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First of all, if you haven't been on my website before, welcome! And for those of you returning, welcome back! In the last 11 months, our lives have changed dramatically. What seemed commonplace just last year is now ever-changing. This causes disruptions in things we used to do on a routine basis and expectations that we had of life are continually in flux. Now though, I'd like you to take a minute and look at the picture here on the right or above on a Smartphone. What do you see there? You may be having thoughts about other things that need to get done right away or you may be struggling with a decision that you have to make. But God is calling us to something better. He's reaching out His hand to offer us life to the fullest. As Jesus said in Matthew, Chapter 28 verse 11: Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." I've been reading a book by a Christian Author named John Eldredge. The book is titled: Get your life back: Everyday practices for a world gone mad. In addition to the book, he developed something for smartphones called the One Minute Pause app. It may seem ironic that a Christian counselor and author who's struggling with personal space and boundaries would develop yet another time consuming app. But if you think about it, since technology is consuming so much of our waking time, using it to help remind us that we need to put margin back in our lives makes some sense. After all, according to research John did, he states that we consume an average of 10 hours daily of media. Imagine that, 10 hours! This amount of consumption causes so many problems for our inner peace and ability to just process information normally. It affects our sleeping patterns and daily routines and causes us to be like Pavlov dogs whenever we hear a familiar 'ping' or 'chime'. Just to be clear, I'm not endorsing any of John Eldredge's work. I am recommending that we all get back to our lives without getting drug into the daily drama of this rattled, tattered world we live in. How you do that may look completely different, and that's good! As I was contemplating what to write on this blog posting and I was feeling nudged by the Holy Spirit to write it, I realized that being a musician has many similar parallels to life that could help demonstrate how to do this. If you're a musician or just a lover of it, you can understand this. Every piece of music that I enjoy has a similar format: an introduction, verses, a chorus, perhaps a bridge, maybe an instrumental solo, and an ending. A well constructed piece of music also has different dynamic highs and lows as well as varying rhythms. Isn't this like your typical day? You probably have a typical quiet waking time, then a pattern or rhythm of getting into your day, a couple of pauses or breaks, another perhaps intense time, then a letting down of your hair, and finally a closing time. At least, this is probably what it USED to look like! It may be very erratic and fluctuating now, but guess what, you can get into a regular rhythm with God's help! Here's the hard part - it's going to take some effort! You're going to have to deliberately decide that you want to change some ingrained habits. One of the ways I do this is by deliberately choosing to put aside the iPad, the iPhone or the computer and spend quiet time. It's incredibly freeing! By the way, I'm not saying this will be easy. It is possible though with a little effort. It also means changing some of our belief systems that may be saying: "That text is probably very important." or "What if I miss that important stream?" Do you see how that can trap us into believing in false hope? It can be very draining. What you can do is what I've been doing - enjoy God's creation! Even if you can't get away from your desk, you can take a few moments to look at something beautiful. God created so much beauty around us and we constantly miss it. With a little effort though, we can start seeing it again. You'll be surprised how your heart and mind will start to react when you do this. I was so surprised that I wrote a poem that I'm sharing at the end of this post. Please be encouraged today that God loves you and He wants the best for you. He also wants you to experience the joy of His creation every day! My pause I paused and watched the clouds today; They blew gently in the gray skies. Three birds flew over, hearkening to each other, Come, let's go this way. As I watched and listened, I heard God softly whisper: "I love you" in the swaying of the birch leaves. How easy it is to miss such simple things - the falling rain, the gentle breeze. He makes creation anew each day. Let's stop, pause, and say: I love you too!

The short answer is: YES! Anyone with a mind, heart and a bit of creativity can write music. It's that simple. Let me state the obvious caveat: It takes time and effort! I'm going to be posting a step-by-step process blog of how to compose, write, and record a song. I've created a video introducing the song to generate excitement on my about page, but you can also see it below: I won't yet mention the title of the song, but had an inspiration several months ago that's finally coming to fruition. There are several different software tools I'll be using to produce and edit this original, so stay tuned as I unravel the creative process. Many blessings to you and stay tuned! Update 11/5/2020 - I'm just getting back to working on the new song. I have it roughly mapped out and I captured it on video, but it has a ways to go. Please check back as I will continue to post updates as it progresses. Lord Bless you!

