We Are Strings

We are like strings stretched over a fretboard.  We vibrate according to what we're made of, our length, our thickness, and how tightly we're wound.  The sound we make is a combination of these attributes, along with that upon which we're strung.  Our sound rings out against the sonic qualities of our environment, which adds context and ambience to our tone and timbre.  

We resonate perfectly with others of the same length and tuning, and create rich harmonies with people who resonate at complementary intervals.  These are consonant intervals, some called perfect others imperfect, but all agreeable.  

We interfere, adding some degree of dissonance, when vibrating against those of conflicting length or tuning.  But some dissonance is nice every once and awhile, and the overtones created by imperfect tuning, especially that slight, makes the sound much more interesting, rich, and enjoyable.

Many people are content simply being a string ringing out the same note with no articulation.  They get along with the complementary strings and clash with the conflicting ones.  They seek harmony without ever feeling a need to change or improve their note.   The music they make is very limited and full of sour notes when played along with differing strings.

If you really want to add dimension, be a musician with your string.   Learn where, when, and how to place emphasis to get the kind of harmony or dissonance you're after.  Learn to play well with others, how to listen, anticipate, and improvise.  Tune in to the sound others are putting down.  Play along, make room for their ideas, add your own, maybe unique ones, or those which clarify or add flourish to theirs.  Learn to be quick and flexible, where to hammer and where to bend.  When to play softly and when to be loud.  When to jam and when to compose.  Expose yourself to all kinds of ways in which strings are played; all musical modes and ideas.  Find the strings who really know how to play the music you're after, those whose style and skill you admire.  Imitate and learn from them. 

Most of all, try to make music with your string - all kinds of music.  Music is the soul of sound, and the way you play your string is yours.  This is why we say, "That Brotha's got Soul!" They are playing there string artfully, as an expression of themselves which has groove and feel. 

We all begin somewhere, and only improve with attentive practice. Always strive to make your music better, more enjoyable, more fun, more artful.  Music is the reason why you are a string among other strings.  Learn to play along as you vibrate your song.  Let us all make beautiful music together!

Polyanna Out!

Scattered Random Truthiness Statements

The following is a list made at the request of a friend as some sort of exercise, the purpose of which is still undisclosed.  He may have gotten more than he asked for ;)

Caveat - These statements are all the thoughts of atheist leaning me, everything is subject to change, especially with me. Well, I should say most things - see #'s 2-6

1. The idea that  everything is an illusion could be an illusion (necessarily so, as it's a self enclosed circuitous idea)

2. Extremes are almost always be wrong, and may always be wrong.  It appears there are no extremes (absolutes). A statement I like to make on extremes tickles me because it's full of contradiction  "Always is never the case, and never never happens."  Many extreme statements are contradictory.  Irony is a sign of extreme thinking, or assumptions which don't always hold.

3. Extreme thinking leaves no room for alternatives, or other possibilities. Everything has an alternative - everything comes by degree. (Wow - that sounds a bit absolute, eh?  I file it on the other side of almost always)

4. Things happen by degrees. With any statement it should always be asked "to what degree?"  There are no absolute absolutes. Everything we experience is a mixed bag of contrast, hue, and degree (just like visible light).  Colors have almost infinite hues and combinations - but we first learn of them in their primary state.  When we grow up we appreciate the vast variety of color ... As we grow into adulthood we learn to apply this to ideas as well.

5. As such (#2-4), We should try to avoid absolutes in our speaking and thinking.  Absolutes are a thinking trap.  Try to temper or exclude words like always, never, is, are; and replace them with almost, sometimes, mostly, often, predominantly, etc. No matter how much we love speaking in certitudes it is best to avoid definitive statements.  Our thinking<-->language is riddled with them  (<--> means that language(lexicon) dictates thinking and thinking dictates language). Like a horse, in order to best sit atop the truth you need to straddle both sides of it...most people ride side saddle and more prone to falling off.

6. Ideas when clung to and invested in absolutely are like an impenetrable nut.  Once inside it is impossible to see outside the shell.  Passion for an idea is usually fanaticism, a blind sort of love.

7. Many ideas are clung absolutely due to the human a drive  for, and attraction to, self seeking, self reaffirming  ideas.  Ideas which invalidate or diminish a person's perception are too painful to confront and are typically tossed.

8.  People primarily seek their self interests/self promotions.  Pure (perfect/absolute) altruism or unconditional love does not exist.

9. The truth is often so scary (foreign) for most people's belief set that it is rejected outright.

10.  As such (#9), the deceptions/delusions of others are best left alone (kids/adults need to believe in Santa Claus/Saviors).  Keep it shut, esp. if you have nothing "better" to offer them.  No one wants to hear that life is futile and pointless ...  "Life is pain princess, anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something"

11. There is no such thing as true objectivity.

12. The human brain, specifically our perception  of "reality", is rigged to be wrong.  We are wired for error.

13. The "soul" (perpetual self) is an outcropping of the mind, which is an outcropping of the brain - which I suspect at present all ends with death.

14. There are beneficial aspects of delusions - believing in something that is not correct or accurate can lead to growth or positive outcomes.  If you think you're good at something you will be far more motivated to pursue it.  If something makes you feel better about yourself, others, or the world in general, so what if it's delusional as long as it improves things?

15. Few things are inherently bad or good - all is subjective interpretation, and there are aspects of both in each.  (yin-yang).  You get what you look for.

16. Reality is ironic - find the irony find the truth (irony can be an indicator of erroneous assumptions, or one sided thinking)  Irony is an indicator of contradiction, that the ideas and expectations you are holding might not always hold true.

