A Quick Look Back

     It's hard to make the transition from December to January without feeling like we are crossing a bridge into new territory, when in fact New Year's Day is an arbitrary endpoint. Actually every day is New Years and we might be better off not making such a big deal about it.

    Nevertheless, this is the time we collectively take stock of the previous twelve months and make some observations about how things went and make some plans for the future. This time last January we were standing at the bottom looking up at a mountain of tasks to climb; bookings, house projects, the Studio, and all the inevitable unforeseen sideswipes on the highway of life. The common thread has been the discipline of practicing, making time each day, with a steady succession of dates serving as mileposts along the way. I'm a list maker and this year started with a long one

   Looking back, one thing loomed large; I wasn't completely confident about how well I was performing. I was, in my mind, making too many mistakes and dumb ones too. It seemed like the slightest distraction would trigger a "clam" (musician-speak) even in simple songs, and no amount of practicing would help. I came to realize it was a mental problem and so I worked at keeping focus, and over time it improved. I can confidently say I've become better; a never ending process.   

The Studio is done and I'm looking forward to working in it, and have several songs in progress already. This was another thing that I didn't really appreciate was affecting my mental state. Because of other more pressing projects, mostly involving paint, I didn't get moving on it until Fall but once it got going I started to see the end of the tunnel and the result was worth the effort. I'm particularly pleased I finished before the really cold weather came, even though it took a month longer than planned.

   It's not always that you end a year feeling like you achieved your goals. I had very specific things I wanted to do and I'm looking back at a list with (almost) everything crossed off. Now it's time to make a new one.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA

Singer/Songwriter Rick Millward lived and worked on the West Coast until moving to Nashville in 2000. He was part of the Music City songwriter community, collaborating with other artists and producing projects in his boutique studio, including two EMMY nominated soundtracks. Now in Southern Oregon, Rick has discovered a vibrant local music scene centered around the many tasting rooms. 

His records: "Limited Edition", "Home for Good", and “Loveland” are available on Spotify and other streaming platforms. His new recordings, "Astronomy", will be released later this year.

LOVELAND ON SPOTIFY

Continuous Improvement

    "Kaizen" is a compound of two Japanese words that together translate as "good change" or "improvement." However, Kaizen has come to mean "continuous improvement" through its association with concentrated methodology and principles.

"The word refers to any improvement, one-time or continuous, large or small. However, given the common practice in Japan of labeling industrial or business improvement techniques with the word kaizen, particularly the practices spearheaded by Toyota, the word kaizen in English typically is applied to measures for implementing continuous improvement." (Wikipedia)

    One of the key elements is the concept of daily practice and here's where it coincides with music and it's also where the "zen" comes in. For me, zen is about the ability to have a calm focus as one completes a task. In the past I had a tendency to rush my work, not being attentive to process but the end goal, and then not always achieving a good outcome. Once I understood that "slow and steady wins the race", I started having more success. It's a craftsman's approach; every step is done with care to insure the desired result.

    When I started taking piano lessons I was required by my parents and teachers to practice every day for 30 minutes. It was torture at first, but after a while as I improved, I started enjoying  the learning process. When I switched to guitar it was the same; at first I spent hours in my room practicing, mostly learning songs off records, but when I started playing in bands I stopped practicing in favor of rehearsing. As a result I only became moderately proficient, which was fine for playing in bars, and never quite mastered the instrument. Songwriting and recording demos don't necessarily demand a virtuoso ability either so I was content for the most part to plod along with occasional flashes of brilliance.

    That changed when I returned to performing. When I began I had to learn a bunch of songs pretty quickly which meant I returned to practicing every day. It was one thing to learn enough songs to do a gig, but another to actually do them perfectly. Every song had some challenging passage with intricacy that was beyond my ability and I found that I had to spend time every day to work on specific parts. 

    It's taken some time, but recently I realized that this has paid off. I've gotten a handle on the passages that eluded me and that's rewarding and confidence building. I've also discovered that I can learn new things faster which is a benefit I didn't anticipate. Even though I knew about "Kaizen" and had found it useful for business, it really applies to everything you wish to master.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA

Singer/Songwriter Rick Millward lived and worked on the West Coast until moving to Nashville in 2000. He was part of the Music City songwriter community, collaborating with other artists and producing projects in his boutique studio, including two EMMY nominated soundtracks. Now in Southern Oregon, Rick has discovered a vibrant local music scene centered around the many tasting rooms. 

His records: "Limited Edition", "Home for Good", and “Loveland” are available on Spotify and other streaming platforms. His new recordings, "Astronomy", will be released later this year.

