Songwriting: Chorus Construction

This article is SPOT ON.

You gotta read it.

Calvin

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By John Braheny

The majority of choruses adhere to certain guidelines. I say 'majority' because there are songs that ignore some of the guidelines and still win by the strength of their performance, arrangement and/or production.

1. The title should appear in the chorus, in a way that, by virtue of its placement in the chorus and/or its degree of repetition, we know it's the title. If words or phrases other than the title repeat in the chorus, or in strong positions, the listener won't know which is the title when they call the radio station to request it or ask for it at the record store, which is why you sometimes see songs with two titles, like "Untitled (How Does It Feel)," "Blue (Ba Da Dee)" or "C'mon and Ride It (The Train)" – that usually means that someone felt the song's title was not its strongest hook, or even that the song has two hooks and they're covering their bets by putting both in the title. Since you can't buy or request a song if you can't remember its name, these are very important commercial considerations.

2. Keep the information simple enough for people to remember easily. If you're a literary genius, you may tend to think most choruses are too simple. Don't worry about it. They need to be simple! ....

Click here to finish reading the article.

Source http://www.taxi.com/faq/songwriting/song-chorus.html#btm

technorati tags:learn, songwriting, online, tips, chorus, secrets

Songwriting: Steps to Writing Hit Lyrics

I have always wondered why for many songwriters, writing lyrics is much more difficult then writing a a melody. I've certainly been a victim - heck, I'd rather write chords all day long than to lyrics to a tune. It's happened on more than one occasion.

But why does sit happen? Is there anything we can do to rectify it? I dug up this wonderful article (written by Molly-Ann Leikin) giving us a deep but 'actioned based' insight on this common predicament.

Check it out...

Calvin

"Many of my clients find that melodies pour out of them like beer from a tap - but they get stuck on lyrics. I've thought about this for many years, and feel I finally understand why. I also know how to fix it. First, melodies are open to interpretation - so when you write one, what you feel or intend is still safe in your heart - you do not have to reveal yourself or....."

Click here to read the complete article.

source - http://www.musesmuse.com/2.8-November99.html#article
[Written by Molly-Ann Leikin of Creativity Consultant]

technorati tags:learn, songwriting, publishing, tips, writing, lyrics

Caral Barat of Dirty Pretty Things has Ditched the Drugs

Well, some people will be pleased to hear that the ex Libertines star Caral Barat has been 'clean' when writing music for his new bands debut album.

"DIRTY PRETTY THINGS front man CARL BARAT is proud of his new band's debut album, because it's the first he has ever written music not under the influence......"

Click here to to read complete article.

Source - http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/
barat%20ditched%20cocaine%20for%20new%20album_1001835

technorati tags:learn, songwriting, dirty, pretty, things, caral, barat, drugs, writing, music

Writing Songs on the Piano

Many of us start writing song on a harmonic instrument (ie. the piano or guitar) and often face several stumbling blocks on the way...I know I have done.

Everything from the topic of your song, to the chord changes -- the length of your intro, to the structure of your song -- you're melody... all these things come rushing in the mind at one. Many times the 'mood' of the song musically will often dictate the lyrical outcome too.

This article I found serves to be a handy quick guide on what to keep in mind when writing songs on the piano.

Calvin

http://www.davidnevue.com/pianoadvice2.htm
Written by David Nevue.

"In my 20 years of writing piano music, I've arranged over 120 compositions, about 85 of which I've released to the public on CD. A fan who read my advice for pianists article asked if I'd write a similar article for beginning composers. So, I've put together these 12 composition tips for anyone who would like to compose music for the piano..."

Click here to read the rest...

technorati tags:learn, songwriting, compose, music, piano, songwriter, write, a, song

Keep the Hook Simple and Stupid?

Erm, yes. Controversial title :-) Well, this is an interesting read on how simplicity and repetition are the the key elements to producing a great hook for a song.

I would certainly agree where Steve Moss (editor of Tunesmith Monthly) is coming from. Think of all the great pop classics over the last 30 years, then read this article.

