Most people approach songwriting in the same general way. For those that write music, versus lyric writing only, that process is to go to their instrument and improvise until they stumble upon something that sounds good. They choose to focus only on the “goal of having a completed song” instead of focusing on the wide range of available “processes” to compose music. In other words, these people focus on the “what” (the song they want to write) instead of the “how” (which processes and methods can be used). Once the decision is made to write a new song, they begin with the one process that is easiest and comes most naturally to them – improvising at their instrument.

For the purpose of illustrating the examples below, let us assume your main instrument is electric guitar. Natural pros and cons inherently exist with every songwriting process and method. Here is the obvious set of pros and cons for the process of improvising with your instrument:

THIS METHOD’S ADVANTAGES

• This is the easiest songwriting process for most songwriters.
• You can begin immediately (without little or no pre-compositional planning or thought).
• You can take advantage of the guitar’s natural possibilities of tone, playability, pitch range, the number of pitches that can be played simultaneously, dynamic range, articulation, etc.
• If you are a competent guitar player, you can easily create music that is natural for the guitar. You probably have at least a basic command of general guitar, so playing your guitaristic ideas won’t be a major problem in most cases.
• Because most songwriters (even many pros) write in this way, your “musical” results may be similar to some of those that have gone before you and written successful hit songs.

THIS METHOD’S DISADVANTAGES

• You are limited by the instruments limitations of tone, playability, pitch range, the number of pitches that can be played simultaneously, dynamic range, articulation, etc.
• You are likely to repeat similar ideas that you have used before in other songwriting sessions.
• It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking like a guitar player only versus a songwriting musician.
• You may discover your hands are doing most of the creating, not your true creative mind.
• The range of possible musical results is limited when using this single process exclusively. Not necessarily because there is anything wrong with the guitar or you.

Any single songwriting process will be limiting. You must really work hard to squeeze as much out of a single process as possible. Of course having multiple processes is better than having only one (I will discuss other methods of writing songs in future articles).

Go to your instrument and begin improvising, notice what types of things you do naturally. What is the process that you usually start with? Do you begin by trying to write a melody? Or do you begin with chords? Here is a list of ideas you can use to begin.

• Begin with Melody first
  • In this case, decide if the melody you are trying to write will be a vocal or instrumental melody. This is very important because vocal melodies need to have room for a singer to breathe and you must also consider the pitch range – a singer’s pitch range is more narrow than most instruments. Keep this all in mind when writing melodies.
  • Consider the melodic contour (shape and direction) of your melodies.
  • Is there a clear climax (high point)? Where should it be in the melody?
• Begin with Chords first
  • Choose a tonal center (key) to begin with. You don’t have to stay in that key for the entire song, but it is wise to at least begin in a single key. You can deviate from the key later if you wish.
  • Think about the progression of chords, where are there moments of tension and resolution? Are these moments placed in the best order?
• Begin with Chords and Melody at the same time
  • I like this one a lot. Begin with a single chord and a melody note or phrase, as you add on the next chord and more melodic notes, write them together. Experiment by changing the chord but not the melodic phrase. Experiment by changing the melodic phrase but not the chord.
• Begin with Rhythm first
  • Consider the types of rhythmic patterns that you normally use. Perhaps one of them is exactly what you need to get into the grove of a new song.
  • Experiment with variations on your favorite rhythmic patterns. Take a common pattern and play it backwards.
  • Create something totally new. Force yourself to disallow any of your favorite rhythmic patterns to creep into your new song idea.

Dynamics, Texture and Form are the most often overlooked musical elements among songwriters. Record companies hire producers to improve the quality of the songwriting done by the writers. Most producers have to spend a lot of their time (and the artist’s advance money!) shaping the songs in these three areas because songwriters often neglect to spend enough time and effort on them. Most people can write a melody and put chords together, but struggle with dynamics, texture and form.

