101
From poetry to lyrics.
QUESTION:
I am not a musician and just recently got into writing
songs as opposed to poetry. I need info about song structures
and styles, music notation and the basics on writing great
songs.
ANSWER
(by Mary Dawson):
You are just the kind of person our radio show, I Write
the Songs, was designed for. Every week we discuss song
structure, style, and the basics of songwriting. Please
listen to the show on the Lyrical Line website. The current
series on Song Form should prove very helpful for you.
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102
Once I find a musician for my lyrics, what next?
QUESTION:
I write lyrics. I can't play any instruments. Once I find
someone to put music to my lyrics, where do we go from
there?
ANSWER
(by Mary Dawson):
That is a short, simple question that would take a book
to answer.....and I have a book that will help answer
LOTS of your questions. It's called "How to Get Somewhere
in the Music Business from Nowhere with Nothing" and it
is a 46-page manual that leads you from the time you finish
writing your song....through the demo phase....and helps
you to learn how to present your songs to music executives,
managers and artists. The manual contains information
you may not find elsewhere -- like how to put a package
together that will receive attention, how to make a professional
phone call and how to write an articulate cover letter.
Please visit my website at http://www.cqkmusic.com for
ordering information.
Other than my manual -- my one piece of advice for you
is to BE SURE the songs you and your collaborator are
writing are "market ready." In other words, you need to
KNOW beyond the shadow of a doubt that your writing is
up to industry standard before you start exposing your
work to powerful people. If you are still immature as
writers, you will give yourselves away as amateurs and
that's the "kiss of death." Once people start to associate
your material with "second-rate" non-professional songs,
you will find it very difficult to ever get another hearing
-- even if you improve dramatically a year from now. Remember:
You NEVER have a second chance to make a first impression.
Don't waste your first impression by pitching material
that "isn't quite there" yet. You may want to get some
professional critiquing before you begin to shop your
material. Whatever you do, make sure the feedback you
are receiving on your songs is from a person who knows
music and can be objective and honest with you. Trying
to get honest feedback from your Mom or Grandma will probably
not be realistic since they will love whatever you write.
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103
What do I send to the Copyright office?
QUESTION:
I have written four songs (just lyrics) and they are ready
to be copyrighted. Do I send just lyrics on paper or do
I send lyrics & melody to the copyright office?
ANSWER
(by Mary Dawson):
If you wish to copyright them as "songs" they need to
have both words and music. However, you can copyright
your lyrics as "poetry intended for public performance."
You can request a PA (Performing Arts) form or a TX (Text)
form from the Copyright Office and file your lyrics as
poems. Just be sure you don't file them as "songs" because
to be songs they must also have music.
If you really want to be a "songwriter" rather than a
poet, the best advice I can give you is to find a gifted
musician/composer to begin collaborating with. When you
have both words and music, you can then file your works
as "songs" using the PA Form.
For further information, you can reach a human being at
the Copyright Office at 212-707-5959.
Good Luck!
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104
I'm afraid of writing because my friends laugh.
QUESTION:
I enjoy writing songs (if you can call them that! :),
But lately I devloped a fear of it. My friends are in
bands and now every time i think of a ideal for a song,
I am presented with a thought of my friends finding out
and makeing fun of me. Are there any ways of breaking
this train of thought??? Please help!!
ANSWER
(by Mary Dawson):
I think the answer to your fear is like overcoming a fear
of horses once you have been thrown off. You just have
to "get back on" immediately and not give way to your
anxieties.Courage is not necessarily being unafraid but
rather pressing through your fears -- doing what you love
to do DESPITE your fears.
Sometimes fear develops because we are not yet confident
that our songwriting is "up to standard" or worthy of
the admiration of others. The answer to this is again
"just doing it" until we KNOW that our songs are excellent
and well-crafted. Do lots of reading of books on the subject
of songwriting. I would recommend highly Sheila Davis'
books from Writers Digest on the subject of Lyric Writing.