Calvin

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What is a hook? Think of any song that was a hit back when you were a kid and start singing it. Chances are, the first thing you think of is its hook. A hook is a brief, memorable, irresistible bit of music, lyric, or both, that the listener will remember even after hearing your song only once. It's the part that gets a song on the radio and sells records. It's the part you can still remember and sing twenty years later...

Click here for the rest.

Source - http://www.musesmuse.com/5.4-July02.html#article2

Written by Steve Moss, editor of Tunesmith Monthly http://www.tunesmithmonthly.com

technorati tags:learn, songwriting, chorus, hook, how, to, write

Too Many Idea's Can Spoil A Song

Well, I've certainly been a victim of packing in too many chord changes or musical idea's in one song. I've dug up this article which explains how you shouldn't focus all your energy into creating several different idea's for one song - but rather zone in on that one GERAT idea, and repeat it over and over

Check it out...

Calvin

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When you listen to a song, you probably notice that the music is made up of certain phrases or ideas which repeat themselves throughout the song. These musical phrases are called motifs or themes. They may be as short as a few notes (like the first four notes of "America the Beautiful") or several measures in length. A motif may be melodic, rhythmic, harmonic, or a combination of these. The point being that each time you hear the motif in the song, it registers in your brain as something you've heard before -- and that makes the song easier to remember (and that's good).

A common mistake made by songwriters is thinking that the music becomes "boring" or "too simplistic" when phrases are repeated in this manner. As a songwriter full of musical ideas, you can easily get caught up in trying to be too clever. This usually results in a song that has too many musical ideas -- and that makes the song harder to remember (and that's not good). If one of your main goals as a songwriter is to write something that's memorable, then by far the best technique available to you, is the power of repetition. The trick is in knowing how to use repetition without getting "boring".

To complete reading the article, click here.

Source - http://www.craftofsongwriting.com/Column2.htm

A Quick Publishing Digest

A good & concise guide here on song publishing. It briefly (but nicely ;-) explains what publishing is, if you need to start your own publishing house and how you can make money from it.

Special thanks to taxi.com for informative read.

Calvin


What is publishing?

Publishing rights are the rights to a song. If you write a song by yourself, you own the publishing (and copyright) from the moment you finish the song. You don't have to set up shop as a music publisher to own those rights - they automatically come with authorship. There are actually two halves in every publishing dollar. One of the halves is called the "Writer's Share," and that half almost always stays with the writer for life. The other half is called the "Publisher's Share'" and you own that half as well, unless you sign a publishing or co-publishing deal. You can give up some of the publishing rights you own (typically half or all of the "Publisher's Share") in exchange for a cash advance from a music publisher. The publisher will then act as a songplugger to get your song cut by an artist or placed in a movie or TV show. They don't make money unless they get the song used.

Do I need to start my own publishing company?

Typically not. You already own all of your publishing rights from the song's inception. People typically start a publishing company when they get a song "cut" and need a mechanism or company to which they can have the income flow. One word of advice, it's often a better idea to have another company administer your publishing when you have your own publishing company. That means that they will take care of all the business of collecting and disseminating the money that is generated by the song. Many small or individual publishers aren't expert enough to do that on their own.

How do I make money from publishing?

A song generates money for the writer(s) when it appears on an album, gets played on the radio, used in a TV show or movie, gets sold as sheet music, and even when it is used as a ring tone on a cell phone. When the song is part of an album or is sold as sheet music, the writer gets a mechanical royalty. When a song is used in a movie or TV show, a performance royalty is paid to the writer(s).

Source: http://www.taxi.com/faq/publishing/index.html#q1

The Evolution of Nashville

Hi all. We all know that Nashville (USA) has grown into one of the most musical cities in the world. Now, regardless of what genre of music you're into, I'd say it's vital to know the the legacy of this city. Not only because of the songwriters and artists - but also because of the infrastructure of the music industry.

