Forgive me ahead of time because this blog is going to be bouncing all over the place. Right now I have 34 songs in the works with all the ideas, and stuff running through my head. Alone today I have been working on 3 of them, and will be recording draft guitars so the vocalist can practice parts to them. True recording will begin after the holidays.
I have been studying a lot of classical, and going over guitar method, and theory books that were originally published in 1948. On top of going to back the first books, and pieces that made me fall in love with flamenco guitar 20 years ago even though it was much later when I actually started studying it. Well studying these all this. Looking at classical piece after classical piece reading all the instruments, studying ballets, looking at all the flamenco pieces my take on writing has changed quite a bit, and is actually turned out to be easier and faster for me which means faster production and recording times on songs. Instead of writing out tab, and filling tab books, and notebooks with all kinds of information on the songs, and other instruments I decided to write things out. My sons were sleeping, and my wife was watching T.V. I still wanted to do something musically so I went over to the huge bookshelf I have filled with music, and guitar books, and 4 years worth of multiple guitar magazine subscriptions (I actually unloaded a lot of them. I used to have 14 years worth of subscriptions from multiple guitar magazines.). I saw a couple blank sheet music journals I have had for years that were gifts. I figured what the hell I'll write out a few guitar parts for the hell of it. Sitting at my dining room table with my Ipod on, and my music books spanning from one end of the table to the other literally. The only non-musical thing on the table besides the pen & pencil I was writing with was a tiny little spot for my cup of soda. I started really getting into transferring all my guitar stuff from tabs to sheet music. I was having a blast. I started writing out the guitar parts for a couple of new songs. Sitting there looking at the sheet music of the song I decided to do something different. I knew all the instruments I wanted, and was going to use in the song so I ripped out the sheets I wrote all the guitar parts on, and started creating huge sheets, and staffs. I started looking at the blank sheet music except for the guitar, the clefs, and names for the instruments I was using. All of a sudden it was like the sounds just started flowing like an entire song at once. It just started coming out in notes. Not sitting there thinking about it. The next day I got to work programming stuff, and tweaking sounds. In an hour the night before I wrote the intro parts for 4 instruments, All the parts for another instrument, and all the instruments playing in the solo. As it turns out the song after I finish writing all the parts out will take up over 40 pages in one of the journals. Insane, but it is going to sound killer.
There is something that has made it difficult to totally get things played on guitar. A couple months ago when I almost cut my finger off we knew I had cut it down to the bone. I had also cut the artery in the hand. As it ended up being I didn't cut it into the bone on the side of my finger. I cut it to the bone in the middle of the knuckle. It still hurts to bend, and I have to play for shorter periods of time because it will start hurting if I keep playing for long periods. It is slowly getting better though. Now time to get back to writing, and recording. Never give in, never give up.