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

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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 🙂

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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 🙂

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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 🙂

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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 🙂

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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 🙂

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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 🙂

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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 🙂

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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 🙂

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People that know me, know that I’ve always weighed in on the heavier side of the scales.

Even when I was in my younger, fitter football and cricket playing days, my “big boned” stocky build would always shine through thanks to my Scottish/English heritage.

But last week, on May 20th, after a visit to my doctor to review my latest blood test results he gave me some pretty awful news… I am now officially a Type 2 Diabetic.

Now, only just mind you (with a blood sugar percentage of 7.8% with anything over 7% being Type 2) but nevertheless, I have Type 2 Diabetes and I have to do something about it NOW!

When I got the news I was numb at first but soon afterwards, the shame, the anger and regret started to creep in. “How could I do this to myself?” I asked while looking in the mirror. Well, it was actually quite easy.

I ate and drank the wrong things, at the wrong times and at the wrong quantities whilst not moving all at the same time.

But since then, after some very stern advice from my doctor, I’ve been taking the positive steps needed to improve my health to the point where I can reverse my Type 2 diagnosis.

Now, I had suspected that something was up beforehand because I felt I had reached the point where I was really feeling the consequences of many, many years of not looking after myself properly and on May 20th, all of my suspicions were confirmed.

This post is not going to be the start of a long rambling series of before and after shots and blow by blow accounts of how much weight I’m losing on a day to day basis (I’d rather keep that information as personal) but this post is something I wanted to write for the sake of transparency and honesty.

Let’s face it, if I’m going to reverse my Type 2 diagnosis, feel way better about myself and also get back out into playing gigs again, I need to be physically and mentally fit as well as gig fit and to do that I need to change my lifestyle and dietary habits.

The main question I needed to answer was “How am I going to do this?”

Even though I’ve just started this “change of lifestyle” journey since May 20th, I’ve realised that you don’t have to make incredibly huge changes to make a real difference health-wise.

Changes such as…

Drinking More Water
Just doing this first step has made a huge difference. I’m finding myself going to the toilet a lot more but I feel less stodgy and much more cleaner inside.

I have a PuraTap connected at home plus a SodaStream machine that makes “boring” water turn into sparkling water so increasing my water intake hasn’t been that much of a challenge.

I try to consume at least two litres of water per day.

Cutting Out Alcohol
This was an easy thing to cut out as I don’t consider myself a big drinker anyways but I’ve noticed a slightly better sleeping pattern resulting from this one small change.

Cutting Down On Coffee
Frank Zappa once said in an interview that coffee wasn’t a drug to him, it was FOOD.

That’s how much I love my coffee (either with sugar or more recently, honey in it) but I also knew that I was drinking way, way too much of the stuff and at really stupid times as well. No wonder I’ve been having problems with my sleep for years.

I’m now limiting my caffeine intake to a maximum of three cups a day and when I do have it, I have it black with NO SUGAR. 

It’ll take me a bit of getting used to but it’s worth it.

Cutting Out Sugar
This is one of the hardest things for me to cut out of my life, but my body is already starting to feel so much better for it.

For me, cutting out sugar meant the following:

  • No more sugar or honey in my coffee/tea
  • No more soft drink
  • No more desserts

I know that there’s a lot of hidden sugars in one form or another in the food that we eat and therefore cutting out all sugar in my diet would be a challenge but cutting out the usual suspects has already made a huge difference in my life.

Cutting Out Carbs (And Takeaway)
That means giving up on pasta, rice, pastries and bread (oh, I really miss pizza)

I didn’t realise how much carbohydrates I was consuming until I decided not to eat them anymore. I was amazed, but it did show me that eating carbs takes far less effort than not eating carbs and I needed to turn that equation around.

I needed to start falling in love with preparing and cooking good food rather than just relying on takeaway which was happening far too often especially since I found myself cooking for one again over the last six months.

Start Walking
It was really obvious to me that I wasn’t moving and exercising enough in my day to day life so I’ve been trying to get into the habit of walking for up to 30 minutes a day.

