Same thing as in years' past.
What did you aim for last year?
What did you get done?
What's on tap for this year?
I'll start.
I had quite a lot of lofty goals, but I have a few hours a day on average. I know better than to ever allow myself to get bored, so this was again my outlet. The biggest problem would be comprehending information retaining it due what they're now calling a surgical head injury and complications around that. 'oy! I was stubborn enough and after doing many things quite a few times with the book(s) open and the PDF files cluttering up desk-tops, I got a fair ways.
In red was how I did.
Last year was all about the Home Project Studio for me. I wanted to...
#1: Get my home office room turned into a Home Project Studio. (I did OK. I need to address some acoustics, but the room is too small and wrong to get very far.)
#2: Learn my new and addicting DAW (Pro Tools) (I did very well on this front.)
#3: Learn how to track (record) music, (I came up short on mic'ing amps and such, but did OK otherwise. I'm still working on volume and gain levels and how that all relates to the final mix.)
#3A: Learn how to edit and otherwise engineer those tracks. (This one took a big jump right at the end of the year due to finding the right resources finally, which allowed me to understand what I was going for. )
#3B: Learn how to mix. (Steadily improving)
#4: Do some cover songs with me doing everything except playing drums. (Those I'd use software for) (They got better as the year went on.)
#5: Write my own song and complete a first version. (I did one. It stunk, but served as a fantastic learning tool. It was my spring-board)
#6: Some guitar goals. Get better at pentatonic scales. (Making them more musical is now the goal)
#7: Get better at the Major scale. (making them more musical is now the goal)
#8: Learn the Fret Board. (Memory takes a while. It didn't happen. Not entirely. I think this will be the year.)
#9: Ear Training (key, notes, etc) (Good luck)
#10: Learn the notes and the basic chords on piano. (Notes, yes. Chords....no. Well, just a few.)
#11: Learn how to "Rock Out". Power chords, feeling the energy, etc, etc. (This was a goal of mine for the past few years. It actually feels like it's getting close.)
#12: figure out a way to sing better. (I think I did a bit better, but still a good ways away.)
And for 2013.....
#1: Continue studio learning.
#2: Learn the fret-board.
#3: Make my leads & scale-overs sound much more musical than they do now.
#4: Become much more fluent and fluid with the rock power chords.
#5: Learn a bunch of piano chords and become fluid with the changes.
#6: Arrange and record more covers, but adding something to make them my own, so to speak.
#7: Write and Record more originals.
#8: Find a comfort zone with vocals.
You know, it's kind of funny how I could be doing something off and on for 10 years and still looking at a generalized list and seeing some basics on there. Kind of strange.
Anyhow, let's hear what you guys are working on for this coming year.
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
My goals for 2012 were...
1. Write more songs - I did complete FAWM (14 songs in month of February) this year, a few were co-writes with a friend of mine. We talked about writing more together, but never did.
2. Get a regular acoustic jam going - Got it started, but it has fallen off in the last few months. My friend (same one I co-wrote with) had to change jobs and is working a lot of weekends. My son and I have also been pretty busy, so we haven't played in a while.
3. Sing more - I went from rarely singing in front of people to singing lead on 6 songs in my cover band and singing backup on a lot more. Each time I sing, I get more and more comfortable and I'm starting to find my voice and comfort range.
4. Learn more songs completely (bass) - Currently have 54 (we had less than 15 at the start of 2012) songs my band plays that I can play from start to finish barely thinking about them.
5. Learn more chord fingering on guitar - even though I've been playing for almost 10 years, I've been stuck in the rut of the standard open chords, E and A style barre chords, and power chords only. This year, I made a concentrated effort to learn some different shapes and ways to play guitar.
Goals for 2013....(goals 1 & 5 are for my band, not counting recording projects and stuff I learn for myself)
1. Continue learning complete songs (bass and guitar) - goal of 80 total songs on bass by EOY
2. Work on mixing rhythm and lead guitar (blues rhythm with fills)
3. Continue learning modes (bass)
4. Improve playing by ear
5. Continue to challenge myself vocally - goal of singing at least 10 more songs by EOY.
6. Get acoustic jam restarted, add in my mandolin
I am proud to say I met every goal that I set in 2012.....because I didn't set any.. :lol:
That way I never disappoint myself.
