No, It Isn't Ken's Really Heavy Concept Album...

As an independent musician and producer, budgetary constraints have dictated that up until now, I had to record the old fashioned way by writing and arranging the material well in advance. Old habits die hard. Getting started on this project was the hardest part because I was still clinging to old methods.

Well, fie on the old methods.

The practice of beginning a new composition every day--both writing and recording--and then looking at the pool of material I had created to choose the best bits for expansion has worked exceedingly well. Out of eighteen ideas, three of those pieces have now been expanded into three brand new songs with basic tracks now complete. That's three new songs in three weeks' time, plus ideas in the can I can use later. I'd call that a successful working method.

This may seem old hat to folks who have been doing this on their own for awhile, but it's the first time I've had the opportunity to use the tools of today to make a record. I've never had the experience of writing an album as I was recording it. That sort of thing was meant for big recording stars with huge budgets, the sort of thing I read about in music magazines and books in my youth. I always thought that the worst thing that could happen when you got to that level would be to run out of ideas while the meter was running. That, or you could second guess yourself into oblivion, over analyzing everything that you do until you manage to wring every drip of life from your music. I've never, ever been rich and on some level, such indulgence offends me to the core.

Now that I have decent gear at my disposal, I haven't fallen into a vat of self-indulgence. I've used the luxury of unlimited time prudently and effectively, redoing things only when they clearly needed it. I have a strong desire to complete this project this year, and that has kept me on track. The tools have kept me focused, and control of those tools has made my creative process faster and more finely honed. I can focus better and make quicker decisions. In short, I've been able to create music more efficiently and realize the things I'm looking for more fully.

I started this album with about a half dozen songs already written, but they remain on the shelf. I really needed some new material to work on to keep my interest. So, after a revision of the work done thus far, I have five songs created between October and January (two others were cut), plus three brand new ones bringing the grand total to eight. Hopefully, a couple more weeks of writing will help me come up with three more. Of those eight, only one of those songs predates the beginning of recording for this project.

So what do the other seven songs sound like? I dunno. I hate describing my own music. Or anybody else's, for that matter (which was why my career as a critic a few years ago was so short-lived). They're definitely different, but still consistent with the way I write. I think people who know my work will be surprised but not thrown for a complete loop. I'm using some different sounds, textures, song forms and ideas, but it's not like going from nursery rhymes to serialism. There is a thread of continuity there. You'll hear it soon enough. Then you can decide for yourself. I think that's best.

The Pace Quickens

Almost two years ago, I took up meditation in the belief that someone like me needed to find new strategies to help myself unclench. It has helped tremendously, although it has taken some time to really understand the benefits of the practice. Having suffered from considerable bouts of writer's block over the years (and the accompanying panic and stress of trying to write in the face of the possibility of failure), I'm really surprised at how mental training has affected my writing process.

The new strategies I talked about in my last entry are yielding results, and the switch from guitar-based songs to piano-based songs has broadened the scope of the album and guided me towards new territory. In keeping with the idea of starting a new composition every day, I now have seventeen new pieces to work on (since March 8th), three of which have made it to the collection of songs that will make up the album. The rest of them are ideas to be plundered later for other projects. It sure is nice to have a surplus of material for a change. And the new methods have kicked things up a few notches.

What I'm learning is to not censor myself so harshly from the very beginning of the composition process. Better to just let it flow and edit things later. It seems a simple idea, but one that took me a long time to learn. I am teaching myself to suspend disbelief in life and in my work. Using simple recording software like Garage Band in the initial stages of composing allows me to play with arrangements before moving over to the Logic side. The ethos of simplicity and the feeling of spontaneity I've been trying to capture are still very much alive, and the sense of adventure is heightened.

But the most important lesson I'm learning is to not be attached to the results. I trust that I'll make the right decisions and that this collection of songs will become what it's supposed to become. I can't think of how much or how little people will enjoy it. i can't think of what friends and family will think or what critics will say. That's all stuuf that is beyond my ability to control. My job at this point is to follow where the music goes. The album will be what it is.

So if you'll excuse me...

Screw the Rules

Funny how time flies. Striking a balance between making an album and writing about making it is really quite a trick. But even when I'm away from the computer, I'm always thinking about it, always going over in my mind what I've done so far and what I'd like to do next.

In the meantime, I've been busy doing other things which have yielded unexpected results. I've collaborated with my friend Mike Schrand from the St. Louis band Salt of the Earth, adding bits to some of his songs. I've also engineered and produced a couple of tracks for an album of music by the employees of Vintage Vinyl, a record store here in St. Louis that's sort of a musical institution here in the Midwest. I also have the opportunity to produce albums for other artists later this year--something I've wanted to do for a while now and that I'm excited about.

This month, I began the process of putting myself out as a composer for hire. I've always been able to do more than write songs. I can come up with ideas and write compositions that have nothing to do with traditional pop and rock songwriting structures. I love instrumental music and I'm musically conversant in a wide range of styles. But in my more traditional songs, I haven't been able to find a refuge for my more eclectic leanings. I've found an outlet for that in writing stock and custom instrumental music for sale. These pieces can be used for commercials, multimedia projects, presentations...whatever you can imagine. In this realm, people are looking for diverse textures. And I'm all about musical diversity.

These experiences have helped me get out of my own head and step back from my primary project. I came to realize that the rules I imposed on myself earlier in this project seemed reasonable, but are proving to be limiting. My musical imagination has ideas of its own that and doesn't really concern itself with adhering to a prescribed manifesto. Ironically, it was work I've been doing on commercial music that led me to reappraise my art project.

So now every day, I get up and write a new composition. My normal writing process is a bit slow because I have a tendency to self-censor (agonize is more the word here). But no more of that now. If it comes out, I write it. Sometimes I finish or at least start several compositions in a day and sort them out at the end of the day. It's wither good music for stock, a song idea to be developed or something that's hot on my mind that moves to the front of the line for further development for the album. It's a whole new way of working and so far I'm thrilled with the results.

This new way of working essentially does three things: One, it helps keep the lights on. By helping to pay the bills, I'm able to keep working on the album. Two, it helps me to get rid of musical cliches that are woven into my consciousness. Some of these I use in my songs, some of them I try to avoid. Writing commercial music means I have an outlet for things I wouldn't necessarily use. Conversely, in coming up with new themes to develop on the commercial sides, So thirdly. I often stumble upon ideas I wouldn't have normally found otherwise. Some of these are so good that I'm often prompted to say, "Well, that's way too hip to give away. I'm keeping that bit for the album!"

But of course, the very best part of all of this is that I get to work on creating music all the time. That's the part I like best.

I originally set out to make an album in a very traditional way, accepting limitations of the equipment and keeping an organic feel to the sound and organization to the tracks. Now I'm using sequencing and keyboard tools much more, but sticking with traditional sounds--indeed, all of the classic keyboard sounds I've been using so far have all come from software. I'm simply broadening my palette and building instrumental arrangements that have a little more depth to make the tracks I'm working on a little richer. I'll keep you posted on my progress.