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The Muse's News |
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Issue 9.0 - March 2006
ISSN 1480-6975
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This issue sponsored by:
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I n T h i s I s s u e :
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@-- Editor's Musings
@-- Music Reviews - by JJ Biener, Lennon Bone, Jon Stewart
Chip Withrow, Gian Fiero & Kevin Zarnett
@-- New Artist Spotlight Additions
@-- Songwriting Book Review - by James Linderman
@-- Musical Notes - Songwriting Contests & Market Info.
@-- Muse's Clues - Songwriting Web sites that inspire - brought
to you by singer/songwriter & teacher, Irene Jackson.
@-- Featured Article - Fear, Despair, and the Darker Emotions -
by Bruce Madole
@-- On Site Featured Article - An article already online for your
viewing pleasure.
@-- Classifieds & Useful Services
@-- Contact information
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ISSN 1480-6975. Copyright 1998-2006 - Jodi Krangle.
For more contact information, see end of issue.
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MUSE'S MUSE T-SHIRTS, MUGS, MOUSEPADS AND MORE
Black T-shirts are here and they look pretty darned cool. :)
See http://www.cafepress.com/musesmuse for details.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
S p o n s o r M e s s a g e :
(Many thanks to the sponsors that help support this newsletter!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AMERICAN IDOL UNDERGROUND (AIU) SEEKING ARTISTS FROM ALL GENRES
SUBMIT - music for guaranteed airplay on our online music network
CREATE - an artist profile webpage and promote your music online
RECEIVE - feedback from fans, music professionals and celebrities
COMPETE - for cash, equipment and major promotional campaigns
ALL STYLES - Rock, Rap, Folk, Country, Pop, R&B, & More
Get Your Music Heard! Submit your music to AIU today.
http://www.idolunderground.com/
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E d i t o r ' s M u s i n g s :
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Well, I started putting together this month's newsletter with a
sense of ... well... wonder. It's been eight full years (this is
the beginning of the 9th) since I started this newsletter. I
don't know if I've ever been late sending it out yet. And yes,
I'm darned proud of myself for that. ;) So welcome to the
beginning of year number nine!
I have a couple of things to mention. First of all, Radio Muse
#13 is now online for your listening (and viewing) pleasure. You
can hear that and see a bit more information about the artists
included at http://www.musesmuse.com/radiomuse-13.html . Everyone
included is immensely talented and the show is SUCH a pleasure to
put together. James and I are well into putting the 14th show
together but your music is always welcome. Please see
http://www.musesmuse.com/radiomuse.html for submission
instructions, ok?
I'd also like to mention a new resource I've put together for
those interested in upgrading their education or switching
careers. It's a site called Find Schools Online at
http://www.find-schools-online.com/ and there's also a music
section that has a lot of specific suggestions for schools that
offer music programs and degrees ranging from songwriting to
music business. You can see that at
http://www.find-schools-online.com/music-degrees.htm .
On a related note, if you feel it's worthy, I'd love it if you
could link to the site. Feel free to contact me about that if
you'd like to. Also, I'm always looking for more articles about
changing careers, furthering your education, time management or
other, related topics. I'm able to actually pay a small amount
for those articles. Again, feel free to contact me if you're
interested in contributing.
And without further ado, here are the raffle winners for this
month:
* Sue Cyr from Raymond, NH has won a copy of
Virtual Studio Systems' Lyricist software
(http://www.musesmuse.com/vss-review.html).
* Jan Linder-Koda from Woodland Hills, CA has won a copy of
Indie-Music.com's Musician's Toolkit CD
(http://www.musicianstoolkit.com/muse/)
* Sonia Perrine of Will & Reed from Vancouver, WA, has won a copy
of Bronson Herrmuth's "100 Miles To A Record Deal"
(http://www.songrepair.com/bookforweb2.htm).
* Robin Stine from Pensacola, FL has won a 6 month
subscription to the Onlinegigs (http://www.onlinegigs.com/)
service. This valuable service is a powerful tool for musicians,
agents, record companies and managers designed to virtually
automate the administration of booking and promoting a band or
bands.
* Martyn Krist from Harrison twp, MI has won a copy of The
Songwriters Playbook: 10 Weeks to Better Songs by Alex Forbes
(http://www.creativesongwriter.com/), reviewed last month.
And once again, if you're interested in being placed in the queue
for a raffle prize, feel free to email me and let me know (and
include your contact information). Thanks!
