UPDATE (Songwriting books still available)

This blog has been discontinued.

'From Wanna-Be to Living Dreams' may still be purchased here. 'Top 10 Songwriting Mistakes and Correcting Them' is now only made available as a bonus when purchasing From Wanna-Be to Living Dreams.

Measuring a Hit & A Closer Look: 'Take Me There'

This weeks #1 country song contains two unusual occurrences. A title “preview” and a change in the rhyme pattern in the second verse.

See my markup and comments.

Measuring a Hit & A Closer Look: 'More Than A Memory'

In the early nineties when Garth Brooks was on fire, I received a couple of phone calls from him (as did several publishers on Music Row) when he was beginning the search for material for new projects.

One of those conversations sticks in my mind. As we talked a few minutes about what he was looking for in a song, his bottom-line was, “Keith, bring me the songs that knock you out.”

There’s been much talk over Garth’s business savvy and how much he’s put that college marketing degree to work during his career. No matter your opinion, you’ve got to give credit to an artist that in the end asks you to bring material that you find personally appealing.

I never landed a cut on any Garth projects, but I did gain respect for him during those conversations.

So is his #1 on this comeback a “knock-out” song? You be the judge.

As usual, here’s my markup of the lyric


* Each week I measure the #1 song of the week in “Measuring a Hit” for you to readily see common threads in today’s biggest hits. A posting called “A Closer Look” follows in a few days that brings a few craft issues of the song to your attention.

Blackburn honored for work in "Congressional Songwriters Caucus"

Congressman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) was honored by The Recording Academy along with musical pioneer Quincy Jones and Sen. Ted Kennedy during this evening's "Grammys on the Hill" event at the Willard Hotel in downtown Washington, DC.

Blackburn, the founder and co-chair of the Congressional Songwriter's Caucus, was recognized with the Grammys on the Hill Award for her work on issues including intellectual property rights protection and changes to the law governing taxation of a songwriter's catalog sales.

According to a press release from Blackburn's office, songwriters were disadvantaged by the tax code before the change, which required them to pay income tax when selling their life’s work. The sale is now considered as a capital gain, classified in line with other intellectual property creations.

Blackburn issued a statement saying that she was "deeply honored" by the "Grammys on the Hill" tribute.

"The creative community is our nation's second largest exporter of goods and services, and Tennessee's 7th district has arguably the world's largest population of songwriters. We must respect their constitutional right to protect their intellectual property, ensure that their work is respected as private property, and to make sure these rights are not violated."

A Closer Look: 'These Are My People'

Let’s look closer at the #1 country song from last week. The song uses inside rhyme, specificity, recurrence, and good prosody.

See my markup of this lyric and the notes on prosody.

Measuring a Hit:'These Are My People'

Before years end we’ll begin looking at the common threads found in the hit songs we’ve looked at. We’ll compare them to modern historical hits so you can easily see what top songwriters already know when it comes to songwriting for mass public ‘consumption’.

Here’s this week’s ‘measurement’.


          These Are My People
          Dave Berg/Rivers Rutherford

          time signature:                         4/4
          intro length:                              :10
          time to chorus:                         :58
          time to title:                              :58
          # title appearances:                6
          general subject:                       everyday people
          viewpoint:                                 1st
          form:                                          V-V-C-V-C-B-inst-C
          style written:                            story
          rhyme (predominant):        single & double perfect
          length:                                         3:25
          tempo:                                         mid


** Each week I measure the #1 song of the week in “Measuring a Hit” for you to readily see common threads in the songwriting of today's biggest hits (hint: we’ll find many!). A post titled “A Closer Look” follows in a few days which brings a few songwriting craft issues of the song to your attention.


Tomorrow we’ll take a closer look at this song.

YouTube signs royalties deal with U.K. songwriters

YouTube has reached an agreement with British performing rights organization MCPS-PRS Alliance, to pay for use of songs the organization represents.

Progressions: “Pedal Tones”

Not long ago I received an email from someone who, after viewing my analysis of ‘Lost in This Moment’, asked about something that’s been around in songwriting for a very long time when they asked, “What’s a ‘Pedal Tone’?”

Since answering that email I’ve discussed this in 2 consultations with up-and-coming songwriters, so… seems like a good subject to cover here.

What is it?

A pedal tone (or pedal point) is a note that remains unchanged while chords change over/around it. It’s easier for some people to think of it as an ‘anchor’ while the chords change ‘on top’. It’s common for the pedal tone to be either the root or 5th of the key.

Who Uses it?

Pedal tones are used in every style of music. Beethoven used them, as did other classical composers; it’s found regularly in dance music; and rock n’ roll & heavy metal make use of it as well.

You’ll often find a pedal tone used to create a dramatic effect and the bass frequently given the job of holding the root of the key as the pedal tone.

An Example

In ‘Lost in This Moment’ the pedal tone first makes an appearance in the first verse. Listen to the song closely and you’ll here the steady ‘B’ note held throughout the verse as well as the ‘B’ arpeggio of the electric guitar while a very lightly mixed acoustic makes the 5-4-1 chord changes.

If your ear can’t pick out the acoustic guitar, listen to the second verse. The electric guitar maintains the ‘B’ arpeggio while the bass moves from 5-4-1.

Note that the song is in the key of ‘B’, so this is a root pedal tone.

What Makes it Work?

The pedal tone in ‘Lost in This Moment’ helps create a tension and release. The verses begin with the 5 chord (F) of which the pedal tone (B) is a 4th and thereby creating added tension to the already dominant chord. The next chord in the verse progression is a 4 chord (E) of which the pedal tone is a 5th (the dominant of the chord), before the song moves to the 1 chord (B) which brings the pedal tone to function as the root. So the pedal tone in this case creates added tension to the ‘lead’ chord. It’s subsequent place as a fifth and root adds to the feeling of release felt at the end of each line.

print version


Til next time, keep writing!

