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You can play new music - Learn here! |
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Shown below is only a small sample of what you'll learn in the full Play New Music Tutorial. These sample pages cover the subjects: 1. Reading Writing and Playing Notation 2. How To Read, Write, And Play Drum Notation 4. General Songwriting Tips - From Songwriting Tips Online 5. Music Industries Prefered Song Criteria 6. Technical Songwriting Blunders 7. Oblique Strategies - Creative Arranging Strategies 9. Things That Can Be Done With The Rhythm and "Meter" 10. The Criteria for the Sections of a Song 11. Placing the Sections into a Song 12. The Typical Pop Song Structure 13. General Chord Creating Structures 15. Creating The Drumming of a Song 16. Guitar And Bass Guitar Fingering (Including Tuning, Bends, Hammer-on's, Pull-off's etc)
Reading Writing and Playing Notation Music is written on a staves/staffs consisting of five lines and four spaces.
Musical symbols that name lines and spaces are clefs. The two most common clefs are: TREBLE CLEF and BASS CLEF
Also called the "G" clef because the loop at the bottom wraps around the line on a stave/staff for the 'G' note above middle 'C'
Also called the "F" clef because the dots are placed above and below the line marking 'F' below middle 'C'
When both clefs are used together the treble clef appears above the lyrics, and the bass clef below, as shown below.
Mary had a little lamb
The clefs may appear at the start of every line of notation. The SPACES and LINES on the stave/staff with the treble clef are named as follows:
The letters of the spaces from bottom to top spell the word F-A-C-E, and the letters of the lines from bottom to top can easily be remembered by the sentence Every Good Boy Does Fine. The SPACES and LINES on the stave/staff with the bass clef are named as follows:
The letters of the spaces from bottom to top can easily be remembered by the sentence All Cows Eat Grass. The letters of the lines from bottom to top can easily be remembered by the sentence Good Boys Do Fine Always In the picture below both notes with ledger lines indicate middle C. (Ledger lines are lines added on above or below the lines of a stave/staff to indicate notes that are a higher or lower pitch than the notes of a stave/staff. Ledger lines are usually only written in the location of the particular notes above or below the stave/staff.)
All together on keyboard/piano through the bass and treble staves/staffs are as follows.
Also, among other instruments, the treble stave/staff may be used for guitar, perhaps with ledger lines above and below the stave/staff, while the bass stave/staff may be used for bass guitar, perhaps with ledger lines above and below the stave/staff. If however you're using notes higher than normal on bass guitar, they may be written on the treble stave/staff, with the tales of the bass notes turned down and the tales of the treble notes turned up. The STAVE/STAFF is divided into measures by vertical lines called BARS.
Double bar lines mark the end of a section of music. Measures are even divisions of the song that musical phrases evenly fit into, or evenly spread across, that are the length of the number of BEATS of the top number of the time signature shown below. Beats are evenly spaced points in time. The diagram below shows some examples of notes. Notes may be placed on the stave/staff. The lines connected to the circle of the symbols should either be written up or down. If the note head is above the center line of the stave/staff then the stem goes down, when the note is below the middle of the stave/staff the stem goes up and when the stave/staff is on the middle line common practice is to draw it down. (Braeburn Software. [http://www.muspub.com/])
Tempo You will often run into this over the beginning of a score. This indicates that the quarter note gets 132 counts per minute, (this is different to the counts of the notes explained below) and the durations of all the other notes are relative to that note. The note indicated here is usually the bottom note of the time signature, so if we were in "6/8" time, we would see an eighth note here. However, if using a normal tempo, one beat of the measure is usually about half a second long.
The different types of notes are shown below, each shown with the tail up or down, although the labels only apply to one of the symbols. Each has a duration of a number of COUNTS. Counts are evenly spaced points in time, and the duration of each of these counts is indicated by the tempo above the first measure that it applies to. Quarter Note = One Count:
Half Note = Two Counts:
Whole Note = Four Counts:
Eighth Note = Half A Count:
Sixteenth Note = Quarter of A Count:
Thirty Second Note = An Eighth of A Count:
Sixty Fourth Note = A Sixteenth Of A Count:
The different types of rests are shown below. Each has a duration of a number of COUNTS. Counts are evenly spaced points in time, and the duration of each count is indicated by the tempo above the first measure that it applies to. Quarter Rest = One Count:
Half Rest = Two Counts:
Whole Rest = Four Counts:
Eighth Rest = Half A Count:
Sixteenth Rest = Quarter of A Count:
Thirty Second Rest = An Eighth of A Count:
Sixty Fourth Rest = A Sixteenth Of A Count:
All Symbols
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How To Read, Write, And Play Drum Notation The rules for reading drum notation vary a lot from publication to publication, but will be explained in the publication in which they appear. (Graham Horne, "Shearer's Music Works" Hamilton employee and music expert) The method used in this tutorial is as follows. Drumming is written on a stave (or the European equivalent "staff") consisting of five lines and four spaces.
