Monday, October 31, 2011

Happy Halloween!

Hoo says Kroger doesn't have cool decorations in their Halloween aisle?



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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Friday, October 28, 2011

"Georgia On My Mind" by Ray Charles

You know a song is great when you can dress like these guys and still focus on playing the music:



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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Creative Speed Bumps

When trying to get into a creative flow, it is essential to identify and remove any barriers along the way. A creative speed bump is anything that distracts your artistic focus, in the same way that an alarm clock pulls you out of your dreams. Creative speed bumps include, but are not limited to:
Incoming text messages, phone calls, emails, interruption by a passer-by, a smoke break, a bathroom break, a snack break, lunch break, a funny story, a side comment, brain-shaped popcorn (see photo), etc.
Obviously there are times where some of those examples could be appropriate during a co-write. However, the timing is of utmost importance. Instead of a speed bump, an interruption could function as more of a rest stop along the creative highway. Sometimes the best thing you can do for the song (and for your relationship with your co-writer) is to get out and stretch for a few minutes.

(In unrelated news, Speed Bump happens to be my favorite comic.)

Keep writing,

Ben

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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Quote of the Day - Pat Conroy

"Without music, life is a journey through a desert".

— Pat Conroy



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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

"What Makes Her Beautiful" - Video by Clayton Thompson

Here's a song that I wrote for my sister-in-law a couple years ago, and here's the video made by my brother-in-law:

Monday, October 24, 2011

Scratch When You Don't Itch

My wife and I sometimes go into Goodwill on a Saturday morning just for fun. The excitement lies in the fact that you never know exactly what you're going to find. If you're looking for something specific, you probably won't see it. But if you're open to purchasing something you weren't necessarily looking for, but you know is something you can't pass up, you may discover a treasure.

It's the same way with ideas. Sometimes you may come across some line or idea in everyday life that hits you emotionally. If you're antenna isn't open to receiving any and all frequencies, you may miss a treasure. Blaine Hogan points to Twyla Tharp in an e-book entitled Creative Matters. Tharp says:
“Scratching is an act best done as a routine, designed to gather and collect small ideas to be used at a later date.”
Don't be afraid to scratch when you don't itch. You may stumble upon something you otherwise would have never discovered.

Keep writing (and scratching),

Ben

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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Friday, October 21, 2011

Writing Tools - Messenger Bag

I've had a lot of people compliment me on my leather laptop bag. I've found it to be the best bag I've ever used to accommodate the writing lifestyle, and it feels like it's going to last for quite some time. Check it out!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Science of Sound

I took a class at Belmont called The Physics of Sound, and here are some of the most fascinating truths about how sound interacts with our ears and brains:


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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Sing It Like You Say It

Have you ever noticed how the English language has natural a natural set of tones that go along with everyday speech? You can probably imagine how these words would sound if you were hearing them rather than reading them.

When it comes to writing lyrics, one of the most important things to do is marry the lyric with the melody. Like a good marriage, both should make most sense in the context of the other. When a listener hears your song, they should not be able to imagine the melody saying anything else, or the lyric accompanying any other note structure. The goal is to sound natural.

Sometimes I feel like there is an over-emphasis on melody, and the lyric deserves more attention. This has been the biggest area of growth for me over the past few years, as I used to think classical music is proof that the melody is king over the lyric. But I have to agree with Ralph Murphy, who says that melody is what catches the listener's attention, while lyric is what keeps them tuned in.

So catch the listener's ear with a great melody, but keep them engaged with a substantial lyric.

Keep writing (conversationally),

Ben

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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Quote of the Day - Plato

"Music and rhythm find their way into the secret places of the soul"

— Plato 




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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Monday, October 17, 2011

Bein' Green

Speaking of Sesame Street, this was always one of my favorite songs:



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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Friday, October 14, 2011

Hunter vs. Farmer

When writing songs, we can either take on the mentality of a hunter or a farmer.

When applied to songwriting, the hunter is the one who finds it best to chase after a moving target (i.e., Keith Urban is recording next month, so you'd better write a song that he might record). The problem with this mentality is that the creative process is practically flipped on its head. What you end up with is a song that only Keith Urban would record, and chances are that he won't record it. Often times the hunter ends up "hungry" at the end of the day.

The farmer is the one who works consistently (though not constantly) planting seeds that have the potential to grow and offer long-term satisfaction. When writing a song, the farmer can focus on creating the kind of art that he believes in rather than creating art that he hopes others will believe in. I would argue that when an artist believes in their work, that belief is contagious and is caught by the listener.

What the music industry needs right now is less hunters and more farmers. The buffalo herd (opportunities to get songs cut by major artists) is getting too small to accommodate every songwriter who's trying to be a hunter. Hunting is okay to do every once and a while, but only when there's food growing in the field.

Keep writing,

Ben

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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Cookie Monster Truck on I-65

Sometimes your brain makes connections, and here's one instance:



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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Songbird Camp Group Photo


We had an incredible weekend, hearing from hit songwriters Luke Laird, Barry Dean and Gordon Kennedy. Here is a video of the lodge on Saturday afternoon:



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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Monday, October 10, 2011

The Songbird Project Goes Mobile

I'm excited to announce that Blogger finally made their blogs mobile-friendly! All you need to do is visit TheSongbirdProject.com from your mobile device. Enjoy!




