5 Ways to Diversify Your Songwriting

source: songtrust by Jon Ostrow

After a year(s) of songwriting, you may find that your songs aren’t feeling as fresh as they once did. Whether it’s the lyrics, the melodies or simply the chord progressions that you use, once your process begins to feel stale, you need to find a way to diversify your songwriting to keep your new music interesting.

Thankfully, the secret to a fresh, diversified sound doesn’t have to be an extreme music makeover. There are many simple tweaks that you can employ to your songwriting process that can give your songs the lively feel you’re looking for.

To read the entire article go here

Technorati Tags: Song, songwritng, Tips

Songwriting contest slides into Aspen

aspenpost.net1/17/12 by Andre Salvail

The fourth of six preliminary rounds for a songwriting contest associated with this year’s 7908 Aspen Songwriters Festival will be held tonight in Aspen at The Red Onion. Contest coordinator Amy Kaiser, who also is the …

Rusty Wier songwriting contest, 1/15/12

sceneintown.com1/17/12 by Mary Jane Farmer

Round one of the 2nd Rusty Wier Songwriting Contest, (week 2) Sunday, Jan. 15, was a full four-hours of solid songs, presented three at a time by 16 songwriters. Each played solo, using acoustic guitars. Host Brett Dillon …

Song writing Contest – A great opportunity for pursuing a career

showamerica.com1/15/12

For new songwriters wanting to get discovered, a song writing contest provides a great platform. These days, there are many online singing and songwriting contests, which present huge scope to these new song writers. …

Songwriting Contest

joepeckblogarhythms.wordpress.com1/4/12 by Joe Peck

Now I know that – in large part – all songwriting contests are designed as income sources for their sponsoring organizations. But that doesn’t stop thousands of hopefuls, including myself, from entering. Nor should it. Thus, I’ve …

Inside Home Recording Songwriting Contest! Win PreSonus Stuff!

www.presonus.com1/6/12

January 6, 2012. Inside Home Recording Songwriting Contest! Win PreSonus Stuff! Contest announcement! If you play your cards right, you could win a PreSonus AudioBox and a copy of our Studio One DAW for a song… …

A Dad-or-Daughter Songwriting Contest

www.freakonomics.com10/5/11 by Ian Ayres

So today I’m announcing a contest where you could earn a chance of winning an iTunes gift card worth somewhere between $50-$500. To play, just click through and listen to these three songs – Friend Zone, Longer, & Your …

Tips to get selected in a songwriting contest

ganm.org12/28/11

Songwriting contests offer the biggest platform for aspiring songwriters to transform themselves from amateurs to professionals in the world of music. The songwriters achieve popularity, exposure and many music brands …

Songwriting Contests: Dallas Songwriters Song and Lyric Contests

songcontests.blogspot.com1/7/12

Now in its 22nd year, The DSA 2011 Song Contest is one of the longest running international song contests for amateur songwriters. Offering over $5000 in cash and prizes this year, the DSA has EIGHT categories in all. …

Zoo Lion Music :: VOTE for Zoo Lion!!! Song writing contest 2012 …

www.zoolionmusic.com1/5/12

Song writing contest 2012!! Hey all! Our song ‘Lost In Translation’ has been entered in the Canadian Radio Star national songwriting contest, and we need your votes!!! Click on the link below and follow the directions to VOTE! …

Guitar Center’s Singer-Songwriter competition

www.ellenwood-ep.com1/11/12

the world’s largest retailer of musical instruments and equipment– announces the top ten finalists of Guitar Center Singer-Songwriter, the artist discovery program which aims to find the nation’s best unsigned singer-songwriter.

Lyric/Songwriting Contest!

josieshow.com12/16/11 by Josie Passantino

Lyric/Songwriting Contest! « on: December 16, 2011, 09:05:10 AM ». Find out about the Lyric/Songwriting Contest brought to you in collaboration with Conscious Music Entertainment & The Josie Show

The best aspect about Songwriting Contests

vistapointatbreckenridge.com1/9/12

Theere are a lot of benefits of entering a free songwriting contest. However, some writers are skeptical to participate and send their songs for a variety of reasons. While competition usually brings out the best in aspiring songwriters, you need to consider the other side of the coin a well.