The drum clef denotes that the following music is not written for a pitched instrument; that the position of the note indicates the drum, cymbal, or other percussion instrument played.
The STAVE/STAFF divided into measures by vertical lines called BARS.
Measures are even divisions of the song that musical phrases evenly fit into, or evenly spread across that are the length of the number of BEATS of the top number of the time signature shown below. Beats are evenly spaced points in time. The notes will sit on various lines of the stave/staff, indicating which drum you are to play.
All Symbols
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General Song Structures Generally, and in brief, these are all the structures of a song taught in this tutorial. You choose a scale with a feel appropriate to the inspiration behind the song, (major and mixolydian = happy, minor = sad, blues scale = bluesy, rock/pentatonic minor = rocky etc) and to create a chord root note or slow hook-line melody, (which is the sequence of main notes that a song is based on, and is the underlying structure that may not be played on any particular instrument) choose notes from the scale in any consecutive, (or unbroken succession) usually as well as non-consecutive, orders that sound good, (Ian McLaughlin, guitar studio professional tutor) (including jumping between any strings at times, and not necessarily from low to high pitch or vice versa) repeating any notes at any time, with any, usually quite long, duration of each note that sounds good as a "musical phrase," and perhaps continually resounding for their duration, resounding for a number of times appropriate and proportional to the measures/bars, or beats of the measures/bars. A measure (or bar) is an equal dividing of a musical sequence, the measure being the length of a division, and the bar being the ending or beginning of a division, usually used on the notation stave/staff. (See "How to Read, Write, And Play Notation") Also, at the end of various measures/bars various musical parts end, and at the start of various measures/bars various musical parts start or repeat. (Campbell Duncan, Hamilton musician) A musical phrase," or just "phrase," is a sequence of notes, chords, or a harmony-line, that form a recognizable unit.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_phrase) To create bass playing it's common to just play all the chord root notes with their timing, usually in relatively lower octaves, or else you may choose any single notes out of each chord of a chord progression, perhaps notes that seem to follow on from each other. (An octave is the twelve half step distance between a given note and a note that sounds the same, in a way, but which is exactly double the pitch, and has the same letter name. ["Progressive lead guitar" by Gary Turner and Brenton White] Pitch is the degree of highness or lowness of a sound ["Collins Gem Dictionary and Thesaurus"]. A half step or semi-tone is the difference in pitch between two adjacent frets [or two frets immediately next to each other] on guitar or bass guitar, or two keys on keyboard/piano, regardless of whether they're black or white) perhaps with other notes from the same scale as used for the chord progression or hook-line, played in between the chord root notes or hook notes, in any consecutive, (or unbroken succession) usually as well as non-consecutive, orders that sound good etc, (Ian McLaughlin, guitar studio professional tutor) and it's a good idea, but not necessary, for lead bass phrases (usually sub-phrases, as explained below) to start and/or end with any octave of the note of the scale that is the same as the chord root note or hook note being played at the time of the start or end of the "phrase" respectively, or else the third or fifth scale note counting higher from and including the chord root note or hook note in any octave at the time of the start or end of the "phrase" respectively, (For an explanation of the third and fifth scale notes, see the sections about bass guitar playing below) and/or you can play improvised non-scale notes in between if it sounds good. To create lead you would usually choose notes at a fast or medium speed, usually with any short or medium duration of each note that creates a good sounding "musical phrase," from the same scale as is used for the chord progressions and bass playing, in any consecutive, (or unbroken succession) usually as well as non-consecutive, orders that sound good etc, (Ian McLaughlin, guitar studio professional tutor) but usually creating musical phrases using notes between any octave of the note of the scale that is the same as the chord root note or hook note being played at any given time, and any of its immediately adjacent octaves (or octaves immediately next to it) located higher or lower through the scale, perhaps using any notes from other octaves for the same phrase, (perhaps using the section "How To Know Where Any Note Is On The Guitar Off By Heart" below) and, as explained above, it's a good idea for