Mysterious QR Code

(Hint: If you have a smartphone, scan this QR Code using a bar-code scanner app!)

Holiday special promotion + gift for B&P owners coming soon!

The holiday season is right around the corner, and so is a Bits and Pieces special deal!

To sell more albums, I would like to hold a holiday promotion, such as a extra bonus track or two (holiday songs?). But I am interested in what you all think. What do you want to see in this special holiday package? Bonus tracks? Christmas/holiday songs? Music video?

And for those who have already purchased Bits and Pieces: I will give you whatever extras that are included in this package for free as a way to thank you for your support.

WANTED: Bits and Pieces reviews!

Now that 54 of you own Bits and Pieces (!!), I would like to collect your thoughts on the album. More specifically, I am asking you to write a review on the album.

Click on the image to view it!

You'll notice that, if you go to to my Bits and Pieces CD Baby page and scroll down to the bottom of the page, there is a section for album reviews. At the time of writing this post, the section is empty; there are zero reviews. Having good reviews on CD Baby is a great way to attract the attention of potential buyers who are browsing CD Baby for music. Every album sold is more money donated to Ear Candy and more awareness raised for the cause.

Some things you could mention:

• If you recommend others to buy Bits and Pieces
• Your favorite song
• Your favorite part of the album
• The design (cover, back cover, booklet inside the album, CD graphs, etc.)
• What is unique about Bits and Pieces
• The Head Indie Clouds blog
• Anything else you can think of!

If you are a satisfied Bits and Pieces owner, and you would be willing to write a brief review on the album (even just a few sentences would be fantastic!), here's what you can do:

54 albums sold so far!

Hey everyone! So far, FIFTY-FOUR copies of Bits and Pieces have been sold, and more people are still telling me they plan to purchase a copy soon. That is incredible! Thank you so much to all the support for this project! (If you haven't purchased Bits and Pieces yet, you can listen to samples and buy the album here.)

Ear Candy publicly promotes Head Indie Clouds & Bits and Pieces!

Ear Candy has graciously promoted Head Indie Clouds/Bits and Pieces on their Facebook, yet again!

Click on the image below to enlarge it!

I wasn't completely clear on the definition of philanthropist, so I figured some of you may not, either. Hehe.

phi·lan·thro·py

1. The effort or inclination to increase the well-being of humankind, as by charitable aid or donations.

2. Love of humankind in general.

3. Something, such as an activity or institution, intended to promote human welfare

Bits and Pieces featured on CD Baby!

Now that Bits and Pieces is available for online purchase, the album has been featured on CD Baby on several different occasions! It is so exciting!

Here are a few screen-shots! Click the images to make them bigger so you can read them!!

Out of all of the albums that have been recently added to CD Baby's online store, Bits and Pieces was chosen as #2 to be featured in the Soft Rock section! CD Baby chooses the top eight new albums of the Soft Rock genre, and Bits and Pieces ranked #2!!

Bits and Pieces also ranked #1 in the New Arrivals- Piano category!

Bits and Pieces is also being considered for being featured in the "Editor's Top Picks" section of the site, too!!

Order Bits and Pieces ONLINE now!

The online store is up and running! Buy Bits and Pieces online now using the widget below, or clicking here.

Remember, this is a completely non-profit project; all the proceeds from album sales are donated directly to Ear Candy, a charity that provides under-privileged children access to music education!

34 albums sold on first day!

Wow. I have sold THIRTY-FOUR albums on this first day of selling! A huge thank you to those who now own Bits and Pieces!

(EDIT: I just realized that is almost half of the total CDs available...!)

For all the info you need about getting your hands on Bits and Pieces, read BITS AND PIECES IS NOW AVAILABLE!!!!

10 must-read posts for new visitors

There will be a lot of new visitors here at Head Indie Clouds over the next few weeks as my album, Bits and Pieces, is sold. There's quite a few posts on this blog, so I figured I should compile a list of the top ten posts new visitors should read first so they can understand what Head Indie Clouds is all about before plunging in to the rest of the posts.

Read them all or pick a few that look interesting... enjoy! (Be sure to click on Click to continue reading or leave a comment to view the whole post!)

1. Listen to samples of Bits and Pieces by clicking here!
2. Read the introduction to the project on the What is going on here? page. Bits and Pieces encompasses quite a few different genres. I had never tried performing any jazz music before this album, and it was a really different experience. You can read about my experience and discoveries with jazz in Trying out jazz... and liking it.
3. I explain my not-so-traditional method of recording in Recording studio at home... without paying a cent.
4. I didn't have professional music producers to edit and mix the tracks of Bits and Pieces for me. Instead, I taught myself how to create well-mixed tracks through research and experimentation. One great instance of this is when I taught myself about panning. Every music-listener should understand the concept of panning, and I explain it in plain English in Learning the ropes: Panning 101.

