FAWM 2014 Goals

I had thought I'd written a post like this for FAWM last year, but I hadn't even started this blog yet when FAWM 2013 started.

First things first:  February Album Writing Month is the challenge to write fourteen songs in the twenty-eight days of February.  I've been doing this since 2010.  Technically, I've won every year, but for the first two years, that winning included my writing some terrible lyrics without music and some not-very-interesting instrumentals.  So I feel I deserve credit only for 2012 and 2013.

For FAWM 2013, I gave myself the additional challenge to not use any string instruments.  This forced me into using other instruments and getting better at them.  I became more familiar with keyboard instruments, and I started using harmonica in my songs.  I considered doing something similar for FAWM this year and not use guitar, but I don't think I'm up for that challenge yet.  And since I'm already constricting myself from electric instruments until 1 July, I wouldn't be left with too many instruments to use.

I do have some instrumental aspirations though.  I've been relearning trombone for awhile, and I'd like to use that in some more of my songs.  I used it in one song for FAWM last year, but I replaced it with melodica when I re-recorded it.  I'd like to use it a lot more and have it remain a significant feature.  I'd also like to use more melodica.  I'm sure there will be things I want to do on trombone that my limited skills won't allow me to do, but I could probably play them on melodica.  While I'm not prohibiting myself from guitar, I'd like to keep it in the background and not emphasize it.  At the most, I'm going to use it only for chordal accompaniment.  If the other parts stand up by themselves, I may even remove that.

I've also been playing with the idea of writings songs that aren't so dependent upon repetition.  In fact, I think there was previously a challenge for this in either FAWM or 50/90 where you write a song without any repeats.  I sort of doubt I'll be able to do that for every single song, but I'd like to step out of easily-predictable formulae for at least a few songs.

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Resolution Revision

A few years ago, I had the idea to revisit my New Year's Resolutions a month after I made them.  That way, I could see which ones were working and either revise them or just cut my losses.  Because musical projects are what have replaced my New Year's Resolutions, those are what I'm looking at now.

I still like all of the projects I'm doing; I just need to revise a few things about them.

In regards to my project of listening to all of the music in my collection:  I think I'm going to make a new rule for this year (although I may not follow it after this year) - after I listen to something once, I can't go back to listen to it.  The idea behind this is that if I can't go back to listen to things I've already listened to, I'll get through everything faster.  Also, once I get through everything, I'll have to listen to all of the CDs that I haven't added to my collection yet.  I might not follow this very strictly though because sometimes I just really want to listen to something and sometimes I listen to albums to write posts about them.

In regards to using only acoustic instruments for the first half of the year:  I already made exceptions for covers and the Verulam Cover Project, but I think I need to make an exception for new recordings of songs I've already written.  I have an idea for an album that I'd like to release sometime in May or June, and I have some of the songs written already.  The thing is that some of them have parts I played on instruments that would be exempted if I strictly hold to the only-acoustic-instruments rule, and I'm not satisfied with what versions I have now.  So I can't re-record those if I hold fast to using only acoustic instruments.

Initially, I had looked at this project as a total ban - aside from the exceptions that I made - but I think I do need to allow myself time to practise electric instruments even if I don't use them for new songs that I write.  Otherwise, I'll go for months without playing bass or whatever, and then - once I do start playing again - I'll have to make up for a lot of lost time.  So I need to practise in order to maintain my abilities.

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2014 Musical Projects

Last year, I effectively made the transition from making New Years Resolutions to making musical goals, which is a trend I'll be continuing this year and probably for all of the years to come.

So here are my musical goals for this year.  Most of them are in the form of musical projects:

• Doing February Album Writing Month and 50/90 again.  I've done them every year since 2010, and I can't imagine not doing them.  Currently, I don't have any specific plans for either, but that may change as they get closer.  I've been playing around with the idea of not using guitar for FAWM like I did last year, but I haven't been able to fully convince myself to do it yet.
• Continue Hymnal Habitation.  I started this project at the end of 2012 in an effort to re-familiarize myself with musical notation.  Every week, I record a hymn.  I chose hymns because I'm fairly familiar with most of the melodies (which makes reading the notation easier), and I have a few hymnals (which makes acquiring notation easy).  I've gotten better at reading notation, but I'm still not as good as I'd like to be, so I'm going to continue the project.  And even aside from the goal of familiarizing myself with musical notation, the project gives me a reason to actually employ that skill and a reason to consistently use my mandolin.
• I'll also be continuing the Verulam Cover Project - my foolhardy attempt to learn all of the songs by the Zombies and the other groups that the members formed after their break-up (so far, I've expanded this to include only Argent and Colin Blunstone's solo albums).
• Because this year is an even year, I'll be listening to all of the music in my collection again.  I've done this every other year since 2008.  This year, however, I finally have a name for it:  Collection Audit.  I'll probably write a few posts about this throughout the year.  In many cases, I end up discovering new things about music I haven't heard for a long time or about music that I'm not very familiar with yet.  Currently, I have 1240 albums, so - in order to get through them all - I have to listen to about four albums everyday.  Last time, I think it was only three albums a day, and I finished in August, so I shouldn't have any problem with this.
• My big project for 2014 is limiting myself to only acoustic instruments for half of the year.  I'll do this until 1 July, when I'll add only my electric twelve-string guitar.  Fifty years ago, it was 1964, and when the Beatles came to America, they started a trend in electrifying folk music.  I'd like to temporarily remove that influence and stick to acoustic instruments for a year.  I've made a concession for my electric twelve-string though.  Partially because I haven't used it very much and would like to rectify that and partially because of the influence of Roger McGuinn (and to some degree Paul Atkinson - my twelve-string matches the one he had).  I'm interested to see how the Collection Audit affects this project.  I've been imagining my hearing something done with electrified instruments and then trying to copy it only with acoustic ones, but I'm not sure if that will actually happen.  I should also note that the acoustic limitation does not apply to the Verulam Cover Project or any covers that I do (usually when I do covers, I try to stay faithful to the original instrumentation); it applies only to what I write.

I'd like to release some more music too.  Currently, I have ideas for two albums that I'd like to release before the year is over, but I'm not going to make any promises.

In any case, I'll keep working on music and continually endeavor to get better at it.  I get more excited about music and all its various facets than I do anything else.

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