So, I've had something of a breakthrough.  A quick look at this blog will suggest to you that I have not recorded any music this year.  Last year, I really wanted to push myself to create, with mixed results.  I finished some stuff I'd been wanting to, but I also put out some stuff that wasn't terribly creative just to meet a "deadline."  This year, I'm applying no pressure at all to myself and the result is that I have recorded nothing.

One of my biggest problems in creating is the desire to not make anything bad.  This invariably holds me back.  I don't create because I can't yet make music that I really like.  I refuse to call something finished because it's not "good enough."

So here's the breakthrough: I've had an idea for an album for that I've been thinking about for more than a decade.  Some of the songs I recorded last year were for that album.  Well, I've decided to cancel it.  It's been a block to my creativity, but no longer.  Now, I want to make music just to make it, with no lofty concept-album goals.  I want to make music that's not good enough because I believe that's how I'll learn to make music that I like.

So, I'm starting to think that the man I want to be is not strictly possible.  I want to be a devoted husband, an attentive father, a flawless housekeeper, an excellent cook, a responsible pet owner, a self-sustaining organic vegetable gardener, a marathoner, a multi-linguist, a Biblical scholar and an accomplished musician.  Something's got to give.  Or, maybe I should be all that and more...

FAIL

If anyone has read previous posts, they will notice that the title and web address of this blog have changed.  Of course, no one will read this unless I tell them that the web address has changed.

The reason for the change is that I failed to meet my goal for 2011.  I don't know why I had to name the thing "50 recordings in 2011."  I guess I thought that the pressure would force me to perform, since I'm such a procrastinator.  It almost did.  Near the end of the year, I started calculating how many rushed, stripped down cover versions of hymns I could squeeze in before the new year.  Then, I realized that that would be missing the point.  I was trying to force myself to write and to learn about recording.  I already know that I can play and sing a hymn and that a mic can capture that sound.  Nothing about that process makes me a better musician (except some of the new chords and progressions I learned in learning the hymns).

The truly ironic thing is my completely ignoring the quote at the top of my blog.  It ended up being prophetic.

Anyway, I've decided to look at what I accomplished in 2011 in a positive light.  Sure, I didn't record 50 songs.  I did record 11, which is more than I've ever done.  I finally "finished" several songs that I had been working on for years and even wrote a couple of new things.  That's progress!

So, progress is the new title.  It's not only that I'm looking at what I did in 2011 as progress over what I've done in previous years (very little).  It's also that I'm going to continue to post things that aren't finished, so that the progression of a work can be seen.  The title also refers to the idea that my music and myself as a musician are things that are progressing.  I'm not putting myself out there as a completed project.  If you read this, though, you will see me get better.  The title also implies the new attitude I'm taking in looking for opportunities to play, write and record as I progress through my day.  Instead of stressing about big chunks of time, just do things as I can.  Lastly, "progressions" is a musical term, which fits nicely.

Week 46 - Recording 11: Waltz #1

So, with my limited recording opportunities, it's become clear that I won't be able to finish 50 audio recordings this year.  This piece is not technically a recording.  It's produced through Finale, which is a music writing program.  I've decided that it counts.  I'm able to work on Finale while my son is asleep or otherwise occupied.  Since the original goal was to complete songs I'd been working on, but also to force me to write new music, working in this way accomplishes the second part of that goal.  I'm going to try and work on Finale a little bit every day and also make audio recordings on the weekend.

Week 41 - Recording 10: You Will be Praised (Psalm 65)

I wrote this last year.  I have an idea to record an album of songs based on hymns written by King David.  This is the first one I've written.

Week 41 - Recording 9: Mombasa Moon

This one is a bit of a cheat, since I didn't record any of it this weekend.  The bulk of it was actually recorded years ago and then put on hold because my arrangement idea called for a drum set and I didn't have a drum set or the ability to record one.  Instead, earlier this year I recorded a frame drum struck with a rubber mallet to stand in for the bass drum, a clay drum from Yemen struck with a harder stick instead of a snare drum and a shaker made out of bottle caps to replace what would have been some sort of sizzle cymbal.

Week 41 - Recording 8: Here is Love

I've been working on a full arrangement of this one, but decided to go ahead and just record it with me and the guitar.  This is how it would sound if you came to our meeting on Sunday.  The full version will be pitched higher to allow some harmony parts, will include other instruments and maybe even a recorder solo.  Hopefully I can get it done this year, but until then, I'm putting this one out there.

Week 41 - Recording 7: Alas! And did my Savior Bleed?

My wife took our son to the park again on Saturday, giving me a couple of hours to spend recording.  I was able to get more done than I expected to, but was not quite finished with this one when they returned.  If you listen carefully, you might hear him in the background of one of the percussion tracks.  You may also hear a cat, since they live in the room I use for recording.

Week 41 - Recording 6: Just a Closer Walk with Thee

This has been one of my favorite songs since I was very young.  I was surprised to find it listed as "anonymous" in my hymnal, which means it's public domain and fair game for recording.  Some day I might try to redo this one with a full band arrangement and some styling on the melody, but for this recording, it's just me and the guitar and I'm sticking pretty close to the melody as written.  I played and sang this at the same time.  It took a few takes, though, mostly because of the fully diminished seventh chord in the sixth measure.  This is the first time I've recorded a fully diminished seventh chord.  I've only recently started to play them much since I've been learning some hymns and they're fairly commonly used in some older hymns and gospel songs.

Week 40 - Recording 5: Amazing Grace

So it's clear that I'm not on pace to get 50 recordings done this year. In fact, 3 a week wouldn't get me there at this point, and I'm certainly not getting 3 a week done. The problem is that there's no time during the day. It's too loud while the baby's asleep and he's too loud while he's awake. In the evenings, it seems like there's always plenty to do, with supper, feeding the animals and catching up on gardening that needs doing.

This Saturday, though, my wife took the baby to go to the park with a friend, which left me a couple of hours at home alone. I took the opportunity to lay down this recording of "Amazing Grace." There are some things I'd redo if I had the time, but I don't, so I'm putting it out there. Everything you hear was the first take for that part except the guitar intro which took ten tries to get right.

Week 24 - Recording 4: Lady of Light

In honor of my seventh wedding anniversary, I decided to record a song that I wrote for my wife while we were dating.  The arrangement is all new this week, except for the string part in the fade-out that I made years ago (and was lucky to find last night).