Learning Harmony

Learning harmony is all about developing a sense for what an added voice can do to make a song feel better, while not being the main voice.

The only way to learn harmony is to try singing harmony. Turn on a song, hear the melody, and then sing something else over the top of it. Does it sound good? If it’s your first time you’ll probably stumble upon some notes that work and some that don’t. Perfect. Keep going.

And you won’t know the theory behind the notes that seem to work but that will come later and isn’t as important anyway.

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The Closing Ceremony

The Olympic closing ceremony...The summer camp goodbye. Everyone hopes it’s see you next summer but everyone deep down knows that it might be goodbye for a lot longer, maybe forever. And if we are lucky enough to get everyone back together, there’s no way it will be the same.

Most of the time we don’t know when it’s the last time this group will be together…but the closing ceremony gives us that moment…we get to remember to acknowledge that this thing is special and we love it while it’s here and soon it will be gone. A true gift.

The hard part about making a good ending is that you have to admit it’s over.

But a good ending is the best way to end it.

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Olympic Angles

If you want the commentators to talk about you longer, pick an event that takes longer…like the 1500 meter swim or running the 5k.

If you want to be the most decorated Olympian of all time, don’t pick basketball…where you can only win one medal every four years.

If you want to be the most decorated Olympian of all time, it helps to be elite by the time you’re fifteen years old AND for there to be an Olympic games that same year…that way you can compete in four Olympics while you’re still well under thirty.

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Bringing The Energy

Even if you’re not known as the one who brings the energy…sometimes you have to be the one who brings the energy. The ring leader. The hub. The rally point.

And…

If you can do it for two minutes, you can learn to do it for three.

If you can do it for a small group, you can learn to do it for a bigger one.

If you can do it when the pressure is on, you can learn to do it without pressure.

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Deciding On The Snare Sound

When listening to a song it’s impossible to know which other snare drums were considered for the track.

Experiencing someone else’s finished work doesn’t necessarily make us good at making finished work ourselves.

Because in order to make finished work you have to pick the snare sound…the crowning achievement isn’t that the snare sounds good…it’s the guts it takes to choose it, therefore disregarding the millions of other options.

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Donuts And Cashmere

If the word gets out that you love chocolate donuts, it’s easy and cheap for others to make you happy…and in return they get a good feeling from doing something special by having a box waiting for you in the green room, or at the hotel, or at the interview, or at the breakfast table.

On the other hand…if the word gets out that you love Italian cashmere sweaters, you’re never going to find one waiting for you in the green room. No sweater for you, no special feeling for them.

When the word gets out about you, how easily can others become a part of it?

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