I recently placed a craigslist ad promoting my services as a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist seeking to join or form a working group. I will only say that the group's music will combine elements of blues and ambient/electronica and will be unique when it happens.

I was contacted almost immediately by a gentleman seeking a collaborator in a commercial-music enterprise. He is an established songwriter who has the contacts and most of the skills necessary; I auditioned* and he feels that I can complete the package. I have two weeks from Wednesday, April 8 to prepare my studio for co-production.

As I have dealt with responses to my ad I became aware that I actually have three goals within the overarching desire to make my living at music: (1) To play live for its own sake, and to earn short-term cash; (2) to create and market my own, purely creative music, with the goal of its sustaining me long term; (3) and to create and market commercial music for sale to film and TV production houses, websites, ad agencies, etc.

My new collaborator has said he will begin sending me beds to work on as soon as I tell him I am ready. In order to do these things I need to build a DAW (for which I have the parts and software); learn how to effectively use my studio, in particular my sequencer (Nuendo 1.6.2), Band in a Box, RealBand, and Reason, pretty much in that order; create sample music; get better control of my Roland VG-88 "V-Guitar"; set up at least one website (which I need to learn how to do); and get to work. I need to be up by Tuesday, April 21, although I'd like to be ready at the end of this week--Friday the 17th.

So here is my point: I am asking you to hold me accountable. In the time I have been a member here I have posted one piece of music: unacceptable. So, please: Write me at the address posted in my profile (if we get to know one another I'll give you my phone number.); or, in any appropriate post, feel free to challenge me with the question: "What have you done towards reaching these goals today?" And I'll be asking plenty of questions here, because now I have to make this stuff work, and well.

The only way I can fail now is to not answer my phone or email, or not complete the tasks above. Knowing myself, that may not be enough, so I'd like to publicly put myself on the spot, i.e., "Put up or shut up." And you know how I love to talk.

Thanks in advance to all the great teachers, musicians, and listeners here.

R.


* The audition consisted of accompanying the man, whose name some of you songwriters may know, on lead electric guitar during two hours in front of a live audience without knowing what he was going to play. The repertoire consisted of country, pop, and rock music. I even stayed up for half a dozen numbers during an open-mic segment. In that time I missed one note; I'm fairly proud of how I did. And I was publicly introduced for the first time as "Ryszard".

"My primary musical instrument is the personal computer."