Mindspew About My Musical Journey

spinland
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Wed Mar 29, 2017 7:14 am

Maybe there's a case for this thread going into Off Topic, but my first feeling is this is a good place for it.

You may have noticed I like to yap. A lot. When a topic grabs my interest it's hard to get me to shut up about it. Sometimes my musings—even when they're complete bunkum—might be interesting or useful to someone else thinking some of the same things.

Maybe not.

I'm essentially a rank beginner starting over nearly from scratch, and the things going through my head (and fingers) as I slowly progress in my journey matter to me and I feel like sharing them. Please skip, or hide, or block, or whatever this forum allows to do for this thread if you don't want to see it in your feed. :)

So, motivation and drive. This morning I spent over 20 minutes in front of a metronome, first just scratching (strumming while deadening the strings with my fretting hand so as to focus purely on right hand work) a 4/4 beat in eighths at 120 beats per minute, then I started adding chord changes on the 1 beat. Only after I was relaxed and hitting the marks did I expand the strums into 16ths, and then started improvising some more complicated rhythms than simple ballad patterns. Next comes chord changes every two beats but I'm not going there until I'm totally comfortable with the first exercise. Probably later this morning.

Not once was I bored, or looking at the clock. I was feeling the groove, looking forward to having it so ingrained I can improvise my right hand without losing the beat, and relishing my progress.

Once upon I time I viewed practicing (anything, really) as tedious. Rush through, jump ahead as quickly as you can to the final part, bang it out, then move on. Right now I have a song burning a hole in my brain that I'm itching to get out there, but I am not going anywhere until the foundation of the song is solid and I can play it relaxed, organically, and not mechanically banging out strum patterns.

Life is good. :side:

Mark


spinland
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Thu Mar 30, 2017 2:33 pm

Hitting one of the roadblocks. When I all but abandoned Facebook as a toxic waste pit unsuitable for my psyche, I stayed only to remain active in a guitar group there where I enjoy interacting. They've started a Friday "mic night" for posting your performance videos; like busking here but on a timeline.

I want to put up something there tomorrow. I can FEEL it, I want it so bad. But, thus far I'm not progressing quickly enough to have it record-ready on that schedule. Maybe a miracle will happen before the time slot closes and I'll realize a recording I can live with; maybe not.

I want this, so much...and I also have to accept my human limits and what I can accomplish on a given timeline.

Zen. I've read the Tao De Chung, and the Book of Five Rings, and thought I grokked their meanings, but it takes life connection to fully grok what those thought masters were trying to teach us.

I love this; all of this, speed bumps and all.

Peace and love.

Mark


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daryl
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Thu Mar 30, 2017 3:01 pm

Don't rush it young grasshopper. ;-)


spinland
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Thu Mar 30, 2017 3:03 pm

"But...with the blast shield down I can't even see! How am I supposed to fight?"

"Your eyes can deceive you, don't trust them."

:side:

Mark


spinland
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Sun Apr 02, 2017 11:22 am

Just recorded a run-through of the vocals on this song I'm (still) working on. No, Spinny, you are no longer in your 20s.

It's decent, but I can really tell I need to try this again an octave lower. My contra tenor days are long, long gone. Baritone, bay-bee! :dry:

Mark


spinland
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Sun Apr 02, 2017 9:03 pm

I'm being stubborn-stupid. This key is just not working for me musically, in any sense. Time to admit I need to transpose to a lower one and be about it

Bis Morgen. :huh:


jayswett
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Wed Apr 05, 2017 9:33 pm

I presume you are going to IGC this year?


spinland
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Thu Apr 06, 2017 6:49 am

jayswett wrote:
I presume you are going to IGC this year?
Yes, sir, I am. B)

Mark


spinland
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Sat Apr 08, 2017 6:57 am

I try to keep my files and other assorted mess at least semi organized. In the musical adventure arena I have two major folders on my computer related to stuff I'm doing: one for "songs I'm working on" and another for "songs I wanna do."

In the folder for a particular song, of course, is where I stuff a copy of the original recording plus useful covers, work files from Sound Surgeon, Guitar Pro, and my DAW, lyric/chord/tab sheets, and so on. The "wanna do" folder gets larger almost every day but I'm trying to keep the "working on" folder down to bite-sized morsels. Here's what's in there right now:

Image

Sometimes one of the working songs gets sent down to the minors for a cooling-off period if it's breaking my too badly. Before I move a working folder onto this list I try be sure I actually plan to learn (and eventually record) it.

And that's my musical musing over a quiet (and cold) Saturday morning cuppa (or three).

Mark


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daryl
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Sat Apr 08, 2017 7:24 am

Mark, I only know BOTW of the 4 in your "working on" folder. But man, that's one tough song to play and sing. There are some wicked high notes there. Good luck with that one. I think maybe you are a glutton for punishment. ;-)


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