Category: Music

2024 50/90 Challenge Day 16/90

I did so much yesterday that I might have lost track of everything. Let’s see if I can remember it all.

I started the day by putting rhythm guitars onto two songs. I also put lead guitar onto one song. I played poorly, as usual, but I felt pretty good about it and if that ended up being all there was I would have been happy.

At lunch I started two new bass/drum ideas on my iPhone. I felt pretty good about that too.

After work I had a little time to myself and I went a little nuts. I wrote lyrics and melodies for five, count ’em, five songs. Holy crap!

Later, just before I went to sleep for the night, I mixed one song. That’s two songs finished and a measly little 48 to go.

Now that is a productive day, friends.

Two Down, 48 to Go

Heads up, folks. It’s time for another new song. This was the 12th idea I started for this year’s 50 songs in 90 Days challenge and it’s the second song demo finished.

Two down, 48 to go.

So far it’s the only song that started out on guitar. Everything else has started out with a MIDI bass guitar part and was built up from there.

This one is okay… I guess. Maybe it would be more accurate to describe it as almost okay… I guess.

Pain

I don’t know what I did to earn it, but oh my goodness the pain.

Yesterday, out of the blue, I got a massive pain in my left side. It included my left arm, particularly the elbow. What the hell? All the left here made me think heart attack at first, but it’s really nowhere near my heart. I think I must have pulled a muscle or something. Any time I reach out or up with my left arm it sets it off and BOOM, huge pain. What the hell, bro? I didn’t do anything to hurt myself. I must have zigged when I should have zagged, but it wasn’t enough for me to actually notice that something was going wrong.

Ouch town, population… me.

So I plan to try to force myself to not extend my left arm very much for a day or two and see if it gets better. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to not extend your left arm? I keep doing it and it keeps hurting. What a jerk. What a doofus.

Fortunately though, it did not stop me from doing my morning exercise and, more importantly, it did not stop me from playing the guitar, babie! I had enough time to work on three songs today. As I mentioned in a recent post, I swapped out my ES-335 for my SG. The SG has been neglected of late. I bought a new strap for each guitar months and months ago and I never even opened the SG’s case to put it on. Even after playing for about an hour this morning I still haven’t used the new strap. Soon though. You’ll see.

My playing was garbage, of course, but I don’t care. Happy Friday, folks!

323/365
323/365

2024 50/90 Challenge Day 15/90

I had a better day on day 15 than day 14, but only a little bit. I started two new song ideas during my lunch break. Later, just before bed I turned out a song form for one of them and finished the MIDI bass and drums.

That’s all. Here’s hoping for a more productive day 16.

2024 50/90 Challenge Day 14/90

Nothing. Nothing before work. Nothing on breaks at work. Nothing after work. Nothing snuck in before bed. Nothing.

Let’s hope for better results on day 15.

Two week summary of the songwriting assembly line:

  • Two songs ready for rhythm guitars
  • Seven songs ready for lyrics
  • Zero songs with lyrics ready for vocals
  • Six songs ready for lead guitars
  • Three songs ready to mix
  • One song finished

2024 50/90 Challenge Day 13/90

Not bad for a random Tuesday. I put rhythm guitars onto the only two songs that didn’t have rhythm guitars. Then later I added two new songs (numbers 18 and 19), both with MIDI bass and drums and a full song form.

I’m in the office today so it’s going to be another slim chance of good progress. Maybe I can sneak in a lyric before I fall asleep tonight. That’s the hope at least.

Routine: Interrupted

I overslept a little this morning. Instead of being down cellar doing my daily exercise at about 5:20am, I kicked things off at about 6:30. Not the end of the world by any stretch of the imagination, but still… not what I wanted. I have become a creature of routine in a kind of negative way since my weight loss surgery. When I get off of the normal workflow I get bitchy. Sorry about that.

I started my silly running in place thing (pronounced “yogging” with a soft “j”, thank you Ron Burgundy) which should last about 48 minutes. I had to pause the proceedings three times. Two of them were not a big deal and I could easily get over them, but one was just dumb. At the risk of too much information, I had to use the bathroom. Oh come on, Robert. You couldn’t have taken care of that before you started? You couldn’t have held it until after? Ugh. Dumb ass. Instant bitchy.

I was able to get everything I needed to do before work done. I also snuck in some guitar playing. I put rhythm guitars onto the two song ideas I started yesterday. I wanted to add a lead track to a song or two as well, but that was where the time cut needed to happen. Next time. I hope.

Why do I let little scheduling hiccups like having to use the bathroom at a random time get under my skin this way. Grrrrr. I don’t know.

Here’s a couple of guitar pictures, just because. I snapped them while listening to playbacks of the new tracks. Multitasking, as it were.

320/365
320/365

2024 50/90 Challenge Day 12/90

Not much happened on day 12, but I did hit an important, albeit meaningless and silly, project milestone.

I added two new song ideas. Just MIDI bass and drums and a full song form. Both are under three minutes. One in 4/4 time and one in 7/8 time.

That meaningless milestone? 50 songs in 90 days is roughly equivalent to 50 songs in three months. If I am to keep up and stay on pace to finish on time, how many songs do I have to work on per month? 50/3 = 16 2/3 songs per month.

The two songs I added yesterday were idea numbers 16 and 17… and we still have half of the first month left to go. I am officially on pace.

Fun.

2024 50/90 Challenge Day 11/90

Day 11 was a good day. I put vocals onto five songs, lead guitars (poorly) onto four songs, and mixed one song.

At this point I have six songs that are ready for lead guitars, four that are ready to mix, and five that are ready for lyrics. I don’t have anything waiting on rhythm guitars and I don’t have anything ready to sing.

Today (day 12) is an office day for me so finding time to work on music is going to be tough. I hope I’ll be able to sneak something in before the day is out. Wish me luck.

One Down, 49 to Go

Here comes the pain, folks. I am going to share one of my super lame songs. This is the first song finished for the 2024 50 songs in 90 days challenge. One down and 49 to go. I’ll do something nice to make this worth your while though, I promise.

First, here’s my shitty new song. It’s okay, I guess. The guitar playing is bad, especially the leads. The vocals are pretty terrible too. Oh well. It’s just supposed to be a demo, right?

Now to sweeten the pot, as it were. Cats. Two of them. I won’t be able to do this every time I finish a new song, but I’ll see what I can do.