|
||
|
                     |
|
||
|
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
When I was in the 6th grade, I got into an argument with the Orchestra teacher. It was the day when the teacher sized you up and told you what instrument you were going to play. You didn't get much of a voice in the matter. He told me that I should play the clarinet. I responded with a very stubborn - no. I suggested the importance of me being able to play guitar in the orchestra. I was relentless and bold. Which was very out of character for me because I was painfully shy. He told me that the orchestra did not have a guitar. I told him that he was lying. He sent me to the Principal's office. In the 6th grade I wrote my first "song". It was bad... When I was 16, I finally got a real guitar. My Mom gave me 50 dollars and I went to the music store and picked out a Yamaha 6 string and paid for it in weekly installments. The lay-a-way plan lasted for several months while I toiled away at my part-time after-school job. And then I learned how to play my first song. And then I wrote my first real song. And then I played my first show. And I sucked. But I got a bit better. And it's taken me a really long time to learn how to craft a song. I write. Usually the melody first. Then I work out the chord arrangements. Then the words. I am a prolific writer. It drives me nuts, sometimes. Especially when I write in my sleep and don't have the will to get up and do something about it. If you are a songwriter - you NEED to have a hand-help recorder. You can tell yourself that the melody you just made up in your head or composed on your instrument of choice will hold until you decide to do something about it. But most likely, you'll forget the melody. And you'll kick yourself. So, do yourself a favor, invest in a good micro-cassette recorder. You can thank me later. For years I suffered from horrible stage fright. But, not anymore. Which is a wonderful thing, because there is nothing worse than loving to write and play but not being able to convey the song to others. I write songs about unrequited love, emotional train wrecks, human frailties, hope and redemption. My
best musical moments are when I am playing with my band.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * Do what you love - love what you do. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Sunflower Medusa, (ASCAP) is the name of my music publishing company. One of my songwriting goals is to write music for movies and television. I also want to stalk Randall Wixen, an independent music publishing administrator. He's the man. He wrote a book too. No, I don't really want to stalk him. I just want to meet him and talk him into administering my song catalog. His book is called, "The Plain and Simple Guide to Music Publishing." Every songwriter should read this book. Own this book. Read it cover to cover twenty times. I've read it three times. And I'll read it again! And again. And again.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Register your songs with the Library of Congress! It's easy. It gives you piece of mind. You can register an entire collection of songs for one price. Go to www.copyright.gov for more information. * * * If you are a performing songwriter, get affiliated with a P.R.O. (Performing Rights Organization.)
* * * If you want to become a better lyricist read, "The Craft of Lyric Writing", by Sheila Davis. * * * For great writing exercises read, "Writing Down the Bones", by Natalie Goldberg. * * * Invest in a good dictionary and thesaurus. A rhyming dictionary? I own one but I can't tell you the last time I cracked it open. * * * Write! * | |||
