"Muse" - ings on Rock & Life

Counting Crows day today!  It's cool to basically start the new year of posts with a concert.  I'm debating whether or not to import all of the rarities discs I have before I leave town.  It's 5 discs (out of the 6 that are out there... SL has the one I'm missing somewhere, so I'll hear those at some point).  The one question I have in terms of doing it is whether or not the track names will be there if I try.  If not, it'll probably take too long. I've been perusing setlists, trying to figure out what we might hear tonight.  It's kind of fruitless, though, because whatever they play will be awesome. Well, it's almost time to hit the road.  Should be an amazing day!

I got some more playing in this morning before work.  No hardcore studying, per se, but I worked out a bit of the rust in my fingers. Did a little bit of listening on the way to and from work today.  The Dr. Dog record that I got from the most recent run of in-store play take-homes.  Between that, and the Gaslight, it leaves tomorrow on the way to the show  for Counting Crows show related listening. In spite of tomorrow's long day (with the show at the end of it), I'm hoping to get up early enough to get in a bit of playing (and a short blog post) before I leave to meet up with SL and head for Kansas City.  I can't believe the show is tomorrow.  Feels like we've had these tickets for a long, long time. The other musical thing I did today was to sit and watch Wilco's performance from Fallon the other night.  I've said it before in this space, but I'll say it again: they continue to be one of the most forward thinking, fascinating bands in music....

I'm feeling good tonight.  Just, relaxed and confident about the year ahead.  Maybe it's because, after five days of trying to find time and failing, I finally found time to sit with a guitar tonight and just play.  I can't even begin to describe how much I needed that sense of relaxation. Also, I think I've decided what August's focus is going to be.  If I'm going to be teaching, I need to freshen up on the one thing that everyone always seems to put off, but always needs to know just a little bit more about : theory. I've got a Hal Leonard book on theory as it relates to guitar, and some Berklee Press stuff, and probably a host of other resources.  It's time to dig them out and give myself that refresher that has probably been three years in the making.  I know I'm not going to learn it all in a month, mind you, but I need to do it before I start teaching again.  Besides, as long as I try to fit most of it into the context of learning songs, I ...

So, we got new in-store plays in yesterday, and I closed tonight and open tomorrow, so a day after I got to pick three to take home and keep , I brought home two more discs to listen to and import.  They are: 1) Pasion - Milos Karadaglic 2) The Ol' Razzle Dazzle - Missy Higgins I'll import those before bed tonight, for sure. Also, I made it through another four tracks on the new Gaslight Anthem record.  The album feels more aggressive than their last couple of records.  American Slang felt like they were trying to push the envelope a bit, stretch themselves out.  '59 Sound just felt classic. It was another day without much playing.  I'm starting to get antsy, looking for opportunities.  I'm really, really hoping that tomorrow night will offer me some time to sit with a guitar and start to really dive into year 3, as the first few days have really felt like lead-up to me.

It was time to purge some of the in-store plays at work today.  I walked away with 3 of them.  Here's the rundown: 1) Legendary Demos - Carole King 2) Be The Void - Dr. Dog 3) Air: The Bach Album - Anne Akiko Meyers I was curious about the Bach record because of an article I saw on NPR some months back.  In fact, I think I might have made mention of it in this very space.  Here's the link on that one, just in case you were curious: http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2012/02/06/146465231/violinist-anne-akiko-meyers-from-playing-in-knee-socks-to-owning-two-strads The coolest part of that record is that she plays both violin parts on Bach's Concerto for two Violins, strings and continuo in D minor.  Apparently, her two violins sound different enough that she could pull it off.  I haven't actually listened to the record yet, but I'll definitely comment on the differences when I get around to it. I played for a little bit today before work, bu...

