After receiving a confidential informant’s report that“She Was” by Mark Chesnutt was one of the greatest all-time Country Music tear-jerkers, I was left with no choice but to investigate further to see if it could benefit our readers:

My findings will be based partly on facts and a lot of objectivity and subjectivity, and those songs found in violation will be subject to the full extent of songwriting law!

As a free song reference, I can click virtually anywhere and audition either the promotional video or hear the audio file. For this song, I simply played the song on acoustic guitar from memory to really hear and appreciate it in its simple form.

=================================================================
“She Was”
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Writers:

Jimmy Melton
Neal Coty

She started her new life ten dollars in debt
That’s all it took to get started back then
A trip to the courthouse across that state line
No one could stop her
She’d made up her mind
He was eighteen,and she wasn’t

But she said she was
And never thought twice
And came back home as my daddy’s wife
She just shook her head when her mama said:
“Are you sure he’s the one?”
And she was

He took a job and farmed on the side
He made the ends meet,but she kept’em tied
Changes were comin’ to their little world
She said “What would you like?
“A boy or a girl?
And he said,”Are you?”

And she said she was
And never thought twice
‘Bout takin’ the next step in building their lives
Soon there were three and she tried to be
Everything to us
And she was

Those precious moments turned into years
In what seemed like the blink of an eye
I held her hand as I leaned down to ask her
“Momma,are you ready to say goodbye?”

And she said she was
But she thought twice
Holdin’ my hand as she let go her life
Daddy always said a woman like her
Would be hard to give up
And she was (She was)

If there ever was a picture of love

She was

===========

To conduct my investigation, first I’ll run the song through the song checklist.
I will then point out good techniques used as well as possible flaws in the song’s construction.

Most importantly, at the conclusion I’ll list all the cool techniques we can all apply to improve our songwriting.

=============
1. Song Title
=============
The song title was effectively used in this song. It provided a way to help color the end of each chorus differently.

E.g.,

End of 1st Chorus

—She just shook her head when her mama said:
—”Are you sure he’s the one?”
—And she was

End of 2nd Chorus

—Soon there were three and she tried to be
—Everything to us
—And she was

End of 3rd Chorus

—Daddy always said a woman like her
—Would be hard to give up
—And she was (She was)

End of song

—If there ever was a picture of love
—She was

*************
If you read the above you’ll see how this well-written song makes sense with just the last few lines of each section.
This is a common pro technique used to bring the song into clear focus. If you’re writing a “story” song and you plan on changing the chorus lyrics throughout your song, you can
start a song by writing the last few lines containing the song title/hook and make it the end of your first chorus. Then proceed to the 2nd and 3rd chorus,and do the same while moving the story forward.
**************

The song title also gives us interesting possibilities in that it used a personal pronoun (She) followed by a past tense verb (Was).

—(Personal pronouns) I, you, she, he, it, we, they

I can immediately think of a few potential titles with this
method:

I Knew……………I might use it for an (R&B) song
You Lost………….” ” ” (Country) ”
She Tried…………” ” ” (Country)
He Prayed…………” ” ” (Inspirational)
It Hurts………….” ” ” (Pop, R&B)
We Listened……….” ” ” (Rock)
They Lived………..” ” ” (Rock)

I wrote the “genres” so you can see my personal idea of the type of song which popped into my head based on the titles.  Obviously, everyone would have a different opinion on what type of song to write based on the titles because all of us have different perspectives and influences!
—————————————————————–

=============
2. Song Form
=============
The song form used in this one is:
verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus

This classic song form is virtually foolproof when it comes to attracting the masses because it’s the one most people are familiar with in popular music, regardless of the genre.

The writers definitely chose the correct song form to drive home the song’s message with each verse and chorus. In each section the singer tells the story in logical progression:

1. Before he was born, his mother assured her own mother his father was “the right one” before marrying him.

2. His parents struggled but were successful in build a quality life around their three children.

3. Time passed ever-so-quickly, his mother passed away, and his father had always told him “A woman like her would be hard to give up” to which he affirmed “She was!”
—————————————————————–

===============
3. Hook/Chorus
===============
The melody in the chorus shows contrast by having generally higher notes and right off the bat, the phrasing of the first two lines in the chorus are shorter than any other phrasings in the song:

—But she said she was
—And never thought twice

The contrast makes the first two lines of each chorus stick out like a sore thumb that’s been healed!

