Thursday 24 May 2007

4 Keys to Effective Songwriting

I'm in print! The following article is on the Vineyard Worship website:

I started learning music when I was 8 years old. My parents bought an electronic organ, and I took music lessons. My family moved to country Western Australia when I was 15, and it was about that time that I started writing my own songs. When I left home for Perth, I joined Grace Community Church and eventually became the worship team leader. Apart from the songs that I wrote, we had some talented team members who also wrote worship songs. I organised worship team retreats where we would take time out to write songs together. We had a collection of home-grown songs that we played often, to our own fellowship and to other churches.

When Grace closed down, we came to Southside Vineyard Christian Fellowship and after some time I became worship team leader. Our song-writing attempts have not been as successful as in my previous church, but we have written songs individually and as a team.

Song Writing Structure

I had learned to play keyboards, and then later on guitar. When I started writing songs, I usually began with a chord progression or melody. I found that I would get a chord progression, a melody, or a drum pattern with an unusual beat, and around this I would form a song with a structure – an intro, verses and choruses, maybe a bridge, then an ending.

Every song needs a structure, something on which to hang the words and melody. If there isn’t a structure, then there’s no clear start or finish. A song needs to have ebb and flow – does it build up to a crescendo, is there a peak, a focal point to the song? Is there a bridge – a break in the song, different chords, a different tune? Is there space for a solo or lead break? You need to have a rough idea of the structure, which will get clearer as you progress through the song writing process.

Unless the song is an instrumental, songs need words. When I write songs, sometimes I have a word or phrase going through my mind. Sometimes it reflects where I am at in my journey. Lyrics don’t necessarily have to rhyme, but there needs to be a rhythm to them. When you write words, verses need to have the same rhythm so they are easy to sing.

You can think of a song as a story. What story does your song tell? What is the theme? Write words around that theme. That can help narrow down the field if words aren’t your strong point. Some songwriters think of a “hook” – a word or phrase that the song is built around. The hook repeats in the chorus, or maybe in the verses, to help hold the song together. We tend to remember the hooks in songs, long after we forget how the rest of it goes. It’s the part of the song we’ll sing when we’re trying to tell people about it.

Group Song Writing

In my experience, group song writing is a bit of a mixed bag. I wanted to write songs as a group, so we could “own” the song as a group. Song writing can be a real bonding experience. In practice, song writing in a large group is impractical. There’s such a diverse mix of ideas that it can be hard to build these into a song. Small groups seem to work the best, and the most successful times have been when one person comes forward with a basic structure, a starting point from which to construct a song.

Last year we tried this approach with Southside’s worship team. I brought in a song where I had the chords, melody and some words, but I felt that the song was incomplete. In the small group that we had that night, we were able to arrange the song and end up with a final product.

Recording

It’s important to record the songs that you write, so you don’t forget how it goes! I have stacks of entries in my journal where I’ve written some chords and/or word, thinking that I’ll remember how it goes. Looking back, I can’t for the life of me remember the tune or the rhythm.

If you don’t have a computer, then tape decks are cheap. Keep it nearby and ready to go so you don’t interrupt the flow when you get an idea.

These days, computers are commonplace and recording software abounds. I use a Macintosh iBook G4 and Garage Band. I can lay down tracks very quickly using the built-in microphone just for a rough structure, or take time to record each track properly, and later on mix levels etc. There are built-in loops so you can put down a drum track very quickly to give you something to keep in time as you build up the other tracks.

Handling Criticism

When I write a song, I pour a lot of myself into the writing. This song represents something of myself. I love to tell people about my music, but not everyone likes what I write. After all this time I still find it hard when I eagerly play a song I’ve just written and recorded to someone and they say they don’t like it. You feel like they are really saying “I don’t like you”. Just remember – you won’t please every one all the time. Not everyone will like your music – it isn’t a personal attack on you. Do you like everything that’s played on the radio? So when you play for people, be prepared that not everyone will like what you write.

Keep persevering – I’m sure that if you asked any artist today, they would say that they wrote hundreds of songs before they had a hit. With each song you’ll write, your skills will improve. Let the songs you write be a history of your journey.
Happy writing!

Scissor Sisters Live - Take Your Mama



Check out the barn in the background...very cool performance.

Monday 14 May 2007

Slow Dance

Received this from a friend of mine:

Slow Dance

This is a poem written by a teenager with cancer. She wants to see how many people get her poem. It is quite the poem. Please pass it on.

This poem was written by a terminally ill young girl in a New York Hospital .

It was sent by a medical doctor. Make sure to read what is in the closing statement AFTER THE POEM.

