Technical Hitches And Things To Avoid As A Singer-Songwriter

Technical Hitches And Things To Avoid As A Singer-Songwriter

Technical hitches and things to avoid as a singer-songwriter
A Guest Post by Rowen Bridler

This week I was all set to give you a video of my interview with a fitness expert who would convince you all to make sure you exercise, because, quite frankly, as a singer or actor you need to be fit. If only to have the strength to deal with the multitude of ‘personalities’ and ‘difficulties’ you may encounter…

But then YouTube decided it didn’t like my quicktime file which is what I end up with from recording Skype calls. I was so chuffed that I’d worked out how to edit it as well, but to no avail. So I’ll see if I can fix the problem for next time.

However, this gives me the perfect opportunity to tell you about some unrelated other news. I don’t often talk about my own music work as part of the resources on this site. That’s mainly because I want this site to be about how I can help YOU. It’s not meant as a self-promotion vehicle. And I also don’t want to be one of those vocal coaches who make themselves the star and pose with Simon Cowell. (God forbid.) I’m happy to help someone audition for X Factor if that’s what they want to do, but the work we would do towards something like that is not about posing and celebrity hob-nobbing. It’s about the simple techniques you need to hone in on to be clear which parts of a song are causing you trouble and how to fix it, quickly and efficiently. Having looked at a few other vocal teachers’ sites, I got really clear about what makes my teaching different. And it’s that ‘no flashiness’ idea. I re-wrote the blurb on the home page to reflect that, which you can read here.

Similarly, sharing from personal experience, having a career as a singer in today’s music industry isn’t about posing in cool music videos and having the latest keyboard/recording software/sunglasses. The music industry has gone through a lot of changes and it’s become necessary for musicians and singers to utilise the internet like a business owner. You need to clarify what your brand is, who precisely your audience is and what they use your music for. Are you an artist like Lady Gaga who writes for people wanting some great pop tunes to get dressed to before going out and who is the oddity in their peer group and therefore needs that reassurance that it’s ok to be different? Or are your songs about soothing people who are just lying on their bed at home on their own and thinking? Or are your songs about just dancing and having fun? The need to be clear about your brand and not stray from that either musically or in the promotional posts you make on social media has become paramount because these days you cannot be the mysterious artist no-one can get to know, anymore. You have to talk directly to your fans. And in order to do that, you need to know who you’re talking to.

If you post on Facebook about your trip to the hairdresser’s when your fans are 25 year old men who love death metal and Marilyn Manson fashion sense, then you’re mismatching your promo with your music’s audience. And you are better off being really specific about that audience instead of saying, ‘I want to reach out to everyone’ because it’s great if people hate you. Write-off a particular area of potential audience and you re-affirm that the type of fan you really want has come to the right place. I might like Nine Inch Nails’ music too, but I’m definitely not Trent Reznor’s target audience. And that’s ok, because those who are, LOVE him. I just kind of like his songs.

So if you are a 28 year old woman who’s seen a few hard times, is struggling to overcome a severe lack of support and wants to do something outrageously different to what your family, peers and co-workers are doing and who is looking for a Dr. House-like dry humour with which to shake the hardship off and overcome all that stuff, then you might like my songs. And if so, you would do well to sign-up here, because not only will you get a free song for your trouble, but it’s where all the ground-breaking, independent strong woman stuff is going on and you’ll find a home there.

And that’s the end of my one post that mentions my other work quite so blatantly.

Have you had difficulty promoting your own work as a singer-songwriter? Do you often struggle to be clear on who your target audience is and how to best reach out to them? Leave a comment in the box below to tell us how you feel about the music industry and how to successfully sell your music in today’s market.