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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Songbird Camp - Barry Dean & Luke Laird



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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Friday, October 7, 2011

For the Love of Music

Songbird Camp Begins!

Songbird Camp Today!

We are thrilled to have a full crew of almost 30 people staying at Deer Run Retreat's lodge this weekend. Industry guests include hit songwriters Luke Laird, Barry Dean and Gordon Kennedy, along with representatives from all three PROs.

Visit Facebook.com/SongbirdCamp for photos and updates over this weekend. If you're interested, keep on the lookout for the application for our next Songbird Camp retreat, which will be taking place April 20-22.

Keep writing,

Ben

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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Thank You, Steve Jobs

It will take quite some time for us to realize the contribution to society this man has made.





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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

An Evening With Maya Angelou


My favorite thing that Angelou said during the Belmont University talk was this:
"When it looked like the sun wasn't going to shine anymore, God put a rainbow in the clouds."
To learn more about the immense impact that she has had on the world, read more about her here.

Keep writing,

Ben

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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Timeless Wisdom

"Form your purpose by asking for counsel, then carry it out using all the help you can get."

- King Solomon (Proverbs 20:18, The Message)


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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Monday, October 3, 2011

Thumb Drives No More - Enter Dropbox

(This is a guest post written by Sean McPherson)

Tablet PCs and smartphones have dramatically changed the way we consume and share information. It is not uncommon to see users arranging their PC, tablet, and smartphone in a similar fashion. After all, it is now possible to run the same operating system on all these devices.

However, the user faces one problem – it is cumbersome to transfer files between these devices. Usually we rely on Bluetooth, a thumb drive, or a data cable, but you will need to be near to the device hosting the files you want to transfer.

A few might say to just email the files and download them. Every time you do this a computer science major loses their funding. No, not really.  This is a good option, but it doesn't help if you need to update the file on whatever device you currently have. Even online data storage (such as FTP access to web servers) would be of little help. Imagine uploading the file every minute and then you downloading the file every other minute.

No Worries
A convenient solution exists in the form of Dropbox. Based on the concept of cloud computing, this web based file hosting service enables users to transmit files from one place to other in real time. If the data changes constantly, Dropbox ensures that the updated files are adapted in real time and available to all the users of a particular account. So in essence, when you add a file to drop box on your phone, for example, that file will show up in the Dropbox folder on your PC, and anywhere else you are logged in. You can even log into your account through a web browser on any device.  Dropbox can work on any PC, tablet, or smartphone. Do not worry if you have windows, a BlackBerry, or an Apple iPad.

Pretty Simple
Getting started is really quite simple. First you need to create an account. Be ready to enter your name, email and a password. Dropbox will rate your password's strength in case you want to choose something more secure. Once created you will be promted to download and install the Dropbox client to your computer. During the installation process a default Dropbox folder will be added to your computer. This is the folder that will be synced. Anything you add to this folder will be synced across the devices on your account, and anything synced on another device will show up here.

Getting Started
I highly recommend going through the "get started" quests available online. When you log onto your account select the first tab in the navigation bar and you will have everything you need to become a Dropbox guru.

The Tasks Include:
    •    Taking a video tour
    •    Installing the client on your computer
    •    Adding Files to the Default Folder
    •    Installing Dropbox on a separate computer or mobile device
    •    Sharing a folder with a friend
    •    Inviting some friends

Installing Dropbox on your Computer
Dropbox couldn't be easier to use. Simply move or save a file to your default Dropbox folder. Alternatively you can just drag a file and drop it on the Dropbox icon on your desktop.  Once a file is added to your default file you will notice a little blue circle with two arrows, indicating that file has yet to be synced. Once it has finished the icon will turn to a green checkmark and that file is now accessible through any Dropbox client.

2GB Initial Storage

The free version of Dropbox gives you 2GB of storage, but if you complete 5 of the Getting Started quests you will receive an additional 250 MB. Now, because of the limited free storage space, the free account is best suited for people who want to transfer and share smaller doc files. It's easy to fill up 2GB with hi res pictures.
If you refer one of your friends to use Dropbox and he signs up, your storage capacity is bumped up to 8 GB. Users who want higher storage capacities, can simply go for paid memberships wherein you can store up to 350 GBs of data.

Actually Using Dropbox

I use Dropbox on a daily basis, between my Dell laptop, iPad 2 and iPhone, and it's great. If I run into someone on the go who needs a copy of a spreadsheet, I can pull out my phone and email them a link to the file. If I need to reference a PDF I found online in a meeting, I save it on my computer but pull it up on my iPad.

My only complaint with Dropbox is that with the iPad app you are unable to edit the files in the app itself. I have to first export the file to an app that can edit it (DocsToGo, Evernote or iA Writer in my case) to be able to work on them. Then I have to sync back to the Dropbox app from the editor, which occasionally  means I end up with 2 versions of the same file and I have to come up with labels I append to the files like, "iPad local" or "the latest version." Still, given how much I use the service and how hard it would be to do the same without it, Dropbox is still one of my favorite apps.

Sean @ ATTSavings.com | @SeanTR


Written by Sean McPherson

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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!