Jim Duff Music Blog

New music 2025!

2025-12-07T23:36:48.636-05:00

My Salvation

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Love One Another

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Hollywood Couldn't Kick

2025-08-06T12:26:00.001-04:00

Hollywood Couldn't Kick

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Love One Another

2025-07-20T12:33:00.001-04:00

Do it For Life

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Do it For Life

2025-06-27T23:08:00.001-04:00

Clark Fork River

2024-10-26T21:14:00.001-04:00

Clark Fork River

2024-10-24T13:26:00.001-04:00

Clark Fork River

2024-10-17T01:22:00.000-04:00

It Was You

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New Music

2024-09-20T11:17:00.003-04:00

What’s the Best Garageband Alternative for Windows? Here Are 5 Options to Consider

2021-10-29T14:02:00.002-04:00

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What’s the Best Garageband Alternative for Windows? Here Are 5 Options to Consider

Back to the One

2021-05-01T21:20:00.001-04:00

Duff The Black Promo

2021-04-20T15:33:00.000-04:00

Lift You Up

2021-04-02T23:02:00.001-04:00

Lift You Up

2021-03-12T19:33:00.001-05:00

REBELS WANTED

2020-12-01T12:50:00.003-05:00

Hypocrisy flourishes where truth is ignored. Today, true renegades foster a love for truth, a bias toward action and a love for others.

“We are in the midst of a Great Silencing, the quashing of all voices from both our present and our past. Liberal democratic America saw both communists and fascists, and many cult-like enterprises large and small, but never did any of them become so powerful as to so completely strangle the public discourse, or to so credibly demand absolute obedience to its core tenets from the entire mass populace, with such totality, as the ideology today known as Wokeness.”

https://newdiscourses.com/2020/09/great-silencing-america-hallmarks-woke-totalitarianism/

We look around to see a society divided. In this divided society, if we don’t share the point of view of the establishment, we may find ourselves bullied into silence. And if we are, why should we fight back? A wise person might sit down, shut up, and go along for the ride. We don’t want to rock the boat. If we express our own opinion, their wrath will fall on us. And we don’t want to be a troublemaker, do we?

But in a day when too many people feel social pressure to keep their opinions to themselves, maybe it’s time for a new point of view. One where the rebels are the ones breaking the cycle of hypocrisy, finding truth, and standing for it. Bold enough to say it straight and winsome enough to win hearts and minds.

The problem is, it’s not as easy as it is in the movies. We all harbor invisible impediments to action and brave speech.

In the end, we don't act bravely because we lack the foundation.

The real problem is that most of society suffers from an underdeveloped understanding of right and wrong, an inability to make decisions, and a lack of respect for those they regard as enemies. All of these things will stifle your ability to speak the truth effectively and rebel against the current state of society. Let’s look at them one-by-one.

#1 Rebellion through Truth

A firm grasp of truth is what drove many Germans to aid Jews during the Third Reich because it’s the only basis for bravery. Sure, emotion can fill the gap, but truth remains when emotions fail.

These days, society tells us that it’s better to be nice than right. But truth is important. As Warren Wiersbe said, “Truth without love is tyranny, and love without truth is hypocrisy.” If Wiersbe is right, then truth is the foundation of love, defining it correctly. And truth matters because of love. We’ll get to love (respect) shortly. But first, let’s talk about truth.

When you have the wrong beliefs about life, you tend toward inconsistency, contradiction, and hypocrisy. So how do you gain a firmer grasp on truth? Let’s talk about it.

What gets in our way.

A few things get in our way on our journey toward truth.

You have to be okay with people calling you names. They’ll call you uncaring when you demand truth before unity. They’ll attribute bad motivations to you. And if they can find your weak spot, the thing you care most about, like your intelligence or fairness or that you’re a nice guy or gal, they’ll attack those things and try to make you defend yourself.

At the heart of things, if you care more about what people’s perceptions of you than truth, then it’s no use talking about attaining a good philosophy, because if you’re honest, you don’t want it.

What we can do about it.

If you’re serious though, there are a few things you can do to pursue a firm grasp on truth.

Build a solid framework. “Epistemology” is the framework you bring to the idea of truth. Most western philosophers will tell you that truth is correspondence with reality (or some version of that). If you haven’t adopted an epistemology yet — a model of existence that tells you how to recognize truth and error — then don’t waste time. Get one today.

Get solitude. Once you have a system against which to measure your philosophy, spend some time alone with your thoughts and away from the noise of social media, the New York Times and whatever other voices are trying to push and pull you in various directions. You’ll find your philosophy more solid and complete when you refuse to be rushed.

