Music for builders

Hello again friends.  It's been months since my last post I know, but the truth is there hasn't been much to write about with this house.  When we started building we had the idea that after a year or so I'd go back to work full time at the business of music.

Nearly five years later we got to the level of functioning bathtub (however crude) and now that switch is starting to happen.  For instance, I've started writing on the first page of my music website, michaelwaitemusic.com.  But I'll continue to keep this site up too, by moving posts over here after a bit.  The subject matter is bound to move away from house building and into things that this house allows us to do.

So to celebrate this blog-restructuring I write today about the best music for working on your house.   I've found that the different building processes each have their own essence, and so work best with different kinds of music. This is based on my scientific research done in da woods by da swamp:



Digging -Traditional Irish dance music.  This stuff makes it easy to enjoy a simple challenge, no matter how unhealthy.  I think within this joy is the urge to show the devil who's in charge.

Framing -The temptation is to go heavy on drums and guitar, classic rock or other masculine stuff.  But I find intelligent string band music (like Chris Thile or the Silk Road Ensemble) keeps me from working too hard without being too slow and thoughtful.

Plumbing -Blues.  As Irish music helps us enjoy great challenges, the blues helps us enjoy apparently endless frustration.  "Just Got Lucky" From Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown is a good one.

Electrical -You can get a little more brainless here, but to keep it moving some solid beats are in order:  try something funky like Dr. John's "Locked Down" recording.  Since you want to be moving from room to room quickly and can't be caught stopping near the boombox to catch the end of the stanza, it has to be something that you either know very well or something where the meaning of the words is not that important.

Pulling stumps with a minivan:  Definitely some kind of punk music, can of beer in the cup holder. 

Making firewood -this job is so mindless that it lends itself to any kind of music or podcast.  Lately I've been listening to the podcast called "A Crash Course in Miracles," which has turned the woodshed into a holy place.  Sometimes being out in the woods with the occasional breeze in the pine needles or a passing company of chickadees is the best -until you start going nuts with the roaring monotony.

Hanging drywall -This is the probably the reason that classic rock stations exist.  Anything loud will work though.  As with other grunt work, don't think about what you're doing too much.  Just keep moving.

Drywall mud -Pavarotti at Carnegie Hall.  Anything distinctly Italian would do I think for this.  There is something about the Italian vibe that can insist on excellence and beauty without getting hung up on perfection, whatever that is.

Seriously put on whatever makes you feel whole and shining in your work. 

There is still a ton of drywall finishing to do, but soon we'll be on to flooring, trim, and building a deck.  If anyone has suggestions for music for those processes I'd be so grateful.