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Hi, how are you doing?

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Justin is here with quick tip for you,

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and today: put on someone else's shoes,

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I don't mean literally putting.

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Somebody else's shoes on.

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That would be a little bit weird!

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What I'm talking about here is:

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getting a different perspective on things.

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Now this links back to the idea that I

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talked previously about recording yourself

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Especially when you're recording yourself.

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Sometimes it can be difficult

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to be objective.

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Songwriters have it a lot, you know,

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you've written a tune and you're

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listening back to it, and you're trying

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to figure it out if it's good or not.

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There's lots of instances; whether you like

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a particular solo, a song,

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a bridge, the melody, the sound.

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One of the things I find really helpful

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I do all the time is

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put on somebody's else's shoes,

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or more particularly, close to the point,

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putting on somebody's else's ears.

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So if I'm doing a mix, say,

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I imagine myself a good buddy, Reese,

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who always used to pull up an amazing mix.

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When I'm mixing a song,

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after I've done what I think it is,

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I'll sit there and go,

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"Now what would Reese say?"

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I'm trying to listen with his ears,

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and I'll go, "He's going to say

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that the kick drum's too loud,

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or there's not enough sizzle in the hats,

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or the guitar's too loud,

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or the vocal needs to come up.

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By imagining myself being somebody else,

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it changes stuff.

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It's a really effective tool,

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and it's a very odd one.

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I found it on a prev record I was doing,

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I was working with a producer

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who used to call guitar solos

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with too many notes "Ernie",

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maybe there was too much "Ernie" involved.

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So that's something I still use

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if I'm recording a guitar solo

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for myself or someone else's record,

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I'm listening back to it and I'm thinking,

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now is there too much "Ernie" in it,

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is there too much little widdly bits,

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or is it okay?

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Because you get attached to stuff,

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as a guitar player, I'm like,

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that's a really awesome lick,

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but you gotta think of it from

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the song perspective.

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Is that lick fitting the song?

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No matter how cool it is,

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if it's in the wrong song, it's not cool anymore.

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By stepping back out from myself,

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and trying to be objective with what I'm doing,

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I'm going, okay, is that really

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the right thing there?

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Is that right or should I change it?

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What would Thessa say, with "Ernie"?

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For songwriting, it's something I do all the time.

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When I'm writing a tune,

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and I've recorded it,

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I listen back to it,

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and I start listening back to it

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as if I was other people,

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depending on what kind of tune it is,

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or how I'm feeling,

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or who I'm respecting at the time.

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I'm always trying to pick people

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that I really respect and whose ears I admire,

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and go, well, is that bridge really good enough?

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Is it linking in okay?

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And I'll be going, well, it is and it isn't,

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and of course because I created it,

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I'm already attached to it emotionally.

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Stepping back and going, okay,

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what would James Taylor be thinking,

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if he was doing that?

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Do you think it would work for him?

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Trying to step back away from the things,

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it really increases your perspective,

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because as musicians,

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we get attached to stuff.

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I always feel bad

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if I'm critiquing somebody's song,

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because it's like calling their kid ugly.

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No matter how ugly your kids are,

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you don't want hear that they're ugly.

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They're still beautiful to you,

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and it's the same with writing a song.

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You're attached to it.

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You don't want to hear from somebody

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that your song is no good.

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So rather than try to embarrass somebody

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by asking them for a critique,

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you can try and be the critic yourself,

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and go, let's get really honest here,

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and if I was playing it to this guy,

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what would they say?

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What would they hear that I'm not hearing?

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Is it good enough, really, you know?

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This is a really, really cool technique.

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I've been using it for 10 or 15 years.

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I've been trying to step out

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from my own perspective to listen.

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It nearly always fixes stuff,

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even things that I wouldn't have noticed,

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stuff that, maybe because I've played it

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and I'm involved, or maybe

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I just wouldn't have thought of it,

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until I step into that other mode.

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Well, I hope this little quick tip

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increases your persepective on music.

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It's a really cool idea, do give it a try.

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I'll see you for plenty more lessons,

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and quick tips, and songs,

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and all kinds of stuff very soon.

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Take care of yourselves, bye bye.