5 weeks at #1 for 'Never Wanted Nothing More'

It ran to the top quick, and there it remains folks.

Forget pop music, it's all about ringtones

Anytime Rick Carnes is out and hears a song played as someone's ringtone, well, it's like music to his ears.

Carnes, a songwriter for nearly three decades, laughs when he considers that his work is more valuable as a ringtone--just a few seconds of his music--than a full version of one of his songs downloaded from the Web.

"Where's the logic in that?" asks Carnes, president of the Songwriters Guild of America.

Until last October, music publishers were able to pocket 10 percent of the retail price for a song, according to Steve Gordon, a copyright attorney. This meant that for a $2.99 ringtone, the publisher could make 30 cents and typically split half with the songwriter.

But the labels are now threatening to choke off that extra income. Record companies claim songwriters and music publishers charge too much and want prices restricted to a rate of 9.1 cents per song.

The labels argue that they are entitled to the extra money because music publishers pay nothing of the large upfront costs associated with producing master recordings, according to Gordon.

Carnes, 57, who has written songs for Alabama, Reba McEntire and Dean Martin, said that all the songwriters want is to be allowed to negotiate the price of their music.

Read full article

'Never Wanted Nothing More' #1 for 4th week

'Never Wanted Nothing More' keeps its grip on the top spot of the country music charts for the 4th week. Perhaps a good time for you to review and compare analysis of the previous #1's we've looked at over the past few months.

The 3 Stooges - Insincerity, Triteness and just plain Drivel!

Insincere small talk, trite phrases, and even drivel, sprinkle all of our conversational lives at times and mostly without consequence. But in songwriting, place these in your lyric and you’ve got a disaster on your hands.

There are songs I hear from time to time in which a mini-movie rolls through my mind.

Read my article at:
San Diego Chronicle

From "White Christmas" to Sgt. Pepper: The Conceptual Revolution in Popular Music

In a 'working paper' just issued, University of Chicago's David Galenson argues that the shift in songwriting style from the Tin Pan Alley era to the music of Bob Dylan and John Lennon brought a drastic change to the general songwriting approach and hence the songwriting labor market (Galenson is an economist, thus the labor market viewpoint).

I found the paper very interesting and it coincides with my longtime belief in the approach Dylan and Lennon took in much of their writing. It also tackles the subject of age vs. creativity. Galenson makes an intriguing, and I believe accurate, distinction between 'experimental creators' and ' conceptual creators'.

"Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, and other songwriters of the Golden Era wrote popular songs that treated common topics clearly and simply. During the mid-1960s Bob Dylan, John Lennon, and Paul McCartney created a new kind of popular music that was personal and often obscure. This shift, which transformed popular music from an experimental into a conceptual art, produced a distinct change in the creative life cycles of songwriters. Golden Era songwriters were generally at their best during their 30s and 40s, whereas since the mid-'60s popular songwriters have consistently done their best work during their 20s. The revolution in popular music occurred at a time when young innovators were making similar transformations in other arts: Jean-Luc Godard and his fellow New Wave directors created a conceptual revolution in film in the early '60s, just as Andy Warhol and other Pop artists made painting a conceptual activity."

Galenson's entire paper is here.

3rd week is a charm for 'Never Wanted Nothing More'

'Never Wanted Nothing More' remained the #1 country song this past week, making it the top song for 3 weeks now.

CINCINNATI MAN SENTENCED TO TEN MONTHS IN PRISON FOR MUSIC PIRACY

Federal Judge William Haynes sentenced Decharmus Grover to 10 months in jail (U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle TN). Caught selling CDs and DVDs in the parking lot of a Dollar General store in Nashville, the FBI and Nashville police found over 500 hundred copyrighted recordings and films copied onto CDs and DVDs along with copying equipment powered by the car’s battery. Authorities also confiscated nearly $10,000 in cash, which will be paid to the victim industries as restitution.

In a release issued by the U.S. Attorney's office, U.S. Attorney Craig Morford stated that "Violations of intellectual property crimes and copyright laws such as this occupy a high priority with both the Department of Justice and this U.S. Attorney's office in particular, given that so many residents of Middle Tennessee are involved in the recording industry."

What? You Want Me to PAY for This Coffee?!

A few days ago a friend sent me a link to a discussion on MusicBanter.com which had posted an article from The Detroit Free Press.

The article is about a gourmet coffee shop in Florida and it’s anger over ASCAP approaching them for payment for live, in-store performances. The shop has been asked to pay $400/year and the owners are angry. It always amazes me how some folks think… or don’t.

I posted a response and want you all to see the immediate reaction I received. The general public is so naïve in that they perceive a “right” to free music. These folks don’t seem to understand they couldn’t buy groceries if they weren’t employed by a business that sells a product or service.

I have a very good friend who’s a professional airline pilot. He’s definitely no dummy, yet he’s taken part in illegal peer-to-peer music swap sites for several years and no matter how many angles I use to describe to him that it’s stealing, he fails to get my point (of course if a stowaway were discovered on my friends airplane I suspect he’d be the first to become red-faced and toss them off).

People that would never load their grocery cart or buggy at Wal-Mart then walk out without paying are stealing on a regular basis. I suspect it’s often not actually a failure to understand, as much as knowing they won’t be caught. The only difference between those folks and shoplifters at Wal-Mart is tenacity.