Hoping you keep warm (for those of us still in the midst of
winter) and inspired,
--Jodi
Back to Menu
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S p o n s o r M e s s a g e :
(Many thanks to the sponsors that help support this newsletter!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
11th ANNUAL USA SONGWRITING COMPETITION BEGINS
Win $50,000 Grand Prize worth of cash, cool music gear from Sony,
Ibanez Guitars, D'Addario Strings, Audio-Techica, Peavey and
more! Not to mention radio ariplay for winning songs. Judges
include A&R from Universal, SONY/BMG, EMI and Warner.
Hurry, first 1000 entrants postmarked by March 31 or earlier will
each receive a FREE Keyboard magazine subscription. Get entry
form from the internet now at:
http://www.songwriting.net/mm.html
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M u s i c R e v i e w s : JJ Biener, Jane Eamon, Gian Fiero,
Chip Withrow, Jon Stewart
& Kevin Zarnett
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NEW MUSIC REVIEWS SINCE LAST MONTH INCLUDE:
JJ Biener:
* Catherine Duc
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001066.html
Chip Withrow:
* Karisa Nowak
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001071.html
Kevin Zarnett:
* Air Supply
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001060.html
Jon Stewart:
* Slick of the Shockmob
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001064.html
* Brian Stace
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001059.html
Lennon Bone:
* Additional Moog
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001062.html
* Lisa DeBenedictis
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001063.html
* Green To Think
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001061.html
Gian Fiero:
* Vinny Blessed
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001069.html
* John Ryan
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001070.html
* Tracey Amos
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001072.html
* South Border
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001073.html
* Take 6
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001074.html
* Random
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001075.html
* Scott Beckman
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001076.html
---------------
******
For bios on each of the reviewers, see
http://www.musesmuse.com/musicreviews.html . If you're considering
sending in your own CD for review, you can also view that page to
find out which reviewer reviews your genre. Thanks!
Back to Menu
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N e w A r t i s t S p o t l i g h t A d d i t i o n s :
Great music is only a click away!
Here are just some of the great CDs highlighted in the
Artist Spotlight section of The Muse's Muse at
http://www.musesmuse.com/artistspotlights.html
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Jamie Green - Genre: SINGER/SONGWRITER
With the lyrical honesty of Alanis Morissette, the soulful vocals
and intricate harmonies of Jonatha Brooke and Paula Cole, and a
production style that is at once contemporary and classic, Los
Angeles-based singer-songwriter, Jamie Green, forges her own
brand of alternative pop that leaves your heart moved and your
body moving. She is two-for-two, winning L.A. Music Awards for
her debut and sophomore albums, and is currently working on her
third which, production-wise, is heavily influenced by Dido and
Seal.
http://www.jamiegreenmusic.com/
For more music from singer/songwriters, visit
http://www.musesmuse.com/artistspotlights-singer-songwriter.html
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S o n g w r i t i n g B o o k R e v i e w : by James Linderman
Masterwriter -
http://www.musesmuse.com/masterwriter-songwriting-software.html
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I've seen Masterwriter around for a while now but I never really
understood its potential until recently when I saw it used in a
co-writing session.
I was writing with Canadian Idol singer Gary Beals who is writing
for his second release on the heels of his Juno (Canada's Grammy)
nominated first CD. Gary is widely considered to be the most
promising male R&B singer in the country.
Gary and I were working with Krystle Payton, who is also making a
solid name for herself as a gifted singer and talented writer in
the R&B scene.
Krystle was primarily brought in on this session as a lyric
writer. Gary and I were surprised when Krystle opened her laptop
right away and had typed the song title into Masterwriter before
we had even gotten underway.
Our song title was "I Give You My Song" so Krystle began to set
up a search in Masterwriter for "song" related words that she had
listed.
In a search through words Krystle had stored, the word "melody"
brought us "harmony" which is pretty obvious - but in a secondary
search she found "symphony" which we had not considered. It
opened up a whole new world of possibilities.
Later in the co-write we were trying to make "sound of a baby's
cry" stronger and Krystle was able to suggest "whimper of a
baby's cry" from an alliteration search of the word "whisper" in
the next line, "whisper of a lullaby".
It was like magic. The whole lyric fell into place without the 3
of us continuing to wonder whether we had found the best word for
that line.
