1. Voice Memos

Want to quickly capture an idea or a riff? This is your go-to app. Your iPhone comes already equipped with this app and it’s very simple to use.  When you open the app, tap the red button to record and the black button to play. That’s it! When you plug-in your iPhone to your computer, your recorded voice memos will automatically sync into your iTunes library under the playlist Voice Memos.

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2. Reverse Chord Finder 

Have you ever strummed an alien, yet wonderful, chord on your guitar and wondered what the chord was? I do all the time. This app is great for new chord exploration and for people like me who want to know what those mystery chords are. If you want to get fancier with the app, (like being able to save your favorite chords or use pre-set tunings), you’ll have to pay up.

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3.  Dropbox

Dropbox lets you bring all your photos, docs and videos anywhere. After you install Dropbox on your computer, any file you save to your Dropbox will automatically save to your iPhone (or your iPad) along with the Dropbox website. I use this all the time for collaborating. You simply create a file with the song you’re working on and then email the link to the other writer so they have access to the file. The thing I like about Dropbox is that I am able to put all my large music files in one location and easily share them back and forth with musicians and studios.

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4.  Soundhound

Have you ever pulled over on the side of the road in a desperate search to find out the name of the song you just heard on the radio? Soundhound solves that issue–and saves you the wear and tear on your tires. You just tap on the app when you hear a song and the it identifies the song and artist. You can even just hum the tune of the song and it’ll retrieve for you. The app even makes it possible for you to see the lyrics of the song in time with the music. The social sharing capabilities also allow you to share the song with your Twitter and Facebook friends straight from the app.

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5.  Tempo

Yep–an app to help keep you in the groove.  Just tap the blue right arrow and you’ll hear the metronome. Press up or down on the arrow button to speed up or slow down the tempo.  Also, there’s a graphical interface at the top to show you which beat you’re on, as well as a mute function in case you’re driving your housemates nuts.  I also like that it has multiple time signatures. 4/4 needs a break sometimes.

One of things I like to do, when I’m not making music, is play golf.

My husband Gerry and I got away for a golf clinic in Arizona a few weeks ago. The clinic was spearheaded by two women, Lynn Marriott and Pia Nilson, who have been helping golfers, ranging from the serious hobbyist to the touring professional, get better at the sport. Their program, called “Vision 54″,  puts an awareness on the golf game beyond the mechanical aspects, like the swing or posture. They take a more whole approach involving the physical, technical, mental, emotional and social elements.

Here how it went. Throughout the course of three days, in an outdoor classroom setting, Lynn, Pia and the Vision 54 team covered each element, and then later on the afternoon, we students got the chance to play a few holes to apply some of the principles. So, it’s the first day and we break out into foursomes and start playing.  Lynn, Pia and the other staffers are stopping by in their carts to give one on one feedback. Lynn is observing the foursome I am in and watches us take our swings. I take my swing and as I’m walking back to the cart she walks up to me and says, “Analog. I want your swing to be more analog. Right now your swing looks too “digital.”

I had an “oh crap” kind of embarrassed feeling, but then I got very curious. I said to to her in a dog ear cocked way, “Well, that’s odd coming from a musician”.

“More analog… too digital.”  Her words echoed in my head for the rest of the day. Later that night, I couldn’t stop thinking about it beyond my golf swing. It was resonating with me because the analog vs. digital notion is not just what I seem to face on the t-box, but it’s what I am challenged with in my  life. The question begs ” analog or digital… which state am I in most of the time?

• Does my life evolve around my schedule or am I allowing some space and time to appreciate the in between?
• Am I allowing for spontaneity?
• Am I willing to bend?
• Am I running my routines or are they running me?
• Am I allowing myself to feel?
• Am I living in the present?

Here’s the honest answer. Some days I’m more analog and some days I’m more digital. But what I do know is that when I’m in a more “analog” state I feel more fluid and heart centered and when I’m in a more “digital” state, I feel more empty and detached. As they say, awareness is the first step toward change. These are some small things, which for me, pull me towards an analog state.

• Taking more breaks in the day to sit back and appreciate.
• Doing yoga.
• Spending more time outside.
• Being freer with letting ideas and music happen flow, and letting the editor stand aside.
• Doing meditation.

I know that playing great golf takes great awareness and practice. And living a great life takes the same.

I’m appreciative of the insights offered by Vision 54. My golf game might get better, but I know my life will.

http://www.vision54.com/vision54/pages/home/

I hadn’t touched a golf club in about 7 months. That’s a long time to never have the feel of the club in your hands or the swing in your body.

But last week I finally got out and played nine. On every hole I noticed I  was hitting 10-30 yards longer on all my shots than I’ve ever been. I was astonished at what was happening based on nothing happening literally with golf itself prior to that . Nada.  No practice putting on my carpet during the winter months, no reading of golf materials, how to’s, . no watching the PGA tour on t.v.  Nada.
But, I was in the gym doing hard workouts and trying to surrender better to sweat and physical barriers. I was also trying to be a healthier me, picking out and cooking fresh and colorful foods to boost nutrition. And even with work, trying to be more present  with either the writing of lyrics or the noodling of a melody on a guitar or piano, or the mining of song ideas, on a daily basis, no matter if the “muse” was around or not.

My attention and  intention towards the things I was doing in life ( health, food and work) must have been informing my golf game in deeper ways than I was even aware. So the things I was doing consciously were “connecting the dots” subconsciously.

Sometimes we think that in order to get better at something in particular, we should focus on that exact thing… in a mechanical, direct way. But, maybe we should try to focus on upping our intention in life, overall. Maybe if we approach life with a sharper, more razor focus, that would inform everything in that life.