tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35808227288913419352024-02-22T02:38:15.584-05:00Jim Duff Music Blog Jim Duffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15733960231021178373noreply@blogger.comBlogger1048125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580822728891341935.post-87926097957864722362021-10-29T14:02:00.002-04:002021-10-29T14:03:49.555-04:00What’s the Best Garageband Alternative for Windows? Here Are 5 Options to Consider<p><span style="font-size: medium;">Click below to read new blog post</span></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="What’s the Best Garageband Alternative for Windows? Here Are 5 Options to Consider" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">What’s the Best Garageband Alternative for Windows? Here Are 5 Options to Consider</span></a><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/music-maker-screenshot-750.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="347" data-original-width="750" height="347" src="https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/music-maker-screenshot-750.jpg" width="750" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://jimduff.com" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="876" data-original-width="746" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRhyphenhyphenzfK9KzqVhhX7i1qI1yyN6uP9nVQJADYnHjrIhmXI24tJyvmt8a1tcM7lW-uzvRM5_dxsiUqyb_K54jPL8b-2vNnpEPzuDGJ9t3EpwbL3Yab8JDOoicwrysPhhiGnhSyBwa0eBzrLg/s320/amongsttheliving2.jpg" width="273" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-4203056-10386278" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-4203056-10386278" width="120" height="90" alt="Save Up to $200 on Fender at MusiciansFriend.com" border="0"/></a></div>Jim Duffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15733960231021178373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580822728891341935.post-66201726883570637682021-05-01T21:20:00.001-04:002021-05-01T21:20:37.030-04:00Back to the One<iframe width="480" height="360" src="https://youtube.com/embed/RKRQIAWu_7g" frameborder="0"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-4203056-10386278" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-4203056-10386278" width="120" height="90" alt="Save Up to $200 on Fender at MusiciansFriend.com" border="0"/></a></div>Jim Duffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15733960231021178373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580822728891341935.post-63930533006124854842021-04-20T15:33:00.000-04:002021-04-20T15:33:07.805-04:00Duff The Black Promo<iframe width="480" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/Iz2-fP-ztQU" frameborder="0"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-4203056-10386278" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-4203056-10386278" width="120" height="90" alt="Save Up to $200 on Fender at MusiciansFriend.com" border="0"/></a></div>Jim Duffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15733960231021178373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580822728891341935.post-88724746670656497942021-04-02T23:02:00.001-04:002021-04-02T23:02:20.863-04:00Lift You Up<iframe width="480" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/78lQlMUH0kU" frameborder="0"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-4203056-10386278" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-4203056-10386278" width="120" height="90" alt="Save Up to $200 on Fender at MusiciansFriend.com" border="0"/></a></div>Jim Duffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15733960231021178373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580822728891341935.post-52504105875747282002021-03-12T19:33:00.001-05:002021-03-12T19:33:44.244-05:00Lift You Up<iframe width="480" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/kycd85lUbEk" frameborder="0"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-4203056-10386278" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-4203056-10386278" width="120" height="90" alt="Save Up to $200 on Fender at MusiciansFriend.com" border="0"/></a></div>Jim Duffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15733960231021178373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580822728891341935.post-26782726430606601132020-12-01T12:50:00.003-05:002020-12-01T12:50:45.121-05:00REBELS WANTED<p><span style="color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 28px; font-weight: 700;">Hypocrisy flourishes where truth is ignored. Today, true renegades foster a love for truth, a bias toward action and a love for others.</span></p><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 15px;"><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">“We are in the midst of a Great Silencing, the quashing of all voices from both our present and our past. Liberal democratic America saw both communists and fascists, and many cult-like enterprises large and small, but never did any of them become so powerful as to so completely strangle the public discourse, or to so credibly demand absolute obedience to its core tenets from the entire mass populace, with such totality, as the ideology today known as Wokeness.” </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><a href="https://newdiscourses.com/2020/09/great-silencing-america-hallmarks-woke-totalitarianism/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #3a888b; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">https://newdiscourses.com/2020/09/great-silencing-america-hallmarks-woke-totalitarianism/</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">We look around to see a society divided. In this divided society, if we don’t share the point of view of the establishment, we may find ourselves bullied into silence. And if we are, why should we fight back? A wise person might sit down, shut up, and go along for the ride. We don’t want to rock the boat. If we express our own opinion, their wrath will fall on us. And we don’t want to be a troublemaker, do we?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">But in a day when too many people feel social pressure to keep their opinions to themselves, maybe it’s time for a new point of view. One where the rebels are the ones breaking the cycle of hypocrisy, finding truth, and standing for it. Bold enough to say it straight and winsome enough to win hearts and minds.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">The problem is, it’s not as easy as it is in the movies. We all harbor invisible impediments to action and brave speech.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">In the end, we don't act bravely because we lack the foundation.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">The real problem is that most of society suffers from an underdeveloped understanding of right and wrong, an inability to make decisions, and a lack of respect for those they regard as enemies. All of these things will stifle your ability to speak the truth effectively and rebel against the current state of society. Let’s look at them one-by-one.</span></p><h2 dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #6e748e; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 1.8rem; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 10pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">#1 Rebellion through Truth</span></h2><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">A firm grasp of truth is what drove many Germans to aid Jews during the Third Reich because it’s the only basis for bravery. Sure, emotion can fill the gap, but truth remains when emotions fail.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">These days, society tells us that it’s better to be nice than right. But truth is important. As Warren Wiersbe said, “Truth without love is tyranny, and love without truth is hypocrisy.” If Wiersbe is right, then truth is the foundation of love, defining it correctly. And truth matters because of love. We’ll get to love (respect) shortly. But first, let’s talk about truth.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">When you have the wrong beliefs about life, you tend toward inconsistency, contradiction, and hypocrisy. So how do you gain a firmer grasp on truth? Let’s talk about it.</span></p><h3 dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #6e748e; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 1.575rem; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 4pt; margin-top: 16pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">What gets in our way.</span></h3><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">A few things get in our way on our journey toward truth.