Help with music theory for songwriting

[jannusguy2]

I'm usually in the key of "L". At least it sounds like "L".

[Rambler]

"Three chords and the truth"---Harlan Howard............/quote] If it fits. Sometimes takes more to put it across.

[Lars68]

Here is a piece of the song from me practicing. I have added the A7 before the return to Dm as suggested. Please try to look beyond the singing/mubling. Hopefully you will be able to hear hints of the melody at least. As you will hear, I'm also struggling with the 6/8 signature and miss a few changes. 6/8 sounds cool and I think it fits, but I have never played a song using it before so the changes are not automatic, which makes it a struggle to sing, play, and trying to keep time all at once.

 

What do you think, could this work eventually? I got tons of more verses about the struggles of ol' Nils, but haven't decided yet what his fate will be

 

https://soundcloud.com/lars1968/practice-recording

 

Lars

[GT Hurley]

Here is a piece of the song from me practicing. I have added the A7 before the return to Dm as suggested. Please try to look beyond the singing/mubling. Hopefully you will be able to hear hints of the melody at least. As you will hear, I'm also struggling with the 6/8 signature and miss a few changes. 6/8 sounds cool and I think it fits, but I have never played a song using it before so the changes are not automatic, which makes it a struggle to sing, play, and trying to keep time all at once.

 

What do you think, could this work eventually? I got tons of more verses about the struggles of ol' Nils, but haven't decided yet what his fate will be

 

https://soundcloud.c...ctice-recording

 

Lars

 

I reluctantly reply to theses types of post as the emotional levels can be very high. As a songwriter I will tell you from my limited musical theory knowledge, the song is in the key of Dm. As kind and helpful as the advice to change things may be from others, take the advice with a smile and then go create an original artwork all alone. Picasso didn't use a co-painter. Just my .02 cents. :) Use your ear and make it yours and yours alone. Play on!

GT

[Lars68]

I reluctantly reply to theses types of post as the emotional levels can be very high. As a songwriter I will tell you from my limited musical theory knowledge, the song is in the key of Dm. As kind and helpful as the advice to change things may be from others, take the advice with a smile and then go create an original artwork all alone. Picasso didn't use a co-painter. Just my .02 cents. :) Use your ear and make it yours and yours alone. Play on!

GT

 

My intention was never to post a practice snippet of the song to have others help me finish it. In that case it would not be my song anymore. My aim is to learn about songwriting and to let others hear what I have been working on with regards to the topic of this thread. Sharing is part of the fun!

 

Lars

[stein]

I will put some stuff here, there are very smart music people here and I do not ever want to argue with them about this part of music creation and production, so here goes.

 

Music Theory is language used to explain what we hear and why we hear it. That's first and foremost. In the olden days they needed to be able to speak to each other even though they didn't all speak the same languages in Europe. So when we say I IV V we are saying the chords used in whatever key we have decided on, and we can use our fingers up and down to indicate the key, sharps up and flats down, the number of sharps and flats tells the key, and you can transpose for your instrument from there. That is a very basic, pedantic look at it real quick like.

 

I agree that not all songs are written from a theory correct point of view, that is true.

 

It also happens to be that the correct use of theory, how to resolve, how to create tension and suspense, how to modulate and move, how to create mood, all these things do lead to music that is pleasing to the ear. Conversely, incorrect use of all of the above can lead to musical chaos, which the average ear doesn't really respond well to.

 

So, if you want to write songs and communicate with other musicians about how to play them, and you want to communicate with yourself about how you made this song sound like this, learning the rudiments of theory is a great idea. Asking clowns like me on the internet why something does or doesn't work isn't a good career move.

 

If you want to write and record something that may possible sound good to others, sound great in the headphones, and maybe even get a few downloads because it sounds nice and it satisfies some pop sensibilities of the human ear, it is good to know why and how music works the way it does, which means a good basic theory grasp is important.

 

Listen to what the kids call "pop". Taylor and Bieber and all of them, they all get superbly built songs using all the latest gimmicks and tricks, but underneath it all is the very purposeful use of suspension and tension and resolution in the melody and the harmonies, musical and vocal. Sure it's formula, but when you hit one right it is just the best feeling when you play it back.

 

Get a book or two, I don't have any recommendations it has been a long time since I studied theory, but it never leaves you and it helps you write sense making things that do what you want them to do, even if it is just for yourself. Good luck with it and above all just enjoy doing it.

 

rct

Dang. RTC, you don't really post intelligent stuff often, but when you do...just, wow.

 

I feel like I just read part of the Bible, like when Jesus is speaking.

 

There is a LOT of wisdom here in this post.

[Stan Ellison]

Keep on writing songs. Don't get too hung up on finishing one before starting another. The more you do the better you get at doing it, and you can always go back and redo earlier stuff.

 

As has been said your clip sounds like it's in Dm. It works Ok as a tune. What does your book say about structure, the different parts of a song and how you put them together?

[stein]

 

Music Theory is language used to explain what we hear and why we hear it. That's first and foremost.

 

 

rct

I think this might be the most bestest line of all the 'theory' threads we've had on here.

 

It's fun to stretch the mind, "interpret" and such, even show off a bit our knowledge, even try and make it more interesting.

 

But at the end of the day, deciding what key it's in is best viewed using the simplest way other musicians will play or read the music.

[Lars68]

I think this might be the most bestest line of all the 'theory' threads we've had on here.

 

It's fun to stretch the mind, "interpret" and such, even show off a bit our knowledge, even try and make it more interesting.

 

But at the end of the day, deciding what key it's in is best viewed using the simplest way other musicians will play or read the music.

 

 

Very well put, both of you! Kind of puts theory in a different light, at least for me. Thanks!

 

Lars

[Avery]

Lars, I don't know much about theory, although I'm learning! But I like the song and the story it tells. You bring a strong amount of storytelling to your songwriting, and I love songs that really tell stories.

[MissouriPicker]

Neil Diamond on music theory. "Songwriting is different from music, although I don't deny now that it would be nice to have a little more background in music theory."

[Lars68]

Lars, I don't know much about theory, although I'm learning! But I like the song and the story it tells. You bring a strong amount of storytelling to your songwriting, and I love songs that really tell stories.

 

Thanks, Avery! This song is still a little too monotenous and I'm working to improve it, and also decide which verses to use for an ending.

 

As for the story, in my music room I have what in Swedish is called an "Amerika koffert", an America case. It is an old, large and bulky luggage case that a past relative used to emigrate to America more than a hundred years ago. Her initials are on the case to this day. She eventually returned and so did her case. 1.5 million Swedes (one quarter of the population at the time) migrated to the U.S. during the great migration period. I looked at that old case, and decided to write a song about this period which I find very interesting.

 

If I'm alowed to be a litlle bit political for a while, it is extremely sadening to see European countries using walls and barbed wires to try and keep refugees out. These countries must have forgotten their own history. Come to think of it, I might use that sentiment to end my song

 

Now back to music...

