Daily Tips #6

It's been a long time since the next serving of tips, huh? No need to worry! Today is the day they return! =)

Today's tip of the day is:

01. Fight the Opposition!

Fight the Opposition!

 
Now, I don't mean to start a fight with your worst enemy, aha. All I mean is to stand up for yourself and what your music stands for.

Yes, you know this already, I know. However, this is really important because sometimes the pressure can be too much. For example's sake, if you're used to writing a certain way, and every one of your listeners are used to hearing that certain style, people usually get comfortable with anything that they're accustomed to. Why can this be a problem? Let's say you get tired of this style, and for a while you want to try something different. Experimentation could allow you to reach more followers, however, in some instances, the ones that are used to that specific sound, could be driven away.

The key is to not let negative comments get in the way of how you want your music to be. You're the one behind the pen, behind the keyboard, behind the guitar, behind the computer, behind the songs. You should be the one who gets to decide what to make, as long as it's not in bad light, or bad energy.

So bottom line is, make the music you want to make, and don't be discouraged by what fans or listeners of your music may say! Cause if you're not having a fun time making the music you make, that will show in the final product. So have fun, be cautious, but not too cautious so that you lose sight of what your music is supposed to represent!

Thanks for reading, and till next time, peace out to all my drafters!

Sincerely,
Julian.

Scope of Songwriting: Episode #1 (Podcast)

Dun, dun, dun, dun...
Dun, dun, dun, dun!

I have an announcement!

This marks a very special post in Draftboard's history, (which has not been too long) but...

We have the first post of a new section!

Introducing the 'Scope of Songwriting,' a new section of Draftboard that revolves around interviewing various musicians and artists, to find out what their routines are, how they view the industry, what we can expect from them in the future, and more!

In this intro episode, I sat down with Christina Kay, and Matthew Miller, two, young, aspiring artists, who each have a different take on the industry, reflections of themselves, and their desires. 

This episode may be a little short but I assure you that future episodes will have a bigger range. Some episodes will be short like this one, while others will be longer than ten-fifteen minutes. 

However, let's not talk about the future so quick because the future is now! Enjoy the first episode of 'Scope of Songwriting' and thank you so much for all the support!

Till next time, peace out to all my drafters!

 
Sincerely,
Julian.

"Soar"

Have you ever encountered a time where you were sitting on the couch, watching TV, when all of a sudden...

Your soul escapes from your body.

You made sure it wasn't a dream, but you still tried and tried again to prove that is was in fact a dream...but,

Your eyes were open, and you were awake the entire time.

Haven't had an experience like that? Well, a family member of mine did. The scientific term for it, is having an, "Out of Body Experience." 

Does the term sound a little familiar now? Even if not, it still strikes me as being a very interesting concept. That concept knocked on the door inside my head, when my mother told me that story, back in 2012. So what did I do with that knowledge embedded in my brain? While songwriting at the time, I asked the question to myself. 

"Could I possibly write a song to this?"

Nevertheless, I did. One of my favorite songs to this day, next to "Where Hearts Meet Minds" and a couple of others to be brought to the light soon. I tried to evoke the emotion, the surreality, the experience, and the wonder, all in one song. For one of my first songs, I could not contain my excitement about exploring that concept on the surface. It was one of the biggest rushes of adrenaline that I have ever received while writing music. 

I also finished it in twenty minutes as well, haha. It was a very short-rendered song, but it served its purpose, and in the end, it came out short and sweet. 

