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I have no idea if any of you here could relate to a bout with depression. It's that sinking feeling coupled with a real need to stop existing so that everything would seemingly be solved. Of course not.

I'm in no way asking you to indulge in depression but be informed that we need to be mindful of people in such a mental condition. I have been depressed since having to stop work & offload some gear just to get by. This country is putting up a front to champion re-employment for those seeking work past their retirement age. However, those in need of re-employment before that retirement age due to compelling circumstances (eg. health, lucidity, parent care, etc.) - who is lobbying for such individuals? Employers continue to scrutinize potential employee background to fit their organizational goals. Age & medical condition are outstanding considerations to prevent unnecessary turnovers & preserve continuity. If these are messed up, it's a costly affair especially for profit maximizing entities. All these promises of employment / re-employment are politics at its best because these politicians are not the employers.

Yesterday was a down time for me & it was an arduous episode. But I'm thankful for the gear in my possession that helps displace bleak moments. A quick acoustic + chorus moment did it for me. Folks, it's important to have that something to help you recover your senses. It could be music, alone time, a short vacation, an ice-cream moment - anything. In short - don't lose your grip. More importantly, if it's beyond control, please get help. 

Leaving this here. Hope it reaches you in good time whenever that may be.

Pic: SOS S'pore

Solo terminal

Good morning, folks. I just watched a documentary on the above black metal bands featuring only a single individual playing all instruments & singing their way through the dark recesses of life. I forgive you for not knowing any of them as you are not into the genre unlike yours truly here. 

There are factors driving people to do things beyond normal expectations. These are largely personal & significant enough to compel people into embracing their own way of life. Life in isolation. Life beyond reach & beyond rehabilitation at times. More importantly, life continues for them. The immediate concern when dealing with BM music is its affiliation to satanic philosophy. If you follow the genre's development, BM really stands for rebellion beyond the boundaries of religious retaliation. We can't blame the masses for limiting their understanding of the music to this strict definition because it started off as such. The people in the three bands depicted above aren't proponent of anti-religion. They are secluded individuals who consciously embrace isolation & its entailments. Isolation might be causal but as we dwell deeper into their background, we understand it becomes necessary instead. It's that one saving grace that prevents them from ending their own existence.

Music-wise, their embrace of isolation provided a rich reference to the theme they explore through music. As opposed to being a facade, these are real-life themes, a way of life for them. A life without social media and other forms of interaction and relationship, severe financial constraints and the need to get by being self-sufficient. This is where the need to play everything in lieu of what band members can fulfil, come in. More often than not, others simply cannot relate to what they embrace. Getting together as a unit simply fails in this aspect. You'd be surprised with the amount of time they put into their music on a daily basis & to think that they are not reliant on it to put food on the table is mind boggling. If you go on to listen to their music & refer to it as pathetic then you are clearly missing the point. There is this terrible honesty in making music this way as opposed to hiding behind commercial viability. This is not saying you shouldn't take advantage of what your music can do for you but do not interpret others' music as a bad way of doing things because everyone else (yourselves included) is doing it the right way. What is the right way, anyway? Is there a definite right?

Having witnessed what these people go through in life makes me realize that I do take things for granted at times. I am blessed. I get to buy gear every now & then when the finances permit but there are others out there who gave up meals just to buy a bass or get by with a battered pair of drum sticks for life. These are the equipment that graced their recordings & they don't complain. Life goes on for them. Whining about it won't solve issues. 

Easy picking

Today's playing session was masochistic. It's actually my way of making things easy for myself- by making it difficult at first. I have many picks in my possession so I started by choosing a common feature- depression. All three picks here feature one, they are of different sizes, materials & thickness. The warm-up started with Pick 1. Due to its size, I had to focus on picking every note & making sure it's a sure hit. It's a lesson in focus. Next up, Pick 2. It's the exact opposite of Pick 1, obnoxious, a little lengthy so the focus was not to hit anything else unnecessarily. It's beyond warm up now. I was playing my routine scales & trying out new idea. The objective was to make things difficult for myself & it was definitely working. After the break, I was playing with my preferred pick (Number 3) & it was a breeze. In fact, I got this feeling of playing 'better' when in reality, it's actually how I played all along.

This leads me to say that one way of appreciating one's preferred tool/ implement is to actually use something else & feel the inadequacies kicking in as you try to adapt. Chances are, given ample time, you can make do with that change. However, if you return to your preferred ___________ (pick, pedal, cable, etc... insert accordingly), you'd know what's missing or bothering you so much that you can feel the difference. Appreciate your quirks, it's what makes you, you.