Lots of Music Today

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…

Some Progress but Maybe Not Enough – #RPM2022

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.

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)

Doing Stuff

I had to break for lunch, but once the bathroom was cleaned and the laundry put away, I started doing stuff.

Guitars Tomorrow (I Hope)

I feel like I got a lot done on the RPM Challenge today but I didn’t record any guitar parts and I didn’t write or record any vocal parts. I did do at least some work on seven different songs though. I mixed one, and shared it in the previous post, changed the drummer on three, and came up with three new songs.

The new ones are just bass and drums so hopefully I’ll add guitars tomorrow as well as add some leads to the huge pile of songs that are waiting patiently for them. Then write some lyrics for the six songs that still don’t have lyrics, and prep myself for some epic car music during the week. I’m planning on going into the office on Monday so that’s out, but I am off work on Tuesday and Wednesday so hopefully I’ll get through everything.

I’m at 18 songs right now. I’d like to hit 20. I have nine days left. I’d say the chances of finishing February with a completed submission are 100%. Even if my arms fall off and I can’t play anymore, I can still mix the songs that have vocals but not leads and end up with 12 songs. The real question is, will I finish with two completed submissions. I’d put the chances of that at maybe 50% at best.

I can still pull it off. Just watch me, bro.

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!

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.

Looking Ahead

It’s the end of my lunch break on Friday. I’m looking ahead to the weekend. What’s going on?

We have a problem in our kitchen and someone is coming over to take a look and maybe give an estimate. We will all be masked and distanced and I really hate having people invade our Covid bubble but what can you do. After that I am going to bring some groceries over to my parents. Again, masks and distance. Outside of that?

One song needs rhythm guitars. 11 songs need lead guitars. One song is ready for vocals. At least six songs do not exist and need to start existing.

Other than that? I heard snow could be a thing this weekend. I choose to ignore that as even the slightest possibility. No thank you. The yard was covered with snow when I left the house yesterday morning. By the time I got home it was all gone. All of it. This morning I saw the temperature reach 60 degrees. It’s now 37 and dropping like a stone. Cold in February sucks, but it’s better than cold and snow. No snow. Pretty please with sugar on top.

Oh yeah, one other insignificant thing. The Walking Dead comes back on Sunday night. To paraphrase Adam Sandler (actually, more like steal a lyric from Adam Sandler), Zombies for me. Zombies for you. Like to kill zombies in an old brown shoe.

I am so ready for some weekend right now. So ready.

A Little More Progress – #RPM2022

I had a pretty busy day today. There was a lot going on at work and around the house and that didn’t leave a lot of time for music. I did manage to write lyrics and record vocals for three songs. Any day I get through a few vocal tracks without dying of embarrassment and shame is a productive day in my book.

12 songs have all of their vocal tracks down. Only one of those 12 has lead guitars and is ready to mix. Another one of the 12 might require some new rhythm guitar tracks. The more I work on the song the less I like what I have. I think I might do them again, but only if I have time.

There is only one song left that doesn’t have vocals. I’m at 13 total but I really want to add more. 20 is a nice number. 20 songs counts as two completed RPM albums and that’s always fun to do. At least it was fun the one time I did it. There was another time I had more than 20 songs, but a bunch of them were recorded twice so they don’t count.

Not sure what I will have time for tomorrow, but I’ll try to get through something. I need to add more songs to the pile. I don’t have any 12-bars yet. Maybe I should add a 12-bar.

The Guitar Was Played Tonight – #RPM2022

Oh glorious glory, the electric guitar was played tonight. Only for about an hour. Maybe an hour and 15 minutes. Progress on the RPM Challenge was made though.

I had three songs that needed rhythm guitar tracks. I got them all down. I had nine songs that needed lead guitar tracks. I got one of them.

There are 13 songs in progress. I would like to get to 20, but I’ll take 15. I need 10 for the final challenge submission and I want to have some options for which 10 to use. The more options the better because none of these songs are terribly good, even by my abysmally low standards.

Still, regardless of the final outcome at the end of the month, there was rock rolled tonight.