To Blog Or Not To Blog...
As I sit here munching left over pizza for lunch, staring at various computer screens with a guitar on my lap (again my Fender Parlor acoustic, oh ye of jazz infused chords and cheery disposition) I find myself wondering a few things...
1. How many computer screens do you actually need?
2. Is there a better thing than grilled left over pizza for lunch on a slightly dreary day?
3. What chord did I just play and where can it lead to, plus what's in a song?!
4. Why am I writing a blog?
I'll start in reverse order...
4. This blog is my brothers fault, you can blame him. I had considered writing them in the past, but didn't really know what to write about and why anyone would be interested in reading it. My brother has a great blog, he's an accomplished composer and has lots to write about - you can check him out here: ukcomposer.wordpress.com and while we were sitting outside what is now our house in France in the sun, sipping wine from the local vineyard we were chatting about our lives and our music. Nick then convinced me to write this blog because I live a life many people live, but also many people think about living, and there's not much information about the reality of it.
Music to me is what I like to call a professional hobby. I get paid for it, but it doesn't pay all the bills I have to pay, so I have a day job which, like so many in music is in computing. I'm in IT security, ethical hacking, all that sort of stuff. It's a full time job, and in the evenings I don a cape and tights and do music. Without the cape and tights mostly, although I have done gigs in a zombie cheerleader outfit in the past.
This of course doesn't mean that I have anything interesting to say or that anyone will read it, but it gives me something to write about that is true, honest, and potentially of interest to others, but I play guitar, bass, keyboards (note not piano), drums, saxomaphone (to a degree), I write, I play live, I have a recording studio, I mix, produce, master stuff, so there's a fair bit to cover
For example tomorrow I think I'll write about my experience with Carlos Alomar (for those of you who don't know who he is, look here http://www.carlosalomar.com/ although it should be https... see, worlds collide) and where that experience has lead me. That might be interesting.
3. Next then, what chord did I just play? It was a D7(b9/b5). Where can it lead to? Well, depends where it came from and what I want it to say, but I'll figure that out. This is part of what I blame Carlos for, and others. Life was so much easier when it was just "hit out bar chords", but so much more interesting now it isn't.
I'll write about it tomorrow, but this is why it is worth actually learning guitar. I have been self taught for hundreds of years, and only recently started lessons, again blame Carlos, but it has opened up my horizons and shown me just how much there is still to know about the cruel mistress called a guitar. Trust me, if you think you're in a guitar shaped rut, you simply have not expanded your horizons enough. We will all go to our graves only having mastered a fraction of our relative instruments.
What's in a song? Well, that's for yet another blog, and maybe more discussion, although my friend and world renowned chess man Jacob Aagaard gave me a book which I'll talk about another day.
2. No. Simple, just no.
1. As many as you can fit really, and depends what you're doing, but always try to step away from the screens at some point, and it's lovely when you just turn them off!!
Anyway, that's enough for now. Not sure if I answered any of my own questions, but we'll see.
What should I write about? If anyone reads this and has thoughts let me know...
I will shortly be covering the process of releasing an album (The Bophins New Swag), finding a new bass player for The Furious Arcs, what parts of doing a band are a complete arse, and so on.
By the way, this Saturday I'm playing with The Bophins at The Urban Bar, Whitechapel, London. Might be a Gretsch and Gibson night...
1. How many computer screens do you actually need?
2. Is there a better thing than grilled left over pizza for lunch on a slightly dreary day?
3. What chord did I just play and where can it lead to, plus what's in a song?!
4. Why am I writing a blog?
I'll start in reverse order...
4. This blog is my brothers fault, you can blame him. I had considered writing them in the past, but didn't really know what to write about and why anyone would be interested in reading it. My brother has a great blog, he's an accomplished composer and has lots to write about - you can check him out here: ukcomposer.wordpress.com and while we were sitting outside what is now our house in France in the sun, sipping wine from the local vineyard we were chatting about our lives and our music. Nick then convinced me to write this blog because I live a life many people live, but also many people think about living, and there's not much information about the reality of it.
Music to me is what I like to call a professional hobby. I get paid for it, but it doesn't pay all the bills I have to pay, so I have a day job which, like so many in music is in computing. I'm in IT security, ethical hacking, all that sort of stuff. It's a full time job, and in the evenings I don a cape and tights and do music. Without the cape and tights mostly, although I have done gigs in a zombie cheerleader outfit in the past.
This of course doesn't mean that I have anything interesting to say or that anyone will read it, but it gives me something to write about that is true, honest, and potentially of interest to others, but I play guitar, bass, keyboards (note not piano), drums, saxomaphone (to a degree), I write, I play live, I have a recording studio, I mix, produce, master stuff, so there's a fair bit to cover
For example tomorrow I think I'll write about my experience with Carlos Alomar (for those of you who don't know who he is, look here http://www.carlosalomar.com/ although it should be https... see, worlds collide) and where that experience has lead me. That might be interesting.
3. Next then, what chord did I just play? It was a D7(b9/b5). Where can it lead to? Well, depends where it came from and what I want it to say, but I'll figure that out. This is part of what I blame Carlos for, and others. Life was so much easier when it was just "hit out bar chords", but so much more interesting now it isn't.
I'll write about it tomorrow, but this is why it is worth actually learning guitar. I have been self taught for hundreds of years, and only recently started lessons, again blame Carlos, but it has opened up my horizons and shown me just how much there is still to know about the cruel mistress called a guitar. Trust me, if you think you're in a guitar shaped rut, you simply have not expanded your horizons enough. We will all go to our graves only having mastered a fraction of our relative instruments.
What's in a song? Well, that's for yet another blog, and maybe more discussion, although my friend and world renowned chess man Jacob Aagaard gave me a book which I'll talk about another day.
2. No. Simple, just no.
1. As many as you can fit really, and depends what you're doing, but always try to step away from the screens at some point, and it's lovely when you just turn them off!!
Anyway, that's enough for now. Not sure if I answered any of my own questions, but we'll see.
What should I write about? If anyone reads this and has thoughts let me know...
I will shortly be covering the process of releasing an album (The Bophins New Swag), finding a new bass player for The Furious Arcs, what parts of doing a band are a complete arse, and so on.
By the way, this Saturday I'm playing with The Bophins at The Urban Bar, Whitechapel, London. Might be a Gretsch and Gibson night...
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