It suddenly dawned on me today that, although I have churned out dozens and dozens of meta-analytical writing pieces over the past few months, I don't think I've ever stopped and given a clear answer to the question "So what's going on in your life?" In my oh-so-humble opinion, writing of this nature can become somewhat boring in medium to large doses, but one could certainly argue that a pinch of simple life updates here and there could be helpful for both me and the reader.
A while back, I started a sub-quest to improve my right/left independence using a series of exercises on my roommate's bass. There are 3600 exercises total, of which I have completed 2520 as of a few minutes ago. The other spreadsheet-assisted task I had set out for myself was to expand my knowledge of subdivisions and polyrhythms, and to hopefully get to the point where I can produce any arbitrary two-voice polyrhythm on command without having studied it before. I have made some strides forward, particularly with septuplets and 7-against-4 polyrhythms. Progress has not been as fast as I had hoped, but I think that's mainly because I've been focusing on finishing up the independence exercises. Switching back and forth from one mechanical exercise to another just gets a bit tedious, and I never want my practicing to become a chore.
In terms of actual musical content, I've finished writing material for a concept album. Naturally, there are a handful of passages that are fiendishly difficult to play cleanly (for me, anyway). I'm hoping to be able to play the harder stuff live in the near future, particularly a potential gig in March, which would be my first real solo gig--open mic nights don't count, as far as I'm concerned. Also, I've been trying my hand at memorizing the massive list in Weird Al's "Hardware Store." It's easily the most ridiculous tongue-twister I've ever heard, with more than 120 words and 250 syllables being spat out in a mere 30 seconds. I figured that with all the effort that musicians put into making their hands quick and precise, why not do the same with my voice?
You may have noticed that the past few weeks have featured sub-par practice totals. Two reasons for this: the first is that I've got myself a lovely ladyfriend whom I find extremely difficult to walk away from. I did not find her in a catalog, I promise. I know I spend a lot of time in my room by myself, but I'm not that desperate! Anywho, the other reason is that I've gotten so far ahead of my required pace that at this point I only need to practice 14 hours per week in order to finish on time, which should be easy.
My second-to-last semester of college is now in full swing. I'm taking three math courses and a photography class, the latter of which is "pure motherfuckin' magic", as Shaggy 2 Dope would say. I spent most of today designing the set for a friend's theater production back home, and in a few weeks I'll start working on the lighting design for the next dance production here at school. And of course, as all this wonderful shenaniganry unfolds, I'll be cranking out pretentious analyses of my experiences right here, week after week. Be safe out there, brothers and sisters.
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Week 31 total: 18 hours
Grand total: 712 hours
Required pace: 596 hours (+116)
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