Well, the title of this post is kind of a joke at my own expense, because I'm sort of afraid of other people. I'm not good in social situations and when I meet new people I do not make the best first impression. Either I'm so shy I seem aloof or I bumble over my words so much I just seem retarded.
This is a very bad thing.
In local music (where most musicians start, fyi) networking is an extremely important tool. Having connections with other local artists can help you find new venues, new ideas, new inspirations, and of course, more connections. Maybe a friend of a friend is a radio executive or an A&R rep, maybe someone's dad does the booking for Red Rocks and they're looking for someone just like you, or maybe someone you meet used to play in a town not far from you and can give you info on venues there. The first few are pretty unlikely, obviously, but the last has happened to me, and it's great when it does!
There's of course all the obvious reasons to have connections with people. You know, like friendship, companionship, hanging out, having fun, that sort of thing, but those kind of go without saying. Establishing, growing, and maintaining a network of likeminded individuals is vitally important (as in any job), and incidentally, one area where I have the least success. Therefore I don't have the greatest tips on how to maintain relationships and friends, but I think I have a few suggestions that might help.
Make your contact info easy to find. If you're at a show, have a mailing list sign up sheet or something, put your website/myspace/e-mail/whatever on the cd, or on a business card inside the cd case maybe. When someone comes up at a show and introduces themself, don't just shake their hand and forget about them, get their name, give them your e-mail or website. People matter, always have and always will. Don't treat people like fans. Odds are if you're actually taking my advice then you don't have many real "fans". They're friends, who also happen to like your music. Treat them as such. Don't alienate people by being standoff-ish or thinking you're somehow better because you play music. That's just dumb.
I've talked before about being personal with people, reply to comments on youtube/myspace/whatever, take the time to really read e-mails and respond to them thoughtfully. Aside from the fact that it's just plain polite and you'll be a nice person if you do these things, you also never know what connections someone new might offer. Maybe they'll have new song ideas or want to collaborate with you on a project, maybe they'll offer you an opening spot or a shared bill at one of their concerts.
In short, people are your friends, don't be afraid...they usually don't bite.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you found this at least remotely helpful.
-loren
Friday, May 16, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Radiohead Interview in Rolling Stone
hey everyone.
i just thought this was an interesting article, the different members of the band talk about every aspect of themselves from their home life to the writing process to the personal dynamics within the band, it's eight pages of musical geniuses proving that they're not that different from you and me and i really enjoyed it.
check it out here.
some of the stuff i really like is thom yorke floating the idea of no more albums, at least not as often or in the traditional sense. he says that with the success of the online distribution of their last album he's keen on the idea of releasing songs as they're completed as singles, or maybe in sets of two or three. that's really interesting to me, especially since that's the only way i "release" my songs at the moment.
anyway, hope you find something interesting in there, thanks for reading!
-loren
i just thought this was an interesting article, the different members of the band talk about every aspect of themselves from their home life to the writing process to the personal dynamics within the band, it's eight pages of musical geniuses proving that they're not that different from you and me and i really enjoyed it.
check it out here.
some of the stuff i really like is thom yorke floating the idea of no more albums, at least not as often or in the traditional sense. he says that with the success of the online distribution of their last album he's keen on the idea of releasing songs as they're completed as singles, or maybe in sets of two or three. that's really interesting to me, especially since that's the only way i "release" my songs at the moment.
anyway, hope you find something interesting in there, thanks for reading!
-loren
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Indie Recording and Mixing : Hometracked.com
hey, i just thought i'd make one more quick little post to let you know about a great website called www.hometracked.com. this guy (des mckinney) is a professional sound engineer and his page is all about little tips and big articles on how to be a better recorder/mixer/sound engineer.
from the "about" page... "Hometracked is a home recording weblog, filtering the mess of information for good stuff with a focus on the techniques and tips you need to make and market great music. Even if you record in a bedroom."
there's a list of the most popular pages on the right hand side of the page which is a great place to start looking, but the site is full of helpful information. anything from little tips about vocal eq to huge articles about plugins and equipment, as well as general tips for the indie artist (hmm....kinda like this site...maybe i should quit...) and i've gained a lot of helpful knowledge from it.
i highly recommend checking it out if you've got some spare time and you record your own music (which i'm betting you do, since indie artists generally don't have thousands of dollars to blow on a professional studio and producer).
that's about it, thanks for reading!
-loren
from the "about" page... "Hometracked is a home recording weblog, filtering the mess of information for good stuff with a focus on the techniques and tips you need to make and market great music. Even if you record in a bedroom."
there's a list of the most popular pages on the right hand side of the page which is a great place to start looking, but the site is full of helpful information. anything from little tips about vocal eq to huge articles about plugins and equipment, as well as general tips for the indie artist (hmm....kinda like this site...maybe i should quit...) and i've gained a lot of helpful knowledge from it.
i highly recommend checking it out if you've got some spare time and you record your own music (which i'm betting you do, since indie artists generally don't have thousands of dollars to blow on a professional studio and producer).
that's about it, thanks for reading!