Evaluate the current narrative. Test your epistemology against the opinions of the day. Can those opinions stand the test of time, or do they make hypocrites out of us? For example, are ethics too situational in that what’s wrong for me might be right for you in 4 years, because you have a better reason or the target’s shifted?

All these disciplines will help us to develop our ability to see hypocrisy in ourselves and in society, so that we can call it out.

#2 Renegades of Action

We just talked about determining your philosophy. Now, let’s apply it. When you leave decisions unmade, you allow moving parts in your philosophy, making it harder to make daily decisions. Let’s talk about that.

What gets in the way.

Moral indecision. If you haven’t decided that stealing is always wrong, you’re more likely to entertain stealing, even if you’re generally against it. So even though you may have a moral preference, you haven’t actually taken a stand. And if you haven’t taken that stand, it will — almost by definition — be easier for you to steal and excuse others when they steal to benefit you.

Society needs truth, and your disciplined action, through word and deed, will make a difference. But this is the true test of good philosophy. If you believe it, you will act it out.

Think of action as a diagnostic, telling you whether or not you really believe something.

Do you believe in right and wrong? Then let’s see you ridding yourself of hypocrisy, and let’s see society change because you’re building skill in having those difficult conversations with those around you, making them better as a result.

What we can do about it.

Develop your moral standards. Sometimes action starts by simply making a commitment. Here are three places to start.

Personal values. Develop your personal values. Set aside 3 mornings in the next 3 weeks to the task. Start by writing them down, and then review and revise them to ensure your values are sincere.

Personal code of ethics (what do you never do)? Repeat the previous process, but develop your personal code of ethics.

Get outside accountability. Talk with people you trust and let them help you discover areas of your own hypocrisy. You can offer to do the same for them in a kind of mastermind group setup.

Your solid philosophy and increasingly upright actions prepare you to be an influencer, both today and for tomorrow. You don’t want to wait until you need to take desperate action to decide the basics of right and wrong, and you don’t want to be flabby and unfit when the time comes.

Now is the time to start acting.

#3 Courageous Respect

People are frustrating. People who disagree with you are frustrating. It’s not easy to show patience. But a love for others — a desire to see them get what’s good for them — will anchor your conversations and, armed with a true and articulate philosophy, will win hearts and minds.

What gets in the way.

Sometimes, we just don’t like other people. We can tend to treat people like objects. One person said “Instead of loving people and using things, we use people and love things.”

You have to believe that the person who’s disagreeing with you is a thinking person, and has value. You have to really want to see them flourish and see the truth. And even if you’re more concerned with convincing the spectators than the person you’re talking to, your respectful attitude will show confidence.

What we can do about it.

Examine your worldview. If your life’s philosophy leaves no room for the high valuation of people, simply because they’re human, you might be harboring an evil ideology. Uproot it and find a better one.

Ask people close to you. Find out how convincing you are? What gets in your way? Ask others if they think you treat those around you with respect. And then examine yourself and find out if it’s true.

The consistent demonstration of respect toward others, not just because you want to make friends, but because you truly care about them, will find its way into your message, creating a kind of unity that’s not based on convenience or short term relevance, but one that’s based on truth.

Join the Rebellion

Hypocrisy flourishes where truth is ignored. So where are all the rebels, renegades, and truly courageous? They don’t exist...at least not until a love for truth, a bias toward action and a love for others makes a home in their hearts.

When the world is choosing madness over reason, the real rebels are the ones with a firm grasp on reality through an understanding of philosophy, they carry with them the discipline to decide what they believe and apply it, and they show respect to those around them, creating an antiseptic to the poisonous ideas that are meant to enslave.

Cole Harmonson

Don't Cry For Me

2020-11-23T20:39:00.001-05:00

Solid As A Rock

2020-11-23T15:08:00.000-05:00

Gypsy Queen

2019-07-10T13:53:00.001-04:00

Songwriting Element That Will Build Your Musical Expression Skills

2019-05-21T11:43:00.003-04:00

Wish you could write music that fully expresses your thoughts and ideas? Many songwriters struggle with this for a variety of reasons. One of the most common reasons is they simply have not spent enough time writing music. Truth is, you will need to write a lot of songs before you can become a highly expressive songwriter.

That said, another major reason why many musicians take a long time to become better songwriters is they ignore one or more important elements in music. In this article, I will discuss one of the most overlooked musical elements, why most musicians ignore it and how you can use it to better express yourself in music. The musical element I will cover is the element of dynamics.

NOTICE: If you are currently thinking: “Dynamics? I already know about that... it only means making music louder and softer, that’s all.” ... Then you have already begun to overlook the unique creative qualities of this musical element (this is the same mistake that most musicians make). You see, many songwriters overlook the element of dynamics while thinking of things like which chords to use, how to write a melody or what song lyrics to write. As a result, they miss out on one of the most effective musical tools for powerful self-expression.

