To Begin, Begin

SVSA MUSIC NEWS APRIL 2019 APRIL FEATURE ArtiCLE To begin, begin And remember: It ain’t over ’til it’s over by Ed Bell you worry you’ll never be good William Wordsworth said it enough, keep going even though best: “To begin, begin.” you worry you’ll never be good And, if I may, I’d like to enough. expand on his pithy philosophy. To turn off your brain long To begin, begin. enough to let go and create a first To continue, continue. draft full of imperfections, turn To finish a song, finish a song. off your brain long enough to let To write something new, write go and create a first draft full of something new. imperfections. To write in a different genre, To improve your first draft write in a different genre. even though rewriting is even To learn something new about more painful than writing in the songwriting, learn something new first place, improve your first draft about songwriting. even though rewriting is even more To keep going even though it’s painful than writing in the first hard, keep going even though it’s place. hard. To rewrite that bridge for the ED BELL To keep going even though See Feature Article, page 4 DUES BE DUE BE The next meeting of 7:30 and will last until provide at least 25 DUE BE DUE the SVSA will be held the last song critique is copies of the lyrics. Pay at a meeting, pay WedNeSdAY APR 24 finished, or 10:30 p.m., Critiques are limited on our website, or mail in the LL Rice Room at whichever comes first. to members only $35 to: the Jefferson Center Members may submit but non-members SVSA in Roanoke, Virginia. one song for critique (on and guests are 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 Salem, VA 24153 begins promptly at perform it live) and should exercises. SVSA Co-Writing Workshop set for May 18 by Mike DeGiorgi 305 Mountain Ave SW, involvement. Hope you can make SVSA members Roanoke VA. Please see the outline it! We are limiting the are cordially invited to Although parts of below. It will probably audience to 14, so please attend a workshop on the workshop will be be tweaked a bit between contact me via email to co-writing on Saturday, facilitated by SVSA now and the workshop reserve your spot. If we May 18. The workshop members, most of it will date, but this should give can’t fill up with SVSA will be held at 3rd involve a lot of partner you a feel for what we members, we’ll open up Street Coffeehouse, participation and group want to try and do. to non members. SVSA: Co-Writing Workshop Agenda Cost to Participants - Free songwriting experiences with unique “what you Maximum Number of Participants - 14 bring to the co-writing table” skills. (20 minutes) Time - 1:00-6:00 p.m. Partner Assignments - Partners will be randomly assigned in order to keep it open and avoid Date - Saturday, May 18 competition for the same partners. Names will be Location - 3rd Street Coffeehouse, 305 Mountain Ave drawn from a hat, two at a time. (5 minutes) SW, Roanoke VA Creativity Sparks - Two or three quick exercises to Intended Audience - SVSA members. Will be open to prompt partner teams (20 minutes) non-members if workshop doesn’t fill up. Framework for Song Creation - A process where Workshop Facilitators - Mike Franke, Mike DeGiorgi, different baskets will contain different topics. E.g. Greg Trafidlo. A basket full of titles or hook lines, a basket full of Participants will leave with.... song forms, a basket full of genres / styles, a basket - An understanding of the major forms, benefits and full of different emotions, a basket full of chord “watch outs” of co-writing progressions) participants draw from each basket to - Tools for stimulating creativity and idea generation start their song. - A framework for developing a song with a co-writing Work Session - Partners work together on their tunes. partner (120 minutes) OUTLINE Coming Together - large group reconvenes and Welcome and Opening. (5 minutes) partner teams report back. What’s working / not working? Any aha’s? Any actual tunes nearing Interactive Panel Discussion - Different shapes of completion? (90 minutes) co-writing, rules of the road, bringing out the best in each other, questions from participants. (30-40 Wrap Up minutes) Group Dinner - Pizza in, or group dinner out when Ice-Breaker - An activity to contrast common done. Meeting Notes President Mike DeGiorgi announced that the annual Susan Twenty-one members and one announced that the SVSA would B. Komen Benefit Show would be guest attended our March