There are way to many things to list as goals and even if I did just listing the goals are pretty useless without an action plan behind each one and then you actually have to stick to it otherwise all you have is a wish list and another round of disappointment at the end of the year for all the unacheived goals.
But by default I have progressed. Actually got out there with the band and played several shows until it broke up. Now I'm supposedly in two bands but I'm not sure either one is going anywhere.
I'll just keep plugging along learning new songs, most I'll probably never get to play with anyone. I've been on a GNR and Iron Maiden kick lately.
Man they love to use the gallop technique in almost all the Iron Maiden songs and it really tires your forearm out to keep it up for so long can't imagine playing a few hours of that music.
In looking back at all the band drama that has gone on I can honestly say I enjoyed playing with the guys that were my friends first rather than people I met just to make music. The music wasn't as good with my friends but the enjoyment was greater. With starngers it's hard to be critical about anything everyone is always sensitive and it ends up always as drama.
My wish since it's something that I really can't control much is that 2013 be drama free.
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
I had to search the 2012 thread... It seems I also met the goals. They were to increase the time for playing and to keep learning some jazz concepts. I have been playing guitar and piano the last six months. And I was studying flute with a teacher for two months.
I finished the jazz instruction book, too. And I was exploring some Greek modes (mainly Aeolian, Dorian and Mixolydian... I was working on the major scale the last year). I do not master them but I understand them (with the invaluable help of Noteboat and a bunch of articles in the main site).
For 2013.
Currently I am very interested on Classical music. Really I was always much more interested on Classical, mainly Baroque and Contemporary (well, late XIX and XX centuries) than rock. The piano and the flute awaked again the interest for playing so one of my goals for 2013 is to play and learn some pieces.
On flute we was working on some Debussy pieces (and also on the first measures of Pavane by Fauré following the advices of my teacher...) but now I am using an instruction book and I practice just once or twice per week. I want to follow the book this time so no new material here.
On piano I was working on Mikrokosmos by Bartók and I will start with a new repertoire book soon (I am finishing the first instruction book right now). I am choosing the repertoire books and pieces these days, so any advice is, as always, welcomed. I do not want to define a specific number of pieces to learn, perhaps a dozen, one per month. A half dozen will be good, too.
Also I want to improve my sight reading. I was working on it since I started flute playing and I improved a lot. Every day I try to read ten or fifteen minutes. It is awesome how you can improve just by reading.
And, obviously, have fun while I am learning and playing!
Wow I hate these threads. :lol: :lol:
That being said... I met some of my goals for playing... but not all. Ive progressed a lot in the last year, and feel I have improved quite a bit. Heck... eaven the wife now says ive gotten better... and she hardly ever has a cringe any more. :)
Ive gotten more confadent on the guitar... not so stiff, and more able to let myself go. so that was a biggy....
What I didnt get done was that I was hoping to get some time out playing for/with other people. I feel I have a lot of work to do before im ready to play FOR people... and playing with others.... well its not as easy to find others out there when you get older. And if you do, they are normaly looking to play with people at or near the same skill level as themselves.
So for 2013?
Well i want to keep up progress. Keep learning what I can, and progressing like I did last year. Work on polishing a handfull of songs so that I can fill a little time if someone asks to hear me play... Back to the last years goals of playing with others... and maybe FOR some people... and lastly I would like to do a little writing, and work on writing my own music, and songs.
But the most important is to keep progressing... with that I think the other stuff will come
Paul B
I've always had lists as a way or adding some orginization to anything I do. It's anal, sure, but it works. I forget less (I think), I do more and most of all, I don't feel over-whelmed.
The nice thing about this is that I can treat it as a what do I want to do rather than what should I do. Big difference. Of course there is some of the latter in there, but only enough to help me get to do the want to do stuff.
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
my goal, as always, is world domination.
my goal, as always, is world domination.
What are we going to do tonight, Pinky?
I was just thinking about that cartoon recently. What a classic. Perhaps the SSG can write a song along the lines of the Kinks' "Celluloid Heroes" about some of the cartoon super-stars. :mrgreen:
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
