For school, I'm learning a lot of great things. I've got to learn a Bill Frisell solo that is really awesome, its an interesting take on the jazz standard "All the Things You Are". This is a song that i've been exposed to quite a bit in my lab. Frisell plays over this song with great personality. He does a lot of bending and breaking the rules.
For non-school, i'm working on songwriting. This is something that i've always thought would be impossible. But its starting to come together. One of my goals this summer is to take a trip to a remote place and really start thinking about this sort of thing. Although its not possible, i've decided that going somewhere like Alaska or Montana would be ideal. I think that being somewhere like that could help my mind open up, learn how to grasp inspiration and use it. That might sound a little weird, but it will make sense once i do it.
I've also decided that i've got to use some of the money i make over the summer to spend on a new acoustic/electric. I think the acoustic guitar is an important process of songwriting. It can be good for the real "raw" parts of songs. Plus, it will give me opportunities to take solo gigs or open mic type situations.
-MD
songwriting is definitely one of the biggest hurdles...i mean ive been playing strict acoustic for about a year and a half and im just NOW starting to get a bunch of material together.
ReplyDeletei think the biggest thing working against you with songwriting is yourself...i was extremely critical of everything i wrote and would scrap it at the end of the day. what i'm doing now is keeping just about everything i write...because then its not a waste of an idea and i can always go back, rework it, and am able to focus on writing something new. it's the most obvious thing...but if you throw everything away...then you have nothing to work with!
things im inspired by:
getting a record player has really helped! i think its a great way to listen to music; its a lot more personal than a computer screen. ill have it on in the room with the vinyl inserts everywhere because its really cool to see the effort put into them. (just got Kid A its great haha) ill usually play along, not even necessarily with the song and something good will come from the session.
places? i know exactly what you mean by alaska and montana...they're much more visually stimulating than anything we're used to. i've taken trips out to Truro...anywhere way out on the Cape. The White Mountains up in New Hampshire are a great place to check out...it breaks up the normality of the south shore.
these videos have inspired me lately:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfAS6nwYc9g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKaHFNUB3hQ
not necessarily your style...but these two guys write(wrote) from the heart...so good!
Yamaha makes the best overall acoustics for 300 and under in my opinion...finding a good acoustic/electric is kind of difficult and i wouldnt necessarily worry about it...i find that the EQ on a lot of them is pretty strange for the 1000 and under range. Acoustic pickups are an option (i have one in my larrivee, a matrix infinity and it works great) and the LR Baggs is another great model as well as the K&K Western Pickup. Also most places that ive played have supplied a PA and you can just mic the unplugged guitar which sounds just fine.
-seth