Technorati Tags: lyric contest, performing songwriter contest, song contest, song contest performance opportunities, Songwriting

It’s The John Lennon Songwriting Contest, Not The John Lennon Enunciation Contest
16-year-old Eliza Callahan got a nice surprise on Good Day New York when she learned that she took the top prize in this year’s John Lennon Songwriting Contest. (She becomes the youngest winner since the contest began in 1997.) On hand as the already-declared winner in the Rock category, she performed her winning “Bridge Song,” an swinging, jazzy romp with an itchy walking bassline and solid energy throughout. It’s not a bad little song.
Keep reading …

“Platinum Hit” — “The Winner Takes it All” — Finale Highlights
The assignment for the week? To write the hit of their lives. No predetermined subject, no finished track, not even a Hook Challenge. Instead, Sonyae, Jes and Scotty get writing tips from hit writer Evan “Kidd” Bogart and production help from J.R. Rotem (Rihanna, Britney Spears.) A full backup band and backing vocalists are provided for the Final 3 when they perform their songs in front of music industry insiders, families, the jury made up of Jewel, Kara DioGuardi, RCA/Jive’s Keith Naftaly and guest judge Leona Lewis, and the eliminated contestants.
Keep reading …

Showcasing North Bay songwriting talent (Petaluma, CA)
The West Coast Songwriters North Bay Competition Playoffs is set to be a night of fresh, original music by up-and-coming musicians. Ten winners of the monthly West Coast Songwriters North Bay Competition are ready to compete for the “Song of the Year” title in the playoffs to be held Wednesday, Aug. 10 at the Mystic Theatre. For the past 20 years, the West Coast Songwriters Association has hosted a competition designed to not only showcase the best songwriting talent, but also to offer support and advice from musicians in the industry as well as networking opportunities.
Read more …

Songwriting contest’s deadline approaching (Bend, OR)
The deadline to enter the Dave Carter Memorial Song writing Contest will close Sunday. Contestants can submit up to three songs to be judged for originality, uniqueness, structure, prosity (the fit of lyrics and music) and memorability. Finalists will perform a 15-minute set to determine a winner. The contest winner will be selected mid-August and will perform a short set at the Sisters Folk Festival. The winner will also be invited to perform at the 2012 Sisters Folk Festival. Finalists will receive two nights lodging, meal vouchers and one all-event pass to the festival.
Keep reading …

Ann Hampton Callaway, Neil Sedaka, et al. to Judge Songwriting Competition
The Concerts at Tudor City Greens is sponsoring a songwriting contest of songs celebrating New York’s parks and green spaces, and the different roles they play in the lives of New Yorkers. THe jury will incude: Neil Sedaka, Amanda McBroom, Ann Hamton Callaway, Michael John LaChiusa, David Friedman, and Matt Parillo.
Keep reading …

Technorati Tags: song contest, Songwriting

“How do you deal with self doubt as a songwriter?”

Good question. It is something all creative people face.

First, let’s take a look at some of our great creative types and their battles with self doubt:

The famous painter Agnes Martin said: “An artist is the one who can fail and fail and still go on.”

The writer John Keats said just before he died, “I have left no immortal work behind me—nothing to make my friends proud of my memory.”

“A bad word from a colleague can darken a whole day,” Orson Welles once told Peter Bogdanovich. “We need encouragement a lot more than we admit, even to ourselves.”

Do these feelings go away once you achieve success or recognition? Let’s take a look:

The first time legendary jazz drummer Gene Krupa played Carnegie Hall, he said, “I never expected to get into Carnegie Hall…I never even expected to get into the front door, let alone come through the back door the way all the really great artists have.”

Jazz trumpeter Harry James, also when playing Carnegie Hall for the first time said, “I feel like a whore in church.”

After returning from his first tour of England and France in 1933, the legendary Duke Ellington said, “If they think I’m that important, then maybe I have kinda said something, maybe our music does mean something.”

Leonardo da Vinci said, “That painter who has no doubts will achieve little.”

