Music as story. Your first songs.

In this post: 3 ways music can inspire you as a storyteller

1. Learn about local musicians.
2. Watch music publishing change, then translate.
3. Buy concept albums.

You just heard “Nate’s Jingle,” an original voicemail chime composed in GarageBand. The reverb rawks—oh give me a break. I only had one hand.

If you’re a bosom friend, call my phone when I’m not around for the live version with lyrics. Nicole says it’s an instant hit!

Listen, create, review, observe, remix, and/or _____

I was saturated in music culture at Belmont University where roughly half the students are music or music business majors. Put my former roommates together and you have Nashville Idol. A musician, vinyl concert-goer, live sound engineer, guy in publishing, Jazz musician from Germany…

I’m not good at music (This music video with Luke and I will scare you.) …but the subject fascinates me and I’ve been watching, and actually taking notes.

By the way, tight jeans are in. Also don’t get happy about the brightness of the sun to be cool.

I’ve noticed in my fiction work, music is emerging as a theme. It’s everywhere in my freewriting. (Iknowright? Write what you know.) I wrote this after walking to an East Nashville park after dark for the first time. It wasn’t raining.

He stepped through mud and water as cars went by. He heard music coming from the park and then laughter, but he didn’t know if he could trust it. He was in a different part of town he knew nothing about.

The park opened to a small lake with a softball field at the far end. Benches sprinkled the edge of the lake and the ducks hid in their miniature town on the island.

The wrath of the storm stripped the park of life, except for a group of dark figures flapping their hands and jumping and laughing. Music blaring, Ken advanced. He still couldn’t make out their mood.

As he got closer he saw a man and woman dancing in the rain and screaming along with the music. Two figures ran to the car from the lake. It was a brother and sister. They pulled up by their parents and danced together, mimicking the shakes of their parents hips and the bounce in their feet.

The woman’s song was clear now: “Jesus my help!” “Jesus my help!” The whole family danced and sang in the rain and laid hands on each other.

Dear storyteller, 3 ways to be inspired by music:

Here are some ways I’ve been inspired to write differently because of music…

1: Learn about local musicians.

You’ll more likely find a story that affects you closer to home and gets your mind turning. My brother follows a rapper who went to his high at Hume-Fogg when he lived Nashville. On of the rapper’s lines, “my nine” refers to both formal Titan Steve McNair’s number and a gun. This is firstly brilliant, but also more meaningful to my brother. Everything starts local in music and writing. Let’s support each other. (Jonathan, where do we get this rapper’s CD?)

I only listented to Nashville musicians for a week. I’d encourage you to do the same whereever you are. Or perhaps only read books by locals for a month! (If you do, and post it, give me the link!)

Check out local radio stations like WRVU and podcasts like local Nashville act Untitled and Unbridled (itunes link). These are harder to find and don’t stick around as long, but they are worth the hunt. The passion in the voices and stories here inspire me as a storyteller, much more than traditional radio. Keep NPR on of course if you are a writer and check out podcasts like Sound Opinions, but consume good story as a practice.

2: Watch music publishing change, then translate.

If you want to know new media publishing strategies, start with Chris Brogan’s presentation on Social Media for Publishers. Great stuff.

If you are wanting to do something new, start by watching for ways people are being successful in the music industry and replace the word “CD” with “book.”

Links illustrating new ways of publishing music:

• http://noisetrade.com
  
• http://ccmixter.org
• http://blogotheque.net Thanks @LanceCo *
• http://speakerheart.com Thanks @loudestnoise
• 10 out of Tenn Thanks @ndool
• Girl Talk

(*Read anything music journalist Lance Conzett writes. Follow and hire him once he graduates. He has it.)

If you know another artistic field more intimately than music, swap “book” for your word and see what translates. How about blogging or video?

Writers are on YouTube. Start by checking out The Vlog Brothers, two brothers who gained a larger following by only communicating via video for a year. They are VERY entertaining to 12 to 25-year-olds. Proceed with caution.

3: Buy concept albums.

You can define the themes in good writing. Concept albums are not just a collection of songs, but songs that build on a theme. I’ve recently learned how much this inspires me as a writer. I only have three I’d recommend in my library, in this order.

1. The Who “Tommy”
2. “The Protomen” (Nashville band!)
3. The Streets “A Grand don’t come for free”

Here are some recommendations you guys gave:

• Bowie- Ziggy Stardust Thanks @rjhinkle
• Pink Floyd- Dark Side of the moon Thanks @rjhinkle
• Kinks - Thanks @rjhinkle
• radio kaos, roger waters Thanks @billywhite4’s dad
• jethro tull, a passion play Thanks @billywhite4’s dad
• Wilderness Road, Wilderness Road -Thanks @billywhite4’s dad

I’m excited about checking some of these out.

“Nate’s Jingle” audio and “Jesus my help” writing by Nathan T. Baker
Some rights reserved

What concept albums are we missing? How have you been inspired by music as a storyteller? Leave your thoughts below….