17. Separation and ego are necessary for growth.  

18. Futility - There may not be any reason or purpose for anything. This is an extreme idea, but it may well be true.

19. Nihilism - The more I think I know, the more I realize that I may know nothing, or realize that what I think I know may be wrong.  Knowledge is inherently polarized (biased), "reality" may be unpolarized, purposeless.  "Full of sound and fury signifying nothing" (Socrates/Shakespeare)

20. Most, possibly all, speculation on the unknowable is wrong.  See the previous 4 statements ^^^

21. The most worthwhile/productive/happy goal in life is to merely enjoy it while you're here (Christmas Present's advice to Scrooge)

22. It's fun to play with ideas - but hard to do so without being perceived as clinging to them.

23. In order to really play with an idea and understand it you must try in on, walk around in it, and inhabit it.

24. An attitude of uncertainty and the possibility of being wrong (ignorant) helps keep one unstuck

25. The fun in life is learning to play and enjoy the variety of experiences and ideas

26. Imagination (delusions) are  the soul of creativity (but nothing has a soul - see #13 (and irony) ... but nothing may not exist See #2)

27. Make enough "truth" statements and you're bound to contradict yourself at some point.  Talk long enough and you're bound to repeat yourself - I plan on doing both in this list.

28.  Most people have poor grammar, writing skills, are logic/math impoverished, and have an inability to perceive nuance, contradiction, irony, and multiple meanings (layers).  I'm curious to know the ratio on the planet right now - say at maybe a high school grad (european not american)  level being the divide.

29.  Most are not as smart as they think they are (including me). BUT this can be a protective buffer (a hard shell against reality which allows a person the kind of reasoning that keeps them going on and learning.  Delusions can be beneficial.  See #14

30.  If nothing really matters (existence is purposeless, pointless, ephemeral, godless),  why do I feel a compulsion to tell people that?  (more a question than a statement)

31. Questions are often more valuable (productive) than statements.

32. Pointing out other people's flaws feels good and is self reaffirming, but overall counterproductive (it embeds the person more tightly in their flawed thinking or behaviors, and makes them shut off any meaningful dialogue because they now hate you and must diminish your opinion in favor of their self preservation.  see #7). Related: Pervasive criticism and judgement can be sign that the critical person is using these as a deflective shield which diverts them from examining their own flaws.

33.  The "Course in Miracles." sounds and feels like bunk (There I just violated a whole slew of statements, #30 and #32 for example, and reaffirmed #27)

34.  I am sometimes a jerk,  sometimes knowingly (usually only in retrospect) but more often in clueless oblivion.  We all live subjectively and decode the feelings and thoughts of others using our own script.  It's hard to know when something you say or do is offensive because it does not feel offensive to you when imagining someone doing it to you.

35. The more I make these statements the more I realize that I may be "full of sound and fury signifying nothing" (See #19 & #27)

36. Just like something written in a book gains more authority, numbering your statements makes them feel more official (weighty).  It certainly makes them easier to reference.

37.  The flipside of #5;  Adopting uncertain attitudes of thinking and speech can give the impression (likely an accurate one) that you are an unreliable source of information, and wishy washy. Uncertainty defeats authority.  We seek authority because it is secure and certain.  Humans love certainty, which is why the following scripture has a feeling of truthiness.  James 1:8 - "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways" NO, he may just be able to find balance by his ability to grasp both sides of an argument!  

38.  Along with #37, people also love predictability and easy categorization = pigeonholing.  Being unpredictable or changeable (open minded) puts people off and has an element of fear - we avoid things we can't understand (peg) or rely upon as being unchangeable (always peggable).  This is why people with certain mental illnesses are usually feared.  People are uncomfortable being around others perceived as unpredictable.

40. People like round numbers, especially those ending in zero.  For some reason they feel more tidy (we have an affinity for symmetry).  It is for this reason I include this as my last observation.

41. Crap!  I just realized that my numbering was off.  We hate to realize or admit mistakes, and even more so when others find our error. The fewer rules you make the fewer you break.  Ha ha!  I still ended on 40, even though it appears that I did not.  ;)  Damn it!  now I want to say something about appearances...but if you dig into that last sentence and other statements you'll see that I did.  Argh!, now I want to say something about "nothing existing in isolation", "everything ties together," which are fun statements, but I likely covered that as well.

41. I've just had some more thoughts - maybe I can make it to fifty - that's even more symmetrical!    Sometimes when you think you've arrived you're really just taking a break...you can always polish a turd (and many people do so all their lives thinking it's a gem).  There's always more around the bend.  Every statement should end elliptically.

42. For the next few I'm recycling what I said in 41(actually 40 due to my mistake) since it includes multiple related statements.  Recycling has it's merits - everything is a remix... Here is 42's nugget:

Rules can often be counterproductive.  It's possible to get caught up in them and miss the big picture.  Too many rules can be demotivational and depressive as well.   Breaking rules it OK if it leads to something better. 

43.  Appearances can be deceiving.   People often misjudge due to the need to quickly assess.  Once pegged they feel no need to look deeper.  This is mostly overconfidence in our own judgement. Over and Under Estimators (#12)

44.  There is no separation - everything is related.  Every idea exists within a web of ideas ... which makes me think maybe all of this should just be one big number 1,
but ...

