The new year is here!

I’ve never been too big on New Year’s Resolutions, but on some level I resonate with the opportunity presenting itself to make some. Of course there’s no need to confine oneself to the beginning of a year , but there is certainly something to it that brings a slightly sharper focus.

So what do I resolve? In a nutshell, I plan to be more diligent in my various musical pursuits, particularly learning and creating.

Learning always goes on to some degree, but I mean to actively work at it more than I have recently. I have a large amount of materials bursting with information that I want to absorb and have inform my playing. In addition to making my way through that, I intend to spend some time transcribing well-loved solos and to be more diligent practicing ideas in musical context (with backing tracks, or playing with friends).

Creating has been the toughest nut to crack for me. I have had great difficulty in the past trying to direct myself to write pieces of music. I’ve always felt it is something I should be doing – there’s something inside me that wants to come out – but years go by with nothing, or very little, emerging, because I just don’t do it. I don’t find much time, I don’t take the time when I do find it, and when I do my focus is very fragile and easily broken. I intend to find some simple structure to put around it, and to set myself the modest goal of composing just a couple of pieces within the year.