Notice also how the lyrics in each chorus change after the first two lines until the hook “She was.”
—————————————————————–

==========================
4. The Verses/Pre-choruses
==========================
Notice how the verse immediately grabs you with the totally original line, “She started her new life ten dollars in debt.”

The verse contains an uncommon amount of bars; 10 instead of the usual 8 to 16! The last two bars contain the lyrics, “He was eighteen,and she wasn’t.” This is an excellent way to get to the chorus quickly. You simply add a line after the 8th bar, and just leave it out there suspended (as if it were dangling) with
or without a rhyme to create anticipation into the chorus.
—————————————————————–

==============
5. The Bridge
==============
The bridge takes you into a totally new dimension because it’s much higher in pitch than any other section, then it drops back down in pitch before the final chorus. The result? After the final chorus lines, “And she said she was, But she thought twice,  Holdin’ my hand as she let go her life” the song busts out with more intensity than ever with the help of the following simple technique: You can use this technique at any point in a song and create surprise and momentum by lowering the intensity of musical and vocal delivery,then by intensifying at a point you feel it will give the song the most impact. Experiment!
—————————————————————–

=================
6. Point of View
=================
The writers successfully used “third person narrative” which is custom-made for story songs.
—————————————————————–

===========
7. Rewrite
===========
The song was obviously rewritten and polished. There are no wasted words.
—————————————————————–

Verdict
=======

=================================================================
Lessons Learned
=================================================================

Here are techniques and cool tips we’ve learned from this song to improve our songwriting:
—————————

1. You can structure the idea of your song more effectively and keep the story progressing logically by writing the last 2 to 3 lines of any section (verse, chorus, etc.) before writing any other part of the song.

2. If you’re writing a story song and you would like to change the lines of each chorus, use the above method and remember to use the title consistently in those lines.

3. We found a cool way to develop song titles; Use a personal pronoun = (I, you, she, he, it, we, they), followed by a past tense verb.

I.e.,”She Was” – “We Listened” – “They Lived”

4. We were reminded the verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus not only still works well in modern music, it’s the easiest way to write a song that appeals to listeners.

5. At the beginning of a chorus, to add contrast and make your song more interesting, create the first two lines using shorter phrases while singing that part with generally higher notes than in the verse or prechorus.

6. Spend time creating an awesome opening line or lines; the rest of your song will be much clearer and more importantly, your listener will be hooked immediately.

7. Experiment by using 6, 10, and 14 bars on the first verse instead of the usual 8, 12, and 16!

8. If you add a line for 2 bars at the end of an 8 or 12 bar verse without rhyming it, you can draw focus to that line, and it’ll add anticipation and intensity to the chorus.

9. If you want to emphasize a certain part of a song, sing and play the part immediately before it, with much less intensity.
—————————————————————–

Enjoy!

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Tune Sleuth
=================================================================

“Closer,” sung by Ne-Yo, is the subject of this Tune Sleuth investigation.
————————————————-

Here’s the full report from the Tune Sleuth’s desk files:

Enjoy!
————————————————-

…………………….Tune Sleuth

After receiving a confidential informant’s report that “Closer,” sung by Ne-Yo, was burning up dance floors in clubs all around the globe, I was left with no choice but to investigate further to see
if it could benefit our songwriting readers:

My findings will be based partly on facts and a lot of objectivity and subjectivity, and those songs found in violation will be subject to the full extent of songwriting law!

As a free song reference, I can click virtually anywhere and audition either the promotional video or hear the audio file. For this song, I couldn’t help but listen repeatedly while it was played on the radio twice every hour!

Like any other consumer, If I like what I hear I will purchase Ne-Yo’s CD to support and enjoy his music.