 

Lars

[Smurfbird]

Remember Lars, if it sounds good, it is good.

 

There's nothing wrong with listening to the many songwriters you admire and trying to unravel their mysteries. When you hear something you really like, steal it. As in, apply it to your own work.

 

Unless you're planning on being a pop songwriter who sells songs to others, you need not worry about the formulas. Have fun with it. Look at Bob Dylan. Very few bridges in his work, but he used them --Just Like a Woman comes to mind. Very few choruses ("Things Have Changed" has one and a few other interesting structural choices.) . He preferred to end a verse with a repeat of the song's title -- Tangled Up in Blue (no bridge). He "borrowed" old folk melodies, as was the tradition for centuries.

 

Have fun with it. Do whatever you like. Try writing a song that begins with a chorus ("She Loves You") or one without one. Write a song with all the moving parts-- intro, guitar hook, double verse/pre-chorus/chorus/single verse/ pre-chorus/chorus/solo/bridge/third verse/pre-chorus/chorus/outro...

 

Then write a song that tells a story with one repeating line. Then write a song of loose images and no narrative, just feel....

 

Do it all. You have nothing to lose. Have fun.

[stein]

Very basic here:

 

In every key, there are 7 chords, 7 notes. Not 8, as the last id the first. 7.

 

In every key, there are 3 major and 3 minor. That's 6. the "diminished" (half diminished, to be technical) is sick sounding, often not used. You would know it if it was played. So...back to 6 chords.

 

Of the 3 major and 3 minor, they both happen to be the I IV V. So, in each key, there is a I IV V of major chords, and a I IV V of minor chords.

 

Anyone, ANYONE, can comprehend and find the I IV V. Also, if it's major or minor. Also, the minor I IV V will always be in the same place relative to the I IV V of the major.

 

With two chords, you can find what the rest of the chords SHOULD be. Because any two chords a full step away (such as G and A), will always be both major or both minor, not one of each. That tells you the I IV V. Same thing for the I and the IV chords. Any chords a 4th apart (such as D and G) will be either both major or minor.

 

Once you find the I IV V of any key, you can find the I IV V of both the major and minor. That will give you all six of the basic chords you can use, and tell you which are major and which are minor. And thus, what key you are in.

[Smurfbird]

And then came the Beatles. They often made 'key' irrelevant. (I'm sure others did before them, but in pop music, Lennon & McCartney were pretty fearless about trying anything and everything, including playing a D major, switching it to Dm and wandering off somewhere else.)

 

That's why I say, go with Duke Ellington: If it sounds good, it is good.

 

We're all attracted to (or simply comforted by) the I-IV-V in its various orders---I know I've written far too many songs with I-IV--but it's good to mess with everything you know and turn it upside down.

 

Try writing songs with just two chords. Write some with many. Do everything. Have fun.

[Versatile]

Here is a piece of the song from me practicing. I have added the A7 before the return to Dm as suggested. Please try to look beyond the singing/mubling. Hopefully you will be able to hear hints of the melody at least. As you will hear, I'm also struggling with the 6/8 signature and miss a few changes. 6/8 sounds cool and I think it fits, but I have never played a song using it before so the changes are not automatic, which makes it a struggle to sing, play, and trying to keep time all at once.

 

What do you think, could this work eventually? I got tons of more verses about the struggles of ol' Nils, but haven't decided yet what his fate will be

 

https://soundcloud.com/lars1968/practice-recording

 

Lars

 

Very nice playing and sound quality....

 

IMO the song is in 3/4 time (similar to a waltz or minuet) a refreshing change from the 'common' time of 4/4 which, as implied is the most common rhythm....

 

6/8 is a different kettle of fish altogether...often mistaken for '3' time...it is actually '2' time like a march, with an enjoyable triplet lilt....

 

Try listening to some JP Sousa brass band marches and the difference between 2/4 and 6/8 marches can be heard...

 

A famous example of a 6/8 march is 'The Liberty Bell' by Sousa....immortalised for comedic effect as 'The Monty Python' theme....

 

V

 

[Rambler]

the Beatles ... often made 'key' irrelevant. Try writing songs with just two chords. Write some with many. Do everything. Have fun.

re part the first, I rather thought they stuck to the tried an tuneful. re part the second, definitely.

[Anthony Buckeridge]

Quote: "I have written five songs so far."

 

 

 

Well done Lars!

 

You are attempting to be Creative.

 

In the Image of a Creator, Creativity should be an Entirely Natural to Real Life.

 

The best advice I could give you about being realistic in evaluating and appraising how you are doing is what I have always done to all my Recordings.

 

That is, I know who I regard as Making the Best, Most Realistic Sounding Recordings in the World, and I Directly Compare my Recordings, to Any Recordings made by Al Schmitt in the Same Year.

 

The Effect of this Direct Comparison, is to make me Face The Truth as to Exactly Where I Am, and to persuasively enable me to See The Need Of and Exactly Where and What I Require, to Significantly Step Up My Game and Keep Seeking Continuous Improvement.

 

I am Not Self Satisfied, do not Rest On My Laurels, and Can't Delude Myself into Thinking I am as Good as I Need to Be. This Approach is Humbling, a Reality Check to Self and Over Confidence, it Elevates the Level of My Vision, and Keeps Me Soaring Upward, Trying to Improve.

 

 

 

Quote: "For all of them I have used a book"

 

 

 

The Overwhelming Majority of Great British Guitarists.

 

Learnt using Bert Weedon's Tutor, "Play in a Day". The Basics of the Rudiments and Theory of Music were featured within its Pages, and are very much akin to the Royal School of Music's " Little Red Book" Publication, "The Rudiments and Theory of Music".

 

The Salient Point I'm making here, is that Overwhelmingly, the Greatest British Guitar Virtuoso's, Grew Up and Learnt Their Instrument, with a Ready Facility Available to Absorb the Basics of the Rudiments and Theory of Music. Bert's Book was designed to Get You Started in an easy way, then Gradually Introduce, as you Worked through its Pages, to Everything in a Basic Form you Needed To Know, to be a Well Rounded Musician, capable of ascending to more demanding levels.

 

The Idea therefore, that Most British Players with a Great Instinctive Feel for Music, do so, without any Basic Knowledge Whatever of the Rudiments and Theory of Music, as some would have us believe, is therefore, Historically Inaccurate and a Serious Disservice to All who wish to be Rounded Musicians.

 

 

 

It is Buying into the Promotion of Image over Unassailable Fact!

 

I would be the First to Admit, that there are Great Players who don't Read Music Well at All, and Jimmy Page, is but one of them.

 

However, that is a different matter to Understanding Elementary Details, that All Musicians Should Understand, in Order to be Able to Effectively Outline and Share Musical ideas as they Work with Other Musicians.

 

 

 

 

Things such as:

 

What Key are we Playing In?

 

What is the Time Signature?

 

 

These matters should be Clear to Everyone.

 

Before one even Starts to Play, don't you think so?