SLOW DANCE

Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Do you run through each day
On the fly?
When you ask How are you?
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done!
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?
You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time
To call and say,"Hi"
You'd better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....
Thrown away.
Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.
--------------------
FORWARDED E-MAILS ARE TRACKED TO OBTAIN THE TOTAL COUNT.
Dear All:
PLEASE pass this mail on to everyone you know - even to those you don't know! It is the request of a special girl who will soon leave this world due to cancer. This young girl has 6 months left to live, and as her dying wish, she wanted to send a letter telling everyone to live their life to the fullest, since she never will. She'll never make it to prom, graduate from high school, or get married and have a family of her own. By you sending this to as many people as possible, you can give her and her family a little hope, because with every name that this is sent to, The American Cancer Society will donate 3 cents per name to her treatment and recovery plan. One guy sent this to 500 people! So I know that we can at least send it to 5 or 6. It's not even your money, just your time!

PLEASE PASS ON AS A LAST REQUEST.


Dr. Dennis Shields, Professor
Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology
1300 Morris Park Avenue
Bronx , New York 10461

A quick check of Google says that this is a hoax. There is no little girl dying of cancer, the American Cancer society will not donate money for each email sent. Dr. Shields has nothing to do with this hoax other than the fact that he forwarded the message and automatically attached his "signature" to it. Email tracking as described in the email is technically impossible.

Check out the following links:
According to the Truth Or Fiction website, the poem is actually from the pen of psychologist and writer David L. Weatherford (www.davidlweatherford.com).

Please check things out before passing them on.

Saturday 12 May 2007

Faith like potatoes


We travelled to Wagin to listen to Angus Buchan speak. Angus is a Scottish-born South African farmer who wrote the book Faith Like Potatoes, which has been turned into a movie. He is an interesting person to listen to with his down-to-earth, no-nonsense attitude.

Angus challenged us to live a life hungry for the things of God, to purpose to follow God, no matter what the cost. He said that our faith should cost something, because if it didn't cost something it wasn't worth anything. Going to church wasn't enough, because if going to church made us a Christian, then going to Macdonalds made us a hamburger. We needed to have a relationship with Jesus. We needed to talk to Jesus about people before we told the people about Jesus. If we only took one thing away with us from the night, then remember this: Jesus loves each one of us very much. There is hope, there is an answer, there is a way out of despair in Jesus.

A music team from a baptist church in Joondalup lead the congregation in worship. One of the local Wagin pastors welcomed us all and introduced Angus. They said that every available chair that the Wagin shire owned was put out, and there were still people standing. After the event, there was a BBQ dinner. I spoke with one of the organisers who said that there were 400 chairs and at least 150 people standing at the back of the pavillion, which makes this one of the largest Christian gatherings I've seen in Wagin.

Wagin's name means "emu watering hole", but is also known as the meeting place. Aboriginals used to come to Wagin as a central meeting place for the different tribes. Angus asked for people to give a show of hands to indicate where they came from. There were people from the North, South, East and West of Wagin, once again making Wagin the meeting place for the Great Southern.

Friday 11 May 2007

#90

I received the following from a friend the other day:

I got a call last night from an individual identifying himself as an AT&T Service technician who was conducting a test on our telephone lines. He stated that to complete the test I should touch nine (9),zero ( 0), hash (#) and then hang up. Luckily, I was suspicious and refused. Upon contacting the telephone company, I was informed that by pushing 90#, you give the requesting individual full access to your telephone line, which allows them to place long distance telephone calls billed to your home phone number. I was further informed that this scam has been originating from many of the local gaols/prisons. DO NOT press 90# for ANYONE. PLEASE pass this on to your friends. If you have mailing lists and/or newsletters from organisations you are connected with, I encourage you to pass this on.



I typed "pushing 90#" into google and got a stack of hits to say that this is a hoax. From the Hoax-Slayer website:

False, with some rare exceptions.

In rare cases, the information in the email can be true. Some business telephone switching equipment that has been configured in a certain way may be vulnerable to the scam. If a particular type of PABX phone system requires users to dial "9" to get an outside line then it is theoretically possible for a scammer to take control of the line. However, since the information is false for the vast majority of home phone users, and certainly for mobile phone users, the email can be dismissed as a pointless hoax and should not be forwarded.


See also:
http://www.sophos.com/security/hoaxes/donotpush.html

If you receive this or a similar message, please do not forward it to your friends and colleagues. Forwarding unsolicited chain letters wastes time and bandwidth.


Please let anyone else you've told know that this is a hoax, as well as anyone who told you.

Saturday 5 May 2007

University of New England

I had a chance to visit the University of New England in Armidale, NSW this week. There's this majestic building that is the heart and history of the university, called Booloominbah. The building was originally the homestead for the property there, which was a deer park. The property and building was gifted to the university by Mr T R Forster, on the condition that there would always be deer on the property.

I found this virtual tour on the UNE website. Take the tour, and look for the "Gordon Window" up the main staircase. I saw this amazing stained-glass window, which I'm told commemorates a British hero and 'the first commitment of Australian troops to fight for the Empire'.

You'll need Quicktime to take this tour. Click on the image below to begin.

Booloominbah

While you're in Armidale, check out TuneFM, the university radio station. Very cool.