blogging – Page 2

[5in5] – day 3

(check out the rest of the songs below!!)

stand up
by daniel john

hopeful where this life could take you
the next moment tries to break you
takes your breath away

standing like a soldier so tall
suddenly you’re in the free fall
no hope left today

cause we all fall down sometimes
& the way back up is a climb
alone, we can’t win this fight
but together we stand up tonight

why get up to fall right back down
better to stay here on the ground
circumstance will always win

all your fight’s gone now diminished
every dream’s been left unfinished
asking where you’ve been

[5in5] – day 2

(check out the rest of the songs below!!)

with our lives (for my wife – w/ my kids as bgvs)
by danieljohn

i’ve got the melody
you’ve got the harmony
we can make this music
if we try

you sing the chorus, dear
i’ll play the notes i hear
we can make this music
if we try
we can make this music
with our lives

with our lives

the kids twirl, they sing & dance
you and i steal a glance
we can make this music
if we try

what we sing will make us strong
we all join in with the song
we can make this music
if we try
we can make this music
with our lives

The five in five songwriting project, referred to on this blog as [5in5], begins tomorrow. If you would like to be a part of the ~~madness~~ fun and you have not already let me know then just leave a comment on this post saying “I’m IN!!” or something equivalent.

If you need a few more details about this songwriting project or want to see who will be writing with us then check out THIS POST to catch up.

Also, part of the project is putting your song out there for people to hear, so please email me a daily link to your song. You can contact me HERE and let me know where your song is posted (i.e. youtube, facebook, a personal blog, etc.)

I hope you’re excited and ready to write (that’s actually the focus of this project)

As a BONUS this year, you can receive a daily update during [5in5] detailing which songs were written & where you can go to hear them. Simply click this link – tinyletter.com/danieljohn – & put in your email address. I promise you will not want to miss these updates!!

I leave you now with this quick list of ideas to help get your creativity flowing – see you all tomorrow!!

the 2012 edition of [5in5]

As I said Friday, [5in5] officially begins May 14th-18th, 2012!!

This year I’m hoping to have many people from all over the country & globe join us for the 2012 edition of [5in5].

Before I give you the rules, you are going to want to sign up for this event.

To do so simply comment on this post, email me, or send a smoke signal (if you’re so inclined) telling me that you’re in!

Now for the rules of [5in5] (via Aaron Ivey’s 7in7 rules):

1) you must start and finish 1 song every day for 5 days.
the goal is not to write 5 amazing songs”¦ it’s simply to start and finish a song to stretch your creativity and discipline as a writer.

2) old material cannot be used.
you can’t brush off the dust from an old song, or one that was started a while ago. it must be a brand new song. phrases & words from old journals can be used, but old songs or uncompleted songs cannot be used.

3) co-writing with a person (sorry no animals this year) is completely legit.
this really helped me get started last year and is something we highly encourage you to try at least once.

4) post the song in some public forum.
most people post their songs on a blog, youtube, facebook, soundcloud, etc. part of the beauty of 5in5 is forcing yourself to be vulnerable with your writing by putting it out there. plus, we’re all in this together.

5) if you’re on twitter, we can easily follow each other by using the hashtag #5in5.

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MUSIC NEWS
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1) guess what?? this spring/early summer I will be releasing an EP of new instrumental music!!

I have been writing for a couple months & have begun laying down tracks for this EP.

more details about this project will be coming VERY soon!

2) currently I have a video theory course I am developing for YOU.

this will be due out in early fall 2012.

while this initially may not sound super exciting, I can guarantee that this series will be one of the most beneficial courses you can watch & immediately apply to your playing.

I am going to personally walk you through a ton of secrets I have picked up from great musicians + answer any questions you might have, so start thinking about what you would like to ask.

woohoo!! I’m super-jazzed just thinking about how this is going to help you grow…

stay tuned… we are getting ready to have some serious fun!!

[5in5] – save the date!

This will be quick today, but I wanted to let you know that we will be having the [5in5] songwriting challenge again this year!

Anyone can participate, but you have to commit to writing all 5 days.

We will be holding this challenge May 14th-18th, 2012, so save the date!!

Check back on Monday for all the details. I promise that you are not going to want to miss this!

PLUS I have some exciting MUSIC NEWS that I cannot wait to tell you about!!

See you Monday…

friday questions

First, I just wanted to THANK YOU for your great response to the first 2 Minute Piano Lesson Video last week!! I really appreciate you watching it, texting, facebook-ing, tweeting, & emailing me questions about it. Even the video (that one of you sent me) to prove that you could do it was GREAT! So, I’m excited to tell you the next one will be coming out for you on Tuesday!

Today I wanted to do something completely different, so I have 3 Friday Questions for you. It might sound a little ice-breaker-ish, but it’ll be fun…. promise.

Answer them all or any that interest you:

1) If you owned a CB radio what would your “handle” be? (I’m going with “Blue Steel” as mine)

2) What is your best personal characteristic? (besides humbleness!)

3) If you had a “theme song” that played whenever you walk into a room full of people, what would it be?

Answer them all or any you find interesting…these are your 3 Friday Questions!

the friday rundown

Here’s the rundown:

* i’m in Omaha this weekend visiting family & attending the Global Leadership Summit with my dad. If you would like to “see” a few of the sessions, you should check Tim Schraeder’s blog or follow him on twitter. Tims’s a communication guru and you’ll be able to read through his notes of each speaker from both days.

* if you have an iPhone you might want to consider the bookbook case. Everything has trailers now, so here’s a link to see it action.

* i’m playing a concert online next week (Thursday) & I would be THRILLED if you would come. Check it out here & email me with any questions on how to “get in” to the concert. Also, be sure to come back Monday for a few more details concerning the concert. It’s going to be a lot of fun, so don’t miss it!

* great advice to musicians from one of my heroes, Charlie Peacock.

* i still love tilt-shift…

* are you a creative? what defines “creativity”? A look at the various types of creatives in this post. Very encouraging if you ever compare yourself to others…let’s be honest, we all do this, right?!

* …& here’s a little more tilt-shift-loving proof!

* if you would like to see the actual size Chicago, you should consider joining us for the STORY Conference in September. Click the picture below to see a few more details or EMAIL ME. I’d love to answer any questions you might have about this amazing conference.

* this 1 minute video could instantly save you 10 minutes.

* one last thing – last saturday marked my 11th anniversary with my wife, Felicity. I just wanted to say to her once more – I LOVE YOU!

Have a great weekend!

Category: blogging