Graham English
Songwriter, Recording Artist, and Blogging Musician
Songwriter, Recording Artist, and Blogging Musician
“Reading a newspaper, I saw a picture of birds on the electric wires. I cut out the photo and decided to make a song, using the exact location of the birds as notes (no Photoshop edit). I knew it wasn’t the most original idea in the universe. I was just curious to hear what melody the birds were creating.” -Jarbas Agnelli
I’m not sure of the original source, but I just found these handwritten notes in the Delicious popular feed posted by thescotter. Awesome stuff!
This is the true joy in life, the being recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.
The concept is this: To be a good, competent songwriter, it will take 1,000 hours of practice. If you want to be a great songwriter, it will take 5,000 hours. Read on…
With subtle accompaniment by longtime friend Herbie Hancock, and a slide show that has opened the minds (and pocketbooks) of CEOs across the country, artist and youth activist Bill Strickland tells a quiet and astonishing tale of redemption through arts, music and unlikely partnerships.
Here’s an exercise I love to do when I need inspiration for song titles. If nothing’s coming naturally, this trick can really get the creative juices flowing. Even if I end up using nothing that I come up with, I find that within a day or two, one of my ideas will trigger something completely different, usable, and inspiring.
In an attempt to hack their creativity and artistic output, Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt created a deck of cards they called the Oblique Strategies. Whenever they came up against a creative dilemma–and especially while under a moment of pressure or deadline–they would pull a card and follow the directions.
I’ve used this technique constantly in [...]
This music discovery website is amazing! You can find music by mood, genre, and by the decade it was created. Best of all, Musicovery is as a killer songwriting inspiration tool.
You don’t even have to hit play to find ideas for your next song. Just take a look at the moods or genres to give [...]
Topics covered: Songwriting for busy people, capturing song ideas, GTD (Getting Things Done), organization, productivity, iTunes, GarageBand, Logic Pro, inspiration, motivation, tagging, mood markings, songwriting techniques, review, Hit Song Cheat Sheet, and much more…
Do you know of an author that has written a book in one sitting? Or how about a composer who created a masterpiece in an afternoon?
You haven’t? Me neither. And that’s why I write for the garbage can.
Johnny Mercer, the songwriter, said he used to write for the waste basket. When I first heard this, [...]
Listen to the Oscar Peterson Trio ripping at tempos upwards of 320bpm! Let it inspire you to practice.
Adapted from the book, How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci.
Leonardo da Vinci was a brilliant musician. If he was alive today…
He would have an insatiably curious approach to songwriting and an unrelenting quest for continuous learning.
Songs can be like problems or puzzles that we must solve or piece together. Asking creative questions can open [...]
I’ve noticed a lot of resistance to “songwriting rules”. Most of the criticism falls in the Craft vs. Inspiration camp. And my defense is always that it isn’t an either-or argument.
From Don’t forget square one…:
Horse trainer Linda Parelli says that, and her take on amateurs-vs.-experts is that the amateurs forget the fundamentals. Her husband Pat, [...]
about grahamI'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.
Why Americans Don't Like Jazz http://dyske.com/paper/778 7 hrs ago
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