by Robin Frederick

There are two important people involved in every song: YOU and your LISTENER. You may be strangers or best friends. You may be staring across a concert stage or a living room rug. Or you may be a disembodied voice on a speaker and the listener only an ear you’re not even sure is out there. Wherever you are, the two of you are linked together by the experience of your song.

Writing with the listener in mind can be tricky. You need to be true to your own emotional expression, but the listener needs to feel included. There’s nothing worse than standing on the outside trying to look into a room through a shuttered window. If you want listeners, you need to let them inside.

Bedroom songwriting – the first draft
Many songs (probably most) are written because the songwriter needed to get those feelings out. In fact, a good song should start with honest emotion or it will never be compelling and truthful. At this early stage, the listener is an intruder. The song is all about YOU for now. Stay focused on that during the first draft of your song. Say what you need to say for yourself. Get it all out. It’s just you alone in your bedroom.

The second draft
Once you have that first draft together, record a rough version. Maybe it’s just a vocal and a few chords. Put it aside and keep it. Don’t record over it. This is yours and you can always come back to it.

Now, decide whether you want to take this song out into the world and introduce it to listeners. If you do, then get to work on a second draft with the listener in mind. Here’s a checklist of questions that will help you reach out to your listeners and get them involved:

Lyrics
1. Imagine yourself talking to a stranger, telling him or her about your feelings. What questions would they have? Did you answer them in the song?

2. Did you make listeners FEEL what you felt? Or did you just tell them about it? Paint a vivid picture of the emotion using images and sensations. Use action words that add energy. Describe the emotion in physical terms—what did it do to your body, how did it feel? Listeners will respond by seeing pictures in their minds and feeling a physical reaction. That’s what you want! Get them involved!

3. Did you raise any unanswered questions in your song? Get sidetracked? Start singing about something else? Be sure you keep your lyric focused on a single idea so listeners can stick with you. If you wander off, they’ll lose interest and you’ll have to get them back again. If you’re trying to say two things in one song, you’ll end up with a weak song. Choose one and save the other for another song.

4. What is the strongest line in your song? If it’s not the title, why isn’t it? Does every line in the song support and lead back to your strongest line? Listeners like to feel that the song has a point and you need to let them know what it is. Don’t make them have to work at figuring it out.

It’s not just the lyrics
We use structure to help listeners feel “grounded” in a song—they want to feel something solid under their feet. If there are too many sections each with a different melody and lyric, listeners may feel the song is too chaotic; they won’t want to get involved. On the other hand, if a song has too much repetition of the same section, they’ll get bored. For many of today’s listeners, the right balance of repetition and variation in a song structure seems to be: VRS / CHO / VRS / CHO / BRIDGE / CHO. (For film & TV songwriting, VRS / VRS / BRIDGE / VRS also works well. Just be sure you have a strong, emphasized line at the end of each verse.)

Give listeners a clear song structure by creating contrast between sections. Move the melody to a different note range, change the length of your phrases, change the chord palette, or change the pace of the notes and words. Listeners feel more comfortable when they know where they are, so don’t be afraid to let your melody say, “Hey, this is the chorus!”

In melody, as in song structure, listeners respond to a mix of repetition and variation. If a melody is wandering here and there with little form or purpose, the listener will tune out. There are examples of melody patterns that appeal to listeners in both of my books and you can hear them in every hit song on the radio! Notice the number of times a melodic phrase is repeated, how it is varied to keep it interesting, and when there’s is a change to a different pattern (often at a new song section).

YOU are a listener
Notice your own reactions when you listen to songs that are not your own. How did the song keep you involved? How did it make you feel? Could you tell when you were listening to the chorus and when you were in the verse? How did the song let you know? Where did you find yourself getting interested or losing interest? Use that experience when you write!

Be your own listener
When you’re working on your own songs, there are no listeners around. You can’t ask them what they think. So, you have to pretend to be the listener, that person who will eventually hear your song for the first time, in one smooth sweep, in real time. But how can you do that when you’ve just been sweating over a single line for half a day? Listeners NEVER do that! (They shouldn’t even suspect that YOU do it!)

You can’t be a listener when you’re too close to your song. Make yourself take a break. Record whatever you’ve been working on just as it is, then walk away. Come back in an hour or two… or the next day. Listen to something else. 
Give yourself enough time to get the song out of your head. Then come back with fresh ears and experience the song as your listener would. Did it move you? Did it feel too complicated? Where did your energy drop out? Where did it intensify? Make notes while you listen, then go in and make changes. Record it and take another break. Do this a few times while you work and you’ll tune up your song for the listener’s ears.

Write for BOTH of you
Cynthia Weil defines a successful songwriter as someone who “is able to say what other people have felt but are unable to say.” It doesn’t matter if you have ten listeners or ten million. Each listener is just one person, one who is intimately experiencing your song, listening to you say something that they have felt. The two of you are more alike than you might think. You’ve both felt happiness, loneliness, wanted to be in love, ached when love was lost. Your listener can’t put it into a song… but you can.