She even has a whole course in the subject laid out in
workbook fashion that you can do yourself at your own
pace. That book is called Successful Lyric Writing. Once
you have made it through a book like this, I think you
will have a lot more confidence about your writing --
which will, in turn, eliminate your fears. There are MANY
other great books on the subject as well. Visit your local
bookseller and browse through the songwriting books department.
The more you learn, the better your songs, the less your
fear!
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105
Marketing songs.
QUESTION:
I admire the way you treat writers questions and concerns.
I need some advice on how to get my songs/lyrics into
the hands of recording artist, publishers, producers etc.
I have the abilty to write almost anything (but nothing
offending or with explicit lyrics).
ANSWER
(by Mary Dawson):
Do you write both words and music or lyrics only? If you
are a lyricist only, it will be very hard for you to attract
the interest of an artist, publisher, producer or other
music executive. Music people are looking for SONGS --
and lyrics alone are really only poems. If you write lyrics
only, try to find a collaborator -- a gifted musician
who is looking for a lyricist. Then start pitching your
material as SONGS. For information on how to contact artists,
producers, managers and A&R directors, please consider
my manual, "How to Get Somewhere in the Music Business
from Nowhere with Nothing." (See answer to Question 103)
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106
Is my song a hit?
QUESTION:
I recently sent in my poem to have a melody be made and
paid the full fee. I haven't received my demo yet, but
how do I know if it will be a hit or not?
The most difficult part of songwriting is what to write
about. You have to have some main point in writing a song.
That's how I feel although I'm very new at this.
ANSWER
(by Mary Dawson):
Be very careful about sending your lyrics to someone you
don't know to have them set your words to music for a
"fee." Real collaborators do not charge each other for
their part of the composition. Collaborators are like
a team -- each doing their part for the good of the finished
product. You may want to consult an entertainment attorney
for counsel on this situation so that you don't find later
that the person who charged you to set your words to music
now also wants half the royalties should the song be recorded.
My best advice is to join a local songwriters association
where you can meet other writers whom you can truly collaborate
with and learn from. Also read lots of books on both the
craft and business of music. I highly recommend John Braheny's
book, "The Craft and Business of Songwriting" from Writers
Digest. Also please tune into our radio show, I Write
the Songs, which covers many topics on both the creative
and administrative aspects of songwriting.
On the second part of your question, you are very right.
As songwriting instructor, Harriet Schock says so well,
"Before you can write a great song, you have to have a
BURNING DESIRE to communicate something." Most songwriters
fail right there because they are simply trying to connect
notes with words that really say nothing. Great songs
come from LIFE...living it well and learning from the
experiences that come your way. I recently wrote some
articles on this very subject which appear on my website
at http://www.cqkmusic.com. Click on "articles" and pay
special attention to Article 1 and Article 5. Train yourself
to "think like a songwriter" and see the song messages
in every situation you encounter. You will find yourself
bombarded with ideas -- they are everywhere -- in the
news, on billboards, T-shirts, comments from friends,
book titles etc. Before you start trying to write a lyric,
just brainstorm the ideas on the subject you want to write
about -- then outline them according to verse/chorus/bridge
-- or whatever song form you choose. After you know what
you want to say -- THEN start the crafting techniques
of rhymes, metaphor, alliteration, assonance etc. Please
stay tuned to our radio show, I Write the Songs. We will
be starting a series on Lyric Writing on the Lyrical Line
website in the not-too-distant future.
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107
Finding a collaborator
QUESTION:
I have been writing on and off for the last 15 years as
a hobby, won a national songwriting contest (several years
ago) and have notebooks full of finished song lyrics.
How does one go about finding the right collaborator?
ANSWER
(by Mary Dawson):
This is without doubt the most frequently asked question
I receive from songwriters. Finding a good co-writer is
a lot like dating. You have to take some initiative, take
a few risks of rejection and date around until you find
"the one." The best places to find collaborators are:
1) Your local songwriters association. Every large city
has one or more such groups and you are sure to find writers
with counterpart gifts that you can write with.
2) A local university or college music department. Go
visit the head of the department and tell him/her that
you are looking for a collaborator. Put a note on the
music department bulletin board. There are many musicians
looking for good lyricists.
