Corey Stewart

I am a songwriter, musician, producer and blogger from Australia
Home Recording

My Home Recording Studio Love Affair

Posted on by Corey Stewart

Right now I’m sitting in front of my computer typing out this blog post and on the other screen is an open project on Logic Pro X and I’m really, really torn between completing this post and just doing some more recording.

However, there was a time not that long ago, that I couldn’t have imagined this scenario because back then, the thought of setting up some sort of home recording studio absolutely terrified me.

But what was I really scared of? I suppose I was scared that…

  • My music would sound crap and not sound like what’s on the radio
  • I couldn’t do it (record from home)
  • It would take too long for me to learn
  • My end product would be judged harshly by others
  • People won’t like my music (and therefore, not like me)

Of course, these irrational and illogical fears were a result of an unhealthy combination of way too much perfectionism, not enough confidence and a dash of low self esteem thrown in for good measure

I remember when I purchased my first iMac way back in 2009, I had included in the purchase a copy of Logic 9 (I had some experience using Logic 4.2 – before it was purchased by Apple from Emagic) and when I installed it onto my new system I left it sitting there all alone on my desktop, unopened for a very long time.

Eventually, curiosity got the better of me and feeling a bit brash one day, I opened it up and started to muck around with it.

The more I used it, the more I gained confidence in my ability to learn about and operate a piece of software that was almost like learning a foreign language. Then I discovered that YouTube had heaps of Logic 9 tutorials that enabled me to integrate more knowledge that I could use in my recordings.

It was around about this time that my decision to start collaborating with other songwriters in a big way took place and my new found knowledge of recording music at home had some sort of outlet.

Then Logic Pro X came onto the market. When I got that onto my system everything had changed. Now I’m a home recording studio junky and there’s no stopping me now.

The main thing I love about recording from home is the sheer convenience of thinking of a songwriting idea and then being able to flick on a switch and have everything at your disposal at a moment’s notice.

Don’t get me wrong… I still use and work in other recording studios big and small, professional and amateur, and feel that these facilities provide a much needed service however, with my home recording setup I am no longer at the whim of somebody else when it comes to recording my songwriting ideas and developing them towards a completed product.

Through this website, I’ll be sharing with you my home recording experiences, what I’ve learnt from taking a leap of faith into the land of home recording plus curating some fantastic content that I’ve found that has helped me along the way so watch this space.

Okay, now I’ve got that out of my system, I’m getting back to my recording…

Peace,

Corey 🙂

Songwriting

Songwriting Tips – 10 Of The Best From David Foster

Posted on by Corey Stewart

When accepting his BMI Icon award in 2010, songwriter David Foster gave a speech which was more like a ten commandments for all songwriters to live by.

Here are those ten songwriting tips in a nutshell:

  • Save your money
  • Don’t get married
  • Learn an instrument
  • Don’t be too precious about your songs
  • Be genuinely happy for someone else’s success
  • Phone people back
  • Give your career everything that you have
  • Be on time
  • Make every creative decision as if you have a million dollars in the bank
  • Save your money

Enjoy…

I especially liked numbers 3, 4 and 9 on the list. Which one(s) resonated with you? Let me know, I’d love to hear from you.

Peace,

Corey 🙂

Productivity

My Procrastination Strategy – Information Hoarding

Posted on by Corey Stewart

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have a confession to make… I am a tragic hoarder of information.

I love collecting information, researching or any activity that can be used as an excuse to not move forward with something. I don’t know where this affliction comes from but this is something that I do every single day.

My Evernote account has now over 42000 bookmarks on topics such songwriting and other music related stuff through to web design and online marketing, all of which have been set aside so I can read it later.

Now, THAT is a lot of reading…

The ironic thing is that as soon as I am in a position where I need to take some action on something my brain immediately tells me that I can’t make the next step because I don’t have enough information to move ahead.

It is then that I get paralysed, unable to move forward with what I want to do and mistake that as a sign that I need to start collecting even more information.

On one hand I don’t want to move on with things because I don’t have enough information at my disposal and when I feel I’m finally ready I’m paralysed by too much choice…

Yes, I suffer from information paralysis. Too much information running through my brain…

Talk about setting myself up for failure. The next question I need to ask myself is “how do I get around this strategy and move myself forward?”

But first, I have to answer the question “is there any real benefits using my present researching strategy?” and the answer is YES.

I do come across a lot of really good information that I can use but I just need to learn to research and take action at the same time. Researching and action can be two activities that can move parallel with each other.

So, I admit it, I am an information hoarder. I collect information under the notion that the more info I collect, the more knowledgeable I will become…

WRONG.

I collect information because I’m scared of making the next move. Collecting information is my preferred method of PROCRASTINATION.

No amount of information collection will make me a better songwriter, musician, producer or blogger because information alone is useless unless action follows it.

This is one of my goals for 2021, to use all of this information to my advantage.

To actually learn something from all of the information I’ve collected and to take action on it without fear.

Can you relate to this? Is information hoarding something that you do to delay the inevitable? If so, let me know and perhaps we can help each other break the cycle of information hoarding (or, at the very least trade some info).

