DonnaMarilyn

Great article! Thanks for posting it. Now I want to read the book. Donna

Hi Alicatt, It's hard to say whether I feel most inspired to write in a particular season, but on a personal level my favourite season is autumn. I was born in October, so maybe that plays a role. 😉 I love the colours and the changes, and the feeling of preparing to go into a kind of hibernation, introspection. Many of my lyrics are reflective in nature, so perhaps they've emanated from that state of hibernation, so to speak. Donna

It sure has. The most wonderful music, and I'm not even a musician! I always think I'll remember the melody in the morning, but of course I never do. )-: Often, though, in those fleeting moments between coming out of sleep and actually waking up, lines will pop into my mind that I use later in a lyric. Or in the transition from being awake to falling asleep, a sudden line or two will jolt me into wakefulness, and of course after I've written them down I can't get back to sleep. So I keep working on the lyric.

It's wonderful when things fall into place. And good for you as well, making a move and a brand new start. I'd recommend that at some point you get in touch with Marc-Alan Barnette. He's a treasure trove of information, and has been living, working, and writing/playing in Nashville for years. Decades, I think. He's also highly entertaining. https://www.marcalanbarnette.com/home Well, if I ever get over that way, I'll be sure to give you fair warning. Would be fun to meet up. In fact, as I'm a TAXI member, I've occasionally toyed with the idea of going to one of their annual Rallies. They're said to be fantastic. Hasn't panned out though so far. Delft is a long way from Nashville.

Good for you, Lisa! 0nce upon a time I daydreamed vaguely about at least visiting there for a wee while. However... It's not likely to come to fruition. Goals change over the years, especially when one is non-instrument-playing lyricist.

Lovely to see you again, @Vagdavercustis. And good for you, making a brand new start with a brand new love and in a brand new place. That takes a lot of of courage. You'll be a wonderful mother. I've been AWOL for some time also. Needed to take a sabbatical and re-group. Finding peace is definitely the answer.

Thank you, Tom. And a big thanks to folks here who voted. Apparently the total of votes was a record number. I'm thrilled for Billy, because no one deserves a win more than he does. Not only a consummate composer/arranger/musician, he's also an overall very nice person. We've collaborated on a number of songs over the past 5-6 years. So…Fingers crossed for tomorrow, when the judges select the category winner. Donna

Bump! At the moment, the track's in front. Please help us keep it there. Donna

Much appreciated, Danidog. Thank you. Donna

Bump!

Thanks, Tom. I've just realised that if folks have multiple devices, they can actually cast a vote on each one of them every day. This might up the vote count. Donna

Randy and Les, thank you. Donna

McNaughton Park, Mike, and Lisa, thank you so much for your support. I appreciate it a lot. I know it's a lot to ask folks to cast a vote each day, but… fantastic when it happens. Interesting that of the five instrumentals, two each are from the same person(s). So it will be an exciting race to the finish. Donna

Thanks for the vote, Tom, and for posting the plea on the FB page. I'd love to see 'A Near-Life Experience' get a few more votes. Must say, it's a real bonus that it's so easy to vote: No need even to register on the site. Just tick the box. Donna

Was thrilled to learn just now that my collaborator Billy Playle and I have two tracks in the Finalists list in the 2014 International SongDoor competition - Instrumentals section. I'd be grateful if you'd case a vote EACH DAY for 'A Near-Life Experience' (if you like it, of course. ) The track is now running second. I hope we can pull it into first place and keep it there on the 20th. http://songdoor.com/uvote-instrument.html UPDATE JAN 13: And if you have multiple devices, you can cast a vote on each one of them every day. This might up the vote count. The final Winner will be selected by the contest judges, but the winner of the popular votes will get an extra bonus. Thanks! Donna PS: If anyone's interested in hearing the song version, it's here. It was a finalist in an international songwriting competition a couple of years ago. http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=9991229

In fact, I thought a couple of the songs were kind of neat. For instance, 'Nightime Whispers', and that rocking boogie song. And all the songs certainly had top-class musicians and singers. As one of the guys said, they had to be on top of their game because it was necessary to work quickly. Donna

This was delightful! Thanks for posting the link. Pity the video was so full of ads, but it was worth watching. Donna

A fun, short article that you might get a kick out of. Especially if you're a bass player. http://www.independe...d-bass-players/ Donna

Thank you, David. High praise from you indeed. Quite right about the whistle. I was simply so amused/charmed by the original slang term, I didn't think through the logic of the situation. I've made the appropriate change. Donna

