Musical goals for 2014

[Synthoid]

finally be able to sing and play at the same time.

 

Yeah, I'm not good at that either.

[Aussie_Chicago]

Practice, practice, practice ! Ive been practicing and learning songs for 2 different bands I play in , and finding I just don't have the time to actually practice the fundamentals of scales, harmonies and theory.I need to go back to the basics and re fresh myself again.

And now I have the Hammonds, get better at basslines and foot work.

For an older guy like me that just got back into playing keys again, learn about the technology Ive missed out on for the last 20 yrs...DAWS, VST's ?? what ???

[Theo Verelst]

I'll have to experiment, imitate and create with some instruments, and sounds I make for them, going through

my elaborate multi-compression and (FFT mastering effect based) studio processing. Making a few more elaborate Lexicon based sounds (i.e. synth + processing + Lexicon with emphasis on what the latter adds) as well as finishing some guitar processing networks and including well-working harmonizer (not the choir imitation but "chord emphasis") effect.

 

I will use tools I've worked on like here to be able to chose to combine and edit partial audio signal paths, like one this page. All this will have to run simultaneously on 1, 2 or even 3 machines. Maybe I'll be able to make a start with very high frequency sampling/synthesis, and work on the same general subjects on the powerful little "Parallella" board.

 

Hopefully, the additional signal processing will encompass speech/voice processing to a level of Loudness insensitiveness I can call professional grade, and refined digital speaker/listening space corrections that make me able to "play" with different types of High Fidelity feels.

 

Making and practicing some great Fusion comes to mind.

 

T

 

[wineandkeyz]

Good topic!

 

My three goals for the coming year are:

• I want to find myself a more consistent groove in terms of personal practice. These days it seems I'm either cramming to prep for a specific upcoming gig ... or my gear is languishing in the cases. I need to find to find myself sticking to a more consistent practice regimen.
   
  
• I want to work up a repertoire of solo piano pieces (my current repertoire is strictly focused on being a keyboard player in a group). I've got a repertoire of "parts" for 300+ songs ... and a bunch of solo song snippets ... just no repertoire of true "solo" material. The deer in the headlights look I get when I find myself with the opportunity to entertain with just a piano is downright embarrassing.
   
  
• Spend a little time polishing up my rig - specifically, I need to finish up the pedal board I started working on several months ago but never completed, install the B's Knees voice library in my Motif ES Rack, install the latest OS updates to my Kronos. Oddly enough - I've got everything I need to finish up the pedal board - and already have the B's Knees voice library in hand. It's not an issue of procuring - but rather of finding the time to just get it done.

 

Wow, Norman! As my wife would say, "Get out of my head!"

 

I echo all three of your bullets. In my case, the third bullet includes reworking my homemade wiring harnesses to incorporate the Burn more neatly into my rig and setting up the Burn to use a remote footswitch to control the rotary speed. Several times during my last gig, when I tried to step on the Burn's speed switch, I inadvertently bumped the rotary knob and changed programs.

[Pale]

Same here, on all 3 points, especially number 2!

 

Since my son's birth I've been struggling with consistent practice routine but. I think I will sort that out in 2014.

 

Solo repertoire is something else. I can fit in various bands, I can play prima vista ( in my limited genre niche:) ), I can wing it, I have my own classic rock band with +150 songs repertoire, I have another acoustic band where We do +60-70 songs , but what I cannot do is sit at the piano and entertain an audience for more than 20mins.

Reason? I do not know the lyrics. Of anything. I can hold a tune, but I usually hum it or I fake lyrics. People do not care about arrangement and reharmonisation, they want to hear the lyrics and I cannot deliver. That is something I'd like to change soon.

 

And point 3, I have bought cheap a leslie 760. Actually, I bought a project. It is giggable, but looks like a dog. I cobbled together a footswitch and modified the preamp which was supposed to be a first aid thing until I do it properly. I have been using that first aid thingy for like 2 years now.

 

Hopefully, 2014 is my year.

[David Emm]

 

Make a joyful noise unto Science, like Neil deGrasse Tyson.

 

Finish a third album and act like an uppity NY performance artist.

 

Finish my perverted string quartet tribute to Richard Matheson.

