“Did you enjoy jazz band in high school? What did you gain from that time, as far as a musician and songwriter?” Rachel Hi Rachel – I smiled when I read your question because I never was in jazz band in high school. You and I grew up in the same small town, so maybe […]
Songwriting isn’t about theory. Many professional songwriters don’t even read music. I’m one of them. We often don’t know the names of the chords we’re playing on guitar or piano. What many of us do know, however, are numbers. Numbers are based on the shape or position you’re in rather than the key. They give
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I’ve never been good at math. I quit my calculus class with Mr. Wensloff to join the show choir. Had I paid more attention, I would’ve learned this lesson sooner. In fact, you probably already know it. Have you ever heard of the Pareto principle, also known as the 80/20 rule? Here is the basic
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A memoir, a how-to book, and a classic novel. Three books I read last month, and I recommend them all. (Although, I suppose recommending a classic novel is sort of like recommending trees or silverware. Not that helpful, but a good reminder they exist.) Save the Cat This is a book about screenwriting for screenwriters.
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You say public recognition is fleeting. But would you have continued your path if no one was listening to your songs? – John Hi John – No, I suppose I would have found something else to do career-wise. I imagine I would still write songs, but without hope of earning a living through them. Recognition,
I’m a songwriter. The plan wasn’t to start painting. But in March of 2020 I started watching Bob Ross in the afternoons with my kids during lockdown. The more I watched the more I couldn’t stop watching. In a way, painting and songwriting are very similar. They’re both saying one thing using a confined space.
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If you don’t mind me asking, how did you go about getting your first record produced? Davis Hi Davis – I don’t mind at all. I was 22, in college studying English, playing gigs whenever I could. I really just wanted to pursue my music. But how do you do that? I didn’t know anyone
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Finding your unique songwriting voice is really just a continuation of the stuff you’re already doing, but simply editing it down and changing its form. If you’re having trouble finding your unique songwriting voice, imagine your brain as being a giant rain barrel. The top is open. Everything you take in—experiences, reading, watching TV, whatever—is
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This question comes from Phaedra (age 6) whose dad relayed her question. “Did you really do the things you sing about doing as a kid in ‘Amazing Incredible Things’? And who is Samson?” Phaedra Hi Phaedra – Those are great questions. I sing about doing a lot of unbelievable stuff in “Amazing Incredible Things,” don’t
(From Aaron’s book On Songwriting: Practical Tips and Insights from a Decade in Music City) Whenever I’m stuck on a song, I imagine my dad and me in the Beltrami Island State forest in northern Minnesota. Growing up, that’s where we’d go on the weekends to hunt partridge. My dad didn’t own a pickup truck, but
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