Cool And Recent Podcasts From Around The Web
January 11, 2008
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Here’s some recent podcasts from around the web that I’ve been inspired by musically.
It might seem hyperbole to claim, as many Wagnerites do, that The Ring Cycle is “The Greatest Work of Art Ever.” But the grandeur and power of this monumental work have permeated our culture from Star Wars to Bugs Bunny to J.R.R. Tolkien.
What is music? How does it work? Why does it move us? Why are some people better at it than others? In this hour, we examine the line between language and music, how the brain processes sound, and we meet a composer who uses computers to capture the musical DNA of dead composers in order to create new work. We also re-imagine the disastrous 1913 debut of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring…through the lens of modern neurology.
Songs can have an effect like no other art form. Great lyricists put in the heart and soul, and master interpreters add the flesh and blood, forging the combination of words and music that makes up the magic of songcraft.
MPR Grammar Grater Episode 20: Unfinished Business
Legend has it that Constanza Mozart, in an attempt to rouse her husband from bed during the late morning hours, would sit at the piano and play a C major scale. She’d get all the way up to the B natural. And stop.
Wolfgang couldn’t stand it. His ear was begging for some kind of fulfillment, so he’d leap out of bed, rush to the piano and bang out the final note, much to his relief.
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(2 votes, average: 4.5 out of 5)
Loading ...Samurai Songwriting Special Bundle Offer
December 28, 2007
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Make 2008 the year you master songwriting like a Samurai masters his sword!
Download Samurai Songwriting issues 1 and 2 PLUS the John Lennon Hit Songwriting two-part telesminar for one super low price. Read on…
Here’s what we cover in Samurai Songwriting:
- The inner game of songwriting. Five common songwriting problems — which ones do you want to overcome?
- The Samurai Songwriter Code. How you could be breaking trust among your fellow musicians and what to do about it. And how to attract musicians that want to work with you.
- Four essential songwriting tools. These are tools that can drastically improve your songwriting workflow and productivity, as well as generate tons of ideas.
- You’ll learn some practical songwriting techniques. These are strategies that you can use to improve your songwriting immediately.
- The songwriting tool sheet. It’s purpose is to find out how the greatest songwriters do what they do and show you how to do the same. Extremely powerful.
- A real-time analysis of some hit songs. We study the melody, chord progression, lyrics, rhythm, and song form of some classic songs so you can learn how the pros do what they do.
- Learn where you should put your songwriting priorities and why.
- Discover common rhyme mistakes, ways to give your chorus a lift, and the best ways to create contrast between your verse and chorus.
- How to get your creative juices flowing and instantly find unique and interesting details to put into your lyrics.
- How to use tension and release in your melodies to keep your listeners interested and make your melodies more memorable.
- An exclusive interview with Molly-Ann Leikin, an Academy award winning songwriter and songwriting consultant to over 4,000 successful songwriters! She’s helped songwriters get Grammy nominations, win Emmys, and place songs in movies, TV, and CDs all over the world!
- Writing techniques that bring your lyrics to life and help you stop writer’s block dead in its tracks.
- And so much more!
Each issue was originally priced at $27 each.
You also get to download the John Lennon Hit Songwriting teleseminar. Originally recorded live, this two-part teleseminar covers…
- Analysis of a number of John Lennon’s hit songs: You’ll receive a detailed analysis of the lyrics, melodies, harmonies, rhythms, and song forms of the legendary John Lennon.
- Four hit chord progressions to write a song over and four hit song titles to get you started.
- Learn how to use the “Chorus Cheat Sheet” to write dozens of choruses.
- Learn how to create a songwriting flow so you can generate more ideas faster.
- Learn rewriting and editing techniques to help you improve your work based on what you’ve learned.
- Plus this FREE $97 BONUS “Songwriting Video Tutorial - From Start to Completion Using Today’s Technology.”
- Original price of this teleseminar was $99!
And you get these bonuses:
- The Hit Song Model: A powerful guide to writing hit songs.
- Chorus Cheat Sheet: 7 types of choruses and how to write them.
