A service there has long been a need for, a way to get advice for your music career and composition from real music business professionals. With Music 180 you can talk to the same producers, songwriters, managers and other pros who work with some of the biggest artists in the business today. The site will be launching this winter and looks like it could be a very powerful tool for musicians.
Check out Linelight's YouTube channel for some awesome new videos on life as a songwriter.
About a month ago we got excited when Phoenix released the stems to their most recent album, Wolfgang Amadeus. They have now done another awesome thing and put up a 9 part series showing the making of this record. A very cool insight into how a wildly successful record was made. Scroll down to see it here.
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Every band knows that you must practice together in order to give some semblance of a performance. But practicing on your own can be equally as important. While many people dread the idea of sitting in a room by themselves with their instrument, it's often what separates the good and the great players (as well as bands). Here are some of the ways that practicing on your own can take you to the next level:
Confidence
The confidence you build as a player is going to show in the risks you are willing to take because of an improved skills set. This will probably translate into better live performances as well.
Respect
The respect of your bandmates goes a long way. If you've practiced your chops and everyone doesn't have to wait on you to nail a part (in practice or in the studio) it only helps band morale.
Better Songwriting
Sometimes bands try to exclusively "jam" to write songs. While this can yield some very interesting results, it can also lead to a listless nightmare if you have no direction. If you practice on your own you can come in with a few fresh ideas to bounce off other members. Bands often break up or begin fighting when creative juices come to a halt. While some slump in creativity is natural, you can minimize it's effect but having some prepared material waiting on the back burner.
Confidence
The confidence you build as a player is going to show in the risks you are willing to take because of an improved skills set. This will probably translate into better live performances as well.
Respect
The respect of your bandmates goes a long way. If you've practiced your chops and everyone doesn't have to wait on you to nail a part (in practice or in the studio) it only helps band morale.
Better Songwriting
Sometimes bands try to exclusively "jam" to write songs. While this can yield some very interesting results, it can also lead to a listless nightmare if you have no direction. If you practice on your own you can come in with a few fresh ideas to bounce off other members. Bands often break up or begin fighting when creative juices come to a halt. While some slump in creativity is natural, you can minimize it's effect but having some prepared material waiting on the back burner.
Changing keys in your song can go one of two ways. It can be an amazingly cool way to give your song an awesome emotional lift. If failed it can bring a total WTF moment to your song. The Secrets of Songwriting blog has some great insights on how to do it right. Check it here.
The great 20th century author F. Scott Fitzgerald once said: "Genius is the ability to put into effect what is on your mind." When writing music or working on a mix, it is the goal to get out the exact sound that is in your head - that's what artists do, turn thoughts and ideas into tangible things. What Fitzgerald didn't mention is that the product you come up with is never EXACTLY what it was in your head. It should certainly be the goal to recreate on record the vision that is in your mind, but you can easily drive yourself crazy striving for "perfection". From a listeners perspective, they can never really hear what you heard in your had and are very unlikely to hear all the things that you perceive as "mistakes".
We would never advocate giving up on your sonic vision, but you must make compromises. You might want the bass to be a screaming monster but also want the vocal to be crystal clear and upfront. A mix is a dynamic thing and everything effects everything else. Stay true to your musical plans but learn to pick out the things that are really important and focus on those instead of micro-managing. Too much focus on minutia will make you lose perspective and drive you over a cliff. Especially if you've been working on it for a while, finalizing a mix and letting out into the world can be a frightening experience - you expose yourself to criticism and have no more chances to "fix" things for the last time. Remember also that if you never finish and release your material you have no way of getting distance and perspective on it so that you might improve next time around.
We would never advocate giving up on your sonic vision, but you must make compromises. You might want the bass to be a screaming monster but also want the vocal to be crystal clear and upfront. A mix is a dynamic thing and everything effects everything else. Stay true to your musical plans but learn to pick out the things that are really important and focus on those instead of micro-managing. Too much focus on minutia will make you lose perspective and drive you over a cliff. Especially if you've been working on it for a while, finalizing a mix and letting out into the world can be a frightening experience - you expose yourself to criticism and have no more chances to "fix" things for the last time. Remember also that if you never finish and release your material you have no way of getting distance and perspective on it so that you might improve next time around.
Making your melody memorable and the climax of your song happen in the best way possible is a tricky thing. It takes much thought and understanding some of the noances of this subject can help you grow your song to its potential. Check out this great blog entry on this subject here.
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There's a story about the Beatles and their producer George Martin from early in their career, at the start of their long line of hit songs and before they had totally mastered their craft. They were getting ready to record what would become "She Loves You," and as usual, Lennon and McCartney brought the song in and played it for Martin to see if he had any changes. And he suggested a simple one - instead of starting with the verse, start with the chorus.
Take a listen to the track above and it's easy to hear why Martin thought this - the chorus grabs you right away, it's super catchy, and the song is short enough that it doesn't get tiresome. By contrast, try starting the track at the 0:10 mark with the verse. Not bad, but it doesn't smack you across the face in the same way.
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