Below is my post in regard to the Detroit Free Press article and the first response to that post:

“$400 per year is likely a great investment in their business. It's $1.10 per day. If performance of cover tunes causes customers to come in or 'hang-out' longer, how many coffees, teas, or muffins do you suppose they'll have to sell before they recoup that $1.10 investment and then reap the rewards of more sales?

Even if the other two performing rights organizations (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC are the only ones in the U.S., NOT the "three biggest") are paid the same amount, it's a total of $1200 for the entire year, equaling roughly $3.30 per day.

The article quotes the gourmet coffee shop owner as saying, "It makes me so angry"... "I feel like the greedy music industry..."

GREEDY?? Really? For wanting to be paid for use of a product?

Next time I travel through Florida I'll have to swing by their coffee shop, drink a cup of coffee, tea, or eat a muffin, then walk out without paying. Surely the GREEDY owners of the product won't expect me to pay for it.”

Four minutes later I received this response:

“What utter rubbish.

Could you imagine the state of the world if the publishing industry took the same example with books? Imagine schools having to pay money out to quote books , imagine libraries being closed down because of illegal sharing of free books.

The music industry is full of crooks & opportunists and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.”

Sadly, many share this perspective based on ignorance. So I answered by explaining that books are not different than music when it comes to paying for use. I explained that libraries and schools are permitted use of copyrighted material by way of “Fair Use” which is part of the U.S Copyright Act.

I explained that libraries have to purchase many of their books with our tax money, spending an average of 20-30% of their budget for materials, with around 85% of that funding coming from taxes and not donations. Based on this I suggested he should include book publishers in his description of "crooks and opportunists".

Of course, just like my friend he didn’t get it; and I’ll still be expected for some strange reason to pay for my next cup of joe at my favorite coffee house tomorrow.

The Song Remains the Same

'Never Wanted Nothing More' continued to hold the #1 spot on the charts this week, so no analysis til next week.

Prince's Experiment With Free CDs Raises a Ruckus

The artist Prince caused a huge stir in the music industry a few days ago when 2.9 million copies of his new CD Planet Earth were bundled with Sunday copies of the UK newspaper The Mail. There was a furious backlash from the music industry -- including his own label, Sony BMG -- at this act of heresy of giving music away free. But it will probably pay off for Prince in the long run. To begin with, The Mail paid him a reported $500,000 for this venture.

Prince's overall logic? Well, his last CD sold only 80,000 copies in the UK. As a so-called heritage artist (meaning one who's been around a while and doesn't sell millions of CDs anymore), he figures since his main income derives from selling concert tickets and merchandise, including sales of his previous CDs, it makes sense to try to attract new listeners and expand his fan base. And offering free music may be the best way to do that. And the UK has been way ahead with that. For years, British music magazines such as Mojo and Q have done that with sampler CDs inserted in their magazines, and the Oxford American does that here at home.

If the music industry had gotten out in front of paid music downloads in a timely fashion, the industry wouldn't be in the pickle it now finds itself in. As it is, the only viable solution for the downloading issue came from a music industry outsider -- Apple's Steve Jobs with his iTunes and iPod. As CD sales continue to plummet, there are few options left for the music business...

Read entire article here.

A Closer Look: 'Never Wanted Nothing More'

** Each week I measure the #1 song of the week in “Measuring a Hit” for you to readily see common threads in today’s biggest hits (hint: we’ll find many!). A posting called “A Closer Look” follows in a few days that brings a few craft issues of the song to your attention.

Straight from Nashville… let’s take a closer look at this past week’s #1 country song.

Look at my markup.

Measuring a Hit:'Never Wanted Nothing More'

** Each week I measure the #1 song of the week in “Measuring a Hit” for you to readily see common threads in the songwriting of today's biggest hits (hint: we’ll find many!). A post titled “A Closer Look” follows in a few days which brings a few songwriting craft issues of the song to your attention.

Here’s this week’s ‘measurement’.

          Never Wanted Nothing More
          Ronnie Bowman/Chris Stapleton

          time signature:                         4/4
          intro length:                              :12
          time to chorus:                         n/a
          time to title:                              :31
          # title appearances:                9
          general subject:                       life's desires
          viewpoint:                                 1st
          form:                                          A A B A - B A - B
          style written:                            story
          rhyme (predominant):         single perfect
          length:                                        3:29
          tempo:                                        mid

Songwriting Mistakes: Restating

I’ve had several consultations lately with newer writers whose songs suffer from the same ailment, and as a result I’ve received permission from one of those songwriters to post the beginnings of a song he’s currently writing to illustrate.

Before we talk about that let me make a brief point.

For newer writers it’s important not to become discouraged at the amount of rewriting that needs to be done. Learning to write solid songs is like a funnel. In the beginning you’ll need to rework large sections dealing with the more basic issues of successful songwriting. As you learn and write more, it’s the ever-smaller details that need to be picked apart and polished.

Keep in mind that even for professionals great songs are rarely written, they’re re-written.

The first draft of the song from my benevolent ‘student’ suffers primarily from a lack of moving forward, due in part to not focusing on a specific scenario. Each and every line of your song should move the song forward rather than restate something or merely provide non-descriptive, general information. Many newer writers fall prey to writing their first line then restating that line throughout the majority of the song. Without a specific scenario in your head, it’s difficult.

Successful songwriters, in and out of Nashville, learn to ‘speak’ in a fresh way about the same subjects. How many ways are there to say I miss someone?

     Here are just a few ways it’s been said:
     (think how each approaches the subject differently)

     “Crazy Arms” (Seals/Mooney)
     “Act Naturally” (Russell/Morrison)
     “I Still Miss Someone” (Cash)
     “Hello Walls” (Nelson)
     “I Miss My Mary Tonight” (Ketchum)
     “Loving Her Was Easier” (Kristofferson)
     “I Fall to Pieces” (Howard/Cochran)
     “Half a Man’” (Nelson)
     “Farewell Party” (Williams)
       etc.

