Song Contests – One Opinion

Posted on November 17, 2009February 26, 2010 by IJ

: Image by michaelpickard via Flickr

I’ve entered a few contests in my time, the most recent one being the USA Songwriting Competition a few years back. I’ve heard different opinions about them both from other songwriters and from people in the business. There is absolutely nothing wrong with entering a songwriting contest, so don’t expect me to completely blast them! However, I do think you have to take a few things into consideration.

First of all, if you are expecting something from a contest, well, it’s a little bit like buying a lottery ticket, in that all you really find out is that you haven’t won 🙂 Very few songwriting competitions offer anything more than a chance to win. There is rarely any feedback from your songs, or calls from “interested” parties as is sometimes implied when they say “industry professionals will be listening to your song” or something in that vein.

Most of the time, contests are judged by a group of people who are listening to piles and piles of tapes and who can’t possibly have any objectivity left after such a long haul! So the good news is that losing doesn’t necessarily mean your song sucks 🙂

This is something else I’ve heard from a couple of publishers, first hand. They tend not to pay any attention at all to a songwriter who claims to have won a contest! In fact, it often deters them! Why? Because winning a contest really doesn’t mean anything to people who are in the business. A “win” is a very relative thing and left to the discretion of the people choosing the songs. Another point is that some songwriters believe that winning a contest means they’ve got a hit on their hands, and it often goes to their heads. Publishers don’t want to work with a songwriter who believes he/she is already THERE in terms of their songwriting ability…they want to work with someone who can be flexible and open to their suggestions.

Some contests offer the winner(s) a chance at a publishing deal. Big deal! All that means is that your song gets signed with a publisher, it does not guarantee that the publisher will be able to place that song with an artist, or even want to. A single song deal means nothing unless somebody actually cuts your song.

On the other hand, there are some contests in conjunction with festivals that I would consider a benefit in terms of boosting your career. These involve the winner having an opportunity to perform their songs in front of an audience, especially at a songwriting camp or event, and would be an excellent way for you to introduce yourself to an audience and an industry. There are well-established events that hold these contests annually and that have a very positive reputation in terms of what they do for songwriters.

If you approach the idea of entering a contest for fun, rather than for furthering your career, you’ll have a healthier outcome. Consider an online poll conducted by Music Dish Industry e-Journal in the Spring of 2001. Songwriters were asked “How would you rate your experience with songwriting contests in furthering your songwriting career?” These are the results:

23% had no experience with contests
9% were very satisfied
11% were satisfied
17% thought it was adequate
18% were dissatisfied
22% were very dissatisfied

Before you enter a songwriting contest, considering putting that entry fee towards joining an organization that really CAN help you, such as NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Assoc. International). These people will listen to your song and give you real feedback, which is what you should really be focusing on!

The “Hit” Song Checklist

Posted on November 17, 2009February 26, 2010 by IJ

: Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Okay, folks, you think you’ve just written a “hit”…your heart is pumping, your palms are sweaty, you’re suddenly seeing dollar signs and imagining yourself winning the Songwriter of the Year award 🙂

Could it be possible? Could you have just written yourself a hit song? Isn’t it a great feeling? Enjoy it, crack open the champagne…and then consider the following checklist. These are some thoughts and ideas on what kind of process you should put your song through before you put that imaginary award statue on your desk 🙂

1. Has anyone else heard it yet? Who should listen to it? Not your best friend (unless your best friend already has a hit under his/her belt!), not your family, not your dog. If you really want some honest feedback, consider presenting it to a songwriter‘s circle if you have or can find one. Make sure at least 10 other people who have no bias towards you, have a listen. Why 10? That’s just a number I pulled out of a hat 🙂 However, the more who listen, the better you’ll be able to discern if there are any problems with the song.

2. Did you work on re-writing it? There are very few songs that come out “perfectly” the first time. Most need to be polished at least a little so they’ll really shine. I can’t tell you how many songwriters I’ve come across who swear that touching up a song after it has been written will “ruin” it. Arrgghh…

3. If you are writing for yourself as a performing artist, you can skip this one. Can anyone else sing your song? If you know somebody who sings, try and teach them the song and see what happens. Do they trip over certain parts? Is it really “singable”? Remember, if you’re trying to market your songs, then they have to work for other voices and other vocal styles.

