I mixed one song. That’s all. 30 songs down, 20 to go. The 50 songs in 90 days challenge is 60% complete.
If I take the songs written during this project and pick a handful that are not terrible and edit them and update them and rewrite what needs to be rewritten and then re-record them all so that they sound better than they do now, the song I mixed last night would not only make the cut but it would likely be the first song on the album. It is far from perfect, but I like it.
I worked out one new song idea while sitting in the hospital with my father. Full song form, phony bass and drums tracks complete. I thought that was going to be it for the day but then when I was too tired to think straight I started working on lyrics and melodies instead of going to sleep. I got through all five songs that were in the ready-for-lyrics bucket on the Trello board.
I can’t wait to actually read them while I’m awake and see how terrible they are.
Car music today before the hospital? Could be.
Two songs worth of lead tracks. That’s it.
I was hoping I’d get to sneak in some more before bed but I was just too tired.
Well, I ran out of guitar tracks this morning. I put leads onto two songs (and boy, are the two songs bad. Baaaad songs, bad) and those are the only two things I had that were ready for any guitar tracks. Time to start writing and recording vocals and adding some new songs to the 50/90 challenge worklist.
I played all right today, but the songs I worked on are just bottom of the barrel crap-o-la. Oh well. That’s how it goes with these song writing challenge things. Lots of bad stuff cranked out in the hopes of accidentally coming up with one or two keepers.
There. One photo for each crappy song.
Day 50. Today is the first day that it starts to feel like I’m running out of time… even though that’s absurd because there’s more than a month left.
Two songs got rhythm guitar tracks yesterday. One got leads. 40 songs total are in progress. 29 are finished. Four are finished tracking and are ready to mix. Two have vocals finished and are ready for lead guitars (and will hopefully get them very soon). Five have rhythm guitars and are ready for lyrics.
And that is the state of the union after 50 days.
One song got rhythm guitars, lead guitars, and a mix. 29 songs down, 21 to go. Two other songs got lead guitars.
Part of me feels like I am miles ahead of the minimum pace. Another part of me feels like I am way behind. I don’t get it.
The vocals on this one are really out of tune. I will likely either re-record them or completely rewrite them. Later. Not today.
ADDENDUM: I forgot, I worked out one song form too. MIDI bass and MIDI drums are done for that one.
I played some guitar this morning. I put rhythm and lead tracks onto one 50/90 song, and leads onto two more. I played very poorly and my finger tips have been torn to shreds. Serves me right for going almost a week without playing at all.
Here is a photo to prove that I don’t always have my guitar’s volume controls maxed…
(I was doing the Clapton thing where you use both pickups but roll the neck pickup’s volume off a little. It’s not as famous as his “woman tone” thing [dude, come up with better names for this stuff] but it’s something he did when he was still playing Gibsons. Oh, and the woman tone thing? Play the neck pickup and just turn the tone knob all the way down. He sometimes did it with both picksups as well, turning both tone controls all the way down)
Finally, in case you were wondering…
Another day when I was sure I was going to get shut out with no progress but managed to sneak something in at the last minute.
I mixed one song.
That’s all.
I mixed one song tonight. I started mixing a second but I am too tired to concentrate on it. I’ll finish it another time.
For now, enjoy this piece of mediocre crap. 28 songs down, 22 to go. Onward toward 50 songs in 90 days.
Not a lot but better than nothing.
Just before bed last night I worked out a song form for song number 39 and then started song number 40. I now have two songs ready for rhythm guitars.
Like I said, not much but I thought I was going to get shut out again and I didn’t so that’s a win.
Inside the Red Head's Head 