Solutions for Non-Playing Songwriters

An age old problem for some songwriters has been an inability to play guitar or piano to accompany themselves. The find they have things to say lyrically, but without tracks, they can't show off the song other than singing the melody a cappella into a recorder of some kind.

Through the years we have worked with many songwriters who deal with this problem, and have seen several ways to overcome it. 

(These may seem very steps for some of you more accomplished songwriters, but if you deal with this particular songwriting problem, this could change your life.)

5 Steps to Getting Your Music Published

Step 1. Write Great Songs

This may seem like a silly step. But it is actually the most important one. It’s also the hardest one to get right.

Writing a great song is more than just a nice poem you wrote and kind of hummed a melody to. It’s more than just copying the latest worship hit with some similar “worship-ish” words.

A great song that will be published has to be hit material. It has to have melody that soars. It has to have a hook, or three! It has to have words that speak, and not just rhyme.

The Craft of Christian Songwriting, by Robert Sterling

I have had the pleasure of knowing Robert Sterling for many years going back to my GMA Academy days, and he was always a helpful, caring guy who just happened to be one of the top producers, songwriters, and arrangers in the Christian music industry.

Recently, I've had the opportunity to work with him on some arrangements for a client's album, and it was great fun. He is a gifted guy!

Robert has written a book that should be on the shelf of every self-respecting Christian songwriter, especially those of you who are just starting out or trying to grow your success as a writer.

The Curious Case of Fanny J. Crosby

OK, so she's a little scary...
but she wrote great songs!

I work with songwriters all the time, especially songwriters who are writing Christian or gospel songs, hymns, or worship songs. Many start after a conversion, or a significant faith change in their life. And many start later in life to try to get their songs out to the world.

Fanny J. Crosby, was no different, except that she was very different!

She is most likely the most prolific hymn writer in history. She didn’t start writing hymns until she was in her thirties, and didn’t get started really publishing them in a big way until her forties! She was also blind almost since birth.

The Dread Pirate Cliche

No this isn't a blog about pirates. It's a villain far more insidious and worse than that to the ports of songwriting worldwide: It's the dreaded cliche, and it permeates Christian music like the black death.

Love from Above like a Dove. Really?

You sneak lines of Amazing Grace or Blessed Assurance into your new song. Oooh, that’s really clever.

Your Song Will Find a Home

Indiana Songwriter Jeremy Duff
http://www.jeremyduffmusic.com/

(Important Songwriting Alert: Opps at the end of this blog for songwriters. Don’t miss it).

I think every songwriter has had the same fear. What if I die tomorrow and no one ever hears or is moved by the song (or songs) I have written? Especially Christian songwriters who feel that God gave use these songs to be used and to be heard!

For me that has been remedied somewhat by the songs I’ve been blessed to have other artists use. But I do remember that feeling. It would keep me up nights!

The Importance of a Quality Demo

I've been reviewing songs for a new CD we're working on, and I have to tell you from experience, your demo better be good to catch my ear.

Yes, I can hear a great song in a bad demo, but the problem comes when you have someone who's been doing this a long time (a producer like me or a publisher or established artist) listening to MANY songs at a time.

From song to song, the trend is average to below average production, and long intros, and bad mixes. It makes you want to move on to the next song, or at least fast forward into the song to see what the chorus does.

Now folks, I know we're concentrating on Christian songs here, but that is NO excuse to have a demo of low quality. If anything, God DESERVES our very best.

So, how do you improve the quality? Well, many times that means stepping up to a new level, and working with someone who has the experience and sound you need.

Now immediately your mind leaps to who you know, or what local studio you might be able to employ. While this is a step in the right direction, the problem we see is folks spending money unwisely with local or regional producers/engineers who do not know (or care) about the Christian music industry.

It's not about a Nashville "sound", but that the music be of quality. Produced by and for an audience who genuinely cares about a quality product that serves the Lord.

Listen, when Chris Tomlin writes a song, he doesn't record it on a cassette and release it to the world. He doesn't sing it into a computer mic and post it on Soundcloud.

He brings it to his publisher or producer, and they carefully choose the right arranger, musicians, studios, producers, and engineers to give the song what it needs.

And guess what, YOU can do the same thing.

Yes, it may take a bit of investment. But do you really think that God gave you this gift to use as poorly as possible?

And don't roll your eyes at me songwriter, I KNOW you will drop $400 on Playstation 3 or get a $500 car payment you can't afford to get that new 2010 Mustang or take a Disney vacation you can't afford. (Wait, that's all me...sorry).

But you know what I mean.

The bottom line is it doesn't take a lot to invest in taking your songs to a whole new level. But it does take a decision on your part to move into a new direction.

And this could be the way when someone listens to your song, they ENJOY it way too much to dismiss it, or "skip to the chorus" like some jaded producer who is impatient because he feels he has much more important things to do with his time. (Oh wait, that's me again...sorry).

Have a great week!

EC
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Eric Copeland is a songwriter, arranger, producer, and jaded demo listener. Got questions about your songwriting or how to make a better demo that can help your song get heard by a bigger audience? Find out more at http://www.CreativeSoulOnline.com