As the end of 2018 plummets through us, I’m not about to admit defeat in the year’s New Big Plan, despite my atrocious lack of progress; I’ve spent the last three months mainly on the road but with the help of Logic, bluetooth headphones, the little Akai keyboard, my Abbey Road shop-purchased notebook and my latest 50th Birthday guitar treat, the Jamstik+, I've muddled on and made some new music.
The Jamstik+ along with its app. is primarily a guitar learning tool but of course, it also works as a novel MIDI controller when plugged into Logic. It’s no substitute for the real thing BUT for a poorly-keyboard-playing guitarist like me, I’ve found it’s perfect for speedily throwing down interesting chords, using a piano patch for example, with none of the thinking-time using a keyboard would cause me.
The result of this imposed hotel demo time is another batch of embryonic songs: 40-odd newly minted sketches, based on the usual phone whistles, hums, rhyming couplets and occasional fully-realised music & lyrics. As usual, they will mulch down into single figures and the best will add to or even replace those on the current Hit List, in line to be recorded as “Album #3”. More fruit for the eventual fruitcake.
Incidentally, “Album #3” was provisionally named after one of Stewie Griffin’s least favourite words: “Irregardless”. Sadly, unlike the band name and my previous album titles, “Irregardless” isn’t a Googlewhack (look it up!) so I’ll relax for now and let another one bubble-up.
At the beginning of the year Song 1 hit an early, brass-based impasse; I’d decided to learn both instruments well enough to play a few little riffs instead of using samples. After a fashion, I could make a reasonable stab at the job, but nowhere near as well as I needed to without the proverbial 10,000 hours’ effort. The use of samples-only grates too much with my (invented and often arbitrary) recording “rules” so, after much faffing, I’ve emailed my jazz- and big band-veteran cousin Alan. He’s the guy who added trombone magic to Millions and Smoke Yourself Thinner. I’ll let you know how it goes. It feels like a breakthrough.
Home again for the Holidays and my (real) 50th Birthday guitar (Gretsch Country Gentleman) is pleading with me to re-record all the big frrrang-y 1950s sounds I’d done earlier in the year, but that way madness lies; its time will come. Likewise my wonderful new Electroharmonix octaver toy, POG2, set up in a feedback loop with the Line 6 delay gives me a take on the Eno/Eventide classic “Shimmer” sound. It is screaming to be poured over everything I’ve recorded so far, but NO! I’ll stay strong. Keep moving forward and don't look back. Happy New 2019.
Home again for the Holidays and my (real) 50th Birthday guitar (Gretsch Country Gentleman) is pleading with me to re-record all the big frrrang-y 1950s sounds I’d done earlier in the year, but that way madness lies; its time will come. Likewise my wonderful new Electroharmonix octaver toy, POG2, set up in a feedback loop with the Line 6 delay gives me a take on the Eno/Eventide classic “Shimmer” sound. It is screaming to be poured over everything I’ve recorded so far, but NO! I’ll stay strong. Keep moving forward and don't look back. Happy New 2019.