 

Go through and properly label all of my system cords, which over time have become an ebony Cthulu, fearsome to behold.

 

 

 

[ITGITC]

I want to work up a repertoire of solo piano pieces...

This ^.

 

We had a good thread on this topic in 2013.

 

I would like to hear about other tunes that you guys have added to your repertoire for solo piano, especially the ones that have gone over well with the audience.

 

Thank you and Happy New Year!

 

Tom

 

[SteveCoscia]

Great topic.

 

When 2013 began, I had no idea that I'd be dusting off my old music manuscripts and practicing Hanon exercises and re-learning songs from 1970s piano lessons. It's been fun. Never thought I'd do this again.

 

In May, I re-learned the 3rd movement of Bach's Italian Concerto. Then I re-learned Chopin's Prelude in E minor, then Fur Elise, then Rhapsody in Blue and more. Haven't played these songs in decades and it feels terrific to be playing again.

 

The 2014 goal is to continue this re-learning process. The biggest obstacle can be practice time.

 

When traveling, the GC stores allow me to practice for an hour or more. I've done this nationwide - very cool of GC.

[Michael Wright]

Aspirations

 

Organ chops

Bass pedal LH/LH bass work

Classical/Sight reading work

 

 

 

 

[hurricane hugo]

re-prioritize so that I get regular practice time.

 

I need to do this so f-n hard.

[Doerfler]

Make as much money as I can with as little effort possible,

Flip side: spend as much rewarding time with my kids as possible.

 

Dan, you have such a way with words lately. Maybe longer, but I've only been around for a year. You will always be able to make money, but you'll never get the time back you spend/don't spend with your kids. In the blink of an eye they will be teenagers and won't want to spend any time with you. I should know.

[marino]

Survive

[Pale]

Survive

 

That is your musical goal?

[Rustar]

I am playing the complete Hanon Book III every day. I started about a month ago and it has really built my chops, which has improved my playing. There's nothing like having way too many chops for a gig.

[midinut]

Good topic!

 

My three goals for the coming year are:

• I want to find myself a more consistent groove in terms of personal practice. These days it seems I'm either cramming to prep for a specific upcoming gig ... or my gear is languishing in the cases. I need to find to find myself sticking to a more consistent practice regimen.
   
  
• I want to work up a repertoire of solo piano pieces (my current repertoire is strictly focused on being a keyboard player in a group). I've got a repertoire of "parts" for 300+ songs ... and a bunch of solo song snippets ... just no repertoire of true "solo" material. The deer in the headlights look I get when I find myself with the opportunity to entertain with just a piano is downright embarrassing.
   
  
• Spend a little time polishing up my rig - specifically, I need to finish up the pedal board I started working on several months ago but never completed, install the B's Knees voice library in my Motif ES Rack, install the latest OS updates to my Kronos. Oddly enough - I've got everything I need to finish up the pedal board - and already have the B's Knees voice library in hand. It's not an issue of procuring - but rather of finding the time to just get it done.

 

Ironically, this is my 1000th post in this forum. After 10 years it's about time I know! I agree with SpaceNorman's goals as well. In bullet #3 I would add learning the tools that I already have ... Kronos, Cubase 7.5, Omnisphere, Arturia V-Collection ... those are enough to keep me busy for the rest of my life. I'm looking forward to incorporating VST Connect into my recording so I can record others from remote locations. I also need to sell off my Motif ES6 and Korg M3 to fund other things.

 

I released a CD on CD Baby 3 years ago and have another 2 CD's worth of material ready to copyright and release, but before I do, I'd like to learn better ways to market my material. I suck at shameless self-promotion and need to get past that or hook up with someone who CAN promote my music. Otherwise, there is not a lot of sense in throwing it out there.

 

I'm also transferring to a University this coming summer to major in computer science, but I'm planning on taking all my electives in Music. I think I'm ready to bear down and learn to read as well as learn theory and composition. Can't wait!

