OK, new year! if you are planning to do anything different musically, post your resolutions in this thread!

in 2015 I hope to do the following things musically:

1) start gigging again with a solo act/backing tracks

2) take a road trip and meet some of the people on the forum in person

3) Prior to retirement I bought some new instruments while I still had money. In 2015 I hope to find time to start gaining proficiency on the mandolin, banjo and resonator... and see if I can get musical noises out of the fiddle I bought, instead of the squeaks and rasps I'm getting now. (regarding the fiddle, my daughter said "you should practice that when I'm not here...")

4) I hope to make progress completing some of the many original songs I've started and abandoned.

Ha...
I guess drastic EQ or signal processing is just not going to work.
Looks like your plate is full for the year.

Carry on....

Hey Pat, I set a goal many years ago of learning one instrument a year, and did it for the next 12. Take on one at a time.

My wife and I had a great time meeting John Ford and his wife from this forum. Let me know if you ever get to Lake George, NY.

matt

good idea on the "one at a time" Matt. I have a tendency to bite off more than I can chew.
If I ever take a road trip north, I will definitely contact you!

Started my New Years resolution a couple weeks back. In 2015, a year of woodshedding to bring my guitar chops to a level commensurate with the years I have been playing.

Good luck on your resolutions Pat, I hope to see you soon.

PS: You raised a very smart daughter

Later my friend,

Come on, people... post YOUR new year's resolutions.
Or, have you decided to be an ol' stick in the mud, doing nothing different...again?

I have to assume that everybody who doesn't post a resolution is planning to stagnate.
;-)

Pat, a number of years ago I made a New Year's resolution that I have kept even today. That resolution was to never make another New Year's resolution.

Ps - That is my get out of jail card.

LMAO!!!

Happy New Year brother Mario!

I've never kept one single New Years Resolution.

Why should I make another one?

Happy New Year to you also brother Danny.

I have two:

Less music, more fishing.

Thank every cop I see in 2015.


Happy New Year everyone!


Bob

that raises an interesting question Bob... because knowing your keen mind, I don't think for a minute that you have stagnated every year of your life. Therefore I have to assume that the resolutions you didn't keep were different from the accomplishments you actually made that year. In other words, you DID have direction.. you just didn't write it down or declare it publicly.

There is an aspect of resolutions that tends to promote unrealistic expectations, and I think that's why so many people don't bother.

But for those who have a realistic understanding of their capabilities, and of the resources that will be available in a given year, I see such resolution making more like a "to do list" for the year. Kind of like saying "I certainly won't accomplish all of it, but these are the things I plan to work on"

Research shows that setting attainable goals, writing them down where you are reminded daily, and cultivating a plan of action to step through a plan for reaching the goal... that works.

The old saying that "people don't plan to fail... but if they fail to plan, it usually works out that way" has a ring of truth to it.

New years resolutions are (to me) like taking an honest look at what I tried last year, then deciding which of it is worth a renewed effort in the coming year. Then following it up with an action plan. Without a plan of action, a goal is just a wish.

And every goal begins with a choice.

two good goals!

"New years resolutions are (to me) like taking an honest look at what I tried last year, then deciding which of it is worth a renewed effort in the coming year."




At my age, a New Year's resolution is more like a Bucket List.

Mario, I'd bet You're not alone on that resolution!

OK, I understand the whole aversion to the forward projecting "new year's resolution" idea. Nobody wants to write a check they can't cash. But I think y'all are NOT stagnant... so let me approach this backwards:

Assuming that you aren't a stagnant boring ol' lump on a log... (please prove that assumption to be true)

In retrospect, what were some things you did last year? I'm mostly interested in musical activity.. but I'd guess a lot of us have put music on the back burner for various reasons in order to prioritize other things. Well, what were the other things in 2014? Family stuff? Job? A hobby? A life of crime? travel? Continuing education? TV? Pets? A charity? Volunteer work? Health issues?

What captivated your attention in 2014? And how much of it will you likely carry forward into 2015?

Hahahahhaa!
Bob you always crack me up! I'm really looking forward to meeting you

Pat, some of the things that kept me off track during 2014 were health issues that sapped my energy (I was on partial leave from work for five months and should have gotten a bunch done, but didn't); my wife had a heart attack, then several weeks later broke her wrist, both at work); and day-to-day stuff that all of us deal with. All excuses, really. Good ones, some of them, but still excuses.

One reason I didn't re-up with BIAB is that I have yet to install the last two upgrades. The major musical resolutions are to take care of those as well as a major upgrade for Propellerhead Reason; organize my studio space so it's usable (I have all I need, it's all hooked up and working, i just can't move around); and make time for composition and arranging (and share it here!).

The great news is that my wife encourages and supports me in All Things Musical, so there's no resistance from behind, for which I thank her daily. She agrees with all of my resolutions—and insists that I realize them in the new year. Here's to all of us meeting our goals and living our dreams.

Richard,

in my opinion an EXCUSE differs from a REASON because a REASON explains why alternatives were truly impossible to pursue. An EXCUSE is an attempt to make people believe there was a valid REASON, when in fact there wasn't.

Illness qualifies as a valid reason for having one's attention diverted! So please don't say its an excuse!

I hope 2015 sees better health for you and your family, and that you will make some headway in directions that are more fun and fulfilling than mailing checks to doctors' offices.

Pat:

I like your idea of a "backward resolution" or "what I accomplished last year", rather than setting a goal for the coming year.

For 2014 I had planned to put new siding on my house. Didn't get done, I didn't "resolve" to do it, and I'm not concerned about it. Perhaps it will happen in 2015 and maybe not.

What I did manage to do this year, was introduce BIAB to several people who had never seen it before, 2 of which bought it. I hadn't resolved to do it, it just happened.

That's how I plan to approach my "New Year's Music Resolution" for 2015. Whatever opportunity comes along musically, I'll take it, if it seems appropriate at the time.

For me, life is too short (at my age) to set goals which I may or may not meet. I hope at the end of 2015, I can feel as accomplished at doing ANYTHING as I feel at the end of this year.

Thanks for the thread.
Some great dialog here.

LLOYD S

My 2015 music resolution is to practice and get my skills back. I am SORELY lacking in the motivation area because Real Band is just so damn good I don't HAVE to play. I can't play anywhere close to what the pro samples give me in Real Tracks. I do a lot of supporting parts, like strings and organ pads and such, but most of my stuff is Real Band tracks. The composition skills is what I care about anyway.

And my personal resolution is to continue my plan to better health. Today marks one year since I adopted a vegetarian lifestyle and started exercising. After holiday slippage, I am at 233, down from 310. This year's goal is to find 200 again.

I WILL do it.

Good luck Eddie! Your success so far inspires me!

(but I won't be turning vegetarian any time soon)
;-)