Category: Guitar

Almost Out of Time

This weekend is going to be an RPM Challenge weekend for the ages. Or something like that.

At the start of business today I had five songs finished and 15 songs unfinished. There were five songs ready to mix, the last step in the process, and 10 songs that needed some form of lead guitar before they would be ready to mix.

I had a bunch of things to do around the house this morning too. I did all but two of those, then I took a break and picked up the guitar. I put leads onto three songs and then had to get back to the errands. Once the last errands are done I am going to play until my fingers bleed and then mix until my ears fall off.

I’m getting to 20 songs this year even if it kills me.

There are two wah-wah pedals in the second photo. The gold one is a Dunlop Gary Clark, Jr signature Crybaby. It’s pretty good. I like it a lot. It’s not my favorite Crybaby model, but it’s definitely up there. The black one, the one that’s actually plugged in, is a Real McCoy Custom RMC10. I bought it based on YouTube reviews, like ya do, and my first impression was that I wasn’t sure if I was going to love it as much as the high price tag requires. I just wasn’t bonding with it, you know?

That was then, this is now. I don’t know what I’m doing different, but I am loving this little sucker right now. The quack is just killer.

Okay. There’s a floor to mop and it’s calling me. There will be more musical goofiness later, I promise.

Wanna Hear a New Song?

Check it out, a new song.

Kinda like this one. It’s going on the A list for sure. (A list is songs that definitely make the final album, B list is songs that might make the final album, C list is songs that suck so bad I want to forget they exist)

I have four songs mixed, six songs ready to mix, 10 songs that only need lead guitar, and boy am I going to be brain fried by the end of the month.

Wheeeeeeeee!

Musical Note

One note from today’s RPM Challenge music haul.

I really over did it with the guitar playing yesterday. My finger tips were torn up nicely.

Today I learned that such guitar related injuries take more than one day to heal.

Ouch, babie. Ouch.

Ouch-town, population you (me), bro.

So Much Stuff – RPM2022

I worked on 13 songs today. Thirteen songs.

  • I put vocals on songs #13-17
  • I wrote the melody and lyrics for songs 18 and 19
  • I mixed songs 2 and 3
  • I put lead guitars on songs 5-7
  • I wrote song #20, including recording rhythm guitars, writing the melody, and writing the lyrics.

That’s significant progress on 13 out of 20 songs. My ears are exhausted, my finger tips are torn up, and my brain has turned to mush.

I now have three songs ready for vocals, so car music in the morning, babie.

Rock on.

My Brain and My Hands are Now Mush

I have spent maybe three hours working on guitar parts today. I put rhythm guitars on three songs (song numbers 16-18 if you’re keeping track, and I know you are not), started a new song (titled song number 19 for now), and put leads onto three songs (titled song number 2 through 4).

I did all of the rhythm tracks first, then the leads. I was okay when I started working on leads. The first song went well. While working on the second song I was thinking I might be needing a break. The third song was totally overdoing it.

After all of that time my hands and my ears and my brain all feel like a fuzzy mush. I definitely need a break. I think I’ll watch an episode or two of Disenchantment, then make dinner for the love of my life, then we’ll see what happens. I still have to do all of my exercise, and there is an episode of a certain zombie show airing at 9:00pm. I need to be ready for that.

(Insert the sound of a zombie hissing here. Unless you’re not a Walking Dead fan, in which case insert the sound of a more Romero style zombie moaning here instead)

The First Song is Finished – #RPM2022

Does it have any of my planned gimmicks for this year’s challenge?

It has a tempo change, check.
It has a different guitar coming out of your left speaker than the one coming out of the right speaker, check.
It uses a longer reverb effect on all of the tracks.

There aren’t any time signature changes or games played with backwards tracks so it doesn’t hit on all of the themes, but it’s a good start.

The song is okay. Just okay. It doesn’t matter. I will not be shut out this year and that is the best gimmick of all!

Which Klon/Klone is My Favorite

If you’d asked me a few weeks ago I’d have said the KTR without question, but the Ryra has been growing on me like crazy. I’m not sure anymore.

I just put the KTR on the bedroom board so everything RPM Challenge from here on will use it.

Which do I prefer? With a potential return to band practices coming someday (I hope), It’s a question that must be answered.

Two More Songs – #RPM2022

Have I started doing nightly wrap ups of the day’s RPM Challenge progress? Not really, but here is exactly that.

I started two new songs today. One started with a bass line and is super simple, though it is in 7/8 time. The other song started on guitar. Both songs have all of the rhythm guitar tracks. One of them still needs a bass line, but I’ll get to that soon.

I’m thinking about changing my pedal chain a little. I’m using a Ryra The Klone for that mid range boosting Klon thing. I have an actual Klon, a KTR not a Centaur because I am not made of money ya know, on the board in the cellar and I can hear it talking to me. What’s it saying? It’s say, hey Rob… a Ryra? What the fuck?

The Ryra pedal is spectacular, but the KTR is maybe a smidgen spactacularer. I think I am going to swap them for the rest of the month. Once the band starts playing again the Klon will be back on the big board and will live over at Mike the Bass Player’s house.

For now though, pictures…

Did you notice the reflection of my computer screen? You can see GarageBand. Don’t steal my ideas though.