One way songs are different than poems is the amount of energy one can devote to the work in one sitting.
Jane Kenyon told Bill Moyers that she could work on a poem for about two or three hours before having to stop: “Writing poems is spilling your guts, and you can’t sustain that over hours.”
But writing songs are different; music refuels itself.
I can work on a song for eight to ten hours straight, playing the melody and chords and rhythm over and over again as I consider the draft.
Each art requires a rhythm, and knowing when to take a break.
*Language of Life, Bill Moyers
Almost as scary as having a baby: I turned email off on my iPhone
When I asked Chris Dupont and Betsy King what it was like to have a baby and be self-employed songwriters/artists, they said, “We quickly learned how to stop wasting time!” (Chris and Betsy King had their first baby, Leo, on November 30! He’s awesome.)
Betsy and Chris tracking for Matt Jones’s new record!
Natalie and I have only been members of the parenthood club for four day, and I have already missed one deadline, my monthly songwriting challenge for PVSG.
I know my songwriting friends will give me a pass, but finishing this first song while being a father is an important step. I need to prove to myself that while my schedule has changed, my songwriting abilities haven’t.
I guess it’s not really about songwriting abilities; it’s about time management.
Balancing time requires a deliberate mindset. The lizard brain tells me to feel stressed out about my new limitations of time; instead, I want to follow Chris and Betsy’s footsteps and see it as an opportunity.
I’ve already determined my biggest distractor: my iPhone. Last year, I deleted all social networking apps from my phone. Last week, I made an even more difficult choice: I turned off email.
It’s April 1st, but I’m not joking: I’m limiting my time holding my iPhone, and balancing my time between holding my baby and a musical instrument.
Since we’ve gotten out of bed, I’ve changed three poopy diapers; Natalie’s fed Ginny four times. By the end of this day, these numbers will increase, yet hopefully I’ll have a new song finished, too.
The song might never make a record, but it will be one of the most important tunes I finish this year.
Ginny likes my mandolin, and she doesn’t mind if I sing out of key!
Big thanks to all of friends and family who made it to my last shows before the baby’s arrival! The baby’s due date was yesterday, but the little one is taking her time. I’ll keep you posted.
I’m officially on paternity leave, a three to four week break. I haven’t given myself this much time off since I was teaching at Holly High! I also haven’t had a day off this year since the snow storm on Jan. 31.
Natalie’s feeling well, the baby’s been moving a lot, and Lois, our dog, is still unaware of the addition to our Vial/Burg family.
Photo credit: my mom!
When Natalie and I bought our little Ann Arbor house, the side door to the porch wouldn’t open. I assumed it was broken, so the door remained a wall.
39 weeks of pregnancy can’t stop Burg power.
To my surprise, I returned home from a weekend of gigs to find Natalie fixed the door. (There is no stopping Natalie, not even 39 weeks of pregnancy.)
We don’t only have working door, now; we have a changed house.
Yesterday, Natalie and I were sitting in our living room. The door was shut, like it used to be when it was broken, but the living room felt differently.
“Does our house feel changed to you?” I asked.
She agreed. The door now felt like, well, a door! And the living room felt larger. The porch felt connected. It’s weird. One little change makes a big difference.
This is true for art, too. Bear with me while I use a metaphorical analogy:
I think creating art is about fixing the broken doors in the walls that are stopping us from creating. Opening one door can create a big difference in inspiration.
Dave Menzo, an Ann Arbor songwriter, just completed a unique record. He only used musical instruments that he could check out from the Ann Arbor library. (Yes, the Ann Arbor library has drum machines and instruments available to library patrons!) The record is called Shhh…! He’s now using Kickstarter to get the last bit of funding to finish the record.
How often does a creator think, “I don’t own this piece of gear, so I can’t work on my art yet”?
For Dave, opening the door to the library was his path to inspiration. For you it might be a different door, but you simply need to open it.
New Music Coming, Baby Arriving Sooner!
Yesterday, I snuck in one more recording sessions at Solid Sound Recording Company before baby’s arrival. (Her due date is March 24.) I have three songs tracked so far, and I’m planning to get at least nine more done in 2015.
New music is coming soon; baby is arriving sooner!
Tracking at Solid Sounds in Ann Arbor