Copyright 2011 Robin Frederick. For more on writing for your listener, check out Shortcut #66 in my book “Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting” available at Amazon.com.

by Robin Frederick

Let’s say you’re in love with someone and you want to let that person know how you feel. You could simply walk up to them and say, “I love you.” That might work. Or you could make an effort to create the right surroundings: a walk along the beach, holding hands on a summer evening under a twilight sky, and as the moon rises and hangs like a giant disco ball in the sky, you whisper, “I love you.”

Without a doubt, the second option seems more likely to convey your I-love-you message convincingly (except for the disco ball). And while it’s not guaranteed to make the other person love you in return, as a songwriter it’s definitely going to give your audience a better chance to feel what you’re feeling and believe you really are in love! And that’s what songs are all about.

When you give your listeners the details of an experience in a way they can see, feel, and touch, you draw them into the experience: they picture the beach at sunset, feel the warm air, and hear the words that are spoken. They’re involved in your situation without even thinking about it. Using the physical senses—sight, sound, smell, touch, taste—to convey emotions is much, MUCH more effective than simply telling your audience what you feel. Here’s how you do it.

= Use the physical experience of emotions
Emotions are physical things. That’s probably why they’re called “feelings”… we actually feel them in our bodies. Let’s use the emotion of “falling in love.” What does it physically feel like? Think back to a time when you were crazy in love and try to describe the physical sensation in words and phrases. Here are a few ideas that I think of: Dizzy. Floating. Flying. Dreaming. Can’t stop smiling. Feel like singing. The world looks brighter, like there’s more sunshine!

Make a list of words that describe how you feel when you’re in love. They may be similar to ones I just mentioned. Go ahead and use them and add some more. If you can’t think of any right away, take your time. Add to your list throughout the rest of the day.

= Use a family of associated words and images
Once you have a list of words and phrases that physically describe the feeling, make another list of images, ideas, and objects you associate with these. Most words come with a family of associated ideas. So, “flying” might suggest kite, balloon, bird. “Dizzy” could suggest carnival ride, which could then suggest cotton candy, etc. Don’t leave a word off just because you think it doesn’t make sense. If it occurs to you in connection with another word, go ahead and write it down.

= Turn your word lists into a lyric
Choose one or more of the words/phrases in your list and use it in the opening line of a verse or chorus. For instance I could start with “Flying like a big red balloon” because “flying” was in my description of how love makes me physically feel and “balloon” was an associated word. I had “sunshine” on my list, so next I might try… “Shining like the sun on the end of a string.

Now I’m picturing this balloon/sun tied to someone’s heart. I like that image so I’ll use that. “Tied to your heart, whenever you’re around. Rising light as air, off of the ground.”

The “around/ground” rhyme was a little gift, so I’ll keep it for now but don’t worry too much about rhyming. Just keep building your images and sensations. As you think of more, add them to your lists and use them as needed. You don’t want to put an image or physical sensation in every line. But be sure to use enough that your listeners know what the emotion feels like so they can experience it themselves!

This is great raw material to build a song on, and an important component of effective lyric writing. Go ahead and choose an emotion. Make your own word lists based on it and try to rough out a chorus or verse.



Copyright 2011 Robin Frederick.

For more tips, visit my FACEBOOK PAGE.

by Robin Frederick

Most of the time, I can think of a million things I’d rather do than sit down to write a song. There’s a TV show I want to watch, or a friend I need to call, or a Facebook page to update. Suddenly Life is filled with things to do that are much more interesting and urgent than writing a song! Of course I feel bad that I’m not getting any writing done but I just can’t seem to get motivated to do it! This is something ALL songwriters have to deal with. It usually happens when…

– You can’t think of anything you want to write about or…

– There are too many other demands on your time or…

– You’re stuck on a song that’s going nowhere or…

– Starting a new song seems overwhelming or…

– The people around you don’t take your songwriting seriously or…

– You feel like you don’t have enough talent to do this or… or… or…

If any of these sound familiar (and they probably DO!), if you have trouble getting motivated to start, work on, or finish your songs, then try some of these ideas to get your songwriting on track!

10 TRICKS FOR GETTING MOTIVATED

1. FIND A PHRASE A DAY. Writing songs is something you can do ALL THE TIME. You don’t have to wait to get motivated! Keep your ears open for lyric phrases when you’re with friends, watching TV or a movie, or sitting in a crowded place. (It may not be polite to listen in to a stranger’s conversation but songwriters do it all the time!) Keep them in a notebook or record them on your cell phone to retrieve later. You can use these phrases as song titles or lyric lines. Once you’ve got a couple lines that excite you, you’ll be eager to get going!

2. TURN IT INTO A GAME. Songwriting can be fun. You don’t have to lock yourself away for hours and break your brain! Use the Songwriting Games on my website to get ideas: http://www.RobinFrederick.com/sandbox.html or practice one of the songwriting shortcuts in my books or on my website: http://www.RobinFrederick.com/tips.html. Once you’ve got a few ideas you’re excited about, you’re on your way!