-loren
Things You Should Do: Youtube
well i'm gonna go ahead and bet there's not a single person reading this who doesn't know what youtube is. a lot of you probably already have accounts too, it's just something people do. well, good. a youtube account with videos of your music is somewhere between a decent and an incredible way to get exposure.
if you don't have one, start one now. they're free and even if you never use it, it's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it, right?
my music account on youtube is available here (www.youtube.com/deadplant155). if you don't feel like checking that out, i have around 30,000 video views total, with three or four in the thousands. that's not that high by youtube standards, but it's a heck of a lot more people who've heard my songs than would have if i didn't have the account.
anywho. once you've got an account, what do you upload? well, video of your songs obviously. i upload both videos taken at shows and videos recorded in "the studio" (i.e. my garage). in the studio videos if you take the time you can get much better sound quality, but there's a quality the live videos have that i much prefer. you don't really wanna be one of the faceless multitude who upload videos of them in their bedrooms playing their favorite cover songs out of tune.
not that there's anything wrong with uploading cover songs, songs that people recognize are much more likely to get noticed on the tube and they can serve as a gateway to original content. there's also nothing wrong with recording in your room or your garage, just take a second to think about the camera angle, the lighting, the sound quality. try closing windows and doors to cut down on outside sound, get an external mic if you're using your computer to record, and turn on some lights. on digital video darkness doesn't look moody, it just looks grainy and distorted.
now this next tip is one i found out the hard way. don't upload a batch of twenty videos all at once. if you've got a dozen or so vids from a recent show, do maybe one a day for a few weeks. it's more likely that videos will get lost in the shuffle if you're uploading them in chunks. the other reason to spread it out is that while it's all well and good to upload fifty videos in a week, if you don't have any new content to offer after that for months on end, people will lose interest. a steady stream of content is much more important than just dropping a ton of videos all at once. it will bring in new views more consistently and it will keep your subscribers and repeat visitors happy as there's always something new to see.
this is actually a good overall tip, any online presence you maintain should be updated as regularly as possible. now i'm not saying you have to make a news post on your website or blog twice a day, but two or three times a month might be a good guideline to shoot for. if people check your website every day for a week and there's never anything new then they might not come back and you've just lost a potential fan.
one last thing about youtube. i don't actually know if this is helpful at all, but it's something i try to do to be polite. whenever i receive a comment on a video i reply to it personally. most of the time it's just a simple "thanks for taking the time to comment, i'm glad you like my video!" but if they ask me a question i'll do my best to answer it. i don't know if this gains me any views or if people maybe dont' even like it, but i feel like if they can take the time to let me know they like a video, then i can take the time to properly thank them. now, when you become infinitely more famous than me and start getting ten thousand views a day it'll become impossible to read let alone reply to every comment. i think it's an important part of indie music, however, to interact with your fan base and to be aware and appreciate of the fact that they're what's going to decide if you make it as a musician. respect your audience, it can't do anything but help you in the long run.
and that's about all i've got on youtube, hope that's a helpful post, thanks for reading, and good luck!
-loren
p.s. don't do any of that stupid youtube stuff like steal someone else's content or spam people or lie in your video's tags to try and increase your ranking in search results. that just pisses people off. seriously. don't do it.
if you don't have one, start one now. they're free and even if you never use it, it's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it, right?
my music account on youtube is available here (www.youtube.com/deadplant155). if you don't feel like checking that out, i have around 30,000 video views total, with three or four in the thousands. that's not that high by youtube standards, but it's a heck of a lot more people who've heard my songs than would have if i didn't have the account.
anywho. once you've got an account, what do you upload? well, video of your songs obviously. i upload both videos taken at shows and videos recorded in "the studio" (i.e. my garage). in the studio videos if you take the time you can get much better sound quality, but there's a quality the live videos have that i much prefer. you don't really wanna be one of the faceless multitude who upload videos of them in their bedrooms playing their favorite cover songs out of tune.
not that there's anything wrong with uploading cover songs, songs that people recognize are much more likely to get noticed on the tube and they can serve as a gateway to original content. there's also nothing wrong with recording in your room or your garage, just take a second to think about the camera angle, the lighting, the sound quality. try closing windows and doors to cut down on outside sound, get an external mic if you're using your computer to record, and turn on some lights. on digital video darkness doesn't look moody, it just looks grainy and distorted.
now this next tip is one i found out the hard way. don't upload a batch of twenty videos all at once. if you've got a dozen or so vids from a recent show, do maybe one a day for a few weeks. it's more likely that videos will get lost in the shuffle if you're uploading them in chunks. the other reason to spread it out is that while it's all well and good to upload fifty videos in a week, if you don't have any new content to offer after that for months on end, people will lose interest. a steady stream of content is much more important than just dropping a ton of videos all at once. it will bring in new views more consistently and it will keep your subscribers and repeat visitors happy as there's always something new to see.
this is actually a good overall tip, any online presence you maintain should be updated as regularly as possible. now i'm not saying you have to make a news post on your website or blog twice a day, but two or three times a month might be a good guideline to shoot for. if people check your website every day for a week and there's never anything new then they might not come back and you've just lost a potential fan.
one last thing about youtube. i don't actually know if this is helpful at all, but it's something i try to do to be polite. whenever i receive a comment on a video i reply to it personally. most of the time it's just a simple "thanks for taking the time to comment, i'm glad you like my video!" but if they ask me a question i'll do my best to answer it. i don't know if this gains me any views or if people maybe dont' even like it, but i feel like if they can take the time to let me know they like a video, then i can take the time to properly thank them. now, when you become infinitely more famous than me and start getting ten thousand views a day it'll become impossible to read let alone reply to every comment. i think it's an important part of indie music, however, to interact with your fan base and to be aware and appreciate of the fact that they're what's going to decide if you make it as a musician. respect your audience, it can't do anything but help you in the long run.
and that's about all i've got on youtube, hope that's a helpful post, thanks for reading, and good luck!
-loren
p.s. don't do any of that stupid youtube stuff like steal someone else's content or spam people or lie in your video's tags to try and increase your ranking in search results. that just pisses people off. seriously. don't do it.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Grey Room : Chords
hello!
one of my covers that i get fewer requests on the tablature for (but i do still get some) is grey room, by damien rice. i'm gonna go ahead and put those below for you.
here's video of my cover, for reference. enjoy!