"Rising up, lifting sensation,
 I'm well afraid, that I count to ten,
 Watching, this world that I live in,
 Observing, form the outside-in,
 Interpret, many walking souls,
 Stories, worth as shining gold,
 Worried, what they can't be told,
 Within me, I've been feeling,
 Cold,

 Soar, this feeling of desperation,
 But I can see, upon me, 
 The will of elevation,

 Soar, the sight of deprivation,
 But I can feel, what is real,
 The cycle of destination,"

A girl having an "Out of Body" experience

"Rising up, lifting sensation,
 I'm well afraid, that I count to ten,
 Watching, this world that I live in,
 Observing, from the outside-in,
 Interpret, many walking souls,
 Stories, worth as shining gold,
 Worried, what they can't be told,
 Within me, I've been feeling,
 Cold,"

This excerpt basically defines the underlying message of this song. In the true story, my relative's spirit (soul), left their body, and took flight out of a window. In this instant, their soul literally began to take 'flight,' as they flew through the sky, soaring higher and higher up. As they were flying around, it was just like any other day, and they were observing people walking about their daily lives. This excerpt reflects those first moments.

"Soar, this feeling of desperation,
 But I can see, upon me,
 The will of elevation,
 Soar, the sight of deprivation,
 But I can feel, what is real,
 The cycle of destination,"

Soaring through the sky. Feeling desperate, because you cannot explain or show anyone what is happening to you. After all, it is your spirit, and spirits are not visible to the naked eye, like a human body. As you are elevated and flying through the sky, you still feel like yourself, but you're just not in your body. These are paraphrases from the words that my relative told me, for when their "Out of Body" experience, occurred. This is the true meaning of this part of the song, aka the 'chorus.' It is also the most important message of the song in my opinion. What I gathered from talking to my relative, was an amazing new way of thinking, and a cool song to go along with it on the side. ^^

Thanks for reading this post of Draftboard! Enjoy the mini-acapella of "Soar" as your reward! Very fun writing in this post!

 
Sincerely,
Julian.

"The World Is At Your Feet"

In this post, I'll explain my song, "The World Is At Your Feet!"

However, before then, I have an announcement to make!

Thus far, there hasn't been a lot of original song material from me, and in the next coming weeks, there will be more of that, plus the addition of new sections to Draftboard itself! 

These new sections (not to give too much away), will include more original concepts to the site, and all of these sections will contribute to a bigger announcement for Draftboard, (which is going to be announced after those sections are published). All I can say for now is, keep your eyes on Draftboard watch, and stay tuned! Thanks for all of the support thus far! ^^

Now, how do you all view the world? What is your perspective? 

That concept is what my song, "The World Is At Your Feet" (let's call it 'TWIAYF' for short), is all about; viewing and looking at the world from your own perspective and not being afraid to explore life. 

"Immobility is not a sin,
 But if you always want to win,
 Then why are you still here?
 You start to question, why you're running,
 The moment that the world, stopped turning,
 And it's axis, comes to a halt,

 There's no need, to worry,
 To worry, anymore,
 There's no need, to hurry,
 To hurry, anymore, 

 The end is coming to you,
 And if you cannot follow through,
 Then seize the moment,
 Seize it, like you own it,
 Trust in yourself, and you'll believe, 
 The world is at your feet,"

A person sitting on the edge of a cliff, looking at the World.

"Immobility is not a sin,
 But if you always want to win,
 Then why are you still here?
 You start to question, why you're running,
 The moment that the world, stopped turning,
 And it's axis, comes to a halt,"

This excerpt from the song has a deeper meaning then some of my other songs. It basically represents the people who want to make a difference in their lives, but they never want to go for it; at least in the spur of the moment. At the same time it also represents those who anticipate success, and won't stop until they reach their goals. By saying, "You start to question...why you're running, The moment that the world, stopped turning," in more relative terms, I painted imagery of someone running around the world to reach their goal. Sort of like the movie, 'Forest Gump.' "Run Forest, run!!"

"There's no need, to worry,
 To worry, anymore,
 There's no need, to hurry,
 To hurry, anymore,

 The end is coming to you,
 And if you cannot follow through,
 Then seize the moment,
 Seize it, like you own it,
 Trust in yourself, and you'll believe,
 The world is at your feet,"

Don't have any worries about where you're headed in life. Life is about exploring the world, and seeing what's out there for you. The world is at your feet, and there is no need to rush anything, or worry about future days, because you don't know what can happen during those days. Life is a roller-coaster, and anything can happen. That's the mystery, and beauty of life. Just because you may not know what is going to happen, does not mean that you have to be scared. Dive in, and enjoy your life! 