How many hits has Alan Jackson written on this one subject?
(again, focus on how each approaches the subject differently)

     “She’s Got the Rhythm” (Jackson/Travis)
     “Here in the Real World” (Jackson/Irwin)
     “Who Says You Can’t Have it All” (Jackson/McBride)
     “Wanted” (Jackson/Craig)
     “Dallas” (Jackson/Stegall)
       etc.

So with that, here are some of the notes I made for the songwriter I mentioned at the beginning of this post regarding the first draft of a song in progress.


Til next time…

#1 holds spot for 2nd week

"Lost in This Moment" remains the #1 country song for the 2nd week, so there'll be no "Measuring a Hit" or "A Closer Look" this week.

Progressions: “Prosody” in Songwriting

In previous Progressions posts, we’ve looked at the current hit, “A Different World”, written by Jennifer Hanson, Mark Nesler, and Tony Martin when talking about Chord Substitution and Cutting Measures.

At the end of one of those posts I mentioned “the power in the way it [“A Different World”] was written with the minor chord falling at the end of ‘smoke and drank’, and ‘lead based paint’.” And as I said then, “That’s nice prosody to begin the song”.

Prosody is the marriage of melody/chord with lyric and good prosody is when the music of a song accurately reflects the lyric. It's concerned with things such as the choice of chords, deciding what single note should accompany a certain word of the lyric, the rhythm of lines and certain words, etc.

In “A Different World”, the minor chords falling at the end of ‘smoke and drank’, and ‘lead based paint’ reflect the negative connotation of the words.

Let’s look at prosody in 2 lines of another well-known song, Alan Jackson’s “Here in the Real World”. I also look at this song when discussing melodic phrasing in my book, “Top 10 Songwriting Mistakes… and Correcting Them” (see sidebar for a FREE copy or visit http://www.Top10SongwritingMistakes.com).

If you can’t hear the melody in your head listen to it now and notice how the melody of the 3rd and 4th lines of the verse differ. The 3rd line’s melody contains the highest notes of the verse as we hear in the first verse that, “love is a sweet dream that always comes true”. Just as the tone of voice rises when there’s excitement when we talk, the melody accurately reflects what we’re hearing. And just as the tone of our voice naturally falls with disappointment, the 4th line’s melody steadily descends as we hear, “if life were like the movies I’d never be blue”.

The second verse continues the good prosody with the 3rd line's higher melody paired with, “and tonight on that silver screen it’ll end like it should”. And once again, the 4th line's lyric is a nice match to the downward sloping melody with, “two lovers will make it through like I hoped we would”.

Play songs you’ve written with attention to prosody and see if there’re places you can better match the emotion of your lyric with the melody and chord choice. For ideas on chord choices read the Progressions post, “Substitution in Songwriting”.

Print version

The Record Industry's Decline

In my 3-part series, "It’s a New World", we looked at how record companies are solving (actually not) their problem of cliff-diving record sales and the further diversification into the music publishing arena being the “answer” for many. We also looked at a couple of new models being tried in the music business.

Below is part of an article from Rolling Stone which discusses the tough times record labels are facing.

…"How is it that the people that make the product of music are going bankrupt, while the use of the product is skyrocketing?" asks the Firm's Kwatinetz. "The model is wrong."

Kwatinetz sees other, leaner kinds of companies -- from management firms like his own, which now doubles as a record label, to outsiders such as Starbucks -- stepping in. Paul McCartney recently abandoned his longtime relationship with EMI Records to sign with Starbucks' fledgling Hear Music. Video-game giant Electronic Arts also started a label, exploiting the promotional value of its games, and the newly revived CBS Records will sell music featured in CBS TV shows.

Licensing music to video games, movies, TV shows and online subscription services is becoming an increasing source of revenue. "We expect to be a brand licensing organization," says Cohen of Warner, which in May started a new division, Den of Thieves, devoted to producing TV shows and other video content from its music properties. And the record companies are looking to increase their takes in the booming music publishing business, which collects songwriting royalties from radio play and other sources. The performance-rights organization ASCAP reported a record $785 million in revenue in 2006, a five percent increase from 2005. Revenues are up "across the board," according to Martin Bandier, CEO of Sony/ATV Music Publishing, which controls the Beatles' publishing. "Music publishing will become a more important part of the business," he says. "If I worked for a record company, I'd be pulling my hair out. The recorded-music business is in total confusion, looking for a way out."

You can read the entire article here.

A Closer Look: 'Lost in This Moment'

** Each week I measure the #1 song of the week in “Measuring a Hit” for you to readily see common threads in today's biggest hits. A post titled “A Closer Look” follows in a few days that brings a few craft issues of the song to your attention.

After holding the #1 spot for two weeks, “Lucky Man” gives up the top spot to Big & Rich and “Lost in This Moment”. We’re given pedal tones, imagery, and a clear progression of the moment.

Here's my markup.

Measuring a Hit: 'Lost in This Moment'

** Each week I measure the #1 song of the week in “Measuring a Hit” for you to readily see common threads in the songwriting of today's biggest hits (hint: we’ll find many!). A post titled “A Closer Look” follows in a few days which brings a few songwriting craft issues of the song to your attention. Here’s this week’s ‘measurement’.