C
well i've been here before, sat on the floor
_____F
in a gray...gray room
C
where i stay in all day, i don't eat but i play
__________F
with this gray...gray food
C_______________________________________F
desolate, if someone is praying then i might
F
break out...
C___________________________________F
desolate, even if i scream i can't scream
F
that loud...
Em_____________F
and i'm all alone again
Em____________F
crawlin back home again
Em_____________F
stuck by the phone again
C
well i've been here before, sat on the floor
_____F
in a gray...gray mood
C
where i stay up all night, and all that i write
__________F
is a gray...gray tune
C_______________________________________F
so pray for me child...just for a while that i might
F
break out...
C___________________________________F
pray for me child...even a smile would do
F
for now...
Em_____________F
and i'm all alone again
Em____________F
crawlin back home again
Em_____________F
stuck by the phone again
F________________G_____________________F
have i still got you....to...be...my...
F
open door?
F__________________G___________________F
have i still got you....to...be...my...
F
sandy shore?
F________________G________________________F
have i still got you...to....cross...my bridge...
F
in this storm?
F________________G_______________________F
have i still got you...to....keep...me warm...
F________________C_______________________F
if i squeeze my grape...and i drink my wine yeah
F_________________C_____________________F
if i sqeeze my grape...and i drink my wine....yeah
F________C_______________________
oh cuz nothing is lost, it's just frozen in frost
C___________F_________
and it's opening time, there's no one line but
F_______________G________________F
i've still got me....to...be...your...
F
open door.
F_______________G________________F
and i've still got me....to...be...your....
F
sandy shore.
F___________________G_____________________F
and i've still got me...to...cross...your bridge...
F
in this storm.
F_________________G________________________F
and i've still got me....to....keep...you warm....
F___________C
warmer than warm yeah.
C____________F
warmer than warm yeah.
F____________C
warmer than warm yeah.
C____________F
warmer than warm yeah.
thanks for readin' everyone, i hope that helps!
-loren
one of my covers that i get fewer requests on the tablature for (but i do still get some) is grey room, by damien rice. i'm gonna go ahead and put those below for you.
here's video of my cover, for reference. enjoy!
C
well i've been here before, sat on the floor
_____F
in a gray...gray room
C
where i stay in all day, i don't eat but i play
__________F
with this gray...gray food
C_______________________________________F
desolate, if someone is praying then i might
F
break out...
C___________________________________F
desolate, even if i scream i can't scream
F
that loud...
Em_____________F
and i'm all alone again
Em____________F
crawlin back home again
Em_____________F
stuck by the phone again
C
well i've been here before, sat on the floor
_____F
in a gray...gray mood
C
where i stay up all night, and all that i write
__________F
is a gray...gray tune
C_______________________________________F
so pray for me child...just for a while that i might
F
break out...
C___________________________________F
pray for me child...even a smile would do
F
for now...
Em_____________F
and i'm all alone again
Em____________F
crawlin back home again
Em_____________F
stuck by the phone again
F________________G_____________________F
have i still got you....to...be...my...
F
open door?
F__________________G___________________F
have i still got you....to...be...my...
F
sandy shore?
F________________G________________________F
have i still got you...to....cross...my bridge...
F
in this storm?
F________________G_______________________F
have i still got you...to....keep...me warm...
F________________C_______________________F
if i squeeze my grape...and i drink my wine yeah
F_________________C_____________________F
if i sqeeze my grape...and i drink my wine....yeah
F________C_______________________
oh cuz nothing is lost, it's just frozen in frost
C___________F_________
and it's opening time, there's no one line but
F_______________G________________F
i've still got me....to...be...your...
F
open door.
F_______________G________________F
and i've still got me....to...be...your....
F
sandy shore.
F___________________G_____________________F
and i've still got me...to...cross...your bridge...
F
in this storm.
F_________________G________________________F
and i've still got me....to....keep...you warm....
F___________C
warmer than warm yeah.
C____________F
warmer than warm yeah.
F____________C
warmer than warm yeah.
C____________F
warmer than warm yeah.
thanks for readin' everyone, i hope that helps!
-loren
Songwriting Lesson with Elliott Smith
hey everybody. today i thought i'd post a video i came across a few weeks ago of elliott smith talking about his songwriting process. of course the single most important aspect of being a musician is actually creating music! it's easy to get lost in the promotion and in finding gigs and making merch and managing websites, all the side stuff. every now and then i find i need a little something to jumpstart my writing, something to inspire me. sometimes it's just a good day or an event, and sometimes it's a magazine article or a video like the one below.
for those of you who don't know, elliott smith was an excellent and influential songwriter in the nineties and early 2000s. he died in '03 but his music is still being released posthumously to this day. he's been one of the biggest influences on my music (and countless others) and if you haven't heard him yet you've been missing out. this video doesn't go into too much detail but like i said, it's inspiring to me, i hope it is to you too.
thanks for reading!
-loren
for those of you who don't know, elliott smith was an excellent and influential songwriter in the nineties and early 2000s. he died in '03 but his music is still being released posthumously to this day. he's been one of the biggest influences on my music (and countless others) and if you haven't heard him yet you've been missing out. this video doesn't go into too much detail but like i said, it's inspiring to me, i hope it is to you too.
thanks for reading!
-loren
Thursday, March 6, 2008
All You Need Is Love : Chords
well, the other song i get the most requests for tablature on is my cover of the beatles song "all you need is love". so here it is :)
oh yeah, almost forgot, here's the video of my cover for your reference.
the chords i use are...