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">You have to be okay with people calling you names. They’ll call you uncaring when you demand truth before unity. They’ll attribute bad motivations to you. And if they can find your weak spot, the thing you care most about, like your intelligence or fairness or that you’re a nice guy or gal, they’ll attack those things and try to make you defend yourself.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">At the heart of things, if you care more about what people’s perceptions of you than truth, then it’s no use talking about attaining a good philosophy, because if you’re honest, you don’t want it.</span></p><h3 dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #6e748e; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 1.575rem; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 4pt; margin-top: 16pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">What we can do about it.</span></h3><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">If you’re serious though, there are a few things you can do to pursue a firm grasp on truth.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Build a solid framework.</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> “Epistemology” is the framework you bring to the idea of truth. Most western philosophers will tell you that truth is correspondence with reality (or some version of that). If you haven’t adopted an epistemology yet — a model of existence that tells you how to recognize truth and error — then don’t waste time. Get one today.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Get solitude.</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> Once you have a system against which to measure your philosophy, spend some time alone with your thoughts and away from the noise of social media, the New York Times and whatever other voices are trying to push and pull you in various directions. You’ll find your philosophy more solid and complete when you refuse to be rushed.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Evaluate the current narrative.</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> Test your epistemology against the opinions of the day. Can those opinions stand the test of time, or do they make hypocrites out of us? For example, are ethics too situational in that what’s wrong for me might be right for you in 4 years, because you have a better reason or the target’s shifted?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">All these disciplines will help us to develop our ability to see hypocrisy in ourselves and in society, so that we can call it out.</span></p><h2 dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #6e748e; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 1.8rem; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 10pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">#2 Renegades of Action </span></h2><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">We just talked about determining your philosophy. Now, let’s apply it. When you leave decisions unmade, you allow moving parts in your philosophy, making it harder to make daily decisions. Let’s talk about that.</span></p><h3 dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #6e748e; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 1.575rem; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 4pt; margin-top: 16pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">What gets in the way.</span></h3><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Moral indecision.</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> If you haven’t decided that stealing is always wrong, you’re more likely to entertain stealing, even if you’re generally against it. So even though you may have a moral preference, you haven’t actually taken a stand. And if you haven’t taken that stand, it will — almost by definition — be easier for you to steal and excuse others when they steal to benefit you.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Society needs truth, and your disciplined action, through word and deed, will make a difference. But this is the true test of good philosophy. If you believe it, you will act it out.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Think of action as a diagnostic, telling you whether or not you really believe something.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Do you believe in right and wrong? Then let’s see you ridding yourself of hypocrisy, and let’s see society change because you’re building skill in having those difficult conversations with those around you, making them better as a result.</span></p><h3 dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #6e748e; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 1.575rem; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 4pt; margin-top: 16pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">What we can do about it.</span></h3><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Develop your moral standards. Sometimes action starts by simply making a commitment. Here are three places to start.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Personal values.</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> Develop your personal values. Set aside 3 mornings in the next 3 weeks to the task. Start by writing them down, and then review and revise them to ensure your values are sincere.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Personal code of ethics</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> (what do you never do)? Repeat the previous process, but develop your personal code of ethics.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Get outside accountability.</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> Talk with people you trust and let them help you discover areas of your own hypocrisy. You can offer to do the same for them in a kind of mastermind group setup.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Your solid philosophy and increasingly upright actions prepare you to be an influencer, both today and for tomorrow. You don’t want to wait until you need to take desperate action to decide the basics of right and wrong, and you don’t want to be flabby and unfit when the time comes. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Now is the time to start acting.</span></p><h2 dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #6e748e; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 1.8rem; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 10pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">#3 Courageous Respect</span></h2><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">People are frustrating. People who disagree with you are frustrating. It’s not easy to show patience. But a love for others — a desire to see them get what’s good for them — will anchor your conversations and, armed with a true and articulate philosophy, will win hearts and minds.</span></p><h3 dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #6e748e; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 1.575rem; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 4pt; margin-top: 16pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">What gets in the way.</span></h3><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Sometimes, we just don’t like other people.</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> We can tend to treat people like objects. One person said “Instead of </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">loving</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> people and </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">using</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> things, we </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">use</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> people and </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">love</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> things.” </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">You have to believe that the person who’s disagreeing with you is a thinking person, and has value. You have to really want to see them flourish and see the truth. And even if you’re more concerned with convincing the spectators than the person you’re talking to, your respectful attitude will show confidence.</span></p><h3 dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #6e748e; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 1.575rem; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 4pt; margin-top: 16pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">What we can do about it.