3. EMBED SUCCESSFUL SONGS YOU LIKE. You can be working on your songwriting  without actually writing a song. Learn to play and sing a hit song you like. If you don’t play an instrument, buy a karaoke track at iTunes or Amazon.com and sing along. This counts as songwriting motivation — see #4.

4. GIVE YOURSELF MORE CHOICES. When I’m stuck on a song, that’s when I REALLY don’t feel like writing. Use #3 to help you find new solutions to problems and give yourself more choices. How did the hit song solve that problem? Was there something this song did that you liked? Try using that technique yourself, even if it’s only a song fragment. Record it. You can finish later.

5. FIND A COLLABORATOR. Here’s one of the best motivators I’ve EVER found! When someone else is expecting me to do something, I’m much more likely to do it! You can look for collaborators at The Muses Muse message board: http://www.musesmuse.com/forums/index.php. Scroll down to Songs in Development/Collabs. Also, the TAXI Forum’s “Collaboration Corner”: http://forums.taxi.com. (You don’t have to be a TAXI member.) SongU.com puts collaborators together each month: http://www.SongU.com. (You do have to be a member.) Check out any collaborator’s work first before contacting. If you’re uncomfortable about sharing your original lyrics or melody, send only a verse or chorus to start and see how things go.

6. REVISIT YOUR OLDER SONGS. Go back through your notebooks and recordings to see if there’s anything you want to work on. You won’t have have to start from scratch and as soon as you hear something you like, you’ll want to get working on it.

7. WRITE STANDING UP. Sitting at a desk always feels more like work to me. Try standing while you write. Put a piece of paper on a table or book shelf and write a few lines. Try singing them without  playing an instrument. Add a few more lines. Once you have something interesting, then pick up your guitar or sit down at your keyboard or desk.

8. USE A TAXI LISTING. If you’re interested in pitching your songs to publishers and music supervisors, the TAXI listings are a useful resource. The listings will give you a VERY accurate idea of what the music industry is looking for. Choose a listing and write a song that you think would work for it. You can find the listings at http://www.taxi.com/industry.php.

9. WRITE TWO SONGS AT ONCE. If you’re stuck on a song and don’t feel like working on it, start another song. Often ideas will start coming for both songs. Just be sure to keep them straight. Use two sheets of paper, one for each song. Record your ideas separately.

10. SET SMALL GOALS. Sometimes it can all seem overwhelming. Create a one-week goal. Make it something you can reasonably do (Don’t make it something like “Write a hit song.”!!!) and keep it easy. The following week, make your goal a little more challenging and so on until you feel your accomplishing something each week. Better to do it in small bits and do SOMETHING, than make your goals too intimidating and accomplish NOTHING.

We all know it’s important to practice song craft and keep that creative muscle working but just like going to the gym, we don’t always do it. It’s okay to give yourself a holiday, but make sure that’s the exception and not the rule . Even if you only work out for 10 or 15 minutes a day, over time it will make a BIG difference in your skills. And when you get that writing gig, you’ll be ready for it!

Copyright 2011 Robin Frederick.

For more tips, LIKE my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/songwriting.tips

by Robin Frederick

I share so many of my own songwriting gripes and difficulties in my articles and books, by now everyone pretty much knows what I wrestle with. But I often wonder what OTHER songwriters find difficult about songwriting. So, I decided to take a poll on my Facebook site. I’ve had over 180 responses so far. (In just a moment, I’ll give you a link to the poll so you see the results and weigh in, if you haven’t already.)

The question was “What do you think is the hardest part of songwriting?” I started out with just 4 categories – Lyrics, Melody, Chords, Song Structure – the usual suspects. I asked people to vote for the ones that were hardest for them and I invited them to add their own categories – which they promptly did! They added challenges like “Getting started,” “Making an old idea more contemporary,” “Getting song ideas down,” “Communicating with listeners,” and more. They’ll get no argument from me! These are all difficult aspects of songwriting and I’m always looking for ways to make them easier.

TO SEE THE POLL & VOTE: CLICK HERE

YOU ARE NOT ALONE
The most important insight I took away from the poll is that EVERYONE has trouble with at least one aspect of songwriting – often the same areas I have trouble with! Even successful songwriters know what it’s like to hit a wall! But pro songwriters have one advantage: they can work their way through the problem by relying on their command of song craft.

Songwriting is part inspiration and part hard, slogging work. The inspiration part is always fun. We all love that moment when a great line just pops out or the idea for a song is born in a flash of energy. But relying on inspiration alone to carry you through is not enough, especially if you’d like to market your songs to the music or film & TV industries. When you decide to make a living (or even a little extra income) from songwriting, you need to be able to bust through those trouble spots. Song craft can help you do it. So, here are 5 short song craft tips in the areas that poll takers say are the hardest:

#1. LYRICS I’ve been posting so many lyric tips lately, it’s hard to pick just one but try this… Listeners love to feel they’re witnessing an intimate, personal moment. Drop the listener right into the middle of a situation by using dialogue lines. “Go ahead. Keep talking!” or “Don’t turn away just when I need you” or “Let’s get out of here. Run away with me!” Mix these with emotional images, sensations, and details. Examples: “You’ve slammed the door a thousand times.” or “Your skin is warm and soft beneath my touch.” Pump up your action words: Instead of “You left…” try “You slithered off…” or “You skipped away…” phrases that convey more emotional energy. Rewrite a lyric using these ideas to create a lyric with more impact!

