Songwriting: My First Lesson
Write more songs better, write better songs, and write songs faster
As a singer, musician and songwriter, I want to write better songs. I also want to write more songs, and write songs faster. So much so that it pains me when I can’t finish a song… because I’m still not happy with the way the verse goes, or how the melody goes at one point. And until I’ve got one bit just so I find it hard to move onto anything else. I just keep going round in circles trying to get one or two particular bits right.
Which should be fine right? If I want a good song, then every part has to be perfect? Wrong. This doesn’t have to be the case, as I learned … or was reminded of recently.
Here’s why…
One of the most invaluable classes I had whilst at university was actually with an English professor. This professor who had been brought in to educate us how to communicate ideas better, and how to write anything well. And he gave me one of the best bits of advice I’d ever had up til then, and since then. And his advice was:
Don’t get it right, get it written
This phrase has served me well since then in other areas of my life, but has recently become a real mantra for me when approaching songwriting. Why?
Try this illustration on for size
I am fortunate enough to have a prolific and talented songwriting friend called Matt Blick. You can find his site at www.mattblick.com . Matt has been writing songs for years and has established himself as a renowned source on the internet for songwriting advice. He is active on Twitter (@realmattblick) and you can ask him almost any question, and he’ll get back to you on it. I learned a valuable lesson from him that helped me to write songs faster. Not only to write songs faster, but make them better, and write more of them too!
I met up with Matt recently and we had a good long chin-wag about songwriting and ideas in general. We then started working on a musical idea I’d had a while ago. Matt then struck out on how to build that into a song. He was remarkably driven about getting something finished, whilst being very relaxed about it all. come up with a theme, sections, and lyrics to accompany those sections. It’s not finished yet, but the constituent components of the song are laid out in our toolkit, ready to be worked on.
Shortly after, I met up with another friend – Chris Shepperson, you can follow him @ourhelicalmind – for some songwriting of a more instrumental nature. Between us we wanted to try creating some songs that involved two electric bass guitars. Where to begin? Well, I tried to adopt the approach Matt applied – don’t get it right, get it written. And you know what? In 2 hours of songwriting we’d managed to construct a 3-4 minute recording that was an actual song, and we managed to record the whole thing!
It isn’t perfect, but from a single seed of an idea, we had an intro and groove for the song. From that idea a first line of a verse appeared. A variation on that one idea became a second line. We then had an ‘A’ section from those variations- a verse. Another idea plus a variation became a ‘B’ section – a chorus. One more basic idea became a ‘C’ section – a bridge/improv section. From that we had the constituent elements of a piece. We arranged the song at the same time as writing based on what felt right, and it came out as:
Intro, A, A, B, A, B, B, C (x3), B, Outro (repetition of the intro)
So from just 2-3 ideas came a verse, a chorus and a bridge. From those parts, we can construct an arrangement of the song that is listenable and of an appropriate length. All in 2 hours.
Now, while this piece isn’t 100% finished or perfect, it is far far closer to a finished product than it ever would’ve been if I’d tried to make each small element of the song perfect before moving onto creating the next bit of it. I was amazed at how a little bit more drive to be LESS perfect enabled me to get me closer to writing a good song.
So what did I learn from all this?
I think this illustration makes it clear of the meaning behind the English professor’s advice. It’s far easier to work within some basic structure, even if you want to depart from it, than not to have that structure in the first place. So remember:
Don’t get it right, get it written.
Check out my other songwriting lessons:
My Second Lesson
My Third Lesson
My Fourth Lesson
Five Vocal Misconceptions – Think you can’t increase vocal range?
Things like ‘I can’t increase vocal range’ are just not true…
To increase vocal range, you just need the right tools, it’s not something you’re stuck with. While we’re on this topic, let me tell you about some other misconceptions…
Here’s another short and sweet post on some interesting points. This one is focusing on five misconceptions about the voice, but I’ve left the more controversial misconceptions for longer posts.
1. I’m stuck with the range I’ve got = WRONG
Range is NOT static – Many insist that the range you have is the range you are stuck with, and that you cannot increase your range – end of. This is simply not true. Singing is a matter of improving the co-ordination of your voice as an instrument, from your vocal cords through to your vocal tract and everything else… but that’s ALL stuff you have already. It’s not a question of strength as much as it a question of ‘balance’ and muscle co-ordination. Since starting to study effective vocal technique my useable vocal range has increased by over an octave and a half, all with quality, and adding to that daily. The same result can be achieved with any singer over time.
2. I struggle with the high notes, I must be an alto/bass = WRONG
Range does not determine voice type – You may know that the bass guitar is an octave lower than the guitar, but they share LOTS of notes in common with one another. Common notes do not make a bass into a guitar, nor vice versa, they sound different. Likewise, many male singers with large ranges can hit soprano notes. This does not make them sopranoes. Similarly, sopranoes share notes with tenors. This doesn’t make them tenors. Similarly, just because you struggle with high notes doesn’t mean you are (necessarily) a lower type of voice. Voice type is not determined by range but the specific mechanics of a person’s voice, as these are distinctly different in the separate voice types. You can absolutely increase vocal range from where you currently are, you just need the right tools to experience it.
