Bob Dorough died yesterday. It was a sad moment. And a happy memory of a man who continued to play piano and sing right up until the last. I remember many conversations with Bob over the years. We covered subjects ranging from songwriting to smiling — even when we weren’t sure if it was a …
Throughout my life, I’ve pondered the muse. Even my brand name includes a play on the word “muse” (as well as music, for, now, present moment, and so on). Yet, once in a while I need to be called back to unravel the mystery of why I create. Recently, I’ve had a number of conversations …
You asked for creative process, so here you go… Melody or Words “Do you write the music or the lyrics first?” This is one of the questions I’m asked most frequently about songwriting. The cool thing is that there’s no right answer. I have several songs that would fit one answer and several that would …
Today’s guest post on making piano lessons awesome is by Catherine Palmer. Cate is a psychologist, writer, music teacher, and a huge geek. Her fields of expertise could be summed up in psychology, productivity, and education-related topics, while her interests are wide and ever-evolving. While it’s true that getting used to a certain routine can be …
Where were you when you first heard The Cranberries? In 1993, I lived in Oakland, California. I had transitioned out of a former career to “do music and nothing else”. My attempt to re-create my life was based on a bunch of unreasonable assumptions. Much to my surprise, for example, I still had to put …
How O’Riordan & The Cranberries inspired me to “wreck less” Read More »
Inspiration What inspires you? What makes you feel creative and want to “make stuff up”? Among my fans, one of the favorite albums of piano improvisations was inspired by the paintings of a single artist. “Painting Piano” is one of my best-selling albums and I chalk that up to the inspiration from Katrina Morse. No matter …
Well, the day has arrived. I’ve released the album “Dream This” into the wild. In the next few moments and days, I’ll be posting the album links on all the different streaming and download services. (You will be able to see and click all of those on the “Dream This” page.) Whether you’ve been following …
The answers are questions. We can choose to drink whatever life puts into our glass. What I mean by that is when life brings challenges, we human beings need ways to face them. While people must find their own way through these times, we all seem to search for some combination of safety and strength. …
I’ve finally released my first song. It’s about discovering — when I graduated from high school — more about who I was (and am). How well did you know yourself when you were in school? Can you see the beginnings of who you are today in your youth? Were you in touch with the real you …
YET – first sing-songwriter release from Stan Stewart Read More »
Social networks are a great place for all genders to be more equal than in our respective cultures. We can only hope that this will help to change things in the political and social milieus beyond the interwebs. Meanwhile, I am recommending two women to you who are wonderful people with beautiful and energetic Twitter streams in …