A bit of background. The devil kind of made me do it. I was inspired by a forum discussion a couple of years ago about a song that involved risk-related casual sex. The notion of a hood pack leader on a 'Just Say No' campaign sprang to mind. It was a hoot to write (and to revise). And thank goodness for urban dictionaries. Anyway, I hope you get a kick out of it (and my sincere apologies to any authentic rappers here ). I'm sure the lyric will never marry up with music (though I'd be delighted if it did - I have a distinct beat for it), but if anyone has constructive suggestions to improve the lyric, they'll be very welcome. Donna Sleepin’ Wid’ A Stranger Back off sistas, don’t want yo blistas I’m cleanin’ my slate, fixin’ to wait Keepin’ my fun zone sleepin’ in the sun zone No pickin’ fruit unless I know it’s homegrown No more howlin’, this wolf ain’t growlin’ [‘Cause] I’m off-duty ain’t cravin’ no booty Don’ mean to diss ya, but better to miss ya Now get the word out to the rest a’ the sistas I’m an alpha male but I gotta admit When I see what’s goin’ down I ain’t diggin’ that sh*t Yo, nothin’ but danger, sleepin’ wid’ a stranger Girl, ya bo janglin’ can’t ya see I’m anglin’ To get it on wit’cha but here’s the pict’cha [Yeah] this here’s rizzle, this is fo’ shizzle Ya need to be mine before ya blow wet my whistle I’m an alpha male but I gotta admit When I see what’s goin’ down I ain’t diggin’ that sh*t Yo, nothin’ but danger, sleepin’ wid’ a stranger Used to be sexual, now I’m doin’ textual Gotta feel the love before I put on the glove [An’] all I expect’s a little self-respect A little basic intel before we connect Don’t mind dancin’ to a different beat Don’t want no hoodrats roun’ my feet Don’t want ya playin’ no trich on me Only crabs I like are crawlin’ in the sea Ain’t linin’ up for no STD Maybe you a dime but not on my time I’m an alpha male but I gotta admit When I see what’s goin’ down I ain’t diggin’ that sh*t Yo, nothin’ but danger, sleepin’ wid’ a stranger ain’t on the make Givin’ the snake a break [Got] thinkin’ on Goon always hittin’ on poon Bullets hit the target but his piece got ruined I’m an alpha male but I gotta admit When I see what’s goin’ down I ain’t diggin’ that sh*t Yo, nothin’ but danger, sleepin’ wid’ a stranger © 2011-2014 Donna Devine

Hi James. Ramble alert. From what I remember, Easter was originally a pagan tradition (involving the goddess 'Ishtar'/'Astarte'/Eostre', etc.), and its purpose was to celebrate spring, new beginnings, and fertility (hence the rabbit symbol). The tradition was one of several ancient rituals ostensibly adopted to make Christianity more palatable to people still practising the Old Religion, and whom the Church founders wanted to convert. So the notion of bunnies and chocolate eggs might be considered an insult both to the Old Religion (probably also present-day pagans/wiccans) and to Christianity. But on to the lyric. I too stumbled over lines 2 & 4, V1. I understand you wanting to provide a contrast, but I feel the transition needs to be smoother, more logical. To me, the mood, the feel of V1 is quite different from that of V2. Below is a rough example only, just to illustrate what I mean by strengthening the connection between events. When you came to us a baby, we were at a loss And over time, we turned our hearts to a man called Santa Claus When you said you were a king, we hung you on a cross Then turned the Easter message into chocolate eggs and dross But it's just one person's observation, so keep or sweep. Donna

Interesting trailer for an upcoming documentary - 'Unsound' - on the music business in the digital age. Donna

I don't have 'good luck' items as such, but have a preference for slim, fine-point pens if I do use one. Twice a year I take part in a songwriting challenge (FAWM in February and 50-90 from July to October), and before I begin I absolutely must have my normally chaotic workspace in impeccable order. It's as if I'm synching my external and internal world in preparation for the - I always hope -onslaught of creativity. During the course of the challenges, the workspace naturally becomes a disaster area, but somehow I can ignore it and forge ahead at the Muse's urgings. I love an elegant ball-point pen, and can spend up to half an hour in a shop trying out and deciding on which one to buy (even if it's only going to cost me a couple of euros). And like John, I enjoy the aesthetics of writing on certain kinds of paper. I don't have special notebooks, though. Unfortunately, I jot things down on whatever is at hand, and the result is chaos. During the challenges, however, to keep myself sane I create folders on my computer and make a point of putting everything in there. I really do need to print out all of my lyrics and organise them in huge ring-binders. Donna

What a fascinating perspective! As a non-musician, I couldn't grasp all of what he's saying, but some of you here might find this of interest. He's functioning on a whole other level. Donna

Tom, to add to the suggestions in my previous post, a couple of other thoughts have sprung to mind. How about articles on different topics, like guitar care? Or ideas for setting up an effective recording space at home (simple ideas that work, etc.). In my other post, I mentioned people posting pics of their recording space. There could be some fun involved, with kudos for the most creative/the most disorganised/the most organised, etc. Or folks posting videos of favourite artists playing their guitar. This kind of thing usually generates discussion/comments. Donna