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The Muse's News

Issue 7.4 - July 2004
ISSN 1480-6975

[ Back to The Muse's News Index ] [ Home ]

This issue sponsored by:
Study Online with BerkleeMusic.com!


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I n   T h i s   I s s u e :

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@-- Editor's Musings
@-- Copyright & Publishing Q&A with Nancy A. Reece from Carpe
    Diem Copyright Management
@-- Music Reviews - by Steve Allat & Stacey Board
@-- New Artist Spotlight Additions
@-- Songwriting Book Review - by James Linderman
@-- Musical Notes - Songwriting Contests & Market Info.
@-- Muse's Clues - Songwriting Web sites that inspire - brought
    to you by singer/songwriter & teacher, Irene Jackson.
@-- Featured Article - The Power of Principles: Part 3 / The
                       Credibility Factor - by Mary Dawson
@-- On Site Featured Article - An article already online for your
    viewing pleasure.
@-- Classifieds & Useful Services
@-- Contact information
=================================================================
ISSN 1480-6975. Copyright 1998/99/00/01/02/03 - Jodi Krangle. 
For more contact information, see end of issue.
=================================================================
YELLOW & PINK MUSE'S MUSE T-SHIRTS?  REALLY?  YUP.  :D
They're fun and sunny, to get you ready for a bright, inspiring
spring.  And for other great Muse's Muse items like mugs,
mousepads, t-shirts and more, visit www.cafeshops.com/musesmuse . 
Get yourself some classy merchandise to remind you of your
committment to better songwriting, and support The Muse's Muse
all at the same time.  Start your own store too - with no up
front costs! See http://tinyurl.com/cqij for more details. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
S p o n s o r   M e s s a g e : 
(Please support the sponsors that support this newsletter! Thanks!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

STUDY SONGWRITING ONLINE THIS SUMMER WITH BERKLEE COLLEGE OF
MUSIC

Berkleemusic.com is the online extension school of Berklee
College of Music.  Whether you're a relative beginner or an
experienced songwriter, online courses at Berkleemusic will help
you create ideas for your songs more easily and provide you with
the tools you'll need to express yourself more effectively in
words and music.  In addition to more than 10 online songwriting
courses, enrollment is also now open for our July 5th Summer
Semester in a variety of other disciplines including Music
Production, Performance, Music Business, Arranging, and Music
Education; all taught by the world-renowned Berklee professors.

Our Summer Semester begins on July 5, and registration is open
now! For more information please visit:

http://www.berkleemusic.com/school/courses/?pid=623

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E d i t o r ' s   M u s i n g s :

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Hello for another month, folks!  I hope you're all having a very
productive and fun summer. :)

Once again, there have been some more Artist Spotlights
introduced.  I hope you'll check out the great music they're
producing.  It seems to be the season for songwriting contests.
There are tons out there that you might like to learn more about
and several of them are listed below.  Nancy Reece has some more
Q&A's and Mary Dawson has supplied the latest featured article.
Those of you who are familiar with Mary's writings over the years
here at the Muse's Muse will know just how much of a treat that
is.  Once again, Irene Jackson has a highly useful website for
you to check out.  She's been a staple here in The Muse's News
for just as long as I have!  And she still keeps coming up with a
great column every month.  Thanks so much, Irene!  A series of
books has been reviewed in this issue (thanks to you too, James!)
and if you're a guitar player, you'll find them of particular
interest.

We have a new raffle prize this month, too.  Kevin Wicker from
Nashville, Tennessee is the very first winner of a 6 month
subscription to the Onlinegigs (http://www.onlinegigs.com/)
service.  This valuable service is a powerful tool for musicians,
agents, record companies and managers designed to virtually
automate the administration of booking and promoting a band or
bands.  I think Kevin will get a lot of use out of it and I thank
Jay for allowing me to add this great prize to my monthly raffle.

The other raffle winners are:

* Bryan Zimmerman from Center Valley, PA won the full set of Tim
Gillespie's books that are reviewed below (thanks for your
genosity, Tim!).  If you're interested in improving your guitar
skills, they're *well* worth checking out.

