The main thing I’ve been working on lately–probably more than I should be–is creating new music for another album. (Or maybe I’ll just release singles, I haven’t decided yet.) I’m eager to keep developing my sound as a musician, composer, producer, and audio engineer. I’m honestly already shocked by how different-sounding my current ideas are from the sound of my recent album Regretfulnot. My sound is now much more instrumental and strings-focused than electronic (at least, the initial ideas I’m getting down). My new/upcoming sound is somewhere in the folktronica/jamtronica/jazztronica realm, I guess. Part of that is how and why Regretfulnot came to be. And part of it is that I am now able to play and record my instruments consistently. It hasn’t been very deliberate, other than the choice of instruments.
I’m grappling with who or what exactly I’m creating for. While I’ve been deliberate about the instruments I want to use right now. I wasn’t as deliberate about coming up with a theme or style as I was with Regretfulnot, or my album before Big Stitch. I certainly couldn’t tell you what genre I’m playing. (That said, I didn’t have an audience in mind for Regretfulnot since it was such an experimental concept.)
I still plan on plenty of fun electronic processing of the final tracks. But it’s not leading my creative process like it did with Regretfulnot. I’m already finding myself distancing myself from Regretfulnot because of my changing sound. Perhaps too much, because I don’t feel as motivated to promote the album (or I just resist promotion and would prefer to focus on making music). There will also be spoken word and field recordings. But again, those elements are not driving the creative process as much as they did for Regretfulnot. I’ll be adding them after developing rough arrangements.
I love that I’m playing instruments more consistently now than I have since my days in Bellingham, which is the last time I was songwriting and performing. No doubt, I have put more time playing instruments in a single day or week the past several weeks than any other time in my life.
It’s been fun to rediscover my musical capabilities. I haven’t played bass guitar this much since I was in undergrad. My technique is somehow better now than back then, even with almost no practice for a couple of decades.
My mandolin technique has also improved since I last gigged. Like, a lot better. But that’s because I put a ton of work into improving my technique and fretboard knowledge a couple of years ago when I found myself funemployed and wanting to get back into playing. My understanding of the fretboard and modes (fancy scales) is much better now, which opens up more possibilities for creative musical ideas. (I wish I’d let the idea of modes sink in many years ago. But it just seemed too theoretical or complicated. So, I ignored that part of instructional books and the like.
At the moment, I have twenty potential track ideas. (Almost all since I last wrote!) I need to review them and decide which ones are worth developing (and for when). I’ve been using a creativity approach recommended by my coach. I have a tough time sticking 100% with his suggestions. Like, I often find myself tempted to expand on initial ideas – adding harmonies, crafting counter-melodies, or laying down bass lines – when perhaps I should be focusing on capturing the core concept quickly and moving on to another idea. But most of my “tangents” are still helpful, like for improving my ear training or picking technique. I stay out of most rabbit holes.
Regardless of how “perfectly” I’m following my coach’s recommendations, it’s been an impressively fruitful process. I’ve never come up with so many music ideas in such a short amount of time. And I’ve never been so organized and deliberate about it. Even better, I’ve had a pretty good attitude in all of my brainstorming/jam sessions. Only in two sessions was I actively judging (negatively) the ideas I was coming up with, which resulted in a bit of rumination afterwards.
Workflow questions keep coming up for me. Like, when is the right time to transition from ideation to choosing and developing those ideas into compositions? Should I complete the strings-centric compositions before bringing in the electronic processing? How can I better document and share my workflow, even while it’s evolving? How do I maintain momentum on my new album while balancing trying to grow offerings (i.e., figure out how to promote my work and develop income sources)?
In general, I have more questions than answers about being a full-time musician, music producer, and audio engineer. I have more things to learn than things I know about in order to be successful. However, I’m increasingly embracing the journey and certainly enjoying it. Each small win, each challenge, and each new question marks progress. I need to keep up my momentum on the business side of things (as opposed to going a couple of weeks without a newsletter or blog post!), while staying open to adjusting course as needed. I’ll benefit from an even a lighter touch to my process and journey – taking things less seriously, cultivating patience, and being compassionate to myself.
What’s clear is that I’m building something meaningful, even if the path isn’t clear, predictable or linear. And I couldn’t do it without your support, which I really appreciate.