3 Reasons: Finding Perfect Bandmates is Harder than Finding Love

Find the perfect woman/man is far easier than finding perfect bandmates. So if your really serious about making it, you'll be well served to take more care in finding the bandmates than the Mr Right.

3 "Whys?"

1. Your husband or girlfriend will not get you to the Madison Square Garden

2. No girl ever tore her top off at your girlfriend's art opening. Well ok that one's possible.

3. You can't rely on fixing band chemistry with make up sex.

Are you band mates really just your buddies? Or are they people you've specifically chosen to change the game in achieving your dreams? If you treat the choice of who you pursue like life or death decision, you'll increase your chances of playing The Garden. Oh, and the same standards work in finding Mr right too. It's just nobody really interested in seeing Mr. Right tare his top off.

Songwriting Tips: Demo Clip #2

Here we continue to make something out of nothing.

Now that we are off to a good start the goal is to finish. It's crucial for me to get some momentum. To feel the wind at my back and move to sketching out the rough outline of the entire song. I need to work fast. Just record and go. I replace the perfect with the good enough. Works for me. In songwriting and in life it's your personal weirdness keep you from thinking in a straight line and progressing to the next step. I'm weird and so are you. Be proud. Learn how to get rolling.

And since I do not fancy myself a singer (not would Clapton or Jimi) I've added a solo guitar track here. This sounds like I'm going all Peter Frampton in my basement. But it's really my way of looking for vocal melodies. Otherwise I'd try to sing and it would just get ugly. The melodies flow from the guitar and I can go back and find the best and discard the rest. Like I said. Works for me.

Musical Inspiration: Fela!

I live in NY and I'm a big fan of the arts. However I rarely take in Broadway show. It’s expensive and it’s usually a musical. (Expensive + musicals = I’m not there.) But this past Friday night that’s exactly where I was. Sipping fine whiskey and taking in “Fela!” a big musical over at the Eugene O’Neill Theater.

“Fela!” is the Jay-Z and Will & Jada Pinkett-Smith production that transports you back to 1970s Nigeria to hang with Fela and his band of singing and dancing outlaws. If you like funky live music and getting to see 1^st hand, that some people in this world just get all of the talent, then this show’s for you. While I felt not worthy to call myself a musician afterward, Fela inspire me. It gave me a million ideas of how to make music better and be a better dancer too. J

And we a TMZ moment: Robbie Robertson member of The Band and Shutter Island music director, sat in front of us. Having played with Dylan and a million other legends, the guy’s Rock royalty. I only had one small complaint about Robbie: He fanned himself with the Playbill all through the 2^nd act. I find celebrities doing things during slow parts of Broadway show, distracting. (Sorry Rob!)

But really there were not many slow parts in “Fela: “The Most Original Show on Broadway” as it’s billed. So if you’re in NY, have $250 and you call yourself a musician, get over to Fela it’s a lot of fun!

Songwriting Tips: Demo Clip #1

My previous post strummed the parts out. I decided to slow in down and move the break up front. (IV, V, IV) Here's a sketch demo in Garage Band.

The final version will bear zero resemblance to this demo. No moody moody synths. More Strokes in attitude and Norah Jones in arrangement. The aim is to just get started and have fun.

That's all.

New Songwriting Project Video

Thought I'd show you start to finish how I write a song arrange the song and record it. Start to finish. Song is in A. Chords so far are A D E (I,IV, V) with the chorus F#mi E, D, A (VI,V,IV,I)

Stay tuned to see it unfold and wrap up.

Songwriting Tips on How to End a Song

You only get one shot at a first impression? In music you need to make a fist AND a last impression.

Everyone loves a big finish. Start big. And end big. Nowhere is this idea truer than in music. Great endings leave you wanting more. But as I pointed out in my last post starling’s hard. But finishing? That’s harder!

Finishing is actually so difficult that the band Spoon, recently released song that actually has no ending. The thing ends so abruptly you’d think your iPod ear buds got yanked out. But no they abandoned it entirely. Major label acts can’t even finish.

Young Idiot musicians typically treat endings more like the periods on a sentence than an event. Pros make an event out of it. (Aerosmith’s Sweet Emotion)

2.5 tips for finishing

1. Land it like a plane or crash it like a train! Smooth velvety conclusions are elegant, Messy chaotic and gory work. Don’t do anything in between

2. If its bad make it big. Big endings typically sound like something is happening and trick most listeners that its good.

2.5 If you’ve tried tips #1 and #2 and your ending still smells, just paint it red. Its my favorite!

Eat your vegetables. Close the deal. Finish what you start!

Three Tips for Songwriters

What's the worst decision I ever made as a Young Idiot musician? Taking music lessons. Why?

1) Often fatal to creativity.

2) Riffs repeatedly slip into songs without warning .

3) I communicate ideas in Roman numerals

Its especially crippling for songwriting. When encountering this problem as a Young Idiot I'd just ball up my fists and cry. Now more mature I resort to a precious bag of tricks.

Three tricks in losing the musical baggage:

1) Writing a song on another instrument : I drop the guitar and pick up a bass. When I lose chords I focus on the melody. Its like introducing Astroglide : a totally different feeling entirely.

2) Go dancing at a club or bar. Why? To meet that special someone who'll dump you. Songs simply flow from broken hearts.

2) Stealing with a twist : Swipe any 2 chords from Beatles "Yesterday" and two chords from any Stevie Wonder classic. You now have something you'd never be able to come up with in a billion years on your own. Pick any two you like. Radiohead & Donna Summer. Jeff Buckley & The Monkeys. Lady GaGa & The Carpenters. You have to put some time into it but this crime will pay.

No matter which way you go here you'll have to finish the song. But we'll talk about that next time.