3. That guy/girl can sing so loud! They must be amazing singers = WRONG
Loudness does not reflect skill – We are all impressed by loud singers. And confidence in (good) singing is a big part of that. However, as we looked at in the explanation in the beginner course on the engine of the voice, loudness can come about not because of skill, but because of a lack of skill. Many singers cannot help but be excessively loud at the top of their range because they lack the balance to control that co-ordination. Now, skilled singers can and should be able achieve a high volume and a true forte in their voice, but volume alone does not reflect skill.
4. I can rely on the microphone and sound engineer to fix my voice = WRONG
Microphones cannot replace correct singing technique – In the same way that a guitar amp reproduces what is going on at the guitar and can complement what is going on at the guitar, a microphone reproduces and complements what the voice is doing… but it cannot compensate for weaknesses in the voice. Don’t think that autotune can fix something where you need to increase vocal range or improve your technique. There is simply no substitute for having good vocal technique and a balanced vocal ability.
5. Wow! That artist sounds amazing on the album, they must sound that way all the time = WRONG
The tape recorder doesn’t lie, but albums do – What we hear inside our own head when we sing is not what the audience hears. When we sing we need to record ourselves and listen back to hear the truth. However, when we listen to produced vocals on an album, we are NOT hearing the truth. We are hearing vast amounts of compression, multiple takes spliced together, and professional mastering on a singer’s voice, that masks and hides many of the problems we might hear in our own voices when we record one-take at home. The message is, we need to record ourselves to hear what we really sound like, but we cannot trust this same principle when listening to recorded albums. Don’t think that your favourite artist sounds that good with perfect pitching and nuance all the time – albums lie. Here’s a video to prove it to you.
Learn More: Related Articles
If you want to learn more about voice and recording, you can find out more by visiting these related articles:
Recorded vs Live Performance: Which is harder?
Recording Studio on a Budget
How to Sing When Recording
Vocal Comping to Get the Best Vocal Take
Live vs Recorded Vocals: Our own double standards
500 words or less: Five Good Habits for Vocal Health
Singing voice hurts?
This is a common complaint amongst singers. And a number of you have asked about how to keep your voice healthy and working right, before and after some problems. There are lots of great ‘do’s and ‘don’t’s, but here are my top 5 for today…
1. Carry a bottle of water with you all the time – OK, we all know how important it is to drink water, but the focus here is on developing good habits. I carry a bottle of water with me everywhere. Whether I glug, sip, gargle or don’t even use it, the bottle is always with me. Keeping a bottle of water with you is the best way I’ve found to combat dehydration and to keep your vocal cords lubricated to fight it if your singing voice hurts.
2. Don’t try to be heard over loud environments – When you’re out at gigs, clubs, performing, or even as a teacher, don’t try to speak so as to be heard over loud environments. This is a surefire way to cause your vocal cords to suffer ‘adema’, i.e. to swell, and – hey presto! – voice is gone. Best habit I have developed is just to not talk at all when in such environments. Wearing earplugs also helps you to hear how loud you are really talking. This is an easy way to end up hurting your voice and find your singing voice hurts.
3. Stay away from smoking and smokers – You CANNOT sustain a career as a singer and smoke regularly. End of. At the minimum it dries out your vocal cords and long term regular use damage the tissue of the cords. Passive smoking carries the same risks. Even if you don’t care about your lungs, show your vocal cords some love and stay out of those environments. Ultimately, it’s your vocal health at risk here, you shouldn’t feel bad about making your excuses and going elsewhere or asking people not to smoke. Stay away from smoking and smokey environments to avoid hurting your singing voice.
4. Lost your voice? Rest your voice totally for much longer than it takes just to get it back – Usually the vocal cords are swollen when we lose our voice. Complete vocal rest is the best way to get back up to speed, but we need to rest our voice much longer than it takes just to get it back – i.e. rest it another few days to week longer. If we start to use it again before it’s fully recovered, then you can go right back to square one or constantly be battling swollen vocal cords. So rest for longer than you think you need. Otherwise that complaint of ‘my singing voice hurts!’ ain’t gonna go away!
5. Pay attention to what your body is telling you – Some singers have voices that can sustain hours of singing without feeling their voice tire. Some of them need to rest every 20-30 minutes, or even every 5 minutes! Above all, pay attention to your body and how it feels, and craft your practice and performance regime around that. Strength and stamina comes in time and your own abilities from over time will vary, so get in the habit now of learning what you can/can’t take.
That’s my top tips for what to do if your singing voice hurts and how to keep it in tip top shape. That’s all for now!
