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This is a big day for DIY artists as it marks the first time that musicians not affiliated with a label or royalty collection agency can collect revenue direct from a free streaming music platform. We’re very proud to now offer DIY artists the same royalty opportunities as those presented to record labels acts.

Now’s the time to upload your music to Last.fm. Then sign up for the Artist Royalty Program in the Music Manager.

In other Last.fm news, subscribers have been given access to the new Last.fm beta, which includes a facelift and improved user experience. One notable benefit is when you make your music available to download free, it will be included in iTunes podcasts, reaching an even larger audience.

Great times for DIY artists!

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Copy the following script, name it what you want, and save it in your home folder. When you want to shorten a URL in Safari, run the script from Quicksilver and it will put the shortened URL on your clipboard, ready for pasting.

If Firefox is your thing, modify the AppleScript tell to:

Update: I also use the following script as a Quicksilver trigger to expand shortened URLs and protect myself from surreptitious rickrolling. Just copy the shortened URL you want to expand (TinyURL, Bit.ly, etc.) and trigger the script.

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I will never say anything that couldn’t stand as the last thing I ever say.

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The object isn’t to be perfect. The goal isn’t to hold back until you’ve created something beyond reproach. I believe the opposite is true. Our birthright is to fail and to fail often, but to fail in search of something bigger than we can imagine. To do anything else is to waste it all.

Full Post: Is it worthy?

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Taking a first person perspective of someone else’s perspective can be both good and bad. It’s good that you can step inside another person’s experience, an ability that can foster compassion and empathy. But it can be bad when you don’t differentiate between the two perspectives, yours and the other’s, resulting in an almost narcissistic view of the world.

“I Can Do That” Syndrome also shows up when someone has “book smarts” but no actual experience. When you’ve read a great book about how to write lyrics and you think the work has been done.

This applies to more than just music too. A business person reads a book about copywriting and thinks, “I can write a sales letter and make a million bucks.” But great copywriters study a long time and do something else that business person hasn’t done yet, they write… A LOT.

Great songs are written by songwriters who have written lots of songs. Great voices come from people who sing all the time. Timeless symphonies are composed by musicians who have written a lot more than one symphony.

It’s a trick of the mind to experience something remarkable and believe that we too can do that. It happens to me all the time. “I could write a funny TV show. I could direct a blockbuster movie. I could cook this restaurant meal.”

Well, maybe I could. But not the first time. Probably not the second either. It may take longer than I have patience for.

The point of the story? There’s something to be said for people who specialize—who find something they love and stick to it, gaining the wisdom only time can bring.

Maybe you could sing, dance, compose, direct, paint, cook, be a successful serial entrepreneur, get washboard abs, play in the NBA, design a hot line of clothes, write a novel, run for office, raise a happy family, be a great spouse, start a non-profit, end world hunger…

But the hardest thing to do is to commit to one thing and stick with it until the very end.

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While I’m clearing things up, I used the word “expert.” The research supports the correlation between practice and expertise. Just saying.

If you “get” that spending lots of time practicing your craft is a good thing, then good for you. You’ll be happy with what I have to show you. If you don’t get it, then it can only be for three reasons that I can think of right now…

1. You’re resistant to, or afraid of, committing to your craft. If so, that’s a valid feeling and you’re not alone.
2. You’re lazy — unwilling to work or use energy — and have deluded yourself into believing that you don’t need to work at developing and mastering your chosen craft. This too is totally common and nothing to be ashamed of.
3. You just don’t want to be told what to do. If this is the case, maybe the timing just isn’t right for you. Maybe you shouldn’t commit just yet. I’m sure you have your reasons.

If any of those points describe you, heck, even if they don’t, read The War of Art. Maybe that will inspire you to break through the blocks and win your inner creative battles.

Enough said. Moving on.

Rescue Time is a free application (Mac,Win,Linux) that has become very important to my weekly GTD review. It’s helping me put some metrics to my writing goals.

Rescue Time tracks your activity at your computer. If you’re working, it logs it. If you’re slacking off, it logs it.

It uses application, category, and tag based tracking. This means you can track how you’re spending your time by the application, the tag you give to your applications and websites you visit, and by category.

