Something I have always noticed about new writers and artists as they make their pilgrimages to Twang Town is that they ALL FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE BEEN DRIVEN TO DO THIS! And there is validity in that.
Question:” Do you know the difference between a six week old puppy and a songwriter/artist/anyone trying to be involved in this business?”
Answer: “Eventually the puppy stops whining.”
Over the past two days I have written on the subject of the difficulty of getting major cuts in this day and age. It is hard even for "inside" writers and publishers to get them and ESPECIALLY hard for independent, non-connected, OUTSIDE writers.
No matter what it is you do in music - artist, songwriter, player - it's pretty likely that you know you could do more with your instrument. Maybe you're a singer that doesn't want to rely on hiring an accompanist or worrying about backing tracks (ugh, but that's just my slanted opinion).
Every year, kind of like clockwork, people go through their “NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS” and of course with songwriters, it always includes, “THIS IS THE YEAR TO GET MY MAJOR LABEL CUT!” I understand all the “Norman Vincent Pealeism’s” of “The power of Positive thinking, and all, and do understand th
This is going to be a little "suggestion lesson" that I want to mention to those of you who are in the LYRIC areas of websites, doing open mics, writers nights, trying to make your way in the new landscape of the industry.
This post is one of my ongoing "SONGWRITING SUGGESTIONS" That I am offering up for people attempting to get into the songwriting/performing area of music.
Co-writing: The art of sharing your heart felt ideas with another person and trusting the two of you will create songwriting magic. This can be tremendously rewarding and often frustrating. But there are some guidelines to make this experience more often than not a great one.
By Gary Burr Songwriting Master Class • August 19, 2016
Writing a song is an amazing and mystical process. It's also roll-up-your-sleeves hard work and involves a great deal of headache-inducing staring at a blank page (or a computer screen for you "kids").
For any of you who have ever been frustrated by getting a publisher, producer, artist, or ANYONE In the music industry to listen to your songs, one of the PRIMARY REASONS is THIS.
1) Verb tenses changing or going back and forth in a weird way. This is one of the mistakes I see most often when critiquing song lyrics. Switching between past, present and future can really mess your lyric up if you are not super clear about what is going on.
Whether you are writing for your own pleasure or you hope to have your songs recorded by major artists, here are some steps you can take to write better songs instantly.
Throughout my 20 years as a professional songwriter, I’ve noticed there is not always a large difference in talent level among most creative people. Why, then do some songwriters seem to have an over abundance of fans buying their music and other writers struggle to sell the first song?
The landscape of the music industry, though constantly changing, remains steady on several key ingredients that consistently produce the songs we hear every day. Reversing the steps from songwriting to radio-ready, one element we tend to see commonly is the collaboration of several songwriters.
I’ve been asked several times about my experiences in Nashville. So, from the prospective of a fledgling songwriter, who lives 2500 miles from Nashville, and who tries to make the trek a couple of times a year, here’s what I discovered.
When you come to Nashville, if you want to make connections in the music industry, don’t go around handing out CDs of your music to anyone who will take one. It will make you look like an amateur and you won’t be taken seriously.
Seeking out criticism of your songs can feel like asking someone to trample on your dreams. Like, “Hey there, here’s something I put my entire heart and soul into. I’d love for you to tear it apart for me!”
Songwriting is such a tricky and elusive art to pursue and sharpen. It's an individual process, and there's no right or wrong way to write. Oftentimes, songwriters will find a process or writing style that works for them and stick to it.
As a songwriter, Leon's songs have hit the charts across all genres and have been covered by a diverse range of artists. Ray Charles recorded 'A Song For You', B.B. King had a hit with 'Hummingbird', The Carpenters with 'Superstar' and Joe Cocker with 'Delta Lady'.
While having a finished song is its own victory, there’s more work to do if you’re hoping to keep your records straight, stay organized and possibly generate income with your song.
I’m always looking for new creative solutions to common songwriting problems for my clients. Sometimes this takes me pretty far outside my own experience and beyond songwriting resources to explore how other creative types deal with their particular road blocks.
“He got lucky. That will never happen again.” After celebrating my first number one song, “Beautiful Mess,” a friend of mine told me that a big successful songwriter spoke these words about me.
If you are a songwriter you need to learn how things work in the music business. Here is a good tutorial on songwriting along with things you need to know to be successful.
Songwriter Colton Jones asks Music Row veteran Bobby Rymer, for some tips to help songwriters who want to make it their career.
This discussion is a wealth of information for the songwriter who wants to make it here in Nashville.
Barbara Cloyd is one of Nashville's treasures who runs the Bluebird Cafe.
Here is a lady who knows her business and is nice enough to pass on her experience.
Listen to this video and learn some tips and tricks to be professional when onstage.
I recently hosted one of my monthly BMI Nashville Songwriter Workshops where each of the fifty attendees had an opportunity to pitch one song to a successful publisher. As is typically the case at these workshops, with few exceptions, every song played was perfectly crafted.
Over the last decade of working with some of music’s top producers, recording artists, and songwriters, I started noticing similar personality traits and habits of these highly creative people.
Every songwriter goes through times when the inspiration just seems to dry up, and the perspiration doesn't seem to be working. Debbie Poyser offers some guidance.
Do you want to see how to get your band noticed? Our old friend Jim Huish did it with "The Cup Song" and a few guns. This video went viral on the Internet. Jim has over 3 million views of this song.
Here is the amazing Dwayna Litz singing " I Forgive You" off her new CD .
Dwayna sent me her new CD to review the music and let her know what I thought.
below is the review. You will see that I liked it quite a bit. This is a great collection of songs well worth the listening.
Each fall Nashville Ear awards the Best of the Best honor to the songwriter that we feel stood out with exceptional songwriting and performances. Please join us in congratulating this years award winner Kurt Fortmeyer for the year 2014.
Learning how to finger pick your songs adds a depth and quality that cannot be achieved with a flat pick.
I am not sure if you songwriters know about James Taylor's guitar lessons. They are all free
.He shows how he finger picks all his favorite songs.
Here is veteran songwriter Barbara Cloyd from the Bluebird explaining how the "business side" of songwriting works. She is just full of good information and suggestions for the starting writer as well as good things to check for the veteran songwriter.
Writing songs is an art that must be learned. There are several constants in writing that will help in the successful completion of a good song. Jerry Cupit is a veteran Nashville songwriter who has written a great book on songwriting.