G - 3st fret E string, 2nd fret (or muted) A string, open D string, open G string, 3rd fret B string, third fret E string.
G/F# is used transitionally and it means a G chord with your finger on the second fret of the low E string, you know, like a walkdown from G to Eminor
Em - open E string, 2nd fret A string, 2nd fret D string, open D string, open G string, open B string, 3rd fret (or open) E string.
C - muted E string, 3rd fret A string, 2nd fret D string, open G string, 1st fret B string, open E string
C/B same as a C but with the 2nd fret on the A string instead of 3rd fret. use this one to walk down to Am
Am - muted E string, open A string, 2nd fret D string, 2nd fret G string, 1st fret B string, open E string.
Am/G - same as Am except with 3rd fret on the low E string instead of muted. optionally the G string can be left open.
D - muted E string, muted A string, open D string, 2nd fret G string, 3rd fret B string, 2nd fret E string.
D/C - same as D except with 3rd fret on the A string. optionally the high E string can be left open.
B7 - muted E string, 2nd fret A string, 1st fret D string, 2nd fret G string, open B string, 2nd fret E string.
INTRO
The timing on the intro is a little weird, with the signature repeatedly changing back and forth from 4/4 to 3/4. I'll put the beats above the chords to kind of give you an idea.
1____2____3___4_____1____2___________3
G________G/F#_______Em____(walk back up to the G : E F# G)
Love______Love______Love
1____2____3___4_____1____2___________3
G________G/F#_______Em____(walk back up to the G : E F# G)
Love______Love______Love
1__2___3__4__1__2__3__4
C___C/B____Am______Am/G
Love__Love__Love
1__2__3__4___________________________1___2____3
D____D/C____ (then just these notes, B C D D E G)
VERSE 1
G__________________G/F#____________Em
There's nothin' you can do that can't be done
G__________________G/F#____________Em
there's nothin' you can sing that can't be sung
C___________________C/B___________Am
There's nothing you can say but you can learn how to play
____Am/G
the game,
___D D/C (then just these notes, B C D D E G)
it's easy
VERSE 2
G___________________G/F#____________Em
There's nothin' you can make that can't be made
G___________________G/F#____________Em
there's no one you can save who can't be saved
C____________________C/B____________Am
There's nothing you can do but you can learn how to be
_____Am/G
you in time,
_____D____D/C (then just these notes, B C D D E G)
it's easy
CHORUS
G______Am_____D
All you need is love
G______Am_____D
All you need is love
G______B7____Em___D
All you need is love, love
C_______D
Love is all you need.
(REPEAT INTRO HERE)
VERSE 3
G__________________G/F#____________Em
There's nothin you can know that isn't known
G__________________G/F#____________Em
nothin you can see that isn't shown
C___________________C/B____________Am
there's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're
___Am/G
meant to be,
____D__D/C (then just these notes, B C D D E G)
it's easy
CHORUS
G_____Am_____D
All you need is love
G_____Am_____D
All you need is love
G_____B7___Em___D
All you need is love, love
C_______D
Love is all you need.
(REPEAT THE CHORUS AT LEAST TWICE, THEN THE LAST TIME JUST HOLD THE G CHORD)
G
Love is all you need.
G
Love is all you need.
G
Love is all you need.
and that's the end! hope that helps folks, until next time!
-loren
oh yeah, almost forgot, here's the video of my cover for your reference.
the chords i use are...
G - 3st fret E string, 2nd fret (or muted) A string, open D string, open G string, 3rd fret B string, third fret E string.
G/F# is used transitionally and it means a G chord with your finger on the second fret of the low E string, you know, like a walkdown from G to Eminor
Em - open E string, 2nd fret A string, 2nd fret D string, open D string, open G string, open B string, 3rd fret (or open) E string.
C - muted E string, 3rd fret A string, 2nd fret D string, open G string, 1st fret B string, open E string
C/B same as a C but with the 2nd fret on the A string instead of 3rd fret. use this one to walk down to Am
Am - muted E string, open A string, 2nd fret D string, 2nd fret G string, 1st fret B string, open E string.
Am/G - same as Am except with 3rd fret on the low E string instead of muted. optionally the G string can be left open.
D - muted E string, muted A string, open D string, 2nd fret G string, 3rd fret B string, 2nd fret E string.
D/C - same as D except with 3rd fret on the A string. optionally the high E string can be left open.
B7 - muted E string, 2nd fret A string, 1st fret D string, 2nd fret G string, open B string, 2nd fret E string.
INTRO
The timing on the intro is a little weird, with the signature repeatedly changing back and forth from 4/4 to 3/4. I'll put the beats above the chords to kind of give you an idea.
1____2____3___4_____1____2___________3
G________G/F#_______Em____(walk back up to the G : E F# G)
Love______Love______Love
1____2____3___4_____1____2___________3
G________G/F#_______Em____(walk back up to the G : E F# G)
Love______Love______Love
1__2___3__4__1__2__3__4
C___C/B____Am______Am/G
Love__Love__Love
1__2__3__4___________________________1___2____3
D____D/C____ (then just these notes, B C D D E G)
VERSE 1
G__________________G/F#____________Em
There's nothin' you can do that can't be done
G__________________G/F#____________Em
there's nothin' you can sing that can't be sung
C___________________C/B___________Am
There's nothing you can say but you can learn how to play
____Am/G
the game,
___D D/C (then just these notes, B C D D E G)
it's easy
VERSE 2
G___________________G/F#____________Em
There's nothin' you can make that can't be made
G___________________G/F#____________Em
there's no one you can save who can't be saved
C____________________C/B____________Am
There's nothing you can do but you can learn how to be
_____Am/G
you in time,
_____D____D/C (then just these notes, B C D D E G)
it's easy
CHORUS
G______Am_____D
All you need is love
G______Am_____D
All you need is love
G______B7____Em___D
All you need is love, love
C_______D
Love is all you need.