************ I always try to lead by example when it comes to preserving copyright laws, so I can only provide a few lines at a time for educational purposes only. Luckily, most artist web sites provide lyrics as a courtesy for their fans. So grab or write down the lyrics and follow along:

=================================================================
                                “Closer”
=================================================================
Writers:
Beite
Eriksen
Hermansen
Smith (Ne-Yo)
Stray

Here are the first few lines:

Turn the lights off in this place
And she shines just like a star
And I swear I know her face
I just don’t know who you are
Turn the music up in here
I still hear her loud and clear
Like she’s right there in my ear
Telling me
That she wants to own me
To control me
Come closer
Come closer

===========

To conduct my investigation, first I’ll run the song through the song checklist found at:
http://www.songwriteradvisor.com/songwriting-checklist.html

I will then point out good techniques used as well as possible flaws in the song’s construction.

Most importantly, at the conclusion I’ll list all the cool techniques we can all apply to improve our songwriting.

=============
1. Song Title
=============
There’s nothing original about the song title at all but it does reflect the message of the song which is the singer fantasizing about a female and in his dreams he wants her to keep “coming closer’ to him.
There’s only one more song in the Billboard top ten with a bland title like this one -”Forever,” and it’s a huge hit by Chris Brown.
By looking at the hit charts, it’s easy to see how hit songwriters are trying to continually create original song titles.
—————————————————————–

=============
2. Song Form
=============
The song form used in this one is:
verse-prechorus-chorus-verse-prechorus-chorus-breakdown-chorus

Hey! Here’s one to put in our bag of tricks! A “breakdown.” The song goes into a breakdown after the second chorus when the singer repeats the prechorus’ phrase “come closer” seven times, then goes deeper into the breakdown while repeating the chorus line “I just can’t stop” four times and adding the word “no” to it.
—————————————————————–

===============
3. Hook/Chorus
===============
The most obvious part of the song hook in the chorus is the short, staccato-type phrasing used, i.e., “and-I-just-can’t-pull-my-self-a-way, under-a-spell-I-can’t-break, I-just-can’t-stop.”

Interestingly however, “closer” is not used in the chorus. So, in this particular song, two big song hooks stand out; the prechorus lines “come closer” which contains the song’s title, and, the staccato lines and melody in the chorus described above.
—————————————————————–

==========================
4. The Verses/Pre-choruses
==========================
The first lines of the song, “Turn the lights off in this place, and she shines just like a star” immediately draw us in to hear more. The next two lines are:

And I swear I know her face
I just don’t know who you are

Here’s where it gets interesting. The fourth line would have normally been,

I just don’t know who SHE IS in order to not confuse the listener.

But it would not have rhymed! This appears to have been intentionally phrased this way, to have the singer talk directly to his fantasy girl, instead of us for just that one line in order to add emphasis. I believe it was effective! This is a good example of knowing the basic songwriting rules and breaking them!
Let’s stick this one in our bag of tricks.
—————————————————————–

==============
5. The Bridge
==============
There was no bridge used in this song but there was a “breakdown.”  A breakdown is a break in a song, usually in the dance and R&B genre, that adds contrast and builds tension with minimal elements (usually percussion and voices) played with a build up of intensity.

See the interesting parts used in this breakdown in the “song form” entry above.
—————————————————————–

=================
6. Point of View
=================
The song uses third person narrative throughout the song, a point of view commonly used in songs where a person is expressing their fantasy or opinion about someone to other people.  The only exception is the surprise line, “I just don’t know who you are,” described in the “verse” entry above.
—————————————————————–

===========
7. Rewrite
===========
The song was obviously rewritten and polished. There are no wasted words.
—————————————————————–

Verdict
=======

This is definitely a solid pop/dance song destined to receive plenty of airplay on radio and dance clubs spins for quite some time. The only disappointing aspect of the whole song is the weakness in most of the verse lines.

But then again, this song appears to be one created just to get people moving on the dance floor. I doubt Ne-Yo could actually make a strong impact singing this song accompanied by just a piano or guitar because the words in the verse lack feeling and oriinality for the most part, and are simply not convincing at all. 

=================================================================
Lessons Learned
=================================================================

Here are techniques and cool tips we’ve learned from this song to improve our songwriting:
—————————

1. Use a “breakdown instead of the usual bridge, instrumental, and/or rap somewhere in the middle of the song (it doesn’t have to be after the 2nd chorus-experiment!).

2. In your breakdown, use vocal elements (lines or parts of lines) from your prechorus and chorus.

3. While we’re on the subject, use a short “breakdown” repeatedly perhaps after every chorus or other song section!

4. Use short, staccato-type phrasing in your chorus to add contrast to your other song sections.

5. Put your song hook in the last line of the prechorus and either use it again in the chorus or completely leave it out of the chorus.