That's the main idea of this song! I hope you guys enjoyed reading this post, and thanks once again! I hope you guys enjoy the acapella recording as well! Short and to the point in this post! ^^

 
Sincerely,
Julian.

"Where Hearts Meet Minds"

Hey there!

In this post, I will be explaining the concept of an original song of mine called, "Where Hearts Meet Minds." 

Without further adieu, let's go! 

Now, I'm usually not one to write the 'casual love song.' In fact, even though in a previous post I stated that I never try to restrict myself, I used to stray away from writing any sort of 'love song.' I used to think it was so cliche and unnecessary, especially considering the fact that there are lots of songs related to love. I was beginning to think that even if I wrote a love song, it would succumb and fall into the pile of other love songs, and I've never wanted that. 

So it's really ironic that "Where Hearts Meet Minds" was my first love song, and it's one of my favorites to this day. 

In 2012, I was starting to be on a roll of writing original song material. It was one of the best feelings ever! (Probably why I keep referring back to it, aha). Anyways, in the beginning days of June, was probably when I was feeling best writing songs.

I was writing songs based on giving hope, breaking away to be free, and every other concept I could think of. Anything besides the concept of 'love.' Until one day, since I was really liking how the songs were coming out, I asked myself, "Why not?" 

In turn, I gave writing a love song a chance, and the product of that was one of my favorite written songs to this day, "Where Hearts Meet Minds."

"Everybody is dancing, to this music,
 We are not perfect,
 Everyone is counting steps, inclusive,
 The feelings we connect, 

 Dance around, and claim the right of sound,
 Up and down, memories profound,
 We are searching, to find,
 Where hearts meet minds,"

Couple on the Beach with Hearts in the Sand

 
The flow of the song, the concept, the lyric structure, and my singing; It was all unlike any song I had written before. It was too different. To the point where I fell in love with it myself. 

"Everybody is dancing, to this music,
 We are not perfect,
 Everybody is counting steps, inclusive,
 The feelings we connect,"

In this stanza, my true goal was to paint a picture in the head of listeners and readers. It means that everybody can dance around and have a good time in the moment, but on the inside, we are all hiding something from one another. We all have secrets. However, if we're all dancing together, we might find something similar in one another, that we can all connect to. I had a music video style in mind for this song as well. It's sort of funny how I have a lot of things planned for a song, I initially never wanted to write.

"Dance around, and claim the right of sound,
 Up and down, memories profound,
 We are searching, to find,
 Where hearts and minds,"

This is a further explanation of the above stanza, but in a simpler format. As we dance around, and drown ourselves in the music around us, we're secretly looking for someone to dance with, to connect with on the dance floor. Dancing to the rhythm of our hearts, and our minds. Searching for that one true person to love. 

That's the story behind "Where Hearts Meet Minds." Thanks for reading as always! Any comments? Comment on this post! Also, enjoy the mini, acapella recording of "Where Hearts Meet Minds!" Till' next time!

 
Sincerely,
Julian.

Song of the Day #7: Yellowcard - "Fighting"

Today's first song of the day is "Fighting" by Yellowcard! Enjoy the tune! 

 

Sincerely,
Julian.

"Burnout Stars"

Hey!

It's been quite some time since I have posted an original concept, song, or idea of mine. Let's get right into the action! 

For this post, I will be explaining the story behind my song, "Burnout Stars." 

I was always fascinated with outer-space and stars. The concept of how some can blowout and therefore, 'die,' always fascinated me. It's amazing how vast our universe really is, and we haven't nearly seen all there is to offer in our outer-world. 

One day, since I am also a gamer, I was listening to a track off of the 'Kingdom Hearts' original soundtrack, called "Dearly Beloved." It's one of my favorite gaming tracks, and after to listening to it that day, a fire blazed in me of inspiration to write a song about space and the universe. Of course at the same time, somehow tying it in with human emotion, and the choices that we make while we are living on Earth.

