• When you can’t get a song out of your head, it means neural circuits are stuck in a loop
• Music, like sex, drugs and food, release the brain chemical dopamine
• People tend to agree on the emotions they hear in music
• Victor Wooten, a famous bassist, approaches music as a language
   

(CNN) — Michael Jackson was on to something when he sang that “A-B-C” is “simple as ‘Do Re Mi.’” Music helps kids remember basic facts such as the order of letters in the alphabet, partly because songs tap into fundamental systems in our brains that are sensitive to melody and beat.

That’s not all: when you play music, you are exercising your brain in a unique way.

“I think there’s enough evidence to say that musical experience, musical exposure, musical training, all of those things change your brain,” says Dr. Charles Limb, associate professor of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery at Johns Hopkins University. “It allows you to think in a way that you used to not think, and it also trains a lot of other cognitive facilities that have nothing to do with music.”

The connection between music and the brain is the subject of a symposium at the Association for Psychological Science conferencein Chicago this weekend, featuring prominent scientists and Grammy-winning bassist Victor Wooten. They will discuss the remarkable ways our brains enable us to appreciate, remember and play music, and how we can harness those abilities in new ways.

(Continue Reading…) http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/26/health/mental-health/music-brain-science/index.html

At least half of writing is just showing up, sitting down and staying focused.

I am sitting at the Big Horse Brewery waiting for my dinner. I just finished performing at The Pines in Hood River, OR.

I feel great.

After spending so much time in my studio writing and recording, I had almost forgotten how much I love performing live. Meeting new friends, and sharing music is better than playing alone in a room. Seeing old friends was a highlight too. Thanks to everyone who came out.

I had a few takeaways from tonight:

 - Be grateful. Smile.

 - Pour your heart into every song. Even if it’s an old one, there are a lot of people who have never heard it.

 - Keep your eyes open. You’re sharing your music.

 - Trust what you write.

Dinner just arrived.

Thanks for reading,
Justin

“Marketing is not a substitute for a great product that people love. In fact, a great product that people love will market itself, and any noise you make beyond that just supports the growth naturally…we all need to chill out until we have a product that deserves praise.”
Tara Hunt, CEO of Buyosphere

“Musicians are using Kickstarter the wrong way. They’re focusing on themselves instead of their fans. Most are asking for funds to record albums. Their pitch is give me this money because I’ve been screwed by the system and can’t get enough to record properly.

No wonder so many music-focused Kickstarter projects fail. No wonder those that succeed have so few backers.

How do you create something that people truly want to own? How do you refocus your pitch from yourself to your customers?

Kickstarter has a role for beginners, but its true use is for those who are already established.”

- Bob Lefsetz 

Read more at http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/ 

“We write frankly and fearlessly, but then we “modify” before we print.”
- Mark Twain, Life on the Mississippi

I was driving home yesterday after having coffee with a good friend. It was just after 11am, and it was pouring down rain.

I usually get bummed out by the rain, and the dark skies that follow the clouds. When that happens, I wish I lived somewhere that had more sun. Hawaii, or maybe California.

Yesterday though, I was thankful for it. The rain was peaceful. 

I was glad to have to use my windshield wipers to see the stretch of highway in front of me. The huge drops of water provided the perfect setting for what I was feeling. 

I wanted to write. 

I wrote a little yesterday. But, I wasn’t happy with what I was writing, so I stopped. 

John Mayer, while speaking at Berklee, said this:

“I can’t stress enough how important it is to write bad songs. There’s a lot of people who don’t want to finish songs because they don’t think they’re any good. Well they’re not good enough. Write it!  I want you to write me the worst songs you could possible write me because you won’t write bad songs. You’re thinking they’re bad so you don’t have to finish it. That’s what I really think it is. Well it’s all right. Well, how do you know? It’s not done!”

Mayer’s words here are a good reminder for me… Don’t judge something until you’re done.

Keep putting the work in…

Finish…

Then decide.  

1. Open the .m4r file in iTunes, it’ll automatically go to your “Ringtones” or “Tones” section
2. Connect your smartphone to your computer via USB cable
3. Under syncing options in iTunes, check the .m4r file that you want on your smartphone
4. Sync 
5. The .m4r file should now be in your Ringtones section on your phone 

Setting your Ringtone on an iPhone:
1. Utilities > Settings > Sounds > Ringtone
2. Find the Ringtone you want
3. Click that Ringtone

Does anyone else know of other more efficient ways to do this?