LOVELAND ON SPOTIFY

Studio Update - Motivation

     As I wrote a while back, I had set up a temporary studio in the garage space to work on some projects and as often happens it stayed that way longer than I intended. The truth is that once everything was in there it was daunting to contemplate taking it all apart. 

Motivation

    What finally got me going was a lull in bookings and going on a short vacation to the ocean. This may be a universal thing, but when I'm on a trip after a few days of leisure I start thinking about the things I want to accomplish, large and small. Maybe that's a function of getting recharged. At any rate, when we got back I dove into the room...almost.

There was kind of a Tetris game that had to be played with the stuff that was already in the garage proper.

    Before I could begin I needed to add some storage in the garage which involved getting some materials to build some shelves and put a floor in the attic. I try to use recycled materials and we have a Habitat for Humanity store nearby. I got some salvage plywood ($1 a sheet!) some 2x4s and a bag of 3" screws and spent an afternoon to put it all together. Now that I had a place to put it all, I started taking the studio apart. It took a couple of hours to dismantle everything and get it out of the way.

Progress!

    Now with the room empty I could tackle the first task; insulation. Off to Home Depot where I also got 8 sheets of wall board. This room wasn't built using the standard eight foot ceilings...they are the same height as the garage...10 feet...so there was a lot of extra work including putting wallboard in a closet and the storage space above it. As of now I'm about halfway through getting it all taped, which includes a fair amount of redoing some past work on the exterior wall. This room was intended to be storage so those walls were just perfunctorily finished.

    Another thing I was looking for at Habitat was a replacement for the old single pane garage window. I'd check in there once a week to see if one that fit had been donated and I'd just about given up hope when the perfect one showed up. Getting the original removed took a day because it had been installed with the siding over the window flange, which meant that I had to carefully cut around the window to get it out and prepare for the newer window. More extra work...

    There's an old saying, "A rested field will produce a bountiful crop". What I realized is that between other projects, gigs and the everyday stuff I was just too distracted. Once I took a step back, basically doing nothing for a few days but walk on the beach, I was able to reactivate my motivation. 

    By slowing down, just a little, I opened up some space to look at the project not as a chore, but something enjoyable, a journey to be taken for it's own sake. It will take some time and simply accepting that gave me the energy to get going on it. 

Also, while at the beach we made a video of a new song that I'll put out next month.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA

Singer/Songwriter Rick Millward lived and worked on the West Coast until moving to Nashville in 2000. He was part of the Music City songwriter community, collaborating with other artists and producing projects in his boutique studio, including two EMMY nominated soundtracks. Now in Southern Oregon, Rick has discovered a vibrant local music scene centered around the many tasting rooms. 

His records: "Limited Edition", "Home for Good", and “Loveland” are available on Spotify and other streaming platforms. His new recordings, "Astronomy", will be released later this year.

LOVELAND ON SPOTIFY

Something in Common

      The Beatles had been playing regularly in Liverpool for a couple of years when an enterprising promoter booked them for an extended time in Hamburg in 1960. The next two years would see them in and out of various nightclubs in the city and it matured them as performers.

1960

    This was an apprenticeship. They expanded their song list, began writing and most of all learned how to entertain an audience. Unlike the teen clubs in Liverpool, these were rough venues in bad parts of town, frequented by all manner of shady characters and fringe types and the young lads also got a number of life lessons along the way. They emerged as seasoned performers who were prepared for the success they would soon get when they returned to England. 

TS  at 15

   

    Similarly, Taylor Swift began her career at a young age. Her family moved to Nashville when she was still a teenager and she paid her dues rising through the ranks of the many aspiring musicians who gravitate to Music City. In Nashville the road to recognition is through playing showcases and songwriter nights in hopes of attracting attention from record labels. After several years of this Taylor was chosen as an opening act for a touring band, and this led to more touring and a recording contract in 2005. 

   

    In my own way, I had something of the same experience. Way back when a band I formed was hired to be the house band at a little bar and we ended up working 9PM-2AM four nights a week for almost a year. It was a pretty rough place with a rowdy crowd and frequent bar fights. One day we showed up and another band was setting up...that's how we learned we were replaced. Looking back, I still am amazed we lasted so long. I believe one reason we did was that we were constantly learning new songs and keeping up with the hits on the radio. Though I didn't understand it at the time, I was learning my craft and now that I'm performing again I sometimes get flashbacks from those days.