* Megan Lavner from New York, NY who has won a copy of the
"Musician's Toolkit" 
(for details, see http://www.musicianstoolkit.com/muse/) 

* Troy Palmer from London, ON has won a copy of VSS's
songwriting organization product, Lyricist (for details and
information on a discount offered, see
http://www.musesmuse.com/vss-review.html)

I hope you have a wonderful and productive summer! :)

All the best,

--Jodi

Back to Menu
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S p o n s o r   M e s s a g e : 
(Please support the sponsors that support this newsletter! Thanks!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LYRICIST VERSION 3: ACT NOW - INTRODUCTORY PRICING IS ENDING
SOON!

Lyricist V3 - The Songwriter's Best Friend by Virtual Studio
Systems, Inc. does more than what the name implies.  It's the
first-of-its-kind word processor uniquely designed for musicians
and songwriters.   The software includes a Rhyming Dictionary,
Thesaurus, Album Categorization, Chord Charting, Chord Generator,
Song Arrangement charting, On-Line Copyright Link.  The new
version 3 product adds support for "Piano Style" chord symbols,
Nashville Number System, and Transposition features - all in one
user-friendly package.  
Introductory prices will be ending soon, so act now!  Check out
the review at http://www.musesmuse.com/vss-review.html .

Muse's Muse visitors can take home the product for $5.00 off the
V3 introductory sale price of $39.95 just for purchasing through
the purchase button provided off of the review.

For more information, visit the review url above or call us at
888.732.1176 inside the U.S.A. and Canada or 603.726-4499 outside
the U.S.A. 

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C o p y r i g h t   &   P u b l i s h i n g   Q & A :
  
        With Licensing executive Nancy A. Reece
        http://www.musesmuse.com/realarealq.html
		
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TRADEMARK/COPYRIGHT

Q:
Is there any copyright issue regarding using phrases from songs
on apparel for sale, such as on a tee shirt? There would be no
artwork or logos, just a phrase from the song (approx. 4 to 14
words). Thank you for any help you can provide. -- Rich 
 
A:
Yes.  The "print" right is explicit in the copyright law.  If you
are planning on using the lyric of a song on a T shirt you should
have direct written permission form the publisher.  You can not
copyright a song TITLE but some song titles have been trade
marked and would require permission from that owner.
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PARODY and DERIVATIVE

Q:
I have written new Parody Lyrics for a well known song that was
written by Neil Diamond. I have already copyrighted my new
lyrics, however, I believe that I must obtain copyright
permission from the original song writer, before the new song can
be published.  I have not been able to make any progress with
receiving this necessary copyright permission, as I must admit
that I have no clue as to the requirements and proper procedure
involved in procuring copyright permission for a new DERIVATIVE
SONG. What are the requirements and procedures, necessary to
procure this most important, copyright permission? Sincerely; 
-- Gary.
 
A:  The definitions of parody and derivative can be tricky waters
to travel and you should speak with an entertainment attorney
directly.  In the Digital Web Book, Nashville attorney, Duff
Berschback and I discuss this issue in more depth.  Keep in mind
it is NOT a parody unless you are pointing to the song as the
topic or thing you are 'making fun of'.  Just writing funny
lyrics to an existing melody is a derivative.  
-------

*****

ABOUT NANCY A. REECE:
Since 1998, Nancy Reece has been providing a question and answer
forum for Muse's Muse readers. Now all of the articles, forums
and Q&A's are compiled into an e-book called REAL ANSWERS TO REAL
QUESTIONS: THE SONGWRITER-PUBLISHER FORUM .  

For information on how to pick up your copy today, visit:
http://www.musesmuse.com/realarealq.html 

How to Ask a Question:
If you have a question for Nancy about publishing or copyright
administration, you can e-mail her at nreece@musesmuse.com.
Please indicate in the subject of your e-mail that your
submission is for The Muse's Muse guest forum, Real Answers to
Real Questions. Thanks!

