nostalgia
the good old days of trashy gear pt.1
i was talking to ghordo the other day about our very first pieces of gear we ever got and it was something i hadn't thought of in many years. i mean, we're talking over 25 years ago at this point so going back to the very beginning was a trip. the landscape of music gear was much different than it is today and at 14-15 years old you basically had to take wh…
Read more
inspiration
chunking and walking
a common and effective problem solving technique that I've really ingrained into my learning process is that of "chunking". short version: breaking a problem down into smaller manageable pieces that are easier to process eventually completing the whole problem. the good news is it totally works. the bad news is it takes patience. well, bad if you're…
Read more
inspiration
goals and such
when i started [re]learning music for the first time in 2016 i really took a hard look at why music was something that eluded me for, unfortunately, almost 20 years. i, and i'm rather proud of this, decided i knew nothing and started at the most basic place i could think of. i would look at everything i came across, even if i thought i already knew it, and reeva…
Read more
inspiration
recognizing your progress
in early 2016 when I decided I wanted to once and for all finally learn how to play the guitar I bought a notebook and started a journal/practice log. every day I'd sit down to practice and is scribble in the notebook anything I thought was important. some days it was just a list of stuff I worked on, other days it was thinking through a difficult concept. and on…
Read more
inspiration
be receptive
i find it fascinating how you find inspiration in the most random places and ways. over the past several years i did almost all of my musical learning by myself. i consumed anything i could watch, listen to, or read always looking for that next piece of information to help unlock this puzzle. i feel like i got pretty skilled at identifying when something seemed like …
Read more
inspiration
when in a rut...
lately i've been in a rut, musically. it happens. it's not fun being in it when it does happen. it makes practice difficult or impossible, which leads to a decline in ability, which further deepens the rut. it's a terrible cycle and unfortunately, there's no sure-fire way to snap out of it. i've certainly just weathered it and eventually found som…
Read more