I picked up the new issues of Guitar World and Acoustic Guitar today.  The new issue of AG has a big article on Justin Townes Earle.  It's also got a transcription of his solo acoustic version of "Harlem River Blues."  While I'd rather have learned the version from the record, the chords, I'm sure, will be the same. Started my Gaslight listening binge tonight.  Made it through 3/4 of '59 Sound , and about half of American Slang .  Oh, and I got through the same three songs from Handwritten that I got through last night on the way home from work, too.  Same trip, same songs.  Probably not a coincidence. Made a bit of progress when it comes to figuring out when my lessons will start up today as well.  Right now it's between the middle of August and the second week in September.  I'll have to huddle with the folks who want me to teach them and figure it out from there.  Gave my name and number to someone looking to refresh his memory o...

So, my copy of the new Gaslight record came in today.  It's fun to start the new blog year with a new record to listen to.  I made it through the first three tracks or so on my way home from work.  It's pretty solid so far.  I'm really digging on the first single, too.  I'll get through the whole record, and then let my feelings be known. I did a little bit of playing tonight.  Initially, I had planned on starting the year with a marathon session, but I had a phone interview tonight (and subsequent calls to SL and other family) that chewed up some time.  Guess my marathon session can happen tomorrow night.  I get done early (3:30), so it should leave me with plenty of time. I watched the Jimmy Fallon music special on NBC tonight.  He's a funny guy normally, but his musical hijinks are always spot on, so that was a fun way to spend 45 minutes. Haven't gotten around to putting the last three Gaslight records in the stereo yet either....

So, today was the first Tuesday in forever that I had an order in at work, and didn't go in on an off day to pick it up.  Handwritten , the new Gaslight Anthem record dropped today, and I'm fairly certain that my copy of it will be waiting for me when I get to work in the morning.  I'm expecting that I'll have at least an hour tomorrow, uninterrupted, to listen to the whole thing.  Even if I am a day behind, it'll still be awesome.  Also planned for tomorrow is having '59 Sound, American Slang, & Handwritten in the stereo at the same time.  So thankful for a 3 Disc Changer! The only other thing I discovered today was this: There are weekly jam sessions at The Gathering Place in Cherokee.  This will be a great way to not only meet, and make friends with new people who play, but could also be an excellent way to pick up new guitar students.  From what I hear, there are those in town who are excited to have another voice around who can teach guita...

Closing in on the end of the second year of the blog, here.  That's both exciting and scary at the same time.  It's exciting because I know I've made some progress in the last two years, and because I know I'm 48 hours from a fresh start, a new year to learn and explore and play and improve.  It's scary because on some level I can't believe that it's been two years already, and because I know there's more I could have done to improve in the last two years.  I know it doesn't pay to wonder about times gone by, so I'm not going to dwell on it that much, I'm just going to vow to do better in year three than I did in years one and two. Kept plugging away today in an effort to finish something off for N.  I printed out a tab for "House Of The Rising Sun," if only to make things easier for N.  Picking patterns can be tough to figure out for people just starting out.  The tab will go in the folder, along with some chord sheets (majors ...

So, in preparation for getting together with N., I played through some of "House Of The Rising Sun."  I had learned at least a part of it a long, long time ago.  It's a really simple structure, with a picking pattern that goes by quickly initially, only to slow down after a few listens. After that, I did some blues stuff.  I've had this Hal Leonard book on Blues Guitar for a few years now, and somehow until tonight, I had never taken the CD that comes with the book out of its plastic wrapping in the back of the book.  Tonight I went through with it, and played through the first few examples out of the book.  Some of it went faster than I expected, but sticking with it let me make some progress toward improvement. That may be the biggest lesson I've learned in the last two years: the best way to get make good strides is just to fight off the negativity that comes with not figuring something out right away, and stick with it, for if I keep going, I always brea...