4. Here’s a really good idea which will give you some objectivity. Record the song, even if only on a little digital recorder. Then walk away from it for a week. Don’t let yourself even THINK of it, block it from your thoughts entirely. When a week is up, go back and have another listen. Does it strike you the same way? Or is it just a turd? 🙂 Giving it a week is a very small investment in time, especially if you’re considering spending a whole whack of cash to demo it.

The “best” songs don’t necessarily become hits. It’s a LOT more complicated than that. However, you have a much better chance of peaking a publisher, record label or artists’ curiosity if you have a really well-written, well-produced song to present them. Can you judge if you’ve written a hit? You might have a really good feeling about a song…but none of that matters if no one ELSE has a really good feeling about it. So give it time, don’t get ahead of yourself, go through some steps to see if it stands up. And call me when your first royalty cheque comes in 🙂

The Pain of Separation – Separating Your SELF from Your Work

Posted on November 17, 2009February 26, 2010 by IJ

: Image by Brenda Anderson via Flickr

When someone asked me recently “of all of the songs you’ve written, which is your favourite?”, it got me to thinking about that age old idea “well they’re ALL my babies” and it’s hard to choose just one. I have different reasons for liking different songs…some of them are more fun to perform, some of them I enjoy to listen to in terms of how they were recorded. In spite of this, sometimes your “best” work just doesn’t cut it for others. I recently saw an interview with an author who had had some criticism of one of his novels. When he went back to read it again, he thought to himself “No, this is exactly the book I wanted to write.” It wasn’t a case of disagreeing with his critique so much as it was deciding that he had accomplished what he set out to do, and beyond that, he had no control of what others thought of his work.

When you begin the process of writing a song, very often your immediate reaction to it is “this is the greatest song I’ve ever written!!” Of course, you’re SUPPOSED to be enthused and fired up about what you are doing, otherwise, why bother? But sometimes you’ll notice that the day after, it just doesn’t seem to be as good a song as you thought 🙂 This is something called “objectivity”. In the opposite state, subjectivity, you are unable to separate yourself from your work. This is a necessary state in order for you to accomplish your task. Songwriting, in its purest form, is your expression. It can often be a very personal expression, right from your gut. In a sense, your song is “you”.

But there comes a time when you have to separate yourself from your songs in order to fully accomplish the task of polishing them and putting them in front of others to scrutinize. This is a step that is only successful when you have also managed to let go of their personal connection to you, which is not so easy to do.

We all have our favourites of our own songs, the ones we love to play and hear, as I was describing above. So I’m not suggesting that you lose touch with your songs entirely! However, I find that a lot of songwriters become defensive and thin-skinned when their songs are critiqued or reviewed by people who are listening from a very objective viewpoint. This is because the songwriters haven’t managed to create that separation yet. So how exactly do you accomplish this? It is not at all easy to put in a nutshell! Every one of your songs has your name attached to it, and it’s impossible to completely disconnect from that fact. But there are some things that you can do to help this process.

Time – this is a very important factor when learning to be more objective about your work. Just as when you wake up the day after writing something and suddenly hear it with new “ears”, the idea of giving your song a little time and distance can help you to disconnect from the personal aspects of it. I’m very aware of the the fact that songs I’ve written at one point in my life that meant something then, don’t necessarily hit me the same way anymore. That’s because my life has moved on, but the song is in a time capsule and only represents that little point in my life. Which brings me to the next point…

Emotional Distance – you are not “static”…as a human being, you are always changing and (hopefully!) growing. Think of your songs as a snapshot. When you look at a picture of yourself taken yesterday, you are likely much more attached to it than you are a picture that was taken a couple of years ago. This is because “you” were a different person a couple of years ago! Your songs are exactly the same.