#2. MELODY When writing melody & chords at the same time, we tend to fall into patterns, like starting lines when the chord changes. Try recording or sequencing a chord progression first. Then write a melody to it. Experiment with starting on different beats, singing a phrase through a chord change, or adding syncopation by emphasizing upbeats.

Change the notes and rhythm patterns of your melody until you’re happy with it. Record it then take a break. Come back later with fresh ears and listen to it. If the melody feels too predictable, try lengthening a line, starting on a different beat, or adding a pause in an unexpected place. If the melody feels unfocused or hard to remember, try repeating a line more often. Finding the right mix of repetition and variation of melody lines is the key to writing catchy, memorable songs.

#3. FINDING A UNIQUE IDEA There aren’t a lot of new, never-before-heard song ideas. To give listeners something they haven’t heard before, try a unique approach to your theme or a new angle. Try a different attitude towards a situation (“You left me & I’m so glad!”) or an unusual Point of View. Remember The Beatles’ “She Loves You”? THAT was a fresh point of view – It wasn’t about “me,” it was about “she” and “you” – the singer was present as a friend. Pick a question or concern we don’t often put into words: Blake Shelton’s “Who Are You When I’m not Looking?” is a great example. Look at your honest reactions to situations and people and you’re likely to find new ways of saying things. You can also get ideas from TV shows, books, and tabloid newspapers. Don’t write the obvious. Look for something surprising!

#4. GETTING EMOTIONS INTO YOUR SONGS Instead of telling a story, go deep into a single moment when the emotions reached a peak. Put yourself into that moment and imagine it as vividly as you can. How does it feel? What do you say or do to express the feeling? Describe it in physical terms. (Like walking thru fire. Riding a wave. Flying. Falling.) The more you use physical images and senses to describe an emotion, the more the listener is able to experience it and share it with you. This type of emotionally focused lyric works very well for both radio and film & TV.

To find physical ways to describe emotions, play a simple “association game.” Choose an emotion and associate it with a color, a season, an object, a physical sensation. Then make a list of all the things that association reminds you of. Keep building wider levels of associations until you have three of four levels. Then write lyric lines using these associated images and sensations to express the emotion. (If you have my book “Shortcuts to Songwriting for Film & TV,” you can find out more in Shortcut #53.

#5. DEVELOPING / FINISHING THAT GREAT IDEA Just like an artist sketches the idea for a painting in pencil before applying the final paint, try roughing out a sketch of your song. Get an idea of the flow, the path of the WHOLE song before trying to write those perfect lines for your first verse.

Create the outline of your song based on a song structure. The most popular structure is: Verse / Chorus / Verse / Chorus / Bridge / Chorus.  Write a line or phrase in each section giving a rough idea of the content. For instance, the chorus will include your title, so write it there. Add another line to support it emotionally. Then write a line for each verse and the bridge, a line that indicates what you’re going to say in that section. Try answering a question suggested by the title in each song section. What do listeners need to know in order to understand the title, what it means, how it feels. If you sketch out your song, you won’t end up repeating the same thing over and over and you won’t run out of things to say!

Copyright 2011 Robin Frederick.

Based on “Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting” and “Shortcuts to Songwriting for Film & TV” available at Amazon.com.

by Robin Frederick

You’ll find more songwriting tips on my website:

http://www.robinfrederick.com

by Robin Frederick

At one point in my career, I had to write three to four songs a week for a television series. Writer’s block was simply not an option. If I failed to turn in my songs on time, the show came to a swift and expensive stop! Early on, I learned an important lesson: Writer’s block is not about a lack of creativity; it’s about identifying and solving a problem so you can get on with things.

Problem 1: Getting started

There are few things more intimidating than starting a song. Maybe all you have is an idea or a theme. Every time you think about getting to work on it, you feel overwhelmed. Try breaking down the initial process into a series of steps and do them one at a time.

1. Start by finding a title you’re interested in. Look for short phrases that resonate emotionally for you. You don’t have to make it up out of thin air. Watch TV shows and films, listen to people talking, take down phrases from news shows or the Internet. (Try the “Title Generator” in the links section at the end of this newsletter!) A short one-to-five-word phrase that grabs your attention should do it for you.

2. Find the questions suggested by the title and make a list. These are questions you’ll answer in the lyric of your song. Here are a few suggestions: What does my title mean? Who is it happening to? What led up to this situation? What will happen next? Why is it happening? What emotions are involved? What do I want to say about it? What questions will my listeners want answered?

3. Rather than jumping right into your first verse, decide on a song structure and make a rough sketch of what you’ll say in each section, especially the chorus! Think of it as a pathway through your song, one you want the listener to follow. If you sketch out your song before you start writing, you won’t run out of things to say or repeat yourself or jump over information listeners need.

