Two Prettiest People in the Room

Ken and Barbie; the knight and princess; the quarterback and cheerleader; the prom king and queen - the list goes on. We have the idea that the two best-looking people in the room should be sitting at the same table. Likewise, it only seems obvious that the two best songwriters in town should always be working together. The truth, however, is that the two most beautiful people in the room often don't get along well. You could put the two most successful writers in the same room to write a song, and the outcome could be a mediocre offering. The exciting flip side of that reality is that two good songwriters could easily produce a great song. As Solomon points out, the sum of the two is greater than twice what each of them could accomplish on their own. It's like two imperfect people falling in perfect love.

I believe it was veteran writer Jeffrey Steele who used a baseball metaphor to describe co-writing relationships. He said the healthiest relationships involve both a pitcher and a catcher. Two pitchers will just spout ideas, never completely honing in on a focused idea, while two catchers will sit there quietly watching the clock. It's imperative to know where you fall in the equation, and to also recognize this as a legitimate explanation as to why some co-writes just don't click.

The NBA Finals this year was another example to me of pure talent not being a substitute for working well with one another.

Keep writing,

Ben

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Spotify

I have FIVE more invites to join Spotify, the streaming music service. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the breadth of songs available. Leave your email in a comment if you'd like me to send you one!

Tom Hanks on Fear (see picture below video)

"Fear will get the worst of the best of us." This was one of the many pieces of wisdom that Tom Hanks imparted on Yale's 2011 graduating class. It's a long video, but you may find it interesting:




And I just can't resist including one of my favorites:

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Night Surfing

I found the lighting of this video inspiring:


Nightsurf from Iker Elorrieta on Vimeo.

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9 Spotify Invites to the First 9 Comments!

Just leave your email address!

Co-writer Characteristic #3 of 10: Gracefulness

Sometimes it's hard to stand up for what you believe. Occasionally one of my co-writers suggests a line containing vulgarities. One thing I always strive to do is create art that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Usually family-friendly songs aren't vulgar. So what options do I have in that moment?

1. Tell them their idea stinks.

2. Ignore them.

3. Offer a better solution.

If I truly believe that great art doesn't need to stand on the crutches of vulgarity, I should be able to come up with a better alternative line every time. Telling them their idea was bad or just ignoring them is in no way honoring, but acknowledging their idea and gently adjusting it is a way to make them feel valued and understood.

In my experience, most writers admit they don't really want to be vulgar anyway, which leads me to believe they are trying to appease someone else's expectations rather than their own. A good collaborator will try to speak 100% truth in 100% grace at all times.

Keep writing (and speaking truth gracefully),

Ben

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Tau Sounds

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Quote of the Day - George Washington Carver

"When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world."

- George Washington Carver

If you're on Netflix and want to see someone do something common in an uncommon way, I recommend watching the documentary, "A Man Named Pearl." Here's the trailer:

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Talking with Gordon Kennedy

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Elenowen on The Voice

Here's a great singing duo my wife and I first heard on the NBC show, The Voice. I'm not ashamed to admit that I think The Voice is a good TV show. Here's Elenowen's audition clip:




A shot of them performing in Nashville recently:



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Successful Songwriter

A successful songwriter is a creator who enjoys what they do and is enjoyable to work with.

My experience has been that over time expectations, fears, doubts and busyness gradually pile up on what initially drove us to writing music. Joy fades like good vision: without regular check-ups, we can lose sight of our initial purpose and excitement of creating. How do you keep things in check?

Keep writing,

Ben

Everything is a Remix, Part 2

In part two of his series, Kirby Ferguson uses Hollywood films as an example of how art is influenced.



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Co-writer Characteristic #2 of 10: Servant Attitude

Congratulations, David & Laura!

It's hard to serve someone or something other than myself, but I believe it's essential for a songwriter's growth. Serve the song first, then the collaborator/publisher/label/fans/spouse second.

Serving the song involves a willingness to get rid of your favorite line if it's for the good of the entire song. Serving the co-writer involves a willingness to follow them down a path you may have never gone down before. Interestingly enough, it can also mean a willingness to lead the other writer down a path they have never been down. It is possible to serve and lead at the same time.

In serving others, we are actually serving ourselves. And this isn't necessarily selfishness. By focusing on others first we are no longer holding so tightly to what we think to be right and true that we miss what is actually right and true.

Keep writing (and serving),

Ben

Washed Up Art

A couple days ago Peter Cooper posted his thoughts about the current state of country music radio programming. Read it here.

