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Entries in Advice (157)

Thursday
Oct072021

How to strengthen your stage presence: 7 tips

For many musicians, performing on stage taps into both their deepest desires and their darkest insecurities. That’s why fighting stage fright and achieving a confident stage presence can feel so personal and be so frustrating. 

While developing your dream stage presence is a challenge, it is possible! See the seven tips below for concrete ways to build a stronger stage presence. 

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Thursday
Sep232021

Tips for hosting a safe indoor concert

Live music has finally returned, but with winter making its inevitable return, fans and artists are once again being pushed indoors, and with variants still a pressing concern, many in the live music industry are nervous about how to safely execute a live concert. Here, we look at a few ways to make indoor concerts a safer affair.

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Friday
Sep172021

How to prepare for your next studio session

Guest post by Gideon Waxman. This article originally appeared on Soundfly’s Flypaper

As I prepare to head into the recording studio later this month, I figured now would be a great time to share some insights on how I’ve been able to manage my time and resources efficiently, in order to get to this point.

Whether you’re about to lay down your first single or you’re a band confidently sailing into your third full-length album, it’s just as important to make certain practical and mental preparations before entering any recording studio session. Otherwise, you run the risk of wasting your time, or that of the engineer(s), your money, and all the energy and efforts that got you here.

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Friday
Sep172021

Lyrical themes, and the many ways we can develop them…

Guest post by Charlotte Yates. This article originally appeared on Soundfly’s Flypaper

What do you want your lyrics to actually do? Show us how desperately you want someone or how angry you are about something? Or do you want to your lyrics to make us behave a certain way, notice the homeless, start a revolution, or dance the night away?

At some stage you have to figure out exactly what you want to express. At first this might not be 100% clear. But you may have a general idea what you want to get across — that’s your theme right there: a basic notion or vision for the song.

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Monday
Sep062021

Strategies for the shy singer: Part 2

In Part 1 last month we interviewed 2x Grammy® winner, Kalani Pe’a, on the topic of overcoming shyness and a lack of confidence.  Singers struggle with this more often than you think.  If you haven’t checked it out yet, do so here.  Read on for some more strategies you can apply while you practice at home, and when you hit the stage. 

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Thursday
Sep022021

Great gigs for first timers

Whether a band or a solo artist, every performer has to start somewhere when it comes to performing live shows, even if these initial gigs aren’t always the most exciting or glamorous. Once you’re off-book with a solid time block of material, here are a few great “early” gigs you should try and play.

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Friday
Aug202021

Why you should write multiple songs at once

When I first started writing songs, I wrote one song at a time until it was finished. This process was so delicate for me that I convinced myself that I had to write the entire song in one sitting or it would be forgotten forever. As a result, my writing sessions were sporadic bursts, going on for hours and hours, then never picking up the pen again for weeks.

This worked well for me when I was in high school and bored on summer vacation. It even worked in college because I had to write songs for assignments. Unfortunately, after graduating, this songwriting process led me to many dry months and I ended up writing just two or three songs for an entire year. That continued for the first few years after starting to work full-time.

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Tuesday
Aug172021

5 healthy lifestyle tips for musicians

It’s extremely likely that everyone reading this, in some point, has tried to initiate some form of healthy cycle in their lifestyle. This cycle may continue for a while, until we prove to ourselves that “we can do it” and unconsciously end the cycle. The real challenge is to persevere for about 3 months, until our mind becomes accustomed to this new pattern and we start performing it on an unconscious level.

I would like to pose a challenge to continue each of the cycles listed below for at least 3 months every day. This means that you will be adapting the lifestyle elements of some well known entertainers, and you will have the opportunity to see how you will benefit from them.

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Thursday
Aug122021

Learning to take a helping hand in music

Guest post by Mahea Lee. This article originally appeared on Soundfly’s Flypaper

The following post is part of our new column, Poorly-Guarded Secrets from the Soundfly Mentors’ Guide. Written by mentor and VP of Learning & Curriculum Development Mahea Lee, this series is intended to assist, inspire, and offer a peek into the types of discussions we have behind-the-scenes here at Soundfly. 

Even the most productive and organized among us are burdened by the weight of low-priority tasks that we push aside to focus on more urgent matters. They gnaw at the back of our minds like yellowing wallpaper or tell-tale hearts. I know that’s pretty melodramatic, but you get the idea.

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Monday
Jul122021

Designing a site for your band: 7 tips

Your band needs a web presence these days. Without one, your fans won’t know where to get the latest 411 on your upcoming shows and album releases. 

However, many artists’ pages leave a lot to be desired. You need to tailor your colors and layout to optimize the user experience and promote sales. Here are seven tips to keep in mind when designing a site for your band. 

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Wednesday
May262021

6 ways to create more consistent content.

As someone who’s been writing both songs and articles since January of this year — and moved halfway across the country, and survived a shooting, and started working twice as many hours — I have discovered the wonders of burnout.
 
Lately, I just haven’t felt inspired. Only a few days since I have been in Boulder have I had an influx of ideas that I vomited onto the computer screen. So much has happened since March, yet my Muse idly sits in the grass, unwilling to budge.
 
Any creative will become intimate with burnout. The creative process reaches a plateau similar to what Seth Godin calls “The Dip,” and everything begins to feel stagnant and tiring. The office cubicle you longed to escape becomes the creative rut you long to escape.

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Thursday
May132021

Baby steps: Artist’s guide to getting back out there

As the world slowly reopens, artists are pulling the tarps off their touring vans, changing their strings, and getting ready to once again hit the road, but while the light at the end of the tunnel has unquestionably gotten brighter, with more and more shots in arms, anything resembling “normal” touring remains a ways off. Here, we look at a few tips for how to ease your band (and your audience) back into live music.

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Thursday
May062021

Making the transition from hobbyist to professional musician

As of 2019, over 1,500 full-time musicians were working in the U.S. The key word there is “working.” Being a professional musician is, indeed, a job. Some people take different routes to get there. But, we can probably all agree that there’s a big difference between touring the country to play nightly gigs and having jam sessions in your best friend’s garage.

However, that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with that! Many musicians start as hobbyists. Some have no desire to “make it big” or turn themselves into a money-making music machine.

If you do, though, there are things you need to be aware of as you transition from hobby to business as a musician. You’ve undoubtedly heard stories about how hard it is to make it in the music industry. While those can be intimidating, they shouldn’t stop you from working toward your dreams. 

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Wednesday
Apr072021

4 Vocal Tips For Getting Sync Placements

Getting a song into a film or TV show is one of the most exciting things an artist can experience. It can be lucrative, and it can be one of the best ways to get discovered in this over-saturated world of DIY music releases. Unfortunately, the cat is out of the bag and everyone wants a sync placement, making the competition fierce. But you might be surprised what kind of singing has the best chances of getting used on a film or tv show (hint - it’s not the songs that show off your incredible range). Read on for some singing strategies that might help you nab a sync!

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