Now besides cutting out the sugar in my life, getting back into some sort of exercise routine has been the biggest challenge (basically because I’m lazy) and it’s something that I’m still working on but, I’ll get there.

Decreasing My Portion Sizes
First of all, I don’t go for seconds anymore. Further to that, my first portion sizes were also too big so I’ve been getting into the habit of just halving my normal portion size or, eating off a smaller plate.

From doing this I’ve really noticed that I can still function as a productive and creative human being with far less food in my system.

Experimenting With Intermittent Fasting
Now this is the most interesting part. I’ve started to experiment with a concept called Intermittent Fasting.

Now, I’m not going to go into too much detail about it but the first site you come to on Google when you type “Intermittent Fasting” is an article by James Clear on his website called The Beginner’s Guide To Intermittent Fasting which goes into detail about the following:

  • How Intermittent Fasting works
  • The benefits of Intermittent Fasting
  • Examples of Intermittent Fasting protocols
  • Frequently asked questions about Intermittent Fasting

James Clear defines Intermittent Fasting in this way…

“Intermittent fasting is not a diet, it’s a pattern of eating. It’s a way of scheduling your meals so that you
get the most out of them. Intermittent fasting doesn’t change what you eat, it changes when you eat.”

Again, I’m not going to go into all of the in’s and out’s of it but changing my normal eating habits to eating a ketogenic diet (high protein, high (good) fat and low carbs) whilst intermittent fasting has made the most significant difference in my health so far.

Since starting my journey a week ago, I’ve lost five kilos and I do feel very proud of myself.

I’ll keep myself honest and post some more health updates from time to time but I’m not going to obsess about it. I’m just happy that it’s now rather than later (when it can be far too late), that I’m finally doing something about my health.

I’m sure Mara would be proud.

Peace,

Corey 🙂

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Today marks six months since my wife Mara passed away from cancer on November 22nd, 2020 and not a day goes by that I don’t think of her and how much joy she has brought to my life.

Lately I’ve been asking myself the question “what have I learned from the last six months?” Of course I’m still processing all of this and will continue to do so for a long time. I mean that’s what grief is I suppose, but what I have noticed lately is that…

  • Life is far too short for me to be waiting for permission to do something with it
  • Fear is all in my head
  • I suffer fools even less gladly than I normally would
  • People spend too much time complaining about first world problems

Now, I haven’t written any songs since completing the FAWM 14 Songs In 28 Days Songwriting Challenge (which was a wonderfully cathartic experience), but I wanted to show you this, the most recent song I’ve written. 

It’s called My Last Goodbye. 

This is a song I’m pretty proud of and it really encapsulates my feelings for our relationship and how I’m feeling about everything now plus, the bassline is pretty cool too.

Seriously though, this is what songwriting is about for me, putting into a song what I would normally find difficult to put into words and My Last Goodbye is a great example of this. 

Enjoy.

My Last Goodbye
© 28/2/2021 C. Stewart

Verse 1
If I looked up to the nights sky
And counted all of the stars
It would never get me closer
Closer to where you are
If I stood beside the ocean
And stared at the horizon
The expanse of what’s before me
Is so small compared to my love

Chorus
There is nothing I can take
For this loneliness inside
There is nowhere I can run to
And nowhere I can hide
Everywhere I look I’m finding
Reminders of your life
I guess it’s time for me now
To say my last goodbye

Verse 2
If I had a go reciting
All the digits that made up Pi
There’d be not enough numbers
To describe the love of you and I
If I could travel through time
I’d go back to where we started
Just reliving every moment
As if we never parted

Chorus

Solo

Chorus

I can now feel myself just lifting my eyes up from the fog a bit and take my first steps back out into the real world. And what have I noticed? Well, nothing much has changed, the sun still rises in the morning and the world is still going about its daily business.

This has shown me that regardless of what is going on for me, life continues to go on. So I will continue my life’s journey, one day at a time and with one foot in front of the other as this is what Mara would’ve wanted me to do.

But I still miss her… Always.

Peace,

Corey 🙂