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This my 200th post here at Songstuff and I wanted to celebrate by offering my strong support for John, the moderators, and all the members here who make this such an inspiring place to reside! Whether you want searching critique, sympathetic listens, challenging conversations and respectful differences of opinions, a chance to be understood by other people like you, or even somewhere to vent about music, the muse and the pleasures/tortures of making music there is no better address. No better haven in a mainly disinterested world. I have tried quite a few others so I can speak with some experience. I know for a fact my skills are improving every day thanks to this site. May it live forever!

Welcome, Louisa. You're in the right place to get that feedback. Enjoy!

Howdy man, hope you do find out what it's all about! And when you do, can you tell me?Welcome to Songstuff.

Lol, I did that first time too. But only downloaded a few at the time so that was lucky. Use the file size function in Google Images and go for 1M plus as well as getting the picture not the thumbnail and you'll be safe. And always be respectful of copyright, my friend.

Its funny, I've just started buying records again after a long hiatus and of course really enjoying the covers, but I feel a bit cheated when the innards are so thin. There was a time when you would get lyrics (almost always), photos, bios, even sometimes a cutout thing to build something out of. And that wasn't too long ago, I probably stopped buying records weekly in the early 90s. Although just the other day I open up a new release and out pops - a card-sized bit of paper with a download code to get a digital version of the album. I really liked this, and hope the record companies/distributors can take this further so the code links to more info about the band etc. Sure, I can google them, but its just nice to see that extra effort made for the humble home buyer. So, a renaissance in cover art and etc. is nigh, I say, let's teach this mp3 generation of the glory of musical by-products !

Tom, sorry this is off-topic but well done to you and the other moderators this week, putting yourself out there to stand up for this whole community isn't easy and you did a great job

I got a few, SM57 & 58, AKG 170 pencil mic for guitar, and a no-name Condensor that's pretty awful. Currently have an AKG C3000 just visiting from a mate's rig. Mmmmm, love a bit of mic envy.

Hey guys thanks again for the advice here. I've made my first video for my song Intelligent Design Flaw. It's over in the Members Section of Songwriting Critique and I'd love your feedback. Ended up using iMovie which was pretty usable but fiddlier than I hoped. Got my workflow sorted for next time though. Cheers

Nice blog post Randy. Read your other one too. I'm similar to you in many ways. I think starting a blog is a great way to muse, mull over, think-while-typing. I don't have anything profound to add, just encouragement and best wishes for those goals. You have a right to them!!!

How ironic. Lennon and the other Beatles suffered from poor publishing decisions for many years, theirs is one of the most famous copyright cases in history. Do your research before you spout, dude. Also, I'm pretty sure 'Can't Buy Me Love' is a McCartney write and the prefix Money is from the aphorism 'Money can't buy you love' which doesn't appear in any Beatles/Lennon song. Seize the day, carpedm, and check out the many intelligent discussions on Songstuff about this important issue.

Woah, nothing like a good ol' controversy. I too practiced more when I was younger: practice meaning repeating scales, arpeggios, new chords and such for hours and hours. I had nothing better to do. I wish, though, that I had learned some more rudimentary skills properly - I'm probably of the earlier spoilt generation Mike mentioned - so I would jump ahead whenever possible, when I ALMOST had it. HoboSage/Wes were right about the Blues!! Playing for fun and playing with others soon took over and now I only consciously practice a new instrument like John says. Or if I want to teach myself something new in my instrument, like I did with 'latin feel' guitar lately. It all goes towards serving the current song or song cycle I'm writing. However, I feel strongly that a practice regimen is the key to better playing, writing and understanding of music and here's why. UNLESS you're a prodigy, a lot of what we come up with seems really cool at the time but it almost always forms part of some already-held musical theory, drill or body of knowledge, like Layne said. Not being unkind here, but few of us are truly original, and that's OK. But it's no point believing you're really talented or unique if the body of knowledge is already there! Why not just immerse yourself in the thousand years of combined musical cultures already at your fingertips? It means that when just mucking around, creating, jamming, whatever there will be so much more to draw on than if you stayed 'individual' like Mike points out. I have written songs for 30 or so years but I would be all the better, even professional perhaps if I had kept up a practice regimen, learnt more when I had the time, worked out where my meanderings fit into the great and wonderful world of music theory and nailed them, then. No regrets, but I do take practice more seriously now. If I have to play live or for a recording I get it perfect first before I play or sing a note. Works for me. Good thread.

Great thread, Kel, I count myself among you all here as a singer to whom singing didn't come naturally. And I concur with the great comments and advice from Rudi and Hobo and Dave. I have had some nice compliments from members here and one or two friends but essentially hardly anyone has heard me sing and said they loved my voice. Its that natural thing we're talking about here, what you're born with? but also what you do with what you have. I had considered the 'that's just my voice' approach for many years as good enough until I took lessons for a year, working on faux-Opera songs I was singing in a community musical. I learnt some stuff that stayed with me, but that was over ten years ago. I now find myself drawing on it more and more as I have tried to improve of late. These are the things I try to remember to do, Kel, that help me and may help you with your question about control: I warm up my voice by humming or sing scales but don't strain my voice sometimes I sit but with my chest raised, usually I stand, strongly I make like a funnel or pipe in my throat, it feels like a wide open space for breath, by making my tongue loose the way you say Aaah at the Doctor's then breathe freely so I can take enough breath for every line or phrase, each one is different I peel back my lips to look like I'm smiling I sing from the back of my throat just above the back of my tongue and move up and down in pitch by moving this 'source' of the sound 'up' to my head or 'down' to my throat I 'feel' the song a la HoboSage if recording, I do a whole take as a further warm up I concentrate on pitch a la Dave I try to use my voice in different ways a la Rudi, then choose the way or ways I like best, whether it be sweet or raspy or deep by the end of the take I'm either in control or I need to do one or more of the above again I press Record --- I can't tell you what happens next, that bit is always a mystery but if I've done all the former it usually comes out all the better. I'm sure this is all covered in books and online too but this is how I have created my 'style', along with my natural physiognomy, my influences, and the demands of the song. Hope you can use some of it.

You just started one, four-stringed brother!

Rock it mate, welcome and hi from Australia. Will look out for your stuff.

Y'know, as I'm not doing this to make a million, I think I'll take the same route as I have with private health insurance and staying away from bad women...just ignore the advice and hope for the best! But thanks for the info, guys.