Giggin’ 1

Howdy,

I hope all of you are well and having a great start to your New Year.

Since I learned my lesson last year regarding too much detail in the writing of Gig Preparation; with this series I will just write about the highlights.

Today, I started to process of booking the location and dates of availability of the musicians and sound production team.

I also developed the setlist, which I will probably change a hundred times before rehearsals start.

OCD.  It makes a person crazy.

The process of choosing the songs that will be in the setlist has been far less stressful since I developed and instituted a rating system of songs based on their general style.

In the current list, I have: one ballad, two smooth tunes, some jazz, latin, & blues, one rock instrumental/Muzak sort of tune, some funk, a couple of TV themes and two songs that are not in 4/4 time.  The program will be organized so that we will not jump around or lurch from one style to the next, but rather segue from one group of similar songs to another.

I recently read that Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead and RatDog keeps a database of songs that he can arrange by tempo, time signature, key and a couple of other bits of information.  I found his explanation very interesting.  He said that he can slow down during the show without losing the groove that has been setup by the previous songs in the set by going from a tune at 110 bpm to a song that is 55 bpm.  Since the tempo is divided in half, the basic pulse that the audience senses can be the same.

Even though I am not much of a ‘wavelength/cosmic-plane’ sort of dude, I still ‘get it’ with this great way of thinking and arranging a music program.

Hopefully, I will have it right by gig-time.

-Justin

http://guitarlessonslynchburg.com/

A Beginning

Today, we have taken a step forward in a project that we have been trying to get off the ground for three years.  We have found a way to raise funds to create a concert series in our area that is geared toward families.

There are many families in our area that would love to attend concerts by local and regional artists but are unable to attend because of the times, locations, and/or atmospheres of the events.

Sometimes there are events that are family friendly, but price can easily be a deciding factor when there are four or more members per family.

Many events are in restaurants after hours and the atmosphere is that of a smoke-filled sports-bar.  I have been to and played many of these events and have heard great music but I have always wished that my family could go with me.

If you are interested in playing, attending or contributing to these events; go to ListenHearInc and contact me, join the e-mail list, or take the ChipIn link at the bottom of the Home page to contribute and join others as we meet the entertainment needs of families in our area.

Thanks,
Justin

http://guitarlessonslynchburg.com/

2009; Right on Time

Welcome to 2009; so new in fact, that I am still writing 2008 first.

One of my favorite activities of the new year is clearing my schedule of the bits that are not very productive.  Not only do I lose a little stress, but I gain time to do something different.

My wife laughed at me the other day when I told her that 2009 will be my year as a musician.  She asked: “Aren’t you already a musician?”

Well, yes, but that isn’t quite what I mean.  What I meant was that I intend to implement all of the performance ideas that I have had over the years, but have been too chicken to do them.

This should be much easier since I have a place to practice, rehearse, make videos and audio recordings; The Music Room.  It is finally complete enough to use and I am very excited.

What I find difficult about this process is that I must decide what to stop doing and there is always someone that is at least a little inconvenienced when I make a change.  I do, however, put in a great deal of consideration to the matter and I have found that by consolidating some of my activities, I can actually serve most of the people who depend on me better after the changes.

So, here is to 2009, I hope that I make the right choices for both of us.

Sincerely,
Justin

http://guitarlessonslynchburg.com/