Me and Carolyn and Jacqi went on a bundt cake adventure to Thousand Oaks, where it was as hot as the sun. I loved it.
And on Monday me and Jacqi went to Rocket Fizz and then to where my band hangs out, and then down to the beach where we touched the mighty Pacific and built a great big pile of sand with a five year old.
I don't even remember the last time I've been to the beach. I mean, more than just looked at it.
Aaand then I wrote another song, added a melody and lyrics to a basic guitar pattern I've been playing all summer. Sent it to Beth and she added backup vocals and some sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet slide accents, and DUDE is this not the best song we've ever written.
It's called Cloudburst, right? I mixed some tracks of rain using the tambourine and the fish tank. Very convincing. But today I tried recording the sound of the hose water hitting things as rain, but the microphone was not cooperating so I'll have to try again tomorrow.
But I did work more on the guitar part and the vocal, which is, like, simple but I really have to try hard to sound a little better than mediocre. Takes a lot of concentration. But I can actually play the guitar AND sing it at the same time, which is a step forward. So it wouldn't be impossible to play live.
Also that day I added the idea of a piano part to another new song, Broovin'. Which is a fun, rockish song, probably our third best. Because guys, these new songs are soooo much better than LIGHT IT UP. You have no idea.
And both me and Beth have been working on our various instruments, from harmonica to slide guitar. I've got some good bluesy sounds going with my harp, and she is wrapping her head around soloing. That's why I have to learn guitar, so that she can play lead and I can play rhythm and it'll all work out.
It's been a very productive week for MDMB.
So guitar class today. Is in a basement of a house up the street. No joke. But the house is a city landmark, and the basement is more of a city event facility that happens to be under this house. I walked there in a beautiful sunset.
There are seventeen people in the class, seven guys and ten girls. The instructor's name I think is Randy, and he does know guitar, but he doesn't expect any of us to (which is an apt assumption. They don't.)
Aside from me, we have:
Confused Dad
Overzealous Mom
Confused Mom
Nine year old Boy
Youth Group Leader Girl
Youth Group Leader Boy
Talkative Uncle
Little Mexican Lady
Dad With Nothing Else Better To Do
Quiet Girl
Blind Girl
College Guitarist
Nine Year Old Electric Guitar Girl
Thinks She Can Play
Confused Middle Schooler
Punk Rock Fifth Grader
A lot of them are so clueless I wonder even why they have guitars. They clearly have never touched them before today. Which is alright, because this class is exactly for them, very very beginner. We learned how to read his little chord notations (the fat string is the sixth string, everybody); Em, A7, A, and E; Camptown Races (of all things) and the E blues scale.
That took an hour and a half.
And while I'm sure most of them were overwhelmed or just keeping up, me and College Guitarist were the ones looking bored the quickest. He's the sort that clearly played in college, but that was 20 years ago. Otherwise, I don't know what he's doing in this beginner's class. I'm not really sure what other people's motivations are, other than the Moms and Dads who just have nothing else better to do, and the kids whose parents want them to be rounded (and the Punk Rock kid who just wants to look like he's playing the guitar).
So it'll be cool. Somebody telling me to practice chord changes. The opportunity to develop calluses.
Guitar Center sent me a coupon for 15% of guitar straps, so I went in today and got a cool Union Jack one. British Invasion represent! But my guitar doesn't fit in the case with the strap on it, so lol. It's better than the Rock Band strap, at any rate.
What fun, music.
-Steph
No comments:
Post a Comment