Great lyrics and a bad melody. I once sent this combination to my publisher. They sent it right back to me and basically said, “Don’t waste good lyrics on a bad melody.” It hurt my feelings, but then I realized they were right. I scrapped the entire melody and rewrote it, improving the song immensely. […]
On Songwriting: Why Rewrite Finished Songs Read More »
Baby, You’re Gonna Be Mine This first one is a fun, gritty collection of modern short stories by Kevin Wilson. I’d never read him before but my wife said I’d love him. She was right. I love situational tales that don’t really resolve, they just make you ponder a bunch of stuff you wouldn’t have
Two Books I Recommend Read More »
Hi Aaron, my name is Jörn and I am from Germany. I am listening a lot to your very inspiring songs and wanted to thank you. I really like the cover of your single “The Kindness of Strangers” – it gives a lot of interpretation but warms my heart. Where and how did you come
Did you lose someone important to you? I just learned of you yesterday and so many of your songs go straight to my heart! I lost my son 18 months ago. Karmen Hi Karmen – I’m so sorry about your son. I can’t even imagine what you must be going through. I have four boys,
AMA: “Did you lose someone important to you?” Read More »
There was this scene in a cartoon my son was watching where two kids wanted to be rock stars. They started writing a song but realized they didn’t have enough life experience to say much in their lyrics. So they went out and started doing a bunch of things to expedite the process. I laughed
On Songwriting: If You Lack Life Experience Read More »
Hi Lori – I like to play this one. Here’s a little video of me showing it to you.
AMA: “What type of guitar do you like to play the most, for its sound?” Read More »
Inspired by one of her friends, my wife Heidi started taking one second videos every day. Little snapshots of life. I recommend you try it (I am, too). It’s helping me notice the beauty in the ordinary. Here’s Heidi’s latest 28 seconds:
One Second Every Day Read More »
While painting, Bob Ross famously used to say to his viewers, “We don’t make mistakes, we just have happy accidents.” I want to point out something obvious: We don’t have happy accidents unless we make mistakes—and you can’t make mistakes if you aren’t taking action. When’s the last time you had a happy accident?
On Songwriting: Happy Accidents (or Action-dents) Read More »
The other day she texted, “What’s your most popular song?” I told her it was “Making All Things New.” Then she made this really great printable.Â
My Sister Ingrid Made This Cool Printable Read More »
My dad is an electrician. Naturally, I call him when I have an electrical problem. He’ll troubleshoot with me over the phone, and I understand him for a little bit. But then he slips into jargon and electrical-speak and I have to have him explain what he means. When it comes to wiring a house,
On Songwriting: Breaking the Curse of Knowledge Read More »