So here’s the thing songwriters:

Doubt, while scary, is normal. Realizing it is normal can be a freeing experience. Take comfort in the fact that – as long as you are attempting to create something (i.e. working hard) – self doubt will come, and the more you push yourself the more that doubt may creep to the surface. That means you are on the right track. You are following in the footsteps of the great ones.

Songs come from a place that can’t be described logically. When an interviewer asks famous songwriters how they write songs, they often respond with jokes, or how they just let go and let the song come to them.

You see, anything creative comes from that un-explainable place, from the muse. Since it is mysterious and illogical, all you can do is channel that spirit and have faith. Yes, faith. That is how you combat the creative self-doubt.

Learn to build faith in your creative process. It is a daily, lifelong process. Think of it like yoga, a martial art, or anything that takes a lifetime to master.

It’s a practice of faith for what you believe in – that magic combination that brings together the song.

Technorati Tags: Songwriting

This article is based on the simple idea that you have probably heard me talk about many times in my work and that I personally think is the most important success factor in your music career.

credit: mockstar

And if I can get my brain into the right gear I think this will be one of the most important daily habits I can show you on the path to musical glory!

So no pressure there then ;-p

The simple idea is that if you can keep making progress with your songwriting each day and have a system for coming up with great work you will wake up one morning and realize that your music has reached the tipping point of quality. So rather than having to spam your stuff all over the web to try and get some attention, all you have to do is just send a simple tweet out or post up a YouTube video and your fans will spread it around the web for you like a viral cupcake.

Why is Songwriting Such a Bitch for Most of Us?

It’s all well and good to play covers and write the odd tune, but to give the illusion that you have super human musical genius you need to give time to your craft six days a week.

I say “illusion of genius” because it is my personal belief after reading a great book called “Outliers” that there is no such thing as genius, but just people who have worked on their skills for 10,000 hours or more.

After that much practice humans seem to take on a superhuman ability.

For a great example of this you can look at the Beatles. They were just a normal up and coming Liverpool band like any other before they went to Hamburg and played gigs for 20 hours per day. At that rate of playing it was easy for them to get in their 10,000 “genius hours” and come back to the UK as the best band to have ever played a note.

Think I mentioned that idea in a post the other day so sorry to repeat myself…

A lot of people have a fear of songwriting because they think of all the times they have sat there with no ideas and an empty song book. All the times that their worked seemed to be embarrassingly bad, and the thousands of snippets of songs that seem to have no connection, and that you know could be great if you could just finish them off.

For the rest of this article I’m going to show you a method to break down the barriers of this songwriting fear.

Becoming a Songwriting Machine

credit: Dennis Wong

The first thing we need to do is throw out everything we learned about writing at school, because the idea of trying to write the perfect song all in one go is total crap.

This is about being creative…

My songbook is covered in doodles, and all manner of things that just pop into my head while writing. You need to connect with your inner child and imagination a little bit.

This daily exercise is going to be fun and because you are going to commit to this there is no reason to think that what you write at first even has to be any good.

Think of it like this…

If there are two songwriters and one of them writes one song per month and the other one has a songwriting schedule to produce work everyday, who is going to be the expert in one year’s time?

That’s right, you guessed it. The second songwriter is not only going to have many more songs to choose from, but also has the massive benefit of being able to compound songwriting efforts over time, and get a little bit better each day.

If you track your songwriting progress on YouTube (as I suggest) you will be amazed at the progress you make each month, and you will naturally start to build a following if you use a few simple tricks.

The other day I was listening to Hagop talking about a songwriter who said that only 1 out of every 100 songs he wrote would be a hit, so it is was massively important to keep the gravy train rolling.

Step 1 – The Music Ideas Recharge

credit: joe.ross

This is where you build up subconscious ideas for your work. One of the best ways to do this is to jump onto a site like www.ultimate-guitar.com and play through songs that you love.

Notice the chord structure and how the melodies work together, and get a feel for why the song has such an impact.

You can also look at news websites and Twitter to see what’s going on and affecting people in the world, if you like to write more current stuff.

This process should not take you more than 20 minutes and you should not start writing straight away.

You need to give time for the ideas to start to roll around in your subconscious so come back and write your tune the next day.

