Songwriting & Beyond…

I had to take a moment to compose myself when I found out that tomorrow is Christmas eve. I mean, how fast has this year gone? I don’t know about you, but this year …especially the second half - has gone incredibly fast for me.

So what does this holiday season mean to you? Well, technically, Christmas is a religious festival celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. But let’s look at things practically and logically. Christmas is now celebrated by millions people across the board …it has become recognized as an international celebration of ‘connection’ and ‘love’. This (in my opinion) is a beautiful thing. Christmas is an excuse for doing what we should all be doing all year around - and that is making that connection, loving your friends, you family … and caring for strangers. Why not?

I want all of us to think about the things that really matter in out lives. The things that we are eternally grateful for… our families, our friends, the roofs over our heads, the heart to love and care, etc. Just thinking about it for a minute. Take a moment to really reflect on the good things that life has brought you this year. And then look forward to the good times that lay ahead of you.

Now let’s talk about the new year. Do you have anything you want to achieve? Are you looking to study hard for passing those exams? Are you looking to excel at work and get that position you’re after? Are you looking to improve your health/fitness and finally go to the gym and not eat crap all day? Tell me… are you looking kick-start your songwriting career? Do you need to ‘get out there’ and stat performing on stage to show the world what you really have? Is it time you took some kind of action for your passion?

What about relationships… are you looking to restore that magic you had with you wife, your family or your children? Or even your girlfriend or maybe your general friends?

Have you been putting something off?

What do YOU want to work on in the new year?

Do yourself a favour. In fact, let’s all do ourselves a favor and make this happen. The time is now. Whatever you want in life, you can have it. Make those decisions today and make it possible.

I wish you all a brilliant Christmas and a very prosperous new year.

Much love,

Shamir

When it comes to songwriting, we’re creating something. When it comes to producing a song, we’re creating something. When it comes to singing out an improvised melody, we’re creating something. When it comes to teaching music, we’re creating something. When it comes to writing a post on a subject - we’re creating something.

I do all the above - and sometimes, creating something (ANYTHING) is mighty tough when you’ve got other issue’s in your life to deal with.

Sometimes I feel that I should use these emotions to create something else. A song, a piece, an arrangement - or even a story. But the truth is, whatever’s bugging you often finds it’s way to cut through your intellect to actually make the decision to create. Am I not right?

How else are you supposed to justify all the wasted hours we spend on useless, worrisome things? Sorry if this sounds like a rant, it’s just that sometimes (and believe me, this *very rarely* happens) I can’t help but think of things that bother worry me - even if they are small and petty. And as I mentioned, time goes by so quickly, it’s not even funny.

Sometimes, being a creative soul means that you are sensitive to your pain just a little but more then perhaps your friends. You find it hard to think logically when perhaps if you do, then the creativity might diminish.

This post is now going to end here.

I just had to say something…

Shamir

I always appreciate artists, songwriters and musicians no matter what level or style of music they perform in. But it takes quite a lot to actually *blow me away* with just *one single performance*.

Now check this out… and MAKE SURE YOU LISTEN FROM START TO FINISH - the rhythm this guy has - amongst another thing (which you’ll get to hear yourself) is absolutely brilliant.

Who is he? Raul Midon. He’s not a ‘new’ artist - though he’s certainly new to me. Like it? Post a comment below.

Shamir

I get hundreds of emails per week with all kinds of comments, questions and suggestions. One of my subscribers wanted me to post some ‘R&B tips’.

I’m not always keen on isolating a particular genre and advising on it. But this simple email got me thinking about some of the songs I had written in an R&B style.

There isn’t a science when it comes to ANY style of music, but there are certain things I do factor in when writing an R&B song. I’ll go into them here…

An infectious simple hook: It goes without saying, but if you listen to the R&B tracks of today (from artists like Neo or Usher) you’ll notice that there is a very distinctive chorus. An excellent way to do this is to have a phrase in the chorus which you consider the most catchy - and then repeat that phrase twice in the chorus. If you analyze the top ten R&B hits you’ll notice this trend throughout 80% of the tracks.