Back to Menu
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M u s i c   R e v i e w s :  by Steve Allat & Stacey Board

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NEW MUSIC REVIEWS SINCE LAST MONTH INCLUDE:

Reviews by Stacey Board:

* David Aaron
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000697.html
* Arlington Priest 
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000700.html
* Mizar
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000702.html
* Robb Bledsoe
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000699.html
* Leslie Clemmons
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000695.html
* Kathy Compton
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000696.html
* Paul Hanover 
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000701.html
* Dahlia Wakefield 
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000698.html

Reviews by Steve Allat:

* Loretta
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000692.html

---------------
                         ******

For bios on each of the reviewers, see
http://www.musesmuse.com/musicreviews.html . If you're considering
sending in your own CD for review, you can also view that page to
find out which reviewer reviews your genre. Thanks!

Back to Menu
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N e w   A r t i s t   S p o t l i g h t   A d d i t i o n s :  

Great music is only a click away!  
Here is the latest addition to the Artist Spotlight section of
The Muse's Muse at http://www.musesmuse.com/artistspotlights.html 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE SPINS ~ Genre: POP

The debut single of The Spins, the italian power pop band
featuring Alessia Mattalia, the most celebrated european female
drummer.  

http://www.thespins.co.uk/
---------------
governortea ~ Genre: ELECTRONIC

"a musical drug...electronic pop with classical elegance and
cynical sophistication...sung by a voice that sounds like Bono
with a Michael Hutchence attitude." -Indie-Music.com 

http://www.governortea.com/
---------------
*****
Are you interested in an Artist Spotlight on The Muse's Muse?
Check out http://www.musesmuse.com/spotlightinfo.html for more
details.
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S o n g w r i t i n g   B o o k   R e v i e w : by James Linderman

Uncle Tim's First Year, Uncle Tim's Book of Chords, & Uncle Tim's
Building Blocks - by Tim Gillespie
                 http://www.uncletim.com/
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As a full time guitar teacher with just over 30 years of teaching
experience, I was skeptical about an academic series of books
written by someone who refers to himself as 'Uncle Tim'. I then
read the promotional information that claims that the series
provides a "complete musical foundation for any guitarist" and my
doubts became almost overwhelming as I thought of how completely
packed these books would have to be to consider themselves a
"complete musical foundation".

At first glance, the thing I liked about these three books was
their comprehensiveness. The claims made by the publisher were
true after all. These books were loaded with most of the stuff I
try to fit into a lesson but often don't find the time for.  Each
page is really well organized and very nicely paced.

Obviously, Uncle Tim's First Year is a beginner's book but it
suffers from neither of the two ailments common in beginners
material: there's nothing dumbed down so that you spend a whole
chapter on a single string, and there's no insulting notion that
a starters book should be a lot of feathers and not much chicken.
For example, there aren't lots of photos of rock stars with none
of the stuff they needed to know to become rock stars. 

"Stuff you would need to know" is what this book is full of.
It's smart and it's fast and it's full but not overwhelmingly so,
at least, not for the ambitious enthusiast. The author
accomplishes this blend of easy yet challenging instruction by
displaying everything as an illustration or photo and then
explaining how it works along with how to make it work really
well. 

The book starts out with lots of information about the physical
act of maneuvering around the guitar and getting sound out of it.
There is a brief explanation of the technical differences between
electric, acoustic and classical guitar and a section on how to
get through the main body of the book which features chords and
soloing materials (aka scales) in each key.

At the back of the book there are some pentatonic scales you can
rock (or possibly folk) out on and a "chords in keys" page that
is very nicely laid out for future reference. 

The other 2 books, Uncle Tim's Book of Chords and Uncle Tim's
Building Blocks provide "pretty good guitar players" and "local
legends" with the intermediate and advanced materials needed to
get over a plateau and into some fresh new sounds. 

The chord book has lots of chord boxes but also places chords
into a key to make them more useable.  It also deals with lots of
fingerboard movement in your chord playing, an element sadly
lacking in most contemporary guitarists style. 

I thought of Building Blocks as a book for anyone wanting to
visualize what the fingerboard would look like in every key with
a section on major, minor, pentatonic and chromatic soloing. 

These books would be great companions to a hefty songbook or your
favorite tab site so that you could apply the theories, chord
voicings and soloing boxes to actual songs and subsequently bring
those songs to life with awesome new skills. 

