Journal For Musicians - Why Musicians Need a Dedicated Journal for Their Craft

https://lestallion.com/collections/journal-notebook-for-musicians

Have you ever experienced that gut-wrenching moment when a brilliant musical idea vanishes before you can properly capture it? That perfect lyric scribbled on a napkin, now lost. The melody hummed into your phone, buried among countless voice memos. The chord progression you swore you'd remember, now a ghost of inspiration past.

Our deep dive explores the transformative power of dedicated musicians' journals, with a special focus on how companies like Lestallion have crafted notebooks specifically addressing the unique needs of musicians. We unpack why the seemingly simple concept of a central, physical space for your musical ideas can be revolutionary in an age of digital fragmentation.

The conversation reveals compelling practical considerations that make these journals more than just pretty notebooks. We examine the importance of 120 GSM thick paper that prevents ink bleeding through pages when writing detailed notation or lyrics. We discuss how numbered pages and built-in tables of contents create an invaluable organizational system for tracking ideas across multiple projects. The perfect A5 size balances writing space with portability, ensuring your creative companion is always available when inspiration strikes.

Real-world stories bring these benefits to life – from the jazz pianist who captured a fleeting harmonic idea on a train that later became the foundation of a composition, to the lifelong guitarist who transitioned from scattered notes on beer mats to a coherent creative process. The physical act of writing appears to engage different cognitive processes than digital notation, potentially cementing ideas more firmly in memory and creating a deeper connection to one's musical journey.

Join us as we consider whether, in our hyper-digital world, the deliberate act of physically documenting your musical ideas might be the key to unlocking your creative potential. Could this simple tool be the difference between forgotten fragments and finished songs? Listen now and reconsider how you capture the sparks of your musical imagination.

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LeStallion offers premium PU leather journal notebooks for writing, dedicated to all those who are pursuing their dreams and goals, or nurturing their personal development and mental health.

For More Info on LeStallion, check out:
https://lestallion.com/

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Deep Dive.
Today, we're getting intosomething really fundamental for
musicians, aren't we?

Speaker 2 (00:06):
We are.
It's all about capturing thosecreative ideas.
You know the sparks.

Speaker 1 (00:10):
Exactly Because, well , who hasn't had that experience
?
You hum a tune, maybe jot alyric on an aptin.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
And then it's just gone, lost.
It's incredible, frustrating.

Speaker 1 (00:19):
So frustrating.
It's a real pain point for somany creative people.

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Absolutely Relying on , like random notes or just
memory.
It doesn't really work longterm for developing actual music
.

Speaker 1 (00:30):
Right, it's like trying to build something
without keeping your tools inone place.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
Yeah, A recipe for disaster.
At least lost ideas.

Speaker 1 (00:36):
Which brings us to the core idea today the
dedicated musician's journal.
We've been looking into this,particularly thinking about how
companies like Lestallionapproach it with notebooks
specifically for musicians.

Speaker 2 (00:49):
Right, they're quite well known for that focus.

Speaker 1 (00:51):
And our mission really is to explore why this
kind of dedicated space can bewell a game changer for
creativity organization.

Speaker 2 (01:01):
And even tracking your own musical growth over
time, seeing how far you've come.

Speaker 1 (01:05):
It sounds simple, but it's powerful.
Now I know what some peoplemight be thinking a physical
notebook in this digital age?

Speaker 2 (01:14):
Yeah, it might seem a bit old school.

Speaker 1 (01:17):
Maybe, but there's something unique about pen and
paper.
Isn't there A different kind offocus, maybe?

Speaker 2 (01:22):
I think so Especially for creative work which can be
kind of messy and intuitive.
It slows you down in a good waysometimes.

Speaker 1 (01:30):
Okay, so let's break down the problem first.
Why do musicians struggle somuch with keeping ideas
organized?

Speaker 2 (01:36):
Well, think about it, you've got scraps of paper.

Speaker 1 (01:38):
Oh yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:39):
Voice memos buried on your phone, random notes in
like five different apps.

Speaker 1 (01:43):
It's chaos, a digital and physical mess of
half-finished thoughts.

Speaker 2 (01:48):
Exactly, and that fragmentation it really gets in
the way of actually developingthose ideas.

Speaker 1 (01:53):
How so.

Speaker 2 (01:54):
Well, if everything's scattered, it's hard to see
connections right, Hard to buildon things coherently.
You can't even remember whereyou put that cool chord
progression you thought of lastTuesday.

Speaker 1 (02:03):
Yeah, that lack of a central spot.
It really stifles things.

Speaker 2 (02:07):
It really can.

