Eye on the Prize

Prize = Keeping your purpose close to your heart. I continue to keep my eye on the prize: Guitar skills and song development. I've been working hard on the prize for awhile. I still very much want to record songs but every time I try to organize this something falls through with studios or with musicians not being very engaged or respectful. I refuse to put up with this. I'm better off to keep playing on my own. After learning bass this year, at some point I may become like Lenny Kravitz – playing all the instruments on my recordings, or will have saved enough money to hire studio musicians! Either way, I continue on… For now, I am working on guitar improvisation skills using YouTube backing tracks (guitar, bass, and drums (e.g., funk, jazz, or metal) at home or iPad loops at my rehearsal studio. As additional incentive, I also planned a 10-day vacation to Florida this February that includes guitar workshops on a cruise ship. (the cruise planner upgraded me to an oceanview room. Yes!). What happens during a guitar workshop cruise? I have no idea. I’ve never been to a guitar workshop on land. Although there are a few things I know: Alex Skolnick will teach a workshop and his jazz trio will play. Yes, again! The main reason for me to book this trip! (as there are similar cruises on the west coast). There will be other influential guitarists teaching as well, including Gabriel Ayala (Native American jazzmenco acoustic player; divinely beautiful playing) Zakk Wylde (not my thing, but will be open; there is something to learn from every veteran musician), Yngwie Malmsteen (arpeggio master!), and Marty Friedman (saw him live twice; top notch!). There will also be many rock concerts, but most of bands I don’t care for (e.g., Breaking Benjamin). That is, every time songs from these bands come on the radio I change the station. Trite and generic ‘music’ (or is it entertainment? Not sure. But after seeing the concerts my mind will either be changed or it will be one more nail in the coffin of listening to any new rock bands). With an eye on the prize, I’m counting the days until the trip! “If you play music for no other reason than actually just because you love it, the skills just kinda creep up on you.” ~ Nuno Bettencourt