Day 2 - time to learn Cubase

Nina always brings out the artist in me...

Today I'm busy cleaning out my study as I listen to Nina Simone sing Summertime by Gershwin. A procrastination technique, you say? Yes, quite possibly... But there is method to my madness. I want a clean work area, so that I can start composing properly. I have to set up my Cubase and make space for my keyboard and all the other stuff, and then I have to learn how to USE it.

I've never been much of a producer, but if I hope to create music more regularly, I can't be hooking up with producers miles away who are too busy to help me - besides which, it's cheaper to DIY - and it will give me good music, songwriting and discipline skills.

I am reading Benny and Bjorn's book about Mamma Mia (love their music, hated the movie, never saw the show) for two reasons:

1. They speak about the creation process that they go through to write songs - Benny, for example, goes into an office when he's in Stockholm and tries to write a little each day. I spoke to a music publisher a couple of years ago who told me Stevie Wonder used to go around to functions introducing himself as "Hi, I'm Stevie Wonder, I write a song a day." Derek Sivers reminds us that the more songs you write, the greater your chances of creating a hit. So if I wanna be a successful singer-songwriter, I'd better be writing more.

2. The Purr Factory is a musical that I co-wrote in 2008/9 with a great friend of mine, Corinne Farber. I thought I'd read up on Mamma Mia to learn the tricks of the trade and see how we can incorporate them into our show. It's very exciting, because the show will debut at the University of Johannesburg Arts Centre in September this year. Our hope and prayer is that it will go onto Broadway and the West End... Anyway, that's one of the CDs that I'll be releasing this year - the music of the show. Very exciting stuff!

Well, back to cleaning and setting up my Cubase. Hopefully by the end of the week I'll have learnt how to use it!

Days to go: 363.