‘ THE SONGWRITING WORKSHOP SESSIONS’

‘One2One Recording’

The Workshop Sessions

So why our Songwriting workshop? QQ. What is our background? Q. Why not just look online for answers to general song writing issues?

So why join our on line song writing workshop? – Some of you may just be interested in song writing as a hobby, as a bit of fun or probably we suspect many of you would like to seriously develop your songwriting skills and who knows where that may lead?

Next let’s introduce the team

• Principal Songwriter and Studio Producer – Bill Smith • Songwriter, Keyboards and music theory – Terry Brame • Session Guitarist / songwriter /arranger – Mark Powell • Video and film consultant – Rob Ryder

Play Video ur team will bring a wealth of experience to the workshop with hands on tips and shortcuts for song writing. This will include many filmed video clips with explanations of keyboard Ochord and guitar sequences to help begin your song-writing journey.

First up is Terry our keyboard player who brings a technical understanding developed over many years in the business. He will explain the different examples in a user friendly way and with a clear focus on not trying to over sell the technical aspect. Throughout the sessions Terry will be showing some really interesting chord variations and how they may fit into some of the more common song sequences

Mark is a competent and experienced guitarist who will help you work with songwriting tips and in particular talks through his interpretation of songs by a number of different artists and writing styles from “The Beatles” to David Bowie, songs and why they were so original and brilliant at the time.

So before we get into the workshop the following may be of interest to some new songwriters: I ’m often asked: ‘As a singer is songwriting something I should consider?’ - Absolutely!

When we talk to any of our music industry contacts the one thing that comes up time and again is ‘Do they write their own material?’ – Song writing skills are an absolute important tick in the box which we will cover later.

So, before we get into the full scope of the session I want to explain a few issues that will become very obvious as the workshop develops. For example don’t get too critical of the song choices that will be played throughout the full workshop as these are just for us to explain the example in an audio or video form.

As we have said with all music styles it’s important to keep an open mind irrespective as to whether or not you like the song or the singer.

We have also tried to cover as many varied but related topics as possible both from our previous Workshop and the different questions raised by singers working with us in the studio.

For example;

Q1 - Help with home recording, Q2 Where would I send a demo of my songs and where do I find the contacts? Q3 What about protecting my songs through copyright.

And a host of other related questions. hrough the workshop we have tried to include many hints and advice learnt over many T years in the business and what will quickly become evident. Whilst the songs we have selected through the workshop may not always be to your taste as we said earlier the audio clips we have included are used to demonstrate a particular aspect of the song whether it be the structure, lyric or whatever in between.

For example a song maybe written 40 years ago and although recorded in a different style or composition to today’s music may well still have a melody or lyric that could be easily adapted to a modern song so be prepared to look at all options.

Something to think about before we get too far into the workshop is the following:

How many times have you heard the phrase "I don't really like them" referring to an artist or band? You have probably said it a few times yourself I know I have.

You might be surprised at the way your views can change. After all if a song sells millions of copies there is a fair chance it's pretty good!

Sometimes it is so easy to be blinded by your own personal taste. So when you hear a new song, take a step back and put your songwriting head on, try to forget who the artist is and whether or not it’s your taste then try to figure out why it's a hit. It might just be catchy, so why is it catchy? It might be a lyric that you really like or just a melody that you find interesting long after the song has ended.

When I first started writing songs if I’m honest I didn’t really have any idea what style or direction I was heading in working with just basic chords and trying to add a melody.

If you are new to songwriting then listen to the wide variation on any radio station and you will quickly realise that music covers a massive territory of style and taste which is why it can be such a great passion.

One important point to make is that in the past there have been numerous examples of where a songwriter has written a really great song and then nothing more…. why?

It would seem reasonable that if a songwriter could write a brilliant song that tops the charts for many weeks and makes a fortune in royalties then why stop?