(REPEAT INTRO HERE)
VERSE 3
G__________________G/F#____________Em
There's nothin you can know that isn't known
G__________________G/F#____________Em
nothin you can see that isn't shown
C___________________C/B____________Am
there's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're
___Am/G
meant to be,
____D__D/C (then just these notes, B C D D E G)
it's easy
CHORUS
G_____Am_____D
All you need is love
G_____Am_____D
All you need is love
G_____B7___Em___D
All you need is love, love
C_______D
Love is all you need.
(REPEAT THE CHORUS AT LEAST TWICE, THEN THE LAST TIME JUST HOLD THE G CHORD)
G
Love is all you need.
G
Love is all you need.
G
Love is all you need.
and that's the end! hope that helps folks, until next time!
-loren
Brothers on A hotel Bed : Chords
today's post is gonna be more of a howto sort of thing, i get a lot (a loooooooot) of comments on my youtube videos asking for tablature or chords to the songs that i cover. i decided that since so many people seem to be interested in how to play these songs i might as well put them up here in case other people are interested too! plus now i can direct people here instead of typing it out every time.
oh yeah, here's the video of my playing it so you can have some context :)
i play it in the key of e, and the chords are a kind of C#minor 2nd, B suspended, A2nd.
C#minor 2nd = 4th fret A string, 2nd fret D string, 4th fret G string, and the B and E strings open.
Bsus = 2nd fret A string, 4th fret D string, 4th fret G string, and the last two strings open
A2nd = open A string, 2nd fret D string, and 4th fret G string, with B and E left open.
on all these chords I don't play the low E string.
so the intro is 4 beats on the A2, 2 beats on the C#minor2, and 2 beats on the Bsus. i play that two or four times depending on how long it takes me to remember the words, haha.
A2_____________C#m2______Bsus___________A2
you may tire of me, as our december sun is setting
_________________________Bsus___A2
cuz i'm not who i used to be
A2__________________C#m2____________Bsus__________A2
no longer easy on the eyes, these wrinkles masterfully disguise
A2____________Bsus
the youthful boy below
A2_____________________C#m2_________Bsus___________A2
who turned your way and saw, something he was not looking for
_________________________Bsus__A2
both a beginning and an end
A2_________________C#m2_______Bsus________A2
but now he lives inside, someone he does not recognize
__________________________Bsus_____A2
when he catches his reflection on...accident.
A2 x 4
Bsus x 2
C#m2 x 2
A2 x 4
Bsus x 2
C#m2 x 2
A2___________________C#m2_________Bsus__________A2
on the back of a motor bike, arms outstretched trying to take flight
A2___________________Bsus_____A2
leaving everything behind
A2___________________C#m2__________Bsus_____________A2
but even at our swiftest speed, we couldn't break from the concrete
A2______________________Bsus
in the city where we still reside
A2_____________C#m2______Bsus___________A2
and i have learned, that even landlocked lovers yearn
A2____________________Bsus______A2
for the sea like navy men
A2_________________C#m2_______Bsus_________A2
'cuz now we say goodnight, from our own separate sides
A2_________________C#m2___Bsus___A2
like brothers on a hotel bed
A2_________________C#m2___Bsus___A2
like brothers on a hotel bed
A2_________________C#m2___Bsus___A2
like brothers on a hotel bed
A2_________________C#m2___Bsus
like brothers on a hotel bed
A2
you may tire of me, as our december sun is setting
A2
cuz i'm not who i used to be
oh yeah, here's the video of my playing it so you can have some context :)
i play it in the key of e, and the chords are a kind of C#minor 2nd, B suspended, A2nd.
C#minor 2nd = 4th fret A string, 2nd fret D string, 4th fret G string, and the B and E strings open.
Bsus = 2nd fret A string, 4th fret D string, 4th fret G string, and the last two strings open
A2nd = open A string, 2nd fret D string, and 4th fret G string, with B and E left open.
on all these chords I don't play the low E string.
so the intro is 4 beats on the A2, 2 beats on the C#minor2, and 2 beats on the Bsus. i play that two or four times depending on how long it takes me to remember the words, haha.
A2_____________C#m2______Bsus___________A2
you may tire of me, as our december sun is setting
_________________________Bsus___A2
cuz i'm not who i used to be
A2__________________C#m2____________Bsus__________A2
no longer easy on the eyes, these wrinkles masterfully disguise
A2____________Bsus
the youthful boy below
A2_____________________C#m2_________Bsus___________A2
who turned your way and saw, something he was not looking for
_________________________Bsus__A2
both a beginning and an end
A2_________________C#m2_______Bsus________A2
but now he lives inside, someone he does not recognize
__________________________Bsus_____A2
when he catches his reflection on...accident.
