Oh Yes You Can!

“It’s like punching a time card”, “I can’t just sit down and write a song”, “I’ve got to FEEL it if I’m going to write a song”. Wait a minute, is this not boxing yourself into the corner of “I can’t”? I really dislike that saying.
The thing I love about just picking up my guitar, or just whimsically singing a melody in the.. umm.. shower, is how spontaneity can bring a song. It happened last week when I was frustrated with a song I was working on and I finally let go of it. I had worked it hard and it still wasn’t coming. So I sat down, turned on my electric with distortion and bam! My riff. Got the goose bumps and adrenaline buzz so I knew I was on to something. Has that Neal Schon, Journey thing goin’. So I go my 4-track recorder and punch up some chords and there it was. Yes, I did it. The difference this time was I didn’t syche myself out. Over hype why I write songs. I just wanted to write a rocker and hallelujah, let the flood gates open, I got one.
I wanted to blog about this subject because it’s all a part of the recording process, but it’s also for my fellow musicians who play because they just plain love music. The reward you get from getting it finished and liking it. If someone says they like it too, all the better (especially if there are several thousand of these people).
This riff I wrote turned into my song “Capture Me Again”. It features the influence the band Journey and Neal Schon have had on me. And ya know what, I’m diggin’ it. And the best part is, I just sat down and wrote a song! : ) My mantra is the Nike slogan, “Just Do It”.