the lead phrases (usually sub-phrases, as explained below in this paragraph) to start and/or end with any octave of the note of the scale that is the same as the chord root note or hook note being played at the time of the start or end of the "phrase" respectively, or else the third or fifth scale note counting higher from and including the chord root note or hook note in any octave at the time of the start or end of the "phrase" respectively, (for an explanation of the third and fifth scale notes, see the sections about lead playing below) and you can perhaps also play improvised non-scale notes if it sounds good. Chords are usually played along with, and with the timing of, each chord root note or hook note, perhaps continually resounded for the duration of each chord root note or hook note, resounding for a number of times appropriate and proportional to the measures/bars, and/or beats of the measures/bars, and they usually contain the chord root note or hook note and some of every second scale note counting higher pitch than the chord root note or hook note, (in any octaves) usually having a minimum of three notes, ("triads") and if having more than three notes they are jazz chords, perhaps either type of chord having additional duplicates of various notes in various octaves, which may be innate or necessary for certain instruments. To know what groups of chords to use for this you may need to plot out the notes of each chord before hand, and/or see the page "The Scale Tone Chord Progression Method." Also chords can have any added notes that sound good. To create drumming see the heading "Creating The Drumming of a Song" below, and to create the lyrics see "Creating Lyrics" below. Each individual simultaneous musical part of a song, or each part played or sung at the same time, may as a good idea, use "sub-phrasing." "Sub-phrases" are, usually, but not always, evenly spaced, smaller musical phrases, that form a recognizable unit, or "phrase," and that make up a larger musical phrase, that also forms a recognizable unit, or "phrase." A phrase is a sequence of notes, chords, or a harmony-line, that form a recognizable unit. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_phrase) If a musical phrase lasts for four beats of a measure/bar, or four, or a multiple of four measures/bars, and may have quite a few notes, it should usually be divided into 2, 4, 8, 16 etc "sub-phrases," using an amount of divisions appropriate to the particular musical part, (each part usually played simultaneously or at the same time) usually independent of the rest, and if a musical phrase lasts for three beats of a measure/bar, or three, or a multiple of three measures/bars, and may have quite a few notes, it should usually be divided into 3, 6, 12, 24 etc "sub-phrases" using an amount of divisions appropriate to the particular musical part, (each part usually played simultaneously or at the same time) usually independent of the rest, and so on. If it sounds good to you a sub-phrase can be repeated immediately, or later, and if it sounds good to you, two sub-phrases in a row can be replaced by one sub-phrase that takes up the same amount of time, or any two, or three (depending on whether the musical phrase consists of four beats of a measure/bar, or of four, or a multiple of four measures/bars, or three beats of a measure/bar, or three, or a multiple of three measures/bars respectively) individual sub-phrases in a row can form a small "phrase," or recognizable unit, within the larger one. Also, any sub-phrase of a musical phrase can also be divided into smaller sub-phrases, the number of which will be the same as the beats of the measures/bars, or a division or multiple of them. When a musician is playing sub-phrases, and as long as they generally work within the structures explained for their instrument, it's a good idea for them to decide from one sub-phrase to another when it would sound good to repeat any previous sub-phrase, use a variation of a previous sub-phrase, or use a contrasting sub-phrase, as explained in the section "Improvising Chord Root Note or Slow Hook-Line Melodies." These are the main things going through a musicians mind when composing. (http://www.learner.org/vod/vod_window.html?pid=1242) Various musical parts occurring simultaneously, or at the same time, may have the same consistent rhythm throughout a song, however to create an interesting variation using an industrial standard structure within bass-lines, chord progressions, chord root note and/or slow hook-line melodies, and (within certain songs) lead playing and lyrics, but rarely drumming, it's a good idea to create each sub-phrase with a broken up rhythm, (or "rhythmic sub-phrasing") usually consisting of two or perhaps more different rhythms played one after the other with any duration of each rhythmic part that sounds good, and from each sub-phrase to the next you can decide whether to repeat, vary, or contrast the complete rhythm of each sub-phrase. (Usually repeated throughout every occurrence of a certain section, or throughout all parts of a song.) These are the main things going through a musicians mind when composing.