          Lost in This Moment
          Keith Anderson/John Rich/Rodney Clawson

          time signature:                         4/4
          intro length:                              :16
          time to chorus:                        1:06
          time to title:                              1:06
          # title appearances:               6 (10 with tag)
          general subject:                       love found
          viewpoint:                                 1st
          form:                                            V - V - C - V - C - (inst ½ C) - C
          style written:                            moment
          rhyme (predominant):         near
          length:                                         3:37
          tempo:                                         slow

Progressions: “Secondary Dominants”

A hit on the charts right now which I personally am very fond
of is “Startin’ With Me”, a country hit for Jake Owen and
written by Kendall Marvel, Jimmy Ritchey, and Jake Owen.

Let’s look at the writer’s use of the secondary dominant in
the chorus.

read the rest of this article:
"Secondary Dominants"

Bad Advice: Beware Info on the Net

I just read an online article that’s prompted me to write this post. The article gives songwriting advice and when I read the following I knew I had to write this post:

“Always add colour: By this I mean create more than what is already there. If there is a D Major chord being played, try singing a note other than those in a D Major chord.”

At best, this advice is incomplete. The problem with the above statement is that it totally depends on the effect needed for the song. If your lyric has an easy going quality, then it’s probably best to compose the melody predominantly around the triad (root, 3rd, and 5th) of that D major chord being played at the time. The melody will have a more easy going quality, and better match your lyric.

If your lyric requires a more dramatic melodic treatment to match the subject, then writing your melody around notes that extend beyond the 5th works well.

The article continues with this:

“The average song will have the following arrangement (although this is only a guide):

Up tempo Song:
Intro, Verse 1, Bridge, Chorus, Verse 2, Bridge, Chorus, Chorus, Middle 8, Chorus, Chorus

Slow Song:
Intro, Verse 1, Bridge, Chorus, Verse 2, Chorus, Middle 8, Chorus, Chorus”

Both examples are WRONG. These are not the forms that “the average song will have”.

Other than the AAA and the AABA form, virtually all popular song in our lifetime has been given to us in one of the following forms:


     V - (V opt) - C - V - C - inst - C - out
     V - (V opt) - C - V - C - B - inst - C - out
     V - climb - C - V - climb - C - inst. - (climb opt.) - C
     C - V - C - inst. - B – C


You’ll find variations/alterations within all of these forms, but the bridge immediately following the 1st verse in “the average song” is completely wrong. In fact, I’ve never heard a song with a bridge after the first verse of a V/C song. The sheer purpose of a bridge contradicts this. The author of the article apparently also doesn’t understand that “middle 8” is itself a common reference to a bridge, particularly in the AABA form.

So the real lesson here is, beware of what you read on the net and look for someone’s credentials before heeding their advice. Otherwise they just might lead you down the wrong path.

Friday Fun: Keep Going

If you're serious about pursuing a songwriting career, you need to watch this clip from 'Facing the Giants'.

Progressions: “Cutting Measures”

Let’s look again at the recent hit "A Different World" written
by Jennifer Hanson, Mark Nesler, and Tony Martin.

Let’s focus on the verse. While the song is in 4/4 time, notice
the cut measures which gives it a rhythmic distinction from the
chorus.

read the rest of this article:
"Cutting Measures"

A Closer Look: 'Lucky Man'

** Each week I measure the #1 song of the week in “Measuring a Hit” for you to readily see common threads in today's biggest hits. A post titled “A Closer Look” follows in a few days that brings a few craft issues of the song to your attention.

You'll see two good examples of sequence in last weeks #1 country song.

Here's my markup.

Measuring a Hit: 'Lucky Man'

** Each week I measure the #1 song of the week in “Measuring a Hit” for you to readily see common threads in the songwriting of today's biggest hits. A post titled “A Closer Look” follows in a few days which brings a few songwriting craft issues of the song to your attention.

          Lucky Man
          David Cory Lee/Dave Turnbull

          time signature:                         4/4
          intro length:                              :14
          time to chorus:                         :43
          time to title:                              :44
          # title appearances:                 6
          general subject:                       thankfulness
          viewpoint:                                 1st
          form:                                           V-C-V-C-inst-1/2C
          style written:                             list
          rhyme (predominant):          near
          length:                                         3:17
          tempo:                                         slow

Friday Fun: What Will Your Verse Be?

As a writer of songs you'll relate to this scene about passion. As one person commented after seeing this, "we can all become the people who Live our dreams, NOT just dreaming our life!"

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video Hosting

Progressions: “Substitution” in Songwriting

A current hit useful in showing the use of chord substitution
is ”A Different World” written by Jennifer Hanson, Mark Nesler,
and Tony Martin.

Let’s focus on the chorus of the song. Notice it begins with an
ascending progression, 4-5-6m. It then holds the 6m chord before
we hear the 4-5 again, but this time we’re given a 1 chord rather
than the 6m.

This provides variation while maintaining the basic sound of the
previous progression.

read the rest of this article:
"Substitution" in songwriting

A Closer Look: 'Ticks'

** Each week I measure the #1 song of the week in “Measuring a Hit” for you to readily see common threads in today's biggest hits. A post titled “A Closer Look” follows in a few days that brings a few craft issues of the song to your attention.

Let’s look closer at the #1 country song from last week.

Here's my markup.

Measuring a Hit: 'Ticks'

** Each week I measure the #1 song of the week in “Measuring a Hit” for you to readily see common threads in the songwriting of today's biggest hits. A post titled “A Closer Look” follows in a few days which brings a few songwriting craft issues of the song to your attention.

Remember, the goal over time, is to find common threads in #1 songs (hint: we'll find many!). Here's this weeks 'measurement'.

          Ticks
          Tim Owens/Kelley Lovelace/Brad Paisley

          time signature:                         4/4
          intro length:                              :19
          time to chorus:                         1:09
          time to title:                              1:27
          # title appearances:                 4
          general subject:                       love sought
          viewpoint:                                 1st/2nd
          form:                                           V-climb-C-V-climb-C-B-inst-C
          style written:                            moment
          rhyme (predominant):         single- perfect
          length:                                         3:59
          tempo:                                         mid


* We'll continue looking at this song in the next 'A Closer Look'.

