Thanks for all the kind responses and concern about my broken fingers. Here’s a quick update. I had surgery last Monday. A new hero of mine named Dr. Rubright installed a pin, a plate and five screws, so now my left middle and ring fingers are straight. They just don’t move so well. But I […]
I Broke My Fingers, Here’s an Update Read More »
Coming up with a great metaphor seems tricky, but it’s simpler than you think. At the end of the day, a great metaphor is you showing the listener how two things they hadn’t thought were very similar are actually very much the same. You might think the good ones are already taken, but that’s because
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Hi Jay – I think this is a great attitude and perspective. It’s also a great way to get your foot in the door of opportunities. Around 2009 and 2010 I was so discouraged as a songwriter. I didn’t know how to move forward. I decided to learn how to tune pianos so that I
Sometimes friends and maybe even strangers will send you a song and ask for feedback. Before you go all “advice monster” on them, try to remember when you first sent your songs to people for feedback. Were you really wanting critical comments and analysis or were you simply wanting some affirmation and encouragement? If you
On Songwriting: How to NOT Give Feedback Read More »
ALEX: How is your friend who has cancer in Let People Live? AARON: Thanks for asking. She passed away in January. Listen to “Let People Live” via Secret Songs Club on Bandcamp >> When you went to Florida did you often think “I can’t forget my family soakin’ wet, laughing beside the Atlantic”? Or do you
AMA: “Questions from Alex” Read More »
When I was a kid, I only knew one kind of winter. That was a Minnesota winter. Winter meant cold. It meant icy roads, and walking to school with frost on my eyelashes. Then one October when I was nine, my family traveled to Florida. We got off the plane and it was hot. I
On Songwriting: Sprinkling Contrast Read More »
Hello Aaron, I just had a chance to read your blog about “what you are really like”. Thank you for sharing. I think it is so important to share things that we struggle with if and when we are able. It helps others not to feel alone in a similar thing. For me I also
AMA: “What helps you the most when things get hard?” -Lee Read More »
Hey Aaron I was wondering how you make a living making music? Do you make more money from selling songs or performing them? I still devote a lot of my time to music. I am working on putting an act together. I have over a hundred songs, none professionally recorded. I have a few I
AMA: “How do you make a living making music?” -Tommy Read More »
Your job as a songwriter is not to simply relay a story as it actually happened. Sure, there are great real-life stories out there, but for the most part they need to be adjusted or embellished for a bigger truth. Let me give you an example of what I’m talking about. In a song of
On Songwriting: The Bigger Truth Read More »
When I’m deciding what project to work on next, it’s helpful to keep in mind a metaphorical intersection. The two “streets” are Curiosity and Conscience. The project should live at the corner of those two streets. Why? Curiosity gives me permission to chase the things that are interesting to me. If they’re interesting to me,
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