A2 x 4
Bsus x 2
C#m2 x 2
A2 x 4
Bsus x 2
C#m2 x 2
A2___________________C#m2_________Bsus__________A2
on the back of a motor bike, arms outstretched trying to take flight
A2___________________Bsus_____A2
leaving everything behind
A2___________________C#m2__________Bsus_____________A2
but even at our swiftest speed, we couldn't break from the concrete
A2______________________Bsus
in the city where we still reside
A2_____________C#m2______Bsus___________A2
and i have learned, that even landlocked lovers yearn
A2____________________Bsus______A2
for the sea like navy men
A2_________________C#m2_______Bsus_________A2
'cuz now we say goodnight, from our own separate sides
A2_________________C#m2___Bsus___A2
like brothers on a hotel bed
A2_________________C#m2___Bsus___A2
like brothers on a hotel bed
A2_________________C#m2___Bsus___A2
like brothers on a hotel bed
A2_________________C#m2___Bsus
like brothers on a hotel bed
A2
you may tire of me, as our december sun is setting
A2
cuz i'm not who i used to be
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
ok. i know this is supposed to mostly be about how to make it as an independent musician, but i also want to dedicate a portion of the content on this site to discussing music. mostly music that i like, but also new music from up and coming artists, and maybe some stuff from locals to the central coast too. if you think of anything you'd like me to mention, just e-mail me at deadplant155@gmail.com.
onto the article.
there's a great article in volume 23 of american songwriter magazine about the new death cab for cutie album and if you don't mind picking up a copy i'd highly recommend it. if you'd rather not, the full article is actually available online here the album is called "narrow stairs" and frontman ben gibbard calls it his "favorite album that we've ever done." gibbard and guitarist/producer chris walla talk at length in the article about how the process was a much more organic one this time around than on their previous release, plans. "it just feels like an album made by a band, instead of a recording made bit by bit while the other guys are out of the room playing ... that just doesn't feel like a band experience." gibbard said.
narrow stairs is referred to as both a departure for the band and a return to form. gibbard and walla agree that it is darker than previous installments in the dcfc catalogue, but gibbard also says that his writing process on plans was heavily influenced by his decision to write the majority of the songs on piano. "i wasn't feeling very inspired by my guitar. for some reason, i would pick up the guitar and immediately put it down, as if it were broken. i think that album had a lot of piano, because it was the first time i ever actually owned a piano...so most of those songs were written on piano, keyboard, or in some kind of protools capacity." ben says that he made a conscious effort to make sure all of the new songs could be played on an acoustic guitar and that he "was making sure all of the songs had choruses and taking more of a traditional approach to songwriting."
the computer played an integral role in creating the band's last release, with very little of the final performance created live by a full band. though they returned to analog recording (rather than digital) and toned down the use of pre-recorded loops in the songwriting, protools and the like are still useful tools when it comes to experimenting with the arrangement. gibbard says the unlimited options afforded by a computer can be both freeing and overwhelming at the same time.
one of the sections in the interview i found most interesting was towards the end of the article when american songwriter asked ben about his songwriting process in general. he says that he didn't really feel his lyrical abilities come into their own until the band's second album, "we have the facts and we're voting yes" when he wrote the song called "company calls epilogue". "i had concocted this narrative of going to the wedding of someone that you used to be in love with...and i was very proud of the descriptive nature of the song." gibbard also says, "i want to write songs with complete sentences, i almost have this obsession with shortchanging words. i would never be so pretentious to say that my lyrics are poetry. that's the most annoying thing ever and one of my biggest pet peeves as a songwriter...poems are poems. song lyrics are for songs."
hearing about professional musicians and their struggles finding their voice or coming into their own lyrically is really encouraging to me, that maybe if i keep trying and keep writing i'll be able to find something similar. i hope you found that interesting, and i hope it got you as excited for 'narrow stairs' as i am!
thanks for reading,
-loren
onto the article.
there's a great article in volume 23 of american songwriter magazine about the new death cab for cutie album and if you don't mind picking up a copy i'd highly recommend it. if you'd rather not, the full article is actually available online here the album is called "narrow stairs" and frontman ben gibbard calls it his "favorite album that we've ever done." gibbard and guitarist/producer chris walla talk at length in the article about how the process was a much more organic one this time around than on their previous release, plans. "it just feels like an album made by a band, instead of a recording made bit by bit while the other guys are out of the room playing ... that just doesn't feel like a band experience." gibbard said.
narrow stairs is referred to as both a departure for the band and a return to form. gibbard and walla agree that it is darker than previous installments in the dcfc catalogue, but gibbard also says that his writing process on plans was heavily influenced by his decision to write the majority of the songs on piano. "i wasn't feeling very inspired by my guitar. for some reason, i would pick up the guitar and immediately put it down, as if it were broken. i think that album had a lot of piano, because it was the first time i ever actually owned a piano...so most of those songs were written on piano, keyboard, or in some kind of protools capacity." ben says that he made a conscious effort to make sure all of the new songs could be played on an acoustic guitar and that he "was making sure all of the songs had choruses and taking more of a traditional approach to songwriting."
the computer played an integral role in creating the band's last release, with very little of the final performance created live by a full band. though they returned to analog recording (rather than digital) and toned down the use of pre-recorded loops in the songwriting, protools and the like are still useful tools when it comes to experimenting with the arrangement. gibbard says the unlimited options afforded by a computer can be both freeing and overwhelming at the same time.
one of the sections in the interview i found most interesting was towards the end of the article when american songwriter asked ben about his songwriting process in general. he says that he didn't really feel his lyrical abilities come into their own until the band's second album, "we have the facts and we're voting yes" when he wrote the song called "company calls epilogue". "i had concocted this narrative of going to the wedding of someone that you used to be in love with...and i was very proud of the descriptive nature of the song." gibbard also says, "i want to write songs with complete sentences, i almost have this obsession with shortchanging words. i would never be so pretentious to say that my lyrics are poetry. that's the most annoying thing ever and one of my biggest pet peeves as a songwriter...poems are poems. song lyrics are for songs."
hearing about professional musicians and their struggles finding their voice or coming into their own lyrically is really encouraging to me, that maybe if i keep trying and keep writing i'll be able to find something similar. i hope you found that interesting, and i hope it got you as excited for 'narrow stairs' as i am!
