Well, I’ve resigned myself to a life of solitary austerity, as we all hunker down to beat back this scourge on our society. But, I’m trying to find some ways of being productive and musical, as best I can. It’s led me through some interesting ways of performing online, with the aid of cell phone, a simple movie app and some staging smarts to develop a presence online. I enjoy the challenge of putting up a song, crack o’ dawn everyday. I do get some feedback and it helps me to connect with my friends. Some say it makes a difference in the morning.
I’ve done about 10 days of recordings and have gained a bunch of knowledge on how to make this stuff more professional and yet remain personal. I hope to be able to meld the two concepts and have made some strides on several fronts.
It takes me a short time to get the song in shape, performance ready in about four takes. That’s the easy part. It’s what I do well.
Then, there’s the damn equipment that gets in the way. (My most constant nightmares are about gear failure… really). I’m dealing with phone/camera minutiae and spend more time re-setting the camera for ephemeral quirks and retakes.
On the plus side, I’ve got all my instruments out and in relative tune. I’ve got some very nice tools. And I’ve only just begun. I’ve been mixing my Martins up and enjoying hearing each one’s zone. They make me play differently. Good for them and me. I’ll get around to the banjo and mandolin soon.
I’m enjoying moving through my repertoire. The sensitive, new age stuff will only last so long. Good though. But I’m thinking that it will open up an audience who will want to hear my other stuff. I’ve just started working up some adult stuff, and sharing some of it with Kris Kehr for bass. We’ll see. I’m glad I have the chance to log these songs on You Tube as well.
I’m also exploring the dimensions of the movie maker to expand and tweak the videos I’m churning out daily. Toys for tots, I guess. But it keeps things fresh.
Eventually I’ll step into the realm of online concerts, and, with that, a chance to make a little money. Friends have tried it and found it surprisingly responsive with the tip jar economy.
I’m healthy and surprisingly content in lock down – no surprise for introvert, I guess.