blog – Alternative Student

Just Do It

I haven’t dropped a singer-songwriter track since May of 2019. Since then I’ve been working on other projects, releasing videos, and finishing up my degree. It’s easy to use busyness as an excuse, but it doesn’t tell the full story. As someone who has watched six hours of Squid Game in one day, I can tell you it’s not a lack of time.

A couple of months ago I was planning to buy a new microphone specifically for my singer-songwriter EP. I had been using an MXL 990 to record my acoustic ($100), and I was excited to upgrade. An unexpected expense ate that money up and I was frustrated. I didn’t feel like recording the old way, and I even considered shelfing the project until I had better gear. Also, I was toying with the idea of turning my EP into an album, possibly recording a full band and having a bigger release.

These two excuses gave me the instant gratificaiton of being able to delay my work, and it came with the added bonus that I could imagine my work being better for it. So I didn’t have to do anything in the present, but on a far distant day, I would have something amazing.

The problem with this of course is that I continue to do nothing. There are some situations where perhaps it would make sense to wait, but in my personal experience, it’s never been justified. Regardless of the gear you have, the idea that waiting is going to help you make something better in the future is flawed. Making stuff is how you get better. You can always get new gear later on, but in the meantime you can be improving for free.

Your reservation might be that you have a really good song or concept that needs to be exactly right before coming out. If that’s the case, you can write and release other things. Just don’t let that be an excuse and lose momentum. Also, it’s worth mentioning that songs I wanted to save two years ago, I wouldn’t even release now. Your tastes evolve as you keep creating.

So, after countless roadblocks and excuses, I’m finally recording my EP. It’s already an improvement from my last project, but I still find myself making excuses. It’s not going to be perfect, but it is going to be done, and that’s enough.

It Takes Practice

This Summer, I started teaching guitar lessons. It’s been interesting learning guitar again through beginners’ eyes and hearing their perspectives. A variation of this question comes up again and again: “What’s the secret?” When they’re struggling, beginner’s tend to think that they’re doing something wrong; they want a quick tip or trick that’ll resolve everything.

The answer I give rarely satisfies them, but it’s the only answer that’s true. “There’s no secret. You just need to keep practicing.” Practicing new material can be frustrating because we’re constantly rubbing up against our own limitations: hitting wrong notes, missing rhythms, and having to work on the same parts again and again. It can be a daunting process, but it’s how we grow.

Audio production and mixing is one of those areas where it’s tempting to think you can just have someone explain it to you and you’ll be able to execute it perfectly. Afterall, mixing is more of a technical skill. You’re turning knobs; you just need to know what everything does and then you’re good to go, right? Wrong. It’s more of an art than people realize, and an ear for mixing needs to be developed just like a musical ear.

This concept also applies to genres. Someone can absolutely crush it at lofi, but when they try to make EDM, they struggle. This comes from a lack of experience in that genre. There’s definitely mixing and sound design skills that carry over from genre to genre, but when writing in an unfamiliar style, you’ll have a lot of new questions. I often hear people say that they are bad at a particular genre. They accept it as an unchangable fact about themselves, when in reality they probably just haven’t practiced it enough.

So whatever it is that you want to improve about yourself, there is no secret sauce that will make everything easier. I only have one tip to give you: it takes practice.

Creative Offloading

Today I’m going to talk about something I learned in music school. It’s called “offloading” and it’s one of the reasons I was able to write 50 songs in 2020.

In songwriting you have these creative tasks: chord progressions, melodies, basslines, drum patterns, lyrics, sound design, etc. Offloading means to take one of these tasks and rather than generate it creatively, you offload it to a different source. This happens when you take a chord progression from another song, use a drum loop or MIDI pack, or anytime you load a preset. That’s offloading too since you’re offloading the sound design.

This is incredibly helpful for starting and finishing ideas. When you offload a task, you free up time and energy to focus on the next step. If you’re feeling uninspired, a drum or melody loop can be the kickstart you need. Rather than trying to create every piece of your music originally, it helps to decide what parts you want to write and what parts you want to offload.

You might hate the idea of offloading if you haven’t heard it before. It might feel like cheating. I used to feel that way, too. One of my buddies used to Google “Awesome chord progressions” and write songs that way. He even stole a progression from a YouTube ad. He wasn’t afraid to take inspiration wherever found it.

Over the years, I softened to the idea. I didn’t realize it at the time, but my biggest problem was my ego. I enjoyed being “creative” more than I enjoyed making songs. Offloading to me is about letting go of my ego and realizing that if I want to make captivating art, I need all the help I can get.

If you haven’t offloaded before, try offloading your least favorite part to write. If you’re a drummer and you love writing drums, offload the melody. If you love melodies and struggle with drums, offload the drums. If you’re really focusing in on sound design, design the sounds and offload the chords. For lyrics, you can even borrow rhymes. There’s a lot of possibilities and room to experiment.

