Find Your Emotions

Sometimes, when I sit down to write, I'm not always in the greatest of moods. There's alot of things that anger me, or get me worried, but I tend to not talk outwardly about it, or show that side of me at all to friends, family, relatives, anyone who's ever met me, etc. 'Cause that'd be the sissy thing to do. Instead, I like to delve into the deepest regions of my emotions and crap through pain laden songs, and random outbursts of emotion that I build up specifically for on stage antics.

It's a brilliant way to have fun, and make money at the same time! As to whether or not it's emotionally healthy, is up for debate, but that's not what we're here to talk about! Before you sit down to write, and visualize, think a bit about how you feel. I've read that negative thoughts, and emotions actually have a purpose, believe it or not, and may help you focus more so,than if you're happy, or emotionless. I know, this surprised me as well.

So, contrary to popular belief, it may be beneficial to write a song out of anger, sadness, or even to do anything really. It is the purpose of emotion, to help you find your path. All you have to do is be aware. Be one with all you do, and you'll find the negatives turn into a positive. No one wants to be angry forever, but when you are, take advantage of the situation, and be aware of it at all times!

Ian Anderson!

Diversify Your Influences

Alot of musicians I know, tend to write songs based on the music they grew up with. So if you're a rock musician, you're most likely a rock fan, Country musician, Country fan, and so forth. There are few exceptions to this rule, but If you want to be great, (and I mean great!) you have to diversify.

I remember as a young lad, talking about different kinds of music with my friends and such, and mostly being into classic rock, untill one day I went through one of my friends C.D. collections. Now, my C.D.s tended to be all rock. I don't think I strayed to far from Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, and Led Zeppelin. But my friend Ben on the other hand, had the most diverse C.D. collection I had ever seen! It was a bit of a shock at first, and my first instinct (much as it'd probably be anyone's instinct) was to make fun of the poor guy! I mean really, what metal fan in his right mind would own, let alone listen to any of the b.s. put out by Nsync, or The Backstreet Boys?! These C.D.s were right next to Bob Marley, and Rod Stewart, along with Slayer and Cold Play. It was just odd. Ben was quite eccentric, as was I, so needless to say, I did not make fun of him, but in fact, at that moment, gained a new musical perspective. Especially when he told me that his favorite guitar player was Stevie Ray Vaghn. How unusual!

I can only hope that this article has the same affect on you as Ben's musical taste did on me. I remember reading in Guitar World not to much longer after this experience, that Kirk Hammet of Metallica was listening to alot of Ice Cube, and rap music in general during the making of one of their C.D.s. I can't exactly remember which one, but it doesn't really matter. It's the principal of the thing! Listen to what you want, and I guarantee, you'll get more respect in your music, than he who is narrow minded.

John Denver!