I love this. It’s exactly what I needed to read right now, especially with all the projects we’re working on, plus holiday festivities coming down the road.
Check out excerpts on his site, from John Maeda’s new book,
The Laws of Simplicity.
Law 1: Reduce
Law 2: Organize
Law 3: Time
Law 4: Learn
Law 5: Differences
Law 6: Context
Law 7: Emotion
Law 8: Trust
Law 9: Failure
Law 10: The One
(Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious, and adding the meaningful.)
JUST NOTICED THIS…
Paramount Group in Nashville is popping up on my GOOGLE ADSENSE ads here.
Please note that John Braheny and I DEFINITELY, DEFINITELY DO NOT ENDORSE the Paramount Group in Nashville.
I will look into how to edit out such ads from appearing on this blog.
JoAnn Braheny
Just saw this and to let you know…
Swapsets, triple-threat fashion accessories that function as headband, headphones and optional headset, are available in various fabrics from wool to cotton to silk.
The Swapsets site lets you mix and match materials so you can create your own look. A selection of optional dangles that resemble earrings add a little flare.
John Braheny‘s new 3rd (totally updated) edition of his classic book, The Craft and Business of Songwriting, should be coming to your local bookstore within the next few days!
Check with your local Barnes & Noble, or Border’s Books…or click below:
For a list of all that’s new in this 3rd edition, plus the new Table of Contents, check out: johnbraheny.com.
As you know, John Braheny and I are on a road trip, to promote his totally updated new 3rd edition of his book, The Craft and Business of Songwriting. (See book pictured below.)
We listen to all kinds of music as we travel, and came across this great radio show on NPR (from West Virginia), played here today in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
I don’t know if Mountain Stage.org is streamed or podcast but do check it out…especially if you’re into indie country/folk, singer/songwriter music, in the style of NPR’s Prairie Home Companion.
Enjoy!
Have any questions about the music business? It doesn’t matter if you’re a novice or if you’re experienced in songwriting or performing…you will find this an essential event to attend. (Not to mention, the shmooze factor is at its best!)
SONGPOSIUM (Nashville Songwriters Assn. Internat’l)
NASHVILLE, Tennessee
September 25-29, 2006 (Mon-Fri)
John Braheny and JoAnn Braheny will be coming from Los Angeles to Nashville to teach three classes each at this incredible workshop marathon featuring songwriting and music business classes.
John’s classes:
Thurs. 9/28 at 9 a.m. – Pitching Songs to the TV/Film Market
Thurs. 9/28 at 11 a.m. – Taking Care of Business
Fri. 9/29 at 11 a.m. – Principles of Writing for Radio
JoAnn’s classes:
Thurs. 9/28 at 2 p.m. – Meet the Monsters in Your Head (Make Nice with Your Inner Critic)
Fri. 9/29 at 4 p.m. – Building Your Creative Team
From the NSAI web site:
At the heart of Songposium Week, you’ll find an awesome array of classes taught by some of the top songwriting teachers in the nation. Faculty from music meccas such as New York, Austin and Los Angeles are coming to Nashville to join their Music City counterparts.Together, they’ll share their expertise with present and future hit songwriters through a wide variety of classes (over 100 in all!) covering topics such as lyric structure, melody structure, demos and studios, co-writing, music publishing, the Nashville Number System, guitar instruction, vocal instruction and more.
There’s something for everyone at every level! Songposium classes will be held on at nine different venues on Music Row, giving the attendees a taste of “Music Row.” See photos from last year’s Songposium.
You may sign up for the whole week (different packages), or individual classes ($40 each).
Pricing info, registration instructions, click NashvilleSongwriters.com
or Register for Songposium by calling (800) 321-6008.
Info about Private Consultations in Nashville with John Braheny ($100hr) will be available during Songposium week as well. To make an appointment in advance, please email john@johnbraheny.com.
Been meaning to tell you sooner…but if you’re in the San Franicsco Bay area, and you’re a songwriter, then, you must know about this weekend’s…
…26th Annual West Coast Songwriters Conference…
It’s Friday night, Saturday and Sunday – September 8, 9 & 10, 2006
Foothill College, Los Altos Hills (40 miles south of San Francisco, 15 miles north of San Jose) 12345 El Monte Road.
Gobs of classes, workshops, opportunities to have music business professionals hear your songs, and hear you play “live” as well.
Yes, John Braheny will teach a lyric writing class, and JoAnn Braheny will moderate a panel on “socially conscious” songs … and we will both be doing “one-on-ones” listening sessions.
This is one of our favorite events…try to make it if you can.
I caught this today on The Splendid Table, a weekly Nat’l Public Radio show “for people who love to eat.”
What a cool idea…
Music to Grill By – From Bob Duskis
Bob Duskis, co-founder of Six Degrees Records, is a music guy who cooks. Here are some tunes he plays when he’s grilling, partying and cleaning up!
Music for Grilling: Robert Plant. Track: Shine It All Around. CD: Mighty Rearranger. Label: Sanctuary.
Music for Partying: Celso Fonseca. Track: O No Para Tras. CD: Rive Gauche Rio. Label: Six Degrees.
Music for Cleaning Up: Jamie Lidell. Track: Multiply. CD: Multiply. Label: WARP Records.
Find others at his web site www.sixdegreesrecords.com. Bob’s weekly Internet radio broadcast, Six Degrees Traveler, can be heard through Apple i-Tunes radio section under the “eclectic” or “electronica” categories or at www.live365.com/sixdegrees.
Enjoy!
Gotta love it when it’s this simple.
CLICK and DRIP on the blank screen. To change colors, just click your mouse:
JacksonPollock.org.
To find out more about this influential American painter:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_Pollock
Writers come in all flavors…some of us can sit down (or stand up, like Ernest Hemmingway and Virginia Woolf did) to write and the words just flow for hours and hours. Their bugaboo is more about re-writing, editing, etc..
Other writers search for a swift boot to dislodge their right-brain. So, if you’re one of those, looking for a quick jump-start, here you go…
“The editors of Writer’s Digest have prepared 52 Writing Prompts–idea joggers and brain starters–to get your writing going. This presents you a new prompt each week. Enjoy, and may these exercises spur you on to even better writing.” – from the site.
Also, from Writer’s Digest books (for songwriters too):
The Writer’s Book of Matches – 1,001 Prompts to Ignite Your Fiction