You really start to understand your computer habits fast when you see the results of your time in a pretty bar graph. It can feel intimate. This is your life you’re looking at!

Here’s an example. Logic Pro is my main compositional tool. Within Rescue Time’s interface, it’s listed under the Audio/Video Tools category. I’ve also tagged Logic Pro with the keywords, composing, audio, work, mixing, music, recording, and creative.

When I look at Rescue Time’s data, I can see how much time I’ve spent using Logic Pro, or how much time I’ve spent in the Audio/Video Tools category, or how much time I’ve spent composing.

When you see how much time you’ve spent at something relative to something else — like composing vs. surfing the internet — you really get much needed perspective on how your actions line up with your goals.

So I’ve set up a goal to compose at least one hour a day. Every time I reach my goal, that is, when I’ve used Logic Pro an hour or more, Rescue Time sends me an alert.

I’ve even set up some negative goals. I’d like to spend less than an hour on Twitter each day. (a goal I’ve met ever since I started it, knock on wood.) If I were to go over my alloted time, Rescue Time would either email me or text message me, depending on how I set it up.

As you can see, if you would like to reach an hourly songwriting goal, tag the applications that you use to write songs and set it up in Rescue Time. It’s simple.

Back to the expert practice advice.

To reach 5,000 logged hours of songwriting, starting now (June 2, 2008) at 10 hours a week, you’ll get there on Thursday, December 28, 2017.

Looks like I’d better get back to writing now.

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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 concentration, dedication, and a simple desire to keep getting better.

Become a peak performer, an expert, through hours and hours of deliberate practice.

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Music:
One Of These Nights

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Play:
Download: One Of These Nights
Last.fm: One Of These Nights

One of these days, I’m gonna buy a big old mansion
One of these days, I’m gonna drive a fine car or two
With all the things I want
How can I enjoy them too
If I can’t share them with you
You think about it, ’cause I got to have it
I need to know that you’re ready to go
’cause it’s almost first class take off time

One of these nights
You and I will get right down to the things on our mind
And the time that I spent
Telling everybody ’bout us baby
Won’t be as long as the time I spend with you

One of these days, I’m gonna travel ’round this great big world
One of these days, I’m gonna dine with some real important people, like Stevie Wonder
With all the places in this world
I’ve got to have me a girl
Who ain’t afraid to see something new
You think about it ’cause I’d love to have it
For the rest of my life I would love to wake up next to you

One of these nights
You and I will get right down to the things on our mind
And the time that I spent
Telling everybody ’bout us baby
Won’t be as long as the time I spend with you
As the time I spend with you
As the time I’ll spend with you

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So let’s look a bit at the finances. If I can make about $5-$10 per download or directly sold CD, and I sell 1000, I clear a maximum of $10,000 for that year’s effort. That’s not a living. Let’s say, after 20 concerts I net about $10,000 for three to four months worth of full time effort. That’s not a living.

It’s not all doom and gloom for the fringe musician. But it does provide a realistic story from an avant garde artist trying to “speak my personal truth, regardless of the cost.”

Link

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Play:
Download: You Got What You Wanted From Me
Last.fm: You Got What You Wanted From Me

I went outside and I looked all around
But baby you were nowhere to be found
Just a note on your side of the bed
We are over, was all you said
My eyes were open but I just couldn’t see
Looks like you got what you wanted from me

Well I bought you jewels and designer jeans
You spent all my money living all of your dreams
And every night you had all of my loving
You know it was good but I should’ve seen it coming
Your beautiful body was all I could see
Looks like you got what you wanted from me

You had a man when I first got your name
You said he was cheating and you new his game
But all this time you been scheming yourself
You never let go you just put him on the shelf
I feel like a fool that I just didn’t see
Looks like you got what you wanted from me
Yeah we are over, on that we agree
Oh you got what you wanted from me
As a matter of fact, I’m glad to be free
Oh you got what you wanted from me

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For example, iCal alarms can remind you of an event minutes, hours, or days before it occurs, but it won’t count down to a goal with date-based math. Say you’re trying to lose 10 pounds by the first of June. No calendar application that I know of will tell you that you have 49 days to reach 170 pounds. This is where Remind rules.

