What’s a good word to describe day 23… hmmm… let’s think about this.
Productive.
Successful.
Crazy.
So I am up to 20 songs. The goal, as implied by the title of the post, is 50 songs. To still be this early in the challenge and already be up to 20 songs in the works is just nuts. Of those 20 songs, 12 were already finished. Six of the remaining songs had lyrics written and the rhythm section recorded and were ready for vocals. The remaining two songs just had basic tracks, (MIDI) bass and drums. They were ready for rhythm guitar tracks.
Of those eight songs, how many of them did I work on during day 23 (yesterday)?
All of them.
First I grabbed my MacBook and hopped into the car and drove to an empty parking lot so that I could record vocals without bothering everyone in my house. Normally when I do this I shoot for working on 4-5 songs. That’s usually all I have before my voice gets really tired (I am most definitely NOT a singer) or I have to pee or something. Yesterday I made it through all six songs. Every line of lyrics that I had written was sung and recorded. Many of them twice because I sang in two part harmony. I felt really good when I packed up and drove home. I could have stopped there and called the day a success. I did not, however, stop there.
Once I was home I took some time to help my wife with some chores around the house. Eventually, before lunch, I had some free time and was able to head down cellar to my music nook and start recording guitars. I started with one of the songs that needed rhythm guitars. I figured that would be a good warm up. I am absurdly out of playing shape these days and figured I’d be smart about things. Once that was done I moved over to leads and cranked out three songs. In my current state of sucky guitar playing, recording leads wears me out quick so I planned to take a break and record the rhythm guitars on the other song that still needed them. I was going to try to follow that with the other three leads but my wife needed help with another chore and I needed lunch and also needed to go to the grocery store to get something for dinner, so I took a much longer break.
After I returned home from Market Basket with the fixin’s for dinner and a big bottle of Extra Strength Tylenol (because the toothache is still kicking my sorry ass), I was able to head back to the cellar music nook and finish off the lead guitars on those three remaining songs. So over the course of the day I put guitar tracks onto all eight remaining songs.
But wait, there’s more!
After dinner we were just hanging out in the living room watching the tube and I slipped on some headphones and mixed this song and then mixed this song. The first one is my second attempt at 5/8 time for the month. It’s okay. The second one is rare for me in that I kinda don’t hate it. It feels weird.
And that, my friends and neighbors and readers and only friends, is that. Six vocals, six lead guitars, two rhythm guitars, and two mixes. My brain was definitely ready for bed.
What’s in store for today, day 24? A Dentist appointment. Likely that will be all for the day. I don’t handle Dental visits well. I expect to be thoroughly traumatized. WOOHOO!
Inside the Red Head's Head 