One Thing a Month

January’s lessons

Ten years ago, as I was getting ready to graduate from college, I had no idea what I was going to do for a job. I knew I loved music, but that I wasn’t good enough to be a professional singer or guitar player. I loved my campus job of running live sound for events, though, so I applied to the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences in Tempe, Ariz. I got in, which I don’t think was a major feat, but there was a 9-month backlog. By the time I was supposed to be heading out to Tempe, I was working at a newspaper and I loved what I was doing. So I put it aside and forgot about it.

That’s part of the reason I tried to record a song as my first project—to use the skills I once prided myself on. It didn’t work out as well as I’d hoped, but it’s passable, at least, and I learned a lot this month.

First, I miss making and recording music. Years of apartment living and being busy with work have meant I don’t practice very much anymore. That sucks, because it means when I try to play, I have to start nearly from scratch. I think I’ll be playing music a lot this year to keep myself fresh.

Second, I love the editing part of the process. I already knew that, to some extent. I love shooting video, but what I love more is taking the raw footage and turning it into something. That was my favorite part of this month’s project.

Some smaller lessons:

• It takes a lot of work to put together a coherent cover of a song that’s both original and honors the spirit of the song.
• I need a keyboard, even if it’s a cheap USB midi one, to improve synth parts.
• My guitar teacher in college was right: Practice doesn’t make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect.

Some early lessons from this month

Things have been hectic at Chez OTAM, but I have all the tracks laid down. I’m likely going to re-record the vocals tonight, then mix it and should post it soon. But I’ve been thinking about what I’ve learned. I don’t think everything we do teaches us a lesson, but I have gotten a few out of this month.

1) I’m not sure how to blog about the progress I make on a single thing without becoming repetitive. If I decide to build or sew something, it’s easy to mark progress. But writing: “Still recording vocals” or “On my nth draft” doesn’t sound very interesting.

2) Ironic distance and creativity don’t mix very well. As I posted yesterday, you have to commit to something, and holding it at arm’s length doesn’t work. That is hardly a unique idea, but one I need to bear in mind.

3) I don’t know that I’ll ever be happy with the things I make. I’ve tried to make the song as good as I can—not easy, I’m a so-so musician at best—and I think that’s a start. 

4) Sometimes I feel like this resolution was really on to re-wire my brain so I can focus on things other than work and sitting on the couch. We’re 22 days into the year and not one has passed where I haven’t at least thought about this project. And I’ve been busy at work, as well. 

The trick is to commit

whether that’s a vocal track or a poetry reading or a home improvement project.

I just need to remember that. 

Quiet doesn’t mean I haven’t been working

It’s been a long time since I’ve spent this big a chunk of my waking hours with a single song. When it’s quiet, I hear parts of the song in my head. I’ll post a final version of the song this weekend, and then it’ll be on to my next thing.

Speaking of which: I have about 20 possible projects and 11 months left to make them. The problem will be choosing.

I’ve been somewhat absent

And somewhat distracted. I realized after a lot of effort that the sound I was getting from using MIDI wasn’t the sound I wanted for the song. So it’s not entirely back to the drawing board, but that was a false start.

I might have a rough edit done by this weekend, though.

Our first submission: The Mister’s Sweater

From raiselm:

I’ve been promising him a sweater for close to 20 years. I just finished the front and he thinks it’s on the small side (I disagree). Anyway, I will rip out a bit at the top and make it longer at the V up to the shoulder line. It is a gorgeous plum wool/cashmere/silk marled yarn. It will take me more than a month.