Early this year, late last year, when I started changing the focus of what I was doing and writing about to the art I was doing and music I was working on, I thought that the art was going to be the primary focus. As you might have noticed, that hasn’t quite been the way things have gone. Music has definitely taken a stronger hold of my world than I anticipated, and a stronger hold than the art.
If you were hoping to get to read more about the art, never fear, I haven’t quit or given up on it. I have too great a need for it for practical purposes, first off. And I enjoy it. Also, I 
still have pieces and projects that I want to do. I just don’t work on it near as much as the music. However, I did spend some time on the Ovation painting this past weekend. I’ll share some pics and get to that in a moment.
Last week was the first week back to the day job after vacation. Fortunately, I’d had the Blues Jam out at Halligan’s on Sunday to help ease the transition back to the regular world. It was a bit of an odd week though and I didn’t get a good jump on things as I usually do. Or so I perceive. I usually get home and within a day or two I’ve found a few songs to start working on for the next jam. Typically they have been, a few fairly easy or basic 12 bar blues of some sort. Maybe something a little outside of that but not by much.
This time though, I went a little different. Jeff and I had flirted with doing the song ‘Tush’ from ZZ Top. It’s in a key I can do and fits in the genre so why not. We didn’t do it but I decided, when I got home that I’d see about learning it. So, I got stuck into starting to learn ‘Tush’. While it can probably be played in a basic 12 bar 
blues style and be just fine, I want to go a step further. It’s actually a little more complicated than that and I’d like to learn it ‘properly’. So it’s taking longer. And as a result, I didn’t see myself as having really gotten going on learning something new for the next jam.
To go with that, I’m also working on ‘One Way Out’. The vocal timing is just a little challenging for me to get down so there is that. And then there is the riff. I found a video online that teaches it. Though, I had figured out some of it myself. But the trick to that is that it’s played pretty much all the way through the song and it’s a bit on the quick and speedy side for my skills. Which means, while I have learned the riff I’m still working on getting, and keeping, it up to speed. It’s taking every spare brain cell I have just to do that right now so I’m not even close to being able to add vocals over the top of it yet. Then, the combination of working on the riff, and struggling with the very tired and sore forearm sent me off down the rabbit trail of trying out picks of different thicknesses.
Guitar Picks! Which one to use.
Which sent me to the music store to pick up some new test subjects. This resulted in some new accessories. A slide that I have little clue as to how to use yet. And a new capo because, the ones I had, while adequate they weren’t tight enough. New picks, a slide, and new capo in hand and home I go to see what’s going to work. While testing out the different picks I discovered something really interesting that I had never paid attention to before. The different thicknesses can make a huge impact on the sound of your instrument. I probably knew this but as noted, I hadn’t paid attention to it. I’ve always been more concerned with finding something that I can hold onto and doesn’t spin in my fingers as I’m playing.
As you can see, I have been working on things, I just chose two songs that are not going to be quick learns. That’s ok. They will both stretch my skills and abilities and make me a better musician for putting in the effort. So it’s not a waste by any means. Neither is the experimentation. It’s all part of learning about what you can do as a musician, what sounds you can get, as well as what your instrument can do. It’s just not how I usually approach things or how they usually happen.
So, at the weekend I decided I’d look for something that was a pretty standard basic blues song or two, to learn. I started with some really old stuff and finally landed on ‘Dust My Broom’. I’ve got an Etta James recording of it and probably an Elmore James version as 
well. Though I can find that on the web pretty easy so no worries. The chord structure for the rhythm falls into the basic 12 bar blues group so it makes that part quick to pick up. It is a little more up tempo, which, is a stretch for me because I tend to play at a saunter or slower most of the time. And trying to keep the particular rhythm, while singing it, turns out to be a little bit of work. Or maybe it’s because I care more about doing it well and right than I did before. And I can hear it now, when it’s not right. Either way. I’ll be putting in a lot of work on that one this week, hoping to have it Teady for Sunday back at Moochie’s.
While all this was going on, since I was stuck in my head thinking I wasn’t learning anything new and generally losing focus, I decided to work on the Ovation painting. Well, that and I was waiting for videos to upload to YouTube. Whatever. At least I worked on it regardless of the why. I finished off the second pass of that flame red that I was working on and decided to start the blending layer. I got 
pretty far on the blending layer. I was surprised. Then I realized, I spent quite a few hours on it. So I got some art in on the side this week. Cool stuff.
So For the Ovation painting, there is still this blending layer to finish, and looking at it, I think it’s going to take a second pass. I’ll know better when I get this one done. Then it will be time to focus on another area, finally. I’ll keep you posted on the progress. though, it may be slow.
Yes, you did read, that I got more videos up on YouTube. I have three more to go from the last jam at Halligan’s. I will have them up before the next jam. Which, yes, is this coming Sunday at Moochie’s. That means…
Yay! We get to do it again! WooHoo!