Re: New Year resolution - PLAY GUITAR MORE and less with gear
While I like the OP's resolution in theory, I'm sorry to say I lack the moral fiber to commit to it. :guilty: I do need to stop buying gear, although I can at least say I haven't given in to the banality of endless magnet swaps as prescribed by some, as if that would fundamentally change anything about my musical output, anyway. :knockedou
But I am going to starting writing down and ranking a list of projects by priority to finish them well enough to let anyone hear them, not just close friends. I play guitar, bass, drums, and keys live on my home studio recordings, although I am merely adequate within my limitations on drums (could play drums in a not serious band) and barely passable on keys for demos (couldn't play keys in any band I would listen to :crazy: ).
I am most guilty of starting projects and taking them to 80-90%, but rarely nailing them to the best of my ability, mostly due to lack of time after work and social activities. In the end, the songs aren't going to finish themselves, are they? So rather than two dozen rough demos, I'd going to try and produce at least a dozen very good finished songs (an album of songs) every year, one per month. I won't pressure myself to produce more than a few original songs per year unless I'm feeling very inspired, but I love to slightly rework obscure covers in my style, often with fully original solos and/or extended jams with guests. Some songs are just made to be vehicles for this----like Floyd's Interstellar Overdrive, Ozzy's Suicide Solution, Jimi's Who Knows, etc.
The majority of my practice time, even on electrics, is unplugged so I can hear every nuance. When I crank up the big boy in the basement, it's time to record!