If you feel guilty or think that it’s cheating, realize that it’s a collaboration. Pretend that your friend sent you the drum loop. They want you to use it. That’s why they made it, and honestly, that’s not far from the truth. Producer Com Truise said that sampling is “Collaborating at a distance.” And the big difference between sampling and using a loop (other than the legal difference) is that the creator of the Splice loop wants you to use it.

If you try to be 100% creative in every area of your song, you’ll write a lot less songs. And honestly, no one cares if you do “everything yourself.” They’ll only know if you tell them, and if you feel the need to tell people, then maybe you don’t believe in the song to begin with.

My Musical Goals: 2021

I’m sitting in a room at my parents’ house right now, and I just finished a beat. I’m moving out soon and much of my stuff is packed. I’m listening to Tycho on headphones (Epoch). He’s been my go-to writing music ever since I started this blog in 2018. Since then, I’ve learned so much, and there’s a lot I want to accomplish. Here are my musical goals for 2021.

1) Be a singer-songwriter again. I started performing as a singer-songwriter in 2013, and because of the pandemic, I barely played in 2020. I found myself writing less for my singer-songwriter name and focusing more on beats and electronic music. I love writing electronically, but I want to come back to guitar and voice, too. There’s something personal and uniquely expressive about playing guitar and singing. In general, I want to sing more.

2) Collaborate with other artists. Working with people on Songs From Home was a really cool experience. I loved hearing my instrumentals come to life and the surprising directions they went. I haven’t worked with a rapper since 2014, and I really want to change that. I’ve been stockpiling rap beats and in February I’m going to start reaching out. I’m not trying to sell anything at first; I’ll be DMing talented locals with free beats and see if there’s any interest. In the future, I’d love to work with all kinds of singers and musicians.

3) Create consistent content. Every teacher, vlogger, YouTuber, and Gary V will tell you about the importance of content creation. I’ve done the random Instagram post, blog, or video, but it hasn’t been consistent in awhile. In 2018 I released a video and blog post every week for months and that was awesome; I want to return to that level of output. My goal now is to make a weekly YouTube video and take clips of it for microcontent on Instagram. I’m hoping to slowly build a following and get better at consistent creation.

4) Get an internship / volunteer. I graduated with my Bachelor’s of Science in Music Industry, and now I’m ready to be rich! And by rich I mean gainfully employed (but first, an internship). In my projects class I focused on the licensing side of music, but recently I’ve been interested in non-profits like Musicians on Call and the Harmony Project. I’m also excited for volunteer opportunities like working at Big Turn Music Festival. There’s a lot of people that need help and endless ways to get involved.

Whichever way I go, I’m excited to learn more about these fields and be part of a world I love. Thanks for following my journey!

Covid-Class

I am in my final semester of college, and what a semester to go out on. I keep thinking that if I had graduated in the spring, I would have avoided a lot of hassle. At the same time, it’s a unique experience not everyone goes through. I have mixed feelings.

I’m a senior in the Music Industry program at MSU Mankato, and a lot has changed. Some classes are online, others in-person, but most are “Hyflex,” meaning students can decide whether to attend online or on campus. There are signs everywhere with slogans like “Maskup Mavs,” and reminders to social distance. It reminds me of propaganda from Fall Out or Bioshock (which makes it kind of fun).

Strangely enough, these guidelines are actually making my final semester easier. Because so many of my classes are online, I’m only on campus one day a week. This has allowed me to temporarily move back to Faribault. My expenses are down, so I can work less and focus on school.

While in Mankato I was working 30 hours a week and taking 17 credits. I didn’t have the time or energy for personal projects, so my creative pursuits took a backseat. Now that I have more free time, I can do well in classes and be creative. I know this year has been hard for most people, but for me it’s been a blessing in disguise. Since June, I have written more songs than I had in the past year, and this extra time has really forced me to prioritized what I want. There’s no excuses left for me, it’s either do the work or don’t.

I’m looking forward to what this final semester brings, and what adventures await me. I’m grateful to be where I am and I have a lot of hope for the future.

Big Turn Music Fest – 2020

I had volunteered at Big Turn last year, and it was a good experience. I discovered new music and met a ton of musicians. I knew I had to come back.

One of my favorite things about this festival is that many of the acts are lesser-known, Minnesota locals. They have a great lineup of successful artists (Lydia Liza, We Are the Willows, Mason Jennings, Jeremy Messersmith, Charlie Parr, ect), but they also showcase artists who don’t have a big following. Some performers had fewer than 100 likes on their socials, and it’s cool that they were included.