"But if we dare to dream ourselves,
 Then we should know, that in the end,
 Only time will tell, if heaven or hell,
 Will take us for, who we are,
 If we are the brightest ones, or if,
 We're burnout stars, to come undone,"

Stars in outer space

Space is so vast, and that's what makes it so exciting to me. Across horizons of stars in the sky, and that's not even half of what there is to see. It's so awesome! Anyways, back to explaining this song. =)

"But if we dare to dream ourselves,
 Then we should know, that in the end,
 Only time will tell,"

This section means that we as people are not afraid to dream. We're not afraid to have dreams, goals, and destinations that we want to reach in our lives. However, the counter-message in this section is that time is what will be the deciding factor in whether we achieve our dreams, or not.

"If heaven or hell,
 Will take us for, who we are,
 If we are the brightest ones, or if,
 We're burnout stars, to come undone,"

Before I get to explaining this section specifically, I just wanted to say that the first line of this section is not meant to be religious in any shape or form. In this section, I clarify in this song that 'heaven' symbolize the good choices that you make in life, and 'hell' represents the bad choices. So in the end, 'heaven' will take you, or 'hell' will take you, if committed good or bad things overall, in your life. 

What does this have to do with space?

For me, I put a personal touch on this song, and I believe that karma exists in the world. I also believe that if you make a good or bad decision, karma, or in this case, the 'universe' will recognize that accordingly, and fulfill that action. Those are the main ideals of "Burnout Stars." Karma, good and bad choices, and being one with where you live, and realizing that there is more to see while you are living. Bottom line, don't hesitate to explore, but be responsible doing it! =)

Enjoy the mini-voice recording of "Burnout Stars" and till next time, peace out to all my drafters! 

 
Sincerely,
Julian.

"His Motive (of Mind)"

Hello all,

For my third post today I will be going over my song, "His Motive (Of Mind)." Please don't get scared from the title, the song does NOT bite, I assure you! Yes, even I wonder why I can't be simple with naming songs sometimes too. 

The inspiration behind writing this song, was a dream that I had one night. An older boy, with a mask over his face. He was looking over a crowd of people as they were buying groceries. Long story short, he jumped into the crowd, stole a couple bags from some of the people and ran as fast as he could, before he was arrested by the police. In this dream, I was an onlooker, an observer, as I was watching it all unfold before my eyes. 

When I woke up, I was thinking that morning about it, and thought to myself that similar situations like someone stealing from others, happen every day, but we seem to tend to forget that there is always two parts to the story, or two sides. 

"He walks an unknown road,
 Doing everything he tried,
 No one would notice him,
 Until he became a lie,
 With everything around him,
 His passive ways, resigned,
 Setting an example, in,
 His motive, of mind,"

Someone about to steal money

Not that I comply at all with the actions of stealing, or theft. However, I do think that it's important to understand 'why' someone would do such a thing, and in "His Motive (Of Mind)" as a songwriter, I attempted to reflect both sides of such a situation. 

 "He walks an unknown road,
  Doing everything he tried,"

-If you're someone who has given up on all odds of helping yourself out with your problems, you would probably rely on no one, and just wake up every day, expecting nothing to happen. This line means simply that, once you've tried everything, there's nothing left."

"No one would notice him,
 Until he became a lie,
 With everything around him,
 His passive ways, resigned,
 Setting an example, in,
 His motive, of mind,"

-I wish this is not true, because all of you are beautiful and have something to offer in this world, but there are many who don't believe that. In my dream, this teenager was ignored by everyone, before he committed the crime. In that instant, he gave up on being nice or portraying himself in a nice light. He would give anything for people to notice him, so he did something bad. The irony is, all he wanted was love. All of you are loved, so never forget that, or let it slip your mind. Please remember that, it is very important :).

Enjoy the mini voice recording of "His Motive (Of Mind)" and till next post, peace out to all my drafters! =)

 
Sincerely,
Julian.

"As One"

Hello all,

I'm back once again! This is my second post out of three that I am working on for today!

