Hearty Music

Did you know that we as humans are so connected to music psychologically, emotionally and culturally that our heart beat synchronizes itself with the pace of the music you’re listening to?

Just a thought!

Live Life, Love Music

Missaddler

Ms Alicia Keys

Oh my daze! SO how bout Alicia Keys is a bad gyal! From when she first started out to the present-day she has gone from strength to strength.

I have always admired her lyrical skills and I never stopped giving her so much respect for the fact that she is classically trained on the piano. Alicia Keys fuses classical with soul, neo-soul and r&b, along with spoken word and those oh so amazing hooks!

She has won countless awards and the way she doesn’t use wild choreography or outrageous fashion statements in order gain media attention is high up there in my ratings!

I mean true, she did start out to be more soul and less commercial, now she’s more commercial and less soul but she’s still doing her thing and I respect that!

Just a thought!

Live Life, Love Music

Missaddler

Where are the instruments?

Just a quick one for you…

Where are the instruments? Since musical software like Logic, Cubase, Sibelius, Fruity Loops etc. were created, has live instrumentation in modern music suffered? Has it been replaced?

I know computer instruments were used a lot in genres like dance, old-skool hip-hop etc. but I’m finding it sneaking into genres like r&b, grime and pop.

What are you thinking?

Just a thought

Live Life, Love Music

Missaddler

The Robotic Voice

So what’s up with the auto-tuner? Friend or foe?

I thought the auto-tuner was meant to add certain effects or maybe correct little discrepancies like when vocals are slightly off-key or to make runs and riffs a little clearer. Little did I know that this machine would be the start of a new era where artists who would never have been considered to be a vocal artist in the past, are now churning out those number ones like it aint hard work. For example T-Pain, no doubt the dude has got skills when it comes to producing and entertaining performances, however he is one that excessively uses the auto-tuner to aid his voice. Check this:

In class we had a debate on this question: ‘In the future, will machines be able to compose and make music equal to or better than humans?’ All those films made about machines and robots taking over in the future could have been on to something; hmmmm.

Just a thought

Live Life, Love Music

Missaddler

Songacting

Has anyone ever thought that songwriters and actors are the same?

I know that many songs written are rooted in the experience and or emotional state of the songwriter; however have you ever written a song based on an experience you have never known? Similar to acting right? It’s like stepping into another world, or another life…

There have been a couple times where I was writing a song for a specific purpose and I found I had to put myself in someone else’s shoes in order to complete the song. It was a scary experience really because I had to pretend not to be me and ‘turn into’ a stranger. To be honest it took a lot out of me.

Music has its fingers in so many pies-drama, sociology, psychology, musicology and so on…interesting really. Just a thought

Live Life, Love Music

Missaddler

Success

So lately I’ve been writing songs for so many different projects…at the moment I’m writing for a film soundtrack, a radio jingle, a new album and two shows coming up in February and May. All these different experiences and opportunities give me a little more insight into the world of music.

Being an artist isn’t just about singing, it’s about discovering who you are as a person as-well-as a musician; it’s about not letting people tell you what you can and can’t do, it’s about dealing with people who think they’re better than you and being the best in an industry that will expose your skills as-well-as your faults.

Next time you face a challenge, know that you are already equipped and prepared…you just gotta be brave and step up.

Live Life, Love Music

Missaddler

If your life were a song…

If your life were a song, what would it be? 

It’s amazing how music has such an amazing effect on us. It is universal and comes in so many unique styles yet no matter where you’re from or what kind of life you’ve led, you still have that personal connection that maybe nobody else in the world has.

Say you have a really tough day, and you just wanna separate yourself from everyone else and be alone, there’s always a song for that; or when you’re nervous and excited about something coming up, there’s even a song for that. Just one song or album has the power to change your life!

The first time I heard ‘Since the Last Time I Saw You’ by Yolanda Adams, that was it for me:

So, if your life were a song, what would it be?

Live life, Love music

Missaddler

Little me in the big wide world!

Hi guys! Sorry I haven’t been around lately but here’s the latest; hope you enjoy!

