I’ve been extremely light on the blogging front lately, but I have big plans to breathe new life into this site. I’ll be shifting gears as I reexamine my time, attention, and creative work.

In the mean time, here’s a few links I’ve been meaning to share.

New Brain Machine Improves Musical Creativity. Any tool that can help me clear the way for great music to happen is a friend of mine.

Cosmovox is an iPhone app, a music theory-infused theremin.

Korg is coming out with some really sweet compact USB-MIDI controllers. I’ll be first in line for the nanoKEY.

From Digg: Study: Musicians Use Both Sides Of Brain More Than Others. My favorite comment: “they can force their brains to do unnatural things in the pursuit of ass. hats off to all of you!”

Have a great weekend.

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Just watched this on DVD and had to share a clip with you. Rent it when you can.

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I don’t know if you listen to RadioLab, but they recently did an episode on the phenomenon of getting songs stuck in your head. They called it “earworms.” Well, they asked listeners to call in and talk about their earworms and techniques to eradicate them. The interesting thing to note is that the majority of people sang their earworms in the correct key, without a reference pitch. Listen for yourself: Earworms

From one of my favorite mixing books, The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook, I found an excerpt called Magic Frequencies.

Happy Labor Day!

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Matajura wanted to become a great swordsman, but his father said he could never learn, because he wasn’t quick enough. So Matajura went to the famous dueler Banzo and asked to become his pupil. “How long will it take me to become a master?” he asked. “Suppose I become your servant, to be with you every minute, how long?”

“Ten years,” said Banzo.

“My father is getting old,” pleaded Matajura. “Before ten years have passed I will have to return home to take care of him. Suppose I work twice as hard. How long will it take me?”

“Thirty years,” said Banzo.

“How is that?” asked Matajura. “When I offer to work twice as hard, you say it will take three times as long. Let me make myself clear. I will work unceasingly. No hardship will be too much. How long will it take?”

“Seventy years,” said Banzo “A pupil in such a hurry learns slowly.”

Matajura understood. Without asking for any promises in terms of time, he became Banzo’s servant. Three years passed. Matajura cleaned, cooked, washed, and gardened. He was ordered never to speak of fencing or to touch a sword. He was very sad at this, but he had given his promise to the master and resolved to keep his word.

One day while Matajura was gardening, Banzo came up quietly behind him and gave him a terrible whack with a wooden sword. The next day in the kitchen, the same blow fell again. Thereafter, day in and day out, from every corner and at any moment, Matajura was attacked by Banzo’s wooden sword. He learned to live on the balls of his feet, ready to dodge at any moment. He became a body with no desires, no thought, only external readiness and quickness. Banzo smiled and started lessons. Soon, Matajura was the greatest swordsman in Japan.

From the book, The Last Word On Power, by Tracy Goss.

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This is the true joy in life, the being recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.

I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.
~George Bernard Shaw

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If you hear some music and don’t know what it is, figure it out immediately. The next time you hear the same chord progression, melodic structure, or rhythm, you’ll probably know what it is. It’s usually as simple as that, and not unlike looking up a word you don’t know in the dictionary.

Always be training your ears. Listen with an instrument or tuning fork nearby. Figure out what you’re hearing. And if you can’t do it in the moment, because you don’t have the right tools or whatever, make a note and remember to figure it out later.

If you can identify the skills you want and take action to acquire them, then you’ll improve.

Or, just let go and listen for fun without trying to deconstruct anything. We often forget to do that.

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This announcement comes from Last.fm today:

This is a big day for DIY artists as it marks the first time that musicians not affiliated with a label or royalty collection agency can collect revenue direct from a free streaming music platform. We’re very proud to now offer DIY artists the same royalty opportunities as those presented to record labels acts.

Now’s the time to upload your music to Last.fm. Then sign up for the Artist Royalty Program in the Music Manager.

In other Last.fm news, subscribers have been given access to the new Last.fm beta, which includes a facelift and improved user experience. One notable benefit is when you make your music available to download free, it will be included in iTunes podcasts, reaching an even larger audience.

Great times for DIY artists!

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I’m running a little poll to help me better serve you. If you could take just a moment to answer the following question, I’d greatly appreciate it.

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A URL shortener service called Bit.ly launched today. It has some great features that convinced me to switch from using Metamark to shorten my URLs. Since I have a slick script that allows me to use the Metamark API from Quicksilver, I had to modify the code to make it work with Bit.ly.

Copy the following script, name it what you want, and save it in your home folder. When you want to shorten a URL in Safari, run the script from Quicksilver and it will put the shortened URL on your clipboard, ready for pasting.

If Firefox is your thing, modify the AppleScript tell to:

Update: I also use the following script as a Quicksilver trigger to expand shortened URLs and protect myself from surreptitious rickrolling. Just copy the shortened URL you want to expand (TinyURL, Bit.ly, etc.) and trigger the script.

