After 11 on a Saturday night, drinking coffee, all consumed by the song. There is a point of diminishing returns, if that crosses the mind, you’re probably already there. Keep hammering; sometimes it’s like a long distance runner getting a second wind. Sometimes you end up feeling like an addict chasing that first euphoric blast and never finding it again.
Let the idea tell you where to go with it.
Or, say what it is you want to say, take control tell the idea where to go.
When to pull the plug, cut your losses; nobody knows.
If you don’t follow through there will be no song. If there is no song, there is no music business.
There’s a big difference between music and the music business. Get it out of your head.
Pour out your soul. “Blues is the truth”, that’s what Willie Dixon said.
What if the truth is boring?
Elaborate, embellish, poetic license.
“Bankers would just as soon not talk to poets anyway”, that’s what Willie Nelson said in “The Songwriter”.
Perservere, keep hammering. Chip away the stone.
Take a break, take a shower.
11:32 now. Smoke a cigarette, hmmm…, how many left?
15.
Slow down on the smokes ’cause if I need to go to the quick shop I also ‘gotta get gas and weather.com say’s it’s 29 degrees but it feels like 20.
Change keys, what are you doing in C sharp any way? Who the hell plays in C sharp?
Can’t drop it because I’m using the flat three below the root in the riff.
Not as good in D. Too thin sounding.
Try E and use the root note on the low E string as a drone.
11:53.
E interests me; now I don’t know what key it’s in E or C sharp.
A ninth chord though, who the hell plays ninth chords anymore? Ken, the old booking agent would say “That’s Jazz, don’t screw with Jazz, it’s a disease”.
James Brown used 9ths all the time people love James Brown.
Your not James Brown, James Brown can sing and dance. You can’t sing or dance. Does E even got a chance with your limited vocal “range”?
Voice sounds worse in E cause I’m starting on the 5. The five is where it’s at and the song is in C sharp. At least I know what key it’s in. Tempo too, I got that, 96. I don’t want to go back down that road, been there two hours ago. Drum machine on- drum machine off- play intuitively- faster-slower. It’s 96 trust me.
Lyrics, I got two lines and I’m gonna repeat ‘em. That’s all I know so far. Two lines but they’re the truth. “Blues is the truth”.
It’s not a blues song.
It’s all blues. “Blues is music about the human condition” that’s what B.B. King said. Therefore it’s all blues.
12:15.
Smoke another. That’s only 43 minutes since the last one. That’s 602 minutes worth of sticks left at that rate.
Should I record the riff?
No, if you can’t remember the riff for Christ’s sake it’s not worth anything.
When to roll tape then?
Nobody knows. No rules. Hammer. Chip. Perservere. Unfinished buisiness.
“Business” again.
Get it out of your head. Hammer, don’t force it though. “Let the hammer do the work but guide the hammer” that’s what Steve Miller taught me. Steve Miller the blacksmith not Stevie Guitar Miller.
Seems like I used to run that trip hammer flat out and it was about 100 beats a minute. Just for kicks I’m gonna try it at 100 beats a minute.
12:35
100 swings. Isn’t that odd. 100 swings and 96 swings but 98 doesn’t. Am I dialing it in or dialing it out?
It’s getting cold in here, I’m gonna’ turn up the heat but that’s gonna’ throw out my tuning.
How truly lazy you are.
Last cup of coffe in the pot.
Pretty late to be playing this loud better turn down and remember to turn the drum machine off when you’re not using it. AA batteries don’t grow on trees.
Chip. Hammer.
Don’t force it, let the idea have it’s way.
Perservere, let it flow, hammer, chip, C sharp? 96, 100, unfinished business, hammer, “Blues is the truth”.
Another cigarette.
Songwriting as I know it, 1:08 A.M. 12/10/06
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Tags: songwriting
Pat wrote,
Also, Blues is color, comes to mind. pd
Pat’s last blog post..Sixty-four Native Tongues, by David Darnell
Link | February 17th, 2008 at 2:38 pm