Songwriting Articles and Software
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Songwriters! - What'cha Doin' In Your Rhythm Fit?
Turning a Band Into Songwriters - 10 Songs In One Hour
SONGWRITING - Recommended Software
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Songwriters! - What'cha Doin' In Your Rhythm Fit?
by: Khaliq Glover aka Khaliq-O-VisionI was watching TV recently and I saw a movie that I hadn't seen in a long time that changed musical history. Wow! Where has the time gone? Can you believe that it's been almost 30 years since the movie "Saturday Night Fever" came out and broke all records at the box office and music sales.
Songwriters and Musicians - Do You Want To Get Paid? You need to go out and rent this movie, or even better, buy the soundtrack and study it very closely. Saturday Night Fever is one of the best selling record albums ever made because of one thing, GREAT SONGS.
The level of song craftsmanship is off the hook. The variety of music in this movie covers every single emotion. There's straight dance music, love songs, funk, r & b, pure disco, ballads, and more.
Up and coming songwriters should make it a point to regularly refer to the greats of the past and examine every nuance of their writing. These masters take the craft to a whole new level that still gets them income decades later.
Don't make the mistake of considering artists like the Bee Gees, or Kool and the Gang, as old fashioned and not what you need to study. These people made hits time and time again, proving that it was no accident. Wouldn't you like to have a fraction of their success? You can if you study them carefully.
You can listen to these songs 30 years later and even though styles have changed, a great song lives forever, and that's how you really get paid. Publishing royalties get you paid over and over and over again.
There is a BIG difference between a SONG and a RECORD. Great songs from the 70's and 80's are constantly being redone and sampled by younger writers and artists all the time. As a result, the songwriters of that era are still getting paid time and time again.
The thing that determines whether music sounds modern or old fashioned are the changes to the beat and rhythm. This applies to singing as well as musical instruments. You can even sing the melody to "Mary Had A Little Lamb" over reggae, rock ,or rap and it takes on a new sound each time, but that great and simple melody is still the basis of it all.
Just think about how differently singers such as Nat King Cole, Judy Garland, Lena Horne, Frank Sinatra, Sara Vaughn, and Elvis Presley sounded compared to singers like Aretha Franklin, Patsy Cline, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Mary J. Blige, or Beyonce.
Young people started singing and making music with more complicated syncopation compared to back in the day when rhythms were much simpler. But, the same 12 musical notes still exist. They just get shifted to different rhythm based on what's happening now.
Even rap is not immune to this effect. Think about how complicated the rhythm is for most rap compared to the days of "Rapper's Delight".
My point to this whole comparison is that if you build your song based on a great foundation of strong melody and lyrics, then it doesn't matter what happens with the rhythm too much because your song can be done in many styles and redone in the future. This will provide you with income well into the future because more than just one artist can perform it.
Destiny's Child redid "Emotions" written by the Bee Gees and it became a hit all over again and they get paid all over again decades later.
Study, study, study old songs to learn the craft and you'll have a huge advantage over your peers. Learn the reason why these songs are so catchy and why you can remember them even if you were a kid when you first heard them. They hook you and never let you go. So now YOU - GO FISH.
Turning a Band Into Songwriters - 10 Songs In One Hour
by: Brandon DruryWhile most bands have good or even very good drummers, guitar players, and bassists (notice I didn't say singers), most bands don't have good songwriters. In fact, songwriting is usually an afterthought with most bands. That's why I came up with the 10 songs in one hour challenge.
That's right, if you did the math, you quickly figured out that the band must write a song every 6 minutes to stay on target and THEY MUST STAY ON TARGET. That's the challenge. You must enforce that they have to get 10 songs done in one hour.
Here's how I do it:
I divide the band in groups of two. If they are a three piece, I'll jump in and play along. Each group gets a guitar, a small amp, and small PA system. I put a wall of gobos (sound deadening device) in between them and I hit go while recording both the guitar amp and vocal mic from each room. One person is expected to sing, the other is expected to play guitar. After each song is written, they must switch.
While this method might seam a little off the wall, it's the best way to get a band to work creatively together. It breaks down a lot of barriers and it's common for about 10% of the songs to be very good. I like this method because it solves a lot of problems. It forces the band to be a band.
One problem the 10 songs in one hour challenge fixes is the notion that the singer has to come up with all the melodies. Why? Okay, a singer should be able to sing, but the melody is the entire song in my opinion. The only thing separating a great song from a crappy song is vocal melody, in my world. So, let's get the entire band in on writing the melodies. You'd be surprised how good your drummer might be at creative vocal melodies.
A lot of guys are shy in front of the mic. I've never recorded any Kansas type bands where the entire band can sing. I'm lucky to find a band where one guy can sing. So the guy with absolutely no clue about singing must get on the mic and do it. Even when a terrible singer gets on the mic, the intent is usually clear. A real singer would have no problem making your drummer's melody sound great. So when you force a guy to sing, he usually adapts to his situation.
It forces everyone to play guitar or similar instrument. This is great. It makes the drummer pick up an instrument that he's not used to. If he can't play it, he must deal with it. That's part of the process. He can play one note lines if he has to. I just want a song. Seldom does proficiency at the instrument effect the quality of the song.
While there are certainly exceptions, a band that is not used to writing a lot of songs, simply won't write a lot of songs. By adapting to this lighting fast method, the band will understand that not ever song has to be great. In fact, you need to write a few terrible songs on purpose just so your brain will be creative enough to do something interesting. Bands play it safe all the time. They feel like each song has to be great. In fact, it's the opposite. I noticed it more with 80s pop groups who weren't going to be dropped after the first record like they are now. They would come up with the most screwed up, stupid songs sometimes. Listen to a bunch of Human League. They had at least 3 top 10 hits, but then listen to “Black Hit of Space” or “Empire State Human”. You can tell they just messed around. When you are actually being creative and experimenting is when you will come up with your hits and your crap.
I'm not saying that the 10 songs in one hour method is the best method for all bands. I think it's a great method for bands who need to come together as a group. It's a great songwriting tool for any band that just expects the singer to write songs. There is no finger pointing. Every band member is responsible for writing great tunes in this situation.
A new and current list of recommended songwriting resources is being compiled now. Below are some great recommendations to assist you in songwriting.
SONGWRITING - Recommended Software
SONGWRITING - How To Songwrite! Become A Musical Mind Reader!
How to Record At Home's "Good Deal Seal"
Investigate!
SONGWRITING - Masters of Songwriting!
The Best Songwriting Book Around - Great For Songwriters Looking To Get To The Top In Today's Music Industry. Everything Is Here From Creating Commercial Songs, To Marketing, Digital Help, Global Covers, To Reading And Understanding Publishing Contracts.
How to Record At Home's "Good Deal Seal"
Investigate!
