#18 First Open Mic and setting up my Playroom
Quick as a flash, 8 months whizz by and an update is quite over due. Every time I thought about posting one update, something else was just around the corner … guess there’s a lesson in that.
So it has been another period full of fun, learning and some big milestones.
On the learning/playing front, I started on the first couple of patterns of the Advanced Folk Fingerstyle module. I had started focusing on the 1/16 note strumming but quickly became absorbed by the finger-picking. Who would’ve thought that the element of the BC that I feared the most would become one of my favourite things.
The crux of course, is to be able to play songs using the technique. And despite some suggestions, I never latched onto a song as I began to make progress. Then came the first contest of 2019. I had planned to enter the original I was working on at the time. Inspired by the rocking original tunes that LBro produces, I wanted to record something different to my usual style. But that song, which became a lament about the state of the world with more echoes of Black Sabbath (to my ears) than perhaps the AC/DC-esque sound I was originally thinking about, didn’t fit the contest theme.
So I decided to write an original, David’s Summer Sonnet, which I entered in the Contest. Subsequently, I just posted up the hard rocker, Two To Midnight, in AVOYP.
[ Edit - I will be re-visiting David’s Summer Sonnet in due course and eventually sharing it on my channel. Two To Midnight has been remixed and released on my channel ]
While I was busy loving the picking, Maggie posted a rendition of We Are Going To Be Friends. For me that is an all time great song, just everything about it. But it sounded way beyond me. Maggie encouraged me, to try it. That shows the power of the support and encouragement from friends here. She had more confidence in my ability and capacity to learn than I had in myself, but with her encouragement I gave it a go and eventually was able to learn to play it. It is one of my favourite recordings now.
By the time I was ready to record that I’d also decided to try making videos, rather than just audio only recordings. Turned out to be not too tricky to do … to record the audio the way I always do, strip the audio from a video recorded with a phone and sync up the audio rendered from my DAW with the video. I had posted a couple of videos before, so had a YT channel, and have now posted a few videos.
Here’s a link to the channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG2X_TlNs7agW-U0EBCDdbw
I am blessed to have a wife, Lesley, who is also musical and able to play. We began to play a little together, one thing led to another and we recorded a first song together as a duo. I really am a fortunate man to be able to play music with my wife. And again, if you missed that … Bruce Springsteen's Hungry Heart ... take 2
My most recent milestone was to play at an Open Mic. A few people had listened to my recordings, watched the videos and were encouraging me to take this next step, telling me that I was ready. Previously I’d looked for such opportunities and not found any. But searching again, I finally found just the right opportunity. TJ’s Acoustic Music Club puts on regular shows, at which they invite people to play but once a month they also have an open mic event.
So I went along to have a look see. Just a recce, so to speak. Long story short … the music was wonderful. People all above my play-grade. But the organisers were encouraging. Told me not to worry about that and just to come along and give it a go.
So I did. I have to say that of all the steps taken since starting on the adventure, this was certainly the most scary. We talk often about the red light syndrome … how you play fine until you press record. Well, when I stepped up at the OM I new this was a one shot deal … there’s no second take. I got through it, with only losing my way once. Importantly, I was able to just keep playing. This is an important lesson I think … just keep going … get back on track. And at the Open Mic, the audience was just supportive so no issue, no criticism.
Make sure you have water handy … who knew a mouth could become that dry. Between songs I could feel the shaking and tension in my arms, the tightness in my chest and shortness of breathe. But somehow, once I started to play, it was OK. And when it was over, I felt on cloud 9 … pumped up.
You’ll find videos of the 4 songs on my YT channel.
I went back a month later and did it again. It went better. So now I am hooked on performing 
The other big news in this time period is how I am now setup to record here at home. Lesley’s Mom was staying with us. It was a blessing and pleasure, although demanding as she aged and became frail. And it also meant that the PC was setup in my son’s room. She passed away earlier this year … sad but a blessing and relief, both for her and us at the time. Since then we have converted her room into a room for the PC, to record and in time for Lesley to sew.
I mentioned how blessed I am … well, another of Lesley’s abilities is wood-working. She made up a desk with a shelf for the PC. GAS struck at I acquired some Yamaha monitor speakers. We now have a music-room all set up, and, again better to let the pictures speak.
It was my pleasure, to treat her to an early birthday present on Saturday … the ukelele that joined our instrument collection.
I think that is all the major happenings in the last 8 months. There have been a number of other recordings along the way, while working the finger-picking. All posted on AVOYP and still up on my SoundCloud.
[ EDIT - My SoundCloud channel is no longer in use ]
As always, thank you to every person here, Justin’s lessons and this Community truly is a wonderful way to learn to play, pursue your dreams, make friends, have fun.
Keep picking and strumming, rocking and rolling !!
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Good thing you already copied it here!