</span></h3><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Examine your worldview.</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> If your life’s philosophy leaves no room for the high valuation of people, simply because they’re human, you might be harboring an evil ideology. Uproot it and find a better one.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Ask people close to you.</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> Find out how convincing you are? What gets in your way? Ask others if they think you treat those around you with respect. And then examine yourself and find out if it’s true.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">The consistent demonstration of respect toward others, not just because you want to make friends, but because you truly care about them, will find its way into your message, creating a kind of unity that’s not based on convenience or short term relevance, but one that’s based on truth.</span></p><h2 dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #6e748e; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 1.8rem; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 10pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Join the Rebellion</span></h2><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Hypocrisy flourishes where truth is ignored. So where are all the rebels, renegades, and truly courageous? They don’t exist...at least not until a love for truth, a bias toward action and a love for others makes a home in their hearts.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-b1bfe587-7fff-b959-2e02-80a88e6b29a2" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">When the world is choosing madness over reason, the real rebels are the ones with a firm grasp on reality through an understanding of philosophy, they carry with them the discipline to decide what they believe and apply it, and they show respect to those around them, creating an antiseptic to the poisonous ideas that are meant to enslave.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14.4px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #212529; font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;">Cole Harmonson</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14.4px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #212529; font-family: Open Sans, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #212529; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14.4px; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 7pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QCXTE-PkaqA" width="320" youtube-src-id="QCXTE-PkaqA"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://jimduff.com/jim-duff-merchandise.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="363" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9YBR5N7NpK9-bMxUDp2-CFcIar1s-VDxkrkkOnRmtgEBWkDdfvJrg7M3wSwY71v89kNZ0WGvJoisY-dNjQjTAe8MHjSb7wtYQoY6Fhyphenhyphen_Z-Xjma4kc4-i614UytvmGscxRYOYOBYv0oPk/s320/JimDuffTShirt+15off.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span><p></p></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-4203056-10386278" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-4203056-10386278" width="120" height="90" alt="Save Up to $200 on Fender at MusiciansFriend.com" border="0"/></a></div>Jim Duffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15733960231021178373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580822728891341935.post-4287764592927967512020-11-23T20:39:00.001-05:002020-11-23T20:39:36.843-05:00Don't Cry For Me<iframe style="background-image:url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_tOHQLtarOg/hqdefault.jpg)" width="480" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_tOHQLtarOg" frameborder="0"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-4203056-10386278" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-4203056-10386278" width="120" height="90" alt="Save Up to $200 on Fender at MusiciansFriend.com" border="0"/></a></div>Jim Duffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15733960231021178373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580822728891341935.post-8692638784833440922020-11-23T15:08:00.000-05:002020-11-23T15:09:10.161-05:00Solid As A Rock<iframe width="480" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QCXTE-PkaqA" frameborder="0"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-4203056-10386278" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-4203056-10386278" width="120" height="90" alt="Save Up to $200 on Fender at MusiciansFriend.com" border="0"/></a></div>Jim Duffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15733960231021178373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580822728891341935.post-45589772805144998442019-07-10T13:53:00.001-04:002019-07-10T13:53:37.973-04:00Gypsy Queen<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-g_rP_AxG1U" width="480"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-4203056-10386278" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-4203056-10386278" width="120" height="90" alt="Save Up to $200 on Fender at MusiciansFriend.com" border="0"/></a></div>Jim Duffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15733960231021178373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580822728891341935.post-67310339565999146532019-05-21T11:43:00.003-04:002019-05-21T11:47:14.102-04:00Songwriting Element That Will Build Your Musical Expression Skills<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivPHRLtzPYenSxWJpPmpsGlrnZFwT-7SaQSTJcTs3FIyqLtrL7jzfMVReVKr8sSTkJZCh-H49eBIhPzzIv55He0xwgtV4m1mHkSVvtlVvu7JKJRYIPrcNRC61j_yJJ_lBC_bGCrIbB1Us/s1600/download+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="169" data-original-width="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivPHRLtzPYenSxWJpPmpsGlrnZFwT-7SaQSTJcTs3FIyqLtrL7jzfMVReVKr8sSTkJZCh-H49eBIhPzzIv55He0xwgtV4m1mHkSVvtlVvu7JKJRYIPrcNRC61j_yJJ_lBC_bGCrIbB1Us/s1600/download+%25281%2529.jpg" /></a><span style="background-color: white;">Wish you could write music that fully expresses your thoughts and ideas? Many songwriters struggle with this for a variety of reasons. One of the most common reasons is they simply have not spent enough time writing music. Truth is, you will need to write a lot of songs before you can become a highly expressive songwriter.</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">That said, another major reason why many musicians take a long time to become better songwriters is they ignore one or more important elements in music. In this article, I will discuss one of the most overlooked musical elements, why most musicians ignore it and how you can use it to better express yourself in music. The musical element I will cover is the element of dynamics.</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">NOTICE: If you are currently thinking: “Dynamics? I already know about that... it only means making music louder and softer, that’s all.” ... Then you have already begun to overlook the unique creative qualities of this musical element (this is the same mistake that most musicians make). You see, many songwriters overlook the element of dynamics while thinking of things like which chords to use, how to write a melody or what song lyrics to write. As a result, they miss out on one of the most effective musical tools for powerful self-expression.</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">The following list contains some of the great uses for dynamics that will help make your music more musically expressive. When you fully utilize dynamics in your music, you will:</span></div>
<ol style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Create a totally new dimension in your music to emphasize each individual song section or musical part.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Make your music much more creative and expressive without even altering a single pitch.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Gain the power to drastically change the feeling of intensity in a song.</span></li>