So, tonight was a closing shift with an open tomorrow, which meant that I got to take home music.  Here's what I ended up with: 1) Suzie Cracks The Whip - Blues Traveler 2) Selftitled - The Lumineers 3) Selftitled - Walk The Moon The two albums that I really wanted , but weren't the full record were these two: 1) Big Moon Ritual - Chris Robinson Brotherhood 2) There's No Leaving Now - Tallest Man On Earth The Tallest Man On Earth album is something that I like well enough to buy, and will definitely do so at some point. The Chris Robinson record is more of a curiosity, and in the end I know it'll just make me miss the Black Crowes. That's really all I've got tonight... I promise I'll get back to the playing thing in tomorrow's post.

Only one thing really to talk about tonight.  SL and I had dinner with N. after I got done with work, and so I got to talk to him for a second about all of the assorted guitar stuff that has been bouncing around in my head.  Here's what he told me he was comfortable with: - A minor - E minor - G major C major he said gives him trouble. Essentially, he's worked through "House Of The Rising Sun," and not much else.  I can do this.  I can take someone from what is essentially the very start, and turn them into a competent player, all while improving my own skills and knowledge base. I told N. I'd started pondering ideas for a folder for him, and he seemed excited about it.  It'll be a cool way to start this teaching journey. That's really all for today.  I'll have more to talk about tomorrow night, I promise.

A few things to talk about today... First, I know I had said last night that I was going to wait to start N.'s lesson folder until early next week.  Then I talked to SL tonight, and she told me that N. wants to have dinner with us tomorrow after I get off work.  Feels a bit like I ought to have something to give him tomorrow, even if he doesn't use it until we get together (whenever that ends up being).  That said, I'll start in on his folder tonight before I go to bed/tomorrow morning before work. Secondly, I'm feeling myself sliding into an acoustic stage the last couple of days.  Between the Tallest Man On Earth EP, and the fact that nothing loud has really sounded good to me in the last 24 hours or so.  It feels headed that way.  Doesn't hurt that "Million Dollar Bill" and "Codeine" have hit the spot musically today.  I'll put the question out there again that always seems to come up when I enter one of these stretches... does it mean...

Waited until late in the day to sneak out of the house.  Wound up at the mall, and discovered that FYE had one of the EP's by The Tallest Man On Earth, Sometimes The Blues Is Just A Passing Bird .  I think I've made mention of them (or rather, him) at least once in the last week or so.  He sounds like early Dylan, only with clearer enunciation.  We've got his new record, There's No Leaving Now , as an in-store play at work, and I really love the new record, so actually finding another one in a store meant an automatic pickup.  I looked for the new Marcy Playground too (again, curiosity), but they didn't have it. When I got home tonight, I pulled a few of the magazines and books that deal with fretboard knowledge and memorization.  I'm finding good stuff, and my current goal is to have things in great shape by the first day of the 3rd year of the blog.  I really want to be in a positive spot going into the next 365 days of the blog. The other thing ...

So, yeah, today was Tuesday.  And if you've followed me at all in the last couple of years, you know that one of my favorite days of the week is New Release Tuesday.  I held off on buying anything today, but there were three records that stood out to me from today's releases: 1) Lunch, Recess, & Detention - Marcy Playground 2) Clusterfunk - Shuffle Demons 3) Pasion - Milos Karadaglic Admittedly, the third one on that list is the most serious of the bunch.  I discovered Milos on YouTube last year, bought his first record, and really enjoyed it.  It was the first classical CD I had purchased in a long time.  Indeed, his new record was the closest I came to a purchase today. The Marcy Playground record is just one of those that intrigues me.  I've picked up one other record after their first one, and they make interesting rock music with a bit of a pop sheen to them. And I'll be honest, I've never heard of the Shuffle Demons, but between their b...

So, I had a few different spates of playing this afternoon and evening.  After a morning of running errands and getting other things crossed off my list, it felt really good to just sit with a guitar  in my hands for a while.  I know it should have been more focused practice, but I figure that, between going in late tomorrow and having Wednesday off, I was entitled to just get my fingers re-acquainted today, and save the heavy lifting for those couple of days.  That said, I spent a few minutes today with the CAGED system of fretboard knowledge.  It's one of those things that I've always heard more about than actually investigated , in spite of having various articles and books that are proponents of it in my collection. I didn't do as good of a job with the listening or importing today as I had hoped to.  The importing, however, can easily be cranked out in the morning before I go in to work.  No worries at all in that regard. In a way, it's prob...