B&P VIP: What the number on your CD means

This post is the first of many directed towards the B&P VIPs, a new and exclusive "club" we have here on Head Indie Clouds. You, too, can become a B&P VIP -- in fact, you might already be one! But you can't enjoy the benefits of being a B&P VIP if you have no idea what that even means... Click here to learn more!

Hey, B&P VIPs!

Open the Bits and Pieces case. Look on the left side of the open CD case. Under the short personal note from me to you, you'll find my signature. Next to THAT, you'll find a handwritten number on your CD. The fact that you have a number is what makes you a B&P VIP.

But what does it mean?

Many artists number their work when it is released. Not every single copy that is ever made, but only the first group. Whether it is referred to as the first printing, first edition, etc., it all means the same thing: You are holding one of the originals in your hands.

B&P VIP tip: No one has the same number as the one that you do. Your copy is unique! The lower the number, the more "special" it is -- I numbered the CDs in the order that they were sold!

Introducing the B&P VIP, a club for Bits and Pieces owners!

Look for the B&P VIP icon in future posts!

So, this is another one of my crazy ideas.


How it works
Many posts will be written specifically for B&P VIP members. Look for the snazzy B&P VIP logo that you see to the left! Anyone can read the B&P VIP posts, but only the B&P VIPs will understand them. (Sounds kind of cool, right?)

How to become a B&P VIP
Purchase one of the limited edition Bits and Pieces CDs! Each copy of this limited edition first printing is numbered, 1 to 75. If you open your Bits and Pieces case and look on the left side (back page of the CD booklet), there should be a small, handwritten number in the lower right-hand corner. That number is unique to YOU, and it proves that you have one of the few original Bits and Pieces copies in existence!

If you own a numbered CD and you read this blog, you are a B&P VIP! Yay!


What it means
I plan to do lots of fun stuff with the B&P VIPs. For example, I have embedded secret messages throughout the CD packaging that only the B&P VIPs will be able to find and decode. The only way to get the clues is to read the B&P VIP posts! It's just another way for me to thank those of you who have chosen to support music education and Head Indie Clouds.

Shout-out from Run Hard, Live Strong

The blog Run Hard, Live Strong wrote a whole post about Head Indie Clouds! Read the post by clicking here.

Thanks, Lauren Hornsby!

Five thousand visitors?!

Head Indie Clouds has now been visited a whopping FIVE THOUSAND TIMES. That is just incredible. Three months ago, when I started this project, I never dreamed that I would receive so much support -- and from all over the world!

Thank you to each and every one of you. I can't say that enough.

If you didn't hear, Bits and Pieces is now available for purchase! Click here to learn more!

BITS AND PIECES IS NOW AVAILABLE!!!!

Wow. Finally, after an incredible amount of work, time, and anticipation, Bits and Pieces -- my charity album I recorded, created, and produced -- is ready to released to the world. There is a glossy, professionally manufactured CD just waiting for you to buy it! One small box full of them, actually.

Wait 'til you see the album artwork and CD in person :D

Here's the basic info:

For $15, you get a professionally manufactured CD/case (all the artwork designed by yours truly!) with eleven songs performed, recorded, edited, and produced by me! ALL proceeds are donated directly to Ear Candy in support of music education!

Malaria, photography, Aikido, jellyfish, and more! (scavenger hunt winners)

As promised -- although it has taken quite a while -- here are the prizes for the scavenger hunt winners: a blurb promoting a project or organization of their choice! Below you will find the name of each scavenger hunt winner that chose to cash-in on their prize, along with what it was that they wished me to promote for them. If I missed a winner that wanted to be included in the post, please tell me! Mistakes happen, and I am known for making them! Read about all the great projects below!

Bits and Pieces is now "in production"!

According to duplication.cdbaby.com, the status Bits and Pieces has now gone from PrePress Review to PRODUCTION! Fancy, eh?

Click on the image to make it bigger!

I'm totally ready for these albums to be here! Countdown to September 20th starts NOW: 14 DAYS!

Ear Candy gives Head Indie Clouds a shout-out!

I just discovered that Ear Candy, the charity that the whole Head Indie Clouds project is in support of, gave a shout-out to Head Indie Clouds and myself! :D Check it out!

Click on the image to make it bigger!

How awesome is that?! It makes me so excited!! Be sure to like Ear Candy on Facebook if you haven't already; they post some awesome stuff about music education that is definitely worth checking out!