45.  Our "human" ideas will always (ouch!) be incomplete. No matter how hard we try, how many things we list, or how much we say to explain or define the universe (all conceivable, and even inconceivable, states or ideas, etc), it cannot be contained in words or thoughts.  It seems to me that reality is boundless and ultimately ineffable, and as such, ultimately unknowable.

46.  That last statement has such a ring of truthiness.  I like it, but is that because it relates to #37, being authoritative and definitive?  Many ideas are truthiness rather than truth.  Who can know the unknowable?

47.  #45 & #46 may be true if truth is truly relative.

48. Humans love to speculate on the unknown, and even more so on the unknowable.  This is the essence of most religions.  This is seen as a futile diversion of wasted time to someone of more pragmatic sensibilities (My wife points this out to me when I try to think too hard).

49.  It's OK to make mistakes if they lead you to a deeper understanding.  The only sin in my book is not learning from your mistakes ... but what does learning matter if we're all dead in the end?

50.  People often do things primarily, and sometimes solely, to meet a goal, give a positive impression, or fulfill a dictate.  Such acts are largely disingenuous, portraying needless empty performances for approval, either of self or others.  This I admittedly have done with this last statement to meet my empty goal of symmetry ... but there really is no last. As long as we last there will alway be more around the bend (see the real 41).   

At this point if I have more thoughts (which I almost certainly will), I'll make a new list.

51. I was indeed right, I did have more ideas.  Maybe these "more ideas" are simply self fulfilling prophecy, or satisfying my need to be right, but ... (here's the nugget)  Even after you think you have said it, done it, "been there",  if you revisit an idea/topic you'll likely learn something new as your perspective in life is a moveable feast.  Some of the best lessons learned are those learned again from new vistas, new plateaus :)

52. ^^^ Be pithy - If you say too much people have a hard time finding the nugget.  Brevity is not only the soul of wit, but also the soul of clear communication.

53. If you look closely enough at anything (anyone) you are bound to find flaws ... conversely, look closely at anything you think bad and you are bound to find some goodness.  Typically I'm an overestimater, meaning I have a bias to assume the positive, which usually leads to disillusionment.

54. Flaws are an important part of the universe - without them nothing would exist, evolution would not have happened.

55. Perfection is stagnant and arguably non-existent (ANYWHERE!) ... it is an idealized myth.

56. I have a hard time sticking to one thought or stating something simply - there are so many paths, nuances and contingencies.

57. You are only as intelligence (smart) as your ability to express your thoughts, both internally and externally.

58.  We often mistake talent as a gift rather than an investment of hard work.  Much talent comes from a passion which drives activity (work).  If you enjoy doing a thing it doesn't feel like work.

59. That said, some people are naturally gifted, just like some are naturally beautiful - it has no bearing on them - they can't take credit for it...but they're certainly lucky bastards!

60.  We tend to despise things we can't have/obtain (sour grapes)

61.  ^^^ I obviously just borrowed that from Aesop, who borrowed it from someone else.  We borrow everything.  There is no true originality - everything comes from something else.  Everything is a remix.  Every one plagiarizes to some extent. Only blatant plagiarism is egregious.

62. Everything I can say or think has already been said or thought before - but it's still useful for me (or others hearing me) to say or think them.  Just because it's all been done doesn't mean there is no value in your doing it.

63. Opposites are inversions of each other...the same idea mirrored.  Symmetry exists (dualism)

64.  Thinking too much about these things too deeply can drive a person crazy - speaking from experience.  But they also rev my mind.

65. Most people don't think too deeply about stuff (See #28), but this observation may be full of self conflatulation. (see #32)  Maybe most people do think deeply - except it's their stuff, not mine ;)  See Carlin on "stuff"

66. Heavily connected and related thinking is a byproduct (gift/curse) of my bipolar illness, as is rhyming or hearing rhymes in ordinary phrases.

67.  It's really hard to express your ideas without sounding arrogant.   This is probably why a lot of philosophers claim an inability to really know anything, when deep down they really believe they do (see #19) ... which may itself be a sort of disingenuous dodge of appearances to gain favor (see #50)  "You can't point a finger without pointing three back at yourself"

68.  There is no free lunch; freedom isn't free without limits.  If everyone is free, no one is free.  Rules, restrictions, and exclusions define boundaries and space for people to choose their comfortable place.  (Inspired by the "Always Sunny", S2E9 where they made the bar free admission to anyone without rules or restrictions and it completely backfires)

69.  There is no ideal.  No decision or circumstance is a "golden ticket"; every choice has benefit (perks) and compromise (costs).

70.  Making goals, plans, statements of intent and not keeping to them is worse than being directionless.  It is subversive to the individual, and their sense of personal integrity.

71.  Language influences/directs thinking, and thinking influences/directs language. (See #57)

72. There is no perfect word, otherwise all our sentences would consist of a word and a period.  However there are often better words to express an idea than the one chosen.  Gotta love that thesaurus!  And there are better ways to construct a sentence (put words together).

73.  You can't sling mud at others without getting some on yourself.   Hatred cast outward on others is usually a deflection of our own reflection.  Any statement made about another is usually one first made or realized about the self.

74. Some delusions are beneficial, mostly those inhabited with "good faith" - believing is being.

75. Poor grammar, spelling and punctuation is forgivable when mixed with good ideas.

76.  Investment.  Be careful not to invest too much in any thing or idea:  It is almost impossible to crack (question or abandon) that hard nut shell of that in which we're over invested   See "Double Down" or "Sunk Costs" fallacy.   Investments = Thought, Attention, Talk, Time, money, work, sacrifice.  Investment is driven by benefit = image, position, status, power, money, livelihood, future reward.