Even in some fairly random searches, we saw options for words
that we otherwise would not have had the luxury to consider.
Gary and I had struggled with the lyric content of this song in a
previous writing session but suddenly, with Masterwriter's help,
Krystle was starting to connect the fragments of the song
beautifully.
We had the demo done that same day and the very next day I asked
if I could review Masterwriter here in The Muse's News.
That's my story...
So here is what Masterwriter is all about.
On the surface, it looks like a software version of a song
journal with a rhyming dictionary on the side, and that is
certainly what we used it for initially - but there's tons of
other stuff this program does.
Along with being a fully functioning word processor, database for
storing songs, and a 100,000 word rhyming dictionary, it is also
a phrase and idiom dictionary with tens of thousands of words and
terms from popular culture. Cool!
It also has a dictionary of rhyme phrases, so that it is possible
that you may find, not only the word you never would have thought
of for your song, but perhaps the whole line completely phrased
out.
Masterwriter has the only alliterations dictionary in existence
and its usefulness in our co-writing session is a totally true
testament to its tremendous and terrific value.
There is a very handy built-in stereo hard disc recorder for
recording your melodies, a library of over 250 tempo adjustable
midi drum loops and Soundguard, which is an online "date of
creation" Song Registration Service.
Masterwriter is Mac OS and Windows compatible, completely easy to
install and extremely well-designed to be easy to use.
The version of Masterwriter used for this review comes with a
demo that talks you through all the features and offers a number
of simple registration options.
I would recommend Masterwriter especially to those of us who
write lyrics and sometimes wish we had more options for a
particular line or two in our songs. If you are also like me and
like the thought of having all of the options available as the
song lyric unfolds, then Masterwriter is invaluable. I simply
won't write another song without it.
With everything Masterwriter has to offer, it is actually hard to
imagine who would not find it to be invaluable. In our co-write,
we all agreed that it didn't compromise the legitimacy or
sincerity of our artistic expression but offered up a wonderful
landscape of options to pour our creativity into.
To purchase Masterwriter, visit
http://www.musesmuse.com/masterwriter-songwriting-software.html
where you'll find some more detailed information about the
program, and a special discount coupon to save you $70 when you
buy the program through The Muse's Muse.
******
ABOUT THE REVIEWER:
James Linderman lives and works at theharmonyhouse, a music
lesson, songwriting and recording pre-production facility in
Newmarket, Ontario. James writes songwriting articles and music
book reviews for The Muse's News, Canadian Musician Magazine,
Songwriters Magazine, and Professional Musician Magazine. His
writing is also featured in the James Linderman Wing of the
library at www.songu.com. James has a Canadian University and
American College education in music theory and composition and is
also pretty good at making up songs and playing the guitar.
Contact James at: theharmonyhouse@rogers.com
Back to Menu
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S p o n s o r M e s s a g e :
(Purchasing this service will help support both the newsletter
and your own music projects. Plus, you also get a great
discount! :-) )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MUSE'S NEWS READERS -- TAKE a FREE SongU.com COURSE!
SongU.com is pleased to make this special offer of a free
SongU.com course available to all Muse's News Readers (a $40
value). Come see for yourself why ASCAP says that the courses
offered by SongU.com "will undoubtedly help prepare songwriters
for any market no matter their place of residence" and NSAI says
we're the "next important evolution for serious songwriters."
To take your FREE SONGWRITING COURSE, simply go to the following
link: http://www.songu.com/suSponsor/musesmuse/ .
You can learn more about SongU.com courses, co-writing hookups,
industry connections and pitching by going to
http://www.songu.com/?sa=3 .
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M u s i c a l N o t e s : Songwriting Contests & Market Info.
In the interest of conserving space, I will only be including
changes to this listing in this newsletter. All other contests
and market information that have already been listed here, are
displayed at http://www.musesmuse.com/contests.html &
http://www.musesmuse.com/markets.html . Please check there
regularly for updates!
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ANGELIC MUSIC - IT'S A GIRL THING!
Angelic Music is the UK's first record/publishing label
specialising in female singer/songwriters. We have just announced
a competition to find a new flagship artist to spearhead a
compilation CD of female singer/songwriters from the UK and
beyond. The winner will receive a brand new Blueridge guitar
model br163 worth £500 and the winning song will be released as
the lead off single and will be promoted to national press and
radio by one of the UK biggest PR companies and the artists
invited to perform at the launch party in central London in
Autumn 06. There are also two free memberships of Songlink
International and two single song publishing deals for the winner
and the runner up.
