Ric Patton

 That really depends on your own personal goals and ambitions . No one knows that but yourself. 

If your goal is to become a professional musician, you might want to practice for several hours a day. But if you just want to learn as a hobby, you might only need an hour or two a day. 

  I think a lot can be done in 30 minutes with focused practice . It's important to find a balance between challenging yourself and punishing yourself. Some guys say they practice 4 or 5 hours a day. That seems crazy as hell to me . But if you are enjoying the process. Good luck! Do what feels good to ya, But do it often and with a practice plan .

 The future of Blues music looks promising. More and more young musicians are influenced by the Blues and are incorporating it into their own musical styles. Check out the King Biscuit Blues Festival lineup from 2022. This has helped to keep the genre relevant, vibrant and alive.  

Technology is helping the Blues to reach new and younger audiences. With streaming services and social media, more people than ever are exposed to the music and its rich history. 

   As long as we musicians continue to create and innovate, the Blues will be a vital part of music for generations to come. 2023 is the year of the Blues.

 Good morning Blues people . I woke up looking forward to going to play on Bridge Street. It is so much fun being outside playing with the kids. It looks like the rain has stopped for now. I got rained out yesterday.  

  Strange times we live in. People are trying so hard to get past the pandemic. But it's not easy. We don't shake hands as much as we used to. Don't get as close as we used to. times are rather different. I call them strange times.  

  The tip jar is looking good though. But I still sanitize the money before putting my hands in it. I know that seemed crazy. But I actually sprayed those dollars and let them sit overnight before I counted them.  My daughter works at a hospital and she recommended that I do that. “Take care of yourself Daddy “. Sanitized those tips’. she says  

  The Christmas tree is going up on Bridge street. See they're constructing this giant Christmas tree behind me in a few weeks. I guess the mall will launch into the Christmas season. Maybe I'll get to play some during the Christmas holidays so it's good to see the joy on everyone's face during the holidays. Lots of fun playing on the Bridge street again. 

Good Morning Blues world . I woke up with this on my mind .  I've heard Pro Tools recording and I've also heard Reaper recordings. I can't tell the difference. 

I was volunteering my services as an artist at the Calhoun community college and the students there are taught to use both. Most of the instruction is on Pro Tools. But many of the students recommend and already use Reaper.  

I was just a volunteer for them to learn their recording skills, and at the same time occasionally they got a good recording for me. Here's a link to a recording that was done over at the college.  

  I asked the instructor and some of the students what was a good starting point for a person like me to start learning audio engineering DAW and recording myself. They recommended Reaper. Many of the Reaper reviews are saying that it is complicated. My experience with it once you get the basics it's pretty straightforward. And the basics is really what I need the type of music that I do.  

  Blues, Southern Soul and occasionally some light jazz is not that complicated. I really don't need a lot of plugins. I don't see why I would use them. I don't think I lose much by getting with Reaper. Right now I'm not shipping my songs out for collaboration or other mixing and things like that. I'm doing it all by myself at home. So I can't see how running Pro Tools would benefit me. And plus it's more expensive. Reaper was only like $60. As far as I know this for lifetime or longtime Pro Tools can be hundreds of dollars if not 1000s.  

  I've had Reaper now for a while. And I'm still learning. I don't use it regularly but I'm pulling it out now. I've got some projects in mind and I believe I can do most of the work myself rather than going out to be recorded. So let's get busy with Reaper. What do you think ?

 I looked all over for the little cats. “Here kitty kitty. Here kitty kitty”  I was calling everywhere. Then I said “Maybe it's gone over to the neighbor's house. Or maybe it's gotten hurt somewhere and can't get back”. I was calling out to the neighbors . I'm so used to them coming running when I call but there was only one this morning. The other one I couldn't find anywhere. So finally I gave up looking.  

   I wound up going to my car and I opened the car door and.. Wow, look. He came jumping out of my car. I guess it got in the car when I got home last night and I didn't know it.  I hope it didn't made a mess in my car . I'm glad he's alright. Lil Car jacking azz cat !

 These cats feel like I do. Lazy. They just want to chill and lay around all day. I know that feeling today. The rain coming down makes today feel so laid back. The cats went out in the rain and they came back. And this is as far as they made it today .  

  The weather is changing here in Alabama. I guess it's changing everywhere. Seasons change. We got rain and tornado watches today. Crazy shit but it's that time of year again. 

  The rain sounds good on this old tin roof. So I’ll kick back and enjoy it with the cats. Taking notes on next week and what the plan is . There's plenty of thangs  to do, but you know that. Sometimes I'll just sit down and make notes. You know the story. Just chilling. Yep, fire it up. 

  T

 Back on Bridge Street again .I forgot a lot of the songs that I used to play. Some people are asking me about hula hoops. I don't want to try hoops yet until I get a feel  for how management feels about it . 

