Tag: Song Writing

Music Nook Number One Lives

I was too loud playing in the cellar so I moved back upstairs (for now) where it’s further away from my wife’s office, has a heavier door (our bedroom used to be the garage), and a slightly quieter amplifier.

The bedroom music nook is alive and well. I took the new vibe pedal with me but not the wah, only because I didn’t have any wah friendly tunes to work on.

I redid some guitars on a re-recording while I was in the cellar, and then added rhythm guitars to two more songs once I was back upstairs. I still have one song that I hope to get to tonight, and then I have to write lyrics and melodies for two of them. If I can get that done tonight then there are a whopping seven songs lined up for car music in the morning. Yikes!

Nook Number 2 Fail

I’ve been playing in music nook #2 and it’s bugging the Mrs as she works. Right then, moving back to music nook #1 in the bedroom.

I was afraid of this. I can’t really get the big Bassbreaker any quieter. The Vox might be okay but I’ll try that next time.

For now, it’s back upstairs.

Guitar Pain

I hid away in the cellar tonight playing the guitar. I came up with something new for the Record Every Month thing for January. I came up with something last night but tonight’s is probably a little better. I’ll probably finish them both. The thing I worked out tonight was really hurting my left hand. Lots of cramping (arthritis, maybe?) painful pain.

Next I worked on a re-recording. I hadn’t done anything accept setup the GarageBand file. It’s the same file I used when I wrote the song last February. I pulled apart the mix and left one rhythm guitar track and one vocal track as guides. Normally I replace the MIDI tracks, drums and bass, before I replace the guitars, but this time I started with guitar. Why? Because I just didn’t want to stop recording tonight, that’s all.

I probably should have picked something easier because this particular re-recording took my already hurting left hand and amplified the pain by a factor of 50. Damn, was I hurting. I got through everything, though I am not entirely sure I’m happy with it. I’ll have to live with it for a few days before I decide if I want to do it again.

My hand is still a little sore, but mostly I am feeling better. It was really hurting tonight. I don’t like when that happens. I don’t like it at all.

For the record, here is the already super messy desk I’ve been using, complete with the Bruins game (second intermission, leading 3-2 over New Jersey) on my iPad.

Everything Works

I have used the cellar music nook. I put rhythm tracks on two songs, leads on one, and started noodling some changes for one more.

The new wah and vibe pedals are awesome.

I only used the big Fender amp and only on the lower watt channel, but the only thing that wasn’t sounding sweet was the ugly paneling on the walls, babie.

Boxing Day Mix

So another Christmas holiday comes to an end with the posting of yet another new version of an old song. This one started out in 2011 and has been recorded three times. I am not sure why I keep coming back to it. It’s not very good. This is definitely the best of the three though.

Happy Holidays.

Christmas Mix

I snuck in a mix for a new take on an old song today. This was before our canceled family Christmas was brought back to life.

Written in 2009 for a failed crack at the RPM Challenge. This is really the first time I’ve looked at it since, but it’s always stuck in the back of my head.

Is it a good song? No. No it is not. Not even close. It’s kinda fun to play though.

Volume Five is Done

I mixed the last song on the list for Quarantine Tunes Volume 50/90. This one makes 10 songs written over the summer, redone for the winter… or something like that.

There is really nothing to this song so I went overboard on the gimmicks and effects and now it’s a soupy, saucy mess, but I like it.

Now I need to come up with a running order for the 10 songs and I can declare the fifth volume of re-recorded songs finished and get back to work on the sixth volume.

Merry Christmas Eve, everyone. Maybe next year I’ll mix a Christmas song on Christmas Eve. For now, you’re stuck with this guy.

HoHoHo.

One More Song for Today

I haven’t finished Quarantine Tunes Volume 5 yet, but here I am mixing the first song for Volume 6. This is just getting silly now.

Written in February 2007, rearranged slightly and rerecorded in 2013, and now rererecorded in 2021. I keep coming back to this, even though it’s really a crap song. Also, this is a seriously ratty, crap performance, but it is a lot of fun to play.