Well, on first listen I was underwhelmed by Motion City Soundtrack's My Dinosaur Life .  And yet, while it wasn't the giant explosion of musical awesomeness that it had been billed as, I did find one diamond in and amongst all of the other rough.  It came in the form of "Stand Too Close," the seventh track on the album.  That , my friends, is a song that I can see generating a lot of plays in my itunes.  Another thing that dawned on me today.  At some point, I'd really like to own a ukelele.  They've had these unbelievably cheap uke packs at work for the last couple of Christmases or so, but the instruments appear to be so poorly made that it wouldn't even be worth it.  That said, I found a cool website online today that gave a few hints on how to simulate a uke on an acoustic guitar.  Apparently, if you put a capo at the 5th fret, and then play ukelele chord shapes on the 4 highest strings, you can get close.  Especially if you've got a ny...

It always amazes me what having a day off will do for my ability to think, and process, and plan things out.  I started getting flashes of ideas this morning.  I'm starting to see the shape that the teaching/practice binder needs to take.  I'm just going to let the thoughts percolate there all day, and see if there isn't anything else that pops up.  Knowing, even roughly, where it needs to start (in the place I never got the best education... the way the notes are laid out, and then building from there into scale patterns, etc.) lets me know I'm on the right track here. Also, I'm taking that Motion City Soundtrack record along for my drive today.  I should just be able to fit in a whole listen before I get to the meeting point.  And then another on the way home tonight.  Why is it, I wonder, that the only place I get to listen to an album in its entirety anymore is the one place I can't really devote my full attention to it... the car?

A little more blues on the docket today.  I ran through the various backing tracks for Clapton's version of "I'm Tore Down."  Hadn't done that in a month or so.  It was good.  There are a couple of really cool riffs in there that get even sweeter when you sit with them for long enough to let your hands just relax. I've also got a small Blues Guitar book that Hal Leonard put out a number of years back.  It's got lessons and songs in it, with a CD in the back for enhanced learning. I've been thinking about various units of study for the last day or so.  Along with the Beatles unit, there's definitely going to be a blues unit.  I just can't decide whether to include jazz & swing in with blues, or whether to make that a separate area of study. I'm starting to wonder whether or not I'll end up with a publishable book for the teaching of guitar out of this.  Not in any serious way, mind you, not yet, but in that far off, distant k...

So, it just dawned on me that there are only 12 days until the end of the second year of this process.  Wow, has the last year gone fast!  I know I probably said this at about this point last year (and at some point I'll go back and check), but I fee like, heading into year three of this process, I'm possibly in the best shape I could possibly be, given the progress that has (or hasn't) been made up to this point. Sometime in either August or September, I'm going to start teaching again.  First time in a long time.  I had challenged myself at the beginning of the month to be ready for whatever musical challenges that would bring.  I'm not there yet, but I'm getting closer than I was at the start of the month.  The blog review has helped with that feeling. I got a chance to sit down and play a bit tonight for the first time in what felt like forever.  It feels good, if a bit foreign.  All of this time off from playing is killing me.  It se...

So, after all of the excitement over finishing off the blog review yesterday, I spent some of tonight making sure that the resources I need in order to really get down to the nitty gritty of assembling things were in the right order.  There are so many articles, so many lessons, and so many transcriptions to look at, to consider, to make use of. I didn't really get to play this afternoon, but I started a bit of the teaching process, and that feels like a step in the right direction today. I really wanted to be able to just sit for a while tonight, do some listening, and do some playing, but it never quite came together tonight.  Tomorrow night is wide open, and I've got to set aside some serious time with a guitar in my hands. Forgot to mention this last night: I chatted with B. for a little bit.  We didn't get around to much music stuff, but B. admitted that last night was the first time in a week or more that she had a chance to sit down and play.  Knowing th...