4. Rough out a chorus lyric then, to get your melody started. Speak your chorus lyric with plenty of emotion. Use the pitch and rhythm of your spoken lyric to start your melody.

Problem 2: Fear of failure

Not sure whether you’re making the “right” choices? Hate all your ideas? Nothing seems to be working? Second-guessing yourself by constantly wondering if your song is any good is a sure way to stop your creative flow. Try putting this song on hold for a little while. You’re not wasting time; you’ll be coming back armed to the teeth with confidence and new ideas!

=> Use an existing hit song as a foundation on which to practice building new songs of your own. Go through the process a couple times. You don’t need to spend time polishing and reworking your lines. It’s just for practice. Take a few chances. Loosen up. Throw out what doesn’t work and keep what does.

=> Try the “sandbox” approach Check out the “Songwriter’s Sandbox” on my website for ideas: http://www.RobinFrederick.com. When you return to working on your own song, hold onto this playful attitude. You can use the sandbox technique to fool your inner critic into thinking it’s all a game!

Problem 3: Lack of clarity and focus

While you’re writing a song, a great lyric line occurs to you. You love it and just have to use it right away. So you stick it into your song. But then you have to rewrite your verse to accommodate the line. The focus of the verse changes; now you’re writing about something different. Then you’re chorus doesn’t quite pay off that verse the way it should, so you change the chorus. Oops! Stop right there! By trying to force an inspired line into your lyric just because you love it, you could be creating a problem you can’t solve and, as a result, end up with a block. You may have a great line that doesn’t belong in the song you’re currently working on! Write the line on a separate sheet of paper and come back to it later. It might belong in the bridge when you get to that point in the song or it could be the start of a whole new song. In songwriting, nothing is ever wasted!

In a similar way, an inspired melody line that pops up out of the blue can lead you away from your core melody patterns and into trouble. Record it and put it aside until you determine where it belongs. Then return to your core ideas and keep working.

Whenever you feel blocked, go through the tips and games on my website and look for ideas to try. Or use the links in my newsletters to find websites where you can find some songwriting fun and inspiration. Choose a course of action and keep going. And remember to give your song (and yourself) permission to be a work-in-progress. Remember: A great song is never a perfect song!

You’ll find more songwriting tips on my website:

http://www.robinfrederick.com

Copyright 2011 Robin Frederick.

Based on “Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting” and “Shortcuts to Songwriting for Film & TV” available at Amazon.com.

by Robin Frederick

For every song that’s placed in a film, TV show, or commercial, many are auditioned – often hundreds – but only one is chosen. The song that will get the job is the one that most effectively heightens the impact and memorability of the scene for viewers.

Is a character discovering real love for the first time? A song can be used to underscore and enhance that feeling for the audience. Is the film set in a small town in the 1950s? A song can vividly recall the era. Always remember: the song serves the needs of the scene.

With that in mind, it may seem a little strange that a majority of the songs that are placed in film and TV are written and recorded first, then pitched to these projects. Often, the songs are part of an artist’s or band’s CD. While the song is being written and recorded, there’s no way to know if, or how, it will eventually be used in a film or TV show. BUT you can craft your songs to increase your chances of a placement in this market.

WHAT MAKES A SONG WORK FOR FILM & TV?

Lyrics: A good lyric for film and TV is universal enough to allow the song to be used in a variety of scenes while still maintaining integrity, originality, and focus. Of course, no song will work for every scene but some themes and situations occur more frequently in film and TV shows, such as falling in love, overcoming adversity, becoming an individual, plus conflicts of all kinds as well as celebrations. If you choose one of these as a general theme for your song  and you focus on the emotions that come up, you’ll be more likely to get a placement. Watch a few TV episodes and look for common themes. Chances are you’re already using some of them in your songs.

Imagery, emotional detail, and a fresh approach to your theme will add muscle to a universal lyric, making it more appealing to film and TV. On the other hand, too many details, like place names, proper names, dates, or a story that’s too specific to your own circumstances, will limit the uses.

Music: Filmmakers have always used instrumental music to communicate mood, energy, and atmosphere to the audience, from soaring love themes to the high anxiety of a fast-paced action cue. As songs have grown in popularity with viewers, they’re being used to replace some of that instrumental music. A song that works well for film and TV is one that, like an instrumental cue, uses melody, chords, tempo, and rhythm to evoke a single mood or energy level.

If you’ve written an uptempo song about a wild party or a slow song about lost love, you’re already using tempo and rhythm to express energy. Songwriters often do this instinctively. You can hone that ability for the film and TV market, by making a conscious effort to make your music even more expressive and usable. Like a film composer,  choose a pace (tempo) and groove that physically express the energy level you want, then back it up with melody and lyrics to support that energy. Got an upbeat, bouncy groove? Add a syncopated melody with plenty of unexpected leaps between notes and a lyric that’s filled with fresh, fun images. If your song’s theme is young love, it could be used in hundreds of scenes in which a couple of teens or twenty-somethings meet and fall in love.

