Songwriting Software Express, Issue # 30

July, 2005 Issue

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

Play Music - Music Notation Software - Notation Technologies has revolutionized the music notation software market by creating Play Music…the easiest music composition software available and quite likely the most affordable.

No Music Theory knowledge needed. Just play or point and click - Play Music’s user friendly interface will easily guide you through the composition process…simply click on the instrument sounds you want and Play Music will play back your song!

Add lyrics and print out your masterpiece. Even beginners can compose music the very first time they use Play Music!

Click here for more information and to purchase Play Music.

Play Music - affordable notation software.

First up: Editor's Note from the laptop of Robert Curtis,
your songwriter in residence at Songwriting Software Plus.

1. Keyboard Software And More - From Skills To Thrills
2. One Minute To Better Songwriting With Evyn Charles
3. This Month's Notable Quote
4. Songwriting Software Plus Super Savings Zone

In the last issue we talked about popular songwriters gravitating primarily towards either the guitar or the piano (keyboard). And since we delved into guitars last time it's time to talk keyboards :-)

Keyboards have been around for hundreds of years and although they've remained pretty much the same kind of instrument they've none the less become the standard instrument of control in this computer age with the advent of midi and many other innovations.

This issue will start off noting programs that develop your playing ability and finish up with programs that take your playing from conception to cd completion.

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Keyboard software abounds in the realm of learning all the way through to song production.

Like the guitar the keyboard is a great instrument when it comes to songwriting and although not as readily portable as a guitar generally speaking, better modules like digital pianos tend to be heavier for example, they're still every bit as capable of aiding the songwriting process.

Interestingly, like the guitar, the keyboard can be played in such a way as to include the melody or played to just incorporate the harmony and rhythm often referred to as chord based playing.

Most contemporary songwriters learn and use chord based approaches as typically the melody component is handled by singing.

Learning only chord based playing is faster and easier than learning to play melodies on piano. However learning to play melodies on piano won't hurt and will in fact help in your music and song composition.

Keep that in mind as you consider the types of software and programs you want to employee to learn or develop your skill set.

A popular program geared toward chord based playing that includes audio lessons (now implementing in podcasts) is the Piano Fun courseware.

Quite often chord based lead sheets of your songs are the main type of lead sheets for referencing your song when sending off to a demo house or sharing your song with other writers or players.

As we discussed last month Songwriting Software Plus' main program for creating chord based lead sheets is Lyricist.

Lyricist is excellent for lyric development too and works hand in hand with the chord construction module minimizing retyping and allowing you to create a lyric and separate chord based lead sheet all within the same file.

And again as mentioned last month PG Music's Band-in-a-Box (versions for Windows PCs and Macs) is a chord based song production program.

For all that chord based software can offer a nice standard wall chart of chords can help the process as well with a quick and complete overview of all relevant chords and their fingerings.

The easiest chord charts to reference and the most comprehensive (for practical chords for pop songwriting) are the chord charts from CompleteChords.com.

Complete Chords also has a lot of great free resources on how to optimally craft your songs with chord based approaches.

Again, Lyricist and the other programs noted above are perfect programs for preparing chord based music lead sheets, however, if you need to involve writing out your melody as well you'll generally do better with a notation program.

Play Music is user friendly and takes even the beