Quote:

I use the word “creating” to include writing, singing, recording, playing, or arranging.

For the past months I have been musically frustrated and therefore non-productive in creating music. I work primarily with covers. I make the excuse to myself that there is so much incredible music available for me to experience as a musician that I don’t need to spend any effort writing my own material.

I have been working on one music project for months to cover a Joe Jackson song. Actually, I have been singing the lyrics for so long now my wife has complained (the verse is a little dark in spots and she feels I am trying to tell her something!). My skills allow me to get to a certain point and then I sit and cannot finish. I am not trying to do note for note transcription, although, if I could, perhaps that is what I should be doing as at least I could be making progress. Maybe this project is just more than I can accomplish.

So I stop for a while to refocus, and try something simpler – a cover of Some Where Over the Rainbow. to me one of the most beautiful songs ever written. In two days I have a nice working arrangement. BIAB – RT’s- vocals – guitar solo. I should be satisfied, but no. Each note I have sung, each chord I played, each guitar lick – they all need work. I am not a professional musician and have not spent a lifetime honing my musical skills, on top of that I was not given an extraordinary musical talent to begin with – and perhaps that is the essences of my frustration.

When creating music is so important, how do we have fun when our limitations get in the way? I’d like to think there was a New Year’s resolution in here, but I don’t see the situation getting better.




WOW Dan . . . I was felling pretty good until I read your post. Just kidding of course as I think we all go through that from time to time, frustrated because either the notes, chords or lyrics won't come and then BAM! out of nowhere (no not the tune, although it is a great one) things just seem to fall into place. Also from time to time as much as I know that down deep inside I love to sit and arrange/tweak nearly every song in my book there are those rare occasions when I would rather take a butt whooping instead. I think that is the inner conductor telling me to take some time away from the project, and I never argue with the band leader (unless he/she is the drummer) so I do just that. Maybe it’s just a day or two or even as much as a week or so but when I get back to it, it seems like the project just falls into place.

Of course that is the beauty part of BIAB as the rest of the band sits patiently and waits for my return. So remember if little blue birds fly way above the rainbow, so can you!

Happy New Year!

Danny C.
www.dannycampo.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Danny-Campo/379776252109306?skip_nax_wizard=true

The More You Drink The Better I Sound