3) Large and active churches usually have very gifted
people in their music departments and they are a wonderful
source for finding a co-writer. I met one of my favorite
co-writers in a weekend church conference.
4)If you have a large music store in your town that gives
musical instrument lessons -- go down and meet the instructors
and some of their gifted students.
All these suggestions have one thing in common -- YOU
MUST TAKE THE INITIATIVE. If you just wait at home for
a co-writer to come to your door, you will probably never
find one. But the converse is also true....there are MANY
gifted songwriters all over the place. You just have to
put up your radar and become creative and sensitive to
where they "hang out." Then go "hang out" in the same
places.
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108
Who to trust and where to send my material
QUESTION:
I have written a number of songs, that a little group
of friends and family have recorded on multi-track digital
recorders. I have sent off to Library of Congress for
the legal copyright. I have seen a multitude of Publishers,
record companies, etc. on the internet. How do I know
who to trust with my material? Where do I start to send
my material.
ANSWER
(by Mary Dawson):
If your material is registered with the copyright office,
you should not be hesitant in sending your material to
potential publishers. However, you will probably find
that most established, major publishers who have the potential
of really getting your song promoted and cut also do not
accept unsolicited material. If you send songs without
making personal contact first, you may just be wasting
money on postage and tape costs. I have a manual called
"How to Get Somewhere in the Music Business from Nowhere
with Nothing." It answers many of your questions thoroughly
and actually guides you through the process of knowing
where and who to send your material to and how to do it
in a professional manner. Please see my website for ordering
information. http://www.cqkmusic.com.
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109
My melody, their lyrics
QUESTION:
There is something that is bothering me. I have completed
a few songs. A local singing group is interested in the
melody. The leader of the group wants to use the melody,
but use his own lyrics. In exchange he will agree to let
us use one of his best singers for my other songs. Is
this a good deal or will one of us lose our shirts.
ANSWER
(by Mary Dawson):
If you are a serious songwriter, you need to become knowledgeable
about the business aspects of creating the song. If someone
changes the lyrics to your song, he/she is then considered
a collaborator on the new version. If suddenly that song
becomes famous and makes a lot of money, you MUST have
documentation (by contract) as to what part each of you
contributed to the song. Otherwise, you may be in for
a legal nightmare. The thing about songwriting is that
it is lots of fun and different agreements can be made
verbally about songs for the convenience of the writers.
But when the money starts rolling in, everyone's memory
of the verbal agreement gets very fuzzy. My advice is
WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING you agree to and have the other
parties sign as well as yourself. A poorly written contract
is still better than the best of memories. I would recommend
John Braheny's book, "The Craft and Business of Songwriting,"
as a good beginning book to familiarize you with the ramifications
of collaboration.
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110
How do I create a melody for an R&B song?
QUESTION:
How do I create a melody for an R&B song?
ANSWER
(by Mary Dawson):
That is a very short question that could require a VERY
long answer. You don't indicate how much music training
you have. Do you read music? Do you write other kinds
of music besides R&B? Do you play an instrument? Do you
play by ear? The answers to these questions will determine
what kind of answer would make sense to you. Very generally,
I would say to listen to lots of R&B songs. Listen to
the instrumentations, the grooves or rhythms that are
used and especially the melodies. When you hear a song
you like, go to your instrument and pick out the melody.
Watch what is happening melodically as you play. Then
adapt some of the same elements for your own song.
A great book this subject is Jai Josefs book, "Writing
Music for Hit Songs." (Schirmer Books). He give all kinds
of practical suggestions and exercises to help you understand
how music works in writing commercial music. The book
is very "user friendly" even for a relative novice.
Another resource you may want to consider are the software
programs now available that can produce rhythms and arrangements
which will help to stimulate your musical creativity.
There are many of them available. Go to a large music
company and ask lots of questions. The best way to learn
is "just do it!" Your early efforts will no doubt not
be as great as later efforts -- but it's all about "progress,
not perfection."