Be literal in your lyrics: I think it’s safe to say that the majority of the R&B buying crowd are ‘young’. Young people can relate to stories that are literal and ‘real’ (so to speak). Now I don’t say this in a derogatory sense … you don’t have to be young to like stories, not by a long shot. This relates to all genre’s, but it definitely lends itself to an R&B style more so than any other.

Write with syncopation in mind: People often come to me to get their songs recorded, produced and arranged. Many have songs in an R&B style. The ‘good songs’ (at least the one’s which are up tempo) inevitably sound like they were written with a drum beat in mind. If you find this difficult, then you should buy some sort of metronome or click track (you can pick on up from Amazon for as little as $12) and write your melodies and/or lyrics along with the metronome.

Bring some dynamics into the mix: In the Professional Songwriting Secrets we state the importance of expressions in your melodies - keeping your listener interested and hooked throughout the song. Now, of course this could be true nearly all styles of songs, but I’m noticing a pattern in certain R&B songs of today …many of them are being written one a ’single note’ throughout the melody with different words. While this may come across ’slick’ in some up-tempo tracks, this is fast becoming a one trick pony.

Be dynamic in your melodies. For example, stay low in the verse and escalate to a higher range in your choruses - this is just a simple example I’m putting out here.

OK, as I gather up more thoughts on this subject I’ll keep you posted.

Shamir

Yep, just like the title says. My good friend from the other side of the pond was generous to give us yet another quick lesson on guitar chords.

By the way, if you’re keen to know more about Andrews amazing guitar course then click here.

My apologies for taking so long to post another blog comment. I was extremely busy in the studio producing a couple of demo tracks for a couple of cool folks.

Anyway.

I wanted to address something that’s been playing on my mind for a while. In fact, I’ve received numerous emails this and I’m sure I”ll receive may more in the future.

So many have expressed there dis-likeness to write a song that’s cheesy. People say “corny is bad” or “anything cheesy should be shot dead”.

I remember when rock group Aerosmith released their movie themed titled track ‘I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing’ (from the movie Armageddon) …many fans completely dissed the song exclaiming “how could they record such a track?” “How could they record a song written by Dianne Warren?”

Just in case you didn’t know, Dianne Warren is a multi- award winning songwriter who has written for the likes of Celine Dion, LeAnn Rimes, Eric Clapton and a plethora of other million-selling artists and bands.

You know what? I really didn’t see the problem. I also don’t have a problem writing ‘pop’ songs either. I don’t even care if they sound cheesy. Hey, you can’t write a credible masterpiece everytime now, can you? And why should you anyway?

As Aerosmith wanted to sing it, do you think they were embarrassed about it? Do you think they enjoyed performing the song? I think Steven Tyler and the band did a great job at it - both in record and in performance. Despite the fact they they are a ‘rock group’, aren’t they allowed to take a shot at a cheesy pop ballad?

I think so. Which brings me to my main point.

Are you afraid to write a cheesy pop ballad? Are you in a situation where you just feel like if you DON’T write a cool, credible, clever masterpiece of a song that for some reason you’ll get slated?

If so, then please trash those feelings today. There is nothing worse then a songwriter who feels caged in trying to write a song, but doesn’t do so in fear of it sounding corny or cheesy.

So what if it does. It might even be a great corny pop song… like ‘I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing’. Won’t it still be a ’song’? In the end, haven’t you just added another song to your catalogue?

Today you may write a cheesy pop ballad. Tomorrow (metaphorically speaking) you may write a clever masterpiece …and the cycle continues. Don’t try to stop yourself from writing a pop ballad because you fear it may sound cheesy. I say, write the darn song. Complete it. Every last lyric, every last melody, every last chord …just finish it. And don’t rush either… imagine you’re writing the best darn pop ballad ever. Make it a beautiful pop ballad.

OK, sorry for the rant. I just had to get that out my system.

Speak soon…

Shamir
SongwritingTipsOnline.com

Because the good response we had for Andrew’s cool guitar tip (the previous blog post) he’s decided to give us another one!

I know some of you are well versed on your guitar… but some of you will really find this useful.

This time his post and video is about basic building block for blues soloing. This riff can be copies and then variations of it can be used.