Here’s how I have my system set up. Remind pulls all of my custom reminders from a few text files. It outputs them to my desktop using Geek Tool. I have a couple scripts that convert my iCal events to Remind format and Remind events to iCal. This way everything is synced up. I get Remind events in iCal and on my iPhone and I get iCal events on my desktop with Geek Tool. Using Spanning Sync, I can publish all of my iCal and Remind events to Google Calendar for sharing with family or colleagues. And if you don’t want to pay for Spanning Sync, you can publish your iCal to .Mac and then subscribe to it with Google Calendar. It’s not two-way syncing, but it works.

The final trick is to use Quicksilver to get reminders into Remind fast. For this, I have a simple Quicksilver action that appends my Remind text file.

I use Remind to help me finish songs, save money, remember birthdays, take the garbage out, and just about everything. Where it shines the most is in events that can benefit from date-based math, like I mentioned above. Everything you need to get started is on my wiki.

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Play:
Download: What Are You Waiting For?
Last.fm: What Are You Waiting For?

A day since I unpacked
There’s no going back
Every time I pick up the pieces
I notice all the cracks

I thought a different place
I would find some grace
A chance to smile when I look in the mirror
But this is not the case
I think it knows my face

What are you waiting for?
It’s all up to you
So pick yourself off the floor
And just see it through
I’m not not gonna change to who
You think I should be
You know what it’s time to do
Stop waiting on me

The crash has just begun
I have come undone
I can’t foresee my place in the future
Or know what I’ll become

The stars are out tonight
At the speed of light
If they can shine through space ever after
And make the darkness bright
Then I won’t quit this fight

Chorus

If this what I choose
Nothing left left to lose
Then what on earth is so worth protecting
Afraid that I my might bruise
Hiding from the muse

Chorus

The crash has just begun
I have come undone
I can’t foresee my place in the future
Or know what I’ll become
I have come undone

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Play:
Download: Midnight In This Lonely City
Last.fm: Midnight In This Lonely City

The storm it keeps me up tonight
The thunder thrashes any peace
A clouded mind I’m thinking through
Sometimes it’s hard to see the truth
The hero always finds a way
To save the world and get the girl
But I’m a man who’s lost this fight
There’s no hero here tonight

So why can’t I be stronger for you
I try to live my life with virtue
It’s midnight in this lonely city
I want your love and not your pity please

I lay my head down on the bed
And wonder how it came to this
There’s not a dream I haven’t lost
There’s no desire without a cost
And all my plans to make a change
Are only rumors in the wind
But I’m afraid that what is real
Will turn my heart to solid steel

So why can’t I be stronger for you
I try to live my life with virtue
It’s midnight in this lonely city
I want your love and not your pity please

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Play:
Download: Kitty Hawk
Last.fm: Kitty Hawk

Strip it down, grease it up, push, push it through
Cut the sky with a new fresh attitude

Feel the ground lose its edge, watch it disappear
Picasso knows if it kills then you volunteer

Clever wit, perfect fit in Adidas shoes
Get you noticed here in show biz then we’ll let it cruise

I wanna rush but the vibe says take it slow
‘Cause all the hits geeky bits are in my iPod yo
I take it wherever I go

Eyes wide open, rules are broken
When you’re a mile high
Get away and find a ray of hope
Come on, touch the sky
There’s no time like now

Chorus:
Na na na na, na na na na
I got my wings
Na na na na, na na na na
Kitty Hawk
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Flying boys, flying girls made it just in time
‘Cause if you’re late to the gate there’s a stupid line

If you’re hot I saved a spot you know it’s oversold
But if your breath stinks, the comments are closed
Go back to YouTube

Eyes wide open, rules are broken
When you’re a mile high
Get away and find a ray of hope
Come on, touch the sky
There’s no time like now

Na na na na, na na na na
I got my wings
Na na na na, na na na na
Kitty Hawk
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

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A creator, such as an artist, musician, photographer, craftsperson, performer, animator, designer, videomaker, or author - in other words, anyone producing works of art - needs to acquire only 1,000 True Fans to make a living.