*Important* This means that as you start to make songwriting a daily habit you will write up your ideas from the previous day when you get up in the morning, and then recharge for tomorrow.

As you recharge you need to actively be taking notes and taking song ideas down in some kind of notebook because you will pick one idea to work on for the songs.

You can use Evernote to make a master list of your ideas, when you are on your PC and they also have an iPhone app which keeps all your ideas synced up.

Step 2 – 25 Minutes of Music Fun

credit: pheezy

You will need:

• Timer
• Recorder
• Some kind of instrument (optional)

When you come back the next day its time to start writing. Set your timer for 25 minutes and have your recorder handy.

You want to pick one song idea and stick with it until you have completed the whole thing. Even if you are not finished and have to come back for another session

Now you just let it all out, start to think of ideas and melodies, after a while you will hit upon something that makes sense; but you should never judge what you write at this point.

Your goal is to play for 25 minutes everyday rather than to produce a great song because that will take care of itself in the editing phase, as you start to build up a body of work.

The reason this works so well is because most people never spend any real amount of time actually focusing on a single tune.

Usually people sit down with a guitar, or piano and jump from idea to idea disregarding what they are playing as “crap” then moving on. The old way of writing is inefficient because you end up with a load of ideas but nothing finished.

The first five minutes will be like a rocket taking off, you will feel the pull of gravity to give up and go and look at Facebook, but if you can breakthrough the pull of procrastination the ideas will come like a flood.

Wow that was sort of poetic!

The only rule is that you don’t stop recording for the whole 25 minutes and never stop coming up with ideas. You’re alone and nobody is going to laugh so it does not matter at all if what you come up with seems embarrassing because sometimes those rubbish ideas will spark off something magical.

To be honest a 25 minute focused session of songwriting should give you more than enough content to finish a song everyday once you get good at this.

With this process you could generate more songs in a couple of months than you have done in your whole career, it’s really amazing.

The Guidelines

• Write with a stop watch.
• Finish at the end of 25 minutes even if you are writing a masterpiece (This will give you enthusiasm for tomorrow.)
• Don’t criticize what you’ve written, the chances are that 70% of it will be crap and you will edit it out, but there might also be 30% of magic.
• Don’t stop for the whole 25 minute period, if you run out of ideas just sing total gibberish and pretty soon your brain will kick in again and you will be back to inspiration.
• Don’t do research while you are writing. If you are talking about something that needs to be accurate just make up the “facts” and check anything out that you need to in the editing stage.
• Write fast and brain dump everything.

Now we need to polish our creation to make it all nice and shiny.

Step 3 – Editing

The trick is to leave what you have recorded overnight and forget about it. If you try to turn it into a song right away you will get burnt out.

The editing process is simple…

You just sit down with your recording and write up everything that you came up with using google docs or your word processor of choice.

There will be a lot of different options for choruses, verses and lyrics to choose from, and also listen for half mumbled lyrics that you can rewrite and turn into something very profound.

Once you have all your ideas down you want to group them together into verse, chorus, middle 8 or any other way that you put your songs together. Then start to remove or rewrite anything that you are not totally happy with.

Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery, French writer (1900 – 1944)

I believe that to be true of songwriting too, because it is better to have a shorter song that is full of great work rather than something that is flabby and rambling.

Don’t obsess over this step, you need to get the song to a point where you can play it through; you can come back to it with a producer at a later date if need be.

Step 4 – Tell The World

credit: PIAZZA del POPOLO

This might be scary for some of you but the last step is to jump on YouTube and post up your new song.

As I said before this will be a document of your progress, and will also be a great promotional tool for you in time.

The other great reason to post your work is that it’s a good feedback mechanism to see what connects well with your audience.

You just need to make sure that you ignore any of the trolls that come on and say “Your hair looks weird” or that you “can’t sing”. This will happen because people find it funny to be stupid, but just let it roll, and realize that you are on a path to greatness because you have a great daily habit. (I know that sounds a little bit cheesy but it’s true.)

Those idiots are just spending their whole day abusing people on YouTube and masturbating over fake naked pictures of celebrities…

So Fu@% them!