The really cool thing about using Wix.com for your hosting is that now you can create your own videos and share them wherever you’d like. I'm going to post a short video I made on this article and explain how I did it. For those of you who would like to make a video but the cost of the software or time is too much, it's much easier than you think! This was a fairly easy video to make. But, don't be fooled! They take time. The first thing you have to is decide what photos you'd like to use. Easier said than done! The way to decide is by determining what your message is. In the movies they call it a 'Storyboard'. This is where you map out your story. That in itself can take a long time to refine and ultimately decide what and what not to include. In some ways, what not to include can be more important than what to. Once you've decided what to include, you need to next outline what order to put it into. This is also easier said than done. In the case of this video, I wanted to highlight what details my personal story entails. Granted, there are many less details than I could include, but again, it's very important to remember what NOT to include. Now that we've got the purpose of the story and what to include to tell it with, finally one needs to decide what kind of music fits best. Another 'Easier said than done' moment. I would suggest trying numerous different loops to see what works. One safety tip: You may absolutely love a looped track in your video, but do your viewers? Have an objective third party view it and give you honest feedback. It's well worth it. Finally, put your story together and give it a whirl on various social media platforms; Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube especially. Then you'll see how the effort pays off.

Hello and welcome to my blog! I know you have many choices of things to read so I'm grateful that you've chosen to read today's article. Today I received an email that had some encouraging and disturbing news at the same time that I was unaware of. Evidently, prominent 'Christian' leaders and Worship leaders have recently been posting their disavowal of their beliefs online. This is disturbing but not without precedent. I will explain as we unpack this together. My initial discussion point - What is a Christian Music Artist?, is what I'd like to discuss first. Before I start, please forgive me if what you read here seems strange, foreign, or even contrary to you. I'm going to try to explain in a nutshell what I've believed now for more than 40 years, which is no easy task. I am human as we all are and in my journey of faith, I've learned a lot. I'll do my best to dispel some misconceptions that many people have about Christianity and also about being a Worship leader knowing that I'm as imperfect as anybody on this side of heaven. Now that that's out of the way, let's discuss this more at length. For us to understand what a Christian Music Artist is, we first need to understand what a Christian is. Christians believe that Jesus Christ died for the sins of everyone on a cross, was raised by God on the third day, and is the savior that man needs to save us from ourselves. The fundamentals of these beliefs have been recorded by the disciples - Matthew, Mark, and John as well as the Apostle and Doctor, Luke. These are called the four gospels and are contained in the 66 books of the Holy Bible. Christians believe these books were inspired by God's Holy Spirit and were recorded for our teaching, instructing, educating, and correcting during our daily lives as written in 2nd Timothy 3:16. - See https://www.bible.com/bible/111/2ti.3.16 . The Apostles and believers were first called 'Christians' or little Christs in the book of Acts, Chapter 11, verse 26: "and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch." There are so many more facts about the Christian faith that I could write but don't have the space here to do it. I encourage you to find the facts out for yourself by praying, seeking, and reading God's inspired Word . Don't just take my word for it! The next part of the title Christian Music Artist, is music. Most of us can agree what music is. From a young age, we've all been exposed to it. Dictionary.com defines music as: "an art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color." https://www.dictionary.com/browse/music The last part of the title is Artist. What is an artist? Again, the Dictionary.com definition kind of helps: "a person who works in one of the performing arts, as an actor, musician, or singer; a public performer." https://www.dictionary.com/browse/artist?s=t Let's put it all together then - Christian Music Artist = A little Christ who expresses ideas and emotions through rhythm, melody, and harmony and may do it as a profession. That's it! There's no fanfare, no big splashy sign on someone who does this. What it comes down to is a person who has chosen to follow Christ and express their music as an artist does. Some do it professionally and others do it for the love of their craft without monetary compensation. The definition of a Christian Music Artist is why I felt compelled to build this website. Many people need to know they're loved and have hope that life can and will be better. That's the faith I have everyday. And