</ol>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<b style="background-color: white;">The Fundamentals Of Musical Dynamics</b></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">In general, dynamics refer to the overall volume of a section in a song, individual musical part or note. To express the idea of specific dynamics in written music, the following symbols are used commonly:</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">/* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b>p </b>(piano) means "soft."</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b>ƒ </b>(forte) means "loud" or "strong."</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b>mp </b>(mezzo-piano) "moderately soft."</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b>mƒ </b>(mezzo-forte) "moderately loud."</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b>ƒƒ </b>(fortissimo) means "very loud."</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b>pp </b>(pianissimo) means "very soft."</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b>ƒƒƒ </b>(fortississimo) means "very very loud"</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">ppp </b><span style="color: #323232; font-family: "verdana" , "arial"; font-size: 12px;">(pianississimo) means "very very soft"</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #323232; font-family: "verdana" , "arial"; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<b style="background-color: white;">How To Use Dynamics In Music Tip#1: Giving More Life To A Melody</b></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">To make any melody stick out, emphasize it by using varying dynamics. For instance, begin the melody “loud” and gradually reduce the volume until the notes are “soft”. This technique is known as a “decrescendo”. Additionally, alter the volume level of different notes within a melody to make them contrast with each other and stick out. This is especially useful for adding interest to repeating musical parts in your songs. This will give you the power to express yourself in different ways without altering any of the actual pitches in your melody. </span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<b style="background-color: white;">How To Use Dynamics In Music Tip#2: Enhancing Musical Expression Through Contrast</b></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">By using contrasting dynamics you can quickly grab the attention of anyone listening to your music. For example, think about the common songwriting formula used in rock ballads. For the most part, the song will consist of softly played acoustic guitar and vocal parts. Many times, the introduction (and beginning verse and chorus) will contain no percussion whatsoever. Then, to provide contrast, the drums will begin playing during the second verse. As an even bigger contrast, the songwriter may even include a solo/break section with electric guitar (only to return to the soft, acoustic guitar parts once the section has ended). This simple formula is highly effective at gaining the attention of the listener due to its contrasting dynamics. You can also use this concept in your music to contrast not only entire song sections, but different notes within a single melody or musical idea.</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<b style="background-color: white;">How To Use Dynamics In Music Tip#3: Surprise Your Listener With Silence</b></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">One musical tool that is frequently overlooked is ‘silence’. Silence (or “rests”) is an excellent way to increase the expressive impact of dynamics. For instance, imagine if you were listening to loud music with headphones and suddenly the battery ran out on your mp3 player. This would instantly grab your attention and cause you to say “What’s going on? Where’s my music?” This exact reaction can be recreated by using silence to build up anticipation in the listener for what is to come next. Use this idea in your own music by experimenting with different lengths of silence in between your musical phrases to get different expressive results.</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<b style="background-color: white;">Common Situations Where Dynamics Are Effectively Used For Musical Expression</b></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">A very underestimated approach that can help you learn how to better express yourself in music is to study the scores of your favorite movies. I don’t mean you need to purchase the actual score itself and read the music… but instead simply observe the way the music is arranged with different scenes throughout the film. This will help you equate the emotions expressed by the actors along with the music and build your ability to express yourself better in your songwriting. Here are some common examples:</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Example One: Using dynamics to express an increase or decrease in emotional tension</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Think of a romantic scene where a couple is brought together at the airport. First, there is a lot of doubt on both sides about whether the relationship will work out or not (with very soft music playing in the background). After the couple talks for a little bit, they finally come to the decision that they must go their separate ways. Both the man and woman walk off and the scene cuts to the man walking out of the airport thinking of past memories of his lover. Inside the airport, the woman sits with her face in her hands, wondering what will become of her life without the presence of the man she cared for so much. Suddenly, they both have the realization that they were wrong... they will find a way to make things work. They both get up and start running to find one another (the music begins building in volume). They run frantically through the airport, trying to regain the last spec of hope that the other person hasn’t left yet, and is looking for them too (music continues becoming louder and louder). Then across a crowd, they lock eyes, run toward each other and embrace! In response, the music climaxes here and is playing at its loudest...</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Example Two: Using dynamics to create a feeling of surprise</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Visualize a scene in a movie like this: It’s 11:30AM and there is a businessman standing at a packed street corner waiting for the “walk” sign to turn on so he can cross. All around him you can hear the sounds of the big city such as cars honking, the roar of continuous chatter and street vendors yelling out to attract new customers (you can also hear upbeat music playing in the background to set the scene). Suddenly, the sign turns on and the businessman looks up from his watch as everyone starts crossing the street in a big moving mass – bumping into him along the way. He adjusts his coat and quickly makes his way across the street. As he quickly jogs across he suddenly trips and drops his briefcase... papers go flying everywhere. He falls to the ground, scrambles to pick them up and stuff them into his briefcase as quickly as possible while losing focus of his surroundings. Finally he grabs the last one... “Gotcha!” he says as he crams it inside. Then, as he stands up to dust himself off you hear the loud screech of a car slamming on the breaks as it comes to an instant stop in front of him.</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">At this moment in the scene, how do you think the tension would be resolved musically? A common technique used in this case would be for the music to quickly build up to a loud accent before becoming silent (to emphasize the same feeling of surprise in the scene).</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">Example Three: Using rests/silence to enhance dynamics and add a sense of mystery.</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">For this scene, visualize a horror setting with a character walking around in the basement of a dark, abandoned mansion by himself with quiet/eerie music playing in the background. The power is out and the character needs to find the circuit breaker to turn it back on. He finds his way to the basement, opens the door and slowly makes his way down the basement steps. As he walks down the decrepit wooden steps, they creek and bend under his feet. In this moment, man senses that he is not alone. “Is anyone there?” he whispers (the music of the scene quickly escalates from quiet to very loud). The man quickly turns his head and looks behind him (music goes silent) … Nothing there. He continues down the stairs and moves his hands along the wall until he finally comes across the finds the circuit breaker. He reaches into his pocket for his lighter. Hands shaking, he fumbles to get it to light and nervously drops it to the floor. Bending down to pick it up, he hears a creek on the stairs. “Who’s there?” he says, now in a frightened, demanding tone. After several seconds, the silence in the room is broken as he hears a low incomprehensible growl. The man’s eyes glaze over as his adrenaline sky rockets and fear pumps through his veins. The growl gets slowly closer and closer (as the music gets louder, building tension) until suddenly… a horrific scream! Then… silence.