 

Should a New Driver be allowed on the Roads in their Car without a Proper Knowledge of the Highway Code?

 

To do so would be Productive of Nothing but Accidents and Chaos. Lots of Time would be Wasted as Misunderstandings Occurred, and it would take Much Longer for Everyone to get Where they Needed to Go To.

 

If you Study the Track Record of Successful Groups who have had the Good Fortune to Achieve Chart Hits, early in their Careers, without the Benefit of Inbuilt, Basic, Musical Disciplines and Protocols. The Self Indulgent Pattern we repeatedly see, is an Inordinate Amount of Wasted Studio Time and Resources, Necessary to Achieve Simple Results.

 

 

 

This is Why Producers, Overwhelmingly Preferred to Work with Studio Musicians.

 

 

 

But whether we absorb these things by Personal Experience, Trial and Error, Learning by Ear, "Whatever Works" or by a Formal Route of Musical Education involving Theory, is not the truly important factor.

 

What is Really Important is that we have Learnt and do Understand, What We are Doing. We can be Communicated With and can Communicate With Others Effectively. And being able to Immediately Grasp, Simple, Basic, Necessary Elements and get those things Right, is Absolutely De Rigueur. These Include factors such as Arriving at Venues, On Time, at the very latest.

 

 

 

A while back a Long Standing Friend of mine asked me to Audition a Couple of Young Guitarists he knew who he felt were Very Good.

 

Auditioning Musicians for large projects is something I sometimes have to do. So I listened to them Play a Whole Lot of Widdly Stuff, and said to them "I'm sorry I can't use you", much to my friends Total Amazement.

 

By the Surprised Expressions of all of them, especially my well meaning Friend, I needed to explain why that was the case. I said to them, "You have both learnt to Play, Performing Alone, Practicing in your Rooms, and That's Really It, to get you to This Playing Level, which Seems Impressive" to which they Nodded in Agreement.

 

"But now you want to know why I can't use you. You can't see why not, because you seem to Play So Well. It's simply because, although what you Play Sounds Impressive to the Inexperience Ear. In Reality you have Never Learnt, Practiced and Developed the Most Basic Discipline of being Able to Play Consistently and Strictly in Time."

 

"When you Play by Yourself this is no problem, and doesn't inhibit your ability in any way. But when you will have to Play Dead in Time along with a whole bunch of other Musicians, whose sensitivity to Time by the way is such that they can Discern the Front, Centre and Back of each Beat, and Play at Different Areas of Each Beat, even within a Single Bar of Music, as in the Case of a Good Drummer. Then the Demands of Playing in a Tightly Disciplined Time, will place an Insistence, Requirement and Imposition upon you that you as you are at the moment, Don't Expect and are No Where Near, Prepared For. I'm sorry that's the case because I think in every other respect you have a lot going for you and I Wish you Well for the Future"

 

Now as I told them WHY, (in reality, I was very diplomatically, fully explaining to my old family friend of extremely long standing) the Expression on their Faces told the Complete Story. It was as if a Light Bulb of Understanding, had been Switched On for them all. There was no question that I had Immediately Nailed the Relevant Issue. I could tell that Deep Down, they All, Instinctively and Intuitively, ALREADY Knew that what I had said was Right. No Question at all. The Point is that they Needed Someone to Clearly Explain and Teach to their Conscious Mind, what they had Already Recognised at a Subconscious Level, but Overlooked, too easily Impressed by Architectural Superstructure that Lacked Solid Foundations.

 

For Musical Directors and Conductors such as myself who have to Audition Musicians, displays of Musical Virtuosity are What We Expect, it sweeps straight over us in the main, certainly for me at least.

 

What Stands Out is the Weaknesses and Flaws in a Players Performance. Where do they need to Improve? Can they be easily assisted to achieve the Required Level?

 

But if a Player has Never been Disciplined at all in the Basics, how can you use them?

 

Particularly if they have to Perform with Other Players.

 

 

 

It's like learning to Read and Write.

 

Can you go through Life without that Basic Facility?

 

For sure you can, but it will hold you back from Achieving, All you Otherwise Could.

 

It's not my intention to direct personal criticism toward anyone at all, but an impartial observer of this Fora could be forgiven for coming to the conclusion, that in a Musical Sense, some people are Actively Proud, that they Cannot Read or Write!

 

 

 

A Child can Read and Write.

 

Ignorance is not something to be Proud of.

 

And a Modicum of Education, can take you a Very Long Way.

 

If the Subject Involved, is One you are Genuinely Into, then It will Only Benefit.

 

 

Quote: "when writing songs, how bothered should I be about how "theoretically" correct a song I'm writing is? Is the rule that there are no rules?"

 

 

 

Lars.

 

Follow the Inspiration.

 

Focus on the Spirit and Emotional Feeling.

 

When you finally want your Song to be Played with other Musicians.

 

Properly Recorded or Published as Sheet Music, then clearly Musical Theory is Needed.

 

The Truth about "Rules" is that Worldwide, there is NO Absolutely Consistent Method Standardized of Scoring Music.

 

This will be surprising to many, but in quite small ways, the details of Scoring Music across the World and even How Notes are Named and Understood, Varies.

 

International Musicians are aware of these details and thus adjust appropriately, however Historically, we can see there is a Centuries Old Gradual Progression towards Standardization and Formalizing, the Overall Parameters with which Music is Presented.

 

For instance, 200 years Ago there was a Formal Attempt to Standardize the Names of Instruments of the Orchestra, to Clarify the Actual Intentions of the Composer, as Slightly Different Instruments shared Common Names, and no-one but the Composer, would really know Precisely Which Instrument was Required to be Utilised.

 

In some cases, this has meant that a European Name has been given to an Exotic Instrument of Eastern Origin for example. Completely overriding the Name Given by the Inventors and Originators of the Instrument, which is something I don't really agree with, but can understand and accept WHY this has happened. When you buy a Light Bulb, do you simply ask for a Light Bulb? More detail is actually required, to get the desired, end result that will fit the Light Socket.

 

Some Classical Music by Great Composers deliberately have a certain degree of ambiguity in regard to Key Signature for Example. Certain Composers, especially those working with Elements based on Centuries Old Folk Idioms, where Music was passed person to person by Traditional Means rather than Formal Writing, features a "breaking all the rules mentality", but in a Notated manner which is as Formalised as possible, for the Challenge of Professional, Orchestral Musicians.

 

 

 

So.

 

These Problematic Issues.

 

Are not something entirely new to Music.

 

But an Age Old Problem, Professionals have Gradually Addressed.

 

They have Brilliantly Succeeded in Solving Many of the Riddles we face, so it seems Churlish to Actively Shun their Advances.

 

For most of the Music, most of us will ever Play, understanding and working within the Parameters of Basic Formalised Structures, will serve us very well indeed.

 

 

 

 

If we take the trouble to learn how to do that.

 

 

 

Or we can Attempt to Re-invent the Wheel, if we want to.

 

They may be those amongst us that in a sense are in favour of doing precisely that.