(http://www.learner.org/vod/vod_window.html?pid=1242) However repetition, variation, or contrast of the rhythm from one sub-phrase to another may occur independent of the musical phrases of those sub-phrases, using your discretion as to what sounds good. If it sounds good to you the complete rhythm of a sub-phrase can be repeated immediately, or later, and if it sounds good to you, two sub-phrases in a row can be replaced by one sub-phrase that takes up the same amount of time, or any two, or three (depending on whether the musical phrase consists of four beats of a measure/bar, or of four, or a multiple of four measures/bars, or three beats of a measure/bar, or three, or a multiple of three measures/bars respectively) individual sub-phrases in a row can form a small "phrase," or recognizable unit, within the larger one. Also, any sub-phrase can be divided into smaller sub-phrases, the number of which will be the same as the beats of the measures/bars, or a division or multiple of them. General There are generally two types of instrument players or singers, those who were born with an ability to easily acquire instrument and/or singing skills, and those who are motivated enough to work at acquiring them, possibly through study, and song writers can either gain enough experience from listening to, and/or playing "covers" or famous songs to be able to imagine original songs, or else from using the section "Song Creation Exercises" and/or the instrument and/or singing lessons below. Whether using techniques or intuition to improvise, or whether planning music (as explained below) you should always focus on the sound and feel of the music as opposed to focusing on the techniques or fingering themselves, and to avoid sounding clinical but to sound musical when using musical structures you should have a fresh feel and sound. To give the music personality and emotional appeal, inspiration is necessary, and may be strong, and to make the music impressive and well liked, high technical skills are important, and ideally you should excel at both, (which will make your music special and exceptional.) Although you should excel in inspiration as well as technical skills, if you desire to make your songs magical I recommend to care more overpoweringly about the feel of the music than the sound. To create songs that have melodic and harmonious qualities that you can really flow with or "get into" within the singing or various other musical parts, (or as applicable in any case) you may base various songs on genuine emotions or inspirations etc, those emotions or inspirations being proactively used directly to create the style and melodic-ness of your songs (as well as the melodic-ness and/or harmoniousness of the singing) in a way that would represent the inspiration or emotion to you, and this may dictate various techniques that you choose to use, and the inspiration, emotion, style, and melodic-ness may all be aloft or on a high plain, or you may base various songs on the melodic-ness and/or harmoniousness of the sound. Although there is no specifically defined way of being melodic, try to have a strong grasp of, and mastery over being melodic and/or harmonious within your songs. The following are important suggestions that a musician or musical group may aspire to. Your inspiration and/or sound should have the "X-factor", be special, significant, quite unique, charismatic, expressive, and should be in good taste, and perhaps popular and highly fashionable, and perhaps having lack of clutter to the sound in a serene or dramatic way by minimizing the number of musical parts played simultaneously (or at the same time) at any given time, mentally fresh, and mentally uncluttered, (music sounds mentally freshest when it's a pleasurable release, or break from ordinary life. This is because having too much of something stimulating or special desensitizes you to it, and also makes it become mundane or common place, so it's a good idea to go for several consecutive hours or days, or several hours or days in a row, without entertainment or recreation. To play music in a special charismatic way, you may want to be imaginative and creative) natural not forced, effortlessly psyched, perhaps intensely emotional, excited, passionate, euphoric, greatly elated, having a zest, meaningful, sentimental, deeply feeling, emotionally and/or mentally sensitive, quirky, crazy, trippy, negative whenever you're compelled to be but perhaps positive whenever possible, (this last suggestion will help you to be emotionally balanced, perhaps while integrally combined with a little pride in yourself and a measure of potency) and/or completely naturally psychologised, (this last one, and various others, may perhaps be achieved by trying to feel surreal, or dreamy and emotional, in your sub-conscious mind throughout every day, perhaps by listening to surreal music) down to earth, perhaps very