The Percentage Factor – do yourself a big favour and learn to embellish the “truths” in your songs with some “fiction”. Don’t make your songs 100% ABOUT YOU. For the songs you can’t help doing that with, put them in your closet and work on writing something else. Why? Because you wouldn’t let anyone else read your diary, would you? This is a kind of emotional maturity you can develop over time in your writing. There are the ones you will write for you, and the ones you will write for the public to consume. Recognizing which is which will help you in many ways!

Talk To Yourself – I don’t mean out loud (unless you are alone, of course!). We all have that little “voice” inside us that reasons everything out, and the one that is childish and emotional. Choose to listen to the reasoning voice. If you are hearing or reading someone’s response to your song and it is negative, tell yourself that they are not criticizing you, but your song. Tell yourself that you’ll learn from this experience. Listen for INFORMATION that might be helpful to you in order to make the song better. If the criticism is totally unreasonable (like “this song sucks!”), be like the author who decided for himself that he had written exactly what he wanted to, and that he has no control over others opinions.

The longer you write, the more capable you will be of accomplishing just the right degree of separation. Your songs will ALWAYS be yours, but they will also be able to hold their own without you 🙂

Your First Open Mic – A Few Tips

Posted on November 17, 2009February 26, 2015 by IJ

: Image via Wikipedia

What is an open mic? For those of you who don’t know the term, it is an event usually held at a bar or a coffeehouse where songwriters or performers take turns going up, sometimes on a stage, sometimes just a riser, and playing a short set of songs. Occasionally, open mics are a mixture of songs and poetry and/or readings. Sometimes there is a microphone, but occasionally it is also acoustic (no mics or amplifiers, etc.) Some are weekly events, others monthly or only occasionally. They are usually “hosted”, meaning that there is someone there to introduce each performer. If you have never been to one, just go to one one evening to see how it works first before putting yourself under the stress! Even if you don’t want to be a performing songwriter, you may find yourself someday sitting nervously in the audience of an open mic event, holding your guitar in your sweaty hands, waiting for your turn 🙂

First of all, why do an open mic if you’re not a performer? Why, to expose your songs, of course! Other than creating a demo tape, which can be expensive, the easiest way to get immediate feedback on your songs is by playing them for somebody. If you want to put them out there with the “best”, this is one small step to taking you there.

I have been to and played at many open mics, and I’m still more nervous at an open mic than at one of my performances! Why? Because there is little time to relax and get in the groove when you’re only playing 1-3 songs, and because you are essentially competing with every other songwriter who gets up there to play. As supportive and as enthusiastic as we songwriters try to be with each other, we are still competing with each other for the same audience! PLUS, if you are playing in front of other songwriters, you KNOW you can’t get away with anything 🙂

I have written another article on performing tips (which you can find here), but in this particular article I want to discuss a few other things to think about.

WHICH SONGS TO PLAY? – If you are only allowed one song to play, this can be a tough one! My immediate response would be this: don’t make it a ballad! Why? Slow tempos are not always a good choice because the energy level of the performance can be so low key. Now, if you have a particularly KILLER ballad that you KNOW blows people away, this might be a different story! But for the most part, you are better off choosing an upbeat, or at least a faster song. Chances are, you’re going to play it the fastest that you ever have! That’s because you’ll be nervous and there will be a lot of adrenaline in your body! Better to play a fast song faster than a slow song too fast!

If you have a choice of two or three songs, make them all very different. This not only provides contrast in your performance, but it will show your diversity as a songwriter!

Something else to consider…depending on whoever plays before you, you might actually think of having a couple of songs to choose from as your first song (or only song!). You don’t want to sound like the songwriter who just played, you want to stand out! This actually might be a good time for your killer ballad…if the last three songwriters have all performed fast, upbeat songs, your ballad would be a wonderful contrast, and really make you stand out!

HOW LONG? – I don’t mean how long will you be playing, I mean, how long should your songs be? There is nothing worse than a 10 minute song at an open mic. I don’t care how much you like it, you will come across as self-indulgent and not caring about keeping your audience’s attention. Many open mics will give you 10 minutes, rather than giving you 3 songs. Don’t fill the whole 10 minutes with one song, pick three of your shortest, and come out under your ten minute limit! This will also engraciate you to the hosts of the evening…they just love it when somebody actually sticks to the rules or makes things easier for them!

