Longing for the day ...: Music Career Diaries Archives

12 Good Bars and True - Rewrite and feedback

OK, so this is great but a little confusing. As discused, I re-wrote 12 Good Bars and True and re-mixed it using a different DAW and a new understanding of sound production. Sent this version to NSAI for feedback: I... More

Posted by Hughie at 5:19 PM | Comments (0)

12 Good Bars and True - NSAI Feedback

Having put all of my "Alive and Alone" songs up for evaluation I had one more free evaluation left. In a rush-of-blood moment I decided to put 12 Good Bars and True into the system to see where it sits... More

Posted by Hughie at 1:57 AM | Comments (0)

Red Hot - NSAI feedback

I co-wrote Red Hot with Shanon Watkins. He came over one afternoon and we explored a guitar riff that I had in my head. He came up with a melody and some placeholder lyrics. He left it with me to... More

Posted by Hughie at 3:23 PM | Comments (0)

Home Free - Be Free re-write - NSAI feedback

Home Free is one that I have already re-written plenty of times. It has evolved a long way but I still feel it could be much better. However, I really think it has great potential if I can get it... More

Posted by Hughie at 2:38 PM | Comments (0)

Somebody Else's Skin - NSAI feedback

Somebody Else's Skin was an attempt at being silly and catchy and not particularly anything. I've just realised that I never posted it when I first wrote it - probably because I was never happy with it until I recorded... More

Posted by Hughie at 10:26 AM | Comments (0)

Simplicity - NSAI feedback

Simplicity is one of the first songs I wrote. I've been dragging it around for decades (literally) knowing that it's weird and not likely to mean anything to anyone apart from me and a few very close friends who love... More

Posted by Hughie at 8:14 AM | Comments (0)

When It's Over - NSAI feedback

When It's Over is, to me, a novelty song. It came from mucking about with a guitar and trying to be catchy and groovy. That said, it is, according to some people, one of the catchiest darn things ever so... More

Posted by Hughie at 8:01 PM | Comments (0)

She Don't Want Your Love - NSAI feedback

Next song I received feedback for was She Don't Want Your Love.This one is a very personal song to me, which I also had critiqued by Jason Blume some time ago. I thought I had improved it a lot ...... More

Posted by Hughie at 3:35 PM | Comments (0)

Angels - NSAI feedback

Next song to be critiqued was Angels. Remember that this was not originally my song - it's my re-write of Ann Leung's song. Here's the version I submitted, as distribute to YouTube by CDBaby: I enterd this in the "Gospel"... More

Posted by Hughie at 3:05 PM | Comments (0)

Baby I Need Your Soul - NSAI feedback

OK, so at the start of this year I decided to get value for my NSAI membership and throw as many songs in for feedback as possible. It's been a long time since I got the feedback, and I ended... More

Posted by Hughie at 2:01 PM | Comments (0)

Week 9 update - getting places at last

Got to spend lots of time on music this week - but not enough, still ... Most of this was reworking "Forever Mine" for the Tetrafasi demo, but a little was on writing another idea that came to me. I... More

Posted by Huge at 10:17 AM | Comments (0)

Forever Mine - vox and strings (Mon, Wed, Thurs)

Got nothing done on the weekend due to family and other commitments. This is a good thing, because I have a bad habit of over-working and disappearing up my own butt about these things. Down time is essential! (Gotta keep... More

Posted by Huge at 7:48 PM | Comments (0)

Recording Forever Mine and arranging strings - Friday

Just finished the third version of the string arrangement, based around a reasonable guitar take and a placeholder vocal. Thought I'd better document the entire process from a technical and musical point of view: Recording device: 2011 Macbook Pro running... More

Posted by Huge at 7:58 PM | Comments (0)

Week 8 update - ready for action

This week marked the end of my commitment to work at the office on Wednesday and Thursday. My load there has now reduced to something I can manage from home by checking in each day. That will change back again... More

Posted by Hughie at 10:59 AM | Comments (0)

Forever Mine - Three's Company version for Tetrafasi

I have decided to direct my creative efforts towards making a demo of the Tetrafasi concept focusing on making four versions of just one song: Forever Mine. I do this in the hope that the concept and its practical reality... More

Posted by Huge at 8:28 AM | Comments (0)

Week 7 update - sigh ...

At least the pattern is becoming increasingly clear - what I'm planning to do its largely getting lost behind day jobs and distractions (there's a song in that!). Feels like I have barely done a musical thing since this began... More

Posted by Hughie at 6:58 PM | Comments (0)

Week 6 update - TEDxQUT time ...

You might have noticed that a fair bit of my time has been taken up with an "other" activity. It's not actually part of my musical or day job roles, but it's very important to me and will hopefully gain... More

Posted by Hughie at 12:31 PM | Comments (0)

Week 5 update - not happy, Jan!

Lots of Day Job activity this week. Serious amounts of marking and so on. Plus a little family time due to a funeral and more footy. Also had a big chunk taken up on my special "Other" project, which I... More

Posted by Huge at 7:05 PM | Comments (0)

Week 4 - day job blues

This week the day job requirements started in earnest. Tutorials to attend, marking to do already ... dominant. This was, of course, exected, but it's still mildly annoying. Far too much blue in this picture: Still, that's what's paying the... More

Posted by Huge at 12:05 PM | Comments (0)

Week 3 update - slow but steady

Last week went a little better from the point of view of my ability to predit what would happen and manage my time accordingly. Tuesday was nearly spot on, Thursday pretty close ... the rest not even: Of course, the... More

Posted by Huge at 11:46 AM | Comments (0)

Week 2 update

Week 2 went a lot like week 1 - lots of intended things didn't happen. Hope this doesn't become a pattern, though perhaps it tells a story ... Here's what the week looked like: Lots of hours on day job... More

Posted by Huge at 7:47 PM | Comments (0)

Week 1 of the new enterprise - mixed results

One of the key complaints among independent musicians is the lack of time they have to do what needs to be done. I was pondering this - and the counter-argument that there's plenty of time but people don't manage it... More

Posted by Huge at 12:51 PM | Comments (0)

Maccas' Drive Through Blues

It's a wonderful exercise for an artist to deconstruct the works of the great artists. It's also a dangerous practice to re-write them into a modern scenario - it can leave to some completely inappropriate outcomes. Nonetheless, this is what... More

Posted by Huge at 2:11 PM | Comments (0)

Having a proper go at this music career thing.

"The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to not try. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it." Debbi Fields Things haven't been working... More

Posted by Huge at 1:09 PM | Comments (1)