6. while telling a story in third person (i.e., she/he wants to leave….) insert one line in first person (i.e., I need you..), then quickly come back to telling your story in third person.

7. This reminds me: a good songwriting strategy while telling a story would be to use first person in the verse (i.e., I want to…) and third person in the chorus (i.e., But she wants to…), or vice versa!
—————————————————————–

Here’s to your songwriting success for the new year!

The following is a really helpful article originally published in the October “Tune Sleuth” Newsletter.

If you’re still having trouble learning how to write songs even with so much information on SongwriterAdvisor.com and SongwriterAdvisor.com Blog, it’s probably because you don’t have a clear learning path laid out before you.

Most website articles are usually meant to focus on a solution for one specific area, and much of the responsibility is unfairly left to the reader to piece together and make sense of the information.

For those of you who haven’t yet had success or aren’t happy with your songwriting progress thus far, don’t be discouraged!  Let’s take this one step at a time so we can get you on the right track.

Follow this plan:

1.  First, read our beginner songwriting blueprint at: http://www.squidoo.com/beginner-songwriting-tips and familiarize or re-familiarize yourself with the basic sections of a song.

2.  Now take it one step further and download your free copy of “Beginner Songwriting Made Easy,” as a reference for the following entries below.

3.  Most songwriters get stuck before they even attempt to write anything because they simply don’t know what to write about! So, at this point, think of a simple STORY LINE you want your song to be about and write a sentence outlining your whole song idea.  Make it really simple for now.

E.g.,  STORY LINE = Although I miss you, you hurt me and treated me bad, so it’s time for me to move on so I can be happy.

4.  Now, start with the very first line of the song on a blank sheet of paper.  Use a pencil!!!!  Let’s start with the STORY LINE example above and make the first line grab everyone’s attention by letting them know right away “You miss the other person.

—I don’t know how I’ve made it these last few days without you

Kind of long right?  So, let’s break the line into two and start writing the song by using a line by line structure:

—I don’t know how I’ve made it
—These last few days without you

At this point if no melody has appeared in your head there are several things you can do. You can try singing these first two lines to a beat, you can just start singing the first two lines randomly in your head, or if you’re really stuck, you can take a keyboard or guitar and start playing random notes (one by one) for each syllable. 

If you’re using the random note method, merely take two or three syllables at a time and match a keyboard note to them.  For example, for “I don’t know” I played the notes “G”, “A”, and
“B”.  Voila!  Now I’ll experiment and keep building the first line.

I’ll then start working on the second line and once I like what I hear, I’ll move onto a third and fourth line.

—I don’t know how I’ve made it
—These last few days without you
—But I’ve managed to survive
—The river flooding my eyes
—Now they’re dry, now they’re dry

Hey sounds like a solid start for a cool R&B/pop song!
 

Once you have the first four or five lines with lyrics and melody, you have created a structure for your song’s verses.  You can use the same melody for the second part of the first verse and, of course, during the second verse after the first chorus.

When you’re done with the first verse, move on to the chorus and continue the same methods while referring back to “Beginner Songwriting Made Easy.” 

While you’re completing this exercise, don’t be overly concerned about whether or not the melody in the chorus should contain higher notes, etc. 

Take it one step at a time!  Get one song done (in rough draft form), then begin polishing it with a rewrite by using this guide:  http://www.songwriteradvisor.com/song-rewrite.html

When you’re comfortable with a rewrite, use the checklist at:http://www.songwriteradvisor.com/songwriting-checklist.html
Good luck! 

“Being original” in songwriting can mean anything from writing totally “off the wall” songs, to merely having a knack for amazing rhymes and wordplay, to having a certain cool vibe among so many other possibilities.  There are literally an infinite number of possibilities to make yourself a unique songwriter.  In other words, you can have your own “signature sound” by learning songwriting, and allowing yourself to develop naturally while searching for your unique voice.     

With a little patience and persistence, it’s fairly easy for anyone to learn songwriting basics and apply them quickly to your own original compositions.  Regardless of the songwriting genre you prefer, whether it be Pop, R&B, Dance or otherwise, once you have the basics down, at some point you’ll probably wonder “if, when, and how” you will develop your own, original style.     

