Adventures in Co-Writing by Charlie Divers May Help You Be Better Prepared for I’Ve Been Hesitating to Write Any Future Co-Writes
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SVSA MUSIC NEWS MAY 2018 MAY FEATURE ARTICLE Adventures in Co-Writing by Charlie Divers may help you be better prepared for I’ve been hesitating to write any future co-writes. about this topic for a while for No matter what your a few reasons: First, our group songwriting goals are, the main doesn’t really focus on co-writing one is to write the absolute best and second, I’ve only co-written songs possible, whether you want a few times, so I’m not the most commercial success or not. experienced at it. As I said, I’ve done very little What convinced me to go ahead co-writing so I will mainly fall back was recently hearing about a few on the experience of others. Most of less-than-ideal SVSA co-writes my songwriting ideas don’t originate that left the involved people feeling with me, but rather come from others dissatisfied with the experience. And through me. also, I now realize that co-writing The info I’ll pass along here can take you places that you may not comes from Marty Dodson and be able to go on your own. Clay Mills, who run an on-line I’ll mention a few ideas that I’ve songwriting community called CHARLIE DIVERS gotten from others and also give a SongTown. They’ve both had #1 couple of personal experiences that See Feature Article, page 2 The next meeting of 7:30 and will last until provide at least 25 PAYING THOSE the SVSA will be held the last song critique is copies of the lyrics. DUES WEDNESDAY, MAY 23 finished, or 10:30 p.m., Critiques are limited Pay at a meeting, pay in the LL Rice Room at whichever comes first. to members only on our website, or mail the Jefferson Center Members may submit but non-members $35 to: in Roanoke, Virginia. one song for critique (on and guests are SVSA Doors will open at cassette, CD, phone, encouraged to sit in on P.O. Box 698 7 p.m.; the meeting computer, or you can the discussions and begins promptly at perform it live) and should exercises. Salem, VA 24153 FEATURE ARTICLE Continued from page 1 songs and other big hits in recent going to make me sound cool We were to write a song and years in the country and pop field and I’m going to make you sound turn it in at the end of the week. with artists like Darius Rucker, organized.” My co-writer was a lyricist only Kenny Chesney, and Rascal Flatts. Someone may get in just because and came in with a lot of the lyric I attended a SongTown they’re good at keeping a good written. I did the melody and seminar in 2015 in Nashville that positive energy up in the room, chords and also tried to contribute was devoted to co-writing. some lyrical ideas. We I had the opportunity to worked face-to-face via write with amateurs as Skype, but unfortunately well as pros. our sessions were no fun Right off the bat, at all. Marty said something that This person was really hit me about the totally rigid on all their benefits of co-writing: “It’s ideas and would hardly hard to be world-class in budge on anything that I two things,” meaning, of suggested. In one of their course, words and music. emails they actually said, He also said three other “I know I’m being rigid.” words that really drove it My response was, “If home – “Lennon AND “We worked face-to-face via you know you’re being McCartney.” They were Skype, but unfortunately our rigid, why be that way? both great on their own, sessions were no fun at all.” It’s not helpful.” A waste but together they achieved of keystrokes on my part. unparalleled success. They let me know later Along with them you can add which is tremendously important. that they didn’t think much of my Jagger/Richards, Gershwin/ I keep using the term “in the musical abilities. Gershwin, Bacharach/David, and room.” A lot of rooms today are When it came time to submit a ton of others. virtual. Lots of writing is done the song, I emailed them the best Someone can be a successful by Skype. It allows you to write final version I could come up with. co-writer for more than just with people in the major markets They emailed back and said, “This their ability to be good with like NYC, LA, and Nashville – or isn’t very competitive.” They didn’t words or music. Marty said he maybe with people who don’t live in even say “thank you for trying, started getting into rooms with these areas but who do have good but...” Just a quick dismissal. But better quality writers because he connections in the industry. their opinion of the song was developed a reputation for being What I’ve learned goes along right. We had collaborated, or good with ideas and titles. with an old saying about co-writing more accurately, not collaborated He said that when you’re in being like dating: You’re going to on a bad piece of work. We didn’t a writing room you start to better have some good dates and some bad even bother to submit it. realize what your strengths are dates. But maybe you’ll get lucky Although I told a few people and where you fit in. You may be and, like in real-life dating, you’ll about what a bad experience good with instrumental riffs or find “the one.” Maybe you’ll find I’d had, I never mentioned the grooves. Or you may be good at your Lennon or your McCartney. person’s name. But I did recently seeing the big picture of a song, I did an on-line co-writing learn that they have developed a where the story or idea should class with SongTown shortly after reputation as being hard to work or shouldn’t go. He told a story the Nashville seminar and had a with. about a session with two younger horrendous “date” with another Now for a lesson: PEOPLE writers and he told them, “You’re amateur writer like myself. See Feature Article, page 3 2 | SVSA MUSIC NEWS | MAY 2018 FEATURE ARTICLE Continued from page 2 TALK! Don’t develop a reputation A few months ago all the the top song pluggers in Nashville as a jerk. As you’ll hear later, it writers in SongTown were given an pitching material for it every didn’t totally cut this person off opportunity to present one song a month. from working with others, but it month to a publisher who is a big, Maybe that was an did limit the number of potential big hitter. If he likes your song, he’ll opportunity missed. I don’t know collaborators. pitch it. Along with that other writer, if he’d write with me now or not. One other thing I learned is I applied. Guess which one of us I’m not going to ask him. I don’t that it’s no use to try and force was accepted. (And don’t think I want to seem like I’m trying to every writing session to be a wasn’t PO’d about it.) hitch a ride with someone who’s a winner. In the future, if I can But despite the opportunity level above me. tell it’s going to be a bad “date,” this person may have now, I don’t Don’t get me wrong; it is I’m going to act like I would in a regret one bit not working with them absolutely desirable to “write real-life social date. I’ll be polite up” as it’s called, which is to and agreeable, get it over with as No matter what work with people who are more fast as possible, and hope no one’s your songwriting advanced than you in the way of feelings get hurt. I’ll just accept goals are, the main talent or connections. But it’s the having my name on a bad song. one is to write the job of any writer who desires to (Nobody’s ever going to hear it co-write to produce material that anyway and it won’t be the first absolute best songs is of such high quality that it will time I’ve had my name on a bad possible, whether make other people, no matter their song.) At least I won’t drive myself you want commercial level of talent or achievement, crazy. success or not. want to write with you. Another lesson I took away: My goal for this year is to get I’ll try to never co-write again anymore. I wouldn’t write a grocery active in co-writing because it is unless there’s three in a group. list with them. blindingly clear to me now that it’s Three heads are better than two One missed opportunity came the only way that I’ll achieve the anyway and I want there to be out of that same class that I do kind things I want to with my writing. someone to cast a tie-breaking vote of regret, though. I wrote with a I had a mentoring session with if we hit a snag on a lyric or some younger guy and we came up with a Clay a few weeks ago and he told other matter.