Subject: I Was in a Cold Sweat...
You are getting this e-mail because you subscribed to it on www.learn-to-play-rock-guitar.com. If you don't want to receive these e-mails any longer, go to the bottom of this message and click on "unsubscribe." Hey there Friend, My anniversary was yesterday. 21 years of married bliss...If you recall, I mentioned I was writing a song for my wife as a gift. Normally I'd get her a piece of jewelry or something I think she might enjoy. She's not easy to shop for so I really have to be creative - and what's more creative than a song just for her? I know you're dying to know what she thought... As Willy Wonka once said, "The suspense is terrible... I hope it will last!" Here's The Reveal... I did the mixdown (combines all the tracks into one file versus individual track files) to MP3 and placed it on my iPhone. We had reservations for dinner, so as we started out, I connected the phone to her car stereo and fiddled with the controls until I found the song. I told her I had something to share with her - of course, her first response was "Are you going to tell me you lost your job?" Wow! OK, since that has been a likely possibility now for the past six months, fair enough. "No, honey, I wrote and recorded a song for you. " Well, this got her attention (and sent me into a cold sweat). The anticipation is almost as good/bad as the day you get down on one knee... I could tell after the first chorus... She likes it! She has a particular smile of surprise and joy I don't see nearly enough, and I was able to bring that out. I'm extremely pleased to say I think I managed to give her a meaningful anniversary gift. The Lesson... Truth be told, I wasn't able to record it perfectly. My performance wasn't stellar, but I was more concerned with pulling the trigger and giving her something very personal to tell her how I feel about her. We all know the road to ruin is paved with good intentions, and I didn't want this to be another story of good intention with no execution. I have a tendency to want things to be more perfect than not, and that is a sure recipe for creating a lot of un-done things. I've got notebooks full of incomplete lyrics, ideas that were a spark of inspiration which then faded and cooled. I think a lot of us are this way. It's probably because we all have great ideas but have been shot down on so many occasions that the thought of sharing these ideas with anyone else is abandoned before we can act on it. Unlike in dreams where it's perfectly natural to be running around in our birthday suits, exposing ourselves publicly is just crazy! But we're musicians - this is what we do. We lay open our hearts and disclose our secrets. We publish our music and hope that the sound waves are carried to ears that appreciate what they hear and might even sing along. It's a nerve-wracking experience to release a song, even to someone as close as a spouse (maybe even more nerve-wracking!). Unless you're writing a commercial jingle, songwriting can be an immensely personal endeavor. Even when you make your living as a staff songwriter, you'll still draw on personal experiences to form the emotional triggers and bonds that will play the the heart-strings of your listeners. What we really want - the end result of our song - is acceptance at some level. This is a fundamental human need. It is pretty well documented that people go crazy in isolation, and I would argue that a lack of acceptance is a form of isolation. Look at how kids treat each other... The ones that are picked on because they're a little different are much more withdrawn than other kids. Be Courageous Our music can't live in isolation either. We have a message to share, and there are people out there that will be happy that you do share your song. The beauty of the Internet is that we have many ways to make our music available to people all over the world. It's no longer the exclusive world of a few record labels guarding the gate, preventing you from getting your music out there. Don't be afraid to take your ideas and develop them out fully. Then make them available for others to hear. Will they all be good? Probably not, but who cares. Practice creates improvement, and if you're not creating music, you're not really practicing. No one wants to hear us guitar players playing scales all day long - they want songs! I know it's a scary thought to release our personal music, but most times our thoughts are scarier than reality. We all have excellent imaginations, we just need to use them for good, not the evil we inflict on ourselves. Go forth and make music so we can all share. Do it. Peace~ Dave Dave "Eddie" Vance is a rock guitar enthusiast and gear nut. He has been playing guitar for over 30 years and enjoys tormenting the neighbors every chance he gets. When he's not slaving for the man, you can find him rocking out with his B.C. Rich Bich guitar, a cold beer and some sweet tunes. He also runs Learn-To-Play-Rock-Guitar.com, but you knew that already! Follow Learn To Play Rock Guitar:I welcome your feedback! Did you like today's message? What other topics would you like to see covered in my e-mails? Please let me know at: dave@learn-to-play-rock-guitar.com As always, please feel free to forward this email to a friend! I review products before recommending them. If you buy a product based on my recommendation, I will receive a commission. However, my emails also contain links that don’t require any investment on your part and are jam-packed with "juicy, guitar learnin' tastiness". We don't rent or share your name with anybody. Feel free to forward this issue to any friends you think would enjoy its contents. They will thank you. So will I.
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