See "Bamboozled" quote by Carl Sagan

77. I'd choose a rich inner life and a poor outer life over a rich outer life and a poor inner life.  Ideally they'd both be rich.

That said, that inner talking to yourself and thinking is only rich IF you do it right.  First, "Be your own best friend".  Make that constant inner dialogue first your friend and mentor.  Make that guy in your head fun to hang out with ... you'll be doing it one way or another.  Strive to have fun, thoughtful, and interesting internal conversations.  And importantly, make that mentor keep you on your toes and on the hook, while still being kind and compassionate (he's certainly empathetic)  :)

78.  It's hard to express and be yourself(ego) without confronting the selves(egos) of others.

79.  Things have a more emotional/powerful impact when considered in isolation (this thought came to me when listening to Taylor Swift's - Never Grow Up).  Sometimes to really feel a thing you have to immerse yourself in it to the exclusion of everything else (flow state) ... this one sided absolute engagement leads to delusions.  

Like a heroin high, we become addicted to isolated, one sided ideas (typically the reassuring, affirmative, and self promoting ones), because doing so makes us feel deeply, and makes the message more pure and powerful. This is why the stories we tell of people past are most often hagiographical - becoming more divine (or sinister) the longer the story is told, i.e., the farther from anyone who actually knew the person. Like a horse, if you want to best ride the truth you need to stretch your legs over both sides of it. A lot of people feel fine riding sidesaddle until things get rough and they fall off. Count yourself lucky if you've been thrown, and thusly graduated from hero high

80. There are no absolutes (see #2).  There is opposition in all things which tempers/counters absolutes and causes diversity and degrees.  Everything is true/false by degree.

81. Blanket statements rarely cover everything about a topic.

82. Hating or being overly critical on things or the behavior of others is mostly wasted energy, and may be an indication of some unresolved internal issues...it also is self perpetuating

83. Things are easier said than done, but the doing part is not as fun.

84. Objects in motion tend to stay in motion ... I'm mostly plagued by inertia :)

85. Many ideas are just a contortion/nuance of another - like an interconnected web.  Like the six degrees of Bacon, you can get to any idea/topic from another.

86. Mistakes can compound on each other = inefficiency and waste.  Success can be synergistic.

87. One of the secrets to creativity (or growth) is to become unhinged.

88.  For everyone you criticize or look down on there's someone who could easily do the same to you.

89.  It's hard to criticize another without looking like (or being) an arrogant hypocrite, or a bitter, unfulfilled, curmudgeon.

90. We all rationalize our ways (thoughts and behaviors) - it must be so, since we'd cease to inhabit those we found did not suit our rationale.

91. People rarely seek to expose their own weakness.

92 - I feel so platitudinous at the moment - there is such a thing as too much.  Overbearance is boorish, even for the perpetrator.  But ... see 43 ;)

93 - Repetition is the mother of learning - practice makes progress.  Even though it's all been done it won't benefit you at all unless you do it as well.

94. One of the most refining aspects of parenthood is that it teaches you to deal with other people's sh@t  (literally).  And you deal because you genuinely love these idiot people (emotionally and mentally stunted) and want the best for them. ..you also learn to wash your hands a lot more.

Moral: It's so much easier to tolerate and help people if first and foremost you love them. 

95. Advice: People generally hate advice, and dislike the person giving it as well, especially when unsolicited.  It's also hard to give, even in the best conditions, without appearing "the sage" who's figured it all out. However, even with the best intentioned advice givers, there may be narcissistic aspects in the advice giving.

My Songwriting Process

INTRODUCTION:
In the past I've pretty much taken a "by the gut, seat of the pants" approach to writing songs.  Which has worked OK, but I notice some songs are a struggle because I'm doing things out of order which causes the frustration, and causes me to end up doing and redoing things over and over.

As evidenced by this entire blog, I am a person who writes to think.  Writing for me refines my ideas and makes me analyze things a bit closer. 

As such, I write this installment as a form of self help.  And, possibly it can help someone else (If anyone ever reads this).  I'm compiling this list like a recipe, to achieve the most efficient flow, and hopefully arrive at the end faster, with maybe even better results.  But keep in mind, the best chefs don't use recipes - they've done it so much they know the process, the best ingredients, and what works. Hopefully, some day I'll get to that level.  Meanwhile ... 

It must be said that this is my usual method. It is certainly not the only way to compose a song, and it may not work for you. (or for me in every case since it may churn out the same type song everytime).  As with all learning and creativity it's best to experiment and improvise within and outside the basics to find what works or pleases.


STAGE 1. THEME, STRUCTURE, & MUSIC:
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A. First determine in a general sense what the song is going to be about - message and mood.  Deciding this will influence the kind of musical choices you make, and guide those decisions while writing (Tempo, Key, Instrumentation, Progression, Beat, etc). 

B.  With your theme in mind, consider the general outline/arc of the song as for energy levels and moods.  Use markers in your project to define the outline of the song (this is not hard set at this point but helps you focus later.  Set the meter.  Set the tempo, and tempo changes if any. 

C. Make the music.  Play with musical ideas to come up with a riff.  Establish the riff (chorus, verse, intro, bridge).  Use themes, motifs, cadences, etc to play off the first riff...let riffs play on riffs.  Try to structure chordal progressions and melodies to each section's mood, using strong and weak progressions.  Write good transitional builds ups and let downs, and low and high energy sections to accomplish the intended arc of the song, and category of the section. Unless you've got a killer rhythmic idea, or the crux of the riff is rhythmic, don't worry about, or invest too much in the rhythm section at this point. Use a basic beat, unless a basic beat or click is getting in the way.  Rhythms will be refined later to match the vocals section energy , and melodic rhythms which all better refine the feel of the song as far as what the drums/percussion should be doing.


