I know I’ve said before that I’m ok with lyrics. I feel confident that I can do them. Looking back at my notebook (one idea per double page spread, titled, dated and indexed) it averages out over the year at more than one a week, but how this works is in reality I will maybe spend a day or so writing, come up with a few then stop for a while, until I get another idea that kicks me off again. Having done the residential with Kathryn Williams and Michele Stodart at an Arvon course at Lumb Bank, I have more. I have a bundle of notes ready to trigger even more words. I’m systematically working through them. But what I think I need now is an equivalent residential to kick start the musical side. However… I can’t afford it. I’ve been saying I should just do it. I’ve got the gear. I don’t play an instrument properly but I have a small keyboard, things that make noises, my voice, and the technology to record. So why don’t I just do it?
When I walk into my studio, front and centre is my big drawing table, usually with a big drawing on it, or my drawing board with paper and pens…
Behind the door on another table is all the aforementioned music gear. The idea being I can move from one table to the other as the mood strikes. But I don’t.
What happens is I walk in, the door hides the music table, I instantly see the drawing in progress and what needs to be done. So I flick the switch on the kettle, hang my bag up and start drawing.
So if I’m serious about playing musically I have to literally shift focus. I need to set up the music stuff on the big table. So today I’m going to finish the big drawing in progress, hang it up on the wall out of the way, and sort myself out.
It will take a bit of time to shift everything… speakers especially as they are heavy and a bit unwieldy. I need to set up that spaghetti heap of wires and leads so I have my laptop and interface, keyboard and microphone all set up to go before I leave the studio. This way, it will be the thing I see first, all set up and ready to go. It will be too much hassle to shift it all back again, so hopefully I’ll flick the switch on the kettle and start making some noise.
So now I’ve shifted it all I’m going home.
I’ll let you know if it works…