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I will never say anything that couldn’t stand as the last thing I ever say.

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Seth Godin, as usual, nails it.

The object isn’t to be perfect. The goal isn’t to hold back until you’ve created something beyond reproach. I believe the opposite is true. Our birthright is to fail and to fail often, but to fail in search of something bigger than we can imagine. To do anything else is to waste it all.

Full Post: Is it worthy?

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You’re listening to a piece of music and it sounds so simple and easy that you say to yourself, “I can do that.” But can you really? And if you can, how come you haven’t yet?

Taking a first person perspective of someone else’s perspective can be both good and bad. It’s good that you can step inside another person’s experience, an ability that can foster compassion and empathy. But it can be bad when you don’t differentiate between the two perspectives, yours and the other’s, resulting in an almost narcissistic view of the world.

“I Can Do That” Syndrome also shows up when someone has “book smarts” but no actual experience. When you’ve read a great book about how to write lyrics and you think the work has been done.

This applies to more than just music too. A business person reads a book about copywriting and thinks, “I can write a sales letter and make a million bucks.” But great copywriters study a long time and do something else that business person hasn’t done yet, they write… A LOT.

Great songs are written by songwriters who have written lots of songs. Great voices come from people who sing all the time. Timeless symphonies are composed by musicians who have written a lot more than one symphony.

It’s a trick of the mind to experience something remarkable and believe that we too can do that. It happens to me all the time. “I could write a funny TV show. I could direct a blockbuster movie. I could cook this restaurant meal.”

Well, maybe I could. But not the first time. Probably not the second either. It may take longer than I have patience for.

The point of the story? There’s something to be said for people who specialize—who find something they love and stick to it, gaining the wisdom only time can bring.

Maybe you could sing, dance, compose, direct, paint, cook, be a successful serial entrepreneur, get washboard abs, play in the NBA, design a hot line of clothes, write a novel, run for office, raise a happy family, be a great spouse, start a non-profit, end world hunger…

But the hardest thing to do is to commit to one thing and stick with it until the very end.

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A couple weeks ago I wrote about the time required to become an expert songwriter. That advice could have been just as well for any craft, not just songwriting. And the number of hours that I referenced, 5,000, was arbitrary. There is no magic number. But if you’re not an expert yet, you can be sure that there is a number and it’s probably higher and farther than you wish… assuming you wish you were an expert right now.

While I’m clearing things up, I used the word “expert.” The research supports the correlation between practice and expertise. Just saying.

If you “get” that spending lots of time practicing your craft is a good thing, then good for you. You’ll be happy with what I have to show you. If you don’t get it, then it can only be for three reasons that I can think of right now…

1. You’re resistant to, or afraid of, committing to your craft. If so, that’s a valid feeling and you’re not alone.
2. You’re lazy — unwilling to work or use energy — and have deluded yourself into believing that you don’t need to work at developing and mastering your chosen craft. This too is totally common and nothing to be ashamed of.
3. You just don’t want to be told what to do. If this is the case, maybe the timing just isn’t right for you. Maybe you shouldn’t commit just yet. I’m sure you have your reasons.

If any of those points describe you, heck, even if they don’t, read The War of Art. Maybe that will inspire you to break through the blocks and win your inner creative battles.

Enough said. Moving on.

Rescue Time is a free application (Mac,Win,Linux) that has become very important to my weekly GTD review. It’s helping me put some metrics to my writing goals.

Rescue Time tracks your activity at your computer. If you’re working, it logs it. If you’re slacking off, it logs it.

It uses application, category, and tag based tracking. This means you can track how you’re spending your time by the application, the tag you give to your applications and websites you visit, and by category.

You really start to understand your computer habits fast when you see the results of your time in a pretty bar graph. It can feel intimate. This is your life you’re looking at!

Here’s an example. Logic Pro is my main compositional tool. Within Rescue Time’s interface, it’s listed under the Audio/Video Tools category. I’ve also tagged Logic Pro with the keywords, composing, audio, work, mixing, music, recording, and creative.

When I look at Rescue Time’s data, I can see how much time I’ve spent using Logic Pro, or how much time I’ve spent in the Audio/Video Tools category, or how much time I’ve spent composing.

When you see how much time you’ve spent at something relative to something else — like composing vs. surfing the internet — you really get much needed perspective on how your actions line up with your goals.

So I’ve set up a goal to compose at least one hour a day. Every time I reach my goal, that is, when I’ve used Logic Pro an hour or more, Rescue Time sends me an alert.

I’ve even set up some negative goals. I’d like to spend less than an hour on Twitter each day. (a goal I’ve met ever since I started it, knock on wood.) If I were to go over my alloted time, Rescue Time would either email me or text message me, depending on how I set it up.

