Wednesday, 20 February 2013

The Artist Unleashed: WRITING & MUSIC HIT ALL THE SAME NOTES, by Alex J. Cavanaugh

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33 comments:

  1. Thank you both.

    I saw no mention of groupies. There will be groupies, right?

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  2. Great point, Alex! I especially liked the "commitment to excellence" bit.

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  3. So true how music and writing are very alike in learning the craft. It's probably the same with other artistic endeavors too. Awesome you're a talented writer and musician, Alex.

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  4. Definitely a lot of similarities! I always find it interesting which songs of mine other people seem to take to - often they're songs I think are just "meh", but I see strangers around the world listening to them over and over again. While the ones I think are pretty decent get largely neglected!

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    1. Trisha that happens to me too. I guess the average listener prefers the simple catchy tunes because they don't hear or comprehend the complexities in the ones we cherish so much!

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  5. That's true! I can find similarities with other types of art I practice. Never thought about it until now. Great! :D

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  6. I wish I had a talent in addition to writing. But alas, not so much

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  7. Moody, yes! Bring on the groupies.

    Natalie, don't know about the talented part, but thank you.

    Jessica, I prefer the complicated ones!

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  8. Great tips, Alex! Your #3 is vital. So many of us, me totally included, want to leap to monumental writing successes. But we need to build a firm foundation beneath us first.

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  9. Alex, you are the king...
    Jessica, you are a great talent...

    Bring on the groupies... I wonder what that would be like.
    May I suggest a "Alex's Ninja Army" T-shirt? :)

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  10. Alex, I too dabble in the musical arts, and often wonder if my split interests isn't a detraction ... but I can't see myself giving up either ... much to some folk's disappointment.

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  11. #12 if so true! Every time I feel I've learned something, I find out there is more behind that door, but it's always a good thing to grow.

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  12. Practice, practice, practice. So true of both music and writing. And makes me cringe a little because I suddenly hear myself reminding my kids it's time to practice piano.

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  13. Art moves in many forms and I believe all of the above is true for each form it takes, whether it is music, painting, writing, poetry, craftmanship or something else. Lovely post.

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  14. When I compare my writing to my piano playing, I realize with piano, if I don't work at it everyday, every week, my skills gets rusty. I wonder if that would be the same with writing, relatively speaking. If you go too long without writing, will you get rusty? Hmm.

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  15. Jeremy, that works!

    Christopher, I could probably say the same thing.

    Nancy, hope not!

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  16. I wish I had an ounce of musical talent - I was pretty good with the triangle at school!

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  17. I too, am a musician and author. There are indeed many similarities!

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  18. No, you can't always produce what you see in your head and it's both frustrating and exhilarating to try. :-) As with music, I get lost in writing the world of the story. Time slips away but it's all good.

    Enjoyed the article!

    Sia McKye OVER COFFEE

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  19. I played flute as a kid. That took a lot of lung power. The piccolo more so. We used to pass that bad boy around in orchestra so no one passed out. Hmm, what is the piccolo of writing do you suppose? Reading reviews perhaps.

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  20. You rocked it so well the neighbors called the police!

    My fave was you can be awful ad still enjoy it. That's so true!

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  21. I play the piano--it's a more instrument-specific similarity, but I use keys for both music and writing.

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  22. Nice interview, Alex and Jessica. Perhaps creativity spawns more creativity. With me it's art, photography and writing.

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  23. Annalisa, that made me chuckle.

    Mary, some people do pass out reading their reviews...

    Elizabeth, let's just hope we aren't awful!

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  24. A spot-on comparison. And when the music or writing is "just right", flush with meaning and emotion, it's a euphoric experience connecting the musician/writer with the listener/reader.

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  25. I'm not a musician, but I appreciate this list so much! Love, loved it!!

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  26. Excellent points as usual. Awesomeness follows you all over the blogophere, Alex!

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  27. Great similarities! I was thinking about this the other day (because I'm tone deaf, but my husband's in an awesome band), wondering if musicians tinker less with their songs than we writers do with our stories...

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“I'm using my art to comment on what I see. You don't have to agree with it.” ~John Mellencamp

“Allowing an unimportant mistake to pass without comment is a wonderful social grace” ~Judith S. Marin

“I don't ever try to make a serious social comment.” ~Paul McCartney

“I'd make a comment at a meeting and nobody would even acknowledge me. Then some man would say the same thing and they'd all nod.” ~Charlotte Bunch

“Probably what my comment meant was that I don't care about the circumstances if I can tell the truth.” ~Sally Kirkland

“We're not going to pay attention to the silliness and the petty comments. And quite frankly, women have joined me in this effort, and so it's not about appearances. It's about effectiveness.” ~Katherine Harris