To help your songwriting with a focus on the benefits of innovative songwriting software, tools, resources and programs for your songwriting craft and career.

From Songwriting Software Plus - February, 2005

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Contents:

Hello

First up; Editor's Note (from the laptop of Robert Curtis)

Followed by Items:

1. An Education In Songwriting
2. One Minute To Better Songwriting With Evyn Charles (New Regular Tip Column)
2. This Month's Notable Quote For Inspiration And Thought
3. Songwriting Software Plus Super Savings Zone

Editor's Note:

I hope you are well and happily into the process of heading towards new goals for the year in the growth of your songwriting and indeed your life.

In that spirit, starting this issue, Songwriting Software Express now begins a new format as part of the ongoing improvements to this newsletter.

The newsletter will now be sequentially topic based - the issues will cover the process of songwriting in a logical sequential order throughout the year with an emphasis on related software, hardware, programs and resources. Accordingly if you start mid stream you can easily go back and read prior issues on our back issues page to catch the latest and get caught up on the process.

So with this issue we begin where it all begins once you have crossed the threshold of knowing that you've been called to write songs :) - Songwriting Education.

Looking ahead we'll tackle the following topics in the coming months - March: Computer Hardware - April: Lyric Writing - May: Music Writing, June: Guitar Month, July - Keyboard Month, August - Co-writing, September - Home Studio, October - Recording, November - Music Biz/Legal, and December - Career Promotion and Markets for songs.

So on we go to learn - however with the Albert Einstein thought in mind, "Imagination is more important than knowledge".

Item 1

An Education In Songwriting

Every song that we write comes directly from our soul and flows right out of our mouths, right? That's the way a lot of people think it works but we songwriters know better. Going from such an inspiration to an actual finished song can take several steps.

Often times we get inspiration from something that we hear or see and suddenly a few lyrics and maybe even a melodic hook are born in our mind. Rarely do they transform themselves into a song all by themselves, they need some help to form them into a coherent tale that not only works lyrically but musically as well.

To go from creation to realized craft takes knowledge to fully birth a song. Thankfully in the computer age that we live in the means to acquire the knowledge and the types of tools to apply it are plentiful and getting better all the time - and in the good old low tech sense there continue to be numerous books to fuel the fire.

Songwriting Books

New or experienced, you can get a lot of tips from some great songwriters who have poured out their souls and tested techniques into songwriting books.

You can garner quite an education in songwriting simply be reading the myriad of books available on the topic of songwriting and if you're budget is tight you can get a lot of education for your money this way.

A couple of great starter books to consider would be Pete and Pat Luboff's 88 Songwriter Wrongs And How To Write Them and John Braheny's The Craft And Business Of Songwriting.

For more in depth treatments on lyric writing consider the works of highly regarded masters in this area - Sheila Davis and Pat Pattison.

For a deeper look at how hit songs are created musically check out Jai Josefs and his book Writing Music For Hit Songs.

If you play guitar - also consider How to Write Songs on Guitar (1st edition), by Rikky Rooksby.

The most extensive collection of songwriting and music related books are likely to be found at MusicBooksPlus.com.

Also of course you will find a lot of titles on major book sites like Amazon and Barnes&Noble's and to really save see what's available at your local library.

Songwriting Schools and Courses

If you're into formal learning then any of the available schools or online songwriting courses can be a great way to go.

Firstly consider your own local adult schools and colleges for courses as often at least in metropolitan areas there are songwriters who put on courses in various aspects of writing and promoting songs. And indeed colleges will often offer more formal mini-courses and even full length courses for college credit.

Probably the most recognized and prestigious music school that offers a songwriting track would be Boston's Berklee College of Music where you can attend directly and now even conveniently online with the same esteemed faculty.

Newer online schools have been evolving too and a great example of this can be found at SongU.com run by some successful Nashville songwriters.

These plentiful resources can handily start the beginner, hone the novice and refresh the experienced.

End of Item

One Minute To Better Songwriting With Evyn Charles:

When is the right time to edit your lyric writing?

When you're in the process of a creative flow it can be best to just write and write and write until you feel you've fairly exhausted your ideas.

And you don't have to write in song form. Indeed it may be best to write out in paragraph form your ideas and later as you review what you've written certain lines or phrases will likely stand out as the beginnings of lyric lines. This is a good time to start putting your writing into song form.

Consider that in all professional fields of writing there is the role of writer and the role of editor and every great writer has had a great editor or editors.

As a songwriter you typically play both roles but I suggest you only wear one hat at a time.

Wear the writers hat first and write until you feel you've got the bulk of your ideas and song story down. Next you can switch hats and approach you material with a critical eye.

Of course if you collaborate you may well find a co-writer who's better at editing than you or vice versa.

There are also accomplished songwriters who provide professional critiquing that can assist you in the editing process.

Song critiquing services can be found at writesongs.com, songwritersuniverse.com and jasonblume.com to name some of the better ones. Also as a benefit of membership you'll receive critiquing services from the Nashville Songwriters Association International and they're not just about country songwriting.

Good luck with your editing efforts, see you in March,

Evyn

Evyn Charles is a full time independent singer-songwriter and musician in Los Angeles and a graduate of the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. In addition to regularly performing on his own he's played stints as varied as Club Med to currently being heard on the Orville Redenbacher popcorn commercial as well as playing with numerous classic touring acts.

He is also author of From Guitar Owner To Guitar Player - the no fluff guide to playing guitar readily geared to songwriters. Click here to learn more about From Guitar Owner To Guitar Player and check out Evyn's own site by clicking here.

Notable Quote - For Inspiration And Thought On Your Songwriting Path:

"Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprise." - Demosthenes

Songwriting Software Plus Super Savings Zone:

Lyricist is the premiere indispensable and affordable lyric and lead sheet music writing program that incorporates chord charting (guitar, piano and the Nashville Number System), key transposition, word processing (formatting, spell checking, etc.), thesaurus, rhyming dictionary, media file launch, song organization, emailing of your songs capability plus more!  All the essential tools of the trade for writing and polishing lyrics and preparing lead sheets of your songs.

Performing Songwriter Magazine said this about Lyricist - "...what it does, it does well." March/April 2004

Click here for all the benefits Lyricist gives your songwriting and enjoy the Songwriting Software Plus discount - save $5.00. Or try it FREE for 30 days. CD or download.

MasterWriter is the most powerful suite of songwriting tools ever assembled in one program and is as easy to use as your word processor. This revolutionary new software won Best of Show at MacWorld Expo and has received rave reviews in every major music magazine. It's endorsed by ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, NSAI and is used by hit songwriters including Gwen Stefani, Rob Thomas, Jimmy Webb, Kenny Loggins, Trent Reznor, Clint Black, Jeffrey Steele, and many more. Windows and Mac compatible.

Click here to read more about MasterWriter and save big with Songwriting Software Plus. Or try it FREE for 30 days. CD or download.

Information & Credits

Songwriting Software Express is published monthly by Songwriting Software Plus: Robert Curtis, Editor.

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