 

So let me state that Utilising New Research that Studied "How Trees Grow" and understanding how they naturally distribute additional material at Critical Points of Stress.

 

Has been used by a Company I have "an interest" in, to Design and Manufacture a Completely New Concept of Wheel, and indeed, a New, State of the Art, Major Product Component with Strength Added at Critical Points of Stress and Material Reduced where not Required.

 

 

 

Whether you are concerned with "Musical Form and Performance".

 

Or "Reinventing The Wheel" altogether, in the manner of Creating Music.

 

Being Able to Do What a Child Can, to Read and Write, at a Basic Level, will Help.

 

 

 

Quote: "I am now writting a new song, and instead of "cheating" by using a set of rules as to which chords I can use or not use, I set out to try and use my own ears."

 

 

 

Two suggestions come readily to mind.

 

One is to get a really great "Chord Encyclopaedia" and learn several New Chords, each week.

 

Every time you Learn a New Chord, come up with a New Song, that incorporates the Sound and Harmony Characteristics of the New Chord.

 

I think it's fair to write, that this is how I developed when I was young and also people like Sir Paul McCartney, that as days became weeks and months, years. Every New Chord Learnt encouraged Creativity and was soon Converted into Developmental Ideas for a New Song.

 

Another aspect to this Learning and Doing Approach, is that it is often possible with a Wider Palette of Harmonic Progression and Colour available, to Revisit and Rearrange Musically, Existing Songs you have written, introducing "Improvement and Development" that can Lift the Song to an Entirely Higher Level.

 

You have to be careful with this, as sometimes, Simple Songs within Certain Genres, are at their best Presented without any Musical Pretentiousness or Cleverness at all, but with Genuinely Authentic, Hallmark Characteristics everyone expects to Sound a Particular Way . However, that said, many times a Mediocre Song can be Totally Transformed into a Very Good Song and a Very Good Song into a Truly Great Song, simply by the Scintillating Musical Vision provided by Superb Musical Arrangement and Recording Production.

 

 

 

Ideally, the package will have it all.

 

But it's amazing how what is considered by Writers to be Brilliantly Arty.

 

Often involves what is in reality a great deal of Lyrical and Musical Obfuscation. Obscure Elements that need to be Clearly Presented.

 

Sometimes this involves Stripping Away, Irrelevant factors that felt and seemed right at first or was all that could be thought of, at the time of initial writing and seemed to fit.

 

Yet independent impartial fresh thought exposes the truth that what is written is complete and utter nonsense, but with the Change of a Word here, the Change of a Chord there, and Key or Time Signature Modulation, everything Suddenly Becomes the Presentation of a Clear Musical Vision.

 

 

 

One thing I like to do is listen to Great Hit Recordings by Top Artists, involving Top Musical Arrangers and Top Record Producers.

 

Then Listen to the Composers Original Version of their Song. I find this to be a Great Learning Experience, where much can be Gleaned that is Musically Telling.

 

Put simply, it has invariably been my experience that the Clarity of Presentation, Gifted and Skilled Input bring to an Brilliant Compositional Concept, even to that of Great Writers, is that the Compelling Emotional Content of the Song, is Far More Directly and Powerfully Communicated to the Listener.

 

Put another way. A Good Compositional Idea that would be Enjoyably Interesting to a Small Minority of Ardent Musical Enthusiasts, but that would Bore the Pants Off the Majority of the Music Buying Public; Suddenly Becomes Fully Accessible to that Wider Audience. It Grabs the Ear and Attention of the Average Person, Draws Them In and Dynamically Communicates an Emotional Feeling they can Readily Identify With.

 

 

 

It's a Musical Idea.

 

Presented in the Key Signature of Life.

 

Everyone, Everywhere can Understand and Respond to.

 

Where a Songwriter does Record an Original, Best, Most Definitive Version.

 

There are Normally, Great Studio Musicians or Musical Arrangers, Recording Engineers and Producers in the background, who are Heavily Involved, but often Unrecognised or with Little Credit.

 

 

 

Paul Williams

 

 

 

Art Garfunkel

 

 

 

 

 

JIMMY WEBB

 

 

 

GLEN CAMPBELL

 

 

 

 

 

Larry Weiss

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5H20PBo1OHg&list=RD5H20PBo1OHg

 

 

GLEN CAMPBELL

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHA-p5-BXcI

 

 

 

 

These above are all Great Songwriters.

 

Whose work is my opinion at least has been Superbly Enhanced into Chart Hits.

 

By the Involvement of Top Vocalists, Top Studio Musicians, Musical Arrangers, Engineers and Producers.

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/larry-knechtel-pianist-who-played-with-two-elvises-simon-and-garfunkel-phil-spector-and-the-doors-1792724.html

 

 

 

 

The Second Thought I have to offer is to extol the Gift Of Imagination.

 

People sometimes ask what comes first the Words or Music, I usually say that the "Idea" or "Concept" of the Song is the Most Important Element.

 

Once you have True Clarity in your mind regarding the "Concept", I invariably find it to be the case that the Words and Music, Flow Outwardly downstream in an entirely Natural Manner, once this Peak Point of Importance is Strongly Established.

 

One is not merely "Attempting to Write a Song" one already has a "Song to Write" because the Mountain Top has been Clearly Seen. I don't know if you know this but All Great Icon Designs of Car Shape can actually be easily Sketched by an Artist with Two or at most Three Strokes of a Pencil on a Sheet of Paper. Just Two or Three Lines Convey the Whole Idea.

 

 

 

Great Words and Music, Flow from a Spiritedly Strong Feeling and Clearly Defined Concept.

 

 

 

If you can Establish that.

 

Right from the Start, even if it involves a Struggle at First.

 

Then the Gift of Imagination has a Clear View down the Mountain that decides the Best Way to Go.

 

Rather than simply attempting to Play Something that "Fits" and being Strict Limited to the Level of Wherever your Guitar Technique is.

 

Imagine the Words and Music in your Mind First, Powerfully Cascading from the Clearly Established Conceptual Peak and Entirely Free from the Binding Effect of the Repeated Musical Patterns you have Developed, which can so easily become Dangerous Ruts you Easily Fall Into, simply because of the way you are Learning to Play your Instrument.

 

 

 

Learning to Play the Guitar.

 

And becoming a Good Songwriter are Two Different Disciplines.

 

You will find that they Sometimes Overlap, and it's there where having a Clear Concept will Tell.

 

Differentiating those Competing Elements when you Start, may Not be Obvious or Easy, but the Clearer Your Original Vision, the Better you will Accomplish your Goal.

 

And the More you can Tap into a Pure Lyrical and Musical Imagination and Explore your Musical Instrument with that in mind, what you are doing is Far More Likely to Result in an Authentically Original Song.

 

 

 

Rather than one that simply follows Well Worn Patterns.

 

 

 

Good Luck and be open to the notion, which is most often the case, that others might prove to be, the Best Performers of your Original Music.