A big thank you to Ear Candy!

Bits and Pieces is officially being manufactured!!!

After many attempts, Bits and Pieces is finally, for real, 100%, absolutely, completely sent into CD Baby's duplication factory to be manufactured!! They gave me an estimated delivery date of September 20th -- more on the big release later!! :D

I thought I'd share the basic process through screenshots! Please click on the images as you read the post; it will allow you to see the images at their original size and read what they say.

Step 1: Upload album artwork

There is a lot that goes into the design process of an album. For starters, you have more than the front cover to design. A lot more. In fact, the cover was the easiest piece to design! There is a lot of technical stuff about designing artwork for CD. You can read about that process here.

50 Facebook Likes!

Did you know that Head Indie Clouds has a Facebook page? Did you know that it now has 50 LIKES? Thank you so much! :D

Click here to go to the Facebook page, or share this link with your friends: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Head-Indie-Clouds/201775173202043

You can also "like" the page from right here using the Like button on the right column of this blog!

Celebrating 50 fans! :D

CD Baby's duplication site is down NOW? :(

I am all ready to finally finish this album once and for all. Everything is ready to be sent in and made into an actual CD that I can finally sell. Except, um... this one little problem:

Click the image to make it bigger so you can read the sad, sad news....

I am trying to figure out exactly how long I can expect this "maintenance" is to take. I will definitely post the second I find out anything.

Embedding track info and album artwork in MP3 files

Ever wonder how, when you put a CD in your computer, it magically knows the track information, like the track title, album title, artist, genre, etc? This magic has a name: ID3 tags.

Click the image to enlarge!

Independent artists making their own albums, such as myself, have to understand how the ID3 tags are applied and how they function. Otherwise, when you play Bits and Pieces, the track list will be Track1, Track 2, etc.

TRYING to submit the album for manufacturing...

The day has come for me to finally submit the content (album artwork and music) of Bits and Pieces to CD Baby to be manufactured! This is GREAT news. Or, it would be... if I could do it successfully.

I've been trying ALL DAY to get this to work, and once I solve one problem, another one presents itself! It's a bit frustrating.

The first part is easy: create the album artwork. Check. That's done.

Then I export the files as PDFs because that is the file format that CD Baby accepts. So I upload the files on their website...

4,000 visitors + message to scavenger hunt winners

Well, the Head Indie Clouds has now been visited by a massive 4,000 people as of late last night. That is just incredible! Thank you all so much for your interest, support, wisdom, participation, and encouraging words.

A lot of the pageviews from yesterday came from the Scavenger Hunt I created for you all yesterday. You have until September 3rd at 11:59pm to win!! Click here to start the game.

For those of you who have already won -- Soon after the game is over (Sept 3rd at 11:59pm), the blog post that promotes the winners' choices will be posted. Most of the winners have made it clear as to what they would like to see promoted on this blog, but I haven't heard from a few of you! Please leave a comment below or email me at mariajerniganmusic@gmail.com describing what it is that you would like me to promote for you. Thanks to you guys who have already played the game and won! You are awesome!

Scavenger hunt!

Everyone needs a little fun, and everyone needs a little publicity. So here's the deal.

The prize: For each winner, I will promote something in a blog post. The winners will choose what it is that I promote for them. This blog is read by hundreds of people daily, so if you are doing a personal project that you want more people to know about and support, I can promote it! If you have a company, I can talk about it! If you have art that you make, I can show it! I'll talk about whatever it is that you want, provided that it is appropriate.

How to play: Follow the scavenger hunt instructions for each clue.

Every time you find the answer, you will be told to post a comment stating something specific. You have not solved the clue until you have successfully posted a comment with the appropriate information.

A really important thing: Make sure to UNCHECK the "Post to Facebook" box before you post your comments.

Normally, you'd leave it checked so that I can be sure to reply to your comment, but since this is a game and a competition, don't ruin it by posting a link to the answer on Facebook! Again, if you don't uncheck the box, I will have to disqualify you. Please be careful!

A few rules:

• The questions must be answered in order (Clue #1, Clue #2, then Clue #3. Don't skip around.)
• When prompted by the clues, you must leave a comment on the blog post that the clue is on. Don't leave the answers in the comments on this blog post unless you are specifically told to do so by the clues! You are not finished with the clue until you have been told to leave a comment somewhere and you left your comment.
• You must uncheck the "Post to Facebook" box for every comment you post.
• Don't share your answers! Please please please don't cheat this game -- that ruins all the fun!!
• In order to be eligible for the prize, you must have completed the scavenger hunt successfully before September 3rd at 11:59pm.

Soooo, get crackin'! Here are the clues!

