Vocal Week - Day 4a

Making a record is hard, hard work.

Erica and I have noticed this in the past, and I’ve said it before on this blog, but sometimes it seems like non-musicians have an idealized idea of what the life of a musician looks and feels like.

It’s hard, taxing work.

13 songs written.
13 melodies and lyrics composed.
13 arrangements to hone and shape.
13 parts to play down, with 4-5 instruments per track
13 vocals to sing down.
13 edits, and mixes.

Then there’s the…. “Is this any good?” factor. I’ve learned that when you’re doing anything creative, there comes a moment where you lose any and all sight of the quality of your own work. I’ve come to believe that this is an inevitable part of the process.

Sorry if I sound like I’m whining. I am keenly aware of the fact that I don’t lay bricks for a living. We’re not even having a bad day. Quite the contrary, Erica just put down a great vocal on Signal Chain. I’m just struck with the sheer magnitude of this undertaking.

I think that, in some ways, it’s nice to work on something like a High School Musical, where everything is focus grouped to death. At least that way, some snotty teenager makes the hard choices for you.

But it ain’t art. This I know from first-hand experience.