Being Deliberate

[melissag]

Anne - I LOVE it -- does it happen to be a really good TV show? Nothing like multi-tasking, I say. Actually, right now, I'm "engineering" (well, really just hitting the record button for my hubby) while posting on forums. I'm thinking I'm an octopus...

[rayzer]

Hi Melissa,Welcome to Taxi. Welcome to the forum boards. Welcome to 'Being Deliberate.' I'm glad you made the leap to join us.Making reasonable monthly to-do lists and acting on them is a great way to get where you want to go. Always remember, 'A journey of a thousand songs begins with a single chorus.' And, more importantly, 'A journey to great songs begins with Taxi.' I'm looking forward to hearing all about your month on the 15th.Rayzer

[rayzer]

Hi Anne,Good to see you back here. I hope you're able to capture the style with your writing.Keep it up!Rayzer

[tedsingingfox]

Hey, everybody.Time for me to step up...This month ought to be a little easier (from a certain perspective), 'cause I have a specific time frame. OK, that really made almost NO sense, so let me explain.I'm planning on heading down to Anne's place at least a couple of times in this next month so we can do a little teamwork in her studio, so my three things for the next 27 days are:1) Pick out the two or three strongest of the melodies I'm working on, and get simple versions of them recorded to send to Anne ahead of time...2) "Finish" some lyrics. Meaning, don't worry about whether they're perfect yet, just spit them out to the point where I can step back and start analysing/editing them into something tighter...so, at least one more verse and a bridge to go with the 2 verses and chorus that already exist...3) Get rough versions of at least ONE song of mine and one of Anne's each and every time I'm down there...If last time was any indication, we are only going to get better and better at working together; and if we only have HALF as much fun as we did last time, we will have a blast.wooHOO!See y'all on the 15th.TedAnd ps. HEY, MelissaG. Welcome to the boards AND to TAXI. Looking forward to hearing more from you...

[melissag]

Thanks, Ted.I've read some of your other posts and want to say that I hope you are doing well with your dental issues. How well I know that it is miserable when you have pain in the teeth.I'm almost done writing a "horrific instrumental." I've never tried to write anything like this and I have to say that I've been having a blast writing my new tune which is titled "The Bloody Blade." (Really, I'm not that twisted) I plan to finish it up tonight so I can submit it by tomorrow's deadline. Hope everyone is having a great Wednesday!

[rayzer]

Hey, Ted. Great to see you back here again.Have a great month. I hope you and Anne have a productive time together.I'm looking forward to hearing your report on the 15th.Rayzer

[melissag]

Whoops. Guess the submission deadline was today...

[hummingbird]

Aug 20, 2008, 6:16pm, melissag wrote:Whoops. Guess the submission deadline was today...You can submit until 11:59 pm PST tonight!!! Get it in!! (I'm feverishly trying to finish one too [that's why I'm on the board, ha ha])

[suzdoyle]

Dec 18, 2007, 1:07pm, milfus wrote:Hey thanks,yeah I actually did join taxi, I got some professional voice lessons, but they are recordings, so, 2 out of 3, I think having some material might help, and learnin to sing, with the stage fright. but yeah, everyone i know knows when my note book comes out theres just no point talking to me, cause im about 3 worlds away.Hi Milfus;Bravo on your progress! I lead occasional workshops about singing without fear, and wanted to suggest that one way to get comfortable singing in front of others again (especially after having a traumatic experience on stage) is to join in jam sessions and singalongs -- it's a nice, low-pressure way to learn to trust your voice (and yourself) again and to step back into being "out there" without perfectionism or competition.Also, in his book "the Gift of Fear," Gavin De Becker notes that stage fright is rarely about fear of singing or speaking, but rather the fear of being perceived to be foolish. So my suggestion is to give yourself permission to make HUGE mistakes, and to be a COMPLETE fool! It's very liberating! First thing I do when leading a workshop in releasing fear around singing is to have the group take a simple song (e.g. "The Muffin Man") and sing it in different styles as a group. This might include such styles as opera, country western, sci fi, Broadway, punk, rap, you name it -- whatever suggestion anyone makes is embraced and tried. After a while, everyone forgets about being nervous about singing, and remembers how to PLAY and HAVE FUN with music again -- which is our natural state of being.From there, they relax into remembering that, ultimately, it's all about having fun and expressing oneself.Wishing you excellent unfolding courage and voice-re-discoverings,Suz

[drew]

Aug 21, 2008, 9:27pm, suzdoyle wrote: So my suggestion is to give yourself permission to make HUGE mistakes, and to be a COMPLETE fool! Been there