    It's an axiom that someone must to "pay their dues" in order to be successful. What it means is immersing oneself in the game, to commit fully 100% to becoming proficient at what you aspire to achieve. There really is no substitute for these kinds of experiences. It also means starting at the bottom, and building a strong foundation of the fundamentals.

    There are a number of TV shows and online talent contests that promise aspiring performers overnight success if they win the competition. It often doesn't pan out for the contestants and one of the reasons is that despite winning, the performer isn't actually ready for wider exposure. One exception was the country singer Carrie Underwood, who won "American Idol" in 2004 at age 21. While being extremely talented, she also had been performing professionally and earning a college degree before the show. She actually had gotten some interest from a record label when she was 15, but it fell through and she has been quoted as saying it was actually fortunate because she wasn't ready.

    Not everyone can be a Beatle or this generation's "Beatles", Taylor, but it is possible to become as good as you can be, if you just put in the time and effort. It can be arduous, painful, and heartbreaking at times, but it can also be rewarding beyond one's expectations.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA

Singer/Songwriter Rick Millward lived and worked on the West Coast until moving to Nashville in 2000. He was part of the Music City songwriter community, collaborating with other artists and producing projects in his boutique studio, including two EMMY nominated soundtracks. Now in Southern Oregon, Rick has discovered a vibrant local music scene centered around the many tasting rooms. 

His records: "Limited Edition", "Home for Good", and “Loveland” are available on Spotify and other streaming platforms. His new recordings, "Astronomy", will be released later this year.

LOVELAND ON SPOTIFY

    

Toys?

This is just about nerdy guitar player stuff...or is it?

I've been playing guitar since I was 12 years old. I got my first electric guitar and amplifier at 14. It's fair to say that since its invention in the 1940s the electric guitar has revolutionized modern music. 

   

1941

It has a unique sound, completely different from an acoustic guitar. This is due to the design and function of the guitar pickup, which is basically a rudimentary microphone. The tone is hard to describe, maybe the word "twang" is a place to start, something like the sound produced when two pieces of metal are banged together. This is then processed through amplifier electronics that allow one to alter the frequencies produced, beginning with bass and treble; low and high tones. Early amps only had those two controls.     

    Most all of the music recorded in the 60s used these amps, and if you listen back to those records you'll notice the guitars basically all sounded alike. One thing that was added to records in those days was reverberation, which only could be created by using physical echo chambers in studios, but very soon an electronic reverb was invented and subsequently incorporated into amplifiers. It was a big deal. In fact, one company, Fender, even branded their amps as "Fender Reverb". 

    One good example of reverb is "Sleepwalk", by Santo and Johnny, a track that inspired me as an aspiring guitar player. Another was The Ventures, an instrumental guitar band from the era. 

My First Pedal

    This was beginning of a flood of inventions to alter the sound of guitars, and for players to create unique signatures. At first they were packaged in cumbersome metal boxes, but with the development of the integrated circuit they could be miniaturized and built into small boxes and operated with a foot switch, called effects pedals or "stomp boxes", and now just about every guitar player uses one or more. 

    When I began performing publicly I first resolved to not use any effects, to just be organic and unembellished, but over time I've added a few, to expand my sound. With them, I can actually simulate a group for some songs.

   Most people don't know much about electronics, but this technology surrounds us and affects every aspect of modern life. The discovery of the electron, and the subsequent inventions that use its properties can be equated with the discovery of fire. It's a relatively new development in the advancement of civilization and has engendered an acceleration unprecedented in human history. Yet, it's taken for granted. 

    So take a moment, look around and appreciate that we are fortunate to live in a time that future generations will look back on and call the Dawn of Technology. As much as we benefit from the conveniences of smart phones and big screen TVs, and yes, stomp boxes, it's just the beginning.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA

Singer/Songwriter Rick Millward lived and worked on the West Coast until moving to Nashville in 2000. He was part of the Music City songwriter community, collaborating with other artists and producing projects in his boutique studio, including two EMMY nominated soundtracks. Now in Southern Oregon, Rick has discovered a vibrant local music scene centered around the many tasting rooms. 

His records: "Limited Edition", "Home for Good", and “Loveland” are available on Spotify and other streaming platforms. His new recordings, "Astronomy", will be released later this year.

LOVELAND ON SPOTIFY

Powerline

     Every so often a popular song finds itself the center of a controversy. It's usually when it strays from the familiar themes and comments on an issue in the public eye. 

    Prior to the 60s it was less often, writers kept to the safe subjects, mostly romance. One early example of a song that raised eyebrows was "Wake Up Little Susie" by the Everly Brothers. It was considered suggestive of irresponsible behavior and was even banned in Boston, despite being a #1 hit. 