Rowen Bridler is a singer-songwriter, actress and voice coach. She lives in Prague in the Czech Republic but works with clients all over the globe via Skype. She specialises in coaching actors and singers with an issue with a song or speech that needs fixing, or a performance to prepare for, using simple and systematic techniques to target problem areas quickly. She is currently working on a Danish film,'1864', where she plays Johanna von Bismarck, speaking in German. She has a 'minisongs' series of short 15 second videos of her own songs on Tout, which she releases every Friday. In her spare time, she can be found wearing Cookie Monster t-shirts and pearls and reading old copies of Vogue.

http://www.rowenbridler.com
www.howtosingforyourlife.com

Snip! Why Editing your Songwriting is Essential

Snip! Why Editing your Songwriting is Essential
A Guest Post by Songwriting Scene

In my daily, money-making life, I am afreelance copywriter and editor, crafting marketing materials for corporate entities in the business-to-business world…YAWN…ZZZZZ. Yes, I know. It’s not as scintillating as songwriting.

I do dig my day job, though, most of the time (especially when those checks arrive). One of my favorite tasks is editing — either my own or someone else’s writing. Believe it or not, it can be quite a Zen experience to take an unwieldy piece and whittle it down, removing unnecessary rambling, excessive verbiage and repetitive words or sentences.

A few of my own, occasionally rambling, thoughts about why editing your songwriting is essential:

You Can’t Put Everything in the Lifeboat
The other day, I re-read a post I published a couple of years back, a “Songwriting Manifesto” written by the late singer-songwriter Jack Hardy. In it, he has some great “deep” thoughts about editing your songwriting:

“The first step of editing is to get out anything that is bad writing. The second step is harder to learn: You have to get out even the good writing if it does not serve the point. It is difficult. The lifeboat is leaving. There are too many people for it. They are all good and deserving people. But if they all go in the lifeboat, it will sink!”

Wrap Your Songwriting Gift Impeccably
I’m a terrible gift-wrapper, but I like blogger Akshat Rathi’s description of editing your writing – he compares it to wrapping a beautiful gift carefully and thoughtfully, creating a wonderful presentation for the recipient. In the case of your song, of course, how you present it as a piece of written work can make a big difference:

“What do you think of a gift that comes impeccably wrapped? Even before you open it, you have in your mind the assumption that the giver must have really cared about giving this to you. Why else would they have gone to the trouble of using a good wrapping paper, cutting the edges with scissors and sticking tape in the right places? Suddenly, the contents of the gift will seem to be much better than if you had received the same thing in a badly wrapped version of the gift. That is the same feeling that a person has when they read a flawless piece of writing compared to one that has many mistakes. The contents of the writing might be the same but the way it is presented makes a big difference.”

Don’t Edit Your Process, Just the Finished Product
One big mistake writers make, though, is getting frozen creatively because of pre-editing fright. If you know you’re going to have to edit, it can be hard to just let a first draft flow. After all, why not just try and make it perfect the first time around?

But creative writing, or even craft-type writing like the marketing pieces I work on, doesn’t work like that. You have to let everything just come out as it may and then you can get out your “scissors” and snip away.

That’s the great thing about editing, though. You can always edit. You can always snip a bit here and there and tighten things up. What’s harder, really, is coming up with creative ideas in the first place.

So let those lyrics grow and bloom — once they’re out in the world, you can give them a trim. You’d be surprised how they clean up real nice.

Songwriting Scene is a blog founded by New Jersey-based singer-songwriter Sharon Goldman, written for songwriters about songwriting -- including tips, interviews, inspiration and thoughts about the creative process.

3 Crucial Whys & Hows to Get Out of Your Writing Comfort Zone

3 Crucial Whys & Hows to Get Out of Your Writing Comfort Zone

Written by Cliff Goldmacher

One of the many challenges we songwriters face is that we’re tasked not only with creating something from nothing, but our “somethings” need to be unique – and not only compared to what others have written but also compared to what we’ve written before. This is no small feat, and the moment you think you’ve “figured it out” as a songwriter is exactly when you need to leave your creative safe place and shake things up again. To help you along the way, I’ve listed a few “whys” and “hows” to get you out of your songwriting comfort zone.

The Whys

1. You’ll demonstrate your versatility to music industry decision makers.
By showing you’re not afraid to experiment and explore new musical and lyrical territory and be a bit left of center, you’ll show those in the industry - whether publishers, record label execs or music supervisors - that they can consider you and your music for a wide variety of projects. This can be essential when one area dries up and the industry is looking for something new.