A new book by Michael Kosser reveals all of the above in great depth. There doesn't seem to be a 'release date' yet, but here's a quick review.

Check it out...

New book details emergence, evolution of songwriting in Nashville


Calvin

Here's an peek...

"Rather than simply a straight history text or another volume heavy on gossip and obsessed with recounting myths and wild adventures, Kosser’s book covers events and examines issues frequently overlooked in Nashville music works. He spotlights record label executives, discusses the importance of promotional staffs, explains the significance of publishing companies and focuses on much more than simply the people in front of the microphones.

At the same time, he doesn’t ignore major musical events that happened in Nashville, from the arrival of Bob Dylan to the phenomenon of Garth Brooks. The final sections look at more recent issues involving country and pop locally, among them the rise of independent labels and the image and direction of the country sound in the 21st century."

Special thanks to nashvillecitynewspaper.com

http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cfm?section_id=12&screen=news&news_id=50624

The Best Living Songwriters

An interesting article on who are the 10 best living songwriters. Not sure if Itotally agree with the choices made, as there are far too many diamonds outthere. As an example, Stevie Wonder (who I personally consider one of thegreats) doesn’t even get a mention. But yet, PJ Harvy makes the top ten.

Check out the article...

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5536035

Many thanks to NPR and Robin Hilton of 'All Songs Considered' for his perspective.

Calvin

"I'm not sure why it should matter, but I always love a good "best of"list. I'll tear through the names and numbers, rolling my eyes withmouth agape at various placements. Paste's list has PattiGriffin 20 places higher than Ray Davies and the Kinks. KrisKristofferson is twice as high as Outkast, Pink Floyd and FleetwoodMac. You gotta be kidding."
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5536035

Diane Warren - Songwriter Extraordinaire

A quick but brilliant talk with Diane Warren here. I fact, that's putting rather lightly. This is a MUST read for ALL of aspiring or established songwriters. Having three decades of hit songs under her belt, you know that Diane Warren has a mentality that we all should adopt.

Check it out...

Calvin

Diane warren interview

"Diane Warren has probably touched your life at least once a day during that last ten or fifteen years and you may not have even known it. She has written songs for the likes of The Starship, Michael Bolton, DeBarge, Gladys Knight, The Jets, Joe Cocker, Cheap Trick, Dusty Springfield, Daryl Hall, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Kenny G., Peabo Bryson, Aaron Neville, Ace of Base, Monica, Chicago, Belinda Carlisle, Meat Loaf, Cher, Patti LaBelle, Taylor Dayne, Expose, Gloria Estefan, Roberta Flack, Michael McDonald, Elton John, Aretha Franklin, Toni Braxton, Barbara Streisand, Heart, and many, many more top artists...."

>> http://www.aandronline.com/reading-room/diane_warren.html

technorati tags:diane, warren, songwriter, interview

A Songwriters Mindset

Hello fellow songwriters. When I wrote this article, I was completely writing with the novice songwriter in perspective. However, since reading I've realized that this applies to everyone. It's certainly reminded me of how easy it is to not 'get stuff done'.

Hope you enjoy it.

Calvin

The Songwriters Way Of Thinking

Is there ever a 'right time' to write a song? So many songwriters have asked me, "can you write whenever you want?" -- well, the answer is a resounding YES. You can indeed.

But let's be real, what if your mum was in hospital or you just went though a divorce.. then what? What if you simply weren't in the mood? Well, here's the secret.

First of all, let's switch the word 'writing' with the word 'creating'. In theory we are 'writing a song', but in practice we're actually creating something. Just think about that for a second. We're 'CREATING' something here.

So if we are creating something, we need to fuel that creativity with something. We fuel that creativity with INSPIRATION.

Before we even THINK about what to write about, what structure the song should be, what melody to use, etc, we need inspiration.

I can hear you already... "what if I don't feel inspired?", well this is exactly why you need to 'switch' your mind.

I can't even begin to tell you how important this is.
Let me explain -- stay with me here...

