Think and grow (into a) Rich (songwriter)

[asiabackpacker]

&otHas anyone here read Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich, and applied the concepts to songwriting? I've been reading it to get ideas to advance my music (and business) career, but I've found the practical application of the concepts to songwriting itself to be pretty awesome!I'll try and post more as they occur to me, but here's one......Napoleon talks about the method by which scientific inventors or "geniuses; complete inventions that have already achieved a modest start.1st - They stimulate their minds so that they vibrate on a higher-than-average plane (he describes 10 stimulants that can achieve this, which include: music, friendship, love, desire, even narcotics)2nd - They then concentrate upon the known factors (the finished part) of their invention, and create in their mind a perfect picture of unknown factors (the unfinished part), of their invention. They hold this picture in their mind until it has been taken over by the subconscious mind, then relax by clearing their mind of ALL thought, and wait for the answer to pop up or "flash" into their mind.Pretty cool!He talks a lot about how our greatest ideas don't come from our rational mind, but from our subconscious or a "superior intelligence," and talks about different ways of tapping into this...Here's another cool passage on this topic:One of America's most successful and best known financiers followed the habit of closing his eyes for two or three minutes before making a decision.When asked why he did this, he replied, "With my eyes closed, I am able to draw upon a source of superior intelligence."Next time I'm struggling to find that perfect line, I'm going to try closing my eyes for two or three minutes! Anyway, I'm posting this partly so I'll remember for myself, but hopefully someone else finds this helpful too.Peace!Elliott

[asiabackpacker]

I posted this before I had tried to apply it. It just sounded like a cool idea. But now I've been using these ideas in my writing, and it's been schweeeet. Here's how I've been applying this (and it's really been helping):When I get to a point where I'm stuck, I take what I've written so far, and then I stop, put my guitar down, and I close my eyes and just kind of meditate on the words. Sing them to myself. I let a vision unfold in my head of all the lyrics I've written so far. I can see a picture based on the story I've written so far with my lyrics. Here's an example from this morning. (just a rough lyric, but an example of how I've used this).... And I'm no expert, but this helped me. Maybe it can help someone else too. Anyway, I had this chorus:(copyright Elliott Lemberger, 2007)I've come a long wayTo wind up here againThe best part of goodbyeIs saying hello againI've come a long wayxxxThe best part of goodbyeIs saying hello againThe xxx was the lyric that I couldn't come up with. So I just closed my eyes and visualized a scene in my head based on the lyrics I had so far. I saw the journey, the being here again, then I got this image of the proverbial "me" hoping she'd take me back in. So then based on that image, I came up with this for the second half:I've come a long wayTo hope you'd let me inThe best part of goodbyeIs saying hello againI've noticed with really powerful lyrics (Amos Lee's Colors comes to mind), they often paint strong pictures. There's almost a stage, and scenes that unfold as the lyric moves forward. But I've never known how to access this before, or "figure out" which scene comes next. Now I've realized that if you can bring the song to life in your head, and visualize it, and sit with that vision for a while instead of trying to force the missing part, the next part, scene, etc... may just come in a blinding flash of inspiration! HTH!Elliott

[tedsingingfox]

Hey, backpacker.gotta say this is VERY interesting and great timing. Been banging my head over a couple of different sets of lyrics, so this will be worth a try. Even if I don't come up with ideas, my headaches will stop. Ted

[rcase]

Quote:Been banging my head over a couple of different sets of lyrics, so this will be worth a try. Even if I don't come up with ideas, my headaches will stop. TedWell, and the money you save on aspirin should cover a few future TAXI submissions!

[silverorlead]

Very interesting thread! I'm not sure how many out there have read Bob Dylan's Chronicles, his autobiography, but in it he talks about how its easier to write lyrics when you're moving. At first I laughed out loud, but then I realized that I do write much more freely on a train, or even driving in the car!Needless to say this was a great and a horrible thing to realize, and led to many nights of driving around aimlessly when I felt lyrically constipated, until I would start scribbling ideas furiously while continuing to drive.So I don't recommend that part But I found the moving thing fascinating and applicable! Maybe it has something to do with the way that car rides put babies to sleep... who knows?