 

Finally, please be aware as I respectfully state that your Recording in D minor appears to feature a "DC Offset" problem of the type that is often seen on Recordings, Posted in this Fora.

 

Although it is a little outside the bounds of the Theme of your Thread, it might prove useful for yourself and others to Study the Theory regarding Home Recording, a Little more than Hitherto, and this Offset caused by problems related to your Audio Recording Equipment, How it has been Connected and Used can be Easily Corrected.

 

While I'm on the Subject, a Better (More Balanced Relationship between the Odd Transient Peaks and the Average Signal Level) will Assist You Immensely; as at the Moment a Huge Amount of Otherwise Available, Optimise-able Signal Level is being Completely Sacrificed to allow Headroom for these Very Occasional Peaks. This isn't meant as any kind of Criticism, rather it's another Important Area that you really should be Learning The Theory of, if you wish to Maximise the Effectiveness of Your Recordings. You won't want to Smash your type of Recording with Heavy Compression or Limiting, but some Degree of Trimming, Neatening and Better Balancing Peaks and Troughs will Definitely Prove to be of Benefit.

 

You see the Human Ear does not Primarily Respond to Peak Levels of Sound, as one might reasonably expect using common sense, but rather to Average Levels. If you can Deal with the Inhibiting Peaks and thereby Improve the Average Level of your Recordings, you should find the Human Ear will like them better.

 

Always of course Provided they Like the Content in the first place. These are Issues of Recording Properly rather than Musical Comment or Comment regarding Performance. As such they are not Critical Comments but meant to be of General Help to all.

 

As you are not alone either in Recording with a DC Offset or indeed an Un-Optimised Signal Level.

[Lars68]

Anthony, thanks for your input. English is not my first language, so your style of writing makes it a little hard to understand the finer points, but I think I got the important bits!

 

I have kept working on my song, without touching the guitar, since first posting this thread, and as soon as I find some time I will try to finish a recording. I tend to write the songs, melody and words, in my head when I'm lying in bed at night. The recording I posted here was just done so I wouldn't forget a few ideas I had. I need to be better at using a notebook, when I come up with a line I like. This whole thing is so new to me, and I'm not only learning how to write, sing, and play, but also trying to figure out what process works the best for me. I have lost many good ideas from not having recorded or written something down fast enough.

 

Lars

[GT Hurley]

My intention was never to post a practice snippet of the song to have others help me finish it. In that case it would not be my song anymore. My aim is to learn about songwriting and to let others hear what I have been working on with regards to the topic of this thread. Sharing is part of the fun!

 

Lars

 

 

Like I said, the in forums things can get so turned around. What is meant as light hearted is interpreted as snarkey. This was not my intention, share on Lars, share on. And I will keep my comments to myself. Best of luck my friend! Merry Christmas! GT

[Lars68]

Like I said, the in forums things can get so turned around. What is meant as light hearted is interpreted as snarkey. This was not my intention, share on Lars, share on. And I will keep my comments to myself. Best of luck my friend! Merry Christmas! GT

 

No worries!!

[blindboygrunt]

Dear god.

[Anthony Buckeridge]

Quote: "style"

 

 

 

The most important thing about Style.

 

Is to have it in the first place.

 

Be Strongly Distinctive.

 

 

 

What is it about You?

 

And your Writing Style that is Unique and Distinctive?

 

So that anyone, anywhere, will Immediately be Able to Identify, that it's You?

 

Anyone, that ever read a "Jeeves and Wooster" Book, by P.G. Wodehouse, for the very first time.

 

Could not fail to be Struck by the Odd Manner of the Writing, yet this is in Reality a Substantial Part of its Literary Power!

 

 

 

A couple of doors down from where my Studio is, on my Family's Estate, there is Another Studio.

 

It belongs to the U.K. 's Most Successful Female Singer Songwriter, Kate Bush, who is Extremely Distinctive in Style.

 

She has proven there are Definite Dangers in Experimentally Following, the Theoretical in Music, without the Benefits of Authentic, Musical Experience.

 

In the Clip Below, the Lovely Kate Reveals, where Merely Following Theory (so Perilously Explored without a Profoundly Deep Knowledge of What you are Doing in Music), Can Lead.

 

So Understand the Theory, but Know What You Are Doing, and of course WHY! Kate Bush was the First Female British Artist in the Whole of The History of Recording, to Achieve a Number 1 Hit Song, with a Number that was Entirely Self Penned.

 

 

 

Experiment IV

 

(Nigel Kennedy Plays the Violin Solo).

 

 

 

 

This Star Studded Documentary.

 

Will Help You Further Understand the Importance of Being Distinctive.

 

Elton John's comments I feel are particularly pertinent, and of course, he knows something about Song Writing.

 

Dave Gilmour, (a British Guitarist) and many other Songwriters and Artists are featured, so I trust they will be of help as you think about these matters.

 

 

 

 

So.

 

Again.

 

I would ask.

 

What is it about Your Style?

 

That will make You and Your Writing, Identifiable?

 

Enabling it to Immediately Stand Out and Totally Separate it Apart?

 

From the Multitudinous Mêlée of Look and Sound Alike Clones, that Dominate Cyberspace?

 

 

 

For.

 

If you truly.

 

Can Define THAT Element.

 

It will help you go a very long way.

 

 

 

Quote: "I have lost many good ideas from not having recorded or written something down fast enough."

 

 

 

Forgive me.

 

For asking this pertinent question.

 

Have you lost these Good Idea's because of a Failure of your Memory?

 

Or is it because, in point of fact, the Good Idea's Themselves, were simply, Not at all Memorable Enough?

 

I have temporarily lost many Song Ideas, Hook Motifs and Phrases, because the Inspiration came at a time, when there was no ready way available to chronicle them.

 

Yet I am always very relaxed about that, because I feel that if such Song Ideas are Strong Enough to be Truly Memorable, then I Will Recall Them, because if the "Mountain Top Concept" is Clear in my Mind, Distinct and Powerfully Impressive.

 

The "Downstream" Lyric and Musical Content, that is Worthy of Recall, (if I may continue propagating the analogy used earlier), is absolutely unavoidable, suggested as it is, being an inevitable consequence of continuing meditation and contemplation of the Fundamental Song Concept.

 

 

 

Musical Motifs and Phrases.

 

Elusively flit quickly into and out of the Mind.

 

But Establishing a Clear Concept as to What the Song is All About.

 

Means that Genuinely Memorable, Truly Relevant Musical Motifs and Phrases, Will Reoccur.

 

Here's where a little of the Music Rudiments we were discussing comes in handy, because I can Imagine the Tune in my Mind, and work out the Notes of the Melody, note by note in my Head.

 

Like most Musical Skill's, it becomes all the more easier, the more you Practise. Working out the Melody, note by note, in my head, (often whilst I am doing something else at the same time, simply waiting or using snippets of otherwise wasted time), Impresses the Melody in my Memory, in a Profoundly Deep Way.