As you can see, if you would like to reach an hourly songwriting goal, tag the applications that you use to write songs and set it up in Rescue Time. It’s simple.

Back to the expert practice advice.

To reach 5,000 logged hours of songwriting, starting now (June 2, 2008) at 10 hours a week, you’ll get there on Thursday, December 28, 2017.

Looks like I’d better get back to writing now.

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The concept is this:

To be a good, competent songwriter, it will take 1,000 hours of practice. If you want to be a great songwriter, it will take 5,000 hours.

Winners are made, not born. So forget about talent. Talent is a gift for concentration, dedication, and a simple desire to keep getting better.

Become a peak performer, an expert, through hours and hours of deliberate practice.

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In this episode I share my experience as a victim of fraud, my current Strength for Life Reboot, a couple of new projects, and I discuss my Song A Week 2008 project.

Music:
One Of These Nights

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Song A Week 2008 Rules: Start to finish in 7 days.

Play:
Download: One Of These Nights
Last.fm: One Of These Nights

One of these days, I’m gonna buy a big old mansion
One of these days, I’m gonna drive a fine car or two
With all the things I want
How can I enjoy them too
If I can’t share them with you
You think about it, ’cause I got to have it
I need to know that you’re ready to go
’cause it’s almost first class take off time

One of these nights
You and I will get right down to the things on our mind
And the time that I spent
Telling everybody ’bout us baby
Won’t be as long as the time I spend with you

One of these days, I’m gonna travel ’round this great big world
One of these days, I’m gonna dine with some real important people, like Stevie Wonder
With all the places in this world
I’ve got to have me a girl
Who ain’t afraid to see something new
You think about it ’cause I’d love to have it
For the rest of my life I would love to wake up next to you

One of these nights
You and I will get right down to the things on our mind
And the time that I spent
Telling everybody ’bout us baby
Won’t be as long as the time I spend with you
As the time I spend with you
As the time I’ll spend with you

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Kevin Kelly is back with some feedback on his article, 1,000 True Fans, by musician Robert Rich.

So let’s look a bit at the finances. If I can make about $5-$10 per download or directly sold CD, and I sell 1000, I clear a maximum of $10,000 for that year’s effort. That’s not a living. Let’s say, after 20 concerts I net about $10,000 for three to four months worth of full time effort. That’s not a living.

It’s not all doom and gloom for the fringe musician. But it does provide a realistic story from an avant garde artist trying to “speak my personal truth, regardless of the cost.”

Link

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Song A Week 2008 Rules: Start to finish in 7 days.

Play:
Download: You Got What You Wanted From Me
Last.fm: You Got What You Wanted From Me

I went outside and I looked all around
But baby you were nowhere to be found
Just a note on your side of the bed
We are over, was all you said
My eyes were open but I just couldn’t see
Looks like you got what you wanted from me

Well I bought you jewels and designer jeans
You spent all my money living all of your dreams
And every night you had all of my loving
You know it was good but I should’ve seen it coming
Your beautiful body was all I could see
Looks like you got what you wanted from me

You had a man when I first got your name
You said he was cheating and you new his game
But all this time you been scheming yourself
You never let go you just put him on the shelf
I feel like a fool that I just didn’t see
Looks like you got what you wanted from me
Yeah we are over, on that we agree
Oh you got what you wanted from me
As a matter of fact, I’m glad to be free
Oh you got what you wanted from me

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A Unix program called Remind is one of the greatest tools for keeping your goals and projects on track. Where calendars like iCal and Google Calendar come up short, Remind fills in the gaps.

For example, iCal alarms can remind you of an event minutes, hours, or days before it occurs, but it won’t count down to a goal with date-based math. Say you’re trying to lose 10 pounds by the first of June. No calendar application that I know of will tell you that you have 49 days to reach 170 pounds. This is where Remind rules.

Here’s how I have my system set up. Remind pulls all of my custom reminders from a few text files. It outputs them to my desktop using Geek Tool. I have a couple scripts that convert my iCal events to Remind format and Remind events to iCal. This way everything is synced up. I get Remind events in iCal and on my iPhone and I get iCal events on my desktop with Geek Tool. Using Spanning Sync, I can publish all of my iCal and Remind events to Google Calendar for sharing with family or colleagues. And if you don’t want to pay for Spanning Sync, you can publish your iCal to .Mac and then subscribe to it with Google Calendar. It’s not two-way syncing, but it works.

The final trick is to use Quicksilver to get reminders into Remind fast. For this, I have a simple Quicksilver action that appends my Remind text file.

I use Remind to help me finish songs, save money, remember birthdays, take the garbage out, and just about everything. Where it shines the most is in events that can benefit from date-based math, like I mentioned above. Everything you need to get started is on my wiki.

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