To set yourself apart from the rest of the bunch it’s absolutely imperative that your songs stand out far above the rest.  It’s important to realize there are many great songwriters competing with you either locally or nationally, and that those songwriters are your direct competitors.  As a musician, I prefer to think of them as “friendly competition.” 

Songwriters who are your friendly competition hold so much valuable information in their heads and most of them are willing to share their knowledge through workshops and while networking through local and regional songwriting organizations just to name a few.  This is why it’s important to get out there and show your work and exchange tips and ideas through whatever type of worthwhile medium you can find.  The more influences and information you have, the easier it will be to find your own, unique songwriting style.

All songwriters have what I call a unique perspective of music, therefore they naturally and instinctively have their own inner music voice.  We all develop different “likes” and “dislikes“ when we first begin to hear music during our childhood years.  What happens?  Here’s what happens as your musical taste evolves; the music you know and love (likes) is absorbed into your brain and becomes an integral part of your being, whether consciously or subconsciously, and your mind filters out music you don’t like (dislikes).

Then, when you begin learning about songwriting, your musical tastes and influences become splattered into your songwriting like paint to a wall!  Oh, it might be a little messy at first but as you keep working hard on your craft the mess soon appears to become an actual work of original art!   

One last, important point to remember; every musician on this planet has been influenced by another musician before them.  The key to eventually being original lies in using those influences to help guide you into new, undiscovered territory!

These days the music industry is much more competitive than ever and one of the most effective ways to set yourself apart from the rest of the pack and get noticed is to write great, original songs.  Music industry reps are always looking for “the next big thing” and this could be you if you prepare yourself!  If you prefer to be a self-contained local or regional act and sell your own CD’s through your own independent record label you’ll find it much easier to develop a loyal following if your songs are strong enough.   

If you’re not yet a songwriter, or if you don’t have a songwriter in your band, your second choice would be to find a local songwriter willing to offer you exclusive rights to performing and/or recording their songs through a contract.  Don’t just settle for second best.  Really go out there and find yourself a great songwriter or songwriters who match your style of music.  It won’t be an easy task, but it can be done-there are many excellent undiscovered songwriters out there!

While we’re on the subject; for you undiscovered songwriters out there with big dreams-you’re time is now! Put the word out that you’re a songwriter with much to offer however you can. Take out ads in your local entertainment publication and be specific about your style of music and what your goals are! Launch a website and feature your songs on it! Visit local concerts and shows, whether at clubs or larger venues, and put the word out by networking. Go prepared and look professional by offering business cards. You get the idea!

Finally, songwriters can help non-songwriting musicians by being supportive and helping them achieve their goals by writing songs that eventually fit their style, even if it takes a few songs and much trial and error. By the same token, non-songwriting musicians usually end up influencing songwriters by exposing them to a new dimension in their compositions. Helping and supporting each other is a win- win situation!

Part 1 of this series talked about how to develop lyrical chops by using The Craft of Lyric Writing by Sheila Davis, and by encouraging you to consider playing either a guitar or piano (the two most widely used instruments used in creating songs)..

In Part 2 of this series, you’ll have enough information to help you learn songwriting quickly and effectively, and you’ll definitely have a distinct advantage over the average songwriter. 

It is not necessary to play an instrument to be successful in songwriting but it does give you an advantage.  An instrument not only helps you work out melodies, harmonies, and chord structures, it naturally opens up another dimension to your songwriting altogether!  Imagine the difference between coming up with a melody and working out an arrangement in your head versus going to the piano or guitar, experimenting with the melody and/or arrangement, and hearing the song develop into something you never would have created without having an instrument! 

To learn or improve the musical aspect of your songwriting:

1.  Let’s review the two main parts of songwriting; lyrics and music.  The music part of songwriting consists of melody, harmony, and rhythm.

2.  Invest in Writing Music For Hit Songs by Jai Josefs as soon as you can!  It is by far the greatest “how to write music” book ever published for contemporary music, and it contains excellent, real-world examples of actual hits and techniques songwriters used to achieve their success!  For this book, you do need to have a guitar or piano/keyboard handy in order to follow the examples. 