thanks for reading,
-loren
managing fans, songs, all that jazz - reverbnation.com
ok, this post is concerning probably the most useful site i've discovered since i started playing music. reverbnation.com is an incredible band management site and is completely free. they will host your songs (no space limit), they host pictures, they provide a blog, they give you a tool to manage an e-mailing list and widgets for your website so that people can sign up to join it, they have a great show management system with a calendar and automatic maps, the list goes on. they offer so many services that i only take advantage of probably half of them, and it's still so much more than worth the time. not to mention free. did i mention it's free? 'cuz it is. it's free.
anywho, you head over to the site and hit "sign up" right? you're given the option to sign up as an artist, a fan, management, a label, or a venue. now i haven't signed up as anything but an artist, so that's what i'll talk to you about.
when you first login, you'll see a rather unremarkable profile page. the simple interface belies the power behind this site however, as you'll soon find. on the left side are "upload pic" and "edit profile" links, which are pretty self explanatory. to the right of where your picture will go is the music section, where songs you upload will show up. the top right corner of this section has the "upload song" link, and as i said before, there's no limit on how many songs you can upload, as long as each song is below 8 megabytes in size.
below this you'll find a row of tabs that control just about everything else about your profile, the blog section, photos section, the shows section (where you can add shows with directions, dates, and it'll automatically add them to a map!). i just think that's about the coolest thing ever.
the last part i wanna talk to you about is the little orange button directly above your music player. this buttons says "admin toolbox" on it and it's extremely powerful.
click it.
in here you'll have access to a suite of web based applications that will make your life a whole lot easier. at the top of the list is the one i use most, called "fanreach". this application allows you to add e-mail addresses to a list and enter information about each individual person such as age, gender, location, and when they joined the e-mailing list. it also has a rich text editor that has tools for hyperlinking and embedding images in case you're not too html savv. you can edit the look of the e-mail before you send it out, and you can choose whether to send it to your whole list or just to people in a certain location or of a certain age or who joined after a certain date. it's really really great, and in conjunction with the NEXT tool it's even better.
the other tools i use most in this toolbox are the widgets. these are handy little html based applications that you can add to your myspace, your website, your facebook, pretty much anywhere that lets you add html to a page and they'll do cool things! ok, so as an example, there's a "fan collector" widget that you can put on your website that's basically just a form to add their e-mail address to your mailing list. they have a widget that will display your upcoming shows, they even have a music player that you can embed on your website! the most versatile of all the widgets however combines all these options and adds a photo viewer and video player (did i mention you can link up videos on youtube with your songs on reverbnation?) all in one compact widget you can add to any page you desire!
since i joined this site i've gotten more use out of it than is believable for how easy to use and cheap (see:free) it is. i highly recommend it. this is especially useful if you don't have your own website, you can put just about everything you need on reverbnation.
thanks for reading, see you next time!
-loren
anywho, you head over to the site and hit "sign up" right? you're given the option to sign up as an artist, a fan, management, a label, or a venue. now i haven't signed up as anything but an artist, so that's what i'll talk to you about.
when you first login, you'll see a rather unremarkable profile page. the simple interface belies the power behind this site however, as you'll soon find. on the left side are "upload pic" and "edit profile" links, which are pretty self explanatory. to the right of where your picture will go is the music section, where songs you upload will show up. the top right corner of this section has the "upload song" link, and as i said before, there's no limit on how many songs you can upload, as long as each song is below 8 megabytes in size.
below this you'll find a row of tabs that control just about everything else about your profile, the blog section, photos section, the shows section (where you can add shows with directions, dates, and it'll automatically add them to a map!). i just think that's about the coolest thing ever.
the last part i wanna talk to you about is the little orange button directly above your music player. this buttons says "admin toolbox" on it and it's extremely powerful.
click it.
in here you'll have access to a suite of web based applications that will make your life a whole lot easier. at the top of the list is the one i use most, called "fanreach". this application allows you to add e-mail addresses to a list and enter information about each individual person such as age, gender, location, and when they joined the e-mailing list. it also has a rich text editor that has tools for hyperlinking and embedding images in case you're not too html savv. you can edit the look of the e-mail before you send it out, and you can choose whether to send it to your whole list or just to people in a certain location or of a certain age or who joined after a certain date. it's really really great, and in conjunction with the NEXT tool it's even better.
the other tools i use most in this toolbox are the widgets. these are handy little html based applications that you can add to your myspace, your website, your facebook, pretty much anywhere that lets you add html to a page and they'll do cool things! ok, so as an example, there's a "fan collector" widget that you can put on your website that's basically just a form to add their e-mail address to your mailing list. they have a widget that will display your upcoming shows, they even have a music player that you can embed on your website! the most versatile of all the widgets however combines all these options and adds a photo viewer and video player (did i mention you can link up videos on youtube with your songs on reverbnation?) all in one compact widget you can add to any page you desire!
since i joined this site i've gotten more use out of it than is believable for how easy to use and cheap (see:free) it is. i highly recommend it. this is especially useful if you don't have your own website, you can put just about everything you need on reverbnation.
thanks for reading, see you next time!