There's one key thing that I take from Cooper's blog post, along with the ensuing 228 comments: Temporary art does not satisfy.

While there's room for mindless, fun songs, I believe most people, most of the time, desire to hear music with some substantive depth. And I believe most songwriters, most of the time, desire to write songs with substantive depth. As listeners and creators, all we can do is point to the art that is worth pointing to.

The gatekeepers in the middle will rarely be a good, honest compass leading to fine art; there are too many ulterior motives at play. With song services like Rdio and Spotify (both are like Netflix for music, providing unlimited, on demand streaming of any song) becoming readily available, the role of the traditional gatekeeper is diminished. We don't have to let someone else tell us what songs to like, but have the entire musical world at our fingertips.

Today I am going on a musical exploration of sorts, exposing my ears to music they've never heard. I feel like I'm back on Sanibel Island with a bucket in hand, searching the ground for shells of any color, shape or size that happens to grab my attention. There's plenty of room on the beach...

Keep writing,

Ben

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Andy Davis At Last

Here's a photo of my good friend Andy Davis playing at 12th & Porter a couple weeks back. Also, enjoy the video below...





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Skill & Talent

I am not an expert, nor am I claiming to have arrived at some inspired insight into the creative process. And this metaphor isn't perfect; I just want to share what I've been thinking about.

In this graph I am defining "skill" as the ability to write songs, and "talent" as the ability to perform them. The goal of all singer/songwriters is to always be moving from the bottom left area to the top right area.

1. This is what I would call the "potential" box. For a budding musician, this is usually the place where people start noticing talent, and doors begin to open. Some never leave the potential box.

2a. This is the writer who has sharpened his/her craft, but isn't able or confident enough to perform their tunes.

2b. This is a musician who has far more singing ability than writing chops. A listener may comment, "I love their voice, but I can't really remember any of their songs."

2c. This is where the truly great artists meet their full potential. The writer performs their original song well and nothing gets lost in translation. Also, the primary goal of the publishing world is ensuring that writers from 2a and singers from 2b meet here.

The reason I've been thinking through this is because I feel like more and more singer/songwriters are ending up in 2b rather than 2c. When an artist shows great potential in the potential box (area 1), generally doors can open up for them to perform more often and work with recognized producers. Unfortunately, the result of those two factors can result in less time to focus on the craft of writing, and the opportunity to rely on production to compensate for whatever the song may be lacking artistically.

I love Coldplay, but to some degree it seems like they've been gradually moving toward 2b, and while they may be introducing some interesting production styles, I'm not sure that the songs will stand the test of time. Any well-written song from 2a or 2c will translate acoustically, but a song from 2b will only be itself when immersed in the landscape in which it was created.

Keep writing (and moving toward 2c),

Ben

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"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Eva Cassidy

Beautiful voice + beautiful song =



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Quote of the Day - Mark Twain

"The dictionary is the only place where success comes before work."

- Mark Twain

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Co-writer Characteristic #1 of 10: Humility

This is the first in a series of ten posts about the characteristics of a good co-writer. Though things like humility, discipline and joyfulness may seem to have little to do with creating music, they has everything to do with working well with others. The first characteristic of a successful co-writer is humility.

A practiced songwriter is a humble songwriter.

The reality is that 95% of a professional writer's work usually has the lifetime of a helium balloon. It may stay afloat for a few days, but it gradually loses its air. Most of the time we don't get much recognition for the hard work we do. That's humbling.

Keep writing,

Ben

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Short Film - "Zero"

A world in which numbers have personalities:



Zero from Zealous Creative on Vimeo.

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No Excuses

"There are no excuses," he said. Charlie Peacock continued to talk about the dynamics of trying to write, record and produce at home while his kids were running wild. Meanwhile, he continued to write, record and produce great art in spite of life's distractions.

Two weeks ago we had to have our transmission replaced, which cost over $3,000. Ouch. Those kind of hurdles tend to feel like giant shadows over my creativity.

Life's circumstances will always justify our failures. But the truth about creativity is that art needs to come out in spite of, or because of, what is going on in the world around us.

So remember next time something comes up that justifies your inability to follow through: There are no excuses.

Keep writing,

Ben

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Stars & Stripes Forever

I can't say that I'm always in the mood for a Sousa march, but the guy deserves credit for creating such a signature sound. Happy 4th of July!



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Everything is a Remix, Part 1

In the first of a four part video series, Kirby Ferguson introduces the idea that all art is basically a remix of other art. What do you think?



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