Writing a music blog Jun25 '06

I’ve been writing a music blog for quite some time now.

Over the years, I’ve learned how my "music listening" has correlated with music blog posts - how I like to write, when I like to write, and exactly how much is enough to write.

Writing a music blog is not easy. There’s a lot of depth and care involved, and for those that enjoy reading it - it becomes almost an "acquired taste."

I like to think my music writing has grown over the years - and I’m not referring to the quantity of entries - I’m referring to the distinct quality of the words put on paper, and how they relate to the eternal beauty of music itself.

You see, music has so many dimensions. It’s everywhere around us. It’s an experience; a desire; a dream; a longing. It’s a memory; a person; a place; an idea. It’s a thought; a poem; a story.

Music is everything. Music is life itself.

The utterance of life is a song; the symphony of nature.

- Quoted from the Auditorium Theatre, downtown Chicago.

So, as you can see, trying to "capture" something so "immaculate" and "everlasting" as music, and put it down on paper, is often quite difficult. It’s almost like it "cheapens" it - condoning it to mere words.

As much as the music itself is where the beauty lies - more importantly, it’s the lack of music that really makes us appreciate that beauty. For that reason, time is very important when writing about music.

Music must have time to settle, to have it’s meaning soak into our minds and our lives. Until that happens, we can hardly appreciate it - for it’s just an "impulse sound," one that hasn’t yet received the care it deserves.

This is why, quite often, I won’t mention an album until much time has passed since it was released.

Also, I’ll keep going back to "older" albums, because even though they were released at some point in the past, they are actually more "fresh," and have more meaning than any newer album you can think of.

You can think of it like fine wine. The more it "ages," the better it gets.

For those reasons, I’ve taken great care in the music I write about. I want to give it the credit it deserves, and I don’t want to "cheapen" it by slapping down "impulse thoughts," that haven’t had time to settle.

A single music blog post

A single music blog post is not some "intense" session of writing that finally "makes it to the front page," after days of re-writes or changes. No. In fact, a single music blog post is quite the opposite of the "appreciation of music."

I just mentioned that appreciating music cannot be impulsive. However, a single music blog post is impulsive. It sometimes hits me at the strangest times - when I least expect it.

I use any medium I can find to record my thoughts, and then when I get to an internet connection, I make the post.

This usually happens when I am actually listening to the song or album that I post about - but there have been times where I have posted about a song or album, while not listening to it. Sometimes, the song plays over in my head, and that’s enough to generate the inspirational thought.

Making a single music blog post requires inspiration. I typically cannot make the actual blog post if the inspiration has lost it’s luster. This is why I must post quick, once I get the inspiration.

But although I have the inspiration, sometimes it is hard to put that into words. The best way to make the words flow is to listen to the song or album again, over and over, until the words come naturally.

I have never made a music blog post that is not 100% natural, from my own head. I never force the words. If I find myself forcing the words, I don’t make the post. It has to be natural.

And I would hope that shows through as "innocence" and "purity" to my readers.

I don’t write, just to write.

Growth

In these ways, I’ve grown much, writing my music blog.

I am thankful for the internet - a fantastic medium, which has allowed me to express my thoughts in this manner.

I am looking forward to the future of "music writing," - the further improvement of my writing, and the great heights the music takes me to.

Categories: Life , Music , Writing

Add Feedback (view all)