Great Mistakes - Lost in the Music

My July 28th post mentions that sometimes you should KEEP your mistakes long enough to really listen to them... because sometimes they turn out to be fantastic unpredictable music that adds a unique variety to your music that no one else would think of. Besides.... if you keep your mistake, it is no longer an error but a Design!

This hint is for songwriters who record initial tracks into their computer, such as with a GarageBand program. Sometimes when you play from your draft written music, you "get lost" and just sort of keep playing until you figure out where you were. At least, if you like me are not a perfectionist... if you're eager to record before you've completely mastered your music. The common response is to go back into the Notation view for the recorded track (let's say piano) and delete all your wrong measures and notes.

But consider: The phrase "pregnant pause" has meaning in music too. Quite often, you've gotten lost after a really strong music section. That pause meandering over the keys until you figured out "where you are" just might provide the mood change that bridges your song pieces and adds tremendous depth to your song. That gives the listener time to think and contemplate the lyrics. That gives time to really feel the music.

One of my favorite songs where I kept getting lost is "Prayer Pre-Requisites"... it's full of meandering note sections that I listened to during the song development and decided to not only keep but to copy through the length of the song. AS IN LIFE, MISTAKES OFTEN ADD INTEREST AND COLOR.....
Much joy to you in enjoying PLAYING music... not "working music"! :)
©2011 DianaDee Osborne

DianaDee Osborne GARAGEBAND Deliberate Percussion Mistakes

Fun Songwriting - Odd Melody Notes

Afraid you'll goof when writing your songs? There's NO wrong way. Hey, it's YOUR song. Here's a fun hint that might help you find JOY in YOUR music for the World! --
USE ODD NOTES. Be different in *yYyour* way, your uniqueness of ideas!

1. Deliberately throw odd notes into your melody that are not in the scale of your chord. I accidentally left the sharp mark off an F in song Claxton and I recorded last night, FEAR FREE PRAYER (http://www.didoreflections.com/song/fear-free-prayer). While practicing, I tried that weird F note I'd typed into the interlude melody line. It was a really cool mistake, maybe even God-guided?

2. Really weird, unexpected (not in the scale!) notes create a dark mood for dark words like fear, sorrow, sin, or pain. Odd notes add excitement to your song--- avoid ho-hum predictable melodies.