STAGE 2. LYRICS/SINGING:
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A. With your theme in mind, establish a rough vocal melodic outline using the Jibbersih technique ... feel free to play with it and do multiple versions to find the best melody - then pick and mix what pleases/works.  The jibbersih method concentrates more on the melodic content and how the sounds of vowel and consonant fit, as well how their syllables/rhythms fit.  The actual words are unimportant at this stage, but you will find that with a theme in mind you end up singing or hearing words in the jibber.  This may be a neat trick happening, calling up subconscious magic.

B.  Using the theme and jibberish write the lyrics (see Poetry & Lyrics 101 blog).  Caveat - don't let the jibberish get you stuck - the words don't have to have the same cadence, sonority, or syllables.  It is only a rough baseline. Expressing the idea is more important - BUT be careful not to break the jibberish "feel" with clumsy words, esp if you're really diggin the feel of it.  This is where your words skills become important - your lexicon.

C.  Once you have lyrics, have a rough go at singing the lyrics through the section to make sure they work. This will further refine the phrasing and timing of the jibberish and possibly force the inclusion, exclusion, modification or replacement of certain words.  It's imperative that you record this in a rough take once you've ironed it out. This will preserve how words are pronounced, placed, and sung rhythmically, as well as vocal techniques.  Also, it's good to note the lyric changes in your written lyrics at this point.  I find it helpful to solo the bass and drums and main harmony when laying down vocals both here and the final stage.  You should basically mute anything that is distracting, and solo anything that is helpful.

D.  Leave it at this point and move on to production - choices made there may change what you've laid down here (timings, word choices, adding or subtracting). Vocals are the last stage of production ... Harmonies are actually the last stage, BUT, as always, if at any point you're hearing a killer harmony, or something magic - lay down a rough take of it of course.

STAGE 3, PRODUCTION:
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A. Iron out transitions between sections so they work.  Evaluate each part against the other key elements.  The key elements are usually Drums, Bass, and the main Harmony (chordal) instrument(s).  This is done to get rid of conflicts (harmonies, rhythms, phrasings).  Evaluate if each section is "working" - is that intro working?  Should I try a new one, or maybe just  kill the bass until the drums hit full tilt? 

B. Instrumentation - be critical of your song at this point as far as instruments used - is that kick really working (This may be fixable in the mix stage).  Is that the right bass sound? Is that the best bass line? Does my drum track work in this section? Does it push or compliment the song/bass/musical rhythms?   Should I add some strings at this part?  Is this instrument line conflicting with my vocals?  Is what's going on in this section meeting my "energy level - mood" map? (stage1)

C.  Somewhat B related, but don't be afraid to take stuff out, change it, replace it, or add things at this point.  This is still a compositional stage.

D. Now you have vocals evaluate how they work with the instrumentation - and be flexible to change either - but keep in mind, most people listen primarily to vocals.  Most my decisions here are made against the instrument, and toward the vocal.  Some of these conflicts can be fixed in the mix (panning, EQ, Volume)

E.  Now you have vocals they define better the feel or energy of the song. Use this to make beat/rhythmic/energy decisions.  This is the point where I "produce" the drum track, add percussion, alter kick/snare patterns to fit the section.  Add builds. let downs and fills within section transitions, etc.

F.  Solo the Bass and drums and run it through to make sure they're working together - refine as needed.

G.  Solo the bass and drums with the main harmony "carrier" in the song and do the same as in F. - refine as needed

H. Solo each "flourish" and melodic instrument against these three key elements (Drums, Bass, Main Harmony Instr) - refine as needed. 

I. Solo "flourish" instruments against each other - - refine as needed.

J.  Once everything is working musically - record your finished vocal - then harmonies if any.


STAGE 4, MIXING:
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Some rough mixing will always take place in the previous steps but should be confined to setting rough volume levels.

The 3 elements of mixing are Volume levels (sliders and pan), Frequency zones (EQ), and Presence/Placement (Panning, Volume, Reverb)


1. Volume:
Volume determines how forward or present a sound is to the listener.  What you want to showcase should be among the key elements (vocals, drums, bass, main chordal instrument), even allowed to eclipse them if needed.  This goes back to stage 3, but one way to feature an element is to reduce the others, either by volume or activity(note frequencies)

Compression - taming the volume dynamics.  I typically only compress Main Vocals, Drums - Kick and Snare, and Bass.  As these have the widest dynamic range.  This constrains the volume level of the instrument and tames it into a tighter range.  This is a problem especially with vocals as most vocalists don't have a volume knob you can set, and tend to get louder with high notes and don't remember to close in or back off the mic appropriately.  It's also a problem with a live drummer and even a MIDI drum set or MIDI Bass with a wide Velocity -> volume setting.  Live Bassists can get a bit over excited at times in the song as well. 

I usually set the volume of the bass and drums soloed to get a baseline and then mix around those. leaving them set. Vocals are usually mixed (volume wise) last to put them “on top”.  It's important to watch gain staging at this point so that you're not clipping the master bus.  If so play the song through to see your clip level and note it. Then link all the output channels (group) and slide them all down by the db amount you noted (make sure you have no limiter or maximizer on the main while doing this).  Play it through again – you most likely will need to push them up a bit as the volume of all the tracks is a composite.  Turning them all down at once is usually and undershoot.  The objective here is to get the level 0.3-0.6db below clipping.

