After all these years, nothing pulls me back to my personal center like playing or writing music. It just feels so deeply wound around my DNA. Because of the other aspects of my life it can take me longer to get into the vibe with my voice, my guitar, bass, or song ideas, but once I’m there it feels like home. I could only have 5 minutes, but it’s vital to my well-being.
In building Hamell’s online store, it’s been really cool to go back and digitize his early demos and recordings. He was 39 when he was signed to Mercury Records, and was packing shows at South By Southwest just solo with his acoustic. I can hear the development of his sound and his voice, the building of the show he would eventually take around the world and crank out thousands of songs and a dozen albums. We talk about the songwriting process often.
He’s a big proponent of not walking away until the first draft is pretty much done. You can always come back and revise, but just get it down and keep moving. Something really interesting he said that stuck with me is to “stay in a YES mode as you’re getting ideas down.” I can recognize where being too critical too early on, or just plain over-thinking in has stalled me out. It’s funny how we know these lessons in some areas of our lives, but are blind to them in others. Just getting something, anything out into the world is the important part. As long as you keep improving and keep creating, let the critics say whatever they want to. Chances are they themselves are stifled creators.
I had a good day with the kids yesterday while Gayle was out and about. We started taping a few fun things for a DVD I’m making for my Nana’s 90th birthday. Once I busted out the guitar all hell broke loose. They were both dancing and yelling, pawing at the strings and whipping up some crazy excited energy. It just reminds me the power of music. Kids aren’t shy in expressing it, so why should I be?
On Friday night I played my bass a few hours and then moved to guitar. I tripped over one of the (hundreds) of discarded songs from Hamell’s new album. It’s a song called “Prayers/Saints” and it just slayyyyyed me. I took my guitar down the full step to Hamell Tuning and figured it out. It’s just a brilliant freaking song that he probably wrote in 20-30 minutes. My guitar has stayed in that tuning since, mostly out of laziness. At first it feels like I’m singing everything too low, but once you adjust the choruses can soar more effortlessly. In playing with the kids yesterday a flood of ideas came through and by naptime I was playing through 75% of a new song.
Another important lesson I’ve learned is that it’s supposed to be easy, and although it really should rock your freakin world, it’s just a song. Finish it off and keep moving because there is always more coming through. I’ve always wanted to be prolific, but got too hung up on perfection along the way. At this point in my life I’ll settle for the act of expression in any form. There’s no such thing as perfection, just ask all the critics.
Except those moments when your guard is down, when The Judge is away from the bench, and you’re just letting it rip from some place deep inside of you. That perfect little moment of conception. Make sure that’s magic, and the finished work will follow suit.