my life is a testimony to what God alone can do to make it better. He's awesome! What I first mentioned at the beginning of this post is that there are 'Christian' leaders who for whatever reason have decided to deny what they believe is true. That in itself is sad. And it has eternal consequences. But beyond that, I would simply ask you to not be swayed by those who so easily have given up on what they believe. Close to 2,000 years ago, the writer of Hebrews spoke of this very dilemma in Hebrews 6, verses 4-6 : 4 "It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6 and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace." I believe what this comes down to is simply: Who do you put your faith in? Putting your faith in a person other than Jesus will never satisfy. Putting your faith in something will also never satisfy. But, putting your faith in Jesus Christ will satisfy like nothing else! Have you ever been so thirsty that water tastes like the most refreshing thing you could have ever found? Well, that's the same with Jesus. He alone satisfies! And the reason why I'm a Christian Music Artist is because I was created by Him to worship and glorify God. Not myself. Anyone who does more than that or willingly allows that to happen doesn't know what it means to truly worship God. They worship the creation instead of the Creator. As you go through your day and your week, remember that you are loved beyond words by a compassionate God who created you and adores you! And, He's always thinking about you... always! #love #God #worship

We're moving into the Holiday Season for 2019 and I must admit: I'm not ready - Yikes! If you're honest with yourself, you may not be ready either. In fact, the first Christmas commercial I've seen was displayed yesterday - November 3rd. We've barely gotten past Halloween and now we're assaulted with gift buying and Black Friday. Sheesh! Can we slow this down and celebrate Thanksgiving first? For those of you over the age of 50, you understand what I mean. There was a time when Thanksgiving was a major holiday. Halloween was relegated to a more sedate celebration with candy and treats. There were no such events as: Trunk and Treats, Harvest Festivals, and City sponsored 'block treating'. Now, I'm not criticizing these events, I'm only pointing out that times have changed. What used to be a small, fun celebration in neighborhoods has been marketed into a multi-billion dollar holiday that only runs second to Christmas in sales. For those of you under the age of 50, I hope that you had fun with your family. It's good to spend time together and that in itself makes it good. My message here this week is to point out that we all need to slow down a bit and enjoy where we are. Let's celebrate Thanksgiving and the wonderful traditions it brings. One of the best ways to celebrate Thanksgiving is to ask yourself what giving thanks means. Let's take a look at what we can give thanks for: For those of us who live in what are termed 'developed' countries, our life expectancy is upwards of 80 years. In less 'developed' countries, the life expectancy is as low as 43 and up to 57 years. Most of us who have been or are in the workforce have made more money in 1 year than many people who live in some countries will make in a lifetime. In fact, many 'developing' nations' workforces make $1 to $2 a day. Many countries have oppressive and corrupt governments that treat their people as commodities to be used and thrown away. In spite of our current political climate, most of us live in a free country that has a constitutional republic. The majority of us in the United States don't have to worry about what we're going to eat or drink. There is food aplenty here. But, for those who live in 'developing' countries, they often go without food or clean water on a daily basis. (Some of this data was taken from: https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/population-human-wellbeing.htm) With all of that said, we all have much to be thankful for. My challenge for you is to find something to be thankful for and think about that for the entire month. That way, you'll have a thankfulness footprint in your heart and mind that won't easily go away. I also want you to know that I give thanks for you! I give thanks that you've come to this website and spent some time reading my writings and hopefully getting some encouragement and inspiration. I'd also like to mention that I've arranged and recorded some new music to be released soon. But, not until we all give thanks! #Holidays #Thanksgiving #blessings

