The studio is an intimidating but wonderful place. The good ones create an environment that is far away from the “real” world. Tucked into semi-darkness with incense wafting, it is a place to sit down and create something out of nothing. The culmination of hours of rehearsal tweaking, arranging, rewriting, and generally working hard on taking an idea further. The intimidation comes from the fact that at the end of the day you have an artifact that is an unvarnished example of how well you did your up-front preparation, and how well you perform in the moment. In some ways live performance is much easier. Yes, you have an audience and don’t get any do-overs. But in the studio, the fact that you can do things over can be a bit of an albatross. It always takes me a few takes to find the pocket. Luckily with 6 hours, there is enough time to experience the ebb and flow. From tightness to fluid to fatigue (sometimes all in the same song). Managing your mind, fingers, and time is crucial, and definitely a work in progress.