- Lyric Writing Checklist: A step-by-step guide to writing lyrics to music.
- 8 techniques to develop new and interesting chord progressions.
- Guide to Hit Song Forms: Tips, techniques and tools for writing hit songs - Complete with examples.
As I said, the cost for a single issue of Samurai Songwriting is $27 and the cost for the John Lennon teleseminar was $99. All of this you can have for only $27! That’s a savings of $126!
Once you’ve purchased, you’ll immediately receive an email with the download details.
Here’s what people say…
I am a total amateur when it comes to songwriting, but after Samurai Songwriting issue 1 and the recent John Lennon teleseminar, I’m already quickly developing song ideas. The Samurai Songwriting ‘Songwriting Tool Table’ is such a valuable tool for breaking down the structure of songs and giving you insight as to how the masters came up with such great hits that stand the test of time.
- Rich
I have received lessons 1 and 2 and am quite happy with the contents; the audio, the pdfs and the spreadsheet file. One of the things that aspiring songwriters hear all of the time is to analyze other well written songs, but there is no instruction on how to do that. The Songwriting Tool Table provides the means to do that, and the example given with the lesson shows exactly how to use it to get the most benefit. I also like that there is no long term commitment, so, although I am quite satisfied with the program now, I am free to stop if my situation changes or I feel that I am not getting value from the program. Thanks, and keep ‘em coming.
- “Famous” Patrick
Dear Graham,
I have to tell you I really do like the song writing bundle I just purchased from you! It has opened my eyes to a whole different arena regarding song writing! The whole package is well worth the price and the John Lennon teleseminar is simply fantastic! I would highly recommend this bundle to anyone wanting to learn songwriting! It is a eye opener!!
Thanks!
Larry B.
Tulsa, Oklahoma
(18 votes, average: 5 out of 5) Loading ...Average Words Per Song And The 80/20 Rule
December 26, 2007
2 CommentsIn preparation for my 2008 song-a-week project, I wanted some numbers to give me an idea of how much writing I would need to do. Using the 80/20 rule—only 20 percent of my writing will make the cut while 80 percent will go into the waste basket—here is what I came up with.
Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen averages 281 words per song. Nothing Like The Sun by Sting averages 206. The Beatles’ Abbey Road averages 102 and Let It Be averages 139.
This means that if a song has between 100-300 words, I’ll need to write 500-1500 words. Not a very difficult task when you look at it that way. So far, this blog post has 127 words. Now, this won’t include object writing exercises. Object writing is like a warm up before exercise. It just loosens the muscles and doesn’t count into the actual sets and reps you will do.
In terms of musical content, I’ll need to write five different choruses and five different verses. I’ll probably choose the best chorus first and then write five different contrasting verses and choose the best one.
This give me a really good rough idea of how much writing I’ll be doing in the new year. Wish me luck!
(1 votes, average: 4 out of 5) Loading ...The Best Of Graham English 2007
December 24, 2007
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It’s time for my yearly reflections and celebrations.
By far the most popular and most controversial post of 2007 was The Zen Of Attraction. I’m surprised at the attention it received because I wrote it as an aside. Some people loved it and some people hated it. But what was most interesting for me was how many people hated not the article, but me. I mean these were just simple ideas that are totally debatable. This post led me to define some comment rules that include no personal attacks. I’m willing to debate ideas but not whether I’m a good person or not. It was a very interesting experience!
The second most popular post was iQuickTwitter - My Quicksilver + Twitter + iChat + Growl Hack. This little app got some serious link love from TUAW, Ars Technica, and many other fantastic blogs. And a big reason why I didn’t blog as much as I did in 2006 was because of Twitter. If I ever had something short and simple to say, rather than try to develop it into at least 250 words, which I previously believed warranted a blog post, I would just post it to Twitter, which has a limit of 140 characters. I think my strategy will change some in 2008. My new Lifestream category will probably see a lot more action whenever I find that 140 characters is not enough. The most significant change is that I won’t keep such a tightly controlled niche blog. The only thing tying this blog together is that I am writing it, not the subject matter. So if I feel like saying something, this blog will take priority.