Big Turn hosts a wide variety of music from pop, hip-hop, folk, funk, reggae, blues, EDM, bluegrass, and more. The audience is diverse, too. It’s not all young adults, but an age range from tweens with their parents, to couples in their 60’s. Given the range of audience, you’d expect the older folk to be turned off by metal or rap, but I generally saw age diversity in nearly every venue I visited. These people, like me, wanted to check out new music, regardless of genre.

My first stop was ArtReach, a visual arts non-profit. Glitch and electro-pop artist SYM1 was performing with EDM producer Eye Dyed. They had a fun, high-energy show with lots of dancing and dope beats.

After that I went to Mandy’s Coffee & Cafe where singer-songwriter, Noah Short, was performing. He is a classic, coffee shop, singer-songwriter: acoustic guitar, pretty melodies, and emotional lyrics. He was accompanied by a guy playing a cajon-type instrument, and a girl who sang and played piano. It was lovely.

After that I explored more, checking out random bands from their descriptions in the logbook. Beth Kinderman & the Player Characters stuck out because their bio boasts songs about video games and nerd culture. When I first walked in, they didn’t thrill me, but as I stuck around (not wanting to leave after one song) I started to like it. Having the songs be about nerdy things made me more attentive to lyrics than I normally am; and a few of the songs were pretty catchy. I recommend “Refusal of the Call.”

After that I started my volunteer shift at the Barrel House. My job was to check wristbands and make sure we didn’t exceeded our 75 person capacity. The worst part of the job is explaining to drunk people that, yes, the fire marshal comes through counting people, and my one job is to make the fire marshal happy. However, I did get a brush with Minnesota music royalty from the experience! Apparently one of the guys wanting to get in was Greg Norton of Porcupine and Hüsker Dü. The person he was with kept asking me if I knew who he was. I kept saying no, and eventually she told me. At that point, he had already slipped in the back where there was no volunteer. I’m gonna call that networking.

My time at the Barrel House was all right. Volunteering is awesome because you get to hear music for free, and the only downside is being tied to one venue. Aside from having to argue with drunk people from time to time, it’s a good deal. I would definitely do it again.

Notable Acts (that I actually saw)

SYM1, Eye Dyed – electro-pop, EDM, high energy. Dance-able.

Noah Short – Soothing singer-songwriter, pretty melodies, thoughtful lyrics.

Beth Kinderman & the Player Characters – Nerd narrative. Catchy songs. Intricate lyrics.

Soultru -R & B, solid voice. Soul vibes.

Deciding is Creating

I’m the type of person who wants to do a lot of creative projects, so many in fact, that the vast majority never get done. A lot of times I just don’t know where to start, so I don’t. What I’m learning again and again is that you need to be decisive to be creative. Creating involves making a choice, and if we find ourselves unable to choose, we’re unable to create.

In my Music Promotion class, we were given a video assignment. We had to make weekly videos, three to five minutes long, based on a prompt. The prompts were short and open for interpretation. I was excited to make some videos, but wasn’t quite sure where to begin.

If this had been a self-imposed project – like writing a song – I would have procrastinated and taken a lot of time to get the “best idea.” Since this was for class, I had a deadline. It forced me to make a decision and run with it. It wasn’t so important what I chose, so long as I chose. This resulted in me actually finishing projects in a timely manner. As the saying goes, “Done is better than perfect.”

One of the best parts about music school is having assignments that push you to create. Being graded is a great incentive, and you’re left with a product you’re happy you made. Unfortunately, we don’t have similar incentives for projects outside of school, so we’re left to our own devices.

I wrote before that I have a lot of ideas, but it’s easy to have a lot of ideas and do nothing. It’s the easiest thing in the world. You get a false sense of satisfaction, thinking of all the great things you will do – someday. In his book Anything You Want, Derek Sivers writes “To me, ideas are worth nothing unless executed.” I have more unfinished songs than I can count, but when I do finish one, it’s always a win. Whether or not the song is good is less important than the fact that I’m finishing songs. It’s practice for creative decision making.

This is something I’m still working on, but if you want to write more songs, pick one tune and finish it. It doesn’t matter which one, what genre, or whatever. Make a decision, then it’s easy.

Getting Back Momentum

I haven’t posted in a hot minute, and it’s pretty clear I’ve lost traction. I used to post once a week, but it’s been months since I’ve done anything consistent. I’d like to put the blame on the fact that I’m taking a heavier load this semester, but the simple fact is I could be doing better.

One of the reasons I’ve failed is because I broke out of my routine. Last semester I had a large amount of free time every Tuesday, and I spent it in the library working on my blog. It wasn’t hard work – I liked writing and looked forward to it. I would fill up my tumbler from Jazzman’s Cafe, find a lo-fi playlist, and hide away in a corner of the library. I’d do my best to articulate my latest discovery or inspiration, and in doing so better understand it.

