Some Sort of 2021 Review

Dec 24, 2021

As 2021 starts to come to a close, and I take the week of Christmas off, I have plenty of time to reflect. All things considered, 2021 was a good year. I celebrated my 25th wedding anniversary (I could probably stop there. That’s a feat that can’t be topped), I watched my kids continue to grow and succeed, and I had a ton of fun making and playing music.

2022 is already shaping up to be awesome. There is some stuff in the works as far as my job is concerned (I can’t talk about that yet, but hopefully soon). And I think I can take my music hobby up to the next level, and that’s super exciting for me.

This year one of my main goals was that I wanted to play guitar on someone’s record. I didn’t get that done. But I did grow in the area of recording and composing. I record somewhat regularly. I’ve learned how to use a DAW fairly well. My mixing skills need work, but I can record something and mix it so it sounds decent. I also write music a fair amount, but I don’t finish much. The flip side of that is that I’ve become pretty good at creating parts and layering parts for music.

If you know me, you know I love analyzing things. After years of studying the theory behind music, I’m now able to analyze a piece of music, determine it’s purpose, and hopefully add something to it that helps it communicate that message a little better. And I LOVE it.

This year I also considered starting something in music. I don’t know what that is. A YouTube channel, a music site, or maybe something else. I did create a not so secret Instagram account for guitar stuff (scottradcliffguitar). It’s fun when I put stuff there, and I’ve slowly become better, but it’s temporary.I imagine 2022 will be more of that. But I think there is a sweet spot in skills of software engineering and musician that could be really interesting.

But overall what I really want is more recording. My goal for 2022 remains the same. Playing on someone’s record. But it also includes releasing some stuff. I don’t sing, so it’ll be instrumental, but still fun for me.

I’m grateful and looking forward to what is next. Here is to a great 2022!