Like an actor, a song in a film, TV episode, or commercial has a role to play. The theme, lyric language, musical arrangement, and singer’s voice must work together to create an emotional moment for the audience.  Watch films and TV shows that use songs. Here are just a few primetime TV dramas that use between two and ten songs per episode: The Vampire Diaries, Grey’s Anatomy, Smallville, Friday Night Lights, One Tree Hill, 90210, Life Unexpected, Gossip Girl, and there are many more. You can find a complete list at TuneFind.com.

As you watch these shows, notice how the songs underscore, reinforce, or deepen the viewer’s experience of the characters or situation. These are often strong songs that can stand alone as songs, expressing the artist’s creativity and message, yet they offer the film and TV industry what it needs. This is the sweet spot where you want to be. You’ve got good songs; now make them good film and television songs!

Start studying the market by listening for songs in TV commercials, TV series, and films. Could you write a song like that? Download a TV episode with a song in it  – iTunes offers episodes of most popular TV series for just $1.99. Watch the scene a few times, then turn the sound off and write a song of your own that enhances the mood, atmosphere, or energy.

For more  songwriting tips, visit RobinFrederick.com

Copyright 2010 Robin Frederick.

Based on “Shortcuts to Songwriting for Film & TV” available at Amazon.com.

by Robin Frederick

based on “Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting” available at Amazon.com

Current hit songs in all mainstream commercial genres tend to stick to a few basic chords and lean heavily on repetition. For accomplished musicians there’s a real temptation to overwrite. You may be better off if your chord palette is limited to C, D min, F, and G!  You can hear this type of chord progression in big four-chord hits like Kris Allen’s “Live Like We’re Dying” where the basic approach works best. So, how do they make that work?

The secret to the success of today’s repetitive chord progressions lies in the way the melody relates to them. The chord progression often provides the solid, steady foundation on which a rhythmically interesting melody can be built. Nickelback’s “Photograph” and “Far Away” are great examples of rock-steady, repeated four-chord patterns with melodic phrases that begin in between the chord changes. This is the trick that keeps these repetitive chord progressions interesting: the melody DOESN’T emphasize the beat on which the chords change.

If you write your songs while playing chords on guitar or piano, there’s a natural tendency to start singing a melody/lyric line when you change a chord. Try it for yourself. Sit down with your guitar or at your keyboard and play an F chord for four beats, then a G chord, then resolve to the C chord for eight beats, changing (and playing) the chord on the first beat of the measure, like this:

| F / / / | G / / / | C / / / | C / / / |

Now sing any melody – just make something up. Play the chords as you sing, always playing or changing the chord on the first beat of the measure. As you continue to play and sing,  notice the tendency to start a melody phrase when you change a chord.

This is a habit you want to break. Sure, you’ll still start SOME melody lines at the same time as you change a chord, but you want to give yourself a choice. Now, play the same chord progression in the same way but start your melody on the Beat 3 or Beat 4. Do this a few times, then mix in a couple of short phrases that begin on Beat 2. Practice until you feel comfortable starting your melodic phrases on a variety of different beats.

Add some color to your chords

That simple three-chord progression you’ve been playing is probably starting to sound a little toooo simple by now, so how about adding a little texture and color. Instead of a basic three-note chord you’re used to, try adding another note to one of the chords–how about adding a D note to the C chord. This note will fill in the space between the C and E notes, giving the chord a more complex, interesting sound. You can also try playing a D minor chord instead of the G chord.

To play around with chords, go online and look for a “chord finder.” (See Section 4 below.) They’re free and they’re fun. A chord finder will show you how to play many different chords with different textures and colorations. Don’t stray from a basic repetitive chord progression but add a few extra notes to the chords to create some added interest.

Sing a note that’s not in the chord

Besides locking the phrasing of the melody into the chord changes, we often fall into another habit -starting a melody on one of the notes in the chord, or emphasizing the notes in the chord in the melody. This is another habit you can break and it will help you add excitement and a fresh sound to your melody. Try emphasizing a note (holding a note, starting a phrase on a note) that ISN’T in the chord. It might be the note that’s between two notes of the chord or just above or below one of the notes in the chord. You can hear this in the refrain lines of Sarah Bettens’s “Rescue Me.” This is a song that seems simple and has a very simple chord progression but there’s something compelling and interesting about the melody. The most important lines feature notes that are outside the basic three notes of the chords.

Try it!

To check out the way melodies and chords relate to each other in today’s hit songs, learn to play and sing a couple of recent hit songs that you like. Notice…

> On which beat the chords change

> When the chord progression repeats and when it goes to a new progression

> Where melody/lyric phrases begin and end

Try writing a song with a similar chord progression to one of the hits. (These repetitive, basic songwriter progressions are not copyrighted.) Use some of the ideas I’ve listed here! Have fun!!!

Copyright 2010 Robin Frederick. Based on the book :Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting: 126 Proven Techniques for Writing Songs That Sell!” available at Amazon.com.

by Robin Frederick

from “Shortcuts to Songwriting for Film & TV” available in October 2010.

What is a rough demo?