Entries must be received by June 30th.
Go To www.angelicmusic.co.uk/competition.html for details on how
to enter.
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BLUES SONG CONTEST
Compo10.com together with Vantaa Jazz Heritage Association is
sponsoring a blues songwriting contest based on traditional blues
heritage. The first part of the contest is organized on the
internet during 6 weeks from the 20th of March to the 30th of
April on http://compo10.com/. Deadline for submissions is March
6th, 2006. A local Jury consisting of music professionals will
select out of the received entries 60 compositions + lyrics to
participate in 6 weekly competitions (ten each week). The winner
of each week will be invited to participate in the finals in
Vantaa, Finland on the 10th of June, 2006.
The Jury will award a grand prize of $3,000 (USD) to the winner
of the finals in Finland.
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ARTISTWEEKLY.COM WEEKLY SONG CONTEST
Enter the contest for free by using the code "MUSE". Your friends
tell you that you should have a CD. Your girlfriend thinks she's
dating the next big star. Your mom things you're the best thing
to happen to music since the 8-track. But what do you think? More
importantly, what do other musicians think? ArtistWeekly hosts a
weekly contest, so you won't wait a year for feedback. We are an
online community of artists and writers that offer you a virtual
"open mic night" where you can get immediate reactions from your
peers. Enter now at http://www.artistweekly.com/
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3rd ANNUAL LISTENING ROOM INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITERS RETREAT,
IRELAND - APRIL 22 - 29, 2006
The Third Annual Listening Room International Songwriters
Retreat, Ireland will take place April 22-29, on the Aran Island
of Inisheer, with confirmed participants including Alan Roy Scott
(Celine Dion, The Neville Brothers, Gloria Estefan, 'Top Gun')
and SongsAlive! founder Gilli Moon already lined up to join in. A
maximum of twenty international songwriters from throughout the
US, Western Europe and beyond will gather for an intensive,
focused week of co-writing and development of craft. The cost for
the week long event, including shared housing and meals, is 1000.
Euro per person. Registration is open to writers at all levels of
development who possess a sincere desire to grow, upon review of
their work. Limited to 20 students on a first come, first serve
basis, with spots confirmed upon receipt of a non-refundable 50%
deposit.
Further info. at http://www.listeningroomretreats.com/
This event is produced in partnership with career professional
writer Alan Roy Scott (Unisong International Song Contest/Music
Bridges).
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DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE COPYRIGHT KIT
Download Indie-Music.com's free and easy Copyright Kit. Print
Copyright forms, Copyright submission process, handy tips &
tricks, choosing the right form, and more.
http://www.indie-music.com/freemuse.php
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FREE SUBMISSIONS FOR FILM, TV AND VIDEO GAMES AT
MUSICGORILLA.COM!
Music Gorilla works with Bands, Musicians, Artists and
Songwriters to get their original material into the eyes and ears
of industry members who have the ability to take their careers to
the next level. We work with Reps from Major Labels, Indie Labels
and Film Studios. Our artists get access to free submissions for
film, TV and video games, they are eligible for free live label
showcases, digital distribution with MSN and Loudeye and more. We
don’t take any piece of any deals made on our site, and have had
many successes including placement, songwriting and publishing
deals.
Muse's Muse artists get 10% off of memberships!
Just enter the promotional code "muse" during registration.
http://www.musicgorilla.com/
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THE HOME MADE HIT SHOW, PLAYING SONGS BY HOME RECORDING ARTISTS
Tony Butterworth, a home musician and advocate for home based
music, has released his new internet based program, The Home Made
Hit Show, featuring exciting and original rock, acoustic, blues
and pop music made by home based artists. The Home Made Hit Show
strives to deliver top quality, original, home based rock, pop,
blues and acoustic music to its listeners. "After years of being
disillusioned with popular music, I was ready for a change", said
Butterworth, "After taking up guitar and making a few of my own
songs, I discovered a huge online community of amateur musicians,
many of them producing songs of a quality that simply astounded
me."
Please listen in and http://www.homemadehitshow.com/ and send songs and
comments to homemadehitshow@gmail.com
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SONGWRITING CONSULTATION SPECIAL OFFER:
Pete & Pat Luboff will pay for the phone call for Muse's Muse
songwriters who use the Luboffs' songwriting consultation
service. The service provides detailed, constructive song
analysis, answers to all your creative and business questions and
references to contacts when appropriate. Visit
http://www.writesongs.com/consults.htm for more information.
