There's no escaping it.
Where once ideal circumstances existed...
... now exist challenges and responsibilities.
Make the time to play guitar. To write. To be creative.
But not at the expense of the things that are your ultimate priority.
Family first always.
Especially when taken out by the norovirus.
Disinfect every surface, people.
Or suffer the consequences.......
For not keeping your promise.
For failing to pickup your guitar.
For putting other things, less important things, ahead of the things you want to accomplish.
Not everything can be pushed aside, but not everything should pull focus either.
Go play guitar and write a mini song and get back on a creative crawl.
You'll feel better for it.
When you don't feel like writing...
When you're uninspired...
When everything feels wrong...
Force yourself to write something...
A formulated idea. Something from nothing.
It beats doom scrolling for another 30 minutes...
So you might as well do.
Action is better than inaction.
Speaking in platitudes is... lazy? Unoriginal? A sign of being told what to think as opposed to thinking for yourself?
An original thought... can you come up with one?
So much has been thought of and forgotten by humanity already.
Writing and erasing and editing is a waste of time.
Your thoughts can end up being wrong.
That's okay.
You have permission to fail. As long as you learn from the failure.
Reading Our Band Could Be Your Life.
Having picked up a guitar everyday so far this year.
Hearing Chase play along to Metallica in his room.
Calloused fingertips.
Knowing I will be playing and writing later tonight.
This time I'll get it right.
I know exactly what I need to do.
---
About 45 voice memo ideas going back to the beginning of December.
It's time to sift through and look for diamonds in the rough. And then sit with the ideas that have potential and tend to them and water them and watch them grow.
Wait... are they diamonds or crops? Mixing metaphors is potentially confusing.
Writing is an anomaly.
One minute there's nothing. The next there's SOMEthing.
Out of thin air. Not necessarily completely original. But most definitely built with some parts that are singularly unique.
And when it's done well, it can change lives.
Stop thinking so much and let it happen.
Get everything out of your head.
Riffs, licks, chords, melodies, bits of lyrics if they happen in the moment.
Record them in some sort of voice memo app on your phone. I literally use Voice Memo on my iPhone.
Title them whatever feels right. This will change. Often. Make sure you include the word "idea" at the end so you can search and find all the ideas.
Let them sit. Listen to these ideas a couple times a week and if anything sticks out, give it some deep work time.
Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
Writing more music?
Recording more songs?
Releasing an album?
Reaching more people?
Having fun?
Becoming a better musician?
Telling good stories?
Making money?
Playing live shows?
Connecting with people?
...
Keeping the promise to yourself?
Finger endurance, strength, and flexibility.
Learning more covers.
Writing (documenting) more, but also not forcing it. Just turn on the faucet and catch the water, adult.
Chord transitions but also the transitions within the transitions. Sometimes the fingering doesn't need to be fully formed at the beginning of the phrase. There are micro adjustments and movements and placements that exist among each transition. Figure out these moments and fit them in to the musicality of the phrasing. Yes, there is a script. But there's also room for tone, inflection, dynamics, nuance. The what should be enhanced by the how.
Pick up a guitar everyday, even if it's only for 120 seconds.
Have fun. If it's not fun, put it down after the prescribed 120 seconds.
But I'd rather post about more recording ideas...
Record drums in the house I grew up in.
2 and a half minutes or less for each song.
Power trio format.
3 part harmony vocals if it fits the song.
Travel topics: airports, restaurants, hotels, destinations, cruising, business trips, anniversary trips, travel with kids, boarding the dogs, renting cars, TSA pre-check, packing.
I... may or may not disregard the album theme limitation...
... 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.
Yes. I want an audience.
Yes. I want the music I make to be liked by a ton of people.
Yes. I want to reach as many people as possible.
But it starts with doing it for me.
If I don't spend time making (finishing) it, I'll never have an audience.
Doing it for me means keeping my promise to myself and finishing it.
Write the song. Record the song. Mix the song. Release the song.
That's the promise.
Keep it.
THEN I can worry about getting an audience.