Speaker 1 (02:08):
I remember my sister.
She writes amazing lyrics.
She told me once she got thisperfect line walking down the
street, pulled out her phone,but the sun was glaring,
couldn't see the screen properly.
Then, bam, a load ofnotifications pop up.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
Oh no.

Speaker 1 (02:21):
Collider Total distraction.
By the time she got home, theexact phrasing the magic of it
gone.
She was so annoyed.

Speaker 2 (02:30):
I bet and that happens all the time losing
those little gems.
It's discouraging after a while.
So the alternative thisdedicated musician's journal.
A single place, yes, a singleintentional space for
documenting, exploring, refiningall your musical thoughts like
a dedicated workshop.
You said exactly a workshop foryour brain, musically speaking.
It's not just about storage.

(02:52):
It's about actively workingwith the ideas developing lyrics
, sketching melodies, chordseven just noting down how you
felt when you wrote something.

Speaker 1 (02:59):
That emotional context can be gold later on and
list allion as we, they reallylean into this need, with
notebooks designed for thisexact purpose.

Speaker 2 (03:08):
They do.
They clearly understand whatmusicians are looking for in
that kind of tool.

Speaker 1 (03:12):
Right, and let's talk features, because it's not just
any notebook.

Speaker 2 (03:14):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (03:15):
That core idea of a dedicated space sounds basic.

Speaker 2 (03:19):
but it's fundamental, In a world buzzing with
notifications and digital noise,having one physical book just
for music.
It creates focus.

Speaker 1 (03:30):
Yeah, it's like telling your brain OK, music
time.
Now it cuts through the mentalclutter.

Speaker 2 (03:34):
It really does A consistent anchor point.

Speaker 1 (03:36):
And then there's the paper Lestallion often uses.
What is it?
120 GSM thick paper.

Speaker 2 (03:42):
Yeah, that's pretty substantial stuff.

Speaker 1 (03:44):
Why is that so important for a musician?
It's not just fancy paper, isit?

Speaker 2 (03:48):
No, not at all.
It's super practical.
Think about it Musicians usepens, pencils, maybe markers for
diagrams.

Speaker 1 (03:55):
Right.

Speaker 2 (03:55):
That thicker paper stops the ink bleeding.
Through Ghosting they call it.

Speaker 1 (04:00):
Ah, so you can actually use both sides of the
page properly.

Speaker 2 (04:02):
Exactly, which you definitely want.
Especially if you're writingout detailed notation or like
guitar tabs, you need clarity.

Speaker 1 (04:09):
Makes total sense.
Okay, what about organization?
I know many of the stallionjournals have things like
numbered pages and a built-intable of contents.

Speaker 2 (04:16):
Yeah, and that's huge for workflow.

Speaker 1 (04:18):
How so More than just page numbers?

Speaker 2 (04:20):
Oh, definitely.
Imagine you're working on, say,three different songs at once.
Okay, with numbered pages and atable of contents you fill in
yourself.
You can easily flip back tothat bridge idea for song two or
find that lyric snippet forsong three you wrote weeks ago.

Speaker 1 (04:37):
Ah, so it stops the endless flipping and searching.

Speaker 2 (04:40):
Precisely.
It's like building your ownpersonal index for your creative
world.
Saves so much time andfrustration.

Speaker 1 (04:46):
Like a map for your musical brain.
Okay, and the physical bookitself the soft faux leather
cover you often see on thestallion models.
That's not just about looksright.

Speaker 2 (04:56):
No, it's about protection, durability.

Speaker 1 (04:58):
Because these things get carried around.

Speaker 2 (04:59):
Absolutely Thrown in gig bags taken on the road.
A good cover protects thosevaluable ideas inside from wear
and tear.
It needs to be a sturdycompanion.

Speaker 1 (05:08):
Makes sense, and they offer hardcover options too,
for people who need somethingeven tougher.

Speaker 2 (05:13):
Right, depending on your needs.

Speaker 1 (05:15):
Plus the size, the common A5 size they use, it
feels like a good balance.

Speaker 2 (05:19):
It really is Big enough to write comfortably
things out, but small enough toactually carry around easily, so
you can grab it wheneverinspiration strikes.
That portability is key youdon't schedule creativity right.
It happens anywhere.
Having the journal with youmeans you're ready yeah, becomes
part of your everyday carryalmost.

Speaker 1 (05:38):
And what about that little back pocket some of them
have?

Speaker 2 (05:41):
seems minor but super useful for sticking in loose
lyric sheets.
Maybe a set list chord chartspeople give you Keeps all the
related bits together.

Speaker 1 (05:49):
It's those little thoughtful details.

Speaker 2 (05:51):
They add up to make it a really functional tool.

Speaker 1 (05:54):
I was chatting with a friend, a jazz pianist.

