“Finding band members is much like dating. You somehow meet, you arrange a time and place to get acquainted, you share common interests, and then if it goes well, you make more plans.
It’s a dance, and if it’s a good dance, it can turn into a long term thing…”
Read More“I recently started collecting letters of recommendation as a way to help expand my business. Usually people write or collect these for college admissions, or court cases, but they are also incredibly valuable to help a business and it’s owner to grow through the magick of *validation*...”
Read More“I call that a bargain, the best I ever had!”
Everything has an inherent or appraised value. A stamp may be worth $0.25, or it could be worth $2,500. It depends. A base model car (new) often costs about $19,000, or the same car (gently pre-owned) can be closer to $13,000. Again,.. Everything has a value, and that value is determined by a number of factors including reliability, quality, features, etc.
If you were to appraise your own value as an entertainer, teacher, a writer, what would your value be?
Read More“Music has the power to transport us to different places, times, and even far away worlds. It has the ability to tap into our deepest feelings, and to instigate entire emotional and mental states. It all depends on what the composer is trying to achieve. This is at the core of scoring for soundtracks. It is also effective without the aid of a visual component.”
Read MoreOver my many, many years of teaching I have encountered students of all ages, experience, musical preference, and education, and if there’s one thing that always (while also never) surprises me, is how many people beyond the beginner stage do not know or lean heavily on the importance of the musical alphabet.
Something so rudimentary, and so crucial, and somehow many teachers overlook the need to stress the value of this simple piece of info.
Read MoreAll Work And No Play Makes For A Dull Experience
Being in a band is fun, but it’s also work. A lot of work. So much work that it can turn into a job.. (shudders). There’s nothing wrong with that though. As long as you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life, as the saying goes, however with work there needs to be play. Balance is crucial because play inspires work very often, and they feed into each other.
“Come Out And Play…”
Encouraging play time with collaborators is a great way to detach from the brain, and also a wonderful way to grow together. Seeing each other in an environment where you are engaged in activities that have nothing to do with work, or even if it does, but in a more passive way, helps you not only get to know each other more, but it is a terrific stimulant for new and inspired creativity. With my collaborators, I like to go to concerts, do nature excursions, see movies, and even go to events and gatherings where we aren’t going to be so inclined to promote or network. It’s good to be removed from the grind of spreading the gospel of your project endeavors.
Read MoreMy Name Is Jimmy, And I’m A PolyAmorophonic Instrumental Non-Monogamist
“Say what?”, you may be wondering …
I enjoy describing myself this way in jest at times when the opportunity presents itself, as “Polyamorophonic” is my twist on the word Polyamory, which is a relationship practice of having “many loves”, or in other (simplified) words, an open relationship. This is how I feel about instruments. Why enjoy just 1 when you can find love with 2 or 3.. Or 4… Just like with an open relationship though, make sure you spend enough time, energy, and attention to each of your beloveds. I mainly split my time with Guitar and Piano, and though Guitar is my primary, Piano is a very close secondary. I find immense fulfillment in my interaction with both.
Why Learn 1 Instrument When You Can Learn 3?!
Read MoreIn business it is imperative that we weave webs. That we connect the dots between communities, individuals, associates, competitors, friends, and family, and really anyone else that is in our own personal storyline.
It has ALWAYS been my belief that we can absolutely without a doubt discover hidden connections to just about any stranger that you may meet in your journey. It’s like a call back to the old “Degrees Of Kevin Bacon” game, where the idea is to connect any random actor to Kevin Bacon in the least amount of moves possible. Sound familiar? If so, you know what I mean. If not, give it a Google, and there will certainly be a more thorough description of how the game is played. The point of this is this: Be a center point. Be a point where all other stands of the web are strung from and connected to.
Read MoreLet’s Face It.. We Are All Screw Up Sometimes
In life we all make good choices, and bad choices. Some things work out well, and others not so much. It’s not the missteps we make that have to define us, but rather it’s what we do with these experiences that matters the most.
Using words like good and bad as far as choices are concerned, well that’s up to each individual to decide the parameters of. What’s good for one, may not be good for another, and likewise. So knowing what you desire is absolutely important, because it is against those desires that all other choices are measured and integrated. It’s imperative that you learn how to read and use your own internal compass to decide which paths you will take on your journey.
Read MoreA complex project requires a lot of resources, people, time, and as always, the almighty dollar. These components aren’t always readily available, but with solid planning, networking, and mindful frugality, anything is possible.
Often people are your best resource, and that’s because people often have their own resource pools and networks.
Read MoreIn the entertainment world, many people wear many hats; songwriter hats, manager hats, tour bus driver hat, graphic arts hat, musician or artist hat . . . and the list goes on and on. I personally have a huge hat collection. It would seem like I have ten heads. I wear them all fairly well, but that is not often the most effective way to operate, even if you can. Just because you can doesn’t always mean you should. That is an important lesson to really learn over and over again. As artists we get carried away, and we get excited, so it’s not uncommon for us to dive head first into all processes. It’s not a bad thing to do, per se, but it limits the other areas to which your energy can go. If you are an artist, and you happen to hate managing social media accounts, then consider, if you will, hiring a social media manager, and freeing up all that time to do what you do best, . . . create!
Read MoreThis is one of the most common questions that a songwriter will get from an eager student or an enthusiastic fan, or sometimes from a friend curiously pondering as they listen to a song...
“When writing a song, which comes first?...The words? The melody? The chords?”
There is an easy answer to this...
There is NO set method that is universally practiced by everyone.
The songwriting process is vast in its ways of manifesting and inspiring itself into existence with the help of a skilled (or not always so skilled) conduit. The conduit for this divine outpouring is YOU, and it’s Me, and it’s every being with the intention and desire to make it so.
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