JUDGING by the rain and temperature, the summer’s gone. For now, anyway.
I get soaked as I go to the studio for an 8,45am online guitar session then start experimenting with other ways I might be able to automate the writing out of guitar parts the some of my songs.
This is a rabbit hole and I try converting audio to MIDI then into guitar tablature, using a MIDI pickup into Logic Pro and Guitar Pro8 and all sorts of combinations. None of them are great, some are so full of errors and big-triggered notes tat it’d take longer to try and correct them than it would painstakingly working out parts by hand.
I’m keen to crack on and am determined to sound a way of doing it. Suddenly the rattle day is gone and I’m starting to think I’m gonna have to re-think the whole ‘songbook’ idea.
Anyway, my 6pm student arrives and we have a session before heading along to Betty’s for dinner.
A MORNING of online sessions with guitar students then I upload last night’s radio show to Mixcloud and post my playlist and links around the socials.
There’s a few more odds and ends to deal with then I go to the village for a swim.
After lunch I spot an order for a signature bottleneck…and Margaret informs me we have none left. Another example of in-person sales not being reflected in online sales/stock.
Luckily I have a brand new, unengraved spare in the studio so I get busy engraving and pack it all up to go out and take the bottlenecks off sale on my website. I call Ian at Diamond Bottlenecks and get an order in for some blanks. Fingers crossed I’ll have them next week and can do some engraving…Ian’s a lovely guy and his bottlenecks are the best but his supply is, let’s say, ’erratic’!
Next job is prep for tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook which includes some video editing and stuff then I get out for a walk up the lochside. My plan is to try out the Osmo Pocket for live-streaming but my efforts are thwarted by some kinda weird connection problem. I must be making something.
Instead I record a quick bit of video search I’ll be live soon and post it around then rush home just in time to do the livestream. Phew.
STRAIGHT into the studio after breakfast – I’ve not done as much prep for tonight’s radio show as I shoulda done!
As usual I end up going down a load of rabbit holes with the music and enjoy occasionally take a break to play some guitar.
I’d hoped to get out a walk but everytime I get to the point I can take a break ti’s pishing rain!
The radio show goes too plan and although it's taking a lot more time than I’d like, I’m really enjoying doing it. Maybe it’’ll be less of time sucker as I get more experience.
As soon as the radio show is done I get the grill heating for smash burgers…and chill.
IT’S a nice calm morning when I wake up so I head out onto the loch for a pre-breakfast paddle and do a wee livestream to try and help promote tomorrow’s (Sunday) radio show.
After a shower and breakfast I grab the wee drone and capture a flyover of the affordable housing site in the village. I did same a few weeks ago and it’s interesting to see the progress. It’s coming on really well.
Next job it to go and grab some video of Betty’s flowers – her window boxes and decking area are resplendent in culture and blooms and she asked if I could video it for her. If course I’m not happy to just snap it on my phone so the Osmo Pocket and drone cameras are called into action.
Back home I do a little more prep for tomorrow’s radio show and then edit both the affordable housing site and Betty’s flower videos.
WE HAVE a (really!) long lie – no idea why we’re both so tired. It’s so late that Margaret gets a pack of smoked salmon from the fridge that’s at it’s use by date and we have smoked salmon and scrambled eggs for brunch!
I haven’t checked any of the incoming music submission for radio airplay for a week and spend a good couple of hours in the studio going through all the music. There’s only two tracks I earmark for Sunday’s show. There’s nothing wrong worth any of the other stuff, it just isn’t appropriate for my show.
With tomorrow’s show in Gullane pulled I spend the time working on new ideas rather than rehearsing a set.
It’s a nice evening and I go for a walk up the lochside then join Margaret at Betty’s for an aperitif 🙂
THE WATER went off last night and although we were told it could be off all day today (Thursday) it’s back on when we get up. Early.
That’s good as I need a shower and we need to be away by 7am for Margaret’ hospital appointment in Glasgow.
We get into twin in good time and once we’re done we go for a visit, a work render round the shops then off to Costco and Tesco for the week’s shopping.
I have an online guitar session when we get back then spend some time testing Betty’s ideas for notating guitar parts the some of my songs. I might even do banjo too!!!!
I’m about to go fora walk when a car pulls up – another guitar student who I’d forgotten I as coming. Somehow I missed the diary alert. No harm done and we have a good session.
Once done I shut up the studio, go back to the diary and make some pasta for dinner.
A LONG(-ish) lie for the firs time in a while, After breakfast and routine admin stuff I hit the studio.
I’m keen to re-visit ways to tab/notate some of my songs. A song book might be a good seller on the merch table and I could maybe do a digital version too for instant delivery/download. My overses online sales have plummeted in the lat year thanks to US tarrifs and Brexit-induced customs fees….plus huge increases in postage costs…so I’m keen to explore digital stuff that won’t require carriage and customs.
The hurdle has always been truism to figure out what I’m playing! I’ve tried using MIDI pickups, AI tools and all kinds of stuff over the years but it all fails miserably. Maybe advances in the tech will make it more accurate - even a starting point so I can edit and tidy up the tab/notation.
It’s a rabbit hole tho’.
Eventully I break free and go out for a walk…no real progress and a fried brain!
Margaret’s off to an evening meeting and I prep a Vietnamese cold beef and noodle salad for alter….
A NINE o’clock session with an online guitar student. Then I get busy editing all the video footage from Friday’s boat trip on Loch Katrine.
While the video is being ingested into FInal Cut I go to the village for a swim and get back in time for lunch.
I spend a good few hours int eh studio editing the 90-miutes’-worth of footage from the trip into a three-minute video, upload it to my YouTube channel but keep it unlisted then share the link with everyone.
Next job is to get an e-ail out to ally he Scotland-based folks on my email post to the them know Saturday has been cancelled and announcing the rest of the year’s Scottish dates.
There’s time for a quick walk in the woods before we go find to Betty’s for dinner…and I fit a new movement t her ‘gin clock’ that hasn’t worked in years.
A BUSY day for me – I start with a couple of online guitar lessons and get som admin out the way before Dai, Liza and auntie Glo arrive. They’ve checked out their accommodation but don’t need to leave for the airport ‘til about 3pm.
I have some online merch orders to make up and get in the post and some other stuff to do in the studio but pop over and chat over coffee from time to time.
They’re not long away when my afternoon guitar student and her mum rock up and we have a good session and blether.
Back int eh studio I start prep for tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook – no time for a walk or anything but I do manage to return the electric buggy we borrowed for auntie Glo and wander back home in time for the livestream.
MARGARET’S birthday. Seventy. Wow! I give her gifts then I get up and start putting up gazebos and start getting the garden ready hope this afternoon’s celebrations.
Matty goes for a run, Mikey goes a walk and Margaret makes breakfast then Dai, Liza and auntie Glo drop int o say happy birthday to Margaret. They all go a drive and will be back in an hour or two for ‘the party’.
I marinade some chicken and flank steak for the grill, make mozarella and tomato salad and some special size for the chicken. Once the enough food prep is done I get backs to the garden and get the grill and everything sorted.
I’m ahead fo schedule when Catriona, WIll and the kids arrive closely follows by Dai, Liza and auntie Glo….and Betty joins us too.
The grill does well and all the grub goes down a storm. We have a fantastic afternoon then Matty and Les hit the road before Catriona, Will and the kids head for home.
We sit outside and enjoy a few more drinks before moving indoors where we continue to chat and enjoy a few drinks. Been a grand day 🙂