This time, I will overview another song I wrote, called "As One." The story behind this one is fairly simple. Back in early 2012, when I was still a young boy in High School ..(Just playing, aha). In all seriousness, in 2012, after I wrote my first song, "Don't Run" (the story behind the song, and link to it is in the first post of Draftboard), I gained a burst of energy, and the will to write transpired out of me.

I never knew I could even write a song worth listening to, and believe me I was one of the SHYEST people ever. However, once I got over being shy and after my song was released to social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, etc, I started to see that there was a chance that words and concepts that I made, could one day be respected, perceived, and even held to heart.

"A world without crime,
  Is this what we're fighting for,
  A clock without time,
  Is this what we're racing towards,
  Another ring, another car,
  Sentiments to define, who we are,
  What of the pain, and suffering,
  That lead the world to,
  Agonizing as one,"

A hand holding the 'globe'

"As One" was one of the first '12' songs that I had written. To be precise, I think it was like number 4 or something, but yeah. Anyways, I had came up with the idea of the song with one direction in mind, to bring people together. I mean that was kind of also the message of a couple other songs I wrote as well, but this song was the first rendition of that message.

"A world without crime,
  Is this what we're fighting for,"

-This song is includes a lot of things, and one of them is just looking at the world as it is today. There is a lot of crime, a lot of senselessness, and a lot of havoc. I wanted to portray that in the simplest way possible in this song.

"A clock without time,
  Is this what we're racing towards,"

-This means that time is going by faster each and every day, even if we want it to slow down or be non-existent sometimes, so we don't feel as rushed with getting things done.

"Another ring, another car,
  Sentiments to define, who we are,
  What of the pain, and suffering,
  That leads to the world to,
  Agonizing as one,"

-Sometimes we as people care more about what's on our wrists, and necks, and not as much about  donating for a greater cause. It's human nature, it's who we are. We can do good for others, but we can also ignore to acknowledge others as well.

Enjoy the sample voice recording of "As One!" Till next post, peace out to all my drafters! ^_^

 
Sincerely,
Julian.

"Shadow Strangers"

Hello all,

For these posts today, I am going to be getting into one of the aspects of Draftboard, and I am going to post a portion of lyrics from one of my written songs, called "Shadow Strangers." For future blog posts in Draftboard, the outline will go something like this =):

"Pavement is solid, but hope is deep,
  Dreams are realities, when you sleep,
  This world is large enough for you, and me,
  When we're shadow strangers, in a world that's free,"

People helping out each other

This song, "Shadow Strangers" is mostly about helping out one another, and being there for each other. One day, my father and I were driving home from Brooklyn, and we saw a car, dismantled. There was a car accident, and the woman behind the steering wheel was in shock. She couldn't say a word, nor could she move. My dad and I went to help her, by trying to give her warmth and remove he numbness and fear that she was feeling at the time. Before time was speeding up, paramedics came, thanked us for our help in the effort, and took care of the rest of the situation.

This is how I got inspiration for writing "Shadow Strangers." Helping out a fellow person, be it a friend, a family member, or even a complete stranger.

"Pavement is solid, but hope is deep,"

-This means that you can't deny the feeling of stepping on solid ground. You feel it. When you fall and hit the floor, it may hurt you. You may feel pain. But having hope is just as strong as feeling pain.

"Dreams are realities, when you sleep,"

-This means that when you're dreaming, or even in shock, everything still seems so real to you, even if you may not notice it in the moment, or real time.

"This world is large enough for you, and me,
  When we're shadow strangers, in a world that's free,"

-This means that we all want to fix our situations and sometimes block others' situations out. However, at the end of the day, we're all people, we're all human, and it's nice to hear good stories of people helping each other once in a while, rather than all of the sad news we hear.

I hope you enjoy the mini voice recording of "Shadow Strangers!" Please provide any feedback or comments! It would be greatly appreciated! Thanks, and till next post, peace out to all my drafters!
   
Sincerely,
Julian.