Compromise is a Slippery Slope

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I’m working on the song “Modern Slavery,” about a dystopian world, and it’s got me thinking about the slippery slope of compromise.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere – Martin Luther King Jr.

I’ve had many a late-night, philosophical discussion on whether things can be black and white or if everything has a gray area. I believe there are both. For instance, if you stand in front of an oncoming train, you’re going to be dead if you don’t move—black and white. If you think Bob Dylan is the greatest songwriter that ever lived and I say it’s Tom Waits, perhaps there’s some gray there (of course, I’m right though).

Values are basic, fundamental beliefs that make you who you are (not stealing, treating people with kindness, working hard, etc.). Your values fit into the black and white category, your preferences into the gray. It doesn’t mean your values can’t change—they can and will as you grow and learn. But whatever your values are, you should never compromise on them. It’s not about being right, it’s about being truthful (to others as well as to yourself). If you believe something, then put your actions where your heart is. If you don’t, you’re a liar.

Compromising on values is like poking a hole a ship; it may be a small hole, but it’s going to sink the boat. If you don’t hold strong to your values, you’re admitting to yourself they don’t have to be followed (and if that’s true, maybe you should take another good look at them). If you don’t hold yourself to your own values, you’ll never be able to expect any better of anyone else. And we end up in a sea of sinking ships.

So when it comes to values, never compromise. Hold yourself to yourself. Does this make you stubborn? Yep. Stubborn and floating on it.

What values will you never compromise on? Share your thoughts in the comments below (or e-mail me directly if you’d rather share in private).

The Winning Valentine’s Inspired Song Description

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The winning Valentine’s Day inspired description of “Dreaming of You” was submitted by Jessica in Evantston, WA.

Jessica says the song is, “Intimate, upbeat, personal. Just magical!”


CD Baby – iTunes - Amazon - Google Play

May your Valentine’s Day be filled with resolute romance!

What will be your romantic gesture today, flowers perhaps? Share your thoughts in the comments below (or e-mail me directly if you’d rather share in private).

Vote On Your Favorite Song Description

Thank you for all your submissions of descriptions of “Dreaming of You!” I’m running a contest to find the best description for the new song. Vote on your favorite below.

Choose your favorite and click next to vote

Progress:

What's your favorite description of the song "Dreaming of You?"

Click vote to confirm vote or back to change your selection


Download the song (or listen for free in the video above) and vote on your favorite description of the song. Tomorrow I’ll announce the winning description!

What’s your favorite description of “Dreaming of You?” Vote above and share your thoughts in the comments below (or e-mail me directly if you’d rather share in private).

Describe This Song to Win a Free Album [contest]

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I’m running a contest to find the best description for the new song, “Dreaming of You.” It’s a love song, so let Valentine’s Day be your inspiration!

Download the song (or listen for free in the video below) and submit your description of the song (see the rules below). The winner will get a signed copy of the album, Aubade.


CD Baby – iTunes - Amazon - Google Play

CONTEST:

Describe “Dreaming of You” (Valentine’s Day Inspired)

RULES: (Just two simple rules)

  1. Keep it short. We need to grab people’s attention quick. So one sentence is fine and no longer than two or three.
  2. Keep it clean. I don’t mind your sailor mouth, but we want to share this music with your mother too!

HOW DOES THIS WORK?

  1. Now -> Submit your description. Post in the comments below (preferred) or send me an e-mail.
  2. Wednesday-> I’ll post three favorites for everyone to vote on.
  3. Thursday-> I’ll announce the winner and send them a shiny new CD!

How would you describe “Dreaming of You?” Share your thoughts in the comments below (or e-mail me directly if you’d rather share in private).

Listen to My New Song Now

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Today is the relase of my new song, “Dreaming of You.” Listen to the full song and watch the lyric video below. Visit the song page to see the full lyrics with the video. Enjoy the adventure.


CD Baby – iTunes - Amazon - Google Play

What do you think of the song? Share your thoughts in the comments below (or e-mail me directly if you’d rather share in private).

Every Song Needs a Hook

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A hook is some element in a song that grabs the audience’s attention. It’s catchy and easy to remember. It’s what people find themselves humming hours later while they’re at work, or at the store, or driving down the street. Every song needs a hook.

A hook can be:

  • A lyric. It can be an entire phrase. A play on a phrase. Or even just one word.
  • Music. It can be part of the music. A catchy melody or a rhythm. Or even just a unique sound.
  • Both. Most of the time it’s a combination of a lyrical and musical element.

Whatever it is, it’s that part of the song you begin to anticipate before it comes and remember when it’s over.

