At what point do outside factors influence someone to lose focus of a goal? As I was making some breakfast this morning I noticed that I was saying to myself that I had lost some fire, some drive. I’m not sure where it went. I’ve been so busy chasing things, spreading around to co-writes that somehow I feel like I’ve started to drift away from whatever path I was on. I know that I’ve also been spending a hell of a lot of time procrastinating. Something I never used to do. It’s annoying.
Could be that I used to set simple things up around me to remind me to concentrate on one thing. While learning to play guitar I was getting to the point where I was focusing on one aspect of playing for upwards of an hour without thinking about anything else. Could I still do that today? I might be lucky if I could get 15 minutes without thinking of something else. Maybe it’s too much communication?
About a year ago, I think I mentioned this very same type of issue here. I did what I could to unplug and reset myself. It seems I need to do it again. I’ve spent so much time in the past several months pushing to help co-writers and please their needs and keep things together that I started spending my free time working to forget and unwind. That’s not how I want music to be. I may need an attitude adjustment, or I may need to undo the procrastination using up my free time and get back to actually finishing the large number of songs I had started for myself.
I do need to run an errand as soon as I finish this post. But immediately when I get back, I’ll be pulling out the 40 some odd songs that still need lyrics and melodies. I’ll be organizing them and optimizing them to go on my lappy. I will put them in a folder on my desktop, mark it with a color and make sure it’s staring me front and center so that I don’t ignore it.
Last night was the actual precursor to it as I remembered a set of lyrics I was working on finishing. I nearly finished them at 2 a.m. I’ll start with those once the organization is done. After that it’s time to prepare for an audition, yippee. I’ll be doing a little studying of guitar in genres I’ve never played guitar in. Shouldn’t be all that hard. The trick is to make sure that I make it look smooth.
Based on that revelation I’ve chosen a little instrumental tune that’s been lurking in my library. The Hellecasters are a group of three amazing guitar players. I really like how this tune starts with a brooding feel that is sorta lost. A little ways in it comes into focus and starts asserting itself. Funny how music and express this intangible life.
I really enjoy how the three of them (Will Ray, John Jorgenson, and Jerry Donahue) blend guitar lines. Lots and lots of little melody lines. Lots and lots of little harmonic goodies. Combine that with lots and lots of serious guitar technique that is not the reason of the song but rather supports the song. It’s not shredding for shredding’s sake. That’s what makes The Hellecasters so darn cool!
While I would say I was Lost in Kashmir, I would say my focus got blurred. How about you? Do you need a soundtrack to refocusing? Then pick this up now! Actually if you want a really good variety of moods, I’d say go get the whole darn CD.