Recently I've been trying to devote myself more to music and to working on new songs. Now, you may think that it's something that would be really difficult to do living in a tiny Japanese apartment with paper-thin walls. Sure, I can get away with playing my acoustic at home, but anything louder than that and I'm going to start being "that guy" in my neighborhood. And not just "that guy", but actually I'd be "that foreigner," which is not really a reputation I want to have with my neighbors. Either way, I'm not the only one who wants to play my guitar as loud as possible in the crowded suburbs of Japan, and the Japanese have found a way to deal with this issue. Practice studios. Convenient, affordable, and totally awesome practice studios.
Found near most decently-sized stations, these awesome little shops have a floor full of sound-proofed, fully stocked studios waiting for you to come in and play as loud as your little heart desires. Seriously it's great. You walk in from the street with your guitar or drumsticks and into a studio fully rigged with a drum set, more amps than you could ever need, a PA, mics, stands, mood lighting, and sometimes even mirrors on the walls so you can watch yourself rocking out. I feel like a kid in a candy store every single time I walk in and see all of these instruments just waiting around, begging to be played as loud as possible. The shops even have chilling out areas and beer fridges. It's seriously a musician's dreamland. Japan is the only place I've seen these kinds of places, but I would love to see these in America. I wonder, though, if most Americans are capable of being well-behaved enough to have one of these places even last.
Anyways, after spending a lot of money and energy on my last trip, I've been laying low and spending a lot of time in these places. Last weekend, my buddy So came over and we just chilled at my apartment with our guitars. We worked out a few song ideas and tried to get a clearer picture of what kind of project we want to create. After that we hit up the local curry shop to get some grub and hit the studio with our friend Satoshi. It's a great experience to work in the practice studio with friends. Sure, it's fun because you get to screw around with instruments. But at the same time, you've got a time limit, so it kind of forces you to be productive and put out something worthwhile. After all, even though you're only paying about 20 bucks for two hours, it's enough motivation to not waste any time. It's a nice spark for the fuel of spontaneity.
So we did our thing, packed up, and called it a night. Maybe you'll be hearing some of that musical goodness soon.
Found near most decently-sized stations, these awesome little shops have a floor full of sound-proofed, fully stocked studios waiting for you to come in and play as loud as your little heart desires. Seriously it's great. You walk in from the street with your guitar or drumsticks and into a studio fully rigged with a drum set, more amps than you could ever need, a PA, mics, stands, mood lighting, and sometimes even mirrors on the walls so you can watch yourself rocking out. I feel like a kid in a candy store every single time I walk in and see all of these instruments just waiting around, begging to be played as loud as possible. The shops even have chilling out areas and beer fridges. It's seriously a musician's dreamland. Japan is the only place I've seen these kinds of places, but I would love to see these in America. I wonder, though, if most Americans are capable of being well-behaved enough to have one of these places even last.
Anyways, after spending a lot of money and energy on my last trip, I've been laying low and spending a lot of time in these places. Last weekend, my buddy So came over and we just chilled at my apartment with our guitars. We worked out a few song ideas and tried to get a clearer picture of what kind of project we want to create. After that we hit up the local curry shop to get some grub and hit the studio with our friend Satoshi. It's a great experience to work in the practice studio with friends. Sure, it's fun because you get to screw around with instruments. But at the same time, you've got a time limit, so it kind of forces you to be productive and put out something worthwhile. After all, even though you're only paying about 20 bucks for two hours, it's enough motivation to not waste any time. It's a nice spark for the fuel of spontaneity.
So we did our thing, packed up, and called it a night. Maybe you'll be hearing some of that musical goodness soon.