 

Usually, certain Groups of Words, accompany the Melody, (though that may not be the Final Form and Version of the Lyric, for sometimes, like Kindling Wood, the first Words that come to mind are useful to Initiate and Actuate the Firing of Imagination), and if the Emerging Words and Music Match, Syllable by Syllable and Note by Note and Perfectly Rhyme, they are Mutually Reinforcing and Supportive in the Memory, to Each Other.

 

Drawing Five Lines to create a Stave on any piece of handy paper, it's not hard if you have already worked out the Notes of the Melody in your Head, to quickly jot down the Essential Motifs and Phrases. Again, it's not at all unusual, for the Accompanying Chords to be pretty clear in my mind for the most part, and sometimes, Particular Aspects of the Musical Arrangement, including Dramatic Accents and Syncopations. Because quite often, the Dynamic Impact and Power of a Song, simultaneously ties together All Those Elements Together.

 

By this point, I'm sure you will realise, there should be a Strong Hook to the Song deeply embedded in the Mind, enjoining both Lyric and Music.

 

And THAT, by this point should be Absolutely Unforgettable!

 

 

 

However.

 

A Portable Recorder.

 

Is all you'll need if the above.

 

Concerns or is beyond your present level.

 

Are these are unavailable in the part of the World you hail from?

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zoom-Portable-Digital-Recorder-Version/dp/B003QKBVYK

 

 

 

To be honest, both for myself when Composing and indeed American Composers I have worked with alike, what I have found, is this.

 

It's the "Creative Element" that really interests and engages us. Once we have Written a Song or Recorded it, our level of interests drops so as to Not Even be able to Remember How Songs we have already Written Go! You notice it suddenly at odd times in Rehearsal.

 

That might seem like a Crazy Statement, but it's something that I have Noted, Working as a Young Musician with Well Known Composers, and since then I've had Precisely the Same Experience. It's a Big Surprise when that happens and hard to understand what is going on at first, so I have had to think hard about How and WHY that can happen?

 

Usually I noted it's because "The Performance of the Music" especially involving a Large Ensemble and Production, necessarily Lags a Long Way Behind where a Busy Composer is Mentally. The Composer has moved on in their Creative Writing to the Next Song or the Next Project. That's WHERE they live Mentally, and to their Creative Side, earlier Songs are Overwhelmingly, a Finished Entity, so they have Essentially, Lost their Central Focus on it, because they are Motivated and Driven, in the main, Purely by Creativity.

 

Eliciting a Great Performance of their Music is Very Important, but sometimes seen as just a necessary interruption to what Really Actuates their Creative Juices, so Writing and Recording are the Real Focus of Attention.

 

Beyond that, their Main Focus is Really Elsewhere, even when it should be on what they are Presently Doing.

 

So their Memory Lapses, when you would have thought that Impossible.

 

I think that's how it works!

 

 

 

The Most Important thing about Song Writing.

 

Is to Show Up Every Day, as All Professionals do for Work.

 

And come Rain or Shine, Continue to Hone your Mastery of the Craft.

 

Like Learning to Play the Guitar, you Get Better, the more you Regularly Practice.

 

Often it will seem like you are simply trampling water, and not making any Real Progress at All.

 

Hanging On, Keeping On, Keeping On, takes Genuine Commitment, Application and Discipline to Get Anywhere.

 

 

 

From Time to Time.

 

You will Enjoy Genuine Breakthroughs.

 

Moments of Originality where a Flair for the Ingenious.

 

Utterly Transcends the Continual Daily Grind, and suddenly, Gravity is No More.

 

Where Penetratingly Perspicacious Insight, Practiced Disciplines, Technical Skill and Superlative Musical Beauty.

 

 

 

Purposefully Marry Together, Consolidating to Give Birth to Authentic, Newly Created, Art.

[rct]

Quote: "style"

 

 

 

The most important thing about Style.

 

Is to have it in the first place.

 

Be Strongly Distinctive.

 

 

 

What is it about You?

 

And your Writing Style that is Unique and Distinctive?

 

So that anyone, anywhere, will Immediately be Able to Identify, that it's You?

 

Anyone, that ever read a "Jeeves and Wooster" Book, by P.G. Wodehouse, for the very first time.

 

Could not fail to be Struck by the Odd Manner of the Writing, yet this is in Reality a Substantial Part of its Literary Power!

 

 

 

A couple of doors down from where my Studio is, on my Family's Estate, there is Another Studio.

 

It belongs to the U.K. 's Most Successful Female Singer Songwriter, Kate Bush, who is Extremely Distinctive in Style.

 

She has proven there are Definite Dangers in Experimentally Following, the Theoretical in Music, without the Benefits of Authentic, Musical Experience.

 

In the Clip Below, the Lovely Kate Reveals, where Merely Following Theory (so Perilously Explored without a Profoundly Deep Knowledge of What you are Doing in Music), Can Lead.

 

So Understand the Theory, but Know What You Are Doing, and of course WHY! Kate Bush was the First Female British Artist in the Whole of The History of Recording, to Achieve a Number 1 Hit Song, with a Number that was Entirely Self Penned.

 

 

 

Experiment IV

 

(Nigel Kennedy Plays the Violin Solo).

 

 

 

 

This Star Studded Documentary.

 

Will Help You Further Understand the Importance of Being Distinctive.

 

Elton John's comments I feel are particularly pertinent, and of course, he knows something about Song Writing.

 

Dave Gilmour, (a British Guitarist) and many other Songwriters and Artists are featured, so I trust they will be of help as you think about these matters.

 

 

 

 

So.

 

Again.

 

I would ask.

 

What is it about Your Style?

 

That will make You and Your Writing, Identifiable?

 

Enabling it to Immediately Stand Out and Totally Separate it Apart?

 

From the Multitudinous Mêlée of Look and Sound Alike Clones, that Dominate Cyberspace?

 

 

 

For.

 

If you truly.

 

Can Define THAT Element.

 

It will help you go a very long way.

 

 

 

Quote: "I have lost many good ideas from not having recorded or written something down fast enough."

 

 

 

Forgive me.

 

For asking this pertinent question.

 

Have you lost these Good Idea's because of a Failure of your Memory?

 

Or is it because, in point of fact, the Good Idea's Themselves, were simply, Not at all Memorable Enough?

 

I have temporarily lost many Song Ideas, Hook Motifs and Phrases, because the Inspiration came at a time, when there was no ready way available to chronicle them.

 

Yet I am always very relaxed about that, because I feel that if such Song Ideas are Strong Enough to be Truly Memorable, then I Will Recall Them, because if the "Mountain Top Concept" is Clear in my Mind, Distinct and Powerfully Impressive.

 

The "Downstream" Lyric and Musical Content, that is Worthy of Recall, (if I may continue propagating the analogy used earlier), is absolutely unavoidable, suggested as it is, being an inevitable consequence of continuing meditation and contemplation of the Fundamental Song Concept.

 

 

 

Musical Motifs and Phrases.

 

Elusively flit quickly into and out of the Mind.

 

But Establishing a Clear Concept as to What the Song is All About.

 

Means that Genuinely Memorable, Truly Relevant Musical Motifs and Phrases, Will Reoccur.

 

Here's where a little of the Music Rudiments we were discussing comes in handy, because I can Imagine the Tune in my Mind, and work out the Notes of the Melody, note by note in my Head.

 

Like most Musical Skill's, it becomes all the more easier, the more you Practise. Working out the Melody, note by note, in my head, (often whilst I am doing something else at the same time, simply waiting or using snippets of otherwise wasted time), Impresses the Melody in my Memory, in a Profoundly Deep Way.

 

Usually, certain Groups of Words, accompany the Melody, (though that may not be the Final Form and Version of the Lyric, for sometimes, like Kindling Wood, the first Words that come to mind are useful to Initiate and Actuate the Firing of Imagination), and if the Emerging Words and Music Match, Syllable by Syllable and Note by Note and Perfectly Rhyme, they are Mutually Reinforcing and Supportive in the Memory, to Each Other.

 

Drawing Five Lines to create a Stave on any piece of handy paper, it's not hard if you have already worked out the Notes of the Melody in your Head, to quickly jot down the Essential Motifs and Phrases. Again, it's not at all unusual, for the Accompanying Chords to be pretty clear in my mind for the most part, and sometimes, Particular Aspects of the Musical Arrangement, including Dramatic Accents and Syncopations. Because quite often, the Dynamic Impact and Power of a Song, simultaneously ties together All Those Elements Together.

 

By this point, I'm sure you will realise, there should be a Strong Hook to the Song deeply embedded in the Mind, enjoining both Lyric and Music.

 

And THAT, by this point should be Absolutely Unforgettable!

 

 

 

However.

 

A Portable Recorder.

 

Is all you'll need if the above.

 

Concerns or is beyond your present level.

 

Are these are unavailable in the part of the World you hail from?

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zoom-Portable-Digital-Recorder-Version/dp/B003QKBVYK

 

 

 

To be honest, both for myself when Composing and indeed American Composers I have worked with alike, what I have found, is this.

 

It's the "Creative Element" that really interests and engages us. Once we have Written a Song or Recorded it, our level of interests drops so as to Not Even be able to Remember How Songs we have already Written Go! You notice it suddenly at odd times in Rehearsal.

 

That might seem like a Crazy Statement, but it's something that I have Noted, Working as a Young Musician with Well Known Composers, and since then I've had Precisely the Same Experience. It's a Big Surprise when that happens and hard to understand what is going on at first, so I have had to think hard about How and WHY that can happen?

 

Usually I noted it's because "The Performance of the Music" especially involving a Large Ensemble and Production, necessarily Lags a Long Way Behind where a Busy Composer is Mentally. The Composer has moved on in their Creative Writing to the Next Song or the Next Project. That's WHERE they live Mentally, and to their Creative Side, earlier Songs are Overwhelmingly, a Finished Entity, so they have Essentially, Lost their Central Focus on it, because they are Motivated and Driven, in the main, Purely by Creativity.

 

Eliciting a Great Performance of their Music is Very Important, but sometimes seen as just a necessary interruption to what Really Actuates their Creative Juices, so Writing and Recording are the Real Focus of Attention.

 

Beyond that, their Main Focus is Really Elsewhere, even when it should be on what they are Presently Doing.

 

So their Memory Lapses, when you would have thought that Impossible.

 

I think that's how it works!

 

 

 

The Most Important thing about Song Writing.

 

Is to Show Up Every Day, as All Professionals do for Work.

 

And come Rain or Shine, Continue to Hone your Mastery of the Craft.

 

Like Learning to Play the Guitar, you Get Better, the more you Regularly Practice.

 

Often it will seem like you are simply trampling water, and not making any Real Progress at All.

 

Hanging On, Keeping On, Keeping On, takes Genuine Commitment, Application and Discipline to Get Anywhere.

 

 

 

From Time to Time.

 

You will Enjoy Genuine Breakthroughs.

 

Moments of Originality where a Flair for the Ingenious.

 

Utterly Transcends the Continual Daily Grind, and suddenly, Gravity is No More.

 

Where Penetratingly Perspicacious Insight, Practiced Disciplines, Technical Skill and Superlative Musical Beauty.

 

 

 

Purposefully Marry Together, Consolidating to Give Birth to Authentic, Newly Created, Art.

 

TOO MANY WORDS.

 

rct

[Anthony Buckeridge]

Quote: "TOO MANY WORDS."

 

 

 

Perhaps.

 

It's a issue that I can help with.

 

The "Word" the writer above struggled to find is "verbose".

 

The irony is that it would be possible to express the meaning of the whole sentence.

 

 

 

Simply by writing a single word.

 

 

 

 

Therefore, with self-fulfilling prophecy.

 

The writer himself has used, THREE TIMES AS MANY WORDS, as actually required.

 

 

 

 

Of course, the irony doesn't stop there, because instead of simply making whatever point the writer wishes to make, instead, the writer uses the quoting block to embrace the entire previous post.

 

I thank him for that, as I prefer what I wrote to be properly quoted, rather than be journalistically edited, however, (that personal appreciation aside) as a result, the number of words he is discussing, posted by the writer, has been actually DOUBLED, as a result.

 

 

 

 

1,302 words, thus eventually become 2,607 words, in the hands of the above writer.

 

 

 

 

Perhaps the mental cognitive process involved a summing of the situation, that amounted to: Two Wrongs = One Right. This reminds me of individuals that have been adulterously wronged by their spouse, who as revenge, subsequently perform the self same wrong themselves, to get their own back.

 

 

 

What.

 

A sad state.

 

To be reduced to.

 

Make them ride skimmington.

 

It's a far better, more effective solution, I feel.

 

Click Below, anyone unfamiliar with the concept once prevalent in both England and America.

 

It's worth noting that in an era of widespread misogyny, both sexes received just deserts for various forms of misbehavior, in manner that meant they were unlikely to ever reoffend.

 

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/skimmington

 

http://www.darkdorset.co.uk/skimmington_riding

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skimmington

 

 

 

Some people, might take the comment "TOO MANY WORDS" as a form of critique.

 

Naturally I do not, both for the reasons already explained (which would of course expose the writer of such critique, to complete and utter, widespread ridicule), and its beyond me to believe, anyone, could be THAT LACKING in FORESIGHT and UNDERSTANDING.

 

Furthermore, I have a healthy contempt both for those of a negative mindset and that's especially the case for professional critics. Modern counseling and psychology has powerfully exposed the mental inner processes and life experiences that actuate, motivate and drive such individuals, and though it's hard for most people not to feel sad for such folk, happily, I can overcome that emotion.

 

 

 

Herbert Von Karajan once said that "I have Travelled the Entire World, and have yet to find anywhere a Statue Erected in Honour of a Critic."