2. You’ll broaden your opportunities for collaboration.
Quite simply, the more styles and approaches that you’re comfortable writing in, the more collaborations you’ll be suited for. The flexibility that you’ll develop by not writing the same style of song in the same way will help you step into a variety of co-writing situations. This concept of new and different collaborators is also a fundamental part of the “how” to leave your songwriting comfort zone.

3. You’ll keep yourself - and the people who listen to your songs - from getting bored.
Songwriting is difficult enough, but heaven help you if your motivation to write starts to fade. By challenging yourself with new songwriting approaches, you’ll stay engaged in the process. And, better yet, your core group of listeners and industry contacts will also stay interested in what you’re doing. It’s just as dangerous to have those folks lose interest due to the sameness of your songs as it is for you to lose your motivation.

The Hows

1. Put down your instrument.
We’re often limited in our songwriting by how well or in what style we play an instrument. Work on the melody (and the lyric) without your trusty guitar or piano, and you’ll be amazed at the new places your songwriting will go.

2. Vary your rhyming approach.
A typical songwriting mistake is to use rhymes that are so predictable that the listener knows exactly how the line will end before you get there. Look for unpredictable rhymes, which not only tell a more unique story but surprise the listener when they arrive. You can also deviate from your normal rhyming patterns and make use of internal rhymes to add an interesting touch both lyrically and vocally. Little variations like these can open up brand new areas in your writing with very little effort.

3. Write with new collaborators.
As I discussed earlier, varied collaborations are an excellent way of keeping your songwriting fresh. Even if your idea is unique, going to the same collaborator over and over will most likely result in a similar sounding song, no matter how new the idea. As much as possible, resist the temptation to fall back on the familiar. There’s also the fabulously motiving element of fear. It’s always a little nerve-wracking to go to a new co-write, but it’s that same nervous energy that creates great art!

It’s almost unfair - after you’ve spent all that time learning your craft and honing your songwriting approach to a fine point - to tell you to change it all up again. However, the benefits mentioned above, which come from stepping outside of your comfort zone, will far outweigh the extra work and mental gymnastics required. As I’m fond of reminding myself (when I’m resisting what I know will be good for me), fortune favors the bold.

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 including monthly online webinars. Go to http://www.educatedsongwriter.com/webinar/ for the latest schedule.

Cliff’s 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

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Random word match

Open up a book and select a random word from it, then try to relate that word back to what it is you're trying to do. There are certainly ways the words can relate, you just have to find them.

I like this creative idea, I have read about this for songwriters that like to write lyrics for their songs, I'm more of an instrumental songwriter myself. But for lyricists this is great. But you have to be in music to use this technique. But this is how I relate to it.

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studio 1215 news: A Music Marketer's point of view of one of the greatest singer/songwriters Jani Lane (Former lead singer of Warrant)

studio 1215 news: A Music Marketer's point of view of one of the greatest singer/songwriters Jani Lane (Former lead singer of Warrant)

I will have to say myself that I was surprise to hear the news myself. That one of my favorite band's from back when I was in high school (1985-1990). That there former lead singer had past. Warrant to me was one of the best rock bands back in that era. R.I.P Jani Lane. This article is from one of his music marketers from when he was in Warrant when Cherry Pie was released. And the talks about alot of the problems, and issues that were going on with Jani Lane during that time frame. This is a good piece to read for alot of fans of Jani Lane, and of Warrant.

A Music Marketer's point of view of one of the greatest singer/songwriters Jani Lane (Former lead singer of Warrant)

One of the greatest singer/songwriters of music history Jani Lane

I will have to say myself that I was surprise to hear the news myself. That one of my favorite band's from back when I was in high school (1985-1990). That there former lead singer had past. Warrant to me was one of the best rock bands back in that era. R.I.P Jani Lane. This article is from one of his music marketers from when he was in Warrant when Cherry Pie was released. And the talks about alot of the problems, and issues that were going on with Jani Lane during that time frame. This is a good piece to read for alot of fans of Jani Lane, and of Warrant.