Home from vacation and ready to finish the album!

Just got home from a family vacation, and I'm ready to add the FINAL final touches on the album and get this thing manufactured! A hurricane has slowed the process a bit, but not to worry! The album will be out in a week or two! To tide you over, head on over to this blog post to listen to samples of every song on the album!

Just a reminder: I am still looking for guest posts. Read the blog post I wrote about it here. So far, they've been a big hit! Check out the two guest posts already published: one on poetry and seeing art in unexpected forms, and one on music's effect on human emotions.

Visitor-created playlist: Cheer-up songs

When I asked you what rain songs you enjoyed, not only did we create an extensive, large, and diverse list, but it became a place for people to discover new music. (If you haven't read and/or added to the "rain song" list, you can do that by clicking here.)

This is a cool thing we've got going, in my opinion, and I wanted to try it again...

We already learned how music can influence our emotions. And I'm sure that there are lots of people that have specific songs they listen to based on what mood they are in.

So, question: What songs do you listen to when you need to be cheered up?

Songs about rain: What rain songs can YOU think of?

With Hurricane Irene on the mind of everyone in the United States, I thought I'd make a "rain post."

Just since 1960, there have been 5,000 albums released with at least one song with the word "rain" in the title. [source]


Here are four that I could think of... what do you got?

1. On March 28, 1973, Led Zeppelin's "The Rain Song" was released. Record producer Rick Rubin loves the song: "I don't even know what kind of music this is ["The Rain Song"]. It defies classification. There's such tasteful, beautiful detail in the guitar, and a triumphant feel when the drums come in -- it's sad and moody and strong, all at the same time. I could listen to this song all day. That would be a good day." [source]


I'm covering another one of Led Zappelin's hits on Bits and Pieces: Stairway to Heaven! Listen to a sample of the track here.

Hurricane Irene causes postponed release date

If you've turned on the news from anywhere in the US during this past week, you've heard about Irene, a dangerous hurricane that is hitting the east coast of the United States this weekend. This area has been declared in a state of emergency, and many of the east coast states have issued a mandatory evacuation.

The natural disaster has delayed the production of Bits and Pieces. The release date for the album, originally set for September 1st, will be rescheduled as soon as possible.

Guest post: Why does music make us feel what we feel?

This guest post was written by Tyler James, an enthusiastic cellist and a loyal Head Indie Clouds supporter. If you are interested in writing a guest post for Head Indie Clouds, please email me at mariajerniganmusic@gmail.com.

As I write, I listen to the haunting melodies of Barber’s Adagio for Strings. The massive, yearning waves are pounding at the shores of my heart’s affliction, eroding at the walls of my own subconscious, and destroying every thought that might have pierced the clouds of my own depression. What possible incomprehensible tragedy could have inspired such a masterpiece? For the emotions this piece conjures have sent men greater than I careening into the hazy abyss that stands as man’s true final frontier. How could mere notes played by a simple string section make me believe, without doubt, in the hopelessness of mankind, and the pointlessness of the world we live in?

Guest post: Music is art, and art is everything.

This guest post was written by Fatima Ajose. If you are interested in writing a guest post for Head Indie Clouds, please email me at mariajerniganmusic@gmail.com.

Art has recently become a big part of my life as I began writing poetry. For me art has no boundaries and is interpreted differently by every single person. Music and pieces of artwork are the most recognized forms of art, but my "art spectrum" opened up a little further to include things such as vacuums and shoes when I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art this summer. It surprised me when I saw a purple and orange vaccum displayed as a piece of artwork, but right then as I was looking at it I realized that I was being closed minded about art and the many forms it comes in.

We've hit 3,000 visitors!

Wow! Head Indie Clouds has been visited over 3,000 times! How exciting! Thank you so much. It means so much to me that people come back again and again to read and comment on my posts. And to the new readers, welcome!

People seemed to like it the last time I did a visitor profile, so I thought I'd do an updated one now that we've hit the 3,000 mark:

Looking for guest post writers!

As previously hinted, I have a lot in store for Head Indie Clouds. I'd like to share one of these with you guys right now, but first I have to find people who would like to do it!

I am interested in having some guest posts published on this blog. You know, guest posts: when a person other than the owner of the blog creates content to be posted as a special one-time thing. There are tons of advantages to having guest posts incorporated into a blog, including:

• Offers a fresh perspective
• New "voice"; every writer has a different tone and voice and word choice -- it's nice to have some variety every now and again!
• Gives the guest writers some experience writing blog posts and sharing their thoughts without having to maintain a blog of their own
• Provides opportunity to link to the guest writer's website, blog, etc.