The answer is they haven’t stopped but coming up with another great song may well take years so as they say one step at a time! k back to the workshop – important to say right at the beginning, however, the workshop is not a music lesson for keyboard or guitar although we have tried through examples of both Oto explain a particular piece or sequence within a song.

o this first video will be a typical example from Terry that will be repeated throughout the workshop and in this example he talks about Sworking with a few simple chords – easy to play and leading the transition into a chorus or a bridge from a verse.

Play Video

ext we introduce Mark ahead of some typical examples of a N guitarist’s approach to song writing.

In particular the audio and video examples are much easier to understand and in the past studio sessions have really helped through the questions and answer sections that we included later. Play Video aybe you want to learn more about the structure of a song, why songs are sometimes written in certain keys, key changes or just general tips for starting songwriting and M recording.

We have run a number of workshops to help with explanations as to how generally songs are written and the importance of understanding major and minor keys and how effective chord changes can be.

The Workshop was initially also intended for group participation so we have adapted the individual sessions along the same lines incorporating the total feedback but with a clear focus for an ‘on- line’ course.

One interesting response to our early workshops was the feedback where many people said that they really enjoyed the almost ‘storybook’ tales and examples quoted by a number of successful and well-known singers. In particular how some of these songwriters laboured at the start of their careers. We have therefore included a few sections particularly under the individual songwriters together with a number of useful tips to encourage your journey.

Although the individual headings are self-explanatory there are a number of examples where an artist or subject is re visited in further parts of the course.

Melody or Lyric – which comes first… (Module 1)

o Let’s come back to the Lyrics SMelody

Songwriter

x workshop singer / songwriters comments – (module 8) E ‘Putting my lyrics to music’ Richie Stevens (module 1) A basic song structure (Module 2)

he all important Intro: Rhyming. T Poet or a lyric writer. The all-important ‘Hook’ How do we get to a potential chorus / hook? Understanding the structure of a song. The Chorus. Pre Chorus, The verse, The bridge, The title, The Link. How do I understand what key to sing in? How to know what key I'm playing in? Key Changes. Pitching: (Module 2 & 5) Lyrics / melodies with a repeat. Piano versus guitar (Module 6) Composing without an instrument (Module 6)

Harmonies: (module 5)

inging in Harmony: 12 Bar blues sequence, understanding keys (module 4) S‘Spoken Word’ Yossi Goodlink. (module 8)

Singer / Songwriters (Some useful facts and information.) (Module 8)

Bob Dylan Jimmy Webb Paul Anka Billie Eilish Adele Gary Barlow Bryan Adams MNEK Savan Kotecha Berry Gordy Holland, Dozier, Holland Ashford & Simpson Smokey Robinson Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong Robert 'Mutt' Lange Paul McCartney Rickie Lee Jones Soccer Mummy Taylor Swift Randy Newman Max Martin Randy Edelman Ed Sheeran Guy Chambers The Flaming Lips Kelly Jones Allen Toussaint Justin Bieber Ami Wedge Human League Carol King, Gerry Goffin, Paul Simon, Neil Sedaka London Grammer Keith Urban Cindi Lauper Amy Winehouse Dolly Parton James Scott Collaborating (Module 9)

alking away from a collaboration Copyright W Copyright Infringement PRS www.prsformusic.com Collaboration

Approaching Record Companies. (Module 10)

ecord Companies - What’s in it for you? A&R ( Artist and répertoire) R Royalties

Studio Related (Module 7)

SD Amazing slow downer Studio Recording Techniques A Thinking outside the box Writing Blocks Understanding Keys (module 4) How do I know what key I’m playing in? The four chord trick -Axis (module 4) Music Streaming (Module 11) Compoze Collaboration Circle of fifths (module 4) Should I critique my music? (Module 13) ‘Songspace’ Home Recording Garage Band Compression / Limiters and EQ ( Ex The mastering handbook –Bobby Owsinski) Quantize etc. What is EQ? (Ex Sage Audio) The art of production More on sending a demo Sound Cloud Record Producers (Module 16) Management Companies Advances to recording artists / songwriters (Module 10) What does a publisher do? (Module 16) Music Publishers Can Help You Grow Creatively Original backing track companies. Getting Signed Critiquing your music Sending a demo Web sites of interest. Songwriting Contests TV Talent contests

An artist or description is re visited in further parts of the course and additional modules.