I finally did it.  I made it the rest of the way through the blog review today.  I found a few more things that made it into the notebook I've been keeping for inspirational purposes.   Just finishing that project off makes me feel good.  This was the one thing that I really needed to cross off so that I can incorporate everything from the last two years into the teaching I'm going to be doing. That's going to be the process that starts up tomorrow and continues until I start teaching and beyond. I did a bit of listening today, too.  Most of it in the car as I ran a few errands.  It was a Barenaked Ladies kind of day. Did I get to much playing today?  Not really, no, but for the first time in a long time, I crossed off what I wanted to on my list of musical accomplishments for the day.  I realize that it was an extremely short list, but it was a big item that got crossed off. That's really all I've got today.  I open tomorrow, so I'll...

So, Brandi Carlile's Tiny Desk Concert at NPR finally posted to their website today.  And, of course, today is the day that the video feeds on my computer decide they want to run slow.  So, I can hear the audio perfectly (and the audio is amazing), but the pictures are running way behind. I got a good portion of the re-organizing from being a) on vacation, and b) in Cherokee done today before I had to go to work.  Now it's just down to squaring away some of the stuff that has wound up in various piles around the apartment.  Once that's done, I can actually get back to accomplishing things, which at this point will both feel great and feel like a miracle. I'm off tomorrow.  First time in what feels like forever.  If I could have one goal for tomorrow it would be this: 1) Finish off the blog review. From there I can move on to what I'll be doing lesson-wise. I've really got to sit down and do some playing tomorrow too.  Band stuff.  Solo s...

Oh, today has been a decidedly fun hodgepodge of musical awesomeness. We've got a 6 song Stones sampler in the current run of in-store plays, and this fact alone started a conversation between myself and one of the managers about the always fun Beatles vs. Stones discussion.  He (and I) both prefer the Fab Four over the Stones, but still.  I believe his opening statement was something to the effect of "Y'know, on the whole, there are about 6 Rolling Stones songs that I really like , and this disc doesn't have all of them on it."  We both agreed that the Stones are more of an acquired taste than The Beatles are, which led us to a discussion of their musical brilliance, and that led me to proclaim "oh, have you seen the coolest Beatles thing ever made?" The coolest Beatles thing ever made, for those of you that haven't spent the last two years obsessively following my postings, is this: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/beatles-the-beatles/11017943...

So, I had a co-worker ask me randomly tonight if I had followed through on getting back in the studio.  Apparently we had talked about my musical aspirations a couple of months back.  I vaguely remember a conversation of that sort. Either way, I had to tell him that, while we got a bit of work done when I was home a few weeks back, we hadn't gotten to go into a real studio or anything like that.  I also told him that I'd keep him updated on my progress.  It was one of those conversations that gently reminded me that I need to get to work on that stuff again. Also of note today, I made it through all of April in my blog review, and got back on track with finding things to add to the notebook after having the entire month of March add nothing of much import to my plans for learning/teaching.  Getting closer to being caught up, and it's exciting. Early day tomorrow at work, which will hopefully give me a chunk of time tomorrow night to get some music stuff ac...

Cracked into the Charlie Watts record today, and listened to it on the way to (and from) work today.  It's as good as I expected it to be. Also, I finally got everything inside from the trip up to Cherokee.  Talked to a guy who lives upstairs on my way in with everything.  He plays guitar, and has a friend who books shows in the area.  "If you ever want to play some gigs," he says, "find me, and I'll put the word out for you." So, that part was cool.  Working on getting everything else assimilated back into the studio.  Not quite there yet, but I'm making a bit of progress. I've talked it up a lot in the last few weeks, but what I need to focus on this upcoming week is teaching stuff, and making some more progress in catching up on the blog review. Today was a quiet day.  Not much else to report.  Hopefully I can get down to business tomorrow, and get some things accomplished.  Still feeling out of the loop, what with just getting bac...