Adding some final touches

September 1st, the released date for Bits and Pieces (the album!) is quickly approaching! I have been doing a few things this morning, trying to make these tracks as polished as can be, in addition to the touching-up I discussed last night.

Balancing tracks

I don't want the vocals to be overpowered by drums, but at the same time, I don't want the listener to have to strain to hear the instruments... it's a balancing act. Not to mention the fact that the instruments should be prominent during instrumental breaks; making the volume changes sound gradual and natural is very challenging, surprisingly.

Head Indie Clouds is FEATURED on GlitterBurned??!!

GlitterBurned is a design gallery that showcases the best blogs powered by Blogger. And they chose Head Indie Clouds to be a FEATURED blog on their HOME PAGE!!!

It's a big deal in the blogger world to be chosen for ANY blog gallery, but especially GlitterBurned... which is one of the biggest and most popular ones out there! AND humble little Head Indie Clouds is on the FEATURED FRONT PAGE! AHHH!!!

Look look look!!! (Click the image to make it bigger.)

This is a huge honor. Thank you so much to GlitterBurned for not only adding Head Indie Clouds to your gallery, but for featuring it on the front page of your whole stinkin' site!

Don't inhale the mic!

Removing breath-sounds from Sunday Morning -- click the picture to make it bigger!

I am currently adding finishing touches to the tracks (eep!!). A major thing that I am doing right now is Removing obnoxious breathing in between phrases.

Don't you just hate it when a singer is gasping for air, and you can hear it in the recording? I know that I, at least, find it very distracting. And while I don't make a habit of trying to inhale my microphone, it never hurts to try and clean up the breaks in between phrases in the vocals.

Learning the ropes: Graphic design for CDs

Sorry I haven't been able to post interesting stuff these past two days -- I've been working on the album artwork! And since I want the artwork to be a surprise, I can't really post pictures or say much of anything about it in a blog post.

I have never designed graphics for a CD before, so I started completely in the dark. I had to learn a lot, including the difference between a face and a tray card. (If you haven't read the first "Designing the CD's look" post I wrote last week, you should read that first by clicking here.)

I have a bit of a graphics design background from creating a few websites for law firms, but other than that, my experience is comprised of me playing around with software and experimenting with different combinations of color, shape, and effects.

Some stuff I have learned about graphic design for CDs:

Always use a professional graphic design program.
I'm using CreateSuite5 Adobe Illustrator that I am lucky enough to have access to through my dad's law firm. The interface is very similar to CS5's Photoshop, for those of you who are familiar with that program, but I would recommend Illustrator over PS for this job simply because I am making art from scratch in this project, rather than importing and manipulating lots of photos. Which program you choose really depends on what you have when you start the project designing process. If you're still on the fence, click here to read an interesting article comparing the two programs.

Hex VS CMYK VS RGB

CMYK stands for cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (black). CMYK is the process of mixing these four pigments in different ratios to achieve the desired color. CMYK is known as a subtractive color model. What this means is that, when mixing the four pigments to achieve a specific color, you input a percentage from 0% to 100%.

Different percentages of the four pigments create different hues.

Hex is a six-digit code used for web design. Every two digits represents a byte of information, and correlates to 24-bit color TrueColor. (A byte is made of 8 bits, and a hex is made of three bytes: 8 x 3 = 24). You can read about the hex color system more in depth here.

Coming soon: Surprises...!

New surprises are in store for Head Indie Clouds... but what could they be? Hmm... more info tomorrow.

Possible grant money from large corporation..?

A family friend told me this afternoon about a large company that grants money to kids who are doing special projects. I looked into it, and they had information on their website about how to go about asking for grant money. The website requested that you send an email answering specific questions. They also had very strict word-count limits!

I'm sure they gets thousands of requests for grants, and that it may be too late for me to get a grant from them, but I thought I might as well give it a try! Maybe they will be interested in my project.


Here is a copy of the email I sent them, except for that I removed my personal contact information, the company's name, the price of the project, and the amount of grant money I requested:

SONG SAMPLES!

FINALLY! The samples are here and ready to be heard!!! Feel free to listen to these clips as many times as you want! There are eleven total tracks on the album -- two of which are mash-ups (two individual songs that I "mixed" together to form one single track)!

Also, the album does in fact have a title: Bits and Pieces! When you buy the CD and read the booklet, you'll see why! (:

UPDATE 9/24/11 -- Bits and Pieces is now available for purchase online! Click here to learn more.