In Josefs’ book, you’ll learn how to harmonize with chords in major and minor keys through a foolproof natural music formula in an easy-to-understand format, you’ll learn how to effectively give your music contrast, how to build tension and release, and how to develop melodic ideas just to name a few.

3. Continue writing your own lyrics and melodies as suggested in “Part 1,” and start experimenting with and incorporating some of the chord ideas as well as other principles learned in Josefs’ book such as using chord inversions and pedal points to create bass motion in order to give your songs whatever particular underlying flavor you desire.

4. Pick out a favorite song and find the chord progression used either by buying sheet music or by visiting one of many websites which provide free chords and tabs for educational purposes such as Ultimate-Guitar.com. With your song in hand it’s time to try to determine in which key the songs is written. Without actual sheet music to see the key signature this can be difficult but here’s a useful tip; to find the key listen for the chord that sounds as if it has completely resolved and is at rest in the song. This chord will usually (not always) be found at the end of the chorus if it’s a verse-chorus type song, or the end of the verse in a verse-verse-verse type song.

5. Once you determine the key use the following chord formula built on the tonic note of the key:

I – IIm – IIIm – IV – V – VIm – VIImb5 (e.g., in the key of G, the tonic note would be G, and the basic chord formula would be):

G – Am – Bm – C – D – Em – F#mb5

6. Play these chords in succession and hear how they move up the scale. Notice how they sound similar to the single note scale in the same key, i.e., (single notes) G. A, B, C, D, E, F#

Using the above formula you now have seven chords you can use in any key to harmonize your songs!

So, the music industry secret is right here!  Yes there are other good songwriting books out there and some being written as we speak, but by using these two proven books, The Craft of Lyric Writing and Writing Music For Hit Songs as your songwriting reference books, you’ll have the most solid foundation to build your songwriting upon, just like many pro songwriters!  By the way, there’s enough study material in these books to last you months to years, and you’ll find yourself referring to and reviewing these books throughout your songwriting career!   

In this article, let’s explore a simple method to improve your first verse lines. Remember, your first two lines are the ones that keep the listener interested enough to hear more. You really want the first two lines to directly relate, or at least hint at the song’s title.  Many times, when you give your first verse some clarity the rest of the song follows suit and it makes for easier, more effective songwriting.

————————————–

Let’s say the song title is “Don’t Get Carried Away,” and the first four lines in the first verse are:

I’ve been looking at you all night
And I think you know
My intentions can’t be
The answer to your dreams

Not a very clear first four lines! It doesn’t do anything for me, that’s for sure. There’s a lack of focus, and really, the song can take off aimlessly in any direction right now.  So let’s focus!

First, I’ll ask myself what I want the song to be about. Taking the song title, “Don’t Get Carried Away,” I’m thinking maybe this can be a pop or country song. Before I begin, I need to summarize the song’s idea in one sentence. Here are some possibilities:

1. I just met this woman, we’ve hit it off, but she’s not looking for a one-night stand and she wants to retain her respectability at any cost, so she’s telling me to cool it!

2. I’m not ready to commit to a long-term relationship yet, and you need to slow down with all this marriage and babies talk before you scare me off!

Number 2 sounds cool but I’m thinking I’ll save it for another song which means I’ll use number 1 as the song’s idea. Let’s review the first 4 lines:

I’ve been looking at you all night
And I think you know
My intentions can’t be
The answer to your dreams

————————————–

“I’ve been looking at you all night” sounds plain and limp. Let’s give that line some life and hopefully everything else will fall into place a little better.

My eyes have been locked into yours all night

Wow, much better!

So what do I want to say in the rest of the first verse?  I want to say I know she’s interested in me, too.

My eyes have been locked into yours all night
Now tell me it isn’t so
Your smile has found me more than once or twice
Enough to tell me all I need to know

Much more interesting and powerful, and quite possibly the start of a solid country tune, written right here in real-time!

————————————–

In summary, it’s wise to map out a story line for the entire song, then to break down the story in sections if you have to. Now, I do agree there are times when excellent melodies and lines naturally appear out of thin air!  But if you want to consistently write good songs, get in the habit of mapping out and knowing what you’re trying to say either on paper or in your head before you write it!