A rough demo can be as simple as a guitar / vocal or piano / vocal recording made on a handheld recorder. Or it can be as elaborate as a concept for a complete track with drums, bass, vocal, keyboard, and guitar recorded on multiple tracks. Simple or elaborate, to be truly effective it should convey the essential energy and feel as well as the complete melody, lyric, and chord progression of the song. (See “U.S. Copyright Office” below for non-chord demos.)

Why you need a rough demo

> 1. To test your song ideas: One of the most important uses for a rough demo is to record your structure, melody, and lyric ideas so you can hear them as a listener would. When you’re involved in the physical effort of singing and playing your song, it’s impossible to step out of your songwriter role. Recording a rough demo allows you to walk away then come back later to listen with fresh ears, as an audience member would hear the song. Note your reaction as you listen. Where does the song lose energy or focus for you? Did the melody become too complicated to follow? Did the double chorus at the end feel too long? Go back and change those things in your demo, record your new ideas, then walk away and come back to listen again after an hour or so. Keep going through this process of interaction with your demo.

> 2. As a reference for yourself: When producing a song in your home studio, use the rough demo to keep in touch with your original inspiration. At some point in the process, you’re bound to reach a place where nothing seems to work, you’re sick of the song, and you’re thinking about speeding up the tempo because you’re soooooooo bored. That’s the time to go back and listen to the rough demo. It’s not unusual for the original feeling you loved so much to slip away during the production process. Your rough demo can be a lifesaver. In fact, there have been instances when the rough demo ended up on someone’s album because they were never able to reproduce that feel!

> 3. As the basis for a final recording: You can continue to build on and refine your rough demo to create a final master recording. If you used a simple, repeated rhythm loop for the rough demo, consider adding variations, fills, adding and subtracting extra percussion and drum sounds to the loop. Replace a keyboard part with a better performance or a richer sound. Replace a synthesizer bass line with a real bass player. Keep what you like, change or improve what you don’t.

> 4. For the U.S. Copyright Office: The copyright office defines a song as “words and music.” They don’t care about chords. They will accept a voice-only recording without any accompaniment at all. It’s the most basic rough demo of all!

Making a rough demo

Convey the rhythmic feel – Many songwriters like to start a song with a rhythmic groove to set the overall energy and feel of the song. You can choose a drum or percussion loop or strum a guitar or use a piano to play a rhythm part. If you’re not using a loop, you should record with a click or metronome track.

Include all the sections of your song – The rough demo should be a complete representation, including all verses, choruses, a bridge (if there is one), intro and ending. If you think you want a double chorus at the end, put it on your demo. If you want a short intro, put that on your demo.

Play the chord progression – Play chords exactly where you want them; change where you want them to change and be consistent. If you play a chord early in one verse, then play it early in the next.  Don’t be sloppy about this. You may end up using your rough demo as a foundation for building your final tracks. If you bring in a hot bass player (or play bass yourself), you’ll be using those chord changes as a guide.

Sing the melody and lyrics – If you’ll be the singer on the final track, don’t worry too much about pitch, go for spontaneity and feel. Get your initial, fresh interpretation of the song on tape so you can refer to it later.

Copyright 2010 Robin Frederick.</font>

Have you ever noticed how some people can describe a simple everyday occurrence and make it sound hilarious or tragic or just plain interesting, while another person can tell the same story and have you snoring with boredom in an instant? If the language you use is vivid and fresh even a familiar event or idea can come to life but if it’s trite, overused, and predictable–in other words, if it’s filled with clichés–even the most exciting story can become dull.
 
People often speak in clichés.
It’s an easy form of shorthand that doesn’t require much thought and ensures that everyone knows what you mean.  For example, here’s a simple description of a common experience that’s filled with overused phrases. (They’re underlined.)
 
“I guess I got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning; I just couldn’t seem to get in gear. I took the bus to work. It was so crowded people were packed like sardines. I was late getting to the office and the boss was hopping mad. The day seemed to drag on and on. I thought five o’clock would never come!”
 
While this paragraph gives you an idea of what the speaker’s day was like, it doesn’t make you feel the boredom and frustration. Familiar phrases such as “packed like sardines,” “hopping mad” and “seemed to drag on and on” have been so overused that they’ve lost their emotional impact. Listeners no longer picture the images or notice the comparisons.
 
Avoid clichés and still be universal.
A universal lyric is one that reaches out to a lot of people.  Sometimes songwriters think that writing a universal lyric means they have to use a lot of generic language, dumb down their lyric, or write what people expect to hear. That’s not the case at all. Generic, predictable lines just waste space because listeners don’t really hear them. Here are four ways you can get rid of overused, predictable phrases in your lyrics.
 
1. Use a fresh or unexpected comparison: Comparisons are a great way to add energy to a description. there was a time when “packed like sardines” was vivid, fresh, and funny. Listeners really pictured it when they heard it and it made them react. Eventually, so many people liked it and used it that the idea became stale and listeners stopped reacting.
 
You can create new comparisons that associate one idea with another in ways listeners haven’t heard before. For instance, you could express exhaustion by saying, “I felt like a balloon that was losing air. Floating an inch off the ground, being kicked around.” Or describe a crowded bus: “People were wedged together like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle.”
 
