"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.