Upon writing this post, we've recently finished playing at a Summer festival close to my home called Red, White, and Boom. It was a lot of fun with friends, family and visitors. We rocked it as much as we could for an outside venue. Our sound man did an excellent job considering how hot it was and how long of a day he had. This blog is going to discuss one of the things we worked on before performing at the festival: the fine art of singing. First, let me admit that my primary instrument is a guitar, not my voice. Having said that, it seems that the need for backup harmonies and lead vocals has grown in my life in the past 15 years. That means I've had to work patiently and deliberately to get my vocals in a performance-ready state. Since I did go to music school and had two excellent vocal instructors, it wasn't as hard for me to get it back in shape. But, and this is important, the singing that I did in music school and what I do now are drastically different. Also, music changes with the times so I had to be flexible and adaptable to new challenges. I will be the first to admit that my voice is pleasant, but not necessarily a standout. It's enough for me to be able to use it for the venues that I need to and also glorify my wonderful savior, Jesus! I have learned a few tricks and tips to sing better and will share a few of them in this article. Tip number 1: Find a vocal coach, mentor or fellow singer who can help you. I can't stress this enough. We all have 'blind spots' that make it easy to think how good we sound despite what's coming out. Or maybe it's how bad we 'think' we sound. Many people like we've seen on 'American Idol' or 'The Voice' have assumed they have what it takes to be an instant celebrity until they suddenly flame-out in front of the judges. A vocal coach or mentor can help be honest with you and give constructive criticism. It's not easy, but it helps! Or would you rather get in front of a group of people to try to sing and find out that you weren't trained and prepared? Yikes! Tip number 2: Work on your voice! Nothing in life comes without practice. You can't expect to be good at anything without working at it. I'll give you a couple of names that you can look at on YouTube of vocal instructors who are reputable AND honest. The first is Ken Tamblin, a lead singer and vocal instructor: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6x5NRBmotXDEvLDDFWlLvA Ken has some good, free instruction about singing without tension and also how to use your diaphragm as the 'engine' of your vocal strength. The second is Anna from the United Kingdom, a former cruise ship singer turned vocal coach/instructor: https://www.youtube.com/user/verbalessons/featured Anna has some excellent warm-up exercises you can use before a rehearsal or performance. You can even learn from her warm-ups how to specifically sing better by gender. I use both of these channels for warm-ups and tips as I need them. Tip number 3: Record yourself! Yes, record yourself! Unless you'd like to sound like one of these people: You may not have been able to make it through all of these, so I rest my case. Now that you have a few tips to work with, get out there and sing your heart out. Just make sure you like what you're hearing! #Practice #Vocals #Music

Welcome to the June edition of my blog, Guitar Artistry. For this entry I'd like to start off by saying that I had a very well written email from an editor who works in New Zealand on the site: https://www.jenreviews.com/, talking about an article that he'd recently worked on. The article had several famous 'shredders' and other legends mentioned. He especially had been doing research on Yngwie Malmsteen, one of many Rock Guitar Legends. A couple honorable mentions not listed in the article would be: Steve Vai and Richie Blackmore. As with any good writer, he was doing his research. Now, I don't know too much about Yngwie, but I do know about 'shredding' the strings. Typically the term shredding has come from players who are lightning fast and hopefully musical at the same time. The reason I say hopefully is that sometimes faster is not better. For example: Al Diemola is an excellent guitar player, but if you listen to his early recording days, all you would take away is that he plays fast and 'shreds' not in a good way. In all fairness, shredding can be exciting to the player, but may not be as pleasing to the listener. The article that the editor sent me a link to is titled: "How to play like famous guitarists". What starting player doesn't want to do that? It's a well written discussion of many famous guitarists who you may or may not have heard of. This begs the question: How do I start? Well, that's where this blog is going to journey. Ever since I started playing guitar, I've always been fascinated by the coolness of an electric setup. It started when I first listened to SoCal surf music by the Ventures and got more robust when I heard that beautiful 'Strat' sound in James Bond movies. I wanted to be able to do what the guys I listened to did, but where to start? Here's where the good news-bad news reality comes in. First the good news: If you like to learn and you have your heart set on learning the instrument, then you've already got what it takes to get going. The next ingredient you need is a desire to work at it no matter what and some simple, yet challenging math ability. Yes, math ability! No one ever learned an instrument without analyzing how it works and how best to make it work. The third thing you need to learn this beautiful stringed-wonder is a good guitar teacher (Hopefully private), and time to practice. Now for the bad news: It's going to take time, perhaps a long time, to play well. You can learn how to play somewhat fair in a matter of months or even weeks if you practice enough. But, and here's the big but, you need to PRACTICE! Forgive me for shouting, but there's no easy way around it. All of those legendary singers, keyboard players, brass players, and yes guitarists, have spent countless hours working on and improving their craft. That means time, sweat, and sometimes tears. But, it will be worth it when you finally get to do that gig you always wanted to, play for your relatives or friends at a party, or just entertain your significant other. You now have a reality check for learning guitar. Guess what - I've played guitar longer than a lot of people have been alive, and I'm never really satisfied with it. I always feel like I can do better. That's what drives me and it can you too! If this sounds interesting to you, let me know in the comments section below. And remember to tune that guitar before you play it! #Practice #Music #guitar