-loren
getting discovered - thesixtyone.com
ok. my first post is going to be about getting your music heard. now everyone knows that the internet has been breaking down barriers and making it easier and easier to get your product (be it music, art, or recycled popsicle sticks) out to the masses. knowing where to start can still be tough. most people know the basics, get a myspace or facebook account, maybe throw a video or two up on youtube, but beyond that, what are your options as far as socially promoting your music? well, i found a great site a few weeks ago that is dedicated to just that.
www.thesixtyone.com is a website that is all about promoting and discovering independent music. the interface is incredibly user friendly, the community is unbelievably supportive, and the quality of artists is surprisingly high. anyone with an e-mail address can join for free, so there are a few rare stinkers, but the site's rating system is extremely well thought out and it usually weeds through the garbage so that good music can get more exposure.
when you first go to the site, click "free account" towards the top right of the page. a popup window will appear and you just have to select whether you want to create an "artist" account or a "listener" account. artists can upload music, while listener accounts can "bump" (see: vote for) music that they like. when you select "artist" you'll agree to their little warning to only upload your own music, and then you get to specify your band name, the url you want (mine, for example, is www.thesixtyone.com/lorenradis), and an e-mail address (which they never spam!).
after you've got your artist account setup all that remains is to upload some music. this couldn't be easier, simply click the big "upload music" button above your profile towards the right. this'll take you to the upload page where you specify the name of the track, whether or not it's a cover (and if so, who wrote the original) and where the source file is. you can upload directly from your computer or from another website if you've already got your music online somewhere. at this early stage you should be able to upload three songs.
now is where the fun starts. it's a little bit slow going at first, but people will start to find your music and after they've listened to it they have the option to "bump" your song, which will cost them a few points and give you a few points. points are the key to getting heard on this site. as you accrue more points you gain higher levels, and as you hit higher levels you're allowed to upload more songs. the faster your songs gain points, the higher they climb on the "what's hot" list. i've had two songs on the front page and am currently level 13. the better your songs are, the more bumps you'll get, and the more people will hear your music.
so that's about it for this post i think. i've been on thesixtyone for a few months now and a ton of people have commented on my page, my songs, etcetera. it's been a great experience and in my opinion it's one of the better ways to get some online exposure. also, it's still a fairly young site, so now is a great time to get on board before it gets all oversaturated!
thanks for reading, i hope that helps :)
-loren
www.thesixtyone.com is a website that is all about promoting and discovering independent music. the interface is incredibly user friendly, the community is unbelievably supportive, and the quality of artists is surprisingly high. anyone with an e-mail address can join for free, so there are a few rare stinkers, but the site's rating system is extremely well thought out and it usually weeds through the garbage so that good music can get more exposure.
when you first go to the site, click "free account" towards the top right of the page. a popup window will appear and you just have to select whether you want to create an "artist" account or a "listener" account. artists can upload music, while listener accounts can "bump" (see: vote for) music that they like. when you select "artist" you'll agree to their little warning to only upload your own music, and then you get to specify your band name, the url you want (mine, for example, is www.thesixtyone.com/lorenradis), and an e-mail address (which they never spam!).
after you've got your artist account setup all that remains is to upload some music. this couldn't be easier, simply click the big "upload music" button above your profile towards the right. this'll take you to the upload page where you specify the name of the track, whether or not it's a cover (and if so, who wrote the original) and where the source file is. you can upload directly from your computer or from another website if you've already got your music online somewhere. at this early stage you should be able to upload three songs.
now is where the fun starts. it's a little bit slow going at first, but people will start to find your music and after they've listened to it they have the option to "bump" your song, which will cost them a few points and give you a few points. points are the key to getting heard on this site. as you accrue more points you gain higher levels, and as you hit higher levels you're allowed to upload more songs. the faster your songs gain points, the higher they climb on the "what's hot" list. i've had two songs on the front page and am currently level 13. the better your songs are, the more bumps you'll get, and the more people will hear your music.
so that's about it for this post i think. i've been on thesixtyone for a few months now and a ton of people have commented on my page, my songs, etcetera. it's been a great experience and in my opinion it's one of the better ways to get some online exposure. also, it's still a fairly young site, so now is a great time to get on board before it gets all oversaturated!
thanks for reading, i hope that helps :)
-loren
About This Site
Hi there. I'm Loren Radis, and I don't capitalize.
there, that's better. i'm a singer/songwriter and i've been playing shows locally in central california for about a year now. during that time i scoured the internet for some kind of resource site for indie/local artists that would help me (see: tell me what to do) as far as finding gigs, getting fans, writing songs, all that jazz. i never really found what i was looking for, and i suddenly had the brilliant (see: crazy) idea to make my own!
throughout my time searching for such a resource i did find a lot of very helpful sites that answered some, but not all, of the questions i had. the goal of this site is to bring the information from all these disparate resources to one site to make it easier for other beginning musicians like me to get started on the right path.
now, i've got to give you a little disclaimer, as i said i've only been playing out for about a year, and i'm by no means a success. i still have my day job and i'm still playing to crowds of about twenty-forty people on average two or three times a month. however, i feel that some of the things i've learned could benefit other people in similar situations, so i'm gonna do my best!
thanks for stopping by, and i hope you find what you're looking for!
-loren
there, that's better. i'm a singer/songwriter and i've been playing shows locally in central california for about a year now. during that time i scoured the internet for some kind of resource site for indie/local artists that would help me (see: tell me what to do) as far as finding gigs, getting fans, writing songs, all that jazz. i never really found what i was looking for, and i suddenly had the brilliant (see: crazy) idea to make my own!
throughout my time searching for such a resource i did find a lot of very helpful sites that answered some, but not all, of the questions i had. the goal of this site is to bring the information from all these disparate resources to one site to make it easier for other beginning musicians like me to get started on the right path.
now, i've got to give you a little disclaimer, as i said i've only been playing out for about a year, and i'm by no means a success. i still have my day job and i'm still playing to crowds of about twenty-forty people on average two or three times a month. however, i feel that some of the things i've learned could benefit other people in similar situations, so i'm gonna do my best!
thanks for stopping by, and i hope you find what you're looking for!
-loren
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