Hi Loners,
Recently, someone asked me if I practiced every day, and I laughed out loud. Later, I couldn’t stop thinking about how rude I must have seemed, overconfident even about my abilities. The truth is that I hate to practice, just like I dislike working out, though once I’m back in the habit of running, the feeling of dread or nagging procrastination fades somewhat the more I do it.
The block of hours I spend learning (re-learning) guitar and lyrics for a refreshed set are not rewarding the way writing music is, and of course, there is nothing like the rush and satisfaction of performing live. It is exercise, and I’ve never been good at it. I don’t stretch (to jog or learn), so I often hurt myself. These are injuries physical and mental. My neck is terribly stiff; last night, I came home feeling zombified and fell asleep at 9 PM.
One shortcut I’ve found helps me with lyrics is practicing singing a song while doing something complicated on the guitar/with my hands, like jumping over hurdles when preparing for a sprint. The unpredictability of an audience, a technical issue, or an errant thought can cause cognitive disruption on stage. My goal before a tour is to get as much of the set into muscle memory to make that (inevitable) disruption harder.
I was working on Like O, Like H, and Sentimental Tune this morning and recorded my first attempts. I’m not using any prompts for guitar or lyrics. I'm just trying to play from the hard drive of my mind. Mistakes included. Enjoy!
Sara
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