What's Done is Done
I think I may have mentioned to you folks that I have been trying to tap into my inner frustrated rock star. I've restrung my Ibanez guitar, bought an effects pedal, bought a copy of Sony Acid Recording Studio, and a USB audio interface, and have been recording my audio sketches. For fun.
Last week I borrowed a bass guitar from a friend and laid down some bass tracks as well. On one recording, I was using this one weird bass driven sound effect as the rhythm/percussion thing. Only, I'm not that coordinated. And I kept messing up. And I kept having to re-record it.
Each time, I would listen to the whole mix, and would assess if I was happy with it. I finally just accepted a sub-par clumsy performance because, honestly, I was sick and tired of listening to the damn thing over and over. And trying to play the same thing over and over.
It occurred to me that as much as I might think that the rock star lifestyle would be awesome and great and all of that, I can't for the life of me imagine a worse job for me than going on the road and playing the same 15 songs over and over, in city after city, night after night. It would be like every time someone wanted to read one of these blog posts, I had to rewrite it again from scratch.
I would hate that. Once I have created something -- anything -- and have declared it "finished," I generally never ever want to revisit it again.
I mean, I might re-listen to a song, or re-read a post, but I'll not likely rewrite or re-record anything.
8 splash(es):
Some musicians deal with the monotony of playing the sames songs over and over again by varying them each time they're played. For example, using different tempos, rhythms, styles, etc. It's challenging too, and a great way to improve your musicianship while also combating boredom.
And then the really smart ones keep writing new material at a rapid pace... having a large repertoire lets you shuffle the songs you play night to night and even rapidly phase out the ones you can't stand anymore.
After you do this, you learn how to play better the first time around so that you don't have to re-record a bass line 20 times before getting it right or getting fed up with the process. But getting there can be a challenge.
"It would be like every time someone wanted to read one of these blog posts, I had to rewrite it again from scratch."
Absolutely true.
Wait, wait, wait. It sounds like you're suggesting that I should... practice? And then I'll get better?
But I'm an American! I want it now. Nay, I demand it now!
The Grateful Dead never played a song the same way twice; however, it can be argued the Dead were never sober enough to fully understand what they were doing.
So link it to your blog. Let us all hear you and either cheer or boo.
I'm with Mia. I'd love to hear it.
I do understand what you mean, in a way. I sometimes will "revisit" older writings. I usually hate what I've done and find all kinds of fault with it. It's always along the lines of "What was I thinking to post that? It's terrible." But I seldom will re-write. Occasionally, I will correct errors or add a sentence or two. I do it for me, because I'm sure no one else would revisit those things. But if I knew people would reread my stuff, I might be more inclined to keep working on it. I used to revise my poetry all the time, though, and nobody ever read that shit. I don't think your disinterest in replaying your music means you wouldn't make an excellent musician. Maybe knowing that people want to hear your play and that they enjoy it would be enough to make it worthwhile to do that. I don't really know. Just a thought.
Tonight I watched Carlos Santana play guitar.
It was a religious experience. Imagining anyone practicing guitar tonight seems very different to me.
but supposedly you can add a signature touch to a song each time you play, you know without abandoning the original melody. I think that´s where the musicians can find solace from the monotony of it. Oh, and the rush of being in front of thousands of people that are screaming and singing the songs you wrote. Maybe that has something to do with their drive.
I would never be able to do it either. Well, that´s because I´m musically inept.
Post a Comment