Here's a typical a scenario. You wake up early in the morning to go work, you miss your train and when you get there your boss gives you a hard time for being late.

Because you're late, you're made to work through your lunch hour. When you do, you eat some crummy old sandwich which makes your stomach upset. Despite the fact that you're now not feeling well, you carry on working -- dying for the day to end.

Work is finally over. You get home, and cook yourself some food. It's the best meal you've had all day. You're feeling a little better knowing you can finally relax and watch some TV over a nice beverage.

But guess what, you're too tired to write a song. You've had such a mad day, you just can't be bothered. You don't know what to write about. You just don't feel inspired.

Now here's where you 'switch' your mind. Everything that has happened in your day are a series of events all leading up to writing a song. How many events can YOU draw inspiration from?

The answer is ALL of them. You can write about your whole 'bad day' but the key here is to pick one or two events and elaborate on them.

For example, we can do something with 'being late for the train' and 'late for work'. You could structure it in a way were your verses would be about getting up late, how your breakfast was burnt, when you left it was pouring with rain and you left without your umbrella, the trains were running late, you were late for work again.

In fact, that could actually be your hook -- 'I'm Late Again'. The song can be structured in a way were you are simply stating how you are always late! (It doesn't matter whether that's the truth or not! It just has to flow well, that's all).

Songwriters who write constantly understand how to harness the power of inspiration. The above example was quite a negative day, but if was the opposite, then you would write about just that, (ever heard of 'Lovely Day' by Bill Withers?).

Structure your song so you are keeping your listener interested in where your song is taking them next.

A quick chat with Alice Cooper

A little insight here to rock legends Alice Cooper's character. A cool article on where his love for lyrics began and what he's most proud of. Very inspirational.

Calvin

Cooper on songwriting, persona, Tigers Toledo Free Press, USA - Jun 28, 2006 By Vicki L. Kroll. Vincent Furnier was born in Detroit in 1948 and later changed his name to Alice Cooper. He went on to change the ...

>> Cooper on songwriting, persona, Tigers - Toledo Free Press

What makes a Hit Song?

What a fantastic article on how to make your own mark as a songwriter and how to stand out from the publishers point of view. Have good form, a good style, be original... sound boring? FAR from it. Read on...

Special thanks to James Linderman for such as valuable insight.

Calvin

The Hit Song Puzzle

"Lets face it, as songwriters, we are all trying to sort out the pieces of a huge puzzle. The puzzle represents what it is that publishers are exactly looking for as they weed through the thousands of demos they receive, in search of the next big hit. Perhaps it would help if we were to try to imagine what we might ask them to create if it was their job to make the art and our job to sell it.

I think we would then begin to look at the music marketplace as a place where business trends and sociological shifts meet with creating art and making your mark. This is where the rubber meets the road if it is a hit song you are after..."

>> Songwriting Articles - The Hit Song Puzzle (James Linderman)

technorati tags:hit, song, songwriter, publisher

All New Songwriting Competition

Hey people. For those who are 'in the know' will know that this year brings us a very exciting and inviting new songwriting competition called SongDoor 2006. The beauty of this event is that there are no losers. As many songwriters struggle to get their golden nuggets heard, events like this will surely super-charge the process.

It doesn't matter what style you write - folk, soul,R&B, country, pop, etc. This contest is being judged by a wide range of artists/songwriters - all the way from Nsync to Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Check it out!

Calvin

>> Launch of the Songdoor 2006 International Songwriting Competition PR Leap (press release), CA - 21 Jun 2006 (PRLEAP.COM) NASHVILLE, TENN., USA - June, 2006 — The SongDoor 2006 International Songwriting Competition, in association with SongU.com, Jay’s Place, The ...

technorati tags:songwriting, competition, 2006, songdoor

Welcome to all Songwriters

Hello all,

Welcome to my blog, 'Songwriting Tips & Secrets'. I look forward to bringing you the latest news, tips, tricks and techniques in the world songwriting.

Watch this space...

Calvin Rele