Remember, you don’t have to write ‘blues’ style songs to incorporate these riffs! Far from it. You should use them in whatever style you write in. Also, you can play it on any style guitar (ie. electric, classical etc) and check out how it sounds.

So Andrew (from Guitar5Day.com) …thank you very much!

Again, please leave your thoughts here on the blog so we can get more from Andrew … please

Shamir

This video is about a basic building block for blues Soloing. This riff can be copied and then variations can be used.

The Riff is in A minor/a blues but if you slide it up or down the neck can be played in any key.

Here is the tab for the riff:

E|——–5—————-5———–
B|–8b10—–8–5——-5—–8—(b10)
G|—————–7b8—————–
D|————————————-
A|————————————-
E|————————————-

Fingers:
—–3—-1–4–1—3—1–1—4—(3)

Try playing the riff in three parts.

Try the first two notes. Get a good sounding bend. make sure you bend all the way up a whole step. In this case from G to A.

Next Play the short run from the second note (A on high E string) down to the D (7th fret G string)

Lastly Bend the D (7th Fret G string) and play the last three notes and the final bend.

The bend at the end is somewhat optional.

Play with this and come up with your own variations.

Andrew
Guitar5Day.com

For those of us who play guitar to write songs (and if you don’t, what are you waiting for?) many times our chords can sound rather DEAD. Here, Andrew from Guitar5Day.com shows us how with a couple of simple adjustments, we can make our chords come ALIVE.

He was nice enough to also put together a short video (for SongwritingTipsOnline readers). A massive thanks to Andrew.

If we’re nice to him (hint hint… post a nice comment in the comments section below then I’m sure we’ll get some more cool stuff from him.

Take it away Andrew…..

One of my favorite and easiest things to do is taking a simple hammer on and making open chords come alive.

I have prepared a short video lesson for you.

What I am talking about is using the open chords C major, F Major and G major and simply hammering with the second finger.

Here is a tab that will give you an idea of what I mean: The only thing you do is take your 2nd finger off the string and then put it back on. Play with it.

e[]——————[]
B[]—-1–1–1——-[]
G[]—-0–0–0——-[]
D[]—-2–0–2——-[]
A[]—-3–3–3——-[]
E[]——————[]

The Exercise would look like this:

e[]——————————-[]
B[]—-1–1–1–1–1–1–1–1–1–[]
G[]——————————-[]
D[]—-2–0–2–0–2–0–2–0–2–[]
A[]—-3–3–3–3–3–3–3–3–3–[]
E[]——————————-[]

I stumbled upon an interesting article the other day. The fact remains, there are several well known and well respected artists out there who shove their name on a songwriters credit as a ‘co-writer’ but do nothing more than just sing on the track.

Now I’m not saying that these artists aren’t ‘true’ artists because they don’t write their own music (if that was the case, then we should automatically dismiss the likes of Whitney Houston and Elvis Presley) but what I hate is ‘false credit’.

“How can someone look in the mirror and know they didn’t do something and their name is on it? For money? For credit? It’s a lie.” - that was said by Diane Warren, who has written for artists such as Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and Mary J. Blige.

Check out the article below…
———————————————————

Of all the names in music, Chantal Kreviazuk may be the least likely to appear in a headline. Though she recently released her own album, the songwriter usually stays behind the scenes to pen hits with artists such as Kelly Clarkson, Gwen Stefani and Avril Lavigne.

But earlier this month, Kreviazuk rocked the pop music world by suggesting that Lavigne was a collaborator in name only. Although she quickly retracted her comments and others defended Lavigne, the flap illuminated a long-standing fraud that has become more prevalent than ever: “singer-songwriters” who do much less songwriting than their publicists would have you believe.

“It’s crazy!” exclaimed Grammy-winning songwriter Diane Warren, who has written for artists such as Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and Mary J. Blige. “How can someone look in the mirror and know they didn’t do something and their name is on it? For money? For credit? It’s a lie.”

This being the music industry, money is of course a factor, since the writers of hit songs can earn more than the singer over the long term. But today’s singers also press for writing credit because it gives them more of a cachet, presenting them as more of a “real artist” in comparison with a star who doesn’t write a note.

