Crazy About SL Fashion: Music

Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts

Thursday, August 12, 2010

How to know if you're a Music Producer

Dearest Devotees,

In the How to Know if You're a Songwriter post I mentioned I would do a couple more music related posts, because of how much music means to me. I really like doing these kind of posts because they give you an insight into the person I really am, and all the things that make up an average day in my life. I also really love these posts because they give me the opportunity to connect with other like-minded spirits and also to appreciate the diversity of characteristics and characters that make up my devotee base. Much like the previously mentioned post on being a songwriter, the things I list below are just characteristics I've noticed in people who are/ want to be music producers. So without further ado here is my list of ways to know if you have music producer potential:

When you hear a song for the first time a video you have instantaneously created begins to play in your head.

You sometimes check up lyrics and analyze them for plot possibilities and video potential

You predict how well a song will do on the charts and at award shows.

You are always very interested in new musical talent.

You try to learn as much as you can about every aspect of music, constantly.

If you are in school you can probably be found taking widely different music and/ or dances classes at the same time.

When your friends invite you to karaoke you give them performance advice and sometimes critique their vocal quality.

You find audio engineering, music theory and even music history oddly fascinating.

You are always clued in with the latest innovations in technology and programming.

You manage crises well.

Business is not your foe.

You know what’s happening in the music industry as its happening in the industry.

After seeing a band perform for the first time you already know their image, style and genre.

Beats are constantly on the end of your finger tips.

You think life should have a soundtrack and may have created a few playlists for important events , describing them.

You know the names of all the top producers in the music industry.

When you hear about a music video for the first time you ask for the label/ producer not the artist

You love bringing music to life.

You critique videos that you see on TV (or youtube) and sometimes envision how you could have done it better.

You appreciate all the different genres of music and sometimes draw inspiration from two widely different genres, to create the next big thing.

You know that songwriting and producing through social networking are two major ways to enter the industry.

You try to create the perfect environment and medium to transfer the emotional quality of the music from the artist to the audience.

You are always on the lookout for unexpectedly amazing collaborations between artists in the music industry.

You are aware that music production is really tasking, and sometimes not as glamorous as it’s made out to be but you love it anyway.

Photos from: We Heart it.com

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. What qualities/characteristics do you think a music producer should have? Are there any music producers out there? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

How to Know if You're a Songwriter

I started poetry when I was 8 and though it wasn't what I'd call great art, it was definitely an amazing medium for expressing myself. Ever since I was in preschool I have loved literature. I know this because, one of my earliest memories is of my dad teaching me to recognise words and to read and memorize short sentences and paragraphs from a small book of classical poetry and tales ( I know, its pretty crazy). He would do this before he travelled and quiz me on it when he returned. I also remember my mom reading to me and encouraging my intense love of books at the ages of 4 and 5. I just loved being able to escape into another world so much so that whenever I read I became complete oblivious of my surroundings and entered a state of flow (or hyperfocus).This early admiration for the written word led to desire to write and express myself like the authors and writers I admired. I also had a healthy appreciation for music and after trying out several forms of dance and music groups like tap, ballet, hip hop, orchestra and chorus, I decided to try my hand at songwriting. My first song was really silly but it had a catchy tune and my siblings thought it was pretty cool so I kept trying and have been writing songs ever since.

Anyway, that was just a brief intro to my history with songwriting. Lately I've been meeting a lot of musicians and fellow songwriters so this got me thinking about how you can know if you are a songwriter. Here's what I came up with:

Music is constantly going on in your mind, whether its your own song or someone else's song that you really like.

When you walk down the street you are either listening to music,humming or singing (hopefully softly :P) to yourself.

You've been known to study music theory in your spare time.

You carry paper and a writing utensil around with you always in case you have a "lyric moment".

Friends sometimes catch you dancing to the music in your head. This is because it is so loud that you can forget that it's not technically playing anywhere.

Singing in the shower is near superhuman habit to break for you. After all, its where you get some of your best ideas.

You sometimes walk according to your beat of the moment.

You either know how to or are trying to learn to play, at least one but usually several instruments.

You can read and write music.

Your everyday words tend to have a poetic quality to them.

Music is VERY important to you.

You associate your emotions with music automatically.

You have been known to come up with songs in the weirdest places (toilets, at formal dinners, during important ceremonies).

You feel like you could use a song to describe almost anything in your life.

Your ipod, mp3 player, or computer may be full to the brim with music.

You have songbooks...of your own music.

You may be working on a demo or already be writing professionally.

You can not imagine a world without music.

You have a recorder to record tunes that you spontaneously create on your way to class. This recorder is likely to quickly fill up memory-wise.

You analyse lyrics and melodies of songs for fun.

You take personal offence when a song does well in the pop world and lacks what you would see as substance and quality.

When you're playing around with your instrument of choice, or even humming it could lead to your next masterpiece.

If you are not a singer, you already know what singer would best suit your songs.

When you get into a talk about great songwriters, composers, lyricists and musicians, you could go on and on and on...

Some of these characteristics are characteristics of a composer (someone who writes music- melodies, harmonies and instrumentals) and others are characteristic of a lyricist(someone who comes up with the words). When I refer to a songwriter I mean someone who comes up with both. Anyway, if you liked this post, I intend to do a couple more about music in the next couple of weeks so keep an eye out for that. And if you have anything in particular that you want to know about music, you could email me at aury4eva@gmail.com, and I will try my best to help.

