Life is too short to be afraid.

that is the kick off sentiment for the year (yes, i know the year is technically well underway). But it is an idea that hit me at Christmas time that I’ve been slowly embracing on all levels. One result is the top ten list of things I’m going to do to kickstart my musical world.  The list is presented as it came to me, it is not necessarily in any order of importance and I expect that there will be some ebb and flow between the categories as I put it into action.

#1 – Practise, Practise, Practise – while songwriting is my focus, the better I am at playing my instruments, the better the songs I will be able to write.  Currently i have a few songs that I can sign but haven’t mastered the accompaniment. I have other songs that I can play but exceed my vocal range or capabilities.  Practice is the only way to cross those rivers.

#2 – Write – I have lots of songs I’ve written, lots more that I’ve started and several in development. the only way to keep sharp is to sharpen the saw – keep writing, explore new styles, do exercises, write with partners, finish songs even when they are hard, rewrite things even if I think they are finished, solicit feedback, beat those little gems into things of exquisite beauty, grace and power.

#3 – Share – I’m really bad at this.. I have so many songs that no one has ever heard.  Some of them rightly so, but many I’ve told my self “are not ready.” Part of my goal of this site is to change that – to start blindly sharing the music I create and just see what happens.  I know not everyone will like everything I do, maybe no one else but me will like it.. but that is fine.  mostly I wrote it for me, for the joy of writing & creating, it just seems ungrateful to have been given the gift of a shiny new song and then hid it away in a pile of papers or as a bunch of 1’s and 0’s on a hard drive. Get it out there..

#4 Play – apart from practicing, I need to play more.  For fun, for others, around the campfire, on the patio, in bars and pubs, with other musicians. get into the groove, jam, improvise, create together, get into the sound.

#5 Network –  I need to meet people other musicians, songwriters, educators, engineers, producers, promoters, anyone and everyone, I need to meet them face to face, online, at venues concerts, events, make a point of it. Collect people for my network and be a valuable addition to the people whose networks i become part of.  Collaborate, brainstorm, provide information, referrals, insight, resources, fan support, whatever.  get out there and put myself out there.

#6 Learn – There is always so much to learn in any endeavour. From structured lessons, to online research, books, mentors (and Mentoring), Sharing knowledge, asking questions,

#7 Market – Oh yes, well tooting your own horn is not easy and doesn’t come naturally to me, but if I’m going to share and put myself out there, I will also need to support those efforts by being findable and sharable.  This site is part of that effort, but I’ll need to mobilize my network and take that leap into putting it all out there!

#8 Set Goals – Seems obvious, but I’m a tinkerer and I’ll tinker away at a song or anything endlessly if I have the chance.  So sitting down and setting my specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, Time specific goals is a hugely important step.  and sharing that goal list will be key to holding myself accountable – this forum may be one place I share it.

#9 Record – I’ve done lots of recording, mostly demos, arrangements as a writing tool, but now i really want to record some releasable material. probably need to engage in a local studio/producer/engineer.

# 10 Enjoy – When writing a list like this, and thinking about all the musical things I want to do and achieve, it is easy to forget that at the end of the day Priority number one is I want to enjoy it all. seek the enjoyment of a great performance, a new riff, a new song or recording. Have fun!