meeting. hold a Co-Writing Workshop in held at 3rd Street Coffeehouse on The group was reminded of the mid-May at 3rd Street Coffeehouse. Sunday, April 7. SVSA member upcoming deadline for the Virginia Attendance was encourage for Celie Holmes was scheduled to Highlands Community College the SVSA Songwriters Showcase at open. song contest and that the SVSA 3rd Street Coffeehouse coming up Seven original songs were would have an advertisement in the on Friday, March 29. vetted. contest brochure. Board Member Bob Schmucker ~ Bill Stanton 2 | SVSA MUSIC NEWS | APRIL 2019 A Spirit of Coopetition by Mike DeGiorgi example of among songwriters. Co-writing is One of the things I miss as I corporate perhaps the best example of this. get older is hard core competition speak. It In general, I’ve been struck by ... a crossover dribble and beating felt odd at the generosity and sharing among somebody to the basket ... an “in first, but was musicians and songwriters. You your face” jumper to end a game ... satisfying in see it regularly during our meetings catching someone with 50 yards to a different and in communications between go, to win a race. I don’t care what kind of way. meetings. the sport was, or whether I was Being in a band involves a lot We have an up coming even particularly good at it. I just of coopetition. workshop on co-writing (May liked to win and I miss that kind of There is competition in 18). So far, 10 SVSA members intensity. songwriting. I suspect most of it have signed up to participate in As an aging musician/ is internal. Can I write something what will be another example of songwriter, I’ve had to replace that better than my last disaster? coopetition. (There are still some high with a new one: Coopetition. Will my latest tune be worthy of open seats.) It’s a term I first learned in praise from my peers? Can it be It’s also encouraging that business. You compete against one of the better tunes shared at the Richard Leigh Songwriting other professionals for promotions, a meeting? Can I win a writing Contest has multiple entries from a new jobs, winning proposals. contest? whole passel of SVSA members. There’s that familiar high that These questions have more Sure, I’d like to win something. comes from distancing yourself drama as you go up the musical But if I don’t, that’s okay, too. It’s from your competitors. food chain. Can I get my song great that we all feed our interest in Sometimes though, you needed ahead of someone else who’s writing. to team up with competitors in trying to get in front of an artist? But, occasional competition order to win a bigger prize. So Are these tunes good enough to puts a different kind of edge on it. consultants from competing firms sell an audience or music buying Hopefully it ups everyone’s game! would occasionally team up to public? Good luck to everyone! May the win large projects. The term Mostly though, it seems there best rhymes win! (and choruses, “Coopetition” emerged as a new is more of a spirit of coopetition hooks, bridges....) MON E The most recent SVSA Showcase held at 3rd Street Coffeehouse in Roanoke VA was a big success. See PHOTO BY ADONNA L BY PHOTO a whole bunch of photos on pages 10 and 11. 3 | SVSA MUSIC NEWS | APRIL 2019 SVSA Treasurer Mike Franke was the headline act at 3rd Street Coffeehouse this past Friday night, April 19. Mike, a favorite of the coffeehouse patrons, put on a superb show. Here he is being introduced by SVSA Board Member Bob Schmucker, who often handles the MC chores at the coffeehouse. (Photo by Judy Larson.) FEATURE ARTICLE Continued from page 1 seventh time on the off-chance potential co-writer or venue or this rewrite will be the one that manager even though they might Ed Bell has written songs cracks it, rewrite that bridge for say no, reach out to that potential for Oriental DreamWorks, the seventh time on the off- co-writer or venue or manager even wrote the bestselling book chance this rewrite will be the though they might say no. The Art of Songwriting, and one that cracks it. To keep moving forward even has worked on over 100 To write ten songs so you though it sometimes feels like different creative projects have enough material to choose it’s taking forever, keep moving around the world. the four best for your first EP, forward even though it sometimes Bell also created a web write ten songs so you have feels like it’s taking forever. site called The Song Foundry.

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