ORDER OF PERFORMERS – This is a toughie…so much can depend on where you are in the list of performers. Many times you don’t have a choice, but if you do, I suggest sticking yourself somewhere in the middle your first time out. Playing first is just TOO nerve-wracking, and so is waiting to play last! In the middle, you have a chance to see what some of the others are doing, and then once you’ve done your set, you have a chance to relax enough to actually hear the rest!

However, if you are stuck with first, there are some positive things you can focus on. You can blow them away with your songs and give the rest of the songwriters something to live up to! If you are last, you can show them all that you were saving the best for last! Okay, I’m just pumping you up here…but that’s my job 🙂 Sometimes the size of the audience will vary extremely from the first to the last person up. Occasionally, everyone shows up at the beginning and then they slowly wander off as the evening progresses…but the opposite can happen too! Sometimes the audience kind of saunters in over the evening and the biggest numbers of people are at the end. You just never know! I have been in both situations…sometimes playing at the wrong end of the evening where there were the least people. There’s nothing you can do about that. It could be the venue, it could just be a fluke.

INVITING FRIENDS – Some people are more nervous if they are playing to people they know. If this is the way you are, don’t bring anybody! But there might be a comfort level in having people you know in the audience, a support group, if you will. You are guaranteed noisy, raucous applause for one thing! And they might be able to help keep you calm while you are waiting to play. Think about how you are with people…do you turn into a nasty jerk when you’re nervous, or just a sobbing misfit? 🙂

PREPARING YOURSELF – Your first time at an open mic should be thought of as a learning experience so don’t have too many expectations of yourself. There are a couple of things you should think about when you’re preparing to play your first open mic. First of all, it goes without saying…know your songs well! Choose the songs you are most comfortable with, not necessarily your newest.

Having said that, there is such a thing, I believe, as OVER-practicing. I say this for a couple of reasons. First of all, you will never be able to duplicate what you are going to feel like on a stage when you are in the comfort of your own home. You are likely going to make mistakes, no matter how hard you practise. It is good to practise enough to be able to recover from those mistakes, but sometimes there is an expectation that arrises with a LOT of practice. If you insist on practising the day of the open mic, do it early and then leave it alone. This is the second reason I say don’t over-practise…you want to feel “fresh” with the songs…sometimes knowing them too well affects the energy of your performance. Don’t believe me? Okay, try it your way 🙂

If you’re playing guitar, put on new strings, but put them on the day before. This way they have a chance to stretch so they won’t go out of tune on you too quickly. And make SURE you are in tune! Don’t waste any time on stage tuning…this should all be done beforehand…it bores the heck out of your audience! Sometimes you’ll have a minute to tune at the venue before the open mic begins. This is ideal.

Do you need to warm up your voice? Go into the bathroom and hum a little to yourself before the evening begins. Online tutoring sites like takelessons.com provide great resources for vocal warm-ups.

Get to the place early. I always recommend this…if you are in too much of a rush, not only will you have to deal with adrenaline, but also a fast heart rate and a panicked state-of-mind (not to mention a few extra wet patches on your new shirt!). Give yourself lots of time to get used to the place, even go up on the stage if you can so you’re going to know what it’s going to look like “out there”.

And lastly, in terms of preparation, forgive yourself in advance for your mistakes, because you’re likely going to make a couple. They may not be HUGE errors, but they will be the ones that will bug you, because you know what your songs is supposed to sound like! Remember that chances are nobody else does! This always helps me to get through my blunders. Until I get people who show up who know my songs REALLY WELL…then I know I’m in big trouble 🙂

OTHER PREPARATION – Be well-rested, don’t drink coffee beforehand (coffee will just make you more jittery than you already are), go to the bathroom, have a glass of water…okay, not necessarily in that order. While you’re sitting in the audience beforehand, do some deep breathing…take a slow breath in through the nose and quietly blow it out of your mouth. Focus on something that calms you. Wear clothes you are really comfortable in. I once wore a pair of jeans that were too tight, and when I had to sit on the stool, which had a shiny finish, I kept sliding off! This was so distracting, I almost messed up my entire set! So much for vanity!

