Now that I've started work in earnest, this will be the first of hopefully many (roughly) weekly progress updates.
Prior to last weekend I had spent almost 12 months slowly gathering and organising themes and thoughts. I had a list of about 10 working titles plus a possible album title. I also had a couple of rough melody ideas. I don't want to reveal the working titles or album title yet so, for the time being, I'll refer to songs by the (initials) of the working titles.
Thu 28 Sep 2017: I've rearranged my studio to make everything more accessible. It feels a lot more purposeful and open.
Sun 1 Oct 2017: It's my first time sitting in the studio seriously. I'm feeling apprehensive; procrastinating. I start to play with Maschine, the new toy I bought late last year. I want this to help me break out of some of my patterns of writing but I'm not quite sure how to fit it into my workflow. Discovering and playing. I create my first beats based on a rhythm I already have in mind for (D). Before long I have a basic melody for the verse and chorus and chords recorded. Next I turn my attention to (COTS). I have the chorus lyrics and before long another melody and chords. I record a rough take and the results make me a bit emotional. I think this track is going to be important. By the end of the day I'm feeling cautiously optimistic.
Mon 2 Oct 2017: I listen to the work of the previous day. I'm really happy with the results and their potential. But I'm still nervous about working; scared that I'm going to hit a brick wall. I play around a bit and create a new rhythm for a new track. Not sure which theme I'll use it for but I'm really happy with it. At the end of the long weekend I have musical roots for 3 songs. (D) was a little different in that I already had a melody and rhythm and created the beats to match my idea. But the other two were based on creating new beats with Maschine. Definitely more play and experimentation than usual, and that's a good thing.
Tue 3 Oct 2017: I'm feeling a bit weird after the weekend. On one hand happy that I created so much. On the other hand dissatisfied that I didn't spend every waking moment in the studio. But I know that's not realistic. I'm also worried that the inspiration will dry up or that I will compromise my ideas and weaken my efforts. Why think that? In the evening I do some more work on the beats for (D) but I'm not really happy with them.
Wed 4 Oct 2017: I wake with a better rhythm for (D) in my head. I quickly draft something in iMaschine on the iPad before I forget. All day I have the melodies from the weekend in my head. That's nice.