Along similar lines as iQuickTwitter were my many posts on automation. Some of them were conceptual, like Automation As Part Of An Integral Life Practice and Automating The Quality Of Your Attention. While others were specific and geeky, like IM Status: Update Your Skype, iChat, Or Adium Status With Quicksilver, Top 5 AppleScript Productivity Hacks for WordPress Bloggers and Podcasters, and Blogging With Quicksilver And AppleScript. I’ve really grown to see automation as an important part of life that I need to revisit again and again.
Some of my favorite songwriting articles were Applying The 80-20 Rule To Your Songwriting, my Hit Songwriting Tips Podcast, The Secret Alchemy Of Songwriting, 5 Sure Fire Ways To Kick-Start The Songwriting Habit, Rewriting Song Titles For Practice And Inspiration, and What Makes a Good Song? My biggest disappointment of 2007 was the small amount of completed songs. I finished only about half a dozen songs and published just one of them, which I’m quite proud of, “When The Wall Falls Down.”
I also didn’t write about ear training or music theory nearly as much as I did in 2006. But I have a few favorites, such as How To Use Tension And Release In Your Melodies, my Absolute Pitch Ear Training Podcast, Playing Outside: The Dominant 7 Pentatonic Scale, and Ear Training or Listening Practice?
Two great moments of 2007 were getting my new MacBook Pro and iPhone. The new Mac inspired a whole new series of podcasts called Graham English Talks and introduced my own videos, like The Best Of Dwight Schrute Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. The iPhone inspired Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategies For Your iPhone and made my tech life much more streamlined.
2007 was definitely a year of social networking. Twitter, Facebook, Last.fm, Stumbleupon, and many other social networks occupied a large part of my time online. And there were many benefits like making new friends, reconnecting with old friends, finding a larger reach for my articles and music, and discovering new forms of self-expression. It confirms how important relationships truly are.
Which leads me to the very best of 2007, You! My life wouldn’t be nearly as fulfilling without the special presence of you. The support of my readers and listeners has made the tough times easier and the good times even better. I sincerely hope that we stay connected through 2008. Thanks for sticking with me through 2007. w00t!
(4 votes, average: 4.75 out of 5) Loading ...Rewriting Song Titles For Practice And Inspiration
December 22, 2007
0 CommentsHere’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.
The idea is simple. Rewrite song titles.
Song titles are great starting points. Song titles are often the hook. Once you’ve got a great hook, just about any competent or interesting verse will complete the song. So starting with a song title or hook gets you about 80 percent of the way there.
I have many sources that I go to, various iTunes top 10 lists, Billboard charts, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll, and many others. Even if you come up empty, it’s great practice and gives you insight into the songwriting of whomever you choose to emulate.
Take the following example, “I Will Dare” by The Replacements. If I begin by keeping the same syllables but looking for opposite meaning I get something like “You Won’t Dare”—keeping close to the original—or “You Won’t Risk.” Both of those titles give me ideas to develop into complete songs.
“After Midnight” by Eric Clapton becomes “Before Noon.” Beginning with “I Love Rock ‘N Roll,” first charted by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, you could change it to the shocked and rhetorical question, “You Hate Rock and Roll?!” Or keep the content similar but change the style of music to “I Love Dance Punk.” “Long Tall Sally” by Little Richard could become “Big Bad Brady.” I found that name using a baby name finder.
There’s no rules to this game. But you can set up some guidelines or directions to get you started. With “Long Tall Sally,” I tried to keep the song’s original alliteration. With “After Midnight,” I looked for the opposite meaning—even though after midnight and before noon refer to the same 12 hours. 
I often like to keep the same syllables since most great titles come with a built-in infectious rhythm. Internal rhymes, alliteration, content, any literary device can be kept, manipulated, or left behind.
I like to do little exercises like this whenever I’m running out of ideas or I’ve got a little down time. They grease your creative gears and give you plenty of material to work with. And they’re pretty easy to invent. Have fun and let me know what you come up with!
(2 votes, average: 4.5 out of 5) Loading ...