New Year's Resolutions 2024

[David Emm]

* Not to start any more threads with headers that turn into problem kids from the outset.

 

*Stop eating two bananas and an orange, going outside in the summer and wondering mosquitoes see you as a human sundae.

 

* More CS-80 time, less nipping from the cooking sherry.

[Justin Havu]

My resolution:

 

ii - V7 - I

 

That is all.

[AUSSIEKEYS]

To be more resolute

[CyberGene]

640x480

[Threadslayer]

To eschew obfuscation!

[Jose EB5AGV]

-Take seriously my music learning, both in harmony and piano classes

-Set up my storage area, which is now a mess full of unnecessary gear, as a music studio

-Learn better riffs for my on band playing

[Delaware Dave]

to break all resolutions made by 1/15 so that i can get back to life as i like it....

[Polychrest]

Change my MPN avatar photo to reflect the fact my surgically repaired left hand (Dupuytren’s contracture) is functioning somewhere near original specs again.

[surfergirl]

Take out a loan so I can bribe the building inspector, like everyone else🤣 . Then I can enclose and enlarge my carport and get the wiring done. 

[hogberto]

Spend less money, play more music. 

[ElmerJFudd]

Move more, lose the useless 10 or so pounds around the middle.  

Practice more.  

Lower bills, raise income.  

 

Same as last year, and the year before that, and before that.  

 

 

[Floyd Tatum]

On 12/14/2023 at 6:06 AM, Threadslayer said:

To eschew obfuscation!

😃

To go heavy on the subtlety...

 

[Artomas]

I'm going to try, as much as possible, to avoid the influence of psychopathic groomers. And lose weight, of course. And make music that will stop humanity from killing ourselves and everyone else. I'll call that last one a stretch goal🤪 maybe more aspirational than likely, but who knows?

[ElmerJFudd]

7 hours ago, Artomas said:

I'm going to try, as much as possible, to avoid the influence of psychopathic groomers. And lose weight, of course. And make music that will stop humanity from killing ourselves and everyone else. I'll call that last one a stretch goal🤪 maybe more aspirational than likely, but who knows?

You have to wonder at times what is instinct in our species because the same sh!t goes down over and over again in every generation and we never learn from the past.   It would be amazing if good vibes music was sufficient to calm the human beast.  

[Joe Muscara]

In my earlier years I didn’t make New Year’s resolutions because of the obvious. The past few years I’ve changed that slightly. I do tend to reflect a little bit this time of year and think about how and where I’d like to steer this ship in the future, and perhaps some thoughts about what I might do if things don’t go quite as I’d like. Nothing set in stone nor super-specific, just some ideas about targets for improvement, realizing full well that if nothing changes I still have it really good. 
 

This year, a small incident a couple of months ago woke me up to something and I’ve already been making changes due to that. Let’s just say that while what I was practicing was useful and productive, I was leaving out some very important basics that left holes in my playing and I’m now working to remedy that. 
 

Sorry for a serious post in a humor thread. My real resolution is to develop some sort of sense of humor. I’ve been working on that by watching old horror movies and listening to goth music. Do you think I’m on the right track?

[Legatoboy]

no herb ..... more music! 

I've had all I can learn from her at this ripe old age ....

 

 

[David Emm]

18 hours ago, Artomas said:

I'm going to try, as much as possible, to avoid the influence of psychopathic groomers. And lose weight, of course. And make music that will stop humanity from killing ourselves and everyone else. I'll call that last one a stretch goal🤪 maybe more aspirational than likely, but who knows?

 

The Psychopathic Groomers are an a cappella punk ensemble from Cleveland. They sound like a pit bull fight. Available for graduations and quinceaneras.    

[David Emm]

10 hours ago, Joe Muscara said:

Sorry for a serious post in a humor thread. My real resolution is to develop some sort of sense of humor. I’ve been working on that by watching old horror movies and listening to goth music. Do you think I’m on the right track?

 

Yes. I also suspect that you'd be surprised at how well "The Dark Side of the Moon" syncs up to both Godzilla and Chaplin movies. One of my favorite excuses for my madness is that my mother gave me a hefty book of collected Charles Addams cartoons when I was a wee sprat. I took it to heart, which I insist has been good for me. I always wanted to do an organ duet with Lurch.

[CyberGene]

Stop watching YouTube. The SNR is so low I always feel wasted after one hour of almost completely meaningless content. Could’ve practiced instead, or read a book, or listened to music. Even watching Netflix is more satisfying. 

[KuruPrionz]

2 resolutions and I've started them both. 