Track list:

1. Price Tag/Good People (it's a mash-up!)
2. Fix You
3. Sunday Morning (ft. Audrey Lamont)
4. Pieces of Me
5. Jar of Hearts
6. Over the Rainbow/What A Wonderful World (another mash-up!)
7. Stairway to Heaven
8. Cool My Heels
9. Rolling in the Deep
10. Keep Your Head Up
11. Hallelujah

Song samples are coming SOON!

Just to let everyone know, the technical issues are, for the most part, SOLVED, and I am now working really hard to get these samples up as soon as possible. If you don't know what I'm talking about read this, and then read this.

2,000 visitors!

The blog surpassed the 2,000 view mark at about noon today, and I just wanted to say thank you. The plan was to have the samples posted tonight as a thank you to the loyal readers of this blog, but I've been having some major technical issues. I'm sorry for the delay. I am working tirelessly to solve the issue as quickly as I possibly can. Again, I am so sorry!

In the mean time, although it's not the same thing as a sample of the track, you can check out a live version of me performing Hallelujah below. (It's a good song... hint... track list... hint hint.) Consider it a preview of what is to come on the album! It's the next closest thing I have to offer you guys if I can't post samples tonight. Enjoy!

Guess what I'm working on right now?

UPDATE (8/17/11 6:44 PM) - I've been having some technical problems that have stopped me from being able to make/post six of the eleven samples, and I didn't think half of the songs was worth it; I want to post all the samples together at once. Sorry they're not up yet -- believe me when I say I am working hard on it. I will keep you guys updated!

Click the picture to make it bigger!

Who's excited? I'm excited! My goal: samples of each song on the album to be posted by this evening.

Learning the ropes: Panning 101

A bit of pre-mixing (including panning) can be done
on the keyboard itself at the time of recording.

Today I taught myself about panning by reading great articles about the topic and experimenting with my tracks. I didn't know much of anything about it before, but now I am having fun incorporating this technique into my tracks!

Here are some of the basics. Even if you aren't planning on mixing and producing music anytime soon, I think this is something all music-listeners should understand so that they can enjoy it and appreciate it!

Getting a UPC! The album is all official!

So, when I order the albums to be manufactured (!!!!) from CD Baby, I can buy a unique UPC code for only $20. I am excited about this (as I am about everything)!

This will make the album an official, registered product that can be legally sold online and in retail stores. You can even scan it with your smartphone, and the album will be recognized and you will be given information about it!

Yeah, now the album is official. Or, at least, it will be.

Click the image to make it big enough to read!

Designing the CD's look: Basic terms and track order

As of 6 o'clock this morning, I have officially begun designing the physical album -- how it looks. The album cover, booklet, CD itself, inside back insert, back cover... I'm designing it all!

Bring. It. On.

The elements of an album that I have been learning about working on all day:

Click the picture to enlarge it!

When I sat down to plan the back cover, I realized that I haven't thought about the order of the tracks. I've put all this work into making sure these songs are awesome, but now how should I present them on the album?

The template I'll be working with for the back cover
of the album, also known as the outside of the tray card

So I did a little research. (Thank goodness for Google.) No one really agrees on a "right" way to order the tracks, but here are a few points I thought were interesting/valid:

• Start with a strong, possibly upbeat song that will hook the listener into listening to the album. It shouldn't be the best song on the album necessarily; think of it more as getting the ball rolling.
• Try to avoid putting songs that are in the same key back-to-back (I never thought about that one!).
• Make the whole album like a "story." (I think that's a little more difficult with a cover album, but hey.)
• Spread out the styles -- don't have two similar songs back-to-back
• Don't put all of the best tracks in first half of the album; the album shouldn't run out of steam midway

Three songs completed in one day + looking forward

I got two more songs (in addition to this one) finished today! That means I only have one more song left until all of the tracks are done!

That's very very exciting for many reasons:

• Track list and album title will be announced SOON -- as in, a matter of days
• Once all the tracks are completely finished, samples of all the songs will be posted and available here, on the blog, to listen to as many times as your little heart desires. This will also happen SOON -- as in, a matter of days
• Pre-orders will be open! This will also ALSO happen SOON -- as in, a matter of days (maybe a few more days than the first two)
• I get to create the album artwork! Then, once I finalize it, a photo of it will be, of course, posted here for everyone to see!
• And lots of other surprises I have up my sleeve... Hmm...

EXCITED YET? I KNOW I AM.

Sometimes, simple is better.

It's incredible. After working for three long days on the jazz song, and deciding that I should take a break from it, I had a nice surprise. Twenty minutes ago, I started a new song. Now I'm done with it. Say, whaaaat?

Hey, I'm not complaining, though! That's one more song crossed off of my list! When you are on the time-table I'm on, and under the stress I'm under, and having the fun I'm having, achievement never gets old.