I've been reading a lot of books and articles this year on the topics that interest me. I must admit, I love westerns. There's something about the lone gun riding on the range who runs into trouble at every corner of the wilderness he goes to. It can also be a frontier woman who's tired of the big city life and just wants a piece of land or a store filled with wares to sell to passers by. Many of these stories give the reader a sense of self-sacrifice, struggle, and finally victory. They also present some sort of nemesis or antagonist to the protagonist of the story. Often times we can identify with the main character of a story since we go through daily struggles ourselves. This begs the question: What's your inspiration? Are you the type of person who sees a challenge and makes a goal to overcome it? Or, are you one who enjoys watching someone else achieve a goal? Maybe you're one who wants to help a friend overcome a challenge? Whatever your role, you and I both know how challenging life can be. We often must overcome family issues, financial pressures, work difficulties or health challenges. Any of these can be debilitating in and of themselves. But, challenges and struggles can be a blessing in disguise! Let me explain. When you first learned to walk or helped your child to learn, did you or they get it right the first time? Did you sprint when you first got on your feet? No, of course not! You struggled up, walked a few steps and then maybe fell flat on your face. Or your child did. However, you or they got back up and tried again, And again, and again. Until it finally happened, walking! Just like learning to walk, life is full of difficult challenges. My wife and I volunteer to drive a hospital van once a week locally to pick-up people for their medical appointments. Many of these folks have had very difficult circumstances happen to them in their lives. They ARE an inspiration to us though! They haven't given up despite the difficulties they've had. There's a certain level of motivation that these people give me to keep going. Sometimes doing something new or challenging requires a little blood, sweat and tears. But, the end result is worth it. This blog entry is meant to inspire you to look into your heart introspectively and find what inspires you. Here are a few of my inspirations: Runners - Seriously, someone who runs and endures through a marathon is inspiring and crazy at the same time! Missionaries - Anyone who's willing to give up their comfortable life and go work in a foreign country is someone who inspires me! Teachers - Probably the most maligned group of people in the U.S., who have one of the most difficult jobs, deserve our gratitude and respect, period. Street Pastors - This group is probably not a very large community, but they dedicate their lives to seeing the homeless, drug-addicted, and desperate find meaning and hope! These people are some of the group that inspire me to do my best. What inspires you? Why don't you share it with me... I'd love to hear it! #community #inspiration #Creativity

Have you ever heard the term, 'Hitting the wall'? If you've ever done sports, especially running, you know what this term means. If you haven't, then let me explain. In my younger days I ran 10K races and relay marathons. When training for these events, I had to eat a healthy diet, train by running at least 25 miles a week, and get enough rest to ensure my mind and body were ready for the endurance I was going to put it through. As if that weren't enough, I was working a full-time job and carrying on the typical responsibilities of a grown adult. Do you know what happens to your body when you run long distances? It basically operates like a car. The fuel that's been stored in your body through the food you've eaten is burned at a very rapid rate. That's why most athletes stay away from heavy meals before an event. They usually focus on small amounts of protein and heavier amounts of carbohydrates. When running, carbs are your friend. At some point during an endurance race or journey as I like to call it, your body does this strange thing. Or maybe it isn't so strange. Like a car that's gotten low on fuel, it begins to consume the fumes left. In other words, instead of burning the highly concentrated fuel that you had, it now has to consume whatever is left. That's pretty much the protein left which is muscle. This is called: 'Hitting the wall'. It's very unpleasant. The same thing happens with creativity or the creative process. We can be humming right along and suddenly