That’s a lot to take in and some aspects of the workshop may well be irrelevant to your objectives

‘The Workshop Sessions’

Introduction.

k, so let’s start with your direction. Do you have a game plan or maybe you think you have the start of what could be your first original song? ODoes it sound a bit like one you’ve heard recently? You have what could be a chorus and you’ve heard that this is the catchy part of a song and the bit that people remember but maybe you’re not sure where to go next.

It’s likely to be helpful once you start to work though each module to have at least some general ideas of what you are looking for from the workshop.

Maybe you are a bit limited on the guitar or keyboard and with your new song you just feel the next chord could really be the one. But what is it?

A good place to start is the song structure layout on this first module. Knowing a little about an introduction for your song and what chords would work for the verse and then the exciting bit is that catchy chorus (often referred to as ‘The Hook)”

Let’s start with a few assumptions,

’ve heard it said a few times in the past that songwriting is the backbone of the music business so is songwriting something you just feel passionate about. Maybe you're not too sure about I the music / melody side but you seem to be good at writing poems and or lyrics and maybe that’s your direction and it’s maybe just as an important part of a successful song which we will touch on later.

Remember:

You don’t need to be a competent musician to be a songwriter. You don’t need to know your way around a studio when recording. You don’t need to be a fantastic singer but you will have to record your voice or get someone to sing it for you. Being just a lyricist you don’t have that problem!

Successful songwriters and lyricist may well have hundreds of ‘part songs’ and ideas. With a different direction and just something that suddenly seems to fit may well turn out to be a great song.

It’s not essential to be a brilliant guitarist or the best keyboard player ever when you first start to write your own songs. However a working knowledge of a few basic chords is fairly important to get started. It may be helpful to purchase a chord books available on line and fairly cheap to buy.

Being able to find a chord that best’s suits the melody you have in your head is a good place to start.

One of the modules will cover common chord transition with some ideas of what chords work away from a bridge or chorus, which you can try with your song. Remember however that these are just a few ideas and your job will be to try different chords until maybe one sparks an idea. It’s not always about a complicated chord and sometimes even an obvious idea could work.

We will be getting into the song ‘Shallow’ by Lady Gaga later, but as an example on the above point the song has the following fairly easy to play chords Em / D / G with a C and Am – not complicated chords to learn.

Or maybe your final arrangement maybe with a bass run or small rift on the guitar during recording often will add just what the song or chorus / bridge entry needs.

We have tried where possible to follow this concept but songwriting crosses many different barriers and it may often seem that we are jumping ships as part of our explanation – so stick with it.

So let’s get started…

’m sure many of you will have struggled at the beginning of your song writing with a number I of issues so some of the questions in module 3 may be helpful.. Our guitarist Mark came up with an interesting comment during the early workshop preparation when he said:

‘Lots of people write songs, some good and some that need work, so what’s different about their songs and songs that become hits?’ how do you get to that next step? …

An idea is to find that ‘magic’ next chord and this is not always the obvious one. Interesting thought and maybe the workshop has a few of the answers!

As an example here let’s assume your verse is working around C and Am and you want to go into a chorus.

An obvious chord here would be the F chord from the C.

Maybe the following chords also could work: D / Em / A7 / F# Minor but not necessarily in this sequence – it’s just the next ‘magic’ chord you are looking for which may then take you from an average ordinary chorus into something really catchy.

Remember however to keep it simple – many fantastic songs have only 4 simple chords – see ‘Axis’ in module 4.

ere we have an example of Terry working through a few simple chords with a lot more H songwriting ideas covered in later modules.

Play Video

uring the earlier workshops many of the new songwriters said they needed help in more than the song structure and lyrics especially as their songs started to develop. For example Dhelp with maybe home recording, where would I send a demo to? What about protecting my songs through copyright and a host of other related questions. Through the workshop we have tried to include many what we believe to be important hints and advice learnt the hard way over many years in the business and what will quickly become evident is the wider explanations that cover a very board related scope of song writing aids and ideas from experienced musicians / songwriters.