Don't let Uncle Tim's casual name fool you.  The stuff in these
books is as academically sound and as systematically organized as
any university music textbook but as practically useful as years
of jamming with great players.  It only resembles something your
uncle would write if your uncle was Uncle Les Paul, or Uncle Jimi
Hendrix, or Uncle Andre Segovia, or Uncle Eric Clapton, or Uncle
Joe Satriani, or Uncle Eric Johnson, or...well Uncle Tim
Gillespie.

You can check out Uncle Tim's books at http://www.uncletim.com/.

                           ******
ABOUT THE REVIEWER:
James Linderman lives and works at theharmonyhouse, a music lesson,
songwriting and music pre-production facility in Newmarket,
Ontario, Canada. He is the Songwriters Association of Canada
regional coordinator for Newmarket and leads a music workshop
program for Life 100.3 Christian radio. James writes songwriting
articles for The Muse's News web magazine, Canadian Musician
Magazine and Professional Musician Magazine.

Contact James at:  theharmonyhouse@rogers.com

Back to Menu

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
S p o n s o r   M e s s a g e : 
(Please support the sponsors that support this newsletter! Thanks!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SPOTLIGHT YOUR MUSIC ON THE MUSE'S MUSE!

The Muse's Muse Songwriting Resource (online since 1995) now has
a section of Artist Spotlights at
http://www.musesmuse.com/artistspotlights.html where musicians
and songwriters of all genres can strut their stuff.  Newly
spotlighted artists are also mentioned in this newsletter (see
above). Check out http://www.musesmuse.com/spotlightinfo.html for
more details!
=================================================================
M u s i c a l   N o t e s : Songwriting Contests & Market Info.

In the interest of conserving space, I will only be including
changes to this listing in this newsletter.  All other contests
and market information that have already been listed here, are
displayed at http://www.musesmuse.com/contests.html &
http://www.musesmuse.com/markets.html . Please check there
regularly for updates!
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JOHN LENNON SONGWRITING CONTEST- Deadline: September 28, 2004 
The John Lennon Songwriting Contest is an international
songwriting Contest that began in 1997. The Contest is open to
amateur and professional songwriters who submit entries in any
one of 13 categories. Your song may be entered in any of the
following categories: Rock, Country, Jazz, Pop, World, Rhythm &
Blues, Hip Hop, Gospel/Inspirational, Latin, Electronic, Folk,
Children's and the new "Lyrics Only" category. Entries will be
judged based upon originality, melody, composition, and lyrics
(when applicable). Instrumental compositions are encouraged. Both
performance and production value will not be considered during
the adjudication process. More than just a contest, the John
Lennon Songwriting Contest offers songwriters one of the most
valuable commodities in the music industry: OPPORTUNITY! For a
complete breakdown for rewards click on Awards & Prizes. Please
visit http://www.jlsc.com/ for more information to get started! 
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2004 UNISONG INTERNATIONAL SONG CONTEST OPEN FOR ENTRIES!

Offering cash, prizes and real opportunities to new and
developing songwriters around the world. Selected winners will
appear on a special limited edition CD and one Grand Prize winner
will win a trip to write new songs with established professional
songwriters.

Enter by MP3, CD or Cassette! Entry deadline is November 30, 2004
Enter by September 1, 2004 for earlybird discounts! 
Visit http://www.unisong.com/ for more details.
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PACIFIC SONGWRITING COMPETITION
The New Zealand based "Pacific Songwriting Competition" seeks
excellence in expression. The competition is sponsored by an
Opera Singer with a passion for original music and those who
create it. The cash prizes total $25,000 and 2 i Pods are to be
given away on the 500th and 1000th entry opened. The competition
is open to all nations, genres and both amateur and professional
songwriters. There are neither promises of chances to be heard by
the "big boys" nor product to be given away. The sponsor wished
for an Ad Free Site with occasional quotes and songwriting tips.
Online Artistic Support is available twice a week at varying
times of the day. http://www.pacificsongwritingcompetition.com/ 
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2004 INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITING COMPETITION
$100,000 in cash and prizes will be shared by 50 winners in 16
categories. All musicians, bands, artists, and songwriters are
invited to enter their songs. Since its inception in 2002, ISC
especially takes pride in its judges and this year is no
exception. ISC 2004 offers both aspiring and established
songwriters the opportunity to have their songs heard by a
prestigious panel of judges that so far includes: Sean "P.Diddy"
Combs, Darryl McDaniels (Run DMC), Aaron Lewis (Staind), Sully
Erna (Godsmack), John Ondrasik (Five for Fighting), Macy Gray,
Scott Kirkland (The Crystal Method), Monte Lipman (President,
Universal Records), Stacey Earle (Americana Artist), Clint Black,
Tracy Gershon (Sr. Dir. A&R/Artist Rel., Sony Records
Nashville/Producer, Nashville Star), Alan Meltzer (CEO, Wind-Up
Records), Kim Stephens (VP of A&R, Lava Records), Peter Furler
(Lead Singer/Songwriter, The Newsboys), Chris Parr (VP of Music
Programming & Talent Relations, CMT), Michael McDonald
(President, ATO Records), Paul Asher (Co-President, Sanctuary
Artist Management) 