Ok so being in the final year of uni is kinda scary because it means it’s almost time to ‘fly the coop’ as they say. For the past two years I’ve been allowed to make mistakes and grow from them with virtually no repercussions…people keep asking me what I want to do after graduation and asking how I’m gonna get there. I DON’T KNOW!!

Going into the music industry is tough and exciting and yes it’s always good to have some kind of plan. Knowing where you want to end up and actually getting there are two completely different things.

You see, I’m someone who likes to take one step at a time because my experience of planning my life and every little career move has either not worked out or just changed dramatically for one reason or another. For example, at first I wanted to study law and become a barrister, then I did some work experience and that soon changed…then I decided I wanted to become a child psychiatrist…then I got my A-Level results and that soon changed. Then I was watching Step Up one day and thought to myself…’wouldn’t it be great if I could go to a school dedicted to helping me persue my love for music’; and BOOM! I arrived.

I guess what I’m tryna say is, life is unpredictable and yeah it’s sometimes scary, but music is my life so I’m not looking to go into say graphic design…(although I did get a B in GCSE-not to brag lol)! Life is full of surprises!

Guess I’m just gonna have to keep knocking on opportunity’s door and see who answers.

Live life, Love music

Missaddler

I wanna be heard so…

Has anyone noticed that women in the music industry especially…with increased success comes decreased clothes. Honestly! This is another reason talented vocalists either don’t make it big within mainstream music or they’re not as widely known.

Take a lil look at the before and after of Rihanna:

Before: My girl is wearin a nice pair of jeans and a hooded top…you see how she manages to turn something casual into a sexy outfit!

This was nicely at the beginning of her career when I’m thinkin most people were rollin’ with the novelty of her being an artist fresh from Barbados and not the US lol! 

Ok…so onto the after…RAH!

Well! Jeans and hoodie got thrown straight out the window…onto the leather playsuit, and my girl has her legs wide open, and crotch facing the world. The positioning of her hand shows that that’s where she wants the focus. Well…I guess she has to do something interesting coz her voice…just…aint! Seriously.

 

Check this:

Now with a voice like this…at my uni please believe she woulda just got a couple tumbleweeds blowing in the background lol…I am so serious right now! Yet with the backin of Jay-Z, she’s managed to sell “…over 12 million records, worldwide in her four-year career span and has received several accolades, including the 2007  World Music Awards for World’s Best-Selling Pop Female Artist and Female Entertainer of the Year, as well as the 2008 American Music Awards for Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist and Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist. Rihanna has attained five Hot 100 number one singles, becoming the first of two female artists with the most number ones attained within the 2000s. She also serves as one of Barbados’ honorary cultural ambassadors.” (www.wikipedia.org)

ARE YOU HAVIN’ A LAUGH?!

Obviously it’s not what you know, it’s who you know…the joke!

Live life, love music

Missaddler

Introducing…

Hi everyone! This is it, my first blog-EVER! Hope I do well.

So at uni we have to put together a 30 minute set displaying our skills as an artist/instrumentalist-introducing us to the world as it were, and I decided to do 2 covers and 4 orginals. However, the other day I was trying to write a song and I COULD NOT focus!

Normally I write on my emotions and experiences but I got writers block and went blank! This would only happen for a couple hours but this time it was for like a week! At the time I was going through a pretty stressful time and I figured that was probably the reason why.

So I’m thinking, if my ultimate career aim is to become a singer-songwriter, how on earth am I gonna cope with the pressures of the industry and fans with album deadlines etc?!

I think of people like Alicia Keys who is a fantastic lyricist and pianist who’s albums have been (in my opinion) great, however each progressive album has become increasingly commercial with less soul and less piano! WHHHHYYY? 

My point is, does the music industry actually let you become the artist YOU want to be, on your own schedule, making music you love and writing amazing songs because it makes you happy? Or the artist THEY want you to be, writing ok songs to fill an album before their scheduled deadline, with your vision changed to fit the current market?

What do you think?

Missaddler