Happy New Year!!

Welcome to 2017!

Beginning this new year I am filled with optimism and excitement.  Resolutions have never been my thing, but I do enjoy setting goals.  
What I have in store for 2017:

- Learn to Read Music

Visualize what we hear

     This is something that I've long wanted to do, but never had the time to invest.  Now that I have more time on my hands, I've run out of excuses for not learning notation.  New song ideas are always floating through my head, and having a way to capture them would be a huge help.  Being fluent in notation would also help when trying to communicate musical ideas to other musicians.  It only makes sense to develop the ability to see music as well as to hear it.

- Take Lessons With Local Instructor
     Following up with the desire to learn notation, meeting with a musician of greater skill can also help me break out of the various ruts I've found myself in this past year.  Having someone to hold me accountable to practice would be tremendously helpful, as I find it too easy to formulate excuses to postpone practice.

Scott's Bass Lessons

- Online Lessons?
     Taking lessons online through an organization such as Scott's Bass Lessons is very tempting, and might be a more cost effective alternative to finding a local instructor... This approach may also depend on the availability/quality of local instructors. 

- Join In With More Musicians 

     We have local gatherings that I would really like to get involved with, and maybe form groups to play at various locations and events.  There are two settings that I have long wanted to participate in: one is at our local farmer's market, where local bands often play on the weekends, and the other is a weekly Irish music jam session at one of the local pubs.  This is more of a long-term goal, however I do intend to start networking this year. 

- Remodel Our Music Room

Our humble music room

     We have a small room (finished attic space) that I've been using for a music room.  Trouble is, the lighting is poor and I don't have a true desk to make the space truly useable.  For the last few years I've been using a sofa table in lieu of a desk... which has since been moved to another part of the house.  This year I want to give the room a fresh coat of paint, adjustable LED lighting, and a proper desk.  Much of this project I hope to begin this week-- after cleaning out the garage and gathering the required painting supplies which are scattered in its various nooks and crannies.  

- Try New Things
      Having played bass for several years, I've become comfortable with things such as my rig, playing technique, and musical genres.  This year I intend to stretch my comfort zone a bit by trying gear that I normally wouldn't, genres that I rarely think about, and techniques that I've neglected.  There is always something to be learned by trying new things, which is one way we grow as musicians-- and as people. 

Naturally, I will document my progress on this blog as a way to visualize my progress, and hopefully encourage others to improve their skills along the way too.

So, what resolutions, or goals have you set for this year?  

Everyone is welcome to follow along and to join in as we begin this new year together...

... Stay tuned & in tune!