1. Reduce clutter and get organized (this probably won't completely happen but things will improve at least...)

2. Stop watching the "reels" on Fakebook and spend my time on more satisfying efforts. (I do skip lots of it already, bunch of punk-ass garbage mostly).

[ProfD]

In 2024, I'm going to do the following:

 

1) Lose the "hey, I'm over 50-years old gut" and tone up.  Get back into fighting shape.

2) Spend more time at the gun range.  Follow through on my conceal and carry permit.

3) Gig more often.

 

Of course, this means I'll probably take on fewer home improvement jobs that pay more money than playing music.😁😎

[harmonizer]

To not gain back the weight I lost during November 2022-April 2023.

I lost 60 pounds during that time, and so far I have kept it off, although it has not always been easy to do so.

[Bill H.]

To take an early morning walk while the coffee is brewing. It lowers my systolic numbers by 10 points - the motivating factor. I just started doing this, and hope to continue throughout the new year - until the snow arrives at least. 

[David Emm]

Not to sweat new "South Park" material only being on Paramount+.

 

I'm already a filthy beast for having watched it enough to even say that. "I can do better," he claimed.

[kpl1228]

Practice more, get myself in the mindset of a muso more, follow thru with my continued-but-slipping efforts to exercise and watch food intake better, be a good HS teacher for myself and my students.

[Jose EB5AGV]

I have a resolution to add!. Just today, I have told the music school I have attended for weekly piano lessons during 6 years, that I leave.

So, from January 2024, I will begin with a private piano teacher, who is a really gifted musician (he is also a band conductor, plays several instruments and loves harmony)

So my resolution is to change teacher for 2024 (done!) and keep learning harmony, complex voicings and such with the new one 🎹💪🏻

[Stokely]

As many have said, lose weight.  My wife asked the family doc about a weight loss shot, that shiznit is expensive.   I've maintained my current weight (give or take) for many years but I just can't seem to get it down to where I want to maintain it.   Part of it is stress, part is drinking (see 2nd resolution) leading toward snacking, people not me bringing junk food into the house is a real problem, and part is past injuries and conditions making it tougher to exercise (holy vicious cycle batman).

2nd is to reduce, and failing that quit, drinking alcohol.  I don't do "moderation" well.   Drinking too much is bad in a few ways and really impacts my losing weight effort.  I quit for a month and felt a lot better, if more tired for whatever reason     It was astounding how much more time I seemed to have as well.

This time of year is murder for diet.  I have mounds of homemade cookies in the house brought over by grandma for my kids.   

Music-wise, get my ass moving on guitar.  I try not to think of how good I'd be if I'd stuck with it X years ago.   I want to play guitar on stage at least once in my life, no matter how many hundred keyboard gigs I've done I'm as nervous as a middle-school talent show first-timer about it      I also want to get into soundtrack-style composing, though I don't have anything to track for at this point.  I have loads of software so all I need is to get writing!

[K K]

 

[David Emm]

On 12/21/2023 at 9:19 AM, Stokely said:

 I also want to get into soundtrack-style composing, though I don't have anything to track for at this point. I have loads of software so all I need is to get writing!

 

I'd say "You already have a mass of soundtrack fuel in your head, just from being in the modern world." My works quite often start from the seed of a story I read or have an animation concept for which I can write. Both are fairly dependable for me, but never >predictable<, which is one of the most important aspects. Turn to Oblique Strategies, for instance: "Instead of building a wall, make a brick." I often write a sentence or short paragraph with the root idea front & center; then I add it to my long list of similar sparks. Some lead nowhere; others become fully formed and pay off big-time. 

 

Its also helpful to learn how to let go of your more grandiose plans enough to find the core FIRST. I had a piece take off because I played the basic melody with a solo upright bass, which brought the idea clarity and gave it a proper foundation. So learn to just dabble at first. I feel sure that few symphonies ever appeared fully formed, like Athena springing from the forehead of Zeus. It starts with just letting that first idea simmer. Learn to do that and your tools will fall into line. 

 

I recall a letter to Keyboard Magazine, wherein the writer said he wished he had a polyphony meter, so he could keep track of his voice count. One response was the real keeper. He said what he really needed was a cacophony meter, to cut down on the amount of caca he produced!       

 

[Stokely]

Very interesting stuff!

I actually was doing a bit of that, taking a story idea (been toying with "writing" writing) and imagining a soundtrack for the setting.

I never have had any issues coming up with bits and bobs as they say, it's having the overall composition that is the problem   Same as when I was doing art, I'd start on the details without knowing what the whole thing was going to look like, which certainly isn't what my art instructors called the "right way"