Tag Archives: Music

Confidence and Imposter Syndrome

Delta Ladies, Diana Stones Songs, glass cage, history, Musings,

Some days you feel like a fraud. Well I do. Yes indeed. What’s to be done about it? I have got a little lazy recently, not learning things properly. It’s a mindset that is easy to get into. I was very anxious when I arrived at the gig yesterday. Much more than the last time I played there. I did relax as it progressed. Just one of those things I guess. If I was doing regular solo stuff I would be OK with it I think. So its all back to doing stuff locally a bit I guess if I want to try and progress that side of things more. I really do find that I cant learn stuff just for the sake of it. I have to apply it somehow for it to stick. Although I can still learn new tricks I need a reason or an external challenge to spur me on and make it stick. Solo is a rare thing for me and to be honest really a last resort unless I turn it in to a piano bar thing with lots of standards (American song book 30s to 50s) and some originals. I just prefer working with others. It’s a little less intense.My performances are a bit variable at times I feel.

The sun is out as I write today. Another week of rain expected though. I have two rehearsals this week to fit in. But not much else. I looked at a song I have written, and played it. It’s not quite ripe for recording yet though. So in the meantime I have started working on another idea.

So here is a recent one to be getting on with instead:

I must go now and check how the sunset is proceeding.

Diana Stone playing in the composing studio.

The sunset was excellent and I hartly approved of it. A very good effort indeed.

Its All Too Much

Delta Ladies, Diana Stones Songs, glass cage, history, music, Musings, other, whatever,

The world keeps turning and getting further and further away from the one that I recognise or understand. Should I shut my eyes and ears to all of it? Maybe for a while, though it’s very hard. I do care about stuff but I can’t take too much more bad news to be honest. So I am just concentrating on recording and gigs and music. The day to day stuff. The mundane. So here is my latest recording.

Stuff that Dreams Are Made Of

Never give a sucker an even break. Indeed. We have its seems a school boy prime minster but he is no match for PItt the younger I venture.

“William Pitt the Younger was a British statesman, the youngest and last prime minister of Great Britain from 1783 until the Acts of Union 1800 and then first prime minister of the United Kingdom from January 1801. He left office in March 1801, but served as prime minister again from 1804 until his death in 1806.”

Now that’s what you call young. PM at 24

Meanwhile elsewhere there can be no peace, we are told.

The world is broken it seems.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.

Francis of Assisi

A friend said,
Old age is said to be “a shipwreck”, and I do find it involves loss of what were once comforting certainties. I’m sure everyone experiences this to some degree. Its not our world any more, and we have to find our own way forward. Yes I think I will have to agree with that now.

And today its raining too. I am no longer running or trying to keep up. I just do what I do. Success or lack of it has in the last few month’s seemed to become a trivial matter of no importance.
I make my noises and I am happy if people like them too.

If you can follow your own star, straight on til morning, I think you will be happier for it

When There Is A New Tune…

Delta Ladies, Diana Stones Songs, glass cage, history, music, Musings, other, Piano, pictures, whatever, ,

You know what must be done. An instrumental called “Last Best Hope”
Not much hope in the news today though sadly. The news media is now pretty much a continuous horror show with no redeeming elements. Trying to ignore it has not really worked for me too well.

Ernest people with good hearts protest and march and demonstrate and the law is invoked at every level but nothing changes. We may well march to show our anger against oppressive regimes and our empathy for those that suffer but the bombs stil drop and the bullets continue to fly. What should we believe in when there is nothing left to believe in? From the old (predominately rich white) men in suits and even the young ones there is no hint of change nor would it ever seem so.

This month I have been mostly beavering away in my musical cave doing a lot of recording with a few trips out to rehearsals and not much else. The days are getting noticeably a little bit longer now though. It’s got to help a bit you would hope. I have felt a bit post viral for a week or so now, but I am not aware of picking up any bugs. Weird.