"Muse" - ings on Rock & Life

Another okay night. I had intended to sit down and do some work on the EP project, but things didn't go according to that particular plan.  Instead, I sat down with an old Guitar Techniques lesson on blues theory.  I didn't get as far into it as I would have liked to, but I made a bit of progress, and that was good. No listening to speak of tonight, but tomorrow will include a performance by Recycled Percussion, so that will be cool.

Tonight was an okay night.  I spent some time once again focused on theory.  I finally went back to those extra  resources I had found online the other day, and actually sat down with them for a few minutes.  I'm still convinced that they will add yet another dimension to my studying.  I haven't printed everything out yet, but I've got it all ready to go on that front. I did a bit of listening tonight, too.  Got a bit of the new stuff at least somewhat absorbed into my consciousness.  I'm feeling okay at the end of the night tonight.  We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Finally sat down and spent some time with the acoustic tonight.  There has been so much talk in my small circle of friends about acoustic music lately, whether it has been Dylan or the acoustic side of Jerry Garcia or the new Jason Isbell record, it has just been everywhere around me lately.  Not to mention the idea of the EP, and my constant feeling that if I am going to be writing, it should be done (or at least started ) on the acoustic. So, tonight, I sat down for a bit and tried to work my calluses back into shape.  I was at least somewhat successful, which is a good thing, and given that I have the morning off tomorrow, I should be able to get in at least a bit of playing before I have to have lunch and dash off to work. Made it through most of the latest issue of Guitar World tonight as well, which was good.

Tonight was a night when the time I got in the studio may have been on the shorter side, but absolutely all of it was time that I really needed to spend in the studio. I got some listening in tonight.  Nothing off of the pile of new things, but instead some older stuff that I love.  It was definitely a day where I needed the boost that well loved music can provide. As for the playing side of things, it was another mostly electric day, but I can feel myself leaning in a more acoustic direction tonight, so maybe this next week will be mostly focused on that side of things. Either way, as I head into the week, I know that I need to spend a lot of my energy focused on songwriting, while at the same time trying to get caught up on the backlog of new music that has piled up in the last month or so.  I'm really hoping that it's a good week for music.  I feel like I need it.

Today was an okay day.  I got some playing in a few different times today, first in the early afternoon, and then again on the late side tonight. My earlier session was spent with the electric in my hands, sitting in front of my laptop, refreshing my memory on a few songs that I've started to learn a few times ("Radio" by Alkaline Trio among them). As for my second session, there was a little bit of songwriting, and a little bit of theory work. Other things that got done today included gathering up everything that had gotten scattered around the house since the WI trip and getting it moved back into the studio.  I also made a run to the music store, where I picked up the following: Every Open Eye (Deluxe Edition) - Chvrches Higher Truth - Chris Cornell Better Nature - Silversun Pickups Dodge & Burn - The Dead Weather Not a bad day.

Tonight was at least a little bit better than last night, which feels like an improvement. Most of it was centered on theory (again), but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, because I found a few articles that helped to shed some more light on the things I've been working on.  It was the kind of start to the weekend that I was hoping for.  Nothing too heavy for a Friday night, but enough of a spark there to get me up and moving tomorrow morning. The Mrs. has already said that she will have to spend a chunk of time working on homework tomorrow, which will free me up to get some good work done in the studio.  Can't wait!

Tonight was another quiet one.  The way things are going, I'm really going to need the weekend to be huge. I finally got a chance to sit down and start going through the latest round of guitar magazines.  That's only taken me almost the entire week.  Things have just been too busy since we got home from WI.  I did get a bit of a chance to sit down and play tonight, also, but there wasn't a whole lot of new ground that ended up getting covered. I'm really hoping that I can get things back to a bit of normalcy over the next few days, and that it carries over into next week. 

Another long day, and another quiet night when it comes to getting in some actual practicing. I did , however, manage to have some pretty great musical conversations after work, when a few of us went out for drinks.  I always enjoy hearing what other people are listening to, what they don't like, and what they have loved for years and years.  Two hours of conversation tonight gave me enough fodder to spur my listening for a few weeks (at least). When I got home, I sat with the electric for a bit, but didn't really make much in the way of progress.  Tomorrow night after work, I really need to buckle down and spend a good chunk of time in the studio. That's really it for the day.

