David B. Gaskin Music

I spent years not living like a musician—even though music was a huge part of my life.

That all changed when I started giving myself permission to try, starting with taking one small step at a time.

I still have doubt. There's still uncertainty. But now my days are full of creativity: writing and recording music, working with other artists, performing, collaborating, sharing it with others.. this is what I dreamed about only 2 or 3 years ago.

Check out the full video here:

1 month ago |[YT] | 1

David B. Gaskin Music

I love receiving comments like this:

"I’m in exactly the same boat… fellow creative… too chicken to put myself out there… you have inspired me when things have been a bit uninspiring."

This is exactly the type of person I hope to reach with my videos: creative people who know music is an important part of their lives, but for whatever reason, they haven't yet given themselves permission to live fully that way.

I hope to keep inspiring other creatives to get closer to becoming more fully the artist and musicians they want to be!

2 months ago |[YT] | 0

David B. Gaskin Music

Quick FYI — I'll be away on vacation until the end of August, so things will look a little quieter around here. But I've got lots of fun stuff happening on the horizon:

- Producing a 4 song EP with my band (and will be documenting much of the process)
- Mixing fellow songwriter and friend, Kyle Burnett's most recent song
- Producing and engineering for a duo in town, Dodge City, as we work to create a 2-song demo

And of course, many more ideas on living a more creative life, and pursuing your passion for music.

Thanks so much for being along for the journey ❤️

See you soon,
David

2 months ago |[YT] | 0

David B. Gaskin Music

This week I finally played my first restaurant gig—something I put off for over a decade, easy.

Going into it, I was pre-occupied with the music. Will I perform the songs well enough? Am I playing songs that people will enjoy and engage with? That sort of thing.

But by the end of it, I realized something else:

Most people weren't listening all that closely. I wasn't the main event—I was just part of the atmosphere, and that's okay. That's actually the point.

But that realization was pretty freeing and actually took a lot of the pressure off.

Here a few practical takeaways I learned:

* Add more crowd-pleasers to the set. Songs like *Sweet Caroline*, *What's Up?* by 4 Non Blondes, and a request for Roy Orbison's *You Got It* got the biggest reactions.
* Negotiate the pay before the gig. I went into this gig blind, but next time, I'll be more upfront and transparent about compensation.
* Find ways to stretch songs out a bit more. I'll probably bring a looper pedal next time, and experiment with the arrangements more. It's more exciting than playing the standard structure, and it'll buy me a bit more time.

But those are just the practical things.

The biggest emotional takeaway was that I gained confidence and trust in myself.

I planned the set. I practiced. I made sure my guitar, PA, and cables all worked. I brought everything I needed. Then I just showed up and did the thing I'd been practicing for the week prior.

And I know I can do it again—and next time, I'll do it even better.

That's the kind of experience you can't think your way into—you have to earn it by showing up.

The full video (with clips from the gig) is up on the channel if you'd like to watch.

Thanks,
Dave

2 months ago |[YT] | 1

David B. Gaskin Music

Last week I played my first restaurant gig.

It wasn't a huge venue.
Nobody came up to me after and offered me a record deal.
I didn't make a fortune.

But it was something I thought about doing for years and always shied away from.

Then one day, I decided to make it happen.

Was I nervous in the month and a half leading up to it?

Of course.

But I've internalized something over the last few years:

Growth doesn't come from thinking about it.
Confidence doesn't come from imagining it.

Both of those things come AFTER you do the thing.

And every time you take one step forward in the direction of your vision, you quietly, imperceptibly start becoming that version of yourself.

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2 months ago (edited) |[YT] | 4

David B. Gaskin Music

This is what you're really paying a producer for.

It's not gear. It's:

Perspective: "That lyric isn't quite landing yet"
Taste: "The arrangement is too busy"
Momentum: "Let's go with that and keep moving"
Confidence: "Yes, that's working"
Collaboration: "We can do this together"
Translation: "I hear what you're trying to do there"
Accountability: "Let's get this finished"


Most artists don't need another plugin.

They need a second set of ears.

4 months ago |[YT] | 1

David B. Gaskin Music

100 Subscribers! Thank you, everybody!

I know it's not a big number, but frankly, I'm not ready for 10k subscribers!

I'm just grateful that YOU decided to subscribe to this channel.

My goal is to provide you with (hopefully) helpful information, inspiration, and guidance, as you progress in your songwriting and music production journey.

If there's anything that you'd like to learn about or see covered on this channel, please drop me a comment below and let me know!

Thanks everyone,
Dave

4 months ago |[YT] | 2

David B. Gaskin Music

Want to send your tracks to a drummer or put virtual drums in your song? You need to track to a click!

In this video, I tell you why and show you how to do it.

And if you want to get your songwriting and production questions answered in real time, alongside like-minded artists, make sure you check out my virtual community, Songfarm! Live, interactive calls every Wednesday: www.skool.com/the-songwriters-workshop-5219

5 months ago |[YT] | 1

David B. Gaskin Music

I'm creating a community for songwriters and aspiring artists. The original idea was to simply focus on songwriting, but I'm hearing from songwriters who also want to learn music production. Would this be valuable to you?

The idea is to do weekly calls where we workshop songs together and also do music production workshops.

Please cast your vote!

5 months ago |[YT] | 0

David B. Gaskin Music

Songs need change—they need to go somewhere.

Without that, it’s just a nice idea with a melody.

Songs that move take you somewhere—and leave you different at the end.

5 months ago |[YT] | 0