Although I mention volume first, it is actually the first and the last step in mixing – I get generally good mix on volume levels then move on, and do the final volume mix once EQ and Panning and FX are set.


2. Frequency:
Most sounds have a predominant frequency span.  Kick and Bass are low, Vocals, guitar, piano are middlish, and cymbals are high as well as some other instruments.  The gotcha here is synth sounds.  They can be anywhere, and are typically everywhere.  A lot of synth sounds are tricky in this area because preset designers and synth manufacturers want their sounds to be WOW!  This makes you more likely to be impressed and buy them!  Which usually means they hog all the frequency and are awash in reverb and delay (which often muddy a mix)

Psycho-acoustically - High frequencies feel more forward and high spatially, and low ones more distant and low spatially ... but that leads us to Presence.  Where is sit/appears spatially in the mix.


3. Presence/Placement (FX) - Time & Space:

Time: 
Note Frequency - As said in 1, the number of notes occurring within a span of time make that instrument seem more present.  A repeating 8th-16th note bass line is more in your face, then a note held for a bar.   

FX - Another time factor are time fx - Reverb and Delay since they spread the event out in time making it feel more present - BUT a reverb also softens the sound making it feel more distant (space) - so it's more there but perceived as more distant - if that makes any sense.  Delays can also fill time because of repeating notes that clutter the space, making that instrument more present.  Dry (unFX'd) sounds feel very forward  in space. But now where getting into space.

Space:
Panning - In my opinion main vocals, bass and drums (kick and snare) should ALWAYS be centered.  Harmonies are best panned, as well as flourish instruments.  One of the best ways (besides setting complimentary EQ zones) to tame conflicting instruments is to separate them with panning.  Panning will also reduce volume (unless compensated for by a panning algorithm), so you'll likely need to adjust the volume when panning.

As mentioned earlier - frequency can affect the perceived position in space.

As a mixer it is usually desired to fill ALL the available space - but to do so judiciously without conflicts (MUD) - this is the definition of a good mix - everything is cleanly heard and present in its own space without conflict.

Mudslingers:
Too much reverb on any sound can mud it up and ruin the clarity/sharpness of the sound - also reverb on everything is usually a bad choice - Different reverb settings on tracks can make for mud and ruin cohesion (You typically want your song sounding like it's all coming from the same acoustical space)

Too much delay - delay on things where it is imperceptible makes only mud.  If you use delay make sure it's working and necessary.

Sound FX which hog large swaths of frequency.  The use of Phasers, Flangers, Chorus and Unison FX fatten a sound and spread it wider in the mix.  Evaluate the use of these and if they're really necessary to the sound as they will make the sound more of a frequency hog.

Too much happening at once - Sound FX, rythmic notes (arpeggios & gates), delay echoes, melodic flourish parts, or note frequencies, especially drum and bass notes.

Too much of a good thing - One frequent violator - at least for me is bass - anything too loud can squash out other frequencies - since bass is usually so full, constantly plucked, and/or played legato and prolonged it does a good job of muddying if too loud or not EQ'ed (low passed, and pulling the midrange down to give the other instruments room).

I usually try to carve out space between the Kick and the bass to give each a prominent zone in the low end to keep them from trampling each other and muddying up the low end.

The best way to rid a mix of mud is to define(carve out) their frequency space with EQ without removing the essence of the sound - for example EQ a bass enough and they all sound pretty much the same - you've lost the much of the defining character.


Stage 5, Mastering:
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Mastering is something that is done to the entire track – if you're doing anything anywhere else but on the master output buss you are mixing – not mastering.

Mastering is done to put the finish on the whole mix and to make the song the same volume level as other songs you've written, or average mainstream songs.

Mastering involves the three basic concepts of punchy, shiny, and loud. 

Punchy = Compression, at this point a multiband compressor is preferred to isolate compression levels within determined frequency bands (usually 4-band)

Shiny = EQ.  This step usually involves taming or boosting each band (Low, Middle High) to achieve the desired overall frequency spectrum of the song.  You can also use exciters here, but I have never done so.

Loud = Maximizer, Limiters – These FX push up the volume while limiting it so it won't clip – if overused it actually squashes the sound making it feel loud, but distorted and muddy.


SOME FINAL COMMENTS:
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Happy Accidents: During each step in the process there are almost always stumbled upon magical moments - when they happen RECORD THEM - GET THEM IN ASAP.  For example  - Often when editing a midi part with the transport playing, or moving a midi event or note to the wrong place I hear some magic.  Sometimes when listening to a section I hear lyrics/vocal FX/melodies.  I keep the notepad open in my project to jot them down, or make note of the idea (like "use a jungle sound in this section, or add a vocal effect to that line), or record a sudden melody idea either by using a midi keyboard or recorded vocally. Some people can notate it, but not me.  Notation can lose timing and groove nuances too.

Regarding Happy Accidents, if something is just not floating your boat – experiment, you're bound to stumble upon something you like better or that drives the song or part in another direction.

Be Flexible: Obviously these stages are not hard-set, for example you could start a song with only lyrics or a melody. The steps within each stage are even less rigid.  Just like a recipe, it is all meant as a general outline to guide an efficient sequence of events.

Most of all this recipe is meant to avoid wasted time doing things out of order which later will either be thrown out or changed - for example don't spend too much time mixing when you haven't decided on all your instruments and sounds or haven't even got the vocals on or finished.  Don't start producing the song until you've worked out its general structure from start to end.  Most likely you'll be doing it again if you do it in the wrong order, just like a cook must chuck the botched batter and start over.

