To Collaborate or NOT to collaborate...that's a Darn Good Question

One fact that is immensely true is that, YOU are the only person who can translate the music inside your head, to a CD through writing it out, TAB-ing it, or scribbling down the chord diagrams.

 It's up to you! Nobody can act on behalf of your musical voice and presence. You are you.

These affirmational statistics about the real creating power you hold are innately a part of you as a human-being. Even if you don't play an instrument yet - there is music living inside of you.

Ultimately, I know this because of my personal and positive musical attributes: healthy Beliefs, strong moral Values, personal Identity and personally created Reality have been helped by one book in particular, "Zen Guitar" by Philip Toshio Sudo. Check his book out and have fun with the lessons because it's one of those lifetime books! Inside it covers the reasoning behind the authors purpose for writing it. Philip says, "In the Zen Guitar Dojo, we're not so much concerned with the how of guitar-playing as we are the why". So this is the key focus for your efforts as a new guitarist. A popular Zen phrase says, from one principle learned, you'll be able to learn a thousand. That's the same with guitar; as you get better at guitar, you'll be learning how to sing as an accompaniment.

Check out my link to the left on discovering the "why" of guitar-playing. In my opinion, it's a really fun and interesting read that every guitarist should experience. To me, books really engage YOUR specific brain. There aren't any "cliff notes" for the gifts you'll receive by "taking your brain by the hand" and helping it "try on" these ideas and ways of thinking about guitar playing & music writing.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, VISIT: www.zenguitar.com

COLLABORATING with Other Musicians - is it for YOU?

I believe each artist, involved in whatever medium, has to keep their ducks in a row first before approaching other people about collaborations. Part of that comes from the experience gained from learning other people's songs, & another part comes from the point when your desires reach a point where you feel the innate, internal need to fulfill yourself by composing original songs & recording them.

All in all, when approaching other people for combined projects, it's a great idea to have around 15 songs that are loosely structured (they can be solid as well) so you can focus in on the vision that you want to make concrete. sometimes, musically, if you don't have the above things, certain musical mis-communications develop. The vision becomes blurred & the stresses of the creative writing process & seemingly endless revisions & secondary drafts are worked out.

It's vital, essential...heck - it should be mandatory that a band or two people collaborating should be hanging out & having fun, shooting the breeze around 40% versus the 60% work that you'll all be doing, b/c when it gets down to the pressures that are associated with recording & just simply keeping the music "together" & "tight", it takes an understanding that needs to come from a place where you KNOW, that the person on the other end of that musical idea, IS YOUR FRIEND.

I've seen & heard about so many bands that fall apart by not adhering to these reality-based tips. they exist for a reason. & if we don't utilize them, we're setting ourselves up for a lot of hurt, wasted time, & overall - personal & social failure in the local scenes & within the grand range of influence in the music industry as a whole.

I'll be working on a list of specific tips in my draft blog section to help growing bands & solo musicians. Also if you guys have any yourself, feel free to post them as comments & i'll add them to the list! ;o)