pro-fulfillment and non-apathetic, you may perhaps want to be profoundly on the edge, and/or deep into your playing, and it's a good idea to be in touch with your deepest and true feelings at all times, perhaps without being unduly concerned about whether it displeases other people or not, but try to make people empathize with, or understand, your point of view. Also it's a good idea to strive for meaning in music as an extension of your life, etc. All of that should show in the way the music sounds. To make "singles" that will be promoted as the feature songs of your albums, you should be emotionally driven, and if a single is intended to be fairly exciting, it's a good idea for it to sound, and for your inspiration to be catchy, quite contagious, and perhaps perky to the core. All of that isn't accomplished by having lots of practice, but by directing your outlook and approach. The following may be accomplished by having lots of practice. The sound may be very melodic, and harmonious, tight, and perhaps punchy and unpredictable, and also it should be confined to its bare, simplest elements. etc (Wiremu Kora, Huntly musician) Melodic means a sweet sounding sequence of notes, and harmonious means sweet sounding combinations of notes usually played simultaneously. (Top)
General Song Writing Tips - From Song Writing Tips Online The musicians mindset Use whatever experiences you have to write songs, even if they're negative and depressing. And it's a good idea to write about daily experiences. A structure of your song Parts of song structures include "verse/pre-chorus/chorus" and "verse/chorus/verse/chorus" as well as including one or more bridges and/or lead breaks. (Usually one) Don't procrastinate, or put off, song creation, but perhaps schedule regular times to create. Set a mood with chord sequences Don't make your chord progressions unnecessarily complicated; the structure of a song is more important than the chords that are chosen. A song that has the same chord progression for every section may still sound like it progresses perfectly through all parts, which may be decided on when you have made the first progression and are thinking of making others (or else one or more hooks) for other sections. (Free music tips [http://www.songwritingtipsonline.com/]) Tell a Story in the Past Tense Writing about events that have already unfolded makes it much easier as the foundation for the story is more or less already there. Tell a Story in the Future Now here, I'm going to SHARE a TACTIC that will help you with a Rhyming Scheme: Here, I'll Share Methods That Will Jump start The Process Of Creating A Melody from scratch: To create your own melodies for lyrics or the tune of a song you can alter a melody of another song by changing the rhythm and adding and/or taking away notes etc. One: Keeping the Message Simple Two: Review Your Song - But Don't Get Too Critical Three: Get Things Done Bonus: Write with Yourself Have you ever started to write lyrics and didn't finish them? Have you ever started to write a tune and then you just 'left it'? Have you ever written a few chords only to not know where to go next? Of course you have. I have too, on many occasions. So often these unfinished ideas are left in a notebook or recorded somewhere never to be seen again. This is where 'self collaboration' comes in. Usually, we barely remember what we were working on back then and this is why you should go back to these ideas. So much time would have elapsed and you will feel like you're writing with someone else's idea. You will have the advantage on gaining a perspective that you didn't have the first time around. Funny enough, with the gap of time, we can almost always tell why we couldn't finish the song in the first place. But now we see the flaws and all the cracks that we completely missed first time around - and it now seems so obvious and apparent. (Free music tips [http://www.songwritingtipsonline.com/]) Incorporating Metaphors In Your Song Writing For those who are new to the idea of a metaphor, here's a quick definition.. I discovered a nice little exercise recently that helped me create more metaphors then I could ever dream about. The original concept is by the author Pat Pattison.
You want to write down at least 5 short paragraph incorporating a combination from your list. Enjoy, Kicking Lines Around With A Theme Today I was writing with my sister in a rather unconventional method. Rather then going line by line in song format, we were focusing on a theme. The theme was contradictions. Enjoy, A Common Problem That Song Writers Face Here is a common problem that one of my subscribers expressed recently... "I'm 16 and the main problem is, I know what I want to write, but when I do write it down I think it sounds lame" Now she's 16 years old, but I'm pretty sure that this problem transcends all ages. There is no better way to drastically improve your songwriting then when you actually begin to listen to your song though another songwriters/musician's ears - of whom you respect.