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INTRODUCING A SPECIAL WEBSITE PROMOTION PACKAGE ESPECIALLY FOR
MUSICIANS/SONGWRITERS
It's important for your website to be found once it's created. We
all know this. But who can afford the promotion a website needs
to truly make its mark on the web? Now YOU can. This package is
offered exclusively to Muse's Muse visitors only - and now
includes an Artist Spotlight listing! Do you have a website that
no one knows about? Do you want it to stand out from the crowd?
Now you can get it promoted for a fraction of the price most
search engine optimization packages would cost you. Visit
http://www.internet-marketing-mm.com/musicianpackage.html
for more details.
Back to Menu
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M u s e ' s C l u e s : by Irene Jackson
©1998-2006 Moonstone Productions All Rights Reserved.
Used By Permission
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Many songwriters, especially those who are just beginning to play
an instrument like guitar, often run into the problem of trying
to name the chord they're playing. When I was first starting
out, I thought I was actually "inventing" chords that had never
existed before. Okay, I was 12, what do you expect?
I still occasionally come up with something I'm not sure how to
name, especially when I'm working out songs for guitar students.
I'm not a huge theory nut, so sitting down and working out the
notes and then determining what to call the chord from there is
just too much work for me! A long time ago I came across this
cool little online tool, the Chord Name Finder
(http://www.gootar.com/guitar/) that has helped me quite a bit.
I've never paid much attention to what the rest of the website
has to offer because I only used that particular tool, but I'll
explore that later.
Essentially, with your mouse, you click on the fret positions on
the neck diagram provided, including open strings, and to the
right of that you get several names. The website recommends that
you choose the "shortest" name, which is usually correct. Down
the page, there is an explanation to the exceptions to the rule,
mainly 9th or 11th chords, but I'll let you read through that!
The names to the right of the neck also include the notes in that
particular chord. (root, 3, 5, for example). One of the coolest
features is that you can change the tuning of the guitar so that
you can find chord names for chords in open tuning! How neat is
that? The website also includes a chord finder, where you click
in the name of a chord and the diagram shows you how to play it.
Something it also does that other chord finders usually don't, is
show you where the root and the degrees are for each chord, just
in case you're interested!
When I decided to review this site, I realized how much else it
has to offer that I've never explored before. There is also a
chord name finder for piano! I don't think I've ever seen that
on the net before, although I admit I don't play piano that well,
so I haven't explored much to do with it online. And, if you
play banjo or mandolin, there are chord finders for those
instruments as well.
But that's not all. I also found that the website has a
tablature generator. I tend to use tab a lot for my guitar
students, but have also used it when I wanted to tab out my own
songs. Writing tab can be a very tedious job, but this little
tool makes the process so much easier. It does take a little
learning to understand all of the features and how to use them,
but the learning curve isn't steep enough to drive you away. :-)
There are purchasable programs on the site, including one that
actually plays tablature for you to listen. You just have to cut
and paste the tab into the program and it will play it back for
you! There is a chord name finder including sound, and
"especially for songwriters," a comprehensive list of chords from
any scale, so you can find all related chords in any key.
But the free features alone are worth exploring on this website.
The layout is a little cluttered and might be better designed,
but the content is excellent.
******
Irene Jackson is a performing songwriter from Victoria, BC in
Canada. Aside from writing, recording and performing, she also
maintains a website for songwriters that includes tips, articles
and a songwriter's messageboard.
Songwriting Tips: http://www.irenejackson.com/tips.html
Homepage: http://www.irenejackson.com/
Songs: http://www.soundclick.com/irenejackson
Back to Menu
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F e a t u r e d A r t i c l e :
Fear, Despair, and the Darker Emotions - © 2006 by Bruce Madole
All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission
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I had an attack of despair over the weekend. It came on the
heels of some really great news for a friend of mine - a serious
publisher perhaps taking a serious interest in his work - and I
was absolutely thrilled for him.
No sooner had I had hung up the phone, when that little voice
began to whisper in my head.
"You're 48 years old," the little voice said, "and you're going
nowhere. Nobody's taking that kind of interest in your work.
Why don't you just face the truth - nothing that you write will
ever be a commercial success. You are doomed to be invisible.
