TIRED, YES. PLEASED, SURE.

Well, we finally got down to the nitty gritty of bass recording for the Acquiesce record last night. We've been working a bit backwards, doing rough bass initially, laying guitar over that, replacing those guitars, and now going back and replacing the bass. A circular method, but last night we turned them guitars down, cranked up the drums, hooked up the bass Pod (yes, you heard correctly), fiddled with the compressors, and blasted through a few tunes. We were very careful to really LISTEN to what was going down, to be critical, to make suggestions to Paul (bassist), and to be understanding of what he's going through. Making a record ain't easy, but it's necessary.

I also gave him some pointers on breathing. I think breathing is one of the most important - and overlooked - aspects of playing. The way you breath determines the way your body ebbs and flows, and when negotiating tricky passages on any instrument proper breathing can make all the difference. A lot of players hold their breath during difficult bits... try exhaling through them. Pounding out eighth notes for hours at a time takes control, and if you control your breathing you control your body.

It might seem unimportant, or a little too Zen (as if there is such a thing) but as I told Ted last night, "The day you stop breathing is the day you die."

The end result is a bunch of keeper bass tracks. Once I was satisfied that a take was good, we brought the guitars back in and it was like a new band. Of course, recording a bass track is almost as tiring as actually playing it, but what a relief when they're done.