Eric Makes Music

Eric Campbell

I’ve been wanting to learn.  Found one on craigslist for only $15.  Yep that’s right!

Looks like some old Sears & Roebucks model.  I don’t want to spend any money on a serious guitar until I know that I can really play this thing.  But, I’m excited!!!!

Jumped online and found a bunch of free tutorials.  Pretty much stayed on the one from about.com all day.

I think I spent about 3 or 4 hours on this thing today.  Learned about 4 chords which is enough to make a song (*thumbs up*)

I’m having some trouble getting the fingers on my left hand in place so that I am only pressing the strings I want. Since I already play the violin I figured my fingers would just fall in place.  Not so!  I’m going to have to work on this.  I need to try some other guitars too cause maybe these strings just need to be pressed a little too hard to connect with the fretboard.

Anyway, so far so good.  I’ll keep you posted.

Uh oh, I’m starting to fall behind in posting here.  Not that I’m not working.  I’ve got a number of songs in develompment and I’ve been doing some really cool collaborations in the last month but nothing quite finished yet so I don’t have a new song to post.  Maybe soon.

In the meanwhile, you really should come see me on twitter.  I post there multiple times everyday and it’s really the best way to keep up with what I’m doing.  Haven’t heard of twitter? It’s a microblog where you can keep up with interesting people (hey, that’s me and other people can keep up with you.

I’m a huge fan.  I’m hardly on myspace these days (too slow).  I’m still on Facebook (which I really like) but I LOVE twitter.

Come check me out:  http://twitter.com/ericmakesmusic

StumbledUpon this site. They developed a great online tool that shows every kind of chord you can think of. Plus learn all your scales. Includes lots of exotic scales from other countries. Great tool. Unfortunately they haven’t widgetized it so you have to click the link. But check it out.

chord house ::: piano room: chords and scales.

It’s a mind-shattering thing to have something you’ve held as a basic fundamental belief suddenly challenged and proven wrong. It’s like believing your whole life that the world is flat. Then when you are told that it’s actually round, you have to rethink everything you’ve ever thought about the world and your place in it.

I’ve had my core-beliefs shattered on a few occasions during my lifetime. One happened during 9/11. The other just happened on November 4, 2008. It’s interesting to compare the impact that 9/11 and Barack Obama’s election had on me and my view of the world. In both cases, my basic presumptions of the world were proven wrong. In one case, the world was shown to be far more dangerous than I believed it to be… in the other, the world is far more beautiful and accepting. Both cases, however, left me shell-shocked.

I was at an election party on November 4th with some good friends. When they finally made the startling announcement that Barack Obama was the next President of these United States and everyone around me started screaming, I just sat speechless. I’m never at a loss for words but I couldn’t think of anything to say. One of my facebook friends used the word “surreal” to describe the feeling and I totally agree.

I’ve grown up as a Black man in America with a very distinct perception of what’s possible and what’s not possible for me in this country. Now, I’m a naturally a highly-ambitious person. I’ve chosen the very risky career of music and I deeply believe that I can succeed where many others have failed. But as ambitious as I am, I am still aware that certain things are not possible for me, especially as an African American.

We’re no long living in slavery but the effect of slavery still limits many of our opportunities. We’ve made great strides though. Today, a black man can be CEO, governor, senator, even a billonaire business mogul. And, one day… surely not in our lifetime… but if we keep pushing and making progress, maybe one of our children or grandchildren will have the privilege of being the first Black President of the United States.

That was my world view. That was the essence of how I built my hopes and dreams and Barack Obama has destroyed that forever. I can’t stress how unnerving it is to watch somebody do what I would have argued a year ago as a total impossibility.

It’s unnerving, mind-blowing, earth-shattering. And it’s also incredibly freeing. To watch someone tackle a hugely improbable goal, with everything against him (his race, his middle-name, etc), and actually win, makes me feel like Neo from the Matrix. Like I’ve just discovered that there’s a whole new set of rules that work in this world and I’m much more powerful than I ever thought I could be.

To say that I’m inspired doesn’t even come close. I am electrified! I, though I’ve always been hopeful, am now filled with hope beyond hope. Barack has proven the faith which I’ve studied my whole life. His success testifies to a God that doesn’t deal in “probabilities” but “possibilities”. His victory demonstrates truly “all things are possible” and that when we let our light shine, it can be much more powerful that 100 sermons.

Barack Obama may do many wonderful things as President. Hopefully, he’ll help lead us out of this terrible time in our country. Personally, I am more excited about the fruits that we will soon see from his life-changing example. I know so many people who are now inspired to start that business they’ve always talked about… or looking to change their career or go back to school or commit to a great relationship. I am eager to see all the new ventures and opportunities that will develop over the next few years.

Seriously, I can’t wait to see it. And I will be right there in the midst. Living fully in this glorious new world.

Well, it hasn’t gotten released yet but this is the first song that got me notice from a respectable song plugger & manager. Sent it through Taxi (the song pitching service) and a lot of the work that I’ve done and the big producer’s that I’ve worked with were all as a result of this song. Which goes to show that a good song can help your career even if it doesn’t actually get picked up.

Wrote this a while ago. I was connected with a producer in Germany who did the track. Vocalist in DC sang the lyrics. I expect to place this. It’s a great song.

Just did my first youtube video. Was just fooling around with iMovie cuz I wanted to see how easy it was. Came out pretty good. Enjoy. Pass it along if you like it

Every now and then I get the joy of working on a song just for the fun of it… not for a client… not for a project…simply because I heard a track I loved and wanted to write a song to it.

That’s what happened here…

I Heard.  I Loved.  I Mashed it Up!!!

DJ Klever is one of my favorite DJs in the Atlanta area. You can catch him at the very popular Sloppy Seconds party held every 2nd Saturday of the month at MJQ (one is coming up this Saturday).

Anyway, I heard this remix he did of Purple Ribbon’s Kryptonite and was moved to put my own spin on top of it. So I re-sequenced the track to fit a pop song format, wrote the lyrics and recorded some soulful vocals on top. I really love how it came out and I’ve been getting good feedback from it. Hopefully, you’ll love it too.

If you know DJ Klever, tell him to check it out.

Feel free to download and pass it along (download from the player on the side of the page). If you’re a DJ and you want a high resolution copy, just let me know.

It’s true. Sometimes I’ll love a song when i start working on it. But by the time it’s written and recorded, it just doesn’t move me and I can’t figure out why. Usually I’ll just move on to another song. Then I can come back to that song months later and just love it again. I think stepping away from it is what helps clear my perspective. But, literally, it can take months sometimes.

That’s the case with this song I did for New York artist B. Michael L. I wrote the lyrics and produced the track. B came in and dropped the vocals like it was easy. He was really good in the studio. But when it done I felt like… eh… it’s okay. He just recently sent me an updated version of the song and I love it.

That’s the weirdest thing to me and it happens all the time!

Take a listen for yourself.

I wrote this for a female artist. I can hear someone like Monica or even Jennifer Hudson singing.

The singer who demoed it for me is a Atlanta singer/songwriter named The D.O.T. She’s great in the studio. Almost required no work from me at all. You can contact The D.O.T. on her myspace page.

A&R’s / Artist reps, this song is available, contact me if you’d like your artist to reference it.

Do you like it?  What singer can you hear singing it?