Today was a quiet day where the music is concerned. I spent most of the free part of my evening sitting on the couch with the electric in my hands, working my way through a mixture of scales, notes, and riffs.  It was nice to zone out at least a little bit and just play for a while. Started in on the Ryan Adams version of 1989.  It's fascinating to hear those songs in a completely different vein.  I even went so far as to create a playlist with the Swift versions of the songs, followed by the Adams version.  I made it about halfway through both albums.  Just listening to the changes in the arrangements is a class in songwriting.  Great stuff at the end of a really long day.

Well, it has taken about a week of looking at theory-related things on a regular basis, but I'm at the point where the things I've been working on are starting to take hold somewhat.  It's always a good feeling when things start to lock in, whether it's working on my own songs, learning something by an artist I respect, or working to further my knowledge. Did I get as much time to focus on music today as I had hoped to? No, but I'm getting somewhere nonetheless, and that I will take. The other thing I did today was buy Ryan Adams' version of 1989 .  Some part of me is surprised that it received an actual release, but I'm so stoked that it did, if only to hear what one of the most prolific songwriters of our generation does with one of the biggest pop albums in the last few years. Today was either a good end to the weekend or a good start to the week, I can't decide.

We made it home from WI on the late side of things tonight.  Late enough that not much got done music-wise, short of getting everything I took with me hauled inside and put down in the general vicinity of the studio.  I'll get everything moved back in and organized tomorrow morning when I get up and get moving, but for now, here's a rundown of all the music I managed to find in WI: Live At The Greek - Jimmy Page & The Black Crowes The Devil & God Are Raging Inside Me - Brand New Selftitled - Days Of The New The Definitive Collection: 1983-1997 - Steve Earle Not a bad collection of music, if I don't say so myself.  Can't wait to dive in and do some listening along with my playing tomorrow. That's really all I've got for today.

Today was a day filled with travel. The fact that it had trips to Half Price Books and B&N in it was just an added bonus. I picked up the latest issues of Guitar World and Guitar Techniques, and also managed to find a good bit of music at HPB. There wasn't much time to actually sit down and play, but I am hoping that tomorrow will bring that chance.

So, the main goal tonight was too pack for the trip up north, and I'm happy to say that, in and around the playing and the listening this evening, that actually got done.  Here's what is going along with me on our (admittedly short) trip to WI: 1) The EP 2) The Vai Workouuts 3) The GW Columns 4) The Alchemical Guitarist columns by Richard Lloyd. Definitely enough to keep me entertained, but not so much as to overwhelm me and leave me spinning my wheels, or so I hope. Tonight was okay, but the next few days will be better.

Another night, another limited chance to hide out in the studio. True to form for the week, though, when I did manage to sneak in there this evening, I kept up the theory focus, trying to polish up a couple of things that needed work.  While I didn't get a whole lot of time, I still felt like I made some progress this evening.  What I'm really looking forward to, though, is tomorrow night and the weekend.  We're headed up north to see family, but whenever we're up there, I'm usually pretty good about finding at least a chunk of time every day to sit down and play.  Should be a good weekend.

Another day, another meeting that ran at least an hour longer than I was expecting it to. Still, I managed to get into the studio for at least a few minutes, and while I was in there, I kept the focus on the theory side of things.  Again, with a bit more work tonight, I find myself feeling more comfortable with things.  Progress is being made, albeit slowly this week. The other cool thing: my Amazon order came today, which finishes off my collection of studio albums by Guster, with Ganging Up On The Sun being the last album I needed.  Slowly but surely, I am filling in the missing pieces in my collection. Today was okay, but I am hoping that tomorrow won't have anything unexpected in it, and thereby, that I will be able to steal a bit more time with a guitar in my hands than I've been able to the last couple of nights.

Tonight was a good night.  I had a meeting after work that ran later than I was expecting, but I still found time to sneak into the studio and get a few things done. 1) I dove back into the EP for a little bit.  I'm still pretty happy with where I'm at, but there are a few bugs to work out in one of the more recent song ideas.  I expected that, at least a little bit, so it's okay, and it will get sorted out by the end of the week. 2) I kept working on theory stuff.  More specifically, the GW columns that have gotten a bit of attention here and there throughout the year.  What I really need to do is make those the centerpiece of things for the rest of the year, and just progress through them as much as I can. 3) I worked on learning a few things by ear.  I haven't added anything to my notebook of songs I've figured out from radio & CD in a long time, and that felt like a necessary (and good) thing to spend a bit of time getting back to. Can't wai...