If your “True Fan” will purchase everything you produce, or spend $100 a year, with 1,000 fans you can earn $100,000 a year. But you’re not limited to earning money from True Fans. Lesser fans will also purchase some of your material. Momentum could even kick in and get you that hit you’ve been wanting. But as you can see, a hit is not necessary to earn a respectable living as an artist.

There are some brilliant ideas in this article, 1,000 True Fans. Read it now!

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The scientists found that a region of the brain known as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a broad portion of the front of the brain that extends to the sides, showed a slowdown in activity during improvisation. This area has been linked to planned actions and self-censoring, such as carefully deciding what words you might say at a job interview. Shutting down this area could lead to lowered inhibitions, Limb suggests.

The researchers also saw increased activity in the medial prefrontal cortex, which sits in the center of the brain’s frontal lobe. This area has been linked with self-expression and activities that convey individuality, such as telling a story about yourself.

PLoS One article on the cognitive neuroscience of Jazz.
Study Summary: THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON JAZZ.
BBC News: Mental illness ‘at the root of jazz.’

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The virtual barber shop is fun! You’ll need headphones. I remember experiencing something like this at Disney World as a kid.

Phantom words creates the effect of a single word using separate sounds, demonstrating how your brain constructs meaning out of meaningless noise.

Temporal induction of speech shows how our brains fill in gaps when data is missing.

The scale illusion demonstrates how our brain groups notes together. See this image for the notation of what’s being played and what you are probably hearing.

Phantom melodies demonstrates how our brain picks out melodies from patterns at high-speeds.

Have fun!

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I plan to start reading it as soon as possible. I’m in the middle of The Zombie Survival Guide right now, obviously a more urgent read.

Link to announcement.

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FAWM.org has a bunch of resources to get you started. So does RPM ‘08. As for me, you might like to check out my songwriting tips tag archive.

I’m participating in my own songwriting challenge that lasts the entire year. My goal is to write a song a week or at least 50 songs this year. I’m only a little behind schedule and that will be remedied this weekend. As for the recordings, they’ll be coming shortly. I just purchased some new gear and I’m trying to integrate it into my workflow. Stay tuned.

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The highlight was meeting jazz legend, Herbie Hancock. I’ve transcribed dozens of his solos (to be released in the near future) and he’s without a doubt the most influential pianist in my life. Talk about a magic moment!

I spent a solid 30 minutes with Barry DeVorzon of MasterWriter discussing the new update coming out in a couple of months. I wish I was at liberty to talk about it because it’s going to be big!

Plus I made my decision to buy a Nord Stage Compact. After years and years of lugging around a few very heavy vintage keyboards, amps, and a Leslie 122, my aching back was longing for some relief. At just over 20 pounds, the Nord Stage is a dream come true. I’ll spare you all the details for now, but you’ll be hearing a lot of it starting early next week when it arrives. Can’t wait!

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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.

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• The new thing is never as good as the old thing, at least right now
• Past performance is no guarantee of future success
• Copy protection in a digital age is a pipe dream
• Interactivity can’t be copied
• Permission is the asset of the future
• A frightened consumer is not a happy consumer
• This is a big one: The best time to change your business model is while you still have momentum
• Remember the Bob Dylan rule: it’s not just a record, it’s a movement
• Don’t panic when the new business model isn’t as ‘clean’ as the old one
• Read the writing on the wall
• Don’t abandon the Long Tail
• Understand the power of digital
• Celebrity is underrated
• Value is created when you go from many to few, and vice versa
• Whenever possible, sell subscriptions

The opportunity of digital distribution is this:

When you can distribute something digitally, for free, it will spread (if it’s good). If it spreads, you can use it as a vehicle to allow people to come back to you and register, to sign up, to give you permission to interact and to keep them in the loop.

This is a philosophy to commit to memory. There’s much needed explanation at his original post: Music lessons

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The Ring and I

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.

Musical Language

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.

Jazz in Song: The Words

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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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

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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!

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This is a very short message with a musical Christmas gift by the late Oscar Peterson.

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