[sgs4u]

After re-reading this thread, I felt inspired to change the title, underneath my avatar. <<<<< look

[tedsingingfox]

Good call, Steve. And FWIW, I've been writing down my dreams for YEARS now, and not only have they proven themselves (after the fact) to be incredibly prophetic, I've used several of them as the basis for musical storylines... Our subconscious mind is a HUGE, powerful tool not to be overlooked or dismissed. Now, if I could only have the self-discipline to work with it more often... Ted

[aubreyz]

This is a story I wasn't going to share on the forum - at the risk of sounding like a wacko, but I've been double dog dared... and it's hard impossible for a Texan to back down. "The Secret" is not really anything new to me. From such a strong Judeo/Christian background, you pretty much have to ignore the red letters in that big book on the coffee table to miss it. But lately,after reading Steve Gilbert's wife's blog and following some of the links about "the secret", I've been doing a lot of searching and reading. That link posted by Raags was the really the last straw for me. I read it like a sponge-- not one being filled, but one realizing that I had been full all along.I mentioned that feeling of anticipation in another thread, but here's a specific that is pretty amazing. Us artsy types are often somewhat manic -- the whole, "it's going to happen" thing was blasted with a dose of stress and depression that kicked in late Sunday night. I had been SOOO worried about money. Monday morning I woke up in a funk, lived there a while and then remembered all the stuff I'd been reading and thought, "I'm creating this, so I can create something else!!!". It was amazing. Like a light switch went on. In just a few minutes, I felt like a completely different person. I spent about an hour "prepping" myself, and then had a brief talk with my wife. The jest of it, we are going to "create" $5,000 before Dec 1st - no worry. No doubt. It's already there--- that kind of thing. So we made a pact to change our attitude and just already "be" where we want to be... not to get all preachy, but we are people of faith. Yet this was not some kind of request, but more of an acceptance of the good things the Father has in store for us...So yesterday I get a call that some money is on the way. This morning, the follow up call, and guess what the amount is -- EXACTLY $5,000. Too coincidental to be bizarre, too bizarre to be coincidental.I'm only posting this in gratitude. I don't believe in chance. Things happen for a reason. There is a reason that Taxi exists. There is a reason I've been on the forums. There is a reason that there is such a positive vibe from so many here (as well as in person). At the Rally there was much hypothesizing about why this forum and the dots are unique. Here's what I think. We're not trying to get ahead of the next guy. There's no competing as if the slices of pie are limited. It's a really big pie and there's plenty for each of us, and there is genuine gratefulness when ANYONE succeeds. I also think it's the power of our dreams. We believe we are better than what we have evidence of -- not in some egotistical way, but in the sense that makes us believe in greatness, not only for ourselves but in each other.I know this probably sounds like trying to make this whole thing into some kind of self-help religion thing, but it's not that. It's not about money either, any more than blood and oxygen are the meaning of life. I just wanted to say thanks, and maybe encourage someone else to reach for the sky as if you've already touched it.Aubbtw--- I've previewed this post like 10 times--- "to be a wacko, or not to be a wacko". Here's to wacko "click"

[tedsingingfox]

Quote:Quote:We believe we are better than what we have evidence of -- not in some egotistical way, but in the sense that makes us believe in greatness, not only for ourselves but in each other.AubWhat an excellent statement, AubIf this makes us wacko, well I'm OK with it. I've been called worse...Aub, you continue to inspire me and so many others here. there really IS more than enough to go around.And this is NOT a cult-y thing until you insist I drink the kool-aid. Ted

[ragani]

What a great post, Aub. And what's funny is that I was just considering how to start a new thread for people to post stories like this... I can't think of a time in my life when I didn't think about these kinds of things, and I KNOW there are others in here with stories that I'd love to hear. Thanks for posting yours. I loved it. Frankly, I was not too impressed by "The Secret" (though I did thoroughly enjoy its story about the man who one day realized that he was living in the exact house that he had once posted photos of when he was younger). I felt "The Secret" was fairly watered down and felt more like a sales pitch (same response to "What the Bleep"--didn't even make it all the way to the end on that one-- and "Celestine Prophecy", etc.). I'd rather have just the kernel of it, please. I realize it's just showing that more are starting to catch on to this idea and it's starting to make sense to them. Plus, it gives us a point of reference how to talk about these kind of things with more people. So that's good. (Frankly, it's what many of the ancient traditions have said all along, so it's not really anything "new", but just something gaining a little more publicity in the mainstream.)What I love most is the feeling of life just getting better and better, of watching these things unfolding in our lives and in the lives of those around us who are also "consciously creating", so-to-speak. So thanks again for the post, Aub. Wish I had met you at the Rally. And hey-- congrats on the 5G's. Not to shabby! Raags