Final Thoughts

If you can create the song writing and posting habit every day your whole music life is going to change because now you walk the walk as a musician and are making progress. Producing a large volume of new work is going to be fun.

To your fans this will seem like magic, and nobody will know how you can be so consistently creative.

Just remember that you are going to suck at first because everybody does. But rather than quitting, it will be your job to just turn up everyday and work on the process.

Go get your timer and GET TO WORK!

Good luck, I’m rooting for ya.

- Chris

Article Source: How To Write An Amazing Song Everyday – *Your 3 Step System*

Technorati Tags: Chris Rockett, Songwriting

The first episode began with an introduction of the hosts, Jewel and Kara DiGuardia, and immediately pushed into the first challenge – coming up with a hook in 30 minutes.

Most interviews where songwriters try to explain how songs come together carry the advise – don’t think – just let the song come to you. Worry about the details later. Keep it primitive.

In the past my daughters have watched kid’s shows like iCarly and Hannah Montana and dreamed of having a show or being a performer. Of course these shows rarely show that work that goes into such productions. Platinum Hit shows what goes on in a fairly real fashion.

Of course what is NOT real is the usual reality show fare of outrageous quotes and behavior of people who are faux famous. I could do without this, but I understand this is part of the deal. Welcome to the world of entertainment.

Like Alec Baldwin’s character on 30 Rock, Jack Donaghty says, “Reality TV either has to be really good, or really bad. There is no middle ground.”

For me Platinum Hit is in the middle. But since it is focused on songwriting I will keep watching. But is that a big enough niche to keep it on the air? I hope so, but only time will tell.

Technorati Tags: Kara DiGuardia, Songwriting, television

Technorati Tags: guy garvey, peter gabriel, Songwriting

The 24-year-old singer told New York Magazine, “I’ve never been more proud of anything in my career… It really solidifies me as a songwriter in the pop music world, which is what I consider myself first and foremost. So it actually is really, really exciting for me when I hear [Britney] sing it. Like, when I hear my own songs on the radio I have to kind of turn it down or change the radio or whatever. When I hear that, I fucking blow the speakers out and I order everybody to dance.”
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Technorati Tags: Kesha, Songwriting

Most of the time, melodies and chords come first- then the words. and the words are usually a combination of a few key ones I have in notebooks (I try to write everyday) and ones I make out of the sounds/place holder words from the melody. it’s been a long time since i have, like, set my words to a tune. These days, the words that end up sticking seem to come only after everything else is in place.
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Technorati Tags: matt nathanson, Songwriting

The professional demo recording process is a necessary part of the equation for songwriters aspiring to get their material heard by music industry decision-makers and, hopefully, cut by successful recording artists. Despite the fact that hundreds of demos are recorded every week in places like Nashville, New York and Los Angeles, new songwriters often find themselves overwhelmed and a bit intimidated by the prospect of getting their songs demoed and ready for prime time. By highlighting some of the mistakes I’ve encountered in my years of recording songwriter demos, I can hopefully help new songwriters avoid some of the pitfalls that result in either overly expensive or ineffective recordings.

Mistake #1: The song isn’t finished.

It would seem obvious but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been paid (on the studio clock) for the privilege of watching a client’s creative process. I do understand why this happens. It’s incredibly exciting to feel like you’ve got a great song on your hands and the temptation is to get it recorded right away even if there’s a small tweak or two left to finish. I mean, how long can it take to re-write the second line of the bridge, right? Well, the reality is that when you’re in the studio and the clock is ticking, the environment is a lot more stressful than it is creative. Not the ideal place to make sure your lyric is perfect. Unless you’re planning on only being a songwriter for another week or so, be patient, take your time and know that waiting another week (or even another month) to make sure your song is done before you book the studio time is always a good policy. Remember, you’re going to be spending real money on this recording so be as certain as you can that your song is ready before you begin the process of recording.

Mistake #2: You haven’t made a rough recording.

