Drums or Guitar

If I had to choose... I think I would pick guitar. 

If only because the guitar is logistically less annoying than the drums. 

Volume-wise, setup-wise, technique-wise. 

But... thankfully I don't have to choose. 

2026 Goals

 GLASS PLATES

1. 12,000 push-ups (33 a day)
2. 12,000 squats (33 a day)
3. 500 blog posts
4. 12 recorded songs (drums, guitars, bass, vox)
5. Play guitar for at least 2 minutes every day I sleep in my own bed

PLASTIC PLATES

1. 6 rounds of golf
2. Read 12 books
3. Listen to 1 new album uninterrupted from start to finish every week

Suitcase Drumkit

 Snare, hat, kick, crash/ride, block, tambourine?

Limits reveal creativity. 

Drum fills will be sparse. 

Everything will be in maximum service of the song. 

Songs I'd Like to Write

A song that's one chord the entire time. 

A song that starts with the chorus. 

A song where every verse, chorus, bridge, etc. is based on a completely new musical motif but it all still fits. 

A song that starts with only bass. 

A song that starts with only drums. 

A song that starts with a harmonized riff on bass and guitar. 

A song that's just acoustic guitar and vocals. 

A song that's full band instrumental. 

A song that's traditional intro-verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus-outro. 

A song where the first chorus is a half version of the actual chorus. 

Even better if I can have all of these songs on a 10 song album. 

Start the Day

Start the day thinking about music. 

An idea for a riff. 

The latest cover I'm working on. 

Reference songs for what I want the suitcase album to sound like. 

The various placements for single mic drum recording.

It's never a bad thing to have music on the mind first thing in the morning. 

I am not that person...

 ... the one who can't watch themselves on video. 

... the one who hears the finished song in their head before it's done. 

... the one who practices a lot. 

... the one who maintains their instrument. 

... the one who writes lyrics before the music/melody. 

... the one who actually finishes most of the projects he starts. 

Some of these are innocuous. 

Others need to be changed ASAP. 

Self-awareness is a good thing if it leads to action. 

Writer's Block

Probably means the writer is too concerned with writing something good. 

And by writer I mean me. 

And by good I mean popular. 

And by concerned I mean debilitatingly obsessed. 

Probably better to singularly focus on the process of documenting thoughts and letting the reader figure out the rest. 

Cough Syrup by Young the Giant is a difficult song to play on guitar. 

My suitcase drumkit has no toms and limited cymbal options. 

I need somewhere to record drums. Not a place that will record them but a place where I can self record them with my own gear. The house I grew up in seems like a great option. 

Every entertainment medium is competing with every other source of attention seeking in the world. Which is why rage baiting is so prevalent. 

The Dodgers are going after Skubal. 

I love the Honda Center. 

Certain nail polishes chip more easily than others. 

I need to restring all of my guitars. 

Thinking vs. Doing

I think a lot. 

About writing songs, about playing instruments, about starting bands. 

Sometimes this leads to an explosion of output. 

New songs, documentation of guitar riffs/ideas, the beginnings of what a band could and would feel like. 

But most of the time...

I don't get past the thinking. The planning. The ideating. The analyzing. 

If I wanted to do it, I would. 

But sometimes the thinking is enough. 

Get in the habit of doing. Finish something. Take tangible steps forward every day. Even if it's only a step that travels inches. 

Life's too short and all that carpe diem accoutrement. 

Guitar

Was not my first choice. 

That was drums. 

But both have been wonderful muses. 

There's not always a point which in and of itself could be the point. 

Guitar is fun. Drums are fun. 

Maybe fun is the point. 

Maybe creating is the point. 

Maybe all of it is the point. 

It is, but it isn't. 

Eventually we all off have to get off the fence. 

Except no the fuck we don't. 

We have no choice but to keep going. 

And that's the point. 

My Next Kit

*Warning: Gear Geek Out Session Ahead!!!

I'm starting to drum more.

And I have a solid kit now (PDP FS 5 piece birch kit (sans snare) with a Sonor 1001 16" Floor Tom add on and a Ludwig steel snare), but I'm already looking ahead to the next kit that I'll be investing in.

I'd like it to be maple.

I'd like it to be a 6 piece (kick, snare, 2 rack toms, 2 floor toms).

I'd like it to be under $2000.

I've just started really looking (even if I'm a couple years away from actually making a purchase), but the first kit I've found that looks promising is the Mapex Saturn IV. Maple/ Walnut shells and the configuration that I'm looking for.

Now I just need to find a snare...

Ok... geek out session complete...

Three Days Down

Eighteen more to go.

They say it takes three weeks to create a habit.

Well, shit. I just read that article and the whole premise of this post is pretty much shot to all hell.

But that's okay, too. Realizing that you're wrong and that you have to re-examine your worldview. In a lot of ways, you have to work to make it a habit not to get stuck in a perspective that is incapable of flexibility.

What habits would I like to form?

Keeping the house clean.

Practicing drums daily.

Digging in to the difficult projects at work instead of just cherry-picking the easier tasks.

Actively listening instead of tuning out and only catching the (perceived) highlights of a conversation.

Putting down the phone.

Blogging.

Three days down... just gotta keep writing. Just gotta keep flexing that creativity muscle. It will help a lot of different aspects of my life. Just getting it on to the page, whatever "it" is...

Three doors down... wait... days...

Three days down.