Attention the Independent Artist
NOBODY CARES SHOW Jay and Dirty Bob Show
by Gary Ewer
Songwriting can be an excellent way to express feelings and emotion, but let’s not forget about one of the most important parts of the process. When you write there should be something special about the song. Good songs need that undefinable magic. Gary Ewer has compiled a few tips to make your songs more special.
1. Every song you write needs to show something innovative, something unique that sets it apart from all the other songs that you’ve written. You can go a long way toward this goal by never starting two songs in a row in the same way. If you started with a chord progression to create your last song, you need to start your next one in a completely different way. Don’t use a formula!
2. Try to incorporate an interesting instrument, or instrumental effect, in most of your songs. It can be the difference that grabs people’s attention. What would McCartney’s “Mull of Kintyre” be without the bagpipes? But it doesn’t even need to be that obvious. Even if you’re using a band with a set instrumentation, you can do things in performance that puts a mark of uniqueness on the sound of your songs.
3. Allow your songs’ intros to make a statement. An intro is your songs first and almost only chance to grab people’s attention. Do something creative, something imaginative. An intro can be used to set up a hook, give melodic shapes that come from the rest of the song, and introduce the song’s mood. It’s an opportunity that can be wasted if you’re not careful.
4. Make changes to loudness levels (dynamics) throughout your song. Sometimes a song can sound boring, and all it takes is the drama that comes from changing quickly from softs to louds and back again.
When I critique songs that are sent to me, the most common issue I encounter is “sameness”: nothing stands out. Nothing makes a statement, and the whole song sounds the same from beginning to end.
So for every song you write, make a recording of it,and ask yourself, “What’s special about this song that sets it apart from anything else I’ve ever written? If you can’t answer that question easily, you’ve got to make changes if you want to make an impact.
by Michael Gallant @ gallantmusic.com
Iconic songs come in all shapes and flavors: from Kermit the Frog’s plaintive rendition of “The Rainbow Connection” to AC/DC raging with “Back In Black,” from Thelonious Monk’s wistful meanderings on “’Round Midnight” to John Lennon’s utopian dreaming with “Imagine.” Obviously, the list goes on an on – and wonderfully enough, on a regular basis, inspired songwriters add new entries to the pantheon of timeless compositions.
Creating a memorable song is rarely as easy as just humming a pretty melody and writing down some lyrics, though. And just like writers of prose or non-fiction, even the most successful songwriters hit creative walls.
So where do you turn when you can’t seem to remember how to write a song? What do you do if you’ve got an explosive first verse but can’t come up with a chorus? What if you’re stuck with a blank page in front of you and don’t know where to start? Here are some tips from a range of experienced songwriters to help you overcome your own writer’s block.
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by Gary Ewer @ garyewer.wordpress.com
The best way to use the list is to think of the last three to five songs you’ve written, and give a general answer for each question. If you see the same “no” answers coming up, you may have cause to examine that aspect of your writing.
by evahillered @singingsongwritingstudio.com
If a song is really good, music and lyrics fit like a glove. As a songwriter you need to learn how to refine the interaction between text and music.
Words have a melody and a rhythm in themselves. If you listen carefully to the melody, rhythm, and intonation of the spoken phrase, it is really close to music. That is how we all learned to speak. We listened to the melody and the rythm of words and phrases – and just imitated – so it is not very difficult.
If you are aware of the melody in words – how they sing – you have got access to an important tool in songwriting. Your melody needs to agree with your words in order to get something easy to catch for the listener. Consider also where in your lyrics there is a comma, a question mark, an exclamation point or a break. These should also be reflected by a break, a breathing space, or emphasis in the melody.
Just practise this with any lyric phrase you like.
Listen to the melody of the language, the phrasing, and where you are breathing. Then try to fit the talking into a pulse. Say the words over and over to a set tempo. Change the tempo and be aware if it swings more if you keep the pulse slower or faster. Try also walse or 6/8.
Strengthen the melody found in the language, raise the melody to a song mode (spoken language is usually much lower than the singing voice.) Preferably, use only one syllable for each tone. Try to put words that are stressed higher up in the register of the melody.
This is one of the ways to get text and music to be parts of a happy marriage.
Good luck!
Image by OUCHcharley via Flickr
by evahillered @singingsongwritingstudio.com
It has been said that many authors write the same book over and over again, that they revolve around the same theme as they write. This is also often the case with songwriters. The biggest problem this causes, I think, is when you get tired of your own melodies and chord patterns that you once fell in love with, and that you lose your inspiration – the drive for writing – when you repeat the same stuff over and over again.
Here are a few things you can try to get new music ideas for your songs:
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by evahillered @singingsongwritingstudio.com
In order to get new inspiration and to develop – break your habits!
If writing music comes easy for you, while writing lyrics is the difficult part of songwriting, you should start to write as much as possible. There is only one way to become good at writing lyrics. Write, write, write … Start each day with 5-10 minutes of writing, and write whatever comes into your mind.
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by evahillered @singingsongwritingstudio.com
Your song ideas are your goldmine!
As long as you have ideas, you always have something to work with once you take your time. You need to be a collector of ideas. And remember – always write your ideas down, or record them. It does not matter how good your idea is, it is not certain that you remember your phrase or great melody the next day (you probably don’t!). Most cell phones have audio recording today, and that is ideal as you always bring it with you. Just do not forget to use it!
Put on your songwriting cap!
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by evahillered @singingsongwritingstudio.com
For many songwriters the hardest thing is just to get started. I´ve heard som many people saying that they only write when they feel inspired – and that happens twice a year when they are on holiday! We are living in a time when everyone seems to be extreemly busy. There is always something ”important” on our doing list – that seems to be more important than to ”just” write a song. We have become human doings.
To sit down with our guitar for a while, look at the sky, pet the cat, feel how the air tastes, dream for a while – those are the things we do not allow us to do a normal day. But maybe those are the things that put you into a creative mood. So get back to be connected with your human being.
Put yourself into a mood, or a place, that invites your muse.
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by Gary Ewer @ garyewer.wordpress.com
Check out The 7 Reasons Your Songs Might Be Boring by Gary Ewer. The following list doesn’t include issues that don’t apply directly to the writing of a song. For example, a bad performance can kill a song, no matter how good it is. But when it comes to the actual writing of the song, keep reading and see if you’re committing one of these basic songwriting errors:
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