Everyone’s writing process is different and vive la difference BUT the one essential part of making sure your song is finished is making a simple rough recording. When I say “simple” and “rough,” I mean one instrument (usually guitar or piano) and a vocal into anything from a hand-held recorder to your smart phone. Here’s why. Without listening back to your song from the perspective of an audience member, you’ll miss a critical part of the writing/editing process. It doesn’t matter if you’ve played the song live a hundred times, by sitting back with a lyric sheet and just listening to the song, you’ll notice little flaws and missteps that you might never have heard if you’d just played and sung the song to yourself. The rough recording gives you the necessary perspective for those last few adjustments. I’d recommend re-recording your rough every time you think you’ve got the song totally finished. There’s an added benefit as well. Once you’re absolutely satisfied with your final rough recording, you’ll then have something to provide the demo vocalist so they can learn your song and you’ll have a reference for the session musicians when they get to the studio.

Mistake #3: You think the demo will fix what isn’t quite working in your song.

Every once in a while you’ll finish a song and feel like it’s missing a certain something but it’s easy to convince yourself the song is fine and just needs the full demo treatment to give it what it lacks. My experience is that if you have reservations before you demo, the demo won’t solve that problem. Of course all songs sound better with a full band of great players on them BUT don’t invest that money to fix a problem that most likely needs to be addressed in the melody and lyric of the song itself. If you find yourself feeling like your song is missing something and you’re not sure what it is, play it for a trusted friend or put it away for a while and come back to it. Demoing to fix the problem is an expensive way to get unsatisfactory results.

Mistake #4: You think you’ll save money by recording/playing on the demo yourself.

I completely understand the mindset. I did it myself for years. The difference is that I was as passionate about becoming a recording engineer and session musician as I was about writing songs. If you’re only looking at recording and playing on your demos as a way to save money and not to become a professional engineer and session musician, then you’re better off hiring experts to do what you don’t do well. The key is to end up with a recording that marks you as a professional not one that saves you money but isn’t up to par. There’s no point in saving money on a demo that isn’t pitchable. Take your own ego out of the equation. No one else can write your song for you. That’s where you’re the expert but unless you’re also an expert at recording, playing and singing in the studio, it doesn’t make sense to do it yourself. When it comes to making a good impression with your demo, your recording has to measure up to the highest quality standards and that’s worth paying for. At the end of the day, if you’re trying to make money with your songs then remember it’s a business and you have to invest money in order to make it.

Mistake #5: You decide to record a full-band demo without having a VERY good reason

It’s understood that professionally recorded, full band demos sound amazing BUT it’s also understood that they’re expensive. Sometimes, VERY expensive. Depending on why you’re demoing your song, a simple, professionally performed and recorded guitar/vocal or piano/vocal may very well be all you need. In my opinion, there are just a few reasons to record a full band demo. First, you’ve got a film/tv pitch opportunity and they’re looking for a full-band sound for a particular scene. A second reason would be that you’re planning on using your demo as an artist project for the singer doing the vocal. For excample, you may be working with a great, young singer and you’re planning on killing two birds with one stone by demoing the song you wrote but also putting together a series of recordings that showcase that singer as an artist. In that case, do it up. You’ll be well served by going all the way with these recordings. That being said, I would strongly suggest not recording a full band demo of your song just because you want to. Professionally performed and recorded demos are never inexpensive but you can get more bang for your buck doing simple, clean guitar/vocal demos of several songs in the place of a fully blown out demo of one song. Remember, you can always go back and add more instruments to a professionally recorded, stripped down demo later if the situation warrants.

By avoiding the above mistakes, you will be removing a good deal of angst from the demo process. It’s always a little stressful getting ready to put your money where your mouth is and the better the decisions you make in advance, the more able you’ll be to enjoy the recording process as you’re going through it.

Good luck!

Bio
Cliff Goldmacher is a songwriter, producer, session musician, engineer, author and owner of recording studios in Nashville, TN and Sonoma, CA. Cliff’s site, http://www.EducatedSongwriter.com, is full of resources for the aspiring songwriter and his company, http://www.NashvilleStudioLive.com, provides songwriters outside of Nashville with virtual access to Nashville’s best session musicians and singers for their songwriting demos.

You can download a FREE sample of Cliff’s eBook “The Songwriter’s Guide To Recording Professional Demos” by going to http://www.EducatedSongwriter.com/ebook.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/EducatedSongwriter
Twitter: edusongwriter