The summer is almost over and we are heading right into the cooler autumn season. Who doesn´t like to cocoon on the sofa, with some good bocks stacked up beside you?
For me, the fall is always a time of slowing down, reflecting on what I have achieved so far and what I want to get done before year´s end! It is also a time to start setting new goals for the year ahead, because November and December are usually busy months with gigs (maybe not as many this year), and pre-Christmas preparations.
There are three books I would like to recommend to you this fall. Depending on your goals or the things you want to work on, you might find those helpful!
1) Make Reality TV your Reality – Brianna Ruelas
We have interviewed Singer/Songwriter, Entrepreneur and Music Coach Brianna Ruelas earlier this year, when she gave advice on how to successfully implement E-Mail Marketing into your Sales strategy.
Now, Brianna has released her second book “Make Reality TV your Reality“, in which she sheds light on the reality of music casting shows and the preparations required to successfully partake. If you plan on applying for such as show, this book is an absolute must read. But regardless of whether that is your ultimate performance goal or not, the book also comes with plenty of hands- on advice on Brand Building and the mindset you need as a performing artist in this industry!
The formula “Know, Act, Repeat” marks the beginning of the journey. It all starts with the right mindset. Knowing your why, taking action, evaluating and repeating are the crucial elements in moving forward. Beside plenty of mindset excersises, the book also offers concrete advice on building an artist brand and honing your performance skills.
You need much resilience and a great passion to come out alive in this industry. But if you bring that to the table, you can go so much further than you might have ever thought!
I genuinely loved this book!
2) The free voice – Cornelius L. Reid
If you want to dedicate this fall to improving your vocal technique, then reading “the Free Voice is a must!
The book was first published in 1965 and gives a very theoretical and complete overview on how the vocal organs function and what they were originally designed for. Unlike many modern teachings, such as “singing into the mask” or “singing from the diaphragmn”, the author speaks up for more classical vocal technique, which requires both registeres (chest and head) to fully develop and to constantly intertwine. The so called Mixed Voice is essential in transitioning across the “break”. This may be nothing new, but the author presents a great precision of which muscles can be activated and he also integrates the singer´s psychology into the soundmaking process. Instead of “tricking” yourself into false concepts of placing your voice in the head or the mask or the chest, this books wants you to establish a healthy technique, that allows your natural voice to shine and grant you the freedom to sing in any register without fear. A must read for any vocalist in my opinion!
3) The addiction formula – Friedemann Findeisen
Now, this book was a recent purchase I made on Amazon. I bought the Kindle version and read it within a day. We all know that songs combine melody, groove, chords and lyrics in most cases. Depending on the style of music you might focus on one or more of these elements in your songwriting process.
The question though is, how do all these elements come together in ways that make a song truely intriguing?
Friedemann, who is a German songwriter, based in the Netherlands gives amazing insights into the modern day formula of “good” songs.
His addiction formula is based around the concept of tension and hype (as opposed to the traditionally applied concept of tension and release).
Friedeman essentially urges you to use a mix of tension and hype throughout all section of a song, following an energy curve that is borrowed from The Hollywood formula of storytelling.
The idea is to keep the listener engaged throughout both the high and low energy sections of a song so to maintain momentum . He looks at the songwriting process very holistically, integrating all aspects of music making, including harmony, melody, rhythm, vocals, lyrics, arrangement and production.
The book makes you look at the essential parts in your songs while teaching you to spot the weak and strong parts, so you can tweak efficiently. An essential book on any songwriter´s shelf in my opinion!
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