The following list contains some of the great uses for dynamics that will help make your music more musically expressive. When you fully utilize dynamics in your music, you will:

Create a totally new dimension in your music to emphasize each individual song section or musical part.
Make your music much more creative and expressive without even altering a single pitch.
Gain the power to drastically change the feeling of intensity in a song.

The Fundamentals Of Musical Dynamics

In general, dynamics refer to the overall volume of a section in a song, individual musical part or note. To express the idea of specific dynamics in written music, the following symbols are used commonly:

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p (piano) means "soft."

ƒ (forte) means "loud" or "strong."

mp (mezzo-piano) "moderately soft."

mƒ (mezzo-forte) "moderately loud."

ƒƒ (fortissimo) means "very loud."

pp (pianissimo) means "very soft."

ƒƒƒ (fortississimo) means "very very loud"

ppp (pianississimo) means "very very soft"

How To Use Dynamics In Music Tip#1: Giving More Life To A Melody

To make any melody stick out, emphasize it by using varying dynamics. For instance, begin the melody “loud” and gradually reduce the volume until the notes are “soft”. This technique is known as a “decrescendo”. Additionally, alter the volume level of different notes within a melody to make them contrast with each other and stick out. This is especially useful for adding interest to repeating musical parts in your songs. This will give you the power to express yourself in different ways without altering any of the actual pitches in your melody.

How To Use Dynamics In Music Tip#2: Enhancing Musical Expression Through Contrast

By using contrasting dynamics you can quickly grab the attention of anyone listening to your music. For example, think about the common songwriting formula used in rock ballads. For the most part, the song will consist of softly played acoustic guitar and vocal parts. Many times, the introduction (and beginning verse and chorus) will contain no percussion whatsoever. Then, to provide contrast, the drums will begin playing during the second verse. As an even bigger contrast, the songwriter may even include a solo/break section with electric guitar (only to return to the soft, acoustic guitar parts once the section has ended). This simple formula is highly effective at gaining the attention of the listener due to its contrasting dynamics. You can also use this concept in your music to contrast not only entire song sections, but different notes within a single melody or musical idea.

How To Use Dynamics In Music Tip#3: Surprise Your Listener With Silence

One musical tool that is frequently overlooked is ‘silence’. Silence (or “rests”) is an excellent way to increase the expressive impact of dynamics. For instance, imagine if you were listening to loud music with headphones and suddenly the battery ran out on your mp3 player. This would instantly grab your attention and cause you to say “What’s going on? Where’s my music?” This exact reaction can be recreated by using silence to build up anticipation in the listener for what is to come next. Use this idea in your own music by experimenting with different lengths of silence in between your musical phrases to get different expressive results.

Common Situations Where Dynamics Are Effectively Used For Musical Expression

A very underestimated approach that can help you learn how to better express yourself in music is to study the scores of your favorite movies. I don’t mean you need to purchase the actual score itself and read the music… but instead simply observe the way the music is arranged with different scenes throughout the film. This will help you equate the emotions expressed by the actors along with the music and build your ability to express yourself better in your songwriting. Here are some common examples:

Example One: Using dynamics to express an increase or decrease in emotional tension

Think of a romantic scene where a couple is brought together at the airport. First, there is a lot of doubt on both sides about whether the relationship will work out or not (with very soft music playing in the background). After the couple talks for a little bit, they finally come to the decision that they must go their separate ways. Both the man and woman walk off and the scene cuts to the man walking out of the airport thinking of past memories of his lover. Inside the airport, the woman sits with her face in her hands, wondering what will become of her life without the presence of the man she cared for so much. Suddenly, they both have the realization that they were wrong... they will find a way to make things work. They both get up and start running to find one another (the music begins building in volume). They run frantically through the airport, trying to regain the last spec of hope that the other person hasn’t left yet, and is looking for them too (music continues becoming louder and louder). Then across a crowd, they lock eyes, run toward each other and embrace! In response, the music climaxes here and is playing at its loudest...

Example Two: Using dynamics to create a feeling of surprise

Visualize a scene in a movie like this: It’s 11:30AM and there is a businessman standing at a packed street corner waiting for the “walk” sign to turn on so he can cross. All around him you can hear the sounds of the big city such as cars honking, the roar of continuous chatter and street vendors yelling out to attract new customers (you can also hear upbeat music playing in the background to set the scene). Suddenly, the sign turns on and the businessman looks up from his watch as everyone starts crossing the street in a big moving mass – bumping into him along the way. He adjusts his coat and quickly makes his way across the street. As he quickly jogs across he suddenly trips and drops his briefcase... papers go flying everywhere. He falls to the ground, scrambles to pick them up and stuff them into his briefcase as quickly as possible while losing focus of his surroundings. Finally he grabs the last one... “Gotcha!” he says as he crams it inside. Then, as he stands up to dust himself off you hear the loud screech of a car slamming on the breaks as it comes to an instant stop in front of him.