</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: verdana, arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">After reading the many examples in this article, you should now have a good understanding of the role that dynamics play for musical expression. By making dynamics a main focus in your songwriting, you will be able to write music that better expresses specific ideas and emotions while adding more depth to the individual parts of your songs.</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: verdana, arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: "verdana" , "arial"; font-size: 12px;"><iframe allow="autoplay *; encrypted-media *;" frameborder="0" height="450" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation" src="https://embed.music.apple.com/us/album/love-me-not/1457895360" style="background: transparent; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; width: 100%;"></iframe></span></div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-4203056-10386278" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-4203056-10386278" width="120" height="90" alt="Save Up to $200 on Fender at MusiciansFriend.com" border="0"/></a></div>Jim Duffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15733960231021178373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580822728891341935.post-34391803049669934082019-05-17T18:46:00.001-04:002019-05-17T18:46:02.599-04:00Addicted To That Feeling<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ai_jdjmkSZI" width="480"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-4203056-10386278" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-4203056-10386278" width="120" height="90" alt="Save Up to $200 on Fender at MusiciansFriend.com" border="0"/></a></div>Jim Duffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15733960231021178373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580822728891341935.post-11947359005609401702019-05-17T10:52:00.002-04:002019-05-17T10:52:42.233-04:00Influential Albums (Eric Clapton)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6sNKE4t7JcSeEOYSJUOybXIGFryRAo9RNWhrNFp-EK0Qgg67Ci5dh_MBwaWwfduZErq9B-D18CRTC8SSmuuJXCH2sUrvCTFZnncbzWBAm65ubOUBn0dcRKPxjC9f9FP4KbUU0esBtnU/s1600/20190517_101857.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #33aaff; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6sNKE4t7JcSeEOYSJUOybXIGFryRAo9RNWhrNFp-EK0Qgg67Ci5dh_MBwaWwfduZErq9B-D18CRTC8SSmuuJXCH2sUrvCTFZnncbzWBAm65ubOUBn0dcRKPxjC9f9FP4KbUU0esBtnU/s320/20190517_101857.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" width="180" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;">
<i style="color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;"><b>Slowhand</b></i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> is the fifth solo studio album by </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Clapton" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Eric Clapton">Eric Clapton</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">. Released on 25 November 1977 by </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSO_Records" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" title="RSO Records">RSO Records</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">, and titled after Clapton's nickname, it is one of his most commercially and critically successful studio albums. </span><i style="color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start;">Slowhand</i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> produced the two hit singles "</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lay_Down_Sally" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Lay Down Sally">Lay Down Sally</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">" and "</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonderful_Tonight" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Wonderful Tonight">Wonderful Tonight</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">", reached various international music charts and was honored with numerous awards and </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_music_recording_certifications" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" title="List of music recording certifications">recording certifications</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">. In 2012, a deluxe edition was released to celebrate the album's 35th anniversary.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Clapton wanted to work with record producer Glyn Johns, because he thought Johns produced great work with famous groups like </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rolling_Stones" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" title="The Rolling Stones">the Rolling Stones</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> and </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagles_(band)" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Eagles (band)">Eagles</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> and understood how to work with both British and American musicians. While in the studio with Johns, Clapton noted that the A-list producer was very disciplined and disliked jamming, because it would kill important recording time. Although Clapton and his band were intoxicated nearly all the time when recording, Johns liked Clapton's work and brought out the best in every musician, according to Clapton.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">The album was titled after Clapton's nickname, which was given to him by </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giorgio_Gomelsky" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Giorgio Gomelsky">Giorgio Gomelsky</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">. In his 2007 autobiography, Clapton recalled that the name "Slowhand" seemed to be hanging on to his real name, because it seemed to be well received by both his American friends and fans who think of the </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_West" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Wild West">Wild West</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> when hearing the nickname. The album's artwork was done by Clapton himself with the help of </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pattie_Boyd" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Pattie Boyd">Pattie Boyd</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> and Dave Stewart, credited as "El & Nell Ink". Besides choosing various photos for the inner side of the </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gramophone_record" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Gramophone record">gramophone record</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> packaging are two pictures, Clapton notes, which have deeper importance to him: one picture, in which he kisses Boyd and another photograph showing a demolished </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrari_365_GT4_BB" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Ferrari 365 GT4 BB">Ferrari 365 GT4 BB</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">, which Clapton bought after seeing </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Harrison" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" title="George Harrison">George Harrison</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> turning up with the same model at his Hurtwood Edge Estate. The car, which had been involved with Clapton in a car accident after the British recording artist finished touring in </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: start; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Australia">Australia</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">, nearly killed him.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em;">
