Are you the kind of person who skims through chapters to see whether you’d like read the entire thing? You’re in luck.
There are no numbered chapters, instead 24 principles about creation, musicianship and areas of thought. It doesn’t need to be read in-order from start to finish, rather each chapter can stand on its own. It activates memories, marvels, and even bit of mania about what most of us have been missing. In between most of the areas of thought are pithy quotes that speak as much to sub-consciousness as they do to creativity.
I’ve prepared a summary of each section and chapter that highlights the core concepts and actionable steps behind creativity and making exceptional music. Just click those links to get started right away and allow yourself to explore and jump around. Of course, for the full experience you can read it one page at a time.
Speaking of pages, they are easily shareable. For example, the URL to this section is thornedavis.com/offtherecord/preamble. This allows you to link directly to any bit of the book for reference, discussion or someones benefit.
Moreover, unlike the typical book that’s frozen in time and difficult to reference, this is a dynamic book that features links to references, explanations and descriptions you can explore in your own time. This site will always host the latest version of the book, and you can follow the instructions at thornedavis.com/offtherecord/kindle.gif to get the latest version on your Kindle.
When reading Off The Record, think of it as a shared toolbox, not a self-help book or manifesto. It is about activating you, not distracting you with lofty philosophies. You don’t need to agree with all of it to get something out of it and as it is continually updated based on new learning and feedback so be sure to share your thoughts with me or the community.
To honour your time and save mine, I have done my best to keep this book as short as possible. As the objective is to share tools that revolutionise the way you approach music so I’d rather you are creating than reading. I’ve structured it in modular form for that reason. While I encourage you to explore based on what chapters resonate with you the most I do recommend you read the first two parts of the book so you understand the context of the tools I am sharing.
If you’re a musician with extensive experience or have already found your groove you may not see the value in this opportunity. If you’re classically trained musician, you likely won’t believe in my proposed solutions. And if you’re completely untrained and inexperienced you may only agree with parts of the problems or opportunities as I’ve described them. In any event, I believe there is enough value in this book to ensure it’s worth your time reading it. They are applicable in many practices beyond music.
But what exactly are these tools and why are they off the record?