Speaker 2 (05:56):
Okay.

Speaker 1 (05:57):
He was on a train, got this really neat harmonic
idea, sketched it out quick inhis listallion journal.
He likes the thick paperbecause he uses a fountain pen,
you see.

Speaker 2 (06:07):
Ah yeah, Fountain pens definitely need good paper.

Speaker 1 (06:09):
Later back home he used the page numbers to find it
instantly Said it became thecore of a new composition.
He was convinced if it had justbeen a random phone note he'd
have forgotten it or lost it.

Speaker 2 (06:21):
That really shows the power of having that tangible
organized record, doesn't it?

Speaker 1 (06:25):
It does, and maybe, maybe writing it down physically
cements it better.

Speaker 2 (06:30):
I think there's something to that, that physical
act.
It engages a different part ofyour brain than just typing.

Speaker 1 (06:35):
perhaps so if someone's thinking, OK, maybe I
need one of these, especiallylooking at Lestallion's
offerings, what are the keytakeaways?
What should they look for?

Speaker 2 (06:44):
well, based on what we've discussed, paper quality
is top.
That thickness, 120 gsm orsimilar, is crucial, right no
bleed through durability issolid cover, good binding.
Whether it's soft or hard, itneeds to last portability, that
a5, seems like a sweet spot.
Definitely.
And those organizational bits,numbered pages, table of

(07:06):
contents.
They really help manage yourideas long term.

Speaker 1 (07:10):
And Lestallion seems to tick a lot of those boxes in
their musician-focused journals.

Speaker 2 (07:14):
Yeah, they've clearly thought about these specific
needs.
Things like bookmarks, elasticclosures too those are often
included and add to theconvenience.

Speaker 1 (07:23):
Features, tell stories, sell.
You know that phrase.

Speaker 2 (07:25):
Oh yeah.

Speaker 1 (07:26):
It reminds me of my uncle, lifelong guitarist,
always skeptical about fancynotebooks.
Back of an envelope works fine,he'd say.

Speaker 2 (07:33):
Uh-huh, I know the type.

Speaker 1 (07:35):
Then, a few years back, he was trying to remember
this cool riff he'd come up with, had bits scribbled on old set
lists, maybe a beer mat.

Speaker 2 (07:43):
Oh dear the archaeological dig for a song
idea.

Speaker 1 (07:46):
Exactly.
Took him ages and he stillwasn't sure he got it right.
Drove him nuts.

Speaker 2 (07:51):
I can imagine.

Speaker 1 (07:53):
After that he actually got himself a proper
listallion journal.
He told me just havingeverything in one place, being
able to see how ideas connectand evolve total game changer
for his writing.

Speaker 2 (08:05):
See, sometimes you need that frustrating experience
to see the value.

Speaker 1 (08:08):
He particularly liked the lay flat binding on the one
he got.
It makes it easier to writeacross the whole spread when
he's mapping out structures.

Speaker 2 (08:14):
Yeah, that's another practical detail that makes a
difference in use.
It just avoids that wrestlingmatch with the notebook spine.

Speaker 1 (08:20):
So true, that struggle is real.

Speaker 2 (08:22):
That frustration he felt trying to piece things
together.
That's the core problem adedicated journal solves.
It brings intentionality.

Speaker 1 (08:29):
Okay, so let's kind of wrap this up.
The message seems clear.
A dedicated journal, especiallyone like La Stallion, makes
with musicians in mind.
It's more than just paper.

Speaker 2 (08:39):
Absolutely.
It's about creating that focus,space for creativity.
It's about organization.
It's about building a real,tangible record of your musical
journey.

Speaker 1 (08:48):
A tool to help your ideas actually flourish, not
just flicker out.

Speaker 2 (08:52):
Precisely, capturing them reliably, exploring them
thoughtfully, developing theminto something real.

Speaker 1 (08:58):
So for you, listening , maybe think about your own
process.
Do you lose ideas?
Do you feel disorganized?

Speaker 2 (09:06):
Yeah, how often does that frustration creep in?

Speaker 1 (09:09):
Could bringing a dedicated journal into your
practice.
Maybe unlock something, makethings flow better.

Speaker 2 (09:14):
It leads to a final thought, doesn't it?
In this super digital world,everything vying for your
attention, yeah, could thesimple, deliberate act of
physically writing your musicalideas down in one dedicated
place actually create a deeperconnection to your own
creativity?

Speaker 1 (09:29):
Hmm, more intentional relationship with the music
itself.

Speaker 2 (09:32):
Maybe Could that tangible space lead to you know
more powerful, more resonantmusic.
In the end, something to chewon.

Speaker 1 (09:39):
Definitely something to think about.