Skip to main content

Day Seventy Seven (Year Four)

Swung by the local bookstore tonight in search of the new issue of Guitar World.  It's an anniversary issue for Nirvana's In Utero, out 20 years this year.  They didn't have it in stock yet, but they did have the new issues of Guitar Techniques and Acoustic Guitar.  The new issue of AG has a cover story on Jason Isbell's latest record, Southeastern, that came out back in June.  It was a record that I was really looking forward to this summer, and also one that got at least somewhat lost in the shuffle of an impending move.  Reading the cover story got me to pull out the record again, and it's one of those albums that feels like an old friend, even after only a few spins.  Isbell's songwriting was great when he was with the Drive By Truckers, and his first few solo records kept that up, but this latest one ups the ante.

In that spirit, and still thinking about learning cover songs and finding an open mic, I found the chords for two of his songs, one called "Stockholm" that comes from the new record, and one from his 2007 release, Sirens Of The Ditch, called "Dress Blues."  They're both great songs that share some similarities in their chord progressions.  It made them easier to learn, for sure, and I worked them both over pretty well during tonight's time in the studio.  Next step involved there?  Getting more comfortable with my vocals.

Other stuff I worked on tonight included the Guitar Aerobics lick of the day (lick #3 of week 2), and as per usual this week, a little bit more lead guitar stuff from a GW DVD booklet.

All told, it was another really good day that, if I'm completely honest, could have used a bit more time in the studio than I gave it.  So many opportunities to get better.  I need to try and take full advantage of each and every one of them.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

DayOne Hundred Sixty Nine (Year Eight)

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

Day Two Hundred Six (Year Four)

Today was the first official day of the second half of my "album-in-a-month" challenge. As for today's goals, I wanted to see what I could get done in regards to track order, and get at least a little bit of a start on the lyric writing process. I spent more time working on the track order question than I did on the lyrics today, but as a result of that, I ended up with something that I think will work in terms of order. I did sit with the notebook for a few minutes at the very end of the day, and got a solid starting line of lyric and some other ideas that I hope will be jumping off points for lyrics. What I'm thinking I might do, however, is switch my focus from the lyric writing part of the process directly to the recording part of the process.  That way, if I can get the music recorded and burned onto a CD, I can take the music with me in the car, and listen and try to see what images and thoughts the music brings up.  It's a tactic that has worked for...
Post a Comment
Read more

Day One Hundred Thirty (Year Five)

I got more time in the studio today than I have in a long time.  It wasn't quite enough for me (as always), but it was a productive re-introduction, I thought, to my life in the studio.  I: 1) Got a bit of reading done in Songs & Solos 2) Dragged out the tab book for Recovering The Satellites in preparation for the Counting Crows shows that are coming this month.  Worked on a bit of "A Long December," and a bit of "Have You Seen Me Lately."  What struck me, in taking a closer look at the tab, were the fills and arpeggios that make up a lot of the non-vocal melody.  It's fun to play, and it comes as a teaching opportunity when it comes to songwriting. 3)  I decided on the Tom Waits Biography, Low Side Of The Road for my music reading this month. 4) I didn't get to as much of the lead guitar & fretboard work as I would have liked to, but that will give me something to focus on as the week goes along. All told, it was a really good day....
Post a Comment
Read more