A Michael Acoustic Special "Links" Post
The links have been piling up over the holidays - catching up today!
Ed. - So heartbreaking to see the plight of people in the LA area - some now able to return to where their homes were - only to find everything gone. I’ll be making donations to several organizations as the recovery gets underway, but for right now, I’m donating to the Pasadena Humane Society at:
They’ve taken in over 300 lost, left behind, or injured animals since this began.
Editorial Screed: I’m certainly glad Fox News will be able to pay the light bill this year based on the sheer number of commercials for stuff I will not buy now even if I really need whatever it is…
I get people who watch Fox News need antidepressants and rectal cream and shitty insurance, TV dinners, really innovative brassieres, and whatnot. I will also say I gave CNN and MSNBC a fair shot. Even at a 5 minutes of news to 4 minutes of stupid commercials (yes, I timed it), Fox News coverage of the LA fires was unfortunately, better. Still assholes though.
From Music Business Worldwide - Copyright claims go international! The Ed Sheeran case seems to have calmed the waters a bit in the US, though we recently learned that parts of that case may remain on appeal involving different plaintiffs. This case from Brazil is a plagiarism/copyright case involving a song by Adele and claims by a Brazilian samba composer. May or may not go anywhere, though my guess (and only that from the sparse facts) is it will be quickly settled, just because royalties lost and legal fees might very well exceed the value of the claims made. I’ll update if I learn anything new.
Plagiarism Case Involving Song By Adele
From Soundfly - Mixing and frequency choices - more than a little esoteric, but if it’s possible you may end up having a conversation with a sound engineer mixing/mastering your music (or anyone else’s for that matter) - this is kind of a primer about the world they live in that the rest of us may occasionally visit.
From Songtown: Lots of interesting stuff
Between The Rhymes - How important is rhyme? There are different types of rhyme - a somewhat dizzying plethora in fact. Most songwriters, but not all, will be fine with not knowing which exact rhyme scheme they’re using, some will go to great lengths to find a perfect rhyme sound, and others can’t be bothered with rhyming at all.
See also: Rhyme and Rhyme Scheme
Can You Teach Songwriting? - Of course! Can you teach great songwriting that will be commercially successful? That’s a good, but very different, question….
Why Do You Write Songs? - I agree with every reason in this article…
Write Your Best Songs - A “head vs heart” analysis - gotta balance both, IMHO
Your Place In The Music Business - Where is it? Yeah, most days I don’t know, either…
Writing "Exercise" - The phrasing is awkward, but I get what they’re saying…
5 Ways - There’s lots more than 5, but I get the point
Essential Skills - You need most of these, at least to some extent - I remain skeptical of the value of the first one. The rest are good.
Blow Them Away With Your Songs - Some good points in this article, but I think the variables of “pure luck” and “good timing” are ignored. Sometimes ya just gotta be in the right place at the right time. Whatever you can do to place yourself in a position to succeed, you should do, but don’t discount the variables - “sometimes it just turns out that way” is more than a lyric in a Mamas and Papas song…just sayin’…
From Acoustic Guitar Magazine:
Nashville Numbering - If you regularly play and learn with real professionals in the biz, ya gotta know how this works. Even if you don’t play in that league, it’s a good skill to have, and makes you think in terms of music theory…
Don’t be scared - it’s a good thing!
From The Disc Makers Blog:
Themes For Songs - Kind of a grab bag list - not all-inclusive by any means, but if you’re looking for a bit of inspiration in your songwriting, this is a good place to start.
Do You Need An LLC? - The short answer is yes. If you write songs that you will release your own version of, or expect others to, you absolutely MUST copyright your work. Otherwise you’re just giving them away for free. Copyright is a matter of Federal law (cuz of that Constitution thing), and there are now three distinct copyrights: Composer: the person or entity that owns the rights to the lyrics and to some extent the music; Publisher: this has to be a business entity, and the most accessible type for individuals or small groups of composers is a Limited Liability Company (LLC), a creation of state laws, which can vary. Since the Publisher must be a business entity, an LLC is the most cost efficient way to own your own publishing copyrights - mine costs $60 per year in my state, other states may vary. Usually administered by the Secretary Of State office. The newest type of copyright is the Sound Recording, an audio file of the song.
How To Record Vocals - A primer
Publicity For Your Music - You’ll need it
The Resurgence Of Vinyl - An alternative to streaming, but is it cost effective?
Guitar Intonation - Yeah…I’ll have some of that, please…
From Liberty Park Music
Time Signatures - the basics, and how to translate from the British - it’s like they have their own language or something….
From Carvin Audio:
Footswitches - Where to get ‘em, and how to use ‘em…
Gig With Valuable Instruments? - Risk and reward….
From Blues Guitar Unleashed:
Dorian Mode - What is it, and how do I use it?
Getting Tones - Here’s where to get ‘em!
Soloing Over Bluesy Tunes - Just do it!
Parts And Pieces - Now put them together!
Double Time Strumming - Learn it, use it
Lonnie Johnson Lick - Who? Find out here!
From Wikipedia:
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the song “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and how Mr. Eric Clapton was the only non-Beatle to ever solo on a Beatles’ track. One part of the story was how Mr. Clapton thought the first iteration of the studio track wasn’t “Beatlesy” enough, and Mr. Harrison said it would be fine after they put it through the “Automatic Double Tracking” process. Here’s what he was talking about:
From American Songwriter:
Tom Petty's "Wilburys" Regret - The thing they didn’t do…
An Extraordinary Moment In Music - A John Prine story
Trigger - the one and only….
A really funny story that explains how I found one of my favorite songs. The article just calls it “a cover” of a Stones song, but it’s a cover by the fabulous and tragic Mr. Townes Van Zandt - kind of an important point that was left out of the article…
The Big Lebowski and "Dead Flowers"
Thank You To All Of Our Subscribers and Followers!!
Another Of This Week’s Conversations With Mika, The Cat:
She was quietly perched on the window ledge behind me watching the snow come down. I’ve been dealing with a cold for the past few days, and I was writing this when I suddenly sneezed. Apparently it scared the crap out of her and all I heard was frantic scrambling and she ended up just glaring at me like this….and kinda bobbing and weaving while glaring…
I couldn’t stop laughing, which really pissed her off.
Cheers and keep playing!!
Michael Acoustic
“It’s never really final - you just run out of things you can bear to change…”
Hmmm adt you say. Thanks for the links!
Really useful list of links.
That must have been some sneeze!
Hope you feel better.