I was surprised to discover that my special order of Charlie Watts' boogie woogie record had come in!  In three days!  With a holiday in between!  Picked up a couple of other things as well, to take advantage of the "Buy 2, get the 3rd Free" sale we have going on at work right now.  What were the other two items, you ask? 1) My Dinosaur Life - Motion City Soundtrack 2) Under Great White Northern Lights (DVD) - The White Stripes One more quick note regarding the A, B, C, & D of Boogie Woogie.  Apparently there's a studio record from 2010 that's out there knocking around somewhere.  I searched high and low at work tonight, to no avail.  Actually, that's not entirely true.  I found it on the German version of Amazon.  Nothing in the States or the UK, though.  I'll find it eventually, though, I know. Not a whole lot else to report today, honestly.  I drove 3 hours, and then worked for 8.  Not much time to play today....

Well, it's official.  Tonight was my first 4th of July celebration where the radio played Miley Cyrus' "Party In The USA" before they played Springsteen's "Born In The USA."  Not sure how I feel about that, exactly, but I'll get back to you on that one at some point in the future. Other things of note today include getting to watch one of SL's best friends freak out about the fact that Five Iron Frenzy (a band I've always heard amazing things about without actually hearing ) has reunited and is recording a new album.  It always makes me smile to watch people geek out about music on the level that I geek out about music. Got all the way through the new Wandering Sons record on the way up.  Like, twice.  Cory and his band are brilliant.  I wish I could write that well.  Really need to get SL to listen to them. Wonder if my Boogie Woogie record will be there tomorrow.  Hmmm.... one can hope, right? One last thing today: R. met JEFF FUCKI...

Made it through March in the blog review this morning.  Getting closer to being caught up.  The one thing that struck me as odd, at least initially, was that March was the first month that I've gone through where I didn't find anything to add to the notebook.  Upon further review, however, it sort of makes sense.  I was doing more songwriting in March than anything else.  And tinkering with bits and pieces of various chord progressions isn't necessarily conducive to learning anything technically constructive.  Had I been blocking out the chords and identifying intervals, I'd have added a TON of stuff, but that wasn't happening at that point.  Hopefully April and May and the like will more than make up for the lack of additions to the practice binder in March. I've decided on road music for my trip to Cherokee. 1) Fiona Apple's new record 2) The new Wandering Sons disc 3) The Big Star record(s) I saved from return a month ago, and have yet to actu...

Okay, so it's not often that I start a post with something that's not directly guitar related, but it's happening tonight.  One of my co-workers asked me tonight if I had happened to catch Jimmy Fallon last Friday night.  I hadn't.  He proceeded to tell me about the musical guest that night: The A, B, C, & D of Boogie Woogie.  It consists of two boogie woogie pianists, a stnad up bass player, and the one and only Charlie Watts (yes, that Charlie Watts) on drums.  The album, Live In Paris , came out June 26th.  Just hearing about the record made me order it on impulse.  There's video of their performance from Fallon on his website.  Here's the link: http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/video/friday-june-29-2012/1408344/ I made it to the end of February today in my blog review.  Only 4 months left until I'm caught up.  I'm getting closer, and I keep finding good stuff. Discovered a few music DVDs that might be mine at some poi...

So, I'm up through the first 200 days of year two in reviewing the blog.  Funny thing that I noticed tonight.  Day 200 was the first time that I wondered out loud (assuming, of course, that you can do that in words) just how much I could learn from going back to the beginning and looking through everything to see what it is I've attempted or hoped for or wanted to really get out of the blog in the last two years.  That was 142 days ago.  I can't decide, for the life of me, whether it's ridiculous that it's taken me this long to get close to finished going through it all, or whether it can be considered a victory, seeing as I ignored that impulse for the year and a half before that.  Either way, I'm feeling good about where things sit right now. I got some playing done this morning before work, which while short, was still good.  I'm looking at it right now more in connection with teaching than anything else, and I'm trying to figure out where (after th...