Photos from: We Heart It

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. Are you a songwriter or musician? What do you think identifies a songwriter? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Seeking Inspiration: Never Alone

Dearest Devotees,

I love people, I really do. I love being around people (particularly people I know and love) and I can even be said to get my energy from being around many of the people I love at the same time. However, and I'm sure all of you lovely artistic and creative spirits out there can relate, sometimes you just need to get away from it all for awhile to enjoy some quality time with yourself. Inspiration can most certainly come while going through the motions of your daily life, but it is much more likely to hit you in the moments of calm in which you can take in everything that you've experienced, process it all and create with it. This is why I did an artistic retreat at the beginning of this year. I just really needed some time to let things sink in and to prepare my heart, soul and mind to create. This is why some writers go away to quiet little cabins in the middle of nature to write. This is also why I've decided my favorite time of the day is dawn because everything is so quiet and calm and beautiful that I am able to ponder various things freely and without distraction.

Lately, I've felt an intense desire to disappear into some remote place with nothing but the bare necessities, and all my art supplies, and I really think that I may do this after summer school is over before the next school year starts. It would be a creation (rather than inspiration) centered artistic retreat and would honestly be one of the best ways I could spend the remainder of my summer holiday.

That said, not everyone has the luxury of dropping all of their responsibilities and disappearing into the wilderness for two weeks, and even if you do, that isn't always the best plan of action. So here are some ways of injecting little drops of solitude into your week.

Set apart a creative space for yourself in which you can return to regularly when you want to create. Decorate this place in such a way that it inspires you and moves you to create.

Use beautiful music, pictures, or scents if suitable to help create the desired atmosphere.

Find a particular time in the day in which you are least likely to be disturbed while creating. If necessary, ask people not to seek you out at this time. If necessary, get noise canceling headphones that can block out average background noise (very useful if you happen to have a roommate).

Give yourself time to think. Seriously, I've heard of CEOs who schedule meetings with themselves throughout the day, so they can just stop and breathe every once in a while. The best thing for you to do at these times it to just sit quietly and let your mind wander.

Take tranquil scenic walks or runs. By doing this, you can exercise and wind down at the same time.

Do yoga/meditate at the beginning and/or end of your day. Again its all about clearing your mind and taking stock of all the stimuli you receive each day.

Assignment for the week

I'm still working on last week's assignment but I'm happy to say it's going quite well and that it has two different parts to it that I will be really excited to show you next week. That said, here's this week's assignment. It's another song called Never Alone by Barlow Girl and I actually have the assignment for this done.

My Translation

It's a part of one of my songs. It's a pretty loose translation of the above song, (I only really used it as a spring board) but it also has to be pretty loose since they are both in the same medium. I hope you like it. The song is called Locked up.

Chorus

Locked Up in this tower

Away from it all.

Don't want to listen

'Cause I don't wanna fall.

Locked away in this tower

Away from it all.

Don't want to listen

Because I don't want to fall.

Broken pieces, parts of me

Lying on the ground.

People, places, things I've seen

Have turned my life around.

Run me into desperation.

Seeking for a light within

The cold

and the dark that surrounds me.

Ran up here to get away

From everything else.

Hope is so bizarre to me

When all I know is hell.

But yet I want something more.

I long to finally reach that door

And break out.

Escape.

But I am....

Chorus.

It's a work in progress and when its fleshed out complete with melody, harmony and accompaniment I will present it to you in an Artist Corner feature.

Links I've loved this week include:

I absolutely adore the SparkNotes site, especially when I stumbled upon this really sweet playlist on it!

I really miss polaroids, so much so I am considering getting a new polaroid camera. Until then this free application Poladroid is definitely keeping me happy!

This post on being a photographer by Zmaga got my heart racing.

Cafe Fashionista's latest fashion find completely dazzles me.

The poem in this blog post. Honestly, words fail me.

I feel so sad when I see the effects of the BP oil spill.

Zen Habits is just amazing. AMAZING! I suggest you start off your journey there with this blog post.

All images come from We Heart It.

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. What's inspired you this week? What links have you been loving this week? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

P.P.S A huge Welcome to all my new devotees. You make me ridicu-crazily happy :)

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Love and Relationships: Music Therapy Part 4- Indie Music Love

Dearest Devotees,

In keeping with Indie Appreciation Week, here are some of my favorite indie-related songs. Some of them are by undiscovered/independent musicians, some of them have certain musical qualities (usually acoustic/ primarily vocal leanings) that lend them to being classified as "indie", and the rest of them are just songs that I feel somehow celebrate being independent. I'm also borrowing the idea of Krissy from Shimmer Like Gold, and have included links

to a complete playlist of all the songs on youtube that I will link to at the bottom of this post. Feel free to play these songs while cross-training your art, doing chores/ homework, or doing nothing at all but relaxing. Remember that if you feel constrained by the walls, there's no time like the summer to take full advantage of the great outdoors.

I hope these songs send you to your happy and proud to be independent place too :)

To listen to it all on youtube click here.

Love you all and Stay inspired,

P.S. So let me know what you think. What are some hidden jewel bands that make you feel empowered, or moved? What kind of music moves you most? Feel free to let me know in the comments below.

Photos from: We Heart It