<i>Slowhand</i> was released on 25 November 1977 by RSO Records.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-9" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slowhand#cite_note-9" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;">[9]</a></sup> In a contemporary review for <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_Stone" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Rolling Stone">Rolling Stone</a></i>, John Swenson found Clapton's playing more subtle than before but his songs sobering and interesting psychologically, especially "Next Time You See Her", as they showed him "in touch with the horrible moral power and long-suffering self-righteousness that is the essence of the blues".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slowhand#cite_note-10" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;">[10]</a></sup><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Christgau" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Robert Christgau">Robert Christgau</a> was less enthusiastic, lamenting how most of the record's best guitar solos were played by George Terry and feeling Clapton had regressed as a singer, "sounding like he's blown his voice. Doing what, I wonder."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-CG_5-1" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slowhand#cite_note-CG-5" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;">[5]</a></sup></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em;">
In a retrospective review for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AllMusic" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;" title="AllMusic">AllMusic</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Thomas_Erlewine" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Stephen Thomas Erlewine">Stephen Thomas Erlewine</a> wrote that the confident, virtuosic quality in the band's playing and the diversity of the songwriting made <i>Slowhand</i> "rank with <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/461_Ocean_Boulevard" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;" title="461 Ocean Boulevard">461 Ocean Boulevard</a></i> as Eric Clapton's best albums".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Allmusic_2-1" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slowhand#cite_note-Allmusic-2" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;">[2]</a></sup> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahoo!_Music" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Yahoo! Music">Yahoo! Music</a>'s Dave DiMartino said the record was full of hits and "tasteful" music.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slowhand#cite_note-11" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;">[11]</a></sup> In 2003, <i>Slowhand</i> was ranked number 325 on <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_Stone" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Rolling Stone">Rolling Stone</a></i><span class="nowrap" style="padding-left: 0.1em; white-space: nowrap;">'</span>s list of <a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_500_Greatest_Albums_of_All_Time" style="background: none; color: #0b0080; text-decoration-line: none;" title="The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time">The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time</a>.</div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-4203056-10386278" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-4203056-10386278" width="120" height="90" alt="Save Up to $200 on Fender at MusiciansFriend.com" border="0"/></a></div>Jim Duffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15733960231021178373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580822728891341935.post-71167736149128417572019-05-04T14:39:00.002-04:002019-05-06T08:44:36.706-04:00The Art of Writing a Good Song<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI2OIekPdw_7CWI92xnV6hdc6_Wbm5FuKCCBCYohZi2gWaXOrsLvdTc7qJ_iSiYpHZezdrcguuYQZH5Wa5L84gdxWCD_QGNEEW8PwBmheVxXJChZZ7LOkbhkj3qXATc2C0jXg_4V2KNgI/s1600/songwrt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI2OIekPdw_7CWI92xnV6hdc6_Wbm5FuKCCBCYohZi2gWaXOrsLvdTc7qJ_iSiYpHZezdrcguuYQZH5Wa5L84gdxWCD_QGNEEW8PwBmheVxXJChZZ7LOkbhkj3qXATc2C0jXg_4V2KNgI/s1600/songwrt.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "arial";"><b style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial;">Did you know that good songwriting is often the key to establishing a successful music career? But more than that, it can be fun! When you write a song you are able to express yourself in new and creative ways. Whether you're sad, happy, angry, or in love... with words, you can fly!</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , "arial";"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , "arial";">Freedom of expression is one of the greatest privileges we have, but with it comes some responsibility. Words are very powerful and have been used successfully by many for better, or worse. When writing a song,consider how your words are going to impact your listener. Do you wish to alienate them, or draw them into your perspective on things? </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, arial;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , "arial";">A good song will create an emotional reaction in people, and that's exactly what you're trying to achieve! You want to get your listener to feel with you. You want to move them emotionally. You want them to like your song and be willing to listen to it again and again. If you can get your audience to identify with you on some level, you will be on the road to creating a good song. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, arial;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , "arial";">As you are stirring up your creative juices you may discover that finding just the RIGHT word is sometimes a bit frustrating. But with the RIGHT songwriting tips and resources it becomes a lot easier! Here are three of the most important songwriting tools you should have:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, arial;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , "arial";">1. DICTIONARY - A dictionary is essential when writing. Besides giving you the correct meaning of a word, it will also help you to express yourself more clearly. You will discover new words while expanding your vocabulary too! </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, arial;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , "arial";">2. THESAURUS - A thesaurus is another important tool to help with creating your songwriting material. You can use a thesaurus to find different words that have similiar meaning. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, arial;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , "arial";">3. RYHMING DICTIONARY - As the name implies, a ryhming dictionary organizes words that ryhme in alphabetical order using the vowel sounds A E I O U. For example, if you were looking for a word that ryhmes with Abel you would look under A sounds. Words ryhming with Abel would be listed in alphabetical order. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, arial;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , "arial";">There isn't really a secret formula for writing a good song because determining what is "good" is subjective and a matter of personal opinion (some great songs have broken all the so called "rules"). However, many successful songwriters have used the following format to write a "Hit" song: </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, arial;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="font-family: verdana, arial;">INTRO:</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "arial";"> Approximately 4-8 measures of instrumental music that contains part or all of "the hook" (a part of the melody that is easy to remember). </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, arial;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="font-family: verdana, arial;">VERSE:</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "arial";"> Each verse should be written in such a way as to "set up" the chorus. Try to keep the meter of your song even by matching the syllables of your words. Be consistant with the sentences that rhyme. Verses should create an anticipation of fulfillfment. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, arial;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="font-family: verdana, arial;">CHORUS:</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "arial";"> This is where you make your statement. Stress the most important part of your song and make it tasty. Think of your chorus or "hook" as being like the icing on a cake. You want your words to be worth remembering. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, arial;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="font-family: verdana, arial;">VERSE:</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "arial";"> Continue to follow the idea of your song all the way through, don't get side-tracked! </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, arial;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="font-family: verdana, arial;">BRIDGE:</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "arial";"> This is where you can create some interest and tension by changing your melody line, modulating to a different key, or adding an instrumental guitar part, etc. Don't make it too long, approximately 8 measures or so. It should build or crescendo to the final chorus. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, arial;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="font-family: verdana, arial;">FADE CHORUS:</b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "arial";"> This is generally the same as your first chorus, but you will end by repeating it over and over, then gradually fade out to end your song. Use your "hook" generously, but don't over-kill! </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, arial;" /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , "arial";">Be flexible and use your imagination! Don't just copy or mimic what is currently popular. Remember that some of the biggest names in the music business made it to the top because they were not afraid to be </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "arial";"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "arial";">ORIGINAL or have a different sound. So, experiment, be yourself</span><a href="http://www.articlesfactory.com/articles/writing/the-art-of-writing-a-good-song.html" style="font-family: verdana, arial;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://www.articlesfactory.com/pic/x.gif" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "arial";">, and most of all- have fun!</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "arial";"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: #f8f8f8; color: #323232; font-family: "verdana" , "arial"; font-size: 12px;">Kathy Unruh</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #f8f8f8; color: #323232; font-family: "verdana" , "arial"; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ud58B6mdHXE" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-4203056-10386278" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-4203056-10386278" width="120" height="90" alt="Save Up to $200 on Fender at MusiciansFriend.com" border="0"/></a></div>Jim Duffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15733960231021178373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580822728891341935.post-48580460445888072982019-05-03T16:37:00.001-04:002019-05-03T16:37:03.958-04:00Small Town AngelI want to share a new video with y'all! This song is about an unbridled spirit, and since the Kentucky Derby is this Saturday, I thought it wold be appropriate. <br /><br />
<br /><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SPeUYPJRws4" width="480"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-4203056-10386278" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-4203056-10386278" width="120" height="90" alt="Save Up to $200 on Fender at MusiciansFriend.com" border="0"/></a></div>Jim Duffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15733960231021178373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580822728891341935.post-37114929972343432322019-04-27T20:57:00.001-04:002019-04-27T20:57:10.670-04:00Jim Duff "Don't Cry For Me" LIVE at SHEYEGIRL COFFEE CO.<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ud58B6mdHXE" width="480"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-4203056-10386278" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-4203056-10386278" width="120" height="90" alt="Save Up to $200 on Fender at MusiciansFriend.com" border="0"/></a></div>Jim Duffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15733960231021178373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580822728891341935.post-9097547672615736032019-04-09T17:06:00.001-04:002019-04-09T17:06:19.089-04:00Playing a little diddy in the hotel room<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/B6oVq5uMwGk" width="459"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-4203056-10386278" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-4203056-10386278" width="120" height="90" alt="Save Up to $200 on Fender at MusiciansFriend.com" border="0"/></a></div>Jim Duffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15733960231021178373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580822728891341935.post-18635848176753482352019-04-05T14:25:00.001-04:002019-04-05T14:29:48.889-04:009 Practices to Improve your Songwriting Ability<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">My life goes through cycles, and some years I am more musically productive than others. I have been reflecting on what things I do that keep me creative and productive, and I came up with these 10 practices that help to juice up my creative ability. My hope is that you might benefit from these tips as well.</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynjb6q1WLjSLT-P9gQC0WDRnYJziVL0hVaOBAFa6eQfCJ5g-8EWANqeG46Q39udxMh_sqyyFZverFl_6Bab1iSXufoowOimDlCsjokOIuXFm7nmXxZNDtiQZF9mlD4sL8WHR0nmJSr1s/s1600/images+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiynjb6q1WLjSLT-P9gQC0WDRnYJziVL0hVaOBAFa6eQfCJ5g-8EWANqeG46Q39udxMh_sqyyFZverFl_6Bab1iSXufoowOimDlCsjokOIuXFm7nmXxZNDtiQZF9mlD4sL8WHR0nmJSr1s/s1600/images+%25281%2529.jpg" /></a><span style="background-color: white;"> 1. Listen to a variety of music. When you make time to listen to others’ music, it gives my creativity a jump start. It’s kind of like eating – try to digest a variety of music to give yourself a balanced diet of inspiration. When listening, your subconscious picks up nuances and riffs and tone, and later when writing your own music, you can find yourself writing much more fluently.</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">2. Practice singing harmony. One of the best abilities that you can develop as a songwriter is to be able to sing harmony on the fly. As you drive in your car, practice singing harmony to the music you’re listening to. Singing harmony on the fly is really an act of composition, and as you become more fluent, it will help your composition ability.</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">3. Keep a digital recorder with you. Make a habit to keep a digital recorder with you at all times. You never know when a great new melody might come to you, and you may even find that your're more likely to come up with a melody if you have a recorder with you. I especially recommend having one by your bed; I find that I will often wake up with a song running through my head, and having a recorder near enables me to get the melody down.</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">4. Practice your instrument while watching a movie. Practice jazz chords and scales while watching DVD’s, and I find that multitasking in this way helps to make my playing more fluent. </span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">5. Make time to jam with others. Even if you’re not in a group, make time to jam with musician friends. I find that looking forward to a jam session helps me to be a bit more creative – I want to have a song to share, and I tend to write more under a little pressure.</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">6. Find encouragers. It’s really important to find a few people who like your music and can encourage you. Writing music is a very personal act, and it’s hard to produce when you don’t get any positive feedback. Having friends who really enjoy my music and who can give me encouragement helps to keep me motivated.</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">7. Read poems and short stories. In the same what that I try to digest a variety of music, I also make an effort to read poetry and short stories. I find that tuning in to others’ imagination through reading helps me to be more imaginative, which helps my lyric writing ability=</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">8. Improvise Melodies while alternating between two chords of accompaniment. I have found this exercise to be an impetus to writing good melodies: with my left hand, I alternate between two chords, and with my right hand I improvise melodies. Again, practicing writing music on the fly helps to keep me creative.