Below is a clip from The Unanswered Question – Six Talks at Harvard by Leonard Bernstein.  In this clip Bernstein discusses what might Beethoven might have been feeling or what story he might want to convey when writing the piece featured on the clip.  After watching this, I had a different/deeper appreciation for the music.  So I ask you, what feeling are you trying to convey when you write a song?  More to that, what feelings do you think a songwriter is sharing when you play his/her song?  Think about that next time you play, you might find a new, maybe better way to approach a song.

I would like to remind everyone of a resource that is free, full of information and is usually within minutes of your home.  I’m talking about your local public library, a wonderful resource that many in the Internet age forget.  I had the day off and found my way to our local branch that is only a few blocks away, with the goal of finding some books to help me with my playing and broaden my musical knowledge.  When I arrived at my branch, I was pleasantly surprised by how many were waiting to get in.  A scene that contradicts my earlier, “Internet age has forgotten libraries” statement.  Lots of moms and their kids and people like me looking for little inspiration.  

Our local branch is a bit small so the music section didn’t have too much but I did find a few books that peaked my interests.

• “Bernstein, A Biography” –  One of my favorite composers and not because of West Side Story, which is great, but because of his Mass.  I was privileged enough to be part of a performance of The Mass when I was in College and it was an incredible experience.
• “Written in my Soul” –  I’m always looking for insight in songwriting and this book contains stories from some of the great songwriters like Paul Simon, Sting, Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, to name a few
• “John Renbourn, Fingerstyle Guitar”  –  I was going to buy this book and still might, but I get to try it out for free first.

So if you got a couple hours spare time, give your local branch a try.  You might find something there that you might have never thought about otherwise.