Poetry & Lyrics 101

By no means do I write this as an authority on the subject. It's more an attempt to define and refine for myself what works in my experience, and to outline the tools at one's disposal for writing what I deem to be good poetry/lyrics. Writing poetry and lyrics is a pastime I enjoy.  I'm not a published nor professional poet or lyricist, but I've done a lot of it.  I'm self published here on the internet, but so is everybody, right?  This doesn't count or amount to a hill of beans.

What I outline here is firstly my opinion, and applies equally to both formats.  I'd guess the only real soft-set difference between the two is that lyrics are often written to be more accessible and straightforward, and typically deal with somewhat shallow thoughts and experiences - other people, emotions, love, loss, sex, desire, money, fame, status, etc. When I say accessible, I mean phrased in the normal manner of speech, using everyday words and expressions, even slangy language and buzz words unique to a genre .

In my opinion, the pitfalls of most poetry and lyrics are the following attributes:
- Straightforward and artless
- Simple - Unsophisticated simple words, and hard rhymes
- Trite, it lacks nuance and overuses hard rhymes, and trite words and ideas(cliches).
- Lacking the depth, subtlety, ambiguity, and layers of interpretation
- Lacking variety or originality, too formulaic.
- Hackneyed or Immature ideas or words.
- Incohesive ideas or statements.
- It says a lot about nothing and is insipid, vacuous, and obtuse (dull)

Here's an example of the use of cliches and simple hard rhymes:

"You came from the clouds above
on the wings of a dove
filling my heart with love
you held me with your love glove"

That's pretty a straightforward simple square verse. It has a symmetric meter between the outer lines and the inner lines. It employs hard rhyming, using the same rhyme in the traditional end spot, and is void of any other rhyming techniques, except for the hard double rhyme at the end of the last line, and the weak rhyme symmetry between the You at the beginning of the first and last line.  It's full of cliches and uses a straightforward meter ... and sounds a bit juvenile and sappy, right?

For me, the best rhymes (if you choose to rhyme at all, or even use meter - we'll get to that later on), are those which are more unique, nuanced, and subtle.  I especially love weak and nontraditional rhymes.

Here then, in no particular order, are the elements for achieving more sophisticated and interesting poetry and lyrics.  This list is not comprehensive as there may be more that just doesn't come to mind at the moment.  This is a first draft after all.

RHYMES:
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1. Branch out - You're not required to rhyme only the end of a line.  You can also rhyme the front and middle of a line. Or you can use any combination of the three.  Middle rhymes, front end rhymes, and rear end rhymes are all acceptable rhyming methods.  For example:

"My dingbat cat caught a fat rat,
and brought it into my bed dead."

I know, hard rhymes and trite, but it gets the idea across ... and notice the inner rhymes and alliterations - caught and brought,  and the short A alliteration through the first line. So maybe it's not so terribly trite.  But, to an average person it would sound trite and juvenile with the simple words and the hard rhymes.

2. As with lines, you can also rhyme the front and middle of a word.  Front and middle rhymes are considered weak, with front rhymes being the weakest, unless used alliteratively.  The human ear pays more attention to the ending sounds of words and sentences.

3. In  a stanza, you don't need to rhyme the end of every line with the same rhyme.  This is something that feels dull and overdone ... and something I do that I need to do less often.

4. You can use alliteration (repeating the same beginning vowel or consonant sound 2-3-4...times in a row). Alliteration is a great form of rhyme.

5. You can use what I call vowel alliteration - i.e

"a statement they made
making lemonade"

Is a 6 word vowel alliteration all words having the long A sound ... and is also a metered rhyme, each line having 5 syllables, and also includes the traditional hard end rhyme. 

It can also be interpreted with nuance, i.e., did the person make a "lemonade" statement (statements made to make a bad situation seem better) while actually making lemonade (ironic), or does the line mean that the statement they made was a "lemonade" type expression (metaphor)?  This rhyme is a good example of creating layers by using multiple techniques.

6. Weak rhymes are more subtle and feel more sophisticated - less grade schooly or Suessian.   These usually consist of rhyming the front or middle sound of a word without the end of the word rhyming.  Front or middle line rhymes are not as weak as word rhymes unless they contain weak rhyming words - that said front rhymes, all things being equal, are the weakest.  Here are some examples:

By bliss I was tricked to take the bait,
as this was a thing I'd never trade"

"and drives the right for saviors.
Men love the might of war"

"You I could never constrain
A wild need to take, consume"

In these examples of weak rhymes, the first is the strongest.  The last two are weaker, the last rhyme being weakest with its front rhyme on the end words (remember front end rhymes are the weakest).  However there is some slight rhyming between never and need, and I and Wild. The the end rhyme of the middle is strong or weak depending on how 'saviors' is pronounced, but s at the end weakens
the OR rhyme, but it makes up for this with the inner rhyme, thus becoming a stronger pairing than the last couplet, and challenging the first couplet for top spot.

Perfect rhymes are strong, and perfect rhyming of multiple syllables is the strongest of all:  dedicate, medicate, meditate; deny, defy, belie, rely;  oppose, suppose, upped nose, etc.

7. Putting rhyming words in unsymmetrical spots between lines can make them "feel" connected and rhymey. Unsymmetrical means the rhymes don't occur at the same point in each phrase.