Focus on your first verse, make it strong and memorable, and be clear about where you’re going with the song as it relates to the song’s idea. Your songwriting will usually become effortless thereafter!

Lyrics © 2008 SongwriterAdvisor.com All Rights Reserved

The workshop articles, written by former Warner/Chappell staff songwriter Orlando Gutierrez, will focus on one aspect of songwriting at a time using real-time songwriting examples so you can see parts of the songwriting process for yourself.  “It’ll be like having a songwriting coach in your own home through the internet, taking the mystery out of many aspects of songwriting.” says Gutierrez.  ”It’s simply something I wish I had when I was learning the craft of songwriting, and I want to bring the information to my readers to help them achieve success, to thank them, and to show my undying support for songwriters.  It definitely would have made my learning process that much quicker, clearer, and easier!” 

Gutierrez has done rather well with his songwriting website and blog in a very short time by writing informative, enjoyable, easy-to-follow songwriting articles.  “My readership has grown 200% to 300% consistently every month since it began in January 2008, Gutierrez proudly states.  “I’ve had great, positive feedback, but I will not rest.  I have an endless stream, probably a lifetime of helpful songwriting information to offer, and I’m constantly learning and inventing new ways to approach and tackle this craft.  Although I’m still an avid  songwriter, I’ve found my calling and I’m dedicating my musical life to helping and coaching other songwriters achieve success in songwriting.” 

Sounds like a winning plan!

I don’t care what anybody says, if you’re someone struggling to pay the rent or mortgage, barely staying afloat, eating nothing but peanut butter and jelly sandwiches 4 days before payday, you’re eventually going to hit a wall!  But, hey! Many of us have been there!  I know I have.  I know what it’s like to wonder how to make it through another few days without starving, losing my shelter, and/or going berserk.

If you’re someone who needs a little push right now to get you back on track for whatever reason or to simply get you started in songwriting, understand the following:

1.  Songwriting can actually be a spiritual process in which your original creations can actually lift your spirits up higher than almost anything on this planet.  If you don’t believe me, ask a local musician how he felt after writing a certain song you enjoyed at his last show or set. 

2.  Songwriting is one of the most inexpensive musical roads anyone can take.  It usually requires your mind, a good songwriting book, a pencil, and a pad to get you started.  Average start-up cost = 20.00 (this doesn’t include your mind-that’s priceless of course!)

3.  I’m a fellow songwriter and I’m counting on you to continue developing as a songwriter just as I have always try to do, so that we can all be a strong link in a worldwide chain of songwriters for the betterment of this beautiful craft of songwriting throughout the world. 

No excuses.  Do it for yourself.  Do it for the love of songwriting.  Do it for all of mankind.  The world needs songwriters and that includes you!  Without songwriters the only melody we would hear is a monotonic middle “C” note on a piano hanging onto the airwaves!  Because of us, people can actually enjoy a flurry of melodically masterful notes dancing through the airwaves!

We all need each other. Let’s go!!!

1.  Good music production equipment has sharply decreased in price to the point where it’s conceivable for a songwriter to learn music production and consistently create hits in their homes in certain genres like Dance music.   Many industry pros believe the price of quality recording equipment will keep falling  as the technology gets better.

2.   It rarely makes sense these days to give away (US)1000.00 on a three-song demo when you can invest that money into creating a pretty darn good little home recording studio and eventually record it yourself.

3.   No one has a better idea of how a song should sound than the actual songwriter, and music production gives you the leeway to experiment and get the most out of your song.

Most independent artists are actually recording their CD’s in their home studios to save on costs and because many swear they love the artistic freedom they have that’s impossible to achieve in a “time-is-money,” constricted major studio.  The result is usually a more dynamic CD in terms of performance even though the sound quality is slightly inferior.   Even then, after a CD is mastered, only a highly-trained sound engineer, music producer, or other industry pro can sometimes tell the difference in the slight quality loss. 

Even major label producers and engineers record some tracks in their home studios and they save the more important tracks such as vocals and other live instruments for the studio work.  This cuts down on costs tremendously when you figure they’re recording at (US)250. to 500. an hour!

So why not give it a shot?

Music production is something you can learn rather quickly but it does take some time to master.  At the very least, you can probably start recording quality vocal/piano or guitar tracks in a few days once you apply the right information.