• Begin with Dynamics first
  • If you are thinking about dynamics while composing each part of the song, you are already ahead of the game.
  • Plan out what the dynamic range of each section of your new song will be. Which parts will be louder and which will be softer? How can you create smooth transitions between them? Do you want “smooth” transitions?
• Begin with Timbre first
  • The variety of instruments you use, and the sounds you get out of those instruments brings color to you music. Once you have written a melody, experiment with how many different types of tone qualities you can use to play it. Even if you are only writing a song for a solo instrument, how can you “color” the sound with that instrument? For example, on a guitar, playing down by the bridge produces a totally different sound quality than picking over the center of the string (12th fret).
• Begin with Texture first
  • The density of sound and timbre may influence the types of melodies you compose. Consider how the density of texture may change from section to section. What type of musical effect will result? A single guitar line might lead you to write guitaristic lines, but if you use a guitar to compose a keyboard part, your approach will often be (and probably should be) quite different.
• Begin with Form first
  • Starting here can do wonders to keep you out of trouble (musically speaking). When you don’t think about the form (arrangement of the parts of a song) early on in the writing process, it is easy to paint yourself in a corner later. When you have written various parts for a song but can’t seem to piece the individual parts together in a cohesive manner this usually happens because there was little or no thought about form early on in the writing process.

Written by Tom Hess

For more education on careers in the music industry, check out: http://www.music-career-guide.com

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You know the record demo don’ts – all of those little things you can do to shoot yourself in the foot when you send your demo to a record label. But what about the record demo dos? These demo musts will show your demo off in the best light when you send it to a label, so you have the best chance of getting someone to pay attention to your music.

The Right Approach:

At some indie labels, the staff can be so small that the head of A&R is the same as the person in charge of distribution, promotion and coffee making. For these labels, simply sending a demo addressed to the label is good enough. For other labels, however, you need to send your demo to a specific person if you want it to have any chance of being heard.

Know the difference. Most label’s have their demo policies listed on their websites. Check them out, and if you are still not sure, send an email to the label to find out how your demo should be addressed.

Organize Yourself:

Fancy folders and laminated press releases never won anyone a record deal, but your package should be organized and contain all of the relevant material. Make sure your demo is in there, obviously, and also include a short band bio. You band bio and any other similar material should be typed, and it pays to proofread. A handwritten personal note to accompany your package is ok (provided your writing is legible), but everything else should be typed.

Short and Sweet:

No record label wants to wade through your 20 track demo. A demo is just that – a demonstration of your music. It is not your whole catalog. It may seem like giving the label tons of options works in your interests, but really it just makes your demo look overwhelming, when there is a stack of other demos that need to be listened to as well. Pick a few of your best tracks – the ones that grab you from the get go – and leave it at that. If they want to hear more, they’ll let you know.

Be a Show-Off:

Now is the time to let the labels know about your band’s achievements. When you send your demo, make sure you highlight information about past tours, press coverage, radio play or any other achievement that might make someone sit up and take notice. If you have interest from a distributor, a manager, an agent, or any other person who could help raise your profile, make sure you let that be known as well.

Share Your Email:

If you want to hear back from a label about your demo, make sure you leave your email address with them. You can include your phone number if you want, but labels don’t usually have the time (or desire) to call you up and chat about your demo. Make it easy for them to communicate with you by giving them your email address.

Don’t Leave it at No:

When you send your demo out to labels, you should be prepared for the fact that you are going to be hearing a lot of the word “no.” Being told no never killed anyone – it’s important for your music career to be willing to take the risk and ask for something, even if no is the answer. But even more important than making peace with hearing no is to learn to not leave it at that. If someone tells you they aren’t interested in your demo, follow up and ask them if they can think of someone else who might like it. It could be that you’ve missed someone along the way who is dying to release a record just like yours.

Mind Your Manners:

How many times have you sent an email out or made a phone call about your band only to be ignored? It happens to everyone – and it happens a lot. That’s why it is so great when people actually take the time to share some advice with you or talk to you about your demo. When it happens – say thank you. Not only is it the decent thing to do (you’d be surprised how many people don’t bother with the whole gratitude thing), it puts a little goodwill in the bank for you. Who do you think is more inclined to help you out in the future – someone who took some time out to share some advice with you and who was rewarded with a thank you, or someone who tried to help you out, only to receive no reply from you? Exactly.

Turn That Frown Upside Down:

As I said earlier, the word “no” is one you’re bound to hear a lot of when you send out demos. You can’t take it personally, and you can’t let it discourage you. When a label turns you down, most of the time it comes down more to your kind of music not being a good fit for the label or to the label not having any room in their schedule for new releases. When you get turned down, consider your demo, decide if there was anything you could have done differently that might have made a difference, and then learn from it and move on to the next label. End of story.

Sending out demos can be a little bit stressful, but you can increase your chances of getting your demo to the right people by following these demo sending tips. Above all else, remember to follow the demo rules of the label and keep your demo short – you’ll win instant friends at the label when you make their job easier in this way.

Written by Heather McDonald

For more education on careers in the music industry, check out: http://www.music-career-guide.com

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