A Closer Look: 'Find Out Who Your Friends Are'

** Each week I measure the #1 song of the week in “Measuring a Hit” for you to readily see common threads in today's biggest hits. A post titled “A Closer Look” follows in a few days that brings a few craft issues of the song to your attention.

Among the vast stream of demos publishers delivered to Tracy Lawrence when he put word out that he would be recording again, the Casey Beathard/Ed Hill creation, “Find Out Who Your Friends Are”, quickly caught the attention of Lawrence when he heard it.

“I loved the lyric”, Lawrence says. “I thought it had such a great message to it – a universal message about how when you’re down on your luck, you really find out who your true friends are. I’ve learned to appreciate that message a lot more as I’ve gotten older.”

Look at my mark up of this lyric for a few notes.

Friday Fun: Rodney Crowell, Steve Earle, Guy Clark

Recognize some younger faces here? Rodney Crowell, Steve Earle, Guy Clark and others have a little late night fun pickin' 'round the table.

The Story Behind the Song: 'When I Get Where I'm Going'

In March of 2006, George Teren and Rivers Rutherford were at the top of the country chart with “When I Get Where I’m Going”, recorded by Brad Paisley and featuring Dolly Parton.

When I get where I'm going on the far side off the sky
The first thing that I'm gonna do is spread my wings and fly
I'm gonna land beside a lion and run my fingers through his mane
Or I might find out what it's like to ride a drop of rain

An interview with George Teren:

Rivers Rutherford and I write every other Wednesday. His grandfather had passed away recently, so on this particular Wednesday, I ran an idea I had actually been carrying around for some time by Rivers called “When I Get Where I’m Going." I played him what I had, and then we discussed what the song might be about. I could tell the song affected him strongly because of his recent loss, so it wasn’t the easiest song in the world to write. I know we struggled a little bit with the chorus. We knew what we wanted it to be about, but we didn't know exactly what we wanted the point to be. I think when we came up with the line "don't cry for me down here" we knew we had something.

Read the rest of this interview:
StoryBehindTheSong.com

Measuring a Hit: 'Find Out Who Your Friends Are'

At 41 weeks, this song has set a record for the longest time to travel to #1. Also of note, an independent rec. co. (Tracy Lawrence released this album on his own label) replaced another independent in the #1 position.

          Find Out Who Your Friends Are
          Casey Beathard / Ed Hill

          time signature:                         4/4
          intro length:                              :13
          time to chorus:                         :47
          time to title:                              :47
          # title appearances:                 7
          general subject:                       friendship
          viewpoint:                                 2nd (the general "you")
          form:                                            V-climb-C-V-climb-C-B-C-V
          style written:                             list / moment
          rhyme (predominant):          near
          length:                                          3:45
          tempo:                                          mid


* We'll continue looking at this song in the next 'A Closer Look'.

A Closer Look: 'Moments'

** Each week I measure the #1 song of the week in “Measuring a Hit” for you to readily see common threads in today's biggest hits. A post titled “A Closer Look” follows in a few days that brings a few craft issues of the song to your attention.

*(Congrats again to my old friends Sam and Annie Tate who co-wrote this #1)

Last week’s #1 is unusual in its chord progression. The 4 chord leads each verse and although the root chord makes a couple of appearances in the verse, we don’t really feel the root chord until the chorus kicks in.

The verse is colorful with the ninth moving in and out on the 4 chord and we’re also given a 2m7. Then notice the suspended root chord (with a ninth) that creates a nice tension before the release into the 1 chord of the chorus.

If this all sounds like a foreign language to you don’t fret (pun intended) over it.

In any event, be sure to look at my markup of this song for some lyrical points.

Friday Fun: Billy Joe Shaver

Many, many years ago my buddies and I were sliding into clubs around Nashville to hear Billy Joe Shaver every chance we had. Here he is performing one of his best known songs. Enjoy.

It’s a New World (Part 3 of 3) Quick Robin, to the Starbuck-mobile!

(read this 3-part series)

That’s right, Starbucks to the rescue. Well, at least that’s what a Beatle is thinking as he looks to the Starbuck super-hero to save the day. Paul McCartney released his new album last week (June 5) through an arrangement with Starbucks. Yes, the coffeehouse Starbucks.

Releasing projects through non-traditional retail outlets is growing in popularity among artists experiencing difficulty gaining the exposure they desire. Last month Merle Haggard released his new CD exclusively through Cracker Barrel. Exclusive Cracker Barrel releases have also come from Charlie Daniels, Alison Krauss, and others.

Starbucks, in partnership with Concord Records, is marketing McCartney’s album “Memory Almost Full” through music retail shops and, importantly, through the many thousands of Starbucks playing cuts from the album in its coffee shops. On the day of release the plan was to play the album repeatedly. (I presume they did but then I don’t patronize Starbucks. I have no issue with them, just don’t like the coffee.)

McCartney also released his first video from the album… on YouTube.

So what’s this alteration of the music distribution model have to do with illegal downloading, the subject I began this series with? Nothing, unless you consider impulse CD purchases at Starbucks to be a serious contender to the problem. No, McCartney and others have a taller beast to slay than illegal downloading of their new projects. It’s the closed door of radio, which of course is the best way to make the public aware that a new album is even available in the first place, illegal or otherwise. Yet, McCartney has found a way to be heard by thousands upon thousands with the CD available for purchase within a few steps of the listener sipping his favorite cup of joe.

As Sir Paul put it when announcing his Starbucks deal, “it’s a new world.”

