#badhabit #annoying #selfaware This is about my own annoying habit of taking things over way too quickly when I see someone struggling.

Over more than twenty years of participating in February Album Writing Month (FAWM), I’ve settled into a workflow that lets me capture a solid recording almost as soon as a new song exists. Everything begins with a guitar progression and a melody I’m humming into place. Once a few words surface, the actual songwriting kicks in. Even with all the digital tools available today, I prefer to keep things grounded by playing real instruments.

I print the lyrics in large type, hang the sheet above a camera, and run through the song a few times. Usually the fourth or fifth take is the one I keep. FAWM taught me early on not to get stuck chasing “perfect.” After recording, I pull the audio from the video and drop it into a mixing program. Most of my effect settings are locked in beforehand. Then I add extra vocals and additional instruments—guitar, banjo, piano, keyboard. Once the mix sounds clean enough, I sync it back to the video. Every year I pick a new two-tone color theme for these recordings.

If a song is captured this way during FAWM, it’s considered finished. After the month ends, I usually have three or four keepers that I test live on stage. Performing them helps the songs develop, but I never rerecord them. Around ninety percent of everything I’ve written in the last two decades began during FAWM—simple, consistent, effective.

These days I use ChatGPT to check my lyrics for grammar and spelling and to offer suggestions; before that, I leaned on native-speaking FAWMers. The audio mix I upload to Bandcamp is identical to the one in the videos.

Podsafe audio: https://studio273.bandcamp.com/track/let-me-have-a-look

I see your hands are trembling you’re halfway through the knot Before you even ask me I’m already on the spot

You still need to learn but patience isn’t mine The clock is ticking I’ll cut it down in time

Let me have a look I can’t sit still, no delay, no I can’t wait let me have a look it shouldn’t be difficult, let us get this straight let me have a look come on, just do it, we haven’t got all day let me have a look I’ll fix it faster, now get out of my way! Get out of my way

Of course I know it’s wrong but I like to get it right I should let you try just stand here by your side

I know I cross the line I shouldn’t be involved But you’re still puzzling I think I got it solved

Let me have a look I can’t sit still, no delay, no I can’t wait let me have a look it shouldn’t be difficult, let us get this straight let me have a look come on, just do it, we haven’t got all day let me have a look I’ll fix it faster, now get out of my way! Get out of my way

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