AMA: “What type of guitar do you like to play the most, for its sound?”
Hi Lori – I like to play this one. Here’s a little video of me showing it to you.
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One Second Every Day
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:
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On Songwriting: Happy Accidents (or Action-dents)
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?
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My Sister Ingrid Made This Cool Printable
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.
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On Songwriting: Breaking the Curse of Knowledge
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,
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AMA: “If you could only listen to digital music or vinyl records for the rest of your life which would you choose?”
AMA: “If you could only listen to digital music or vinyl records for the rest of your life which would you choose?” Ali Hi Ali – I’ll answer this solely as a listener. If I answer as an artist and songwriter, I might put myself out of a job! I was going to say digital
AMA: “Did you enjoy jazz band in high school? What did you gain from that time, as far as a musician and songwriter?”
“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
On Songwriting: Instead of Theory Learn This
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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On Songwriting: The 80/20 Rule
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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Three Book Recommendations
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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