More rehearsals....! Oh, and -

I passed the motorcycle theory test OK.

More rehearsals? Well, there's something I haven't been able to write about in a long time :) It's going really well. On sunday, I even took the old 4 track with me, miked up the room and DId the bass in to the other side so I could have a reference to what I was playing.

I was not very impressed!

Ach, it's like hearing yourself talking on tape for the first time if you haven't done it for ages. I decided I need to pay more attention to song structure, tension, build and release, etc. Especially when the songs are played live. The recorded versions have build in them, but live it becomes a bit more organic.

What I heard on tape wasn't too bad in places, with some good ideas, but basically I heard someone going batshit after too much time practising at home. For shame, Andy! Far too busy, needs more consistency. I need more time to actually learn the song structures and think about what I want to play. At the moment I'm still doing a lot of improvisation, which isn't what I have in mind for this project.

So right now I've got the 4 tracks on the CD Jake gave me on rotation here while I type to help me get more perspective. In particular, I'm going to cut back on the "run before you walk" aspect of my slap playing :) Some of the tracks also need some small amount of melodic variation introduced via the bass, perhaps.

Another rehearsal tonight. Hope my poor exhaust doesn't drop off... actually, that's a good point. I'd better take a closer look at that later, it's the pipe into the back box that's got fumes blowing. I might have to implement that temporary repair sooner than I think...

And Joost is coming over tomorrow night for some funk as well! Things have suddenly exploded and no mistake. The good news is I must have been practising a decent amount before all this started because my hands are fine: the fingers of my right hand are getting so strong I can feel the muscles in them as I type :)

I started dismantling the studio yesterday evening, I need to rethink the arrangement of things in light of a new Mixing desk I've purchased. I wanted something to replace the old folio 12 channel stereo mixer I've had for years, and get some automation with Cubase going - some control surfaces rather than trying to use mice scroll wheels to mix with.

And Dolphin Music stepped in with an offer on the Soundcraft 328XD which couldn't be missed (well, once my traditional scottish reserve stepped in and I checked the deal for holes three times, also checking the online downloadable manuals for mentions of Cubase and the possibilities therein)... so I ordered it last thursday, and it arrived on friday. Impressive. The flightcase will take a couple of weeks though.

Great live desk, and I haven't even hooked it up to Cubase yet(!) - this is why I'm reorganising the studio.

In non-musical news, the car is costing a fortune at the moment. 320 quid of hydraulic servicing (regular stuff, spheres, filters, new LHM etc - just all at once), 200 quid on new Michelins, and now the exhaust needs replacing... and I've got a service coming up in 800 miles and want to get that poor bluetooth car kit fitted which has been kicking around the boot for about 12 months or something... argh! Oh, and we're running out of heating oil, but who wants to refill a tank at 500 quid when you're just about to move out? Not us.

Grr. Oh well, I'll just go mad in Canada and pay for it for the rest of the year :P