    

    Folk singers, as well as the Blues, had been writing songs about social conditions for decades. During the 60's songs like "Eve of Destruction" (Barry McGuire) and "Masters of War" (Bob Dylan) were just two of many that questioned the politics of the time. If you look back though, it's sex that has really found it's way into popular music to the point where now it's explicit, pervasive and largely accepted.

    Country music has been less so in this way, sticking to themes that celebrate America's rural traditions; hard work and struggle, rugged independence, community, and family. Some songs like "The Pill" (Loretta Lynn) and "Ode to Billie Joe" (Bobby Gentry) were exceptions, but for the most part country music stayed pretty predictable and so when one does cross the line it's notable.

    Rather than get into the controversy of "Small Town", there's plenty of that. I thought I'd offer a songwriter's view.

    One of the things I learned during my time in Nashville was that songwriting is magnitudes more competitive than I ever imagined. I've written before that there are literally thousands of writers in town, all striving to break through, and it has its own world. This is great for inspiring creativity, however it also encourages pushing boundaries. One classic theme has been the small town, which has become a symbol with political overtones.

    My song, "Powerline Road", is about my upbringing on a small farm in Idaho. It's on my "Home For Good" record from 2013. It's not strictly political, really more nostalgic, but I do have a line; "City's getting closer and it just seems wrong", that laments the loss of small farms near growing communities. Our family farm, which was a couple of miles from town, is now the site of a High School and is surrounded by subdivisions.

    So it was inevitable I suppose, that Nashville would produce a song with this theme that, purposely or not, would reflect the polarity we are experiencing. It's simply a product of the relentless competition to grab attention, and perhaps a level of tone deafness on the part of the music business infrastructure. 

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA

Singer/Songwriter Rick Millward lived and worked on the West Coast until moving to Nashville in 2000. He was part of the Music City songwriter community, collaborating with other artists and producing projects in his boutique studio, including two EMMY nominated soundtracks. Now in Southern Oregon, Rick has discovered a vibrant local music scene centered around the many tasting rooms. 

His records: "Limited Edition", "Home for Good", and “Loveland” are available on Spotify and other streaming platforms. His new recordings, "Astronomy", will be released later this year.

LOVELAND ON SPOTIFY

    

    

The List!

    When I returned to performing a few years ago I didn't have a very long song list, barely enough to cover 2 sets. In fact, in some of those early dates I'd have to repeat a couple of songs to get through it. 

    Recently I came across a set list from back then and saw that I don't play many of them anymore. They have been replaced with others to the point where now between covers and originals the list is over 100 songs, more than I need for any gig. As I looked it over I realized that I missed playing them. 

    For instance, one is "City of New Orleans", the Steve Goodman song made popular by Arlo Guthrie. It used to be a staple of my first set, but I haven't played it for a long time. This song has a lot of lyrics and tells a great story, and was a bit of work to memorize and is a challenging fingerpicking exercise. I tried it out during a practice session and found I still remembered all the lyrics, but even better I found it was easier to play, fun even. Not only that but I got the idea to add a rhythm loop that emphasizes the feeling of a moving train that is the theme of the song. I've added it back into the list, even knowing that it will displace one of the newer songs I've learned.

    There are several like this and it's actually a good problem to have. The list has grown because I'm constantly getting requests from listeners and sometimes it's for a song that I know and like but haven't worked up. One recent addition, that I frankly never thought I'd ever do, but has turned out to be a crowd pleaser is "King of the Road, which is fun as a singalong. Another reason is as I've improved my guitar playing I'm enjoying the challenge of adding songs that previously were difficult technically. I think the point here is to alway be growing and keeping fresh without losing touch with older songs that still have a lot to offer. 

    Going back to the past list with a fresh approach is like visiting an old friend and catching up. Without realizing it I've developed a repertoire that goes beyond what I ever thought I'd have when I began this journey, and I'm looking forward to where it takes me next.

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA

Singer/Songwriter Rick Millward lived and worked on the West Coast until moving to Nashville in 2000. He was part of the Music City songwriter community, collaborating with other artists and producing projects in his boutique studio, including two EMMY nominated soundtracks. Now in Southern Oregon, Rick has discovered a vibrant local music scene centered around the many tasting rooms. 

His records: "Limited Edition", "Home for Good", and “Loveland” are available on Spotify and other streaming platforms. His new recordings, "Astronomy", will be released later this year.

LOVELAND ON SPOTIFY