When it all *clicks* together

[mjbphotos]

Wasn't sure what section of the forum to put this in ...

Don't you love it when you are working on something and it just falls into place? I've been laying down lead guitar tracks for a new song since Christmas, found a nice amp tone I was happy with, first using my 72 Tele, but not getting enough sustain, so after 5 takes, I switched to my cheap ESP LTD50, as its humbuckers will sustain nicely with enough gain dialed in. Another 5 takes, trying a few different leads, Wednesday night. Played with automation to use pieces of a couple different ones, but wasn't happy with it.

Last night, plug in, turn everything on, did a 2-take run through the whole song and nailed it. Listened back once, just to do a quick volume automation, and happy with it at that, so put that song away for the night.

Then picked up the ukulele my wife gave me for Christmas, and the folder of lyrics and incomplete songs that I keep handy. Chose a song I want to include on my next album, but I just hadn't been happy with how it sounded with guitar. In about 10 run-throughs on the uke, I had it rewritten and just where I wanted it!

Now I just need to perfect my uke playing enough to be able to play it without finger flubs - those uke frets are damn small!

 

[gecko zzed]

Don't you love it when you are working on something and it just falls into place?

I've been working on a recording project with this guy in Melbourne. He records vocals and a guitar track in Melbourne, then sends those to me. I then take those tracks and build an arrangement around them, usually keeping just his vocals. He has no idea what I'm going to do to his song, and I try to come up with the unexpected each time.

I've done one CD so far this way, and am currently working on the second. The most recent track I was working on had me flummoxed . . . I couldn't figure out what to do with it, and I wasn't liking whatever I tried. I was losing inspiration.

But I persisted, and all of a sudden, it all came to me. I got the song into shape with its new arrangement and now I think it is one of the better ones I've done for him. It's great when it comes together, specially when you think you are starting to lose it!