You will throw your days away in half-empty coffee houses and
other opportunities of your own making -- and all your life will
be revealed as an accumulation of delusions like the guano piling
up on some deserted ocean island."
Did I mention that the little voice of despair is not
particularly kind? Some days it's not so little, either. But it
likes to present itself as the voice of objective sweet reason,
like a friend that is only, after all, trying to help us face
reality -- and whose fault could it be that reality is not kind,
anyway?
Sometimes, I struggle with the shapeless, self-destructive voices
of my own subconscious.
I know what it means to struggle with depression. Sometimes
struggle is the wrong word - as though the ground itself has any
choice about gravity, and everybody walking on it, or the
inevitable contributions of a hound in the field. However, I
have been fortunate not to walk too often in the Valley of the
Shadow of "Who the Hell Cares?".
Despair is a tough one though, because it invites you to examine
your expectations about a pursuit that is generally unrewarding
in a whole bunch of ways, and infinitely rewarding in others. It
asks you to consider, "What did you think would happen anyway?"
(And, secondarily, "What made you think any of that could happen
to you?")
In my bookworm childhood, I dreamed of some kind of literary
immortality, of writing words that others like myself would
enjoy. I hoped and prayed to be published, and to do readings,
and book signings. I wanted or hoped to enjoy ... not fame,
exactly, but perhaps an enduring inch or so of shelf-space in the
bookstores and libraries of the English-speaking world. I wanted
to be, maybe not Shakespeare, but W.O. Mitchell or Dennis Lee,
perhaps.
In all my years of writing commercially, I was conscious that
doing such work might yield a living, but that it would not
satisfy my fantasies of a literary legacy. I've joked about it,
too - saying that I don't want my tombstone to read, "Gee, he
wrote a great manual".
Underneath the joke was fear - fear that I might never write
anything - be it a poem, a song, short story, or whatever - that
would endure, that minor immortality I once dreamed of. I just
wanted to change the world - is that too much to ask?
Well ... yes. But I'm asking for it anyway.
And so, I fear that I will leave that impossible job undone. I am
afraid, too, that if I should, by some miracle, write such a
thing, that it will be consigned to oblivion, unseen in a drawer
or unheard on a tape. I despair of the work I have already done,
and I fear that I will never work again, and I fear.
But then I remember. I remember, once, sharing one of my songs
with a performing friend and his manager, and how my song brought
tears to their eyes and just broke them up, touching them both in
some powerful way, if only for a moment. I am reminded that
greatness, or any kind of legacy at all, is not the point of this
pursuit.
I remind myself that it is out of my hands how the world will
receive my work. I remind myself that what I am compelled to do
is to write the best songs possible and then worry about their
commercial exploitation afterwards, using some other part of my
brain that is not exercised in the same way (and should not be
exercised at the same time).
In the end, I picked up the guitar and the pen again, and I
resorted to doing the creative work that I know how to do, trying
to find some new way to do it better. The voices of fear and
despair remain, like a ghostly chorus, and if I occasionally
listen, I will try to let them drive me once again to the music
and the words. To my work.
*****
Bruce Madole has been a longstanding advocate for songwriters,
and was a coordinator for 10 years with the Nashville Songwriters
Association International (NSAI) in Toronto. He is currently
working on the script, lyrics and music for a musical, in
addition to other writing projects. Bruce's song writing efforts
have since been rewarded with cuts that include recordings by
Johnny Reid, Eli Barsi, J.K. Gulley, Debbie Nelson and Dan
McVeigh. He has penned songs with such writers and artists as
John Landry, Johnny Reid, J.K. Gulley, Rich Baker, Carol
McCartney, Dan McVeigh, Stacey Lee, Wendell Ferguson, and Paul
Sheremeta.
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" O N S I T E " F E A T U R E D A R T I C L E :
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The Magic of Storytelling, and other recent lessons
By Linda Dessau (© 2006)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001068.html
Today's column is a slight departure from the topic of self-care
for songwriters; instead I'm going to share some reflections on
my recent experiences attending a local music festival.
Storytelling has been showing up in my life a lot lately. When
the same thing infiltrates my life from a variety of directions,
it's usually a sign that it's trying to get my attention and has
a message for me.
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MP3s in the Car: Understanding Digital Audio Formats
By Jerry Flattum (© 2006)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001067.html
An audio file format is a file format for storing audio data on a
computer. There are a number of different audio file formats,
with MP3 being the most common. This article includes an
extensive list of codecs.
