Songwriter, Recording Artist, and Blogging Musician
There’s a perpetually propagated myth that if you have absolute pitch, then if you listen to music that is out of tune, you have a bad experience. If there is any truth to this myth, it’s definitely not an absolute. Some people may be disturbed by music that is out of tune. I believe this [...]
TechCrunch reports that SellABand just might be working.
But a few months later, wow. 2700 bands from all over the world have signed up, and four have already reached the $50,000 mark and have recorded albums (Nemesea, Cubworld, Second Person and Clemence, and more are on the way. Mandyleigh, one of our readers, is currently no. [...]
Part of me never dies. I know you… you recognize that we are Heart to heart in a miracle love
I’ll stand by you to the end.
I’ll never desert you.
I’ll be the one you depend on.
The one you can talk to.
Google AdWords Pay-Per-Action is in beta and they’re answering your questions here. I’ll be watching closely how they plan to handle advertising accounts that get very low conversion. If you only pay-per-action, what happens when nobody takes an action? Was that free branding you just got?
Also in AdSense news, the AdSense API is ready for [...]
How to make intimate connections with yourself and others.
Neuro-Logical Levels are considered to be a Meta-Program in NLP. Specifically, these neuro-logical levels are categories of experience. In integral terms, I would consider them to be a typology that has a built-in hierarchy. They are not stages or levels that must sequentially arise. However, they do [...]
Wanna hear something provocative? Check out this quote from an old issue of keyboard magazine.
“On this experimental record, I’ve been trying to explore more jazz harmonies. The thing is — and I’m gonna piss off a lot of people here — the II-V-I hits my barf button like nothing else. It’s the most horrible cadence [...]
Samurai Songwriting, a simple and fun way to master the art of songwriting, is now live. And best of all are the bonuses for the first 150 subscribers. Don’t miss out, check it out now…
Are you on Twitter yet? Join me, won’t you?
If you don’t know what Twitter is, it’s basically a social micro-blog to update your friends on what you’re doing right now. What makes it different from a blog you might already publish is the use of text messaging to update your personal Twitter page while you’re [...]
I’m finding more and more that what stops songwriters from finishing songs isn’t a lack of good ideas but a misdirection of songwriting focus. Based on the comments I receive, musicians are spending more time on tasks that do little to move the song closer to completion.
For example, if you just spent 15 minutes on [...]
Last week I mentioned creating a sound journal as part of a listening practice and to improve your aural intelligence. So I thought it would be a good idea to give some examples of how to do this by keeping a public diary of sound. Hopefully, this will be good for both of us.
Today, I [...]
Next week will be the official launch of Samurai Songwriting. You’ll have to stay tuned for the full details. But we can tell you that we have some great surprises for you including upcoming songwriting teleseminars and some really cool and useful songwriting tools that you get as a bonus if you’re a private beta [...]
You can make ear training something you do once in a while or you can make it part of who you are. That’s the difference between ear training and a listening practice.
Ear training has often been half-jokingly, half-seriously referred to as “ear straining.” And I can understand why if it’s something that you feel forced [...]
This is a Hip-Hop/Dancehall groove in F#min at 90bpm with some orchestral strings and timpani providing most of the harmony and giving it vigorous motion.
This is a 6-bar groove that I’m working on a melody for. It’s got a driving Hip-Hop/World feel to it.
This is the final week of The Show by Ze Frank. A full year commitment fulfilled. Talk about a challenge!
Ze inspired me a lot this past year. His show is most definitely 2nd Tier, even if he doesn’t know it. But that didn’t inspire me as much as his prolific output. That, and his total [...]
Where will you be when the wall falls down?
Dolmetsch online has made significant contributions to the world of early music. They also host a serious online music dictionary and composers biography. I especially like their 1000+ scales and practical guide to composition. Check it out.
“To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan, and not quite enough time.”
– Leonard Bernstein, conductor
One of the most common challenges I hear about songwriting is not knowing where to begin. With the lyrics? With the music? Or something completely different? It’s a rather simple challenge to find a solution to, really.
Start with a single note or single word
Play a single random note and just listen to your imagination. Does [...]
I'm a songwriter and recording artist who sings, plays keyboards, and explores the vast world of sound hoping to find some magical moments along the way. I'm also a Mac geek.
If Heroes needed a new superhero, it would be Montage Man. He can speed things up and add a catchy tune. 15 hrs ago
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