More judges will be added soon. 
For more information, an entry form or to enter online, please
visit: songwritingcompetition.com 
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TAKE YOUR SONGWRITING CAREER TO THE NEXT LEVEL 
Ellen Silverstein Violette, Grammy-nominated Songwriter & CEO of
Create A Splash! e-marketing & writing strategies 4 success is
offering 15% discounts to Muse's Muse visitors on selected
services including all courses, web reviews, and some coaching
programs. Visit http://tinyurl.com/39yxa for information! 
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POSITIVE MUSIC ASSOCIATION
The Positive Music Association (http://www.positivemusicassociation.com/)
is for musicians who create music that promote positive feelings
and messages. One of our main goals is to establish a new genre
of music (i.e. "positive") that is recognized by the public and
the music industry. Membership is free (at the moment). 
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DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE COPYRIGHT KIT

Download Indie-Music.com's free and easy Copyright Kit. Print
Copyright forms, Copyright submission process, handy tips &
tricks, choosing the right form, and more.

http://www.indie-music.com/freemuse.php
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SONGWRITING CONSULTATION SPECIAL OFFER: 
Pete & Pat Luboff will pay for the phone call for Muse's Muse
songwriters who use the Luboffs' songwriting consultation
service. The service provides detailed, constructive song
analysis, answers to all your creative and business questions and
references to contacts when appropriate. Visit
http://www.writesongs.com/consults.htm for more information.  
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TAKE "SUCCESFUL LYRIC WRITING" WITH SARA LIGHT ONLINE ONLY AT
SONGU.COM

Join Tony Award nominated lyricist and hit songwriter, Sara
Light, for this exciting online course beginning September 25th.
Also, as a member of SongU.com, you can take over 30 self-paced
courses that are available online 24 hours a day, 365 days a
year.  No airfare, no hotel costs, no time constraints.  Right
from your own home, you can get quality education and personal
attention from a faculty of active hit songwriters and successful
independent artists.  

Back-To-School Special for Musesmuse members.  Use redemption
code: MMU8303 when you enroll for one year at SongU and get an
additional 3 months free!  
To take the campus tour, go to http://www.songu.com/?sa=3 .
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TAKE YOUR MUSIC TO THE NEXT LEVEL WITH BERKLEEMUSIC.COM 

Berklee College of Music has launched its Berkleemusic.com web
site after nearly two years in development. This ambitious 
offering provides songwriters opportunities to take online music
writing courses and explore new music career directions. Users
can create a personal or band web page containing bios, MP3s,
images, reviews, news, and links that are useful resources to
potential employers, collaborators, and students.

For more information visit: 
http://www.berkleemusic.com/school/?affiliate_promotion_id=338 
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INTRODUCING A SPECIAL WEBSITE PROMOTION PACKAGE ESPECIALLY FOR
MUSICIANS/SONGWRITERS
It's important for your website to be found once it's created. We
all know this. But who can afford the promotion a website needs
to truly make its mark on the web? Now YOU can. This package is
offered exclusively to Muse's Muse visitors only. Do you have a
website that no one knows about? Do you want it to stand out from
the crowd? Now you can get it promoted for a fraction of the
price most search engine optimization packages would cost you. 
Visit http://www.internet-marketing-mm.com/musicianpackage.html
for more details.  

