“If something’s worth doing, then it’s worth doing right.”

Hear, hear! I agree with that old axiom. But doing something right often takes longer than we expected when we first got our project underway. In the case of “The Giant Steps Scratch Pad”–my book of licks and patterns for Coltrane changes–it has been taking considerably longer. So I thought I’d share another update for those of you who are interested. Here’s the status of the project and my plans for it:

* After many a headache and blind alley, the music and text files for the Eb edition are now merged into a single document and the interior of the book is ready to go.

* Registration for copyright has been filed at the U. S. Copyright Office.

* Rather than use one of the templates at Lulu.com, I’ve decided to have the cover professionally done by a friend of mine who specializes in graphic design for book and CD covers. I meet with him next week. This should be the last big task (knock on wood).

* Once the cover is completed, the Eb edition will be ready for publication through Lulu.com. At that point, I’ll just need to set up a store account and make the book available.

* Bb, C, and bass clef editions will follow once the Eb edition is published. So tenor sax, trumpet, piano, flute, trombone, and bass players, never fear! I’ve definitely got you on the radar. It just makes sense, from my standpoint, to publish the material as I initially wrote it first, so I can at least get alto sax player like me underway.

That’s it for now. When there’s more to tell, I’ll let you know, so stay dialed in.