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Day One Hundred Fifty One (Year Three)

Say what you will about the 22nd of December being too early to write about musical goals for next year, I'm doing it anyway.  I was sitting on the couch tonight, talking with the Mrs., and she put forth a reaction to a statement that had come up in conversation late last night. 

I've been stressing out lately over the fact that I haven't done enough musically.  It got to the point last night where I was so distraught that I wondered aloud why I even kept the studio stuff out if it was never going to get any use.  This statement, of course, started a conversation about how I needed to take time for music if I felt it was seriously lacking of late.  I'm so lucky to have such a supportive and understanding wife.

Tonight, she says, making obvious reference to last night's conversation, that she thinks I "should record a song a month next year."  Now, more writing and recording were already on the mental list I have been making in my head, but that's beside the point.  It's true, I need to do more with my studio stuff.  I've had it for how long now?  And, while it's been a part of some great experiences over that period of time, how much have I actually finished?

So here's my plan:  Along with all of my other musical activities, I'm finishing and recording a song a month in 2013.  The theory being that, by the end of the year I'll have 12 songs (i.e. enough for a full album).  The Dave Grohl Challenge stuff is totally fair game, and will give me a nice jumping off point.  If I use all of those ideas, great.  If not, that's fine too.  Finding the germ of the idea has never been very hard for me.  Turning that germ into a fully formed, completed idea, however, that has proven to be difficult.

And here's why I'm posting about this before, say, New Year's Eve.  I've had this studio equipment for over a decade now.  Have I gone through the manual from start to finish since I got it?  Maybe once, the first week I had the thing.  If I'm going to do this, I'm going to learn as much as I possibly can in the process, and if I happen to upgrade to ProTools during the year (another goal), then all the better.

I know I can do this.  And I also know that, in order to get what I hear in my head to be what ends up getting recorded, I'll need to step up the playing as well.


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