Back to Menu
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M u s e ' s    C l u e s :  by Irene Jackson

©1998-2004 Moonstone Productions All Rights Reserved. Used By
Permission

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Theory is what most consider to be the math behind the music, but
as soon as you use the words "theory" or "math", a lot of
people's eyes glaze over.  If you haven't had any formal training
in music and occasionally feel lacking in the theory end of it,
Theory On The Web (http://www.smu.edu/totw/) written by Robert J.
Frank, Assistant Professor of Composition and Theory at the
Southern Methodist University in Dallas, is an excellent tool to
get you started.  It begins at the beginning, assuming you have
no theoretical background at all, and can be used as "a framework
for a First-Year Music Theory course, as a preparation and/or
review for entry to a college music program, or simply as a means
of deepening one’s knowledge and understanding of music."

There are three parts and several sections to each part covering
topics such as rhythm, meter and pitch, to a complete discussion
of chords and basic melodic principles.  The methods and
description of creating a good melody is an interesting section,
getting into topics such as rhythm and contour (arch, ramp) and
using examples to demonstrate what works in a melody and what
doesn't.  But most importantly, you'll find out why!  Creating a
great melody is something every songwriter sweats over at one
time or another. 

Audio examples and graphics are used throughout the course (you
will need Quicktime in order to hear the audio) to demonstrate
each topic discussed. It is not a quick read by any means, but it
is relatively easy to understand, using links for all of the
musical terms used and keeping to a simple and straightforward
method of description.  Although you might easily choose to
navigate from one section of the website to another, for those of
you new to theory it makes more sense to read through from the
beginning so that you can learn the terminology and basics as you
go.  Take your time and read a section or two every day so that
you can get the full benefit of this online course.

Theory on the Web is a great way to brush up on your theory too,
and definitely one of those sites that provides content over
flash.  Go to it!  

                         ******
						 
Irene Jackson is a performing songwriter from Victoria, BC in
Canada. Aside from writing, recording and performing, she also
maintains a website for songwriters that includes tips, articles
and more links of interest.  Her eagerly anticipated CD "Catnip" is
finally here, and her earlier recordings have had attention
everywhere from Japan to South America.

Songwriting Tips: http://www.irenejackson.com/tips.html
Homepage:         http://www.irenejackson.com/
Songs on MP3:
http://www.mp3.com/artists/20/irene_jackson.html
Back to Menu
=================================================================

F e a t u r e d   A r t i c l e : 

The Power of Principles: Part 3 / The Credibility Factor
- by Mary Dawson © 2004

-----------------------------------------------------------------
So far in our series on The Power of Principles, we have learned
that the Music Industry is not looking for talent only, but for
success (Master's Maxim) and that in order to be truly
successful, we must be able to connect with the hearts and
emotions of millions of listeners through our music. This
requires us to have such a mastery of our music skills that we
can focus on the communication rather than on the mechanics of
songwriting and/or performing. (The Greer Guideline)

(You can find these other articles at
http://musesmuse.com/marydawson.html)

But there is another key element that must be present in our
lives and in our music in order for us to achieve the success we
are striving for -- that element is simple credibility. The word,
credibility, basically means that a person, product or
institution can be trusted to be what they seem - that they are
believable and capable of delivering what they promise.
Credibility is clearly related to the standard of excellence that
we demonstrate in performance and writing, but, in my opinion,
credibility goes a few steps beyond mere excellence and must be
present for true success to find us.

Think about how many talented people you have met along the road
in your musical journey. If your experience is anything like
mine, you will be able to name dozens of amazingly gifted
songwriters and artists, most of whom will never be recognized
outside their immediate local audience. It's not because they
have failed to work hard or that they have been unable to really
master their craft -- or even that their talent is "less than"
the talent of nationally or internationally known stars. It is
simply that they lack credibility. They have not demonstrated to
the Music Industry or to the general public that they are as
accomplished or even more accomplished than other recognized
artists. Their light of talent is being hidden under a bushel of
anonymity.

