A full day of planning for the new Fall in Green show, which is 17 tracks/poems/songs long. I've decided to use the electric guitar and both small synths, so all of the existing poems, most of which used the piano, need to be redesigned. This is good, it will push me in new directions. Some of them sound really good as electronic works, though of course very different. It's difficult to get used to playing one hand above the other, with the bass level horizontally with the treble.
Playing guitar at the same time is tricky for reasons of balance, obviously I can't play guitar and synth at the same time (I pause to change key on a looping synth, but this is not easy). I did manage to experimentally hold AND pluck with the left hand using my index finger to pluck the string just after the fret - I dreamed of a new plastic adaptor to accomplish this, but in truth it would be too uncomfortable to play anything but a single note in this way. I can imagine an 'auto-strum' guitar, that should be quite possible, using a foot, or mouth or some other method; the strumming requires far less skill, for most applications, compared to the fret management. With this, we can play a bass guitar in the left hand, and a normal in the right. Easy.
Deb came round later and we ran though the tracks, just the barest of outlines with the new instruments, then played though the Sky Robes of Celeste for Friday. A long and exhausting day but, I feel, little done.
The stock market has bounced back, so they think that the Omicron variant is not severe. Even if it is, we are better off than last year when we were facing a certainly severe disease with zero vaccination and very few treatments. The government is now opening up booster, third, vaccinations to all adults after a mere 3 months. My 6-monthly appointment is due next month and apparently that is the earliest I can access it.
Tomorrow, I'll try to record the rest of the SY-85 tracks, leaving Wednesday for our only one of two rehearsal days for Monday's show. We're in the Macc Art Lounge on Thursday, and performing at the Tree of Light on Friday. I can't wait until next Tuesday when I, and we, can rest a little.