In stark contrast to the jazz experience the other day, I am quite in my element in this song. My rendition of this song is simple, a welcome change after the complexities of the jazz song. I'm glad I have a mix of genres and styles on this album; every song is refreshing after working on the previous one.

Sometimes, simple really is better. Man, I love getting stuff done in one take. I managed to record the piano AND the vocals in ONE TAKE EACH. Holy cow, that never happens. I think fate took pity on me after these past couple of days spent struggling with incredibly complicated jazz stuff.

In unrelated news, my little brother Frank was kind enough to take some (a lot) of pictures for me while I was working this morning. (Thanks, bud!) It'll be nice to have some more photos to incorporate in my blog posts! I think it makes it more personal and real.

 Hopefully I'll have time to write a post my adjusted recording process, and I can use some more of the photos then!

Thanks again to everyone who reads this blog and supports me in this project. I can't thank you enough. Comments from people (in the comments or just in life) who are excited about my music is what motivates me. Seriously. Thank you. I hope you stick around!

Trying out jazz... and liking it.

For the next track on the album, I thought I'd try something a little different. Enter: jazz!

For every song on the album, I have to create the instrumental to sing with; I start from complete scratch. I've never really tackled jazz before, so my first attempt at making a jazz track was not jazz at all, but more like... soft-rock having an identity crisis. And not in a good way.

It forced me to really break down jazz to its core elements. To recreate jazz, or anything, for that matter, you have to first understand it at a fundamental level.

Knocking songs out right and left!

I've been working since eleven o'clock this morning, and I have officially finished another song! Yes! And it's pretty early in the evening, so I might be able to finish one up that I've already started. This song is a light, laid-back song, which was just what I needed after working on that melancholy-ish song all day yesterday!

I want to announce the track list SO BADLY. (I'm sick of referring to every song as "that song I've been working on.") I'm thinking about releasing the track list before I release the samples of the songs... say, tomorrow? Tonight? I don't know. I guess it depends how badly you guys want to know what the songs are... (:

Editing and mixing tracks for basic to intermediate users

Click to enlarge

Although I've been meaning to for a while, I have never explained how I edit and mix the tracks to make the songs on the album.

In a previous blog post, I covered the hardware I use to record my tracks. The software is just as crucial, if not more so. I use a multitude of programs, including:

A very productive day!

I have finished two tracks completely just today! That makes me feel awesome! Today was a good day... no distractions (for the most part) made it easy to be productive. Sooo excited that this is actually getting closer to being FINISHED! :D

It's surreal to have finished tracks to play in iTunes and on my phone... it's awesome and strange at the same time... I can't wait for other people (you all!) to hear these tracks!!!

Lesson learned: recording a keyboard

Apparently, trying to record an electronic keyboard (to be used as a synthesizer) isn't the greatest idea; you can hear the keys being pressed in the recorded track! It's kind of funny, actually. Take a listen if you want, and learn from my mistake! (Clicking the link will take you to a page to download a snippet of my keyboard recording failure.)  http://www.mediafire.com/?xjn3s7b3dfs5osv

Imagine hearing that on an album?

Another song officially finished!

Finally! I am done with that song that I have been working on for three days straight! What a great feeling of accomplishment!

Let's finish this song!

Okay. I'm going to finish this song in about two minutes! Yeah! Let's do it!

I just have to do final touch-ups on the vocals (removing 'plosives, mixing harmonies and melodies) and final effects on the end of the piano track, and I'll be one track closer to finishing the album! I can't wait for everyone to hear this song. I am so excited.

My first 1,000 visitors!

This blog officially has broken 1,000 visitors! Yay! If you were one of those first thousand, thank you very much. And if you're a new visitor who just recently got their Head Indie Clouds, welcome! You can help us reach the 2,000 visitor mark!

Some interesting facts about my first 1,000 viewers:

Hard at work...

Too much of a good thing, beating a dead horse, and other expressions about excessive work on a single song...

Poll: How should the album be sold?

I am looking into how I am going to sell my album once it is finished, and I want the opinions of the potential-customers (you!) about the topic.

When it is time to buy the album, what would be your preferred method of purchase?

• Paying in cash and receiving a copy of the album in your hand immediately (buying face-to-face) is the easiest and cheapest option if you see me regularly.
• Buying online through a website and having it shipped to you works if you don't see me in person a lot or live out of my area.
• Buying through Amazon makes some people feel like the online transaction is more secure.

Back in high gear!

While I hate it when people blog about why they haven't blogged, I'm simply stating I was heavily involved with a musical, and that is over with now; my full attention is now on getting this album ready for sell!! Eeeep!