2. Give it a character: When you give human characteristics to an inanimate object, it literally brings it to life for listeners. Try personifying an object in your story: “Some days are criminal. They ought to be locked up.” Of course days are not criminals and no one can literally “lock up” a day but listeners are able to understand that this is what the day felt like.
 
3. Twist a cliché: You can use a cliché if you surprise the listener by creating a different payoff or explain it in a way that offers a new insight. Instead of “the day dragged on and on,” you might try, “the day dragged on and dragged me down.”
 
4. Change the order of events: Keeping to the logical progression of events is what listeners expect; it’s a cliché story structure. While you don’t want to alter things so much that the story becomes unclear, you could start with the end of the day, with the feeling of exhaustion, then work backwards, showing listeners what led up to it.
 
To hear good examples of lyrics that express universal ideas while avoiding or reworking clichés, listen to “Cannonball” by Damien Rice, Sarah McLachlan’s “World on Fire,” and John Mayer’s “Gravity.”
 
The Cliché Game
Rewrite these clichés using any or all of the four techniques listed above.
 
- I depend on you; you’re my ace in the hole. 
- You think you’ve got it made, but soon you’ll change your tune. 
- We fight like cats and dogs but things work out in the end. 
- The more I learn about you, the less I know. 
- I’ve got to get my feelings out; it’s now or never.
 
You can keep on playing. Find more clichés online at web sites like http://www.clichesite.com. Practice rewriting them to get in the habit and exercise your creative muscle. Keep a list of your rewritten lines and refer to it next time you’re looking for a song title or idea. Use one of your rewritten clichés as the basis for a song lyric.
 
 
Copyright 2010 Robin Frederick. Based on the book “Shortcuts to Hit Songwriting: 126 Proven Techniques for Writing Songs That Sell” available at Amazon.com.

by Robin Frederick

I just checked through the top five songs in the Rock, Country, AC, and Urban genres and, guess what… in all four genres at least four of the top five songs were collaborations. In the Country genre, all five were collaborations!

Collaborating has so many benefits that it’s worth putting some real effort into learning how to do it and finding compatible songwriting partners to work with. It may take some time, maybe a few false starts, but it can more than repay you in the long run.

There are many reasons to collaborate: A collaborator can offer new ideas and nudge you out of old habits. If you fall in love with a line that isn’t working, a collaborator can point that out and keep the song moving forward. Working with a collaborator gives you added motivation, energy, and goals to meet. Chances are you’re stronger in one area (lyrics or music) than another; a collaborator can add strength where you’re weak. The cost of demoing your song can be half what it would be if you wrote it alone.

So, why not collaborate? Do you resist collaborating because you’re afraid that you’re not good enough, or afraid you’ll come up with dumb ideas… or no ideas? I totally understand. We all share those fears. Here are a few ideas that can help you get past them.

Give yourselves a chance to warm up. Start by playing a a few songs for each other. Find out where your tastes lie. Are they similar? Different? Agree on a style you want to write in to begin with. If your collaborator writes Classic Rock melodies and you’re writing a Modern Pop lyric, you may have trouble fitting the lyric and melody together.

=> Create plenty of raw material to work from. Start by suggesting titles to each other. Use a newspaper or magazine and find short phrases that appeal to both of you. Choose a phrase to work on and make a list of questions you might answer in the song.  Then make lists of words and phrases that the title phrase suggests: images, actions words, associations, opposites, whatever strikes you. Create more material than you think you’ll need. Then, together, start assembling your chorus lyric. Try singing some of the phrases and start your melody.

=> Work long distance. You don’t have to be in the same room. Plenty of collaborations take place on the Internet. Organize folders and files so you can easily find mp3s and lyrics for each song you work on. Make sure it’s easy for you to receive music files. There are interesting sites like Dropbox that make it easy to share files. Use Skype for phone chats; it’s free and has better sound quality than a regular phone.

=> Swap songs. Work on more than one song at a time, so that each of you always has a song to work on. Trade songs every few days.

=> Give yourselves permission to do a job. Too often we think of songwriting as something we must be brilliant at all the time. It’s just a job, a hard job. Some days you do it better than others. Talk with your collaborator about experiences and expectations.

WHERE TO FIND COLLABORATORS

Clubs and music venues: You can find potential collaborators at clubs in your area. Try an open mic night. You’ll find singer-songwriters in a variety of styles. If you can, play a few songs of your own so people get a chance to hear what you can do.

The Internet: You don’t have to limit yourself to songwriters in your area; the Internet makes long distance collaboration easy. Do your research. Look for established web sites with forums where songwriters meet to share songs, get feedback, and find collaborators. The Muse’s Muse web site has a good one. Click on “Songwriting Message Board.” Spend some time getting to know the regular contributors. Listen to their songs, read their lyrics, check out their melodies. When you find someone you think would make a good collaborator, go ahead and contact them. You can also check out the “Collaboration Corner” on TAXI’s forum

Now, go find somebody to play with!