8. Combining different rhyming techniques can give your work layers and sophistication.  Besides, anything done too much can start to feel trite and hackneyed. Mix it up.

9. Use nuance, ambiguity, and vagueness. Write lines or entire stanzas that can be interpreted in multiple ways, depending on the listener's interpretation.  Try not to be overt by telling the listener exactly what to think. Example:

"If anything goes wrong
don't call it broke.
Life's one big happy accident.
It might be a joke,
take it so."

Does this mean it's a funny joke you are being told, or a mean joke being played on you?  Ambiguity is achieved by not qualifying the word 'joke'.  Are they to "take it" positively or negatively? The stanza will be interpreted according to the listener's frame of mind.

10. Don't feel compelled to rhyme every line.  Avoiding this also adds a feel of sophistication and lessens the Suessian effect.  You can mix different rhymes in a stanza, even separate them in occurrence so that they don't feel so blatant - like rhyming the first and last lines of a stanza, or separating two pairs of rhyming lines with a line that rhymes with neither, or maybe rhymes with an inner word in each couplet.

11. Don't be afraid to break symmetry, either in meter, or in line rhyming structure.  You don't need to stick to a set meter, or a set rhyme structure - both between stanzas and within stanzas.  But be aware that these things help a piece feel more cohesive.

13. Use simile, metaphor, ambiguity, multiple meaning, contradiction, and irony.

14. Use unorthodox and uncommon words both in your rhymes and in your lines, but be careful as this can sound clunky, pompous, tumescent, bombastic, and sesquipedalian.  <--see what I did there?  I love self contradictory statements like this in a sentence and try to do it in my rhymes, at times :)

15. When or if you get stuck, don't be afraid to use a rhyming dictionary, or a thesaurus.  There are some really good ones online, and it's not cheating.  Be aware however that every rhyming dictionary I've seen only listed perfect end rhymes, and did not include all the perfect rhymes I could think of, but it's still a good start-up when stuck.

16.  Use drama to create dynamic. Switch from happy parts to sad parts, light parts to heavy parts, meek parts to bold parts - give the entire piece an overall arc or pattern of movement - moving the energy or mood up or down.

17. My favorite thing to do is to match a rhyme between lines word for word - it's not easy either, especially to end up with anything that makes sense.  I love it for the difficulty level.  However, this can typically sound overblown and very Dr. Suessian, i.e. Juvenile, especially if using very simple rhymes.

18 - Read poetry and listen closely to lyrics.  Make note of things you find interesting, artistic or well put/expressed. Listen as well for things that feel clunky or stupid.  You can learn a lot by critical analysis and close attention to the work of others.

19. Strive to improve your lexicon (all the words you know and use) and your ken (all the things you know).  For me, lexicon was greatly improved by poring over an extensive dictionary and recording on a study sheet every word I did not know.  It is imperative to have many words at your disposal when composing - at least imperative in my opinion.  Improve your ken by researching the topic or theme on which you're writing.

20.  Mix it up - besides adding more sophistication to your work, the inclusion of these methods, especially the use of weak rhymes, alliteration, front, inner, and outer rhyming both in words and line will give you more choices with which to work, expanding upon the available words at your disposal, and making it easier and more fluid and flexible. 


Rhymeless Verse:
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1. Some people, mostly aesthetes and critics, feel that the height of sophistication is rhymeless verse.

2. Much of what I said within the rhyming section can be applied to this section, just leave out the rhymes.  Also if you go too far afield with the concepts of the previous section you'll end up with pretty much rhymeless verse.

3. Rhymeless verse can depend on repeated meter or use no meter at all. In both of these cases it becomes more important to state something of depth or meaning, and to use uncommon expressions or words, metaphor, simile, irony, etc.  Otherwise it isn't poetry.

4. Of course in music you can slap any words together to express your mind/message and let the music carry all the artistry.


One Last Note: 
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As a byproduct of my bipolar illness, I hear rhymes in almost everything - especially when I'm manic, or hypomanic.  It gets to a point where I can't stop rhyming stuff - both in my head and in my speech.  This behavior is called "Clanging", and at its height it feels like torture, as I can't shut it off ( I wrote a song about it  - Titled "The Rhymes"

http://onetomany.weebly.com/uploads/6/4/0/2/6402337/11_onetomany_the_rhymes_db-vocs.mp3

http://onetomany.weebly.com/uploads/6/4/0/2/6402337/11_the_rhymes_lyric.txt

The last section of that text I included the poem which I used to get the lyric.  I wrote it while hypomanic and experiencing a heavy onslaught of clanging.

As a result, even when normal I hear rhymes in sentences that most people would say do not rhyme. For example, the following phrase rhymes to me:

"Scattered random truthiness statements"

Say it - do you hear all the esses, and hard Ts?  The short A in the first two words are alliterative.  The last two words have an alliteration with the short E, which for me creates a nice symmetry to the sentence - See, IT RHYMES! As does "Symmetry in the sentence".  ;)   But like the tree in the forest, does it matter if no one else hears it?  I think it does as it lends another layer of depth with the hidden secrets, even if I'm the only one who knows the secret. :)

I express this here to let you know I am an overt rhymer meaning that although I mix it up, I have a tendency to layer my work very thickly.  Overall this tends to create an in your face, somewhat heavy handed piece. But as with all art, you gotta do what suits you and best expresses yourself.  I state this to put emphasis on making judicious choices, and keeping in mind a "less is more" approach - advice mostly I give to myself.


At some point in the near future I plan to put up all my poetry on my website here:

http://onetomany.weebly.com/poetry.html