It’s hard to know why we stop doing things that make us happy. You’d think we wouldn’t need to worry about it, but we do. There will always be days where it’s easier to watch Netflix than work on a song, and even though songwriting will bring you joy, Netflix is easier in the moment. In the short term it’s inconsequential, but in the long term it makes you miserable. When I go a long time without creating, I’m just not as happy. Sometimes that unhappiness can cause me to sink into the things that caused it in the first place, but the cure requires an effort on my part. I have to get to work.

I Moved to Mankato

As many of you know, I’ve been going to MSU Mankato since January of 2018. I’ve been living and working in Faribault: making the drive to class a few days each week. I started slow with just Music Theory II, then took Activities in Music Industry and Songwriting 1 the following semester. I liked my classes a lot and felt I was learning exactly what I needed to. My last semester was three classes plus guitar lessons, and I was happy to hear some major improvements in my songs.

Because of the commute and my work schedule, I haven’t been able to take a full load. This has been frustrating to say the least, and the lengthy commute – made longer by the Minnesota blizzards – meant more time on the road and less time making music. Because of this, and wanting to be more engaged in the community, I decided to move.

It wasn’t an easy decision. I actually tried really hard to find a schedule that would make staying in Faribault sensible, but I couldn’t find one. I’d been living with two guys that were good friends, the rent was cheap, and my family was a two minute drive away. I was pretty sad about moving to be honest, but now that I’m here I know it was the right choice. Let me tell you some things I like about Mankato (so far).

I live two blocks from a coffee shop and a used book store! Well, I live near downtown so there’s lots of places I could mention, but those two I was most excited about. I’m probably just romanticizing the idea that I can walk over and get a cup of coffee and smell old books whenever I want, but it’s always been a dream of mine. What’s more relevant to this blog is that I’m within walking distance of Pub 500, and they host an open mic night. I’ve only been once, but I’ve already met some cool, local musicians.

I’m also excited to be able to go to shows without having to drive forty five minutes. The Coffee Hag hosts singer-songwriters, and the What’s Up Lounge a variety of acts including rock, indie, and hip-hop. And for bigger artists, there’s the Mankato Civic Center. I’m sure there’s other venues and events as well that I haven’t discovered yet, but I’m hoping to learn it all. I want to meet more people, make more music, and be part of a great musical community.

Is The Song Even Good?

It’s a good question to ask, and the answer isn’t always obvious. When compiling songs for Chasing Ghosts, I was constantly changing my mind about which songs to include. I had about ten songs I liked, but wanted to release five. One of these songs was “Maybe Next Time.”

When my roommates heard it for the first time, it instantly became their favorite. They regularly requested it at shows and were very encouraging, so I decided to record it. When I released the EP, a lot of people mentioned that one, and it became my most played song on Spotify. And to think it was almost a reject!

This lesson is this, we’re not always the best judge of our own content. We see our art in a way no one else does, and what might seem to us like a lame idea could resonate with others.

Did you know that Slash from Guns ‘n Roses originally didn’t like “Sweet Child ‘O Mine”? In an interview with Loudwire, Slash says, “I didn’t hate it, but I wasn’t fond of ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine.’ And that gives you a good idea of how credible my opinion is…” When Ed Sheeran wrote “Shape of You” – currently the most streamed song on Spotify, ever – he wanted to pitch it to Rhianna. It was the head of his record label who convinced him to keep it. “I don’t know what it’s like to choose a hit,” Sheeran said during an interview, “I just like writing songs.”

Basically, our job as songwriters isn’t to judge art, it’s to create it. There’s going to be a certain amount of self critique and creative decisions on our own, but we can’t neglect the importance of community. I can become biased for or against a song based on the amount of time I spend on it, how musically complex it is, and how personal the lyrics are. A person giving me feedback won’t have these biases and can give me a different perspective.

At the end of the day, we are the artist and we make the final decisions, but getting outside viewpoints is useful. Sometimes we need a kick in the pants that the house track we produced is actually pretty bad and a cheap imitation. Other times we get the good news that someone connected with our lyrics in an unexpected way. Whatever it is, take the note and keep working.

Works Cited

Childers, Chad. “Slash ‘Wasn’t Fond of’ Guns N’ Roses ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’.” Loudwire, 15 Apr. 2014, loudwire.com/slash-initially-not-fan-guns-n-roses-sweet-child-o-mine/.

New York Times. “Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape of You’: Making 2017’s Biggest Track | Diary of a Song,” YouTube, 20 December 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpMNJbt3QDE.

Krishna, S. (2019). Spotify reveals its most-played music for its 10th anniversary. [online] Engadget.com. Available at: https://www.engadget.com/2018/10/10/spotify-10th-anniversary-decade-of-discovery/ [Accessed 2019].