or not so suddenly hit the proverbial wall. That's happened to me recently. How do we get past this wall? Well, similar to running races, we have a couple of choices. Give up and go back to the status quo Forge ahead and push through this temporary roadblock When you're running and hit the wall, your body is telling you, 'Stop, stop, stop. I said STOP!' If you listen to only that response, guess what? You will stop! But, if you've trained and learned to go beyond the pain, you will keep on knowing the goal is in sight. It's the same thing with creative roadblocks. Authors call it 'Writer's block.' I just call it a temporary road-stop during the journey of life. Here are a few things you can do when you find yourself 'stuck'. Take a nice trip. There's nothing better than getting away to give one clarity. Plus you can take some great photos of a place you haven't been to before. Rest and recuperate. Sometimes our minds and bodies are just burned out from doing too much. Like sleeping at night, our mind, body, soul, and spirit need some rejuvenation. Think holistically, not just one dimensionally. Put everything away for awhile that's not of importance. The book of Ecclesiastes 3:1 says: "For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven." The time may not be best to pursue your creative pursuit. Perhaps another season would be better. Pray for help. God is always listening. In fact, He wants us to ask for help. The bible says in James 1:5 , "If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking." There are other coping mechanisms for this struggle, but these are the best and the ones that I personally use. Sometimes life can just throw all sorts of stuff at us. It can come from many different directions and can be frustrating as well as cumbersome. Let's throw off those things that are just 'noise' or minor 'annoyance' and get back to enjoying our creative experience. If this has helped you in any way, I would love to hear about it at the email address below. #Creativity #God #artistry

This month's blog post sounds a little daunting but is really a probing question to ask those of us who write and arrange music. Those of you who have other interests would also be wise to entertain this thought for your artistry. One time many years ago my Mom asked out loud: "How do people come up with new melodies? I would think there has to be a limit of how many different ideas people can come up with." That is a great question! As I've thought of that question over the years, I've realized there really is no end to what one can come up with. Let's probe the question at the start of this article a little more with some background. When I was growing up, there was a revolution of new music. One could listen to the Motown sounds like Dianna Ross and the Supremes or the Temptations, hard rock like the Doors or Steppenwolf, Acid Rock like Pink Floyd or the Grateful Dead, Heavy Metal like Deep Purple, Folk music from Peter, Paul, & Mary or John Denver, or New Age from the 5th Dimension. There were also the Pop icons the Beatles and Elton John. Some of these groups are still performing to this day. Others have even expanded their playing horizons. Look to Elton John who performed with Lady Gaga as an example. My point in asking this question is: How do you as a composer come up with a tune that you can put to music? Or maybe you could ask: What's your motivation? The motivation I have is my love for Jesus Christ. He is the reason I compose, arrange, and play the music I do. Without that love from Him, I don't know where I'd be. So what is your motivation and how do you express it? Let's then talk a minute about tools. Every musician needs to be familiar with modern day tools that are available through various distribution outlets. One of the top notation tools that I use is called: MuseScore. MuseScore is by far the best tool that I've seen around and was developed by musicians for musicians. It's also free! Like any tool, it takes time and effort to get the hang of it. But, if you chip away little-by-little, you can learn it. Next would be a music recording tool or digital audio workstation (DAW). Of all the tools used for recording these days, the one that I use is Studio One by Presonus. Studio One version 2, 3, or 4 Professional has A LOT of features and takes a long time to get to know. Once you do though, you will thoroughly enjoy its ease of use. Like all DAWs, you can add on instrumentation or buy plug-ins. There are other DAWs. One that's very good is from Steinberg and is called CuBase 10. Disclaimer: These are NOT endorsements; they're merely examples of what I use or am aware of. The final thing you'll need is a website. You must have a distribution channel to get your music out there. If you notice above, all of the legacy and modern performers have a website. It's just the way we expose the world to our music. It's the best way to get noticed. For a better understanding of web hosting, read my blog post titled: Hosting is the mostest from January, 2019. It may not answer all of your questions, but it can provide some food for thought. Let me know if you have any questions about this or if Gentle Haven Music Web Design can help you. Blessings, - Matt #Music #Musicrecordingsoftware #composition