Here’s song number six for this year’s RPM Challenge. I seem to be finishing them off in the same order as I started them. Weird. Usually the good ones sort of bubble up to the top of the queue. I think this might mean that there aren’t any good ones this year. That’s too bad.
This one has guitarmonies and a drum solo though, so based on that alone it sort of rules.
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.
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!
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.
I worked on 13 songs today. Thirteen songs.
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.
Hey Rob, did you play at all tonight?
Oh yeah, I sure did.
I took the day off from work today for my appointment with the dietician. I’ve done a few chores, and a few other things, but mostly I’ve worked on the RPM Challenge. I hope to get a lot more done before the day is over, but I told someone at work that I would pop in for a few minutes today and it’s almost time for that so I’m taking a musical break.
What have I done so far?
Car music. Yesterday I wrote lyrics for five songs and today I put vocals on all of them. I was lucky I finished the fifth and final song when I did (there are more songs to work on, but none had vocals parts written at the time… and that is foreshadowing). I told Jen when I left the house that I would stay out as long as my bladder would let me. As I was finishing up that fifth song my bladder declared in no uncertain terms that it was time to go home. Yup, lucky it worked out the way it did.
Once I got home I spent an hour and half or so freaking out about weight loss surgery, then I went to my appointment. After that I wrote the melody and lyrics for two songs. At the time, those were the only two songs left (foreshadowing again). They are all set for a repeat car music tomorrow.
At that point I thought I would start mixing one of the three songs that are ready to go. I haven’t touched them yet. Instead I added another song. I kept saying I wanted 20 and I was stuck on 19, so now I have 20. It has bass and drums and a MIDI guide for guitar. It also has a melody and lyrics. I hope to get some time after dinner tonight to add real guitars but if I don’t I should still be able to include it in the car music tomorrow.
So what’s left for today? First, pop into work for a bit. Then cook dinner for Jen. Also drink lots of water but not 15 minutes before or 60 minutes after eating. Then, I have three songs to mix. I have one song that needs rhythm guitars, and I have a whopping 13 that need lead guitar. Only five more days after today. I need to start picking those off. I also have to start mixing the songs that are ready. There’s a ton of work to choose from.
Jen just mentioned going to a store in Cambridge tonight. That cuts down on time but it won’t be a problem. I still have a weekend at my disposal too.
In closing, the view from my “studio” this morning…
I did a lot today once the home improvement festivities ended and I could settle into my day off. I wrote the melody and the lyrics for five songs. I was hoping for seven, but I’m happy with five.
I also had one song that was two rhythm guitar tracks over a drum loop. I added bass and a real drum part. I wanted to add one more song but nothing came to me. I also wanted to track some guitar leads and maybe crank out a mix or two. Nope. Didn’t happen.
Definitely doing car music in the morning. I don’t know if I’ll get through all five songs I worked through today, but I’ll do my best.
Six days left after tonight. I’ve got this.
Oh yeah, I also got my hair cut. It’s not a musical win but it’s a win.
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)
I had to break for lunch, but once the bathroom was cleaned and the laundry put away, I started doing stuff.
Inside the Red Head's Head 