 

By listing these goals here, I am hoping that it puts the fire under my arse to get them done and holds me accountable. I'm looking forward to revisiting these at the end of the year and see just how far I came. Thanks for the thread ... thanks for this forum and putting up with my 1000 posts (God I'm such a lightweight compared to Tom and others) ... and thanks for sharing your all your goals as well! They are all inspirational! And Carlo ... hang in there ... we are praying for you brother! Tom, I wanna have a beer with you before the end of the year too. We're too close to each other geographically for this not to happen!

[marino]

Survive

That is your musical goal?

Well, surviving is more 'musical' than the alternative!

 

 

[nadroj]

-Earn at least an A in my final performance module, ever. (or at the very, very least, a pass...)

 

-Develop my chops and licks to make solos in the above performance more...interesting.

 

-Finally start playing/learning/developing my technique for reasons other than "to pass an exam." (it's been 12 years now, the end is finally in sight...)

 

-Quench my seemingly unquenchable GAS (for now)

 

-Learn how to effectively use Ableton Live in a live setting.

 

-Learn how to effectively use sound desk at church.

 

-Oh, and also start doing lounge/reception jazz gigs with our band's singer/solo. Clients are requesting it, and I need the experience.

[CaptainUnderpant]

Two years ago, I set out on my 3 year journey. I defined my goal as: "To be able to jump up on stage and fill in, should the piano player, in the band, die".

 

Now I am not really looking for old piano players with weak hearts to replace, it was just a vision, of general competence: to be good enough to play in most bar bands. That was two years ago, and I have been performing with my current band for one year now, and just getting up to speed with my second band. For a 50 year old dude, I am pretty happy to be on the path to completing my goal, especially since previously, I had not performed live with bands.

 

In this final year, I continue to work on developing my left hand to have a better groove for base lines. And my right hand to learn how to solo better. To get there I drill at least one to two hours every day. My teacher for the last year has been David Graham, and I highly recommend him.

 

If there is a sudden rash of piano players dying on stage in So Cal, just know "I didn't do it!!!!" However, if anytime this year, I am out watching live music, and the keyboard player drops dead, I think I will freak out, of course, after I jump up on stage to finish the show.

 

 

[Tom Williams]

(1) pick a sequencer (I have three, counting my laptop) and get comfortable sequencing my own bass and drum backup band;

 

(2) Learn at least one good "classical" piece for piano or organ, where the word classical can refer to baroque, classical, or romantic period.

 

 

[wmp]

Two years ago, I set out on my 3 year journey. I defined my goal as: "To be able to jump up on stage and fill in, should the piano player, in the band, die".

I need to know a few guys like you.

 

Unfortunately there's a lot of that going around. The frequency of it increases with age until it's your turn. From the end of 2010 through 2011 I thought it was my turn. About two years ago fighting back started paying off. Which posed another problem. What (tf) am I going to do now? I couldn't go back to the same old thing (where's the gig and how much?) physically or mentally. The variety of music and people can't be beat, but when you're a sideman you have no say in the material, personnel, or business. All you can do is take the gig for what it is or not. I've enjoyed many of the bands I've played with and got to indulge a lot of musical jones, nobody ever had the sort of sound or lineup I wanted. Two keyboard players (piano and Hammond)), guitar, bass, drums, and three awesome singing ladies. So a little less than two years ago I decided to try playing band leader instead of sideman for the first time in almost twenty years. Picking from my favorite players and people out of the thousands I've played with, it only took a few weeks to get all positions filled with some of the best people I know. We played a few gigs in 2012, and for each one I had a sub lined up in case I was the guy who couldn't make the gig.

 

My goals for 2014 are to do what I tried to do in 2013. Because of my health problems, other problems, and Suzanne's knee replacement at the beginning of last summer, the entire year got blown off. Not many gigs and none with my number one band.

 

To a better 2014 for all.

 

http://b3and88.com/img/guinness_foreign_extra_stout_us_goblet.jpg

 

 

 

[Leh173]

Finish recording/arranging originals that have been hanging around for years.

Break out of the one band monogamous thing and start gigging with other people.

Make time to actually sit down and practice some of the sheet music I've been acquiring over the last little while (Joplin, Firth Of Fifth, etc...!)

Yeah, that would be good...

 

Wow dude! I was going to write pretty much exactly this! I've already started on the first point. Getting tired of playing with one group of people too. And I need to practice more!