Do you recognize yourself yet? I myself can say that I have truly
"been there and done that." In the early days of my own career I
learned that in order for my songwriting to reach a national
standard, I would have to work very hard and I was willing to do
so. I put in my time….I paid my dues…..I kept studying great
songs and songwriters….and little by little I began to realize
that my writing was becoming really good! I was mastering my
skills and I was becoming able to objectively measure my work. I
knew that not all my songs were "national quality," but many were
- they were simply great songs that the world needed to hear. But
I was still a Nobody in the Grand Scheme of Things (otherwise
known as the Music Industry). I was good, but nobody knew it! I
needed credibility.
=================================================================
The rest of this article can be found at:
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000694.html
=================================================================

                        ******
						
Mary Dawson is a prolific, published songwriter and president of
CQK Records (http://www.cqkmusic.com/) and Music of Dallas,
Texas. She is also the host of the popular syndicated radio talk
show, "I Write the Songs," which has been designed to inspire and
instruct the millions of aspiring songwriters in the craft and
business of songwriting. Mary's commitment to discovering and
mentoring talented new songwriters has made her a popular seminar
speaker at songwriting events around the country.

Back to Menu

=================================================================

    " O N   S I T E "   F E A T U R E D   A R T I C L E :

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Go With The Flow (Of Your Life) - Paula Carpenter
http://musesmuse.com/columnistsgreylogs/archives/00000693.html

Here's an unlikely topic: I thought I would address the topic of
'sliding out of the saddle' of the music industry...for a bit of
time...because of important successes or demands in other areas
of our lives, and what kind of prominence these situations,
seemingly 'interference in our dreams', should take in our lives.
(NOTE: The next column will deal with GETTING BACK INTO THE
SADDLE, after a brief hiatus or after a postponement of the
goal...) 
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In addition, you get free promotion on our Industry-Leading website, monthly tips on where & how to submit your music, and super-handy organizational tools available from any computer. For musicians and industry professionals. http://www.indie-music.com/join2.php ----------------------------------------------------------------- MUSIC BUSINESS SOFTWARE FROM PATTEN SOUND Record Company in a Box is a complete independent record company management software. Tour Manager allows the tracking of all concert and tour specifics. Music Business Contracts contains 100 of the most necessary music industry contracts available. Studio Business Forms is a collection of 43 recording studio business forms. For more details, point your browser to: http://www.musicbusinessstore.com/ ----------------------------------------------------------------- REACH NEW FANS ON MEDIAFEAST Looking to reach new fans? MediaFeast is an online independent music retailer dedicated to helping independent artists bring new music to fans and helping listeners find great new music. Create a free account and then have the opportunity to add albums for sale on MediaFeast.com. In addition to prepackaged albums such as those sold at traditional retailers, MediaFeast offers the sale of one-off albums that are produced to order using a master artist disc and associated artwork. Artists set the selling prices for all of their albums and receive all profits above the base cost. Sign up through this ad and receive four free Pure Profit sales, where you will keep 100% of the selling price! Visit http://tinyurl.com/2me2f for details. ----------------------------------------------------------------- THE 5th EDITION OF THE INDIE BIBLE IS NOW AVAILABLE! The Indie Bible shows you where to get your music reviewed, your songs played, and your CDs sold. 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================================================================= C o n t a c t I n f o & C r e d i t s : ----------------------------------------------------------------- Jodi Krangle ............................................. EDITOR Kathryn Obenshain ...........................GRACIOUS PROOFREADER ----------------------------------------------------------------- The Muse's News is a free monthly newsletter for and about songwriters. Subscribers are welcome to recirculate or reprint The Muse's News for nonprofit use as long as the appropriate credit is given and the ENTIRE text of the newsletter is included (including credits and information at the end of each issue). Others should contact me at editor@musesmuse.com. All articles copyrighted by their authors. Back issues and other information will be available at: http://www.musesmuse.com/musenews.html The Muse's News is part of The Muse's Muse, a web resource for songwriters: http://www.musesmuse.com/ For further information, send your e-mail to: ----------------------------------------------------------------- adinfo@musesmuse.com - How to place a classified ad, pass on market information or sponsor The Muse's News. info@musesmuse.com - How to subscribe, unsubscribe, etc. editor@musesmuse.com - To submit articles,reviews,ideas,etc. SNAILMAIL: Please contact me first at editor@musesmuse.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back issues of the newsletter can be read at the National
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