(read this 3-part series)

Lawmaker says songs will be protected

A group of about 50 local songwriters gathered Saturday with U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Brentwood,TN) to discuss how to wrest back control of their work from those who illegally download music. "The Constitution protects against piracy," Blackburn said.

"It was piracy of the high seas," which is addressed in the Constitution. "Now it's piracy of the high waves," Blackburn said to the crowd assembled at the Music Row headquarters of SESAC, one of three organizations in the U.S. that collect royalty payments on behalf of songwriters and composers.
(read full story)

Measuring a Hit: 'Moments'

** Each week I measure the #1 song of the week in “Measuring a Hit” for you to readily see common threads in today's biggest hits. A post titled “A Closer Look” follows in a few days that brings a few craft issues of the song to your attention.

Congratulations to two dear old friends of mine, Sam and Annie Tate. Co-writing "Moments" with Dave Berg, they had another song reach #1 last week.

Let's lay that measuring stick of ours next to it.


          Moments
          Annie Tate/Sam Tate/Dave Berg

          time signature:                         4/4
          intro length:                              :18
          time to chorus:                         :58
          time to title:                              :59
          # title appearances:                14
          general subject:                       each person's worth
          viewpoint:                                  1st
          form:                                            V-climb-C-V-climb-C-B-C
          style written:                            story
          rhyme (predominant):         near
          length:                                         4:58
          tempo:                                         slow/mid


* Note the songs length comes in rubbing against the 5-minute mark! Also note the unusual chord progression when you listen. More about these points in the next 'A Closer Look'.


Til then… write on!

A Closer Look: 'Good Directions'

** Each week I measure the #1 song of the week in “Measuring a Hit” for you to readily see common threads in today's biggest hits. A post titled “A Closer Look” follows in a few days that brings a few craft issues of the song to your attention.

Let’s look closer at the #1 country song from a couple of weeks ago. The first thing that strikes me about this song is its frequent use of images. We’re given turnips, a flatbed truck, a pork rind, and a Hollywood license plate all in the first verse alone! Those images paint a picture in our minds eye, and by involving our mind an important connection is made with us as we listen.

There’s also a lot of symmetry in this song (the first four lines of the verses to be exact).

Look at my markup of this lyric and you’ll see the symmetry goes as far as pairing action words in the same spot of the second line in each verse.


Tomorrow we'll measure this past weeks #1, co-written by a couple of old friends of mine.

Dolly Parton Receives Johnny Mercer Award

This past Thursday evening Dolly Parton received the Johnny Mercer Award from the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, to which she was inducted in 2001. She says songwriting is the most important part of her career.

"I would always give up everything before I give up the writing, because it's really my way of expressing myself, and it's just a natural thing and the song just took me everywhere I've been so far," she told the AP.

"So it's very important. ... To be honored for it and recognized for it is a great, great compliment."

She estimates she has written over 3,000 songs and says she writes something every day.

It’s a New World (Part 2 of 3) Free Music… and everyone gets paid

In part one of this series (see May 31 post) we looked at how record companies are solving (actually not) their problem of cliff-diving record sales and the further diversification into the music publishing arena being the “answer” for many.

But there are some creative minds working on a new music distribution model.

In one model that’s soon to be launched, the source of royalties will be derived from new pockets. Royalties, traditionally coming from the consumer’s pocket, will now come from the pockets of advertisers when music is obtained at We7. That’s the plan behind the company which boasts Peter Gabriel as one of its founders.

Rather than fight the losing battle of illegal free downloading, the idea is to give everyone what they want and let target-advertising pick up the tab.

With We7 users tell a little about themselves so advertisements will be relevant to them. A 10-second advertisement, tailored to the downloader’s profile, precedes the song. After a month tracks are available without ads. Because downloads are funded through advertisers We7 will “deliver free, legal and safe music, video and other digital entertainment to everyone who wants to download it”.

Users get free entertainment, advertisers pay for targeted potential customers, and songwriters, artists, record labels, etc. get paid.

The We7 site explains its concept this way. “What people dislike most about advertising is receiving badly targeted messages that bear no relevance to them and disrupt their listening pleasure.

And that's where We7 is revolutionary. Because the way artists are paid is funded by downloaders who have agreed to receive advertising messages that they know will appeal to their declared interests and lifestyle.

It's this unique way of advertising that enables our downloads to be free, ensures artists are paid and provides downloaders with messages about the products and services they really want.”

In the next of this 3 part series we’ll look at another creative solution being used by some folks I think you’ve heard of.


Till then, keep writing!

Measuring a Hit: 'Good Directions'

** Each week I measure the #1 song of the week in “Measuring a Hit” for you to readily see common threads in today's biggest hits. A post titled “A Closer Look” follows in a few days that brings a few craft issues of the song to your attention.

Time to lay my measuring stick, which we talked about last time, by this past weeks #1 song.

The goal is, over time, to find common threads in #1 songs (hint: we’ll find many!). Here’s this week’s ‘measurement’.


          Good Directions
          Rachel Thibodeau and Luke Bryan

          time signature:                         4/4
          intro length:                              :15
          time to chorus:                         :47
          time to title:                              3:10
          # title appearances:                  1
          general subject:                        love found
          viewpoint:                                  1st
          form:                                            V C V C B (inst) C
          style written:                            story
          rhyme (predominant):         near / single perfect
          length:                                         3:35
          tempo:                                         mid


* Note that only 1 title appearance and the time to title (not until last line of song) are VERY unusual.


Til next time… keep writing!

Measuring a Hit: The ‘Marks’ on Your Stick

It’s impossible to analyze a hit then use that template to churn out your own. Why? Obviously it’s that intangible, emotional connection with the listener that’s made in some unique way, which we can’t “measure”. But not to worry. There’s plenty to learn from ‘measuring’ a hit.