Today wasn't the full-on day I was hoping for, but it was an improvement over the last few days, and I'll take that as a sign of progress at the start of the week. Again, it was a day that was theory-centered.  Things are getting better in that respect.  What it really comes down to for me (and for anyone, really) is spending time on things every day, even if it's only a few minutes at a time.  That's not to say that I made the absolute most of my time today, but for the time I had, I did all right. What I really need is to stay focused for the rest of the week, and see where that leaves me come next weekend.  I'm really hopeful that it's going to be a good week for me.  Tomorrow, I need to spend some actual time with the EP.

Today was a quiet sort of day.  I wasn't expecting that when I woke up this morning, but that was the direction the day took.  Knowing that (and the way it feels), I need to have a better day tomorrow. With that out there early, when I did get into the studio tonight, I spent some time focused on the theory side of things.  I hadn't looked at much in that regard recently, so it was good to get back to it.  What I really need to do is set up a practice routine that incorporates at least a few minutes of that every day. Things I didn't get to today included listening and the EP, but I'm hopeful that those things can be worked on tomorrow. The last two days have been fairly low key.  That needs to change tomorrow.

Today was an okay day.  Nothing spectacular, but a steady day all around. We stopped at the mall long enough for me to ascertain that new music magazines aren't out yet, and also to pick up a couple of new CDs.  Here's what ended up coming home with me: The Great Unknown - Rob Thomas The Story Of Sonny Boy Slim - Gary Clark, Jr. Tonight I was able to carve out a bit of time in the studio, but not quite as much as I thought I might at the start of the day.  I used that time to get reacquainted with what I had been working on for the EP, as there hadn't been a tpn of time for that the last couple of days.  I'm still feeling pretty good about where I sit, and I'm hopeful that tomorrow will bring more time to work on things.

I really only had one thing on my agenda for tonight, and it was a fairly simple task.  All I set out to do was get everything from our trip across the state moved back into the studio.  That didn't happen until fairly late in the evening tonight, but it happened.  After getting that done, I took a few minutes to do a bit of listening, and paged through my notebook of ideas for a moment or two, but I'm leaving a lot of the heavy lifting for tomorrow.  The Mrs. will be busy getting caught up on schoolwork for a lot of the day, which will give me a nice chunk of time to get back to work in the studio.  Should be a good day tomorrow, and a good weekend for getting some things done.

Today was a day full of cars.  Rides to and from the funeral home, to and from the graveside service, and then all the way back across the state to get home.  As such, my day didn't have much to offer in the way of music, and aside from a few minutes before everything got going this morning, there weren't a whole lot of opportunities to sit down and play. That said, I got everything I brought along (which wasn't much) hauled back into the house tonight when we got in.  I'll move back into the studio tomorrow, either in a few quick minutes before work, or most likely at the end of my work day. I spent a lot of time thinking about the EP today, though, and I'm really looking forward to getting back to work on things this weekend. Today was a long day.  More tomorrow, and much, much better.

Any day where your three year old niece asks if you know how to play "Uptown Funk" on guitar is always a good day. In all of the waiting around for wake/visitation things today, I actually found myself with a little bit of time to sit down and play some guitar today. It wasn't a chance to get into anything too serious, but I was able to just hang out with the electric in my hands, and that felt like something of an accomplishment, given how busy family stuff usually is. All told, I got more time today than I expected to, so it was a good day.

So, most of the day was split up between working and being on the road to Northwest Iowa. That said, there wasn't a whole lot of time for playing today, but I brought the Strat along with me, as well as the Vai workouts and the GW columns. The only other thing that made the trip was my notebook full of song ideas. Not sure how much time I'm going to have the next couple of days, but I am hoping to find a bit of time to sit down and play.

Today was a good day.  We spent part of it in Madison, having lunch and then hanging out for a bit with my Dad and Step-Mom.  Part of that hanging out was spent at a B&N, and while I didn't set foot in their music department (nothing can top the high of the Dylan yesterday... yet), I found an issue of Total Guitar that focused, at least somewhat, on the acoustic side of things. One of the things that made me pick it up was the article about "30 chords all songwriters should know."  I was at least passingly familiar with most of them already, but just starting to page through the article tonight after we got home re-introduced me to the notion of Em9.  That, in turn, spurred me on to pick up the acoustic, and as a result, I've got myself another song idea sitting in my notebook.  The more I sit down and work on the EP, the more ideas I come up with.  I'm really not sure what I'm latching onto here, but at the very least it may well be a series of EPs...