The Workshop Session is principally designed to help a new songwriter find a way through the maze of subjects that may eventually produce a new and original song.

The course is for people of all ages with an emphasis on the basic and therefore hopefully not too technical explanations of music theory.

These examples were just a few asked over the weeks and we have tried to cover as many of the questions as possible within the course plus a lot more.

Lastly, before we get into the workshop I want to re emphasise that this is so much more than a basic song writing course…. our team are convinced that the following contents will cover many related subjects to help you develop both your song writing skills and understanding of the whole music industry – enjoy! Module 1 includes the following:

• Melody or lyric which comes first • Some helpful tips on your initial songwriting approach from some successful songwriters. • Guitar and keyboard intro. • Lyrics/ melodies with a repeat • Past workshop questions. • Poet or lyric writer.

This table shows each module reference together with a general description of each songwriting aspect.

‘Songwriting workshop’

Module Introduction Description Introducing the team and Getting started as a new songwriter with advice on talking through the format song structure, do’s and don’ts, questions from earlier of the workshop and what workshops and lots of hands on keyboard and guitar will be covered by the tips. individual modules.

Some helpful tips on your initial songwriting approach Melody or lyric which from some successful songwriters. Guitar and 1 comes first keyboard intro. Lyrics/ melodies with a repeat Past workshop questions. Poet or lyric writer.

This module works through the general format of songwriting. Very successful songwriters are known to ignore the rulebook when writing songs and through the workshop are a number of examples. The all important intro, verse, chorus and bridge 2 Song structure explained, Rhyming – what works? The magic hook. The chorus of the song verse and bridge. Writers block Mark and Terry talk about some ideas for starting to write a new song.

A few more past workshop This section covers the questions asked by the group of 3 questions. new songwriters that attended the workshops. Understanding keys – How do I know what key I’m playing in? ‘Axis of Awesome’ – clever web site re the 4 chord hit songs, key changes, pitching, 12 bar blues, Chord sequences / patterns 4 Circle of fifths. Transposing songs written in difficult Transposing keys Mark leads into ‘The Beatles song’ ‘I feel fine’ and talks about the importance of certain chord changes that enhance a song.

Singing harmonies, what key to sing in, key changes, 5 Recording your voice / tips pitching? Working with a professional voice coach – ‘Simone Kaye’.

Some really helpful and not too technical advice for the Piano verses guitar 6 beginner. Composing without an instrument.

Studio recording techniques, ASD - Amazing slow downer. Quantize, Compression, EQ, Garage Band, Band in a 7 Studio Related box, Cubase, Mastering your recording. Understanding basic Midi the vital programme format for your songwriting.

Tips from successful songwriters on their approach to Songwriters 8 songwriting. This is quite a large section covering a number of related issues.

How to protect your new songs through copyright, PRS Copyright your work and –(performing rights), Collaborating, The UK Copyright 9 collaborating. Service, Copyright Infringement, Compose Collaboration What is the function of a publisher / recording company and how / when should I approach either or Contacting a publisher / both? Tips on how to market my new song – Do’s and 10 record companies / don’ts. Typical Royalties, demo submission. – Do’s advances to songwriters and don’ts, What’s in it for you – royalties, getting signed, using a publisher, demo submission

11 Job descriptions A&R people, sales marketing and promotion, royalties

Music Streaming 12 Music Streaming

Something to think about. This section covers an in 13 Critiquing your work depth look at how to seriously critique your songs.

Song space, Sound cloud Song space and Sound 14 cloud

Options re recording equipment, midi explained, software systems –mastering service, the art of 15 Home recording production, More on Midi

Address and email contacts for Record Producers, Contact listing for record Management companies – Marketing your work. What 16 companies and or does a publisher do? publishers

This module covers unusual song formats where the songwriter has chosen a different approach with some 17 Thinking outside the box interesting results.

Original backing track companies, songwriting contests, music streaming 18 Helpful websites There are many valuable websites out there and these are just a few.

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