice and observation. I'd also like to wade into the newest issue of Guitar World (and likely the past few as well, seeing as those haven't gotten enough attention either). Oh, and I'd like to work on the originals and get in touch with J. It's a daunting schedule, I know, but it'll be fun to try and hit everything! Hmmm, looks like I need a Top 5 for tomorrow too...