Measuring current hits empowers you by finding common threads that work consistently. I’m not suggesting you should never venture to the ‘artsy’ side of the songwriting globe. When I was on the Row I encouraged writers to develop that artsy side. I truly believe it makes a writer stronger. But… it rarely pays the bills. Country is far less forgiving than rock in stretching boundaries.

‘Art’ can mean various things such as unusual song form, ‘poetic’ language (NOT poetry), odd chord progressions, etc.

Just as all physical exercise brings more power and agility, I’ve found that writers who exercise their ‘artsy’ side keep that creative muscle in the right-side of their head strong, ready, and more capable of developing a unique way of saying something (lyrically and melodically) when working within those often perceived confining commercial boundaries I’ve heard many complain about. But don’t spend too much time in that realm. Maybe 90/10 ‘commercial’ to ‘art’.

If you really want to write hits you must know what works with the mass general public and then write predominantly within those boundaries. Don’t like it? Then prepare to move the boundaries of your Music Row songwriter dreams inward… significantly.

Don’t already own a measuring stick? Let’s begin carving one for you. Here are a few good marks to place on it:

             Time signature
             General Subject
             Viewpoint
             Form
             Time to Title
             Length
             Tempo (general)

There are other marks you can place on your stick, but these are a good start.

Next time in ‘Measuring a Hit’ we’ll lay my measuring stick beside the #1 country song of the week.


Till then, keep writing!

It’s a New World (Part 1 of 3) Movers and Shakers Get Shook

As if you didn’t know, amidst plummeting CD sales (a more than 20% decline this year) a new model for the distribution of music is in the process of “finding itself”. What you may not know is that the new model is looking in some creative places for its new self.

Whatever the new model proves to ultimately be, it stands to have an impact on songwriters. That’s because with CD sales down and no recovery in site, the movers and shakers in the business of selling records (record companies) are looking to diversify. And the most lucrative, steady stream of income in this business is music publishing.

While all the major players already have a hand in the publishing pot, it looks as though they’ll be sticking the other hand in too. With the multiple sources of revenue that music publishing provides including the largest prize, performance income, record companies hope to raise the sinking ship and steady the flow of revenue.

So how’s that impact you, the songwriter? Mainly through less spots available on recording projects as the number of inside cuts will undoubtedly grow.

With the majority of music obtained last year coming from free sources, it’s clear the industry severely underestimated the potential problem early on that technology would lay at its door. And they’re moving like a snail towards creating a solution, if they’re working on one at all. They simply look to diversify.

But there remain some creative thinkers around, and (surprise!) they’re not record company executives.

In the next of this 3 part series we’ll look at one of the creative solutions in the works.


Till then, keep writing!

Songwriting Mistakes: Mixing Viewpoints

This is probably the most common mistake I’ve seen newer songwriters make.

_______________________________________________
     First, a ‘refresher’…

          · 1st person (I, Me, We, Us)
          Speaks about/to yourself or addresses a singular ‘you’
          in a conversational style

          · 2nd person (You, Yours)
          Speaks to someone either directly (a specific person)
          or to a general ‘you’

          · 3rd person (He, She, Them, They)
          Speaks about someone but not directly to them
_______________________________________________

Mixing the viewpoint within your song can easily confuse the listener. Let me show you what I mean.


Examples:
The most common mistake is shifting from third person perspective in the first verse, to second person perspective in the second verse.


     Incorrect: (from actual songwriter meeting/consultation)


          He’s the real heartbreaker of our little world
          That modern day Romeo of all these small town girls
          Now he’s gone and left me feelin’ blue
          Why did I fall for his game too?

          You brought the pain that’s falling down my cheek


Wait a minute… who’s now being addressed in the second verse? Is this ‘you’ someone new that’s broken the singer’s heart or is she still addressing the ‘he’ in the first verse?

Without making it clear the listener is confused and trying to figure out who the singer is now addressing. Meanwhile, more information is coming at the listener before this question is resolved, causing the listener to possibly miss the new information as they’re trying to decipher who’s being addressed. And missing new information makes them now, totally lost.


     Incorrect: (from actual songwriter meeting/consultation)

                            ‘Laying It On The Line’

          It’s always the same, each night you walk through my dreams
          And my nerves rattle like a guitar string
          She’s a real cutie, in fact she’s a beauty
          So I’ll follow my heart this time
          Cause there’s no prize without laying it on the line


Catch the mistake? In the first line we hear the singer addressing ‘you’. Then the viewpoint is changed in the third line when the reference becomes ‘she’. The third line reads as if the singer is now singing about someone different.


How to Correct:
To keep your song immediately clear and understandable from the singer’s viewpoint you should work to maintain the same viewpoint throughout your lyric by being consistent in your use of pronouns.

Determine from which viewpoint the singer will perform your song. Will the singer be singing about someone, about himself/herself, or to someone? This will determine the use of pronouns for you to consistently use throughout the song.


EXCEPTIONS:
An exception to maintaining the viewpoint is in a bridge, when it’s often advisable to change perspective. It’s possible you’ll even hear a song that defies this rule of maintaining viewpoint/pronouns outside of the bridge. This can be successfully accomplished by altering viewpoints from section to section, yet maintaining those viewpoints within each section. Other times a shift in viewpoint will occur in the chorus. However, most songs maintain a consistent viewpoint and I encourage you to gain more experience before attempting to alter viewpoints within your songs. I mention these exceptions to prevent any confusion when you hear something contrary to what I’ve shown you here.


Til next time… keep writing!

(by the way, examples used by permission!)

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