-------
The Synthedit Revolution - By JJ Biener (© 2006)
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00001065.html
Jeff McCormick's Synthedit has brought the ability to produce VST
instrument and effect plugins to the masses.
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C l a s s i f i e d s & U s e f u l S e r v i c e s :
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LYRICIST VERSION 3: THE SONGWRITER'S BEST FRIEND
Lyricist is the first-of-its-kind word processor designed
specifically for musicians, songwriters, and poets. The software
includes a Rhyming Dictionary, Thesaurus, Album Categorization,
Chord Charting, Chord Generator, Song Arrangement, and On-Line
Copyright Link.
The new version 3 release adds support for "Piano Style" chord
symbols, Nashville Number System, and Transposition features -
all in one easy-to-use package - and all for only $44.95! (That's
$5.00 off to all Muse's News readers who purchase from the review
link at www.musesmuse.com/vss-review.html!)
This tool will revolutionize the way you write and organize your
writing. Be the best songwriter you can be and purchase Lyricist
today! http://www.musesmuse.com/vss-review.html
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BUILD A BUZZ AT INDIE-MUSIC.COM FOR ONLY $5/MONTH
Artists: Why join Indie-Music.com? I-M has been spotlighting the
best in independent music since 1996, featuring Articles,
Interviews, Reviews, Charts, & Streaming Audio in all musical
styles. Member Artists receive generous promotion on the I-M
website (2.5 million+ hits per month) plus access to our famous
original DIY resources, which have helped numerous musicians book
thousands of dollars worth of work over the years. For a limited
time, new annual Members receive free Lyricist and TrackNotes
software value $69.95). There's never been a better time to join
I-M!
http://www.indie-music.com/join2.php
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THE 7th EDITION OF THE INDIE BIBLE IS NOW AVAILABLE!
The Indie Bible shows you where to get your music reviewed, your
songs played, and your CDs sold. Now in its Seventh Edition, The
Indie Bible has 330 pages of valuable contacts and music-related
articles.
The 7th Edition of the Indie Bible contains:
4200 publications around the world that will REVIEW your CD!
3400 radio stations around the world that will PLAY your songs!
500 vendors and services that will help you to SELL your music!
200 sites where you can UPLOAD your band's MP3 files!
500 helpful resources and sites where you can PROMOTE your band!
52 articles that will help your career to MOVE forward rapidly!
Listings include web, e-mail and physical address, as well as
phone and fax numbers.
For details and to order online visit:
http://www.bigmeteor.com/muse
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REAL ANSWERS TO REAL QUESTIONS,
An eBook About Copyright & Publishing
If you want to know how to protect yourself as a songwriter in
this digital age, you need this book - EXCLUSIVELY offered
through The Muse's Muse. And it's now on sale for half price!
Visit http://www.musesmuse.com/realarealq.html to learn more!
=================================================================
ADVERTISING RATES: For Classifieds: US$50 Max. 8 lines, where
a line = 65 characters including spaces and punctuation. All
contracts must be prepaid. Write to: editor@musesmuse.com
For Newsletter Sponsorship rates and other advertising
opportunities, please see http://www.musesmuse.com/media.html .
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C o n t a c t I n f o & C r e d i t s :
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Jodi Krangle ............................................. EDITOR
Kathryn Obenshain ...........................GRACIOUS PROOFREADER
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The Muse's News is a free monthly newsletter for and about
songwriters. Subscribers are welcome to recirculate or reprint
The Muse's News for nonprofit use as long as the appropriate
credit is given and the ENTIRE text of the newsletter is
included (including credits and information at the end of each
issue). Others should contact me at editor@musesmuse.com.
All articles copyrighted by their authors.
Back issues and other information will be available at:
http://www.musesmuse.com/musenews.html
The Muse's News is part of The Muse's Muse, a web resource for
songwriters: http://www.musesmuse.com/
For further information, send your e-mail to:
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adinfo@musesmuse.com - How to place a classified ad, pass
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The Muse's News.
info@musesmuse.com - How to subscribe, unsubscribe, etc.
editor@musesmuse.com - To submit articles,reviews,ideas,etc.
SNAILMAIL: Please contact me first at editor@musesmuse.com
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Back issues of the newsletter can be read at the National
Library of Canada ecollection:
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