The key to “sinking” the hook is to repeat it tastefully throughout the song. Most often this repetition is achieved with a chorus. John Braheny at TAXI says, “The most common is the ‘hook chorus.’ It repeats several times during the song, and it should contain the title or ‘hook line,’ usually the first or last line.”

The hook in the song “Dreaming of You” is the line, “My universe, my everything, my love.” I start the song with it, end with it, and weave it in throughout each verse.

What’s your favorite song hook? Share your thoughts in the comments below (or e-mail me directly if you’d rather share in private).

New Song Just One Week Away

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I uploaded my new song “Dreaming of You” to CD Baby this week! Now they’ll get all the conversions done and submit the music to iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, etc. It will be ready for download next Thursday, Feb. 7.

I put together this short ad for the song. Let me know what you think, and feel free let the world know and post this link wherever you see fit: http://youtu.be/uKB56pnEK6Y

What do think of the ad? Share your thoughts in the comments below (or e-mail me directly if you’d rather share in private).

If You Want It, Write It Down

My dad always told me, “If you want it, write it down.” Like most wise things he told me, it took me way too long to start listening. But if there’s one life changing thing you can start doing right now, believe me it is this: write it down.

Don’t think too hard about it at first. Think of something you want and write it down. On a piece of paper. On a note card. At the top of a blank document. Whatever works for you.

Once you have it down, take a deep breath and look it in the eyes (sounds ridiculous but I’m serious, if you don’t take it seriously you may as well just toss that page in the trash).

Now you have to bring some clarity to your vision. To be in control, a proper goal needs to be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely (see more info on SMART goals). Here are three scenarios:

  1. Your vision is already SMART. Excellent. You’re ready to get to work!
  2. Your vision isn’t SMART. It’s time to brainstorm. Tweak your vision until it is SMART.
  3. You can’t make it SMART. If your vision can’t be tweaked to be SMART, or you’re just not ready to make the adjustments yet, leave it at the top of the page and make some smaller SMART goals underneath it that are related to, or are pieces of your larger vision.

Now that you have your goal down, work backwards writing down all the things that need to happen in order to achieve the goal. Then break those pieces down further if necessary. The broken down requirements for achieving your goal become your Major Achievable Points, or your “MAP” (yep, I just made that up).

Now look at your MAP and estimate the time it will take to get to each point. Not sure how long some things will take? Do a little research, or just make a rough estimate for now. As you get closer to each point, your estimates should be more specific.

You have your goal. You have your MAP. Now it’s time to get to work. The last thing is that you have to hold yourself accountable. Review your goals regularly and make adjustments as needed—sometimes that will mean tossing the entire thing out and starting over, but that’s all part of success.

Dave Ramsey says, “A dream is just a dream until you write it down… then it’s a goal!” So make your dreams goals today and write them down, you’ll be surprised how far you go.

What goal did you just write down? Share your thoughts in the comments below (or e-mail me directly if you’d rather share in private).

How to Use a Reference Track

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A reference track is a base layer that gives you something to follow as you record the rest of the song. It’s like creating your own karaoke track. The reference track sets the stage for the song to come. It sets the feel and the rhythm that every track after will follow. The reference track is the reason the song ends up the way it does… But in the end, we toss it out.

The concept is simple: record a stripped down version of the song and then overdub the final parts over the reference.

For “Dreaming of You” I used an acoustic guitar and vocal track (performed at the same time) as my reference. Once I got a take I liked I went back and recorded each instrument and final vocals over the top. The reference track is finally muted and the final parts are left to stand on their own.

Here are four guidelines on how to use a reference track:

  1. Keep it simple. Don’t record the whole band and try to overdub each part. To get a cohesive song, every part needs to follow the same thing. Keep it simple: one or two things that everything else can follow. If you absolutely need more elements to get the right feel, record with them and then erase them as soon as you’ve got what you’re looking for (if you save them, you’ll be tempted to listen to them and it will distract your focus… just press delete).
  2. Pick the core. Use the thing that is the most important to the song. If you’re a singer/songwriter a natural reference is just an acoustic and vocals—don’t use the drums. The whole song will reflect your reference, make it the defining element.
  3. Use it as long as you can. Eventually, the song will take on a life of its own and the reference will be muted. But use it as long as you can. I like to pan the acoustic to one side as I’m adding instruments. And I use the reference vocal track as a back up until I’m completely satisfied with vocals.
  4. Relax. This is the most important track you will record, but don’t worry about it. Remember, you’re going to throw it out anyway! You can focus on perfection when you record the rest of the tracks. The reference track doesn’t have to be flawless. For now, a good, natural feel is more important than a flawless performance.

A question for my creative friends:
What do you use as your reference when you create? Share your thoughts in the comments below (or e-mail me directly if you’d rather share in private).