 

I found this comment by the Great Super Conductor of the 20th Century, to be tremendously telling and hilariously amusing and in any case, tend to make fun of critics, as the best, most persuasive foil, to bend them toward, using their energies, in a far more healthily productive manner.

 

The Hallowed Walls of Oxford University's Union Debating Society could inform you that I would much rather see brilliant light, glistening from the bald heads of Professors, literally rolling about in their seats unable to look in the eye the person sat next to them, moved to tears of laughter as doubled up they sit, red faces, streaming wet.

 

I have always taken the view that it's better to tell the truth about the skeletons in the cupboard regarding someone whose Debating against you and have a laugh with everyone, about the opponent, than ever to argue with them, about anything. My last speech at the Debating Hall (where 49 British Prime Ministers learnt their craft along with Former American Presidents, including a few personal friends) had just that effect upon the distinguished audience.

 

The poor fellow who was to be my opponent, and had flown from Canada for the Event, (intended to be a Golden Highlight of his Career) began by stating that he had been in Oxford, twenty five years earlier and wondered if anyone was present today that remembered him from those days? The Hall was deafened by silence as no one did at all.. Except me.. His Debating opponent.. This carelessly handed me the entire floor on a plate, and I began by explaining that I definitely did remember the distinguished guest as twenty five years earlier, he had pushed a tomato onto the end of my nose, to great howls of laughter from all present.

 

It rapidly went down from there for the poor fellow, as all of the carefully concealed skeletons of his formative life were brought out one by one from the very same cupboard. By the time I had finished answering just his opening question. No one present would ever of believed any statement he could utter. It was not necessary to Debate anything with him at all. He sank deeper and deeper into his chair, a defeated man, wishing for the floor to open up and swallow him whole. Debates are fine, but in a sense predictable. Fill your Speech with Entertainment. Surprise and Delight your Audience, completely Surpassing their Highest Expectation and you will Win Them Over with Love, for the Sheer Enjoyment you have Bestowed and Heartily Enriched their Life With. Unleash such a Memorable Performance, it will Stay With Them, and they will Cherish the Thought Of It, Forever!

 

 

 

Because you have Deeply Moved the Audience, Emotionally!

 

 

 

One will thus appreciate, that a critic is no more than a plaything or amusing pastime.

 

 

 

 

However.

 

There are two further serious points I wish to make.

 

The first is a consequence of becoming a Musical Director for a Charitable Organisation.

 

They specialise (amongst other things) in training people to become Counsellors to aid those in emotional distress.

 

Statistic show that during a lifetime, one in four of western civilised populations will become so distressed emotionally that they need to seek help and assistance.

 

The Founder of this Notable Charity, (one of the World's Greatest Public Speakers) told me, "Always take special note of anyone that is a critic of others. For it is an Infallible Law of the Human Personality, that a Critic will Always Criticise in Others, the Aspect they Most Dislike About Themselves."

 

So if you are a good listener, and in my experience the Greatest Speakers and Writers are Formed in a Large Part by being Great Observers and Listeners, when a critic begins to speak or write about you, (they may be right or completely off the mark it does not matter) in reality, without realising what they are doing, is Exposing The Inner Truth About Themselves.

 

 

 

 

Can you see how Perspicuously Powerful this Weapon of Insight and Understanding is?

 

 

 

 

http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/126248-help-with-music-theory-for-songwriting/page__view__findpost__p__1720049

 

And in the post above we see, another marvelous demonstration of "The Infallible Law of the Human Personality, that a Critic will Always Criticise in Others, the Aspect they Most Dislike About Themselves" at work.

 

By making a simple point with Three Times as Many Words as are Truly Required and Completely Doubling the Length of the Original Post, a Critic (presuming for moment it was intended to be such) Exposes Themselves as Innately Possessing the Very Hallmark Quality they have Chosen to Publicly Defalcate.

 

 

 

In doing so of course, they themselves are Open to Public Ridicule.

 

And this is the Danger in any kind of Fora, Debating Chamber or Law Court where they may face Close Cross Examination.

 

Actually, in truth, the self same Amusement and Hilarity can be Positively Invoked to Good Purpose even in a Deeply Serious Court of Law.

 

If I may say so, it has been my experience that a Barrister or Lawyer possessing such Powers, is Warmly Appreciated by The Judge, The Jury, and The Press alike.

 

 

 

 

It makes a Litigious Process, Quickening and Refreshing.

 

And a Debating Process, Light Heartedly Amusing and Tremendously Entertaining.

 

 

 

My second point.

 

Relates to the Writing of Lyrics.

 

What I've Learnt is that Re-Visiting a Finished Lyric.

 

It is Possible with the Benefit of Hindsight to find Tiny Areas of Easy Improvement.

 

Common Expressions intended to Humanise and perhaps make a Storytelling Song Conversationalist.

 

Inconspicuous, well intended but superfluous words meant to Give Emotional Expression and Humanitas to help an Audience Relate to the Song.

 

Very often can be Completely Edited Out with No Negative Consequence, either in Meaning, Power of Expression, or Delivery of the Line in Performance, by the Artist involved.

 

Some expressions, strongly change in Popularity and Meaning. The Digital Revolution has greatly accelerated the speed of this phenomena. Thus a Concise, Direct Delivery ensures a More Powerful Elucidation.

 

 

 

 

Within the Context of a Speedily Flowing Song, it assists the Audience to "Get" the Message.

 

 

 

 

Famous Lyricist, Tim Rice, who Plays Cricket for his Local Team on the Village Green adjacent to The Estate I mentioned earlier, is a Master of this Approach.

 

As a Cricket Buff, his Contract with The Disney Organisation paid for his Flight Home Nearby, to Play Cricket with his Local Team, Every Week during the Cricket Season.

 

He has Written Lyrics for Many Successful Musicals, Performed Worldwide in Theatre as well as Major Films. Distilling a Story to its Absolute Essence is a Very Unique and Powerful Skill.

 

The Editing and Simplification of a Lyric, especially within the Context of a Lengthy Musical or indeed a Children's Disney Animated Movie, can be a Dynamic Way to Assist the Audience's Attention during Entertainment that may Last Several Hours.

 

Although as a teenager I was looking at Archived Sheet Music with Lyrics by Ivor Novello, Noel Coward's Sparkling Comedy's, full of Light, Complex and Elegantly Brilliant Musical Confections. Sammy Cahn who wrote a unique "Phonetic Rhyming Dictionary", along with the Worlds' First Intelligent Song, featuring Five Syllable Words for Frank Sinatra.

 

 

 

 

But this is the Very Opposite of That Approach.

 

 

 

My appreciation of this, is so acute.

 

All of my Songs have been re-visited, and given a fresh look.

 

I feel they have benefitted by the elimination of a tiny word, here and there.

 

And occasionally, a better, more fittingly relevant, more inspiringly descriptive substitute.

 

 

 

So.

 

Thank You Indeed.

 

For Thought Provoking Comment.

 

And a Very Happy New Year to All Readers of this Fora.

 

Including all those who are unsure of what Key or Time Signature they are Playing!