Not a lot of progress on day six, but I did start working on the piece of the process that is the most difficult for me.
I added lyrics and melodies to two songs.
That is all. Lyrics, melodies, and vocals are where I usually get bogged down and the whole project bottle necks. As little as I accomplished, it feels good to get those particular balls rolling at least.
I didn’t have a lot of time to spend on music on day five (yesterday) but I did manage to sneak in some work before bed. I added two new songs. Both are just MIDI bass and drums but they have the full song form. Basically the same progress that I made on day one. Not bad for an in-the-office day.
I started the day with two goals. Let’s call them goals A and B.
Goal A was to put rhythm guitars on all eight songs that are currently in progress. That goal was completed, though the guitar playing got sloppier and sloppier as the day rolled on.
Goal B was to add another song or two to the pipeline. That goal was not completed. I just didn’t have it in me last night.
Today is day five and I am working in the office. There will be a significant reduction in available time to get music done. We’ll see what happens.
I spent some more time this afternoon playing guitar. Just adding parts to some 50/90 Challenge songs, that’s all.
My finger tips hurt. Maybe I’ll have calluses again by the time the 50/90 challenge ends in October. That would be nice.
I said I was hoping to get a little more than just MIDI tracking done for 50/90 today.
Four songs worth of rhythm guitars are done. Hopefully that’s more like four songs and counting for today, but we’ll see. My finger tips are hurting a little.
Day three’s update is identical to day two’s. Three new song ideas. All have MIDI bass and drums and a complete song form. That leaves me with eight songs in the pipeline, all in the same completeness bucket.
I am hoping there will be something more involved in tomorrow’s update. We’ll see. Maybe some guitar tracking?
That Pedal Show on YouTube released a new episode yesterday and it is about 90 minutes exclusively on the Gibson Firebird.
I haven’t quite watched all of it yet, but I’m down to the last few minutes.
Seriously… for the good of society (as well as my bank account) please… whatever you do… don’t let me go near a music store for a few days at least. If I walk into a Guitar Center (or something similar) I am absolutely not going to be able to stop myself and I am 100% walking out of that store with a Firebird.
For the love of all that is good in this universe, don’t let me go into a music store.
Another day with no real instruments being played, but decent progress none the less.
I added three new song ideas. All three have a song form worked out. They are just MIDI bass and drums though two of them also have MIDI guitar guide tracks.
The pipeline now has five songs. All with song form and just MIDI instruments.
On to day three.
The 1980’s live forever ’round these parts.
Not really, but also kind of really.
Back then we used to go to see most of the big concerts at the Worcester Centum in Worcester, MA. Most bands avoided Boston itself and went about 60 miles to the west to put on their shows at the Centrum. Partly because Boston is tough to get around in a big tractor trailer truck, but also because the only real place to play in the city at that time was the old Boston Garden and Billy Joel said it best when he said even hockey games sound terrible at the Garden.
The Centrum was smaller but easier to get around. Almost all of the big arena bands played there. The stadium bands played the old Foxborough Stadium, but the arena acts went to Worcester.
My first show ever, Triumph was at the Centrum. My first four Rush shows were there. I saw Boston there when they played six sell outs on six consecutive days. I saw the eight man version of Yes there on the Union tour. Absolutely stunning show touring an awful album. I saw a ton of great shows there.
My friends Larry and Mike saw Iron Maiden there in 1988 (I think) when they were touring the Seventh Son album. They asked me if I wanted to go, but I hadn’t caught on to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal thing yet. By the time Maiden returned in 1990 I was fully on board and we all went back to Worcester to see them.
The Worcester Centrum is now called the DCU Center but it’s still the same building. The last thing I saw there was an AHL hockey game back in… 2001? Maybe? I don’t think I’ve been back since.
That changes in November. I just bought tickets for me, Mike, and Larry to go see Iron Maiden once again. It’s going to be freakin’ epic. I saw them that time in 1990, then again on the first tour after Bruce and Adrien rejoined in (I think) 2000, though that show was in Portland, ME. I saw them again at the venue formerly known as Great Woods shortly before the pandemic hit. Was it August 2019? It might have been 2018, but I think it was 2019. And now, come November, I am going to see them yet again at the venue formerly known as the Worcester Centrum, yet again.
Bring on that New Wave of British Heavy Metal one more time, people.
Do you think they’ll play Die With Your Boots On?
I hope they play Die With Your Boots On.
The annual goofiness is underway.
Yesterday I worked on two new ideas. I ended up with a full song form for both of them. The MIDI bass and drums are done, and they both have a MIDI guitar guide track.
That’s all. Not as much as I had hoped, but still a good start.
Inside the Red Head's Head 