Peace,

Corey 🙂

Music

Will We Ever Run Out Of New Music?

Posted on by Corey Stewart

According to this video from the popular science YouTube channel Vsauce the answer is “not very likely” which is a good thing I suppose otherwise I would be out of a job.

It seems that if you quantified all of the possible notes and rhythm combinations you get this amazingly huge but finite number however, whether these combinations of sounds are music to our ears is another thing.

This is a very, very cool video indeed. I do like the explanation on why we gravitate towards some types of song arrangements and not others.

It certainly gave me some food for thought. What about you?

In the meantime, enjoy the video and let me know what you think.

Peace,

Corey 🙂

MusicSongwritingTheory

Songwriting – The More You Know, The More You Need To Learn

Posted on by Corey Stewart

In order to master the craft of songwriting you must first fully embrace the fact that there’s always something to learn about it.

The more you know, the more you need to learn.

I know of some songwriters that are either bored or restless with their craft. They complain that everything that they do all sounds the same and therefore they feel they’re not expanding and growing as songwriters.

However, in life, there are people that do things and people that don’t. Which category a certain songwriter falls into is not determined by genetics or how much Mercury is in retrograde.

It’s all determined by their attitude and as a songwriter, how you master your chosen craft is determined by you and you alone.

One of my ongoing goals is getting advanced musical theory and guitar lessons. I’ve mentioned this to a select number of friends in the past and they all ask me “why?”

My reply is “why not!”

I have been playing music and writing songs since I was 13 and besides learning clarinet and studying music theory and composition in high school, I have not had any other tuition in my life.

I am mostly a self taught musician.

It would be arrogant of me to think that I have nothing else to learn so I’m going to find out where my learning gaps are and I’m then going to fill them in with some new knowledge.

Doing this can only make me a better songwriter and musician so that’s why I started guitar and theory lessons with Richie Robinson from Guitar Lessons Adelaide yesterday (June 10th, 2021).

I’m really excited to see how these lessons will affect the way I approach music, writing songs and life in general as I believe that how you approach your craft is a metaphor of how you approach your life.

My advice to anyone regarding learning an instrument or expanding their music theory knowledge to help with your songwriting is threefold:

1. If you’ve ever considered learning an instrument then consider no more, start learning. Don’t believe the rubbish that some people will tell you about old dogs and new tricks.

2. If you already play an instrument, consider getting lessons no matter how proficient you are. The more proficient you are at your instrument the more important your choice of tutor will be.

3. If you already get lessons, make more of an effort to practise, learn to love it and find the time to do it. Challenge yourself with the lessons, try to feel your mind expand with the knowledge you gain from it.

Seek out books on songwriting, buy them and read them. Take notes and do what is needed to assimilate the new knowledge into your songwriting process.

Get online and sign up to songwriting resources, forums, and communities. Ask lots and lots of questions.

In your research you’ll come across people you feel comfortable communicating with, keep in contact with them. Network and expand your relationships.

If you want to contact me and ask questions feel free to do so, you can also comment below as well.

In short, get out of your comfort zone.

If you feel you have been spending precious energy complaining and not enough energy doing then stop, re-evaluate and change your attitude towards your songwriting.

It can be done, I know because I have done this for myself.

Reward yourself (and your songwriting) by embracing new knowledge and you will never, ever look back. In fact, let me know how you go with it.

Peace,

Corey 🙂

Songwriting

Songwriting Process: Oblique Strategies With Brian Eno

Posted on by Corey Stewart

Here is a very interesting video I found recently of one of my favourite musicians and sound artists of all time, Brian Eno being interviewed by Jools Holland in 2001.

In the video, Eno talks about the concept of his Oblique Strategies cards and how they can be of immense help to songwriters, performers, studio musicians and even brain surgeons.

Speaking about brain surgeons check out what happens at around the two minute mark. It’s very, very funny and a great example of how Oblique Strategies works.

I did a quick Google search and here are some places online where you can find and use Eno’s oblique strategies…

Enjoy the video…

Would you use these cards as part of your songwriting process? I would certainly give them a go.

Peace,

Corey 🙂

Corey Stewart

I’ve Given Myself The Gift Of Time. Now Is The Time To Use My Gift Wisely

Posted on by Corey Stewart

As of Monday, May 31st 2021, I’ve officially stepped down from my day gig as a disability support worker and I’m now going it alone operating my music (SongMachine) and web design (ZenWeb) businesses simultaneously.

Right now, at this very moment, I have given myself the gift of time so it is now my responsibility to use this gift wisely and start doing the things that I have been talking, planning, scheming, dreaming and making lists about for the longest time.

I’m reminded by an article that I found on the Time To Write blog called Is This The Time To (Finally) Be You? in which the author Jurgen Wolff unveils two parts to an equation.

First of all, the “secret” of finding the very thing that you need to be doing that defines who you are and secondly, how to do the things you need to do that defines you.

He explains the second part of the equation in this way…

You’ve found it. Now what? Is there a secret? Something they don’t want you to know but that I will reveal to you if you send me lots of money?