Today was a better day. Just to get it out of the way quickly: I stopped and picked up Volume 8 of the Dylan Bootlegs this afternoon, which completes my set (for now).  Somehow, that's exciting, and between all of that and the Zeppelin reissues, I could have all of my listening set for the rest of the year. Now, on to the fun part of the day... I was mulling over my issues with what I'd like to be the opening track for the EP on the way down to church this morning.  Somewhere during that process, my mind made note of an idea that I had put down over a drum loop at least four years ago.  It wasn't all that much to write home about back then, 30-45 seconds of music dropped over some drums that a co-writer had sent me.  An idea that, essentially, went nowhere at the time.  I, however, save everything when it comes to recording, so tonight I went digging back through everything in search of this small clip of music.  Somewhat surprisingly, it didn't take ...

Today was an okay day.  It wasn't as music-filled as I was hoping for it to be, in part because we lost our last grandparent today, and that managed to suck all the wind (and most of the energy) out of the day. So, needless to say, when I got in the studio tonight, I wasn't as focused as I otherwise would have been.  Still, I managed to set the raw emotion of the day aside a little bit and try to get some work done on the EP.  I wasn't entirely successful, but I did experiment with a few things, and a few sounds for a couple of the chord progressions I've been working with, and I might be on to something.  It will need a good bit of my full attention tomorrow to see if I'm right about that, but I'm optimistic that I'll have that time. One other fun note: I got the call yesterday that the last of the Dylan Bootlegs I was missing (Volume 8) had come in at the local record store.  I'll have to swing over there tomorrow to complete my set of the first 11...

Tonight was a good night on a couple of fronts.  Just about the only downside to the evening was, again, not spending enough time in the studio, but I don't want to dwell on that, so here's what got done: 1) I spent a bit more time on theory things tonight, which was good.  I'm really hoping to be able to fit in a long session with all of that over the next few days.  Not only could it kickstart the final season of the year for me, but I think a good long sit down will help me out leaps and bounds from an understanding side of things, too.  I need to be farther along by the end of the year than I am now. 2) The second thing that got done tonight involves the other thing I feel like I need to finish off by the end of the year.  I made a bit more progress where the music is concerned for the EP.  I've almost got another song finished off, there are a few more things that need to click in for the music to be done there, and I'm hopeful that I can get that ...

There wasn't as much time for music tonight as I would have liked, but I used the time I did have at least somewhat productively, so I'll take it. Tonight I went back to the GW columns that I was working off of earlier in the year.  It was a short session, but all I was hoping to get out of it was a re-introduction to what I had been working on, and a check on how much of it was still fresh in my mind.  With those factors to consider, I feel like I did pretty well. If nothing else, it was a good way to work myself back into that mindset, while still getting in a bit of playing. Tomorrow will be a better day.

Today was a good day.  It was exactly what I needed.  I got a chance to take a couple of good looks at the EP project, and I was able to make what felt like something in the way of progress.  Slowly but surely the pieces are falling into place on that project.  More slowly than I had been hoping, yes, but progress is still progress.  I'm not to the point of writing lyrics yet, either, although any phrases that pop up are definitely being jotted down. There was a bit of time to fit in some listening today, as well, so I took advantage of that when I could.  I had gotten a call from the record store that something I ordered had come in, which was fun because I had no clue whatsoever what I had ordered.  Turns out it was Party Adjacent , Dan Andriano's new record.  I also grabbed the new Mynabirds record, and the latest album by JD McPherson. I felt like I did okay at balancing things and being productive today, although I missed out on a few t...

So, it turns out that I'm getting my time off after all. And somehow I even got lucky enough to have it happen tomorrow, right smack in the middle of the week.  Knowing that, I only had one thing that I really felt needed to get done tonight: I needed to spend a few minutes of time figuring out exactly what (in a perfect world) I would get done tomorrow.  So, tonight, when I made it into the studio, I put on my headphones, did some listening, and proceeded to block out my tomorrow. Some of it is simple and obvious (charging the iPod, doing some listening, etc.), some of it is EP focused (finishing off progressions and maybe taking a look at lyrics), and some of it is more centered on practicing (Vai Workouts, GW Columns).  All told, it was a decent sized list, but something I can definitely get done if I stay on task tomorrow. Knowing how badly I needed a day to play catch-up, I'm confident I'll get a good chunk, if not all of it, done.