   I couldn't find a parking place anywhere. The closest place I could find was the handicapped zone. I hope they don't give me a ticket or tow before I get back. I'm supposed to play here for two hours. 

   It is another beautiful day today. Thank goodness for that. Security seemed to be friendly. I don't know if they will ticket me or not, but so far so good. Lots of children are here today. I'm gonna have to practice all my children's songs. It's been so long since I played on the street. 

 I don't use the hula hoops right now. I'm not even using the washboard yet. I had to buy a new extension cord in order to get into the position on the North stage I wanted, but now that I've got the cord we're ready to go.  

   So far I believe they scheduled me for three more events so I should have a few more weeks. Also, one lady named Marjorie came and asked me to put my schedule on the website, so I'm gonna go ahead and do that.  

 I’m scheduled for Halloween. I don't have any idea what I'm gonna do that day. But maybe I can find something creative to do and make it fun. It's been a great weekend. Thank everyone for coming.

  It felt good to be back at Bridge Street. I saw a few of my old friends stopping in to say hello to me. That was so special. I love my Blues people. 

  They survived the pandemic. The stores have changed quite a bit since my last time playing there. But it's still a high end mall.   

  They changed the customer service booth and converted it into a nail shop. So I went straight out to the stage and started playing. Security now is in charge of checking in and making sure things go okay. 

 It was beautiful weather today, here in Huntsville, North Alabama. Seems like people were out enjoying the weather. It's a few more weeks away from cold weather.  

  Everyone was friendly as usual on Bridge Street. Quite a few kids are out today. Seems like the parents are bringing the kids out, letting them enjoy the fall weather. Let the babies get out of the strollers and dance. That's always fun to see. 

   I love seeing my babies on the street and of course the pretty girls. Bridge Street is a women's Mall. There are pretty women everywhere.  

  Some of the old stores that I loved have gone and now there are new stores in their place. But it's still a great mall and its  clean. I've got a few more dates there. So come on out for the fun .

 The smile on this young man's face says it all.  I love inspiring young people, seeing the joy in them when they get around music. You never know, He could be the future of  Blues music. Once it gets in them, it inspires them.  

  He reminds me of myself. When I was his age, I was so inspired by music. Look at that smile on his face. This is my friend Big Nate. I called him Big Nate. He came onstage with me and the band “ The Chickenbone Reunion” in 2016 and threw a cape on my back and played washboard. I got him involved in the show. To get a chance to get on a big stage. That was special . It lit him up. The crowd loved it .  

   He came up to me and said “ Hey Mr Patton it's me Big Nate remember me ? It went all over me. I just love seeing him again. His mom said he was struggling with his schoolwork. Sometimes his grades weren't as good as she would like them to be. That was the first thing I asked him. I said”  Nate, how are you ? How are those grades in school ? “  Great. He said, “ They're doing better ".  

I told him  Nate always do great. In school and on the stage.   He said he was learning to play an instrument now. That is going to be a sight to see. I look forward to watching him grow up and develop. 

 Not only him but all our kids need an avenue to express themselves . It doesn't have to be drugs or the streets. Music opens up a lot of avenues for expression. I love to see kids choose the high road like Bluesman Big Nate .  

  Nate can play the washboard too,  in fact I made him one and put LED lights on it.  It’s sharp. Someday I will give it to him if he continues to do well in school .   

  Seeing him  was one of the highlights of my weekend . Don't you like to see kids inspired by music ?  Do you know any kids who are inspired by the music.

  O.G.Fillmore Slim is a seasoned entertainer. His stories and songs are street wise and real. If you listen closely you hear him singing about his pimping  life mixed into the blues songs. He was just born on the blues stage, singing about his pimping game. 

   The crowd was growing. Folks started dancing and having fun. I looked over at Bob Stroger and noticed he was rock solid. Bob has been playing bass guitar professionally for 50 years. From Pinetop Perkins on up . He played with the original Muddy Waters Band and so many more. If anybody body's played the blues nine out of ten times this guy played for them. Bob is an older guy but he stayed in the pocket the whole time. 

 And Kenny Smith is so encouraging. A young guitar player, Shawn Mcdonald mentioned he had a bad experience that morning. Something didn't work out right. His experience turned out to be a bad show for him. Kenny  stepped up to the plate encouraging the young man that some days it's that way but it all works out . Keep looking forward to the next one. Kenny is so positive. 

   Jock Shock was the band's director. Jock is from Hayward, California. I met him several years ago when we played Ca back in 2018. When he got to the show we had a VIP button on his shirt he was quick to point out to me,  I'm a $BVIP. He's had his button ever since 2018.  

  Jock invited me to the trailer and we went over the song lists and different keys. Very helpful of him. He's also a big helper to Mr. Fillmore. It was a great experience to play for O.G.Fillmore Slim. The crowd enjoyed it. The Biscuit is back !