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Graham English Blog Archives

Musician, Author, and Entrepreneur

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Birds On The Wires

September 9, 2009 By Graham English

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 … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Video Tagged With: composition, creativity, inspiration, music, music hacks

Handwritten Notes By Thelonious Monk

December 28, 2008 By Graham English

I'm not sure of the original source, but I just found these handwritten notes by Thelonious Monk in the Delicious popular feed posted by thescotter. Awesome stuff! … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Music Education, Prose Tagged With: advice, inspiration, jazz, notes, Thelonious Monk, tips

On Legacy

August 23, 2008 By Graham English

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 … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Opinion, Prose Tagged With: George Bernard Shaw, inspiration, legacy, quotes

1,000-Hour/5,000-Hour Model For Songwriting Success

May 20, 2008 By Graham English

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. Winners are made, not born. So forget about talent. Talent is a gift for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Music Education, Prose Tagged With: deliberate practice, expertise, inspiration, motivation, peak performance, Practice, Songwriting, talent

Most Inspiring 30 Minutes I’ve Invested In A Long Time

January 25, 2008 By Graham English

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 … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Video Tagged With: Arts, Bill Strickland, Herbie Hancock, inspiration, jazz, music, piano, Pittsburgh, TED

Rewriting Song Titles For Practice And Inspiration

December 22, 2007 By Graham English

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 … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Music Education, Prose Tagged With: Billboard, billboard charts, creativity, hooks, HowTo, inspiration, iTunes, lyric writing, song titles, Songwriting, songwriting tips

Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategies For Your iPhone

July 23, 2007 By Graham English

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 … [Read more...]

Filed Under: LifeHacks, Music Education, Prose Tagged With: composing strategies, creative process, creativity, CreativityHacks, flow, GTD, hacks, inspiration, iPhone, music hacks, MusicHacks, oblique strategies, peak performance, PerformanceHacks, problem solving, productivity, SongwritingHacks, strategies

Find New Music With Musicovery – And Songwriting Ideas Too

November 19, 2006 By Graham English

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. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Music Education, Prose, Technology Tagged With: cool, dance, inspiration, interface, mind map, song ideas, Songwriting, songwriting tips

Hit Songwriting Tips Podcast 09-29-06

September 29, 2006 By Graham English

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 … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Audio, Hit Songwriting Tips Podcast, Music Education Tagged With: GarageBand, GTD, hit song cheat sheet, Hit Songwriting Tips Podcast, inspiration, iTunes, Logic Pro, mood markings, motivation, organization, productivity, song ideas, Songwriting, songwriting techniques, songwriting tips, tagging, tags

Why I Write For The Garbage Can

August 7, 2006 By Graham English

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 … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Music Education, Prose Tagged With: creativity, inner-critic, inspiration, intentions, Johnny Mercer, songwriters, Songwriting, writing

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