</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">9. Develop your ability to think in multiple lines of instrumentation. When music is going through your head, try to stretch your composition ability by thinking in multiple lines of music. It takes effort, but the more lines of instrumentation you are able to hold in your mind, the better you will be able to compose when it comes time to write.</span></div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: Verdana, Arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<div style="color: #323232; font-family: verdana, arial; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">By taking time to practice these disciplines, I hope that you will find your song-writing ability increasing.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #323232; font-family: "verdana" , "arial";"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s1ChSThSO8k" width="560"></iframe></span></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-4203056-10386278" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-4203056-10386278" width="120" height="90" alt="Save Up to $200 on Fender at MusiciansFriend.com" border="0"/></a></div>Jim Duffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15733960231021178373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580822728891341935.post-24295944108758567822019-04-02T20:33:00.001-04:002019-04-02T20:33:43.665-04:00Take My Heart<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JxKCPyP7Vw0" width="480"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-4203056-10386278" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-4203056-10386278" width="120" height="90" alt="Save Up to $200 on Fender at MusiciansFriend.com" border="0"/></a></div>Jim Duffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15733960231021178373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580822728891341935.post-89584932064283632272019-04-02T19:42:00.001-04:002019-04-02T19:42:14.102-04:00Looking For Greater Things<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h3yPbDmcYZk" width="480"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-4203056-10386278" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-4203056-10386278" width="120" height="90" alt="Save Up to $200 on Fender at MusiciansFriend.com" border="0"/></a></div>Jim Duffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15733960231021178373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580822728891341935.post-25872306540175934512019-04-02T18:32:00.001-04:002019-04-02T18:32:15.319-04:00Never Getting Over You<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P2872Q7X-z4" width="480"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-4203056-10386278" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-4203056-10386278" width="120" height="90" alt="Save Up to $200 on Fender at MusiciansFriend.com" border="0"/></a></div>Jim Duffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15733960231021178373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580822728891341935.post-26481553291185859112019-04-02T18:11:00.001-04:002019-04-02T18:11:16.151-04:00Hit The Ground Running<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/F8cFz-QXNQQ" width="480"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-4203056-10386278" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-4203056-10386278" width="120" height="90" alt="Save Up to $200 on Fender at MusiciansFriend.com" border="0"/></a></div>Jim Duffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15733960231021178373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580822728891341935.post-11758617398962950112019-04-02T17:52:00.001-04:002019-04-02T17:52:54.217-04:00Cincinnati<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0bJJ993SRKg" width="480"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-4203056-10386278" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-4203056-10386278" width="120" height="90" alt="Save Up to $200 on Fender at MusiciansFriend.com" border="0"/></a></div>Jim Duffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15733960231021178373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580822728891341935.post-3880298846293131132019-04-02T17:29:00.001-04:002019-04-02T17:29:07.449-04:00Texas Will Have To Wait<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iMZU37zptbU" width="480"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-4203056-10386278" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-4203056-10386278" width="120" height="90" alt="Save Up to $200 on Fender at MusiciansFriend.com" border="0"/></a></div>Jim Duffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15733960231021178373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580822728891341935.post-43522277406861764372019-04-01T18:11:00.001-04:002019-04-01T18:11:36.422-04:00Jim Duff Don't Cry For Me<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s1ChSThSO8k" width="480"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-4203056-10386278" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-4203056-10386278" width="120" height="90" alt="Save Up to $200 on Fender at MusiciansFriend.com" border="0"/></a></div>Jim Duffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15733960231021178373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3580822728891341935.post-57452891146406306922019-03-28T13:01:00.002-04:002019-03-28T13:02:51.685-04:00New Record "Love Me Not" <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/love-me-not/1457895360" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1082" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcUJrMv6-B_BHWh3ToPcUPyvHgQPUmZM72g1PBCTWI6y5jwnTbLiCDQKXUSRLaZfHg81zdgiAux9bJPNIwAmUSW5lDOctkbgdTOrqSuRSvl8Vn5s0OVhGrhlNjIrWqwiQGTHX-5fvbTN0/s320/Love+Me+Not+Album+Cover.jpg" width="216" /></a><span id="goog_1904941909"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1904941910"></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
Its finally up on iTunes! Please take time to click over to iTunes and checkout my new record. The album has 9 new tunes that I have written and recorded over the past 7 years. I also included a cover tune of the Allman Brothers Band, "One Way Out." The album is also available on AMAZON, Spotify, and You Tube. Thank you Trace Cress for the album cover art work.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
I'm on my way to Texas to play and promote this new record. I hope to see some familiar faces along the way. I<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;"> want to thank <a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1508414457&extragetparams=%7B%22__tn__%22%3A%22%2CdK-R-R%22%2C%22eid%22%3A%22ARCFpsMoBMB-aSFDSkyITHzA2Qv7LCNweOhjD48lWt1E568tFO8ZfBgkRsU2JncWtpFUQNhHQhCdvO2L%22%2C%22fref%22%3A%22mentions%22%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/clararae.haught?__tn__=K-R&eid=ARCFpsMoBMB-aSFDSkyITHzA2Qv7LCNweOhjD48lWt1E568tFO8ZfBgkRsU2JncWtpFUQNhHQhCdvO2L&fref=mentions&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARBA0mReIT5LA-TV6jElWpvTtqXBqGQAmWwcHiiusxcESM8iIQ7j99tXb-pTbdpP9wiaQ5g4eatH3agy5CkelteSexKO1rKn-3oq5Vn8dRq9386pgo1eqwBVuHSaQq6yTbWt-XORHleifL1-SIy5MdwVd35Nc4yojRf7h2XOcCpoK4QJDM0eA9Uw1bx68OW8XBMPgPnJaKf_wPVcIm_Sg4yt6CrPcBd4tlFzvNIF7LQokhf4hGVOi95aK0O4kO7OxBraY9roKjM_IrZb6i4UoPHxdZc6OynfqMQUZRBxaUdeBsM8iseSv-mpdcOSunoRVrOM07eCNi21u6LDe4BtJPYpa7-UQWmrHvBCU1E" style="color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;">Don ClaraRae Haught</a> for taking such great care of me for the past 4 months while I recovered from brain surgery and stage 4 melanoma cancer. I'm still praying everyday for a cure but I am thankful to have the greatest support system a man could ever ask for.</span></div>
<div class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; display: inline;">
<div style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
Please be so kind and share this new record with your friends and family.</div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
Love to all.</div>
<div style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><iframe allow="autoplay *; encrypted-media *;" frameborder="0" height="450" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation" src="https://embed.music.apple.com/us/album/love-me-not/1457895360" style="background: transparent; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; width: 100%;"></iframe></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-4203056-10386278" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.awltovhc.com/image-4203056-10386278" width="120" height="90" alt="Save Up to $200 on Fender at MusiciansFriend.com" border="0"/></a></div>Jim Duffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15733960231021178373noreply@blogger.com0