No, nobody’s trying to keep it from you and there’s no charge. It’s simple. Not always easy, but simple:

1. Start
2. Continue
3. Fail (because we can imagine perfection but not attain it)
4. Learn from the failure
5. Continue
6. Repeat 3 through 5

Number one is the hardest but the other steps have their drawbacks, too.

So why do it? Because it means something to you

Yes, being a songwriter, musician, producer and blogger means something to me and no, there is no real secret, just action and for me this means navigating through a minefield of fear and doubt.

This fear and doubt has been something that I have carried with me for many, many, many years and it has been very successful in stopping me doing what I want to be doing with my life.

Not any more.

I have been conveniently been using my day gig as an excuse to not be living the life that I want to be living but at the end of the day I’ve just been very scared of being venerable and putting myself out there to be judged, compared and rated in the minds of the general public.

Now, there is no more “I’ll get around to it when I have the time.” I now have all the time that I need and all I’ve got to do is to follow the steps outlined in the article Is This The Time To (Finally) Be You? and I’ll be halfway there.

Wish me luck and watch this space…

Peace,

Corey 🙂

PhilosophyThoughts

Carl Sagan’s “Pale Blue Dot” – The Ultimate Reality Check

Posted on by Corey Stewart

Today is June 1st which means it’s the first day of Winter which also means that most people in the world who realise this will say to themselves “Is it really June already? Wow! Where’s the time gone?”

This is because we all live busy lives and we tend to not pay close attention to what it is that we do on a day to day basis. One day of inattention after another later and… We end up in June already wondering what the hell just happened.

We all collectively need to “stop and smell the roses” so to speak. We need to stop rushing around, take a deep breathe and be still for a moment.

We need to do this so we can all gain a bit of perspective on life and I think this video below is one of the best ways for us to do this.

This video the “pale blue dot” showcases one of the most beautifully eloquent monologues on our existence I’ve ever heard, narrated by one of the most brilliant minds of our time, Carl Sagan.

I thought I’d put it up here as a reminder of what’s really important in this world we live in.

The ONLY world that we live in.

I can’t help but shed a little tear every time I see this because for me, this is the ultimate reality check.

Gives you something to think about doesn’t it?

Peace,

Corey 🙂

Podcasting

My Adventures Into The World Of Podcasting

Posted on by Corey Stewart

The concept of podcasting has been something I’ve had an interest in for a long time, even before it became one of the trendy modes of delivering content that it is today.

It all started back in 2008 when I discovered Leo Leporte and his TWiT (This Week In Tech) podcast network through a friend and after the first listen, I was hooked. 

Soon after that I discovered other podcasts such as the CD Baby DIY Podcast and my life changed completely.

Now, when I’m in the car on a long trip, instead of listening to the radio, I could listen to a podcast instead which for me is a better use of my time, so thanks to iTunes I subscribed to as many podcasts as I could and started to incorporate them into my day to day life.

Also at that time, I started to wonder if I should create my own podcast but I didn’t have the necessary tools (such as a home recording setup) at my disposal but fast forward to today and with my desire to create (or be involved with) a podcast rekindled, I’m now able to satisfy that desire thanks to my dear friend Simon James Betts aka Soul Trader.

So now I introduce to you (drum roll please)…The Soul Trader Podcast.

Simon and I host this podcast which has the tagline Music, Creativity and Other Plans meaning that we’ll be waxing lyrical about music, the creative process and other things. 

Of course the “other plans” part of the tagline is a nod to John Lennon’s often quoted line in his song Beautiful Boy “… life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”

We’ve created three episodes already with the latest episode featuring a special guest.

You can find them below…

It’s our intention in future episodes to have creatives from other disciplines besides music on the podcast talking about their art, their creative processes and what creativity means to them in general.

This is a subject which really fascinates both Simon and I.

I’m really enjoying the process of creating, producing and releasing the podcast and I consider this a great way to build up my skills to launch my own series of audio blogs plus getting into the world of video in the future.

So, have a listen to the podcast, let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions about future episodes I’ll see if I can find a way to use it in a future episode somewhere.

In the meantime, I have some baby steps and a steep learning curve to contend with which I will happily tackle head on.

Peace,

Corey 🙂

Songwriting

Some Things To Think About When Writing Songs

Posted on by Corey Stewart

Sometimes writing songs is a linear experience.

You come across a possible song title that jumps out at you and after writing the first line of the first verse, a first draft is suddenly completed from start to finish.

Sometimes writing songs is a puzzle solving exercise.

You take a piece here, a song title there, a bit of a verse here and a half written phrase there and, after discovering the common thread that connects everything, a song is eventually completed.

Sometimes writing songs is like incubating an egg.

You finish writing a chorus but find you can’t go any further however, after leaving the half finished song for a period of time something triggers in your mind and the song magically completes itself.

Sometimes you start writing a song from the beginning and work forwards, sometimes you start writing a song in the middle and work outwards and sometimes you start writing a song from the end and work backwards.

But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter where you start, as long as you start somewhere.

What do you think?

Peace,

Corey 🙂