The Making of an EP - Live from the woodshed

Rockers!

Happy 2010! Boy, oh boy, I am ready for a rockin' year!

For starters, my CD, Northbound, is getting so close to completion. I hit my deadline of finishing the songwriting, and now I'm in the practicing phase.

I had a dilemma that perhaps you've had....The one of creativity vs. killer technique. For me, practicing scales and alternate picking is totally boring. I hate it. But - I realize it's the only way for me to achieve the level that I want to on the guitar. (Mind you, everyone's goals are different, so just because I say "Blah Blah Blah Scales Blah Blah Blah" doesn't mean you have to subscribe to this view to meet your musical vision - I mean, check out Kurt Cobain.)

But - scales have nothing to do with my songwriting process. I learned this lesson the hard way. Just because you have good technique doesn't mean you'll write good songs! Nine years spent on technique, and all of a sudden I'm playing catch up, and looking for a way to apply the skill I had gained. It's aggravating to be able to play all this goofy extreme rock guitar stuff, but not be able to come up with a cool riff that makes sense!

So for the past year and a half, I've been focusing on songwriting. I've improved drastically in that field, but...my playing has suffered. It's gotten more creative, but my speed has declined, and the rust is creepin' over my fingers.
And I certainly don't want to put out an album of great ideas, but no chops to back 'em up.

Enter the practice phase: I've gotten my material written, arranged, and scratch tracks recorded. Now, I'm giving myself time to go back, use that metronome, and dust off my skills. They're coming back, I'm happy to say!

Now I'll know where to use those skills.

I guess life is made up of seasons and tides, and music is no exception.

Stay tuned! (Both on the blog, and make sure your guitar's singing properly!)

- Josh