WHEN IT’S YOUR TURN – I know you’re going to be nervous, almost everyone is to one extent or another, so it’s almost silly to say “enjoy yourself”, but I’m going to! The first time is just too much pressure to be all and to do everything right. But think of this: these are your wonderful songs!! Don’t you just love playing them and hearing them? Get into that state of mind if you can think of it, and it will help you to relax a little. Try to smile, don’t avoid eye contact with your audience if you can help it, and go for it!

As I said in the beginning, try not to have HUGE expectations of yourself on your first time out. The more open mics you attend, the more you will get used to what happens to you when you’re nervous, and you’ll be able to cope more effectively. Every time is different, every open mic another chance for people to hear your wonderful songs. You’ll be an open mic “pro” in no time! Good luck 🙂

Song Forms and Terms – A Quick Study

Posted on November 17, 2009February 26, 2010 by IJ

: Image by Rickyuan via Flickr

None of us likes to think that we require any “structure” to our writing…that we just pour out our thoughts and feelings, resulting in a perfect song. That may be true on a personal level…however, chaos is a pretty difficult thing for others to listen to! In listening to newer writers, I occasionally come across a song that seems to have no structure at all, with little or no thought paid to what the listener might be going through 🙂 So as much as you might want to rail against the idea of “rules”, there is one thing to consider. A house still needs a door to go in and out of, it still needs a window or two and some solid walls so it won’t fall down. This, metaphorically speaking, is what song form is all about. It is a framework, a sense of meaningful structure, that makes the song listenable.

Before we tackle the subject of song form…let’s talk about different songwriting terms and what they mean. Most people understand the idea of a verse and a chorus. In an earlier article entitled Song Structure, I discuss in more detail the purpose of each part of a song. But I will briefly go through them here again in order to introduce the idea of song form.

The purpose of a verse is to tell the story or describe the feeling, etc. The chorus is the focal point of the song, the central theme, if you will. A bridge is a kind of fresh perspective, a small part that may consist of only music, or both lyrics and music, usually placed after the second chorus. These are the main parts that are used when describing song form. Song form is no big mystery, just a new term to some people 🙂 You may have seen or heard about a song having an ABAB form, or ABABC, etc. What does this mean?

The oldest song form, is often referred to as folk, where there was no chorus, or any other part, for that matter. Verses are always labeled A. So, in describing a folk song form, or any song that has only verses, the song form is AAAA.

A lot of songs these days follow the next type of song form, which includes a chorus. The chorus is labeled B, so a verse, chorus, verse, chorus type of song is ABAB. Simple, isn’t it?

Now we come to song forms including a bridge, which is labeled C. So here’s a simple form with a bridge: AABABCB. What we have here is a verse, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus.

You will likely find that there are many variations of these forms. For instance, some songs start with the chorus, some have more than one bridge, etc. If you evaluate songs by some of your favourite artists, you’ll find all kinds of variations. But most songwriters don’t start writing by coming up with a song form first…this usually reveals itself as the song is being written. It is, however, a quick and easy language to use when discussing the process with other writers.

Understanding song form is an interesting way to further your education on the craft of songwriting…if you sit down and experiment with different song forms, you may find all kinds of possibilities you didn’t know existed before. Are you stuck in a song form rut, and even more importantly, did you know you were? 🙂 As songwriters, we are always on the hunt for fresh ideas, and changing song forms can be a way to accomplish that.

IJ's Songwriting Tips Blog

Songwriting Tips, Thoughts and Reviews!

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Song Contests – One Opinion

The “Hit” Song Checklist

The Pain of Separation – Separating Your SELF from Your Work

Your First Open Mic – A Few Tips

Song Forms and Terms – A Quick Study