Learn More: Related Articles
If you want to learn more about vocal health and voice issues, you may enjoy the following articles:
Shouting masquerading as singing: Why so many singers are just yelling
Why vocal problems so regularly derail careers, permanently
Famous Singers with Voice Problems
Vocal Health Issues
Vocal Longevity: The Icarus Effect
Why do I keep losing my voice: Overuse, Misuse and Abuse
The Seriousness of Vocal Fold Nodules
Steve Balsamo
This is Steve Balsamo’s performance of ‘Gethsemane’ from Jesus Christ Superstar, and he does the mentalness of Ted Neeley’s original performance from the Jesus Christ Superstar film decades ago. I’d recommend watching the whole thing, but if you want to skip straight to the mentalness, shoot to 2m44s and you’ll get about 20 seconds run up into his prowess in full swing.
No, that is not falsetto, it’s head voice. You can hear he hits ‘that note’, then riffs (i.e. does some other notes in a musically cool and funky way) down back into chest voice in a fully connected way – if all the notes sound tonally even and connected together with no real tonal shift then it’s not falsetto.
But if you listen a little bit longer, as he’s ascending back up again, you can hear a noticeable shift into head voice. It’s still very impressive, but note that the illusion of one voice is damaged.
Learning points:
#1 – Half the range, twice the quality – While this is incredibly impressive, when you sit back and think objectively about the overall tone of his voice throughout, you can hear he is having to be incredibly light throughout in order to make sure he’s able to “get up there”. This means that although the high notes sound impressive, he’s compromised the whole of his vocal tone the rest of the song to get up there.
A phrase that is important to remember is that when it comes to longlasting voices, longlasting careers, and an audience that never gets tired of your voice, is to half the range to give twice the quality. So what if you hit crazy high notes, if your quality is compromised to do that, what was the point?
#2 – Technique does not equal listenability or success – This guy has done some incredible stuff here. But how many of you know his name? What about Michael Buble? Or Ed Sheeran? Almost all of you have heard their names. Their voices are lovely, but nowhere near as technical. What they are doing is almost pedestrian in comparison. Yet they fill stadiums and have millions of fans as well as critical commercial success. What gives? Music is not a competition. How much you can do with your voice is not as important as what choose to do with it. Being listenable is far more important than showing off a billion notes a second.
Now while this seems very similar to half the range, twice the quality, this is to point out that the real test you should always be sitting is “are you sounding good?”. Not “are you sounding impressive”. Impressive technique does exactly that for the first few seconds – it impresses. But what happens after that? Very few know about Steve Balsamo, yet Buble is a household name.
Make your first priority being listenable, and the rest will follow. Trust me on this.
Bruno Mars
Great artist, great tune, great performance.
Bruno (real name Peter Gene Hernandez) has only had one album to date, entitled ‘Doo Wops and Hooligans’ released in late 2010, but it’s pretty epic as a first offering. He’s currently getting a new album recorded and I plan on picking it up as soon as it’s out.
Reggae?
His debut album features a variety of tunes all with reasonably different styles, but all have a distinctive Hawaiian/reggae backdrop… you might think I’m making that up, but if you listen closely it’s a common theme running through almost every track and this is even admitted by Bruno himself in a few interviews, citing growing up in Hawaii as a major influence in his lifestyle and writing.
Here’s a thing or three…
Focusing on a few of the tracks:
– ‘Just the way you are’ – This has arguably been the most successful song from the album. It’s a feel-good anthem played at weddings across the world in the last few years. The melody on the chorus is really simple, memorable, and the last line is a good ‘hook’ that really sticks in your mind. I like it anyway!
– ‘The Other Side’ – The amazing Cee-Lo Green features in this track (Cee-Lo will be featured in a later blog post) and it is a stonkingly cool track. Artistically, I like the way the lyrics say very little, but you paint a whole world in your mind. Technically, the melody of the chorus is stupendous, as it 100% out of chest voice… not a single note in chest voice, and it goes a good octave about chest voice too. But you’d never know, Bruno just makes it sounds as effortless as he was telling you about it… amazing.
– ‘Runaway Baby’ – The song linked to above is the song that sold me on Bruno Mars and made me buy his album. I’d heard ‘The Lazy Song’ which I really don’t like (sorry!) and that turned me off, but then I heard this and saw this performance and it made me want to hear more of this guy. Great thing about this is how catchy the riff is, and how simple the melody is, but the rhythms are infectious. Love it.
And I’ll leave you with…
The best thing about Bruno (I feel) is how he marries technical ability with songwriting ability and has brought that out into the market relatively late in his life. He was in his mid-20s before he started to make waves across the world, which is late by some standards, but had been a successful songwriter in his own right for other artists. I think that is very encouraging for those who harbour desires of a musical career but think that because they are not 18 anymore then they can’t make it. Bruno stands apart and shows that this isn’t true. His technical ability is amazing, but he uses that to great effect to serve the songs he rights, which are immensely catchy in their own right.
In short, Bruno rocks, have a listen. The songs might seem impossible to some, but with the right guidance they are totally achievable. Also, let me know if there are any other artists you’d like me to look at.