At this moment in the scene, how do you think the tension would be resolved musically? A common technique used in this case would be for the music to quickly build up to a loud accent before becoming silent (to emphasize the same feeling of surprise in the scene).

Example Three: Using rests/silence to enhance dynamics and add a sense of mystery.

For this scene, visualize a horror setting with a character walking around in the basement of a dark, abandoned mansion by himself with quiet/eerie music playing in the background. The power is out and the character needs to find the circuit breaker to turn it back on. He finds his way to the basement, opens the door and slowly makes his way down the basement steps. As he walks down the decrepit wooden steps, they creek and bend under his feet. In this moment, man senses that he is not alone. “Is anyone there?” he whispers (the music of the scene quickly escalates from quiet to very loud). The man quickly turns his head and looks behind him (music goes silent) … Nothing there. He continues down the stairs and moves his hands along the wall until he finally comes across the finds the circuit breaker. He reaches into his pocket for his lighter. Hands shaking, he fumbles to get it to light and nervously drops it to the floor. Bending down to pick it up, he hears a creek on the stairs. “Who’s there?” he says, now in a frightened, demanding tone. After several seconds, the silence in the room is broken as he hears a low incomprehensible growl. The man’s eyes glaze over as his adrenaline sky rockets and fear pumps through his veins. The growl gets slowly closer and closer (as the music gets louder, building tension) until suddenly… a horrific scream! Then… silence.

After reading the many examples in this article, you should now have a good understanding of the role that dynamics play for musical expression. By making dynamics a main focus in your songwriting, you will be able to write music that better expresses specific ideas and emotions while adding more depth to the individual parts of your songs.

Addicted To That Feeling

2019-05-17T18:46:00.001-04:00

Influential Albums (Eric Clapton)

2019-05-17T10:52:00.002-04:00

Slowhand is the fifth solo studio album by Eric Clapton. Released on 25 November 1977 by RSO Records, and titled after Clapton's nickname, it is one of his most commercially and critically successful studio albums. Slowhand produced the two hit singles "Lay Down Sally" and "Wonderful Tonight", reached various international music charts and was honored with numerous awards and recording certifications. In 2012, a deluxe edition was released to celebrate the album's 35th anniversary.

Clapton wanted to work with record producer Glyn Johns, because he thought Johns produced great work with famous groups like the Rolling Stones and Eagles and understood how to work with both British and American musicians. While in the studio with Johns, Clapton noted that the A-list producer was very disciplined and disliked jamming, because it would kill important recording time. Although Clapton and his band were intoxicated nearly all the time when recording, Johns liked Clapton's work and brought out the best in every musician, according to Clapton.

The album was titled after Clapton's nickname, which was given to him by Giorgio Gomelsky. In his 2007 autobiography, Clapton recalled that the name "Slowhand" seemed to be hanging on to his real name, because it seemed to be well received by both his American friends and fans who think of the Wild West when hearing the nickname. The album's artwork was done by Clapton himself with the help of Pattie Boyd and Dave Stewart, credited as "El & Nell Ink". Besides choosing various photos for the inner side of the gramophone record packaging are two pictures, Clapton notes, which have deeper importance to him: one picture, in which he kisses Boyd and another photograph showing a demolished Ferrari 365 GT4 BB, which Clapton bought after seeing George Harrison turning up with the same model at his Hurtwood Edge Estate. The car, which had been involved with Clapton in a car accident after the British recording artist finished touring in Australia, nearly killed him.

Slowhand was released on 25 November 1977 by RSO Records.^[9] In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, John Swenson found Clapton's playing more subtle than before but his songs sobering and interesting psychologically, especially "Next Time You See Her", as they showed him "in touch with the horrible moral power and long-suffering self-righteousness that is the essence of the blues".^[10]Robert Christgau was less enthusiastic, lamenting how most of the record's best guitar solos were played by George Terry and feeling Clapton had regressed as a singer, "sounding like he's blown his voice. Doing what, I wonder."^[5]

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that the confident, virtuosic quality in the band's playing and the diversity of the songwriting made Slowhand "rank with 461 Ocean Boulevard as Eric Clapton's best albums".^[2] Yahoo! Music's Dave DiMartino said the record was full of hits and "tasteful" music.^[11] In 2003, Slowhand was ranked number 325 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.