Okay. I have lots of work to do still. I am planning on making some sort of rough schedule to manage the rest of my time working on the Head Indie Clouds project. I still have to finish recording EIGHT more songs (some are Working-In-Progresses, and some I haven't even touched yet); edit, mix, master, and remaster each song; design the physical album's cover art; create the album's booklet (the insert thing inside the album's front cover); send the album to be pressed/created/copied; advertise the album; collect orders (and PRE-ORDERS! More info on that coming soon!!)..... basically, I have a ton of work ahead of me.

Two voices are better than one

Yesterday evening I invited my best friend, Audrey Lamont, over to my house to record a duet for the album. I am so excited to be able to feature her great guitar playing and voice in a collaboration song!

Learn more about Ear Candy

The goal of this project is to sell my own album and donate the profits to Ear Candy. But how much do you know about Ear Candy?

More proof that music education = the best

In case you had any doubt, this article proves that music education is where it's at! Read it; it sums up just a few of the many reasons to support music education and Head Indie Clouds.

Easier way to leave comments on Head Indie Clouds posts

I have now added a Facebook comments widget on all blog posts (and I will continue to do that for future blog posts).

Since when is footwear connected to music?

I'm not sure how footwear and music education connect, but Pediped Footwear seems to think music education is a worthwhile investment; they donated $15,000 to support instrumental music education! The money went to VH1 Save the Music Foundation, an organization similar to Ear Candy, the charity this whole project is in support of. You can read an article about it here.

The fact that a footwear company promotes music education speaks volumes.

Let's get down to business

Pssst... If you have any fundraising suggestions, there is a comment box at the end of this post to leave your genius fundraising methods. Leave them there, please? (:

I started a new cover song today (hopefully this one will come out as I want it to, unlike the last one I tried earlier this week...), but I didn't finish it. Today was much more focused on the "business" of this project. You know, like how I am going to get these CDs to be made and distributed and paid for and legally sound.

I am working on obtaining licenses through Harry Fox for the songs I have already completed. While I have asked the copyright holder of every song I have done so far, very few have even responded... and none of them have been able to waive a licensing fee for me. I thought that maybe, since this is a school charity project, that might be a possibility, but so far, not so much.

However, the big breakthrough of day was looking into different companies to create my CDs. I am leaning towards CD Baby at the moment because they have relatively affordable rates, lots of options for customization, and I can order any number of CDs that I want. (I can also get a second order of my CDs if I sell out of my first batch.) CD Baby is specifically for indie musicians, too! Sounds like a match made in heaven, yes?

First original song on the album!

I have been having problems obtaining licensing for cover songs that I would like to have on my album. Often times, the song is too new for the rights to even be available. In other scenarios, the licensing fees are way to expensive for me to even think about paying for this project.

Recording studio at home... without paying a cent.

The album has begun!

The approach I have taken so far is, "Oh, I like that song! Yeah, I'll cover that one now!"

Well, maybe it's not that casual or random, but... the point is that I have recorded songs as I choose to put them on the album.

I have two songs recorded already! One of those I have edited, produced, and finished, while the other one is still in the editing/producing stages. It is so exciting that, in three days, I have one and a half songs completely done!

I do not plan to reveal what the songs on the album are until the album in finished in its entirety, and I am in the heavy-advertising stage. When I reach that point, I think it would be a good idea to feature 30-second samples on this blog, and probably the Head Indie Clouds Facebook page, too. But I am getting a little ahead of myself, aren't I?

My professional recording studio. Oh, yeah. High-tech stuff, right there.

Let's focus on what I have done already: these two songs. But really, in these past few days, I have accomplished so much more than that. For example, in order to record, I had to figure out some means of high-quality recording. If I am going to try and sell this album, the quality has to be professional. However, I do not have the resources that professional musicians have, like a high-tech recording studio.

Brainstorming song selections

I have decided that, while I may include some original songs, I definitely want to have some covers on the Album-Yet-To-Be-Named.

The ultimate goal of this whole project is for people to buy the album, so I can donate the profits to Ear Candy. That means that I want to have songs on the album that people will want to listen to and buy! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

So far, my brainstorming list includes "You Raise Me Up" by Josh Groban and "Jar of Hearts" by Christina Perri. I need suggestions! What songs would you like to see covered?

Leave me a comment below! Thank you!

Wait... so I'm actually making an album?

Welcome! This blog is going to document the process of planning, creating, recording, designing, and distributing my very own album of music.

I have decided to produce my album through the lens of Community and Service; I plan to sell my album to the public so that I can donate the profits to Ear Candy, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing children with access to music education.