Go Ahead – Collaborate on a Song

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I regularly check through the top songs in the Rock, Country, AC, and Urban genres and, guess what… in all four genres a majority of the hits are collaborations. In the Country genre, in fact, ALL of the top songs are frequently collaborations!

Collaborating (co-writing a song with one or more other songwriters) 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.

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.
  • The cost of demoing your song can be half what it would be if you wrote it alone.
  • Chances are you’re stronger in one area (lyrics or music) than another; a collaborator can add strength where you’re weak.

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 tips that will help you get you going.

=> Give yourselves a chance to warm up. Play a few of your favorite songs for each other. Discuss what you like about them. Is there a style or a sound you think the two of you could aim for? Sharing songs is the fastest way to get to know each other. You might also pick up some ideas that will get a song of your own started.

=> Yes, you might say something that sounds stupid. You and your co-writer are going to be creative together. That means taking a chance on something you just thought of, a melody idea or lyric phrase that might not even be fully worked out. You can’t hold things back when co-writing because you never know what will spark an idea for your writing partner.  So, go ahead and blurt it out. A good co-writer will respect the risk you’re taking and try to build on the idea.

Go ahead and loosen up before you start writing. Take turns coming up with lines that rhyme, any rhyme. Write a few parody lines to a hit song. Make yourselves laugh. Acknowledge your scared side and move on.

=> Bring plenty of ideas with you. You’ll feel a lot less anxious about collaborating if you come prepared with the raw material to get your songs started. Spend at least an hour preparing for a co-writing session. If you keep a notebook of lyric ideas, this is a good time to go through it. If you record unfinished melodies, get a few of those recordings ready to play. You don’t need much, just a place to start from, something you’re excited about. It will help to get the ball rolling. You’re welcome to use any of the ideas on my Song Starter pages.

=> Working long distance. You don’t have to be in the same room to co-write. Plenty of collaborations take place on the Internet. Use Zoom for video chats. Share the lyrics on screen as you make changes. Or use Google docs for lyrics and write the melody together on Zoom. There are sites like Dropbox that make it easy to share music and lyric files.

=> Swap songs. You don’t have to co-write at the same time. You can share a lyric or music file and then work on it at your convenience. When you have something you want to share, then get together to go over it. If you have a couple of songs going at a time, both of you will have something to work on. Trade songs every few days.

If you get busy and can’t work on a song for awhile, be courteous and let your writing partner know. It happens to everyone, of course, but if you find that you or your partner are regularly holding things up, you might want to discuss your options.

If you find that you’re stuck, whether writing together or separately, try these ten steps to get you going again.

WHERE TO FIND COLLABORATORS
Local: 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.

Schools: The music department at a local college is a great place to hunt for co-writers. Talk to a teacher, post a notice on a bulletin board, or take a class yourself to meet other people interested in songwriting. It there’s a campus music club, join it.

Music stores: Music stores often have teachers who give lessons. Find out if they have a student who would be interested in writing with you, or maybe they’d like to write a song with you themselves. If you don’t play an instrument yourself, this is a great way to find someone who does. Maybe you’ll want to take a few lessons while you’re at it.

Online: 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. TAXI has an excellent forum with a Collaboration Corner where you can meet good songwriters. (You don’t have to be a TAXI member to use the forum.)

Now, go find somebody to play with!

by Robin Frederick

7 Tips to a Great Vocal Performance

Should you sing your own songs? There’s no rule that says every songwriter must be a good singer. You don’t have to be Adele or Bruno Mars or Ed Sheeran. You can write hits for other artists.

But don’t underestimate your natural ability. As the writer of a song, you can bring emotional authenticity and insight that a hired vocalist might miss. Many times it’s more about phrasing, presence, and character than hitting the pitches perfectly. Still, you can give yourself some help when writing your song and recording your track with these tips.

1) Figure out the highest note that you sound good on. Then figure out the lowest note. Try to keep your melody between those two notes. If you sing your own song while you write it, you can identify those places where you’re getting too close to your top or bottom notes then hange the melody at that point.

2) Emphasize your strongest vocal notes in your melody. If your high notes are weak, use them as passing notes only; don’t try to sustain them or use them for important words.

Continue reading 7 Tips to a Great Vocal Performance

Respect the Rough Demo

What is a rough demo?

A rough song demo can be as simple as a guitar/vocal or piano/vocal recording made on an iPhone. Or it can be as elaborate as a concept for a complete track with drums, bass, vocal, keyboard, and guitar recorded on multiple tracks. Whether it’s simple or elaborate, to be truly effective it has to 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 demos without chords.)

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Find a Chord Progression

Many songwriters begin their songs by strumming a chord or two. Without really thinking about it, they let the chord progression lead them through the song. If you write that way, though, you may end up spending more time thinking about what chord comes next than your lyrics and melody. You don’t hear listeners talking about how much they LOVE that chord progression. They respond to the lyric and a memorable melody. Chords are low on their list, so why should they be at the top of yours?

Continue reading Find a Chord Progression

Add Emotion to Your Lyrics

Moon and LoversLet’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: The two of you take a walk along the beach, holding hands on a summer evening, a light mist floating in the air. Then, 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 think or feel. Here’s how you do it. 

Continue reading Add Emotion to Your Lyrics