Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Fixin' To Be Fixin'

Canvas


"As soon as you externalize an idea you see facets of it that weren’t clear when it was just floating around in your head." - Brian Eno



I am getting ready to get ready to record. I am almost ready to get ready. In the country vernacular, I am fixin' to be fixin'. 
I know that what I'm doing is going to be demo-grade, but the pieces are going to be put in place. Order, tempo, time, progression, general gist are all things I want to get together now as I sketch out this piece of audio sculpture. I know the challenges I will have. When I start laying down the tracks, I will be making it harder and harder to change the build. If you lay your foundation properly, you shouldn't have to knock down to many bricks to modify the wall.



"The more time you spend on an old idea, the more energy you invest in it, the more solid it becomes, and the more it will exclude new ideas." - Brian Eno

I guess that's the trade-off for anything of permanence. Once it's out there, there it is. 

On one hand you strive for perfection. 
  • No mistakes. 
  • No botched notes. 
  • No bad timing.
  • No distractions from the message.
On the other, you strive for imperfection.
  • Does it sound human?
  • Does it have an organic appeal?
  • Does it hold artistic energy?

You can see that one side demands, and the other inquires.

"As a maker you tend to put in twice as much as you need as a listener. It’s a symptom of contemporary production. Old records don’t have that problem." - Brian Eno

In my mind, I have some slow developing music that I want to help paint the picture. What good is a portrait without the appropriate background and props? The prog-rockers learned that long ago. So did the movie soundtrack composers.


Also, how many times have I said to a fellow musician:



  • Less is more
  • Play for the song
  • Play for the story
So with all this musing within me, I am getting ready to get ready. Stay tuned. 
And... Thanks Brian.

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