“It’s a practice that’s been going on but now it’s really prevalent in every situation,” says songwriter Adonis Shropshire, who helped pen the hit “My Boo” for Alicia Keys and Usher, and has worked with Chris Brown, Ciara and others.

Shropshire says that many artists will only allow songwriters to work on an album in return for song credit, and “if they do write, they ask for more publishing than they honestly contributed … it is the way it is.”

The practice has been prevalent for decades. Elvis Presley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker, maneuvered to give the King songwriting credits on early hits like “Love Me Tender” even though he never wrote a word. James Brown was sued by an associate over song credits.

Lauryn Hill settled a lawsuit by a group that claimed she improperly took sole production and writing credit on her Grammy-winning album “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.” And Diddy seemed to acknowledge claims that he wasn’t really writing his raps in the “Bad Boys for Life” song with the brushoff line: “Don’t worry if I write rhymes, I write checks!”

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Source: CNN.COM

Once upon a time, record labels ruled the music industry. Getting an appointment with an A&R guy on any major record label was hard work. And when you DID finally meet with him, you better be damn sure that you’re music and image is up to scratch - otherwise you can kiss any chance of a record deal goodbye.

That was the scenario.

Now, things have changed. Drastically.

Since the extreme diversification of music and the advent of the internet, it seems like record labels are now finding themselves desperately looking for the next big merger, rather than signing the next big artist.

In the meantime, artists and bands are looking towards a better way to make money from their music …their songs …their artistry …and what some would consider, their life.

I want to tell you about a service that’s available online, right now, that’s making the process for distributing YOUR OWN music an absolute walk in the park. The company is called Kunaki - and here’s where things get really interesting.

Picture this. You’ve set up a MySpace page and you have 3 of your songs on your page. You’ve made loads of ‘friends’ and even a bunch of ‘fans’. You’re getting feedback from people and you’re constantly improving your music because of it. You have loads of songs, but you don’t want to put them all on your MySpace page.

Would you say that out of the many hundreds (or even thousands) of people who visit your MySpace page, that perhaps just a couple of them would be interested to buy more of your music? Would you say that maybe a few of them would want to buy more songs from you? On a daily basis?

Well of course it’s plausible. This is a definite possibility - and this is where Kunaki comes in.

Kunaki (despite the strange name) is a company that burns your own album on to a CD, packages the CD jewel case and ships it out to the chosen country. The great part about this is that they only charge you when somebody buys it.

And of course, you set the price of your album.

Let me show you an example.

Go here http://kunaki.com/Gallery.asp?cc=

Click on a ‘detailed view’ for any CD

Choose a country and click ‘calculate shipping’

You can see a breakdown of how much they charge. For outside the USA it’s normally $3.00 handling charge and $3.60 shipping/air mail fee. For inside the USA it’s around $4.60 in total.

Note: You can check out the prices at their site and email them if you have to. My numbers may not be 100% acurate - but they are roughly correct.

So here’s how the process goes:

1) You get some songs together and put up a MySpace page. Present 3 ‘teaser’ songs on MySpace. You spend some time making as many friends on MySpace and basically promoting the heck out of it. If you want to know more about promoting on MySpace you can try this ebook. It may help you.

After you’ve gained some presence, you want to let people buy your music! There are two options for this… but for now I’m going though Kunaki which handles your CD as a physical product. As I said, they package, burn and ship out your album for how much you want to sell it for. Example, $5.00. So the buyer will pay around $7-11 depending on if they live in the USA or not.

Even $11 is pretty good for an album of 15 songs

2) Go to Kunaki and go through their procedure. You may need to download some free software (they provide) to design your album cover and CD design.

You design it, and they print it. And it’s all professional - we’re not talking ’sticky labels’ here, we’re talking about images burnt on the actual CD and high quality inlay cards. It’s proper.

You will also upload your songs one-by-one to their site so that they can then burn it on CD.

3) Then you put the link and your newly designed album front cover picture on your MySpace page. Monitor it… see if anybody buys your stuff.

4) When you make sales, Kunaki will send you a check every month - deducting their own fee’s first.

There you have it With this process in place, any songwriter, musician or singer can make money in the music industry…. and potentially, lots of it.


~Shamir