(http://www.songwriting-tips.blogspot.com/) The difference between the song that makes the cut and the song that doesn't is usually a highly memorable chorus or catch-line, (also called "lyrical hook" as explained below) not the subject matter. To make the lyrical hook catchy you may use catchy timing, rhythm, and notes, perhaps as well as incorporating Ahh's, Ooh's etc. Good lyrics make a song commercial as well as credible. Repetition of lyrics makes them memorable and reduces your work. It's a good idea to get as much inspiration out as possible, and recorded or written, as soon as it comes, and go back and edit and work on it later. If you have writers block, temporarily walk away and do something else. (http://www.songwritingtipsonline.com/)
(Top) Music Industry's Preferred Song Criteria This popular song analysis was performed using software developed by the owner of the website http://www.pitchformula.com, and the results are available there. It works by statistically analyzing the content of several thousand record reviews from the Pitchfork music website (www.pitchforkmedia.com) Subtlety (more important than everything else), Good melody, Groove, Sound effects, including experimental ones, Warmth, or fuller toned sounds, such as valve amps or full guitars, Distortion, Confident rather than insecure, Negative rather than happy emotion, Unpredictable, Either very complex or very simple, Increasing volume throughout one ore more musical passages, or a "crescendo," Large volume differences between chorus and other parts, Non-tinny, Vocal techniques in order of popularity: whispering, (or "hushed") crooning, wailing, and chanting, Vocal techniques that are most unpopular: nasal vocal tone, yelling, off-key vocals, or screaming, Male Vocals rather than female, High pitch vocals, whether by males or females
The following section is a summary of research conducted by Wayne Chase, author of How Music REALLY Works!: The Essential Handbook for Songwriters, Performers, and Music Students, 2nd Edition (www.howmusicreallyworks.com). Chase conducted studies of musical and lyrical characteristics of two groups of songs: a "Great song" Group and an "Ordinary Song" Group. 1. The "Great Song" Group: A sample of the world's greatest songs by the world's greatest songwriters, including Lennon & McCartney, Cole Porter, Joni Mitchell, Jagger & Richards, Smokey Robinson, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, and others.
3. "Personal" sentences- i.e., questions, commands, interjections, fragments, dialogue, etc., as opposed to straightforward declarative sentences. SPENDING MORE TIME AND ENERGY ON RECORDING THAN SONGWRITING Reproduced by permission of Roedy Black Publishing Inc. (www.roedyblack.com).
(Top) Oblique strategies - creative aranging strategies These creative arranging strategies were originally printed on flash cards by Brian Eno to be used by the producer in the studio when a musical group got stuck on what to do to make a song work. Try to use a selected or random suggestion in a way that is compatible with the inspiration behind a song or in a way that may be incorporated. Quote from Brian Eno: "These cards evolved from our separate observations of the principles underlying what we are doing. Sometimes they were recognized in retrospect (intellect catching up with intuition), sometimes they were identified as they were happening, sometimes they were formulated. They can be used as a pack (a set of posibilities being continuously reviewed in the mind) or by drawing a single card from a shuffled pack when a dilemma occurs in a working situation. In this case the card is trusted even if it appropriateness is quite unclear. They are not final, as new ideas will present themselves, and others will become self-evident." (http://music.hyperreal.org/artists/brian_eno/oblique/oblique.html) · Remove specifics and convert to ambiguities · Don't be frightened of cliches · What is the reality of the situation? · Are there sections? Consider transitions · Turn it upside down · Think of the radio · Allow an easement (an easement is the abandonment of a stricture) · Simple subtraction · Be dirty · Go slowly all the way round the outside · A line has two sides · Make an exhaustive list of everything you might do & do the last thing on the list · Into the impossible · Towards the insignificant · Ask people to work against their better judgement · Take away the elements in order of apparent non-importance · Infinitesimal gradations · Change instrument roles · Accretion · Disconnect from desire · Emphasize repetitions · Faced with a choice, do both (given by Dieter Rot) · Children -speaking -singing · Lost in useless territory · A very small object Its center · Dont be afraid of things because they're easy to do · Dont be frightened to display your talents · Breathe more deeply · Honor thy error as a hidden intention · What are the sections sections of? Imagine a caterpillar moving · Only one element of each kind · Is there something missing · Use 'unqualified' people · How would you have done it? · Emphasize differences · Do nothing for as long as possible · Bridges -build -burn · Always give yourself credit for having more than personality · You don't have to be ashamed of using your own ideas · Tidy up · Do the words need changing? · Ask your body · Tape your mouth · Water · Simply a matter of work · Make a sudden, destructive unpredictable action; incorporate · Consult other sources -promising -unpromising · Use an unacceptable color · Humanize something free of error · Use filters · Fill every beat with something · Discard an axiom · Not building a wall but making a brick · What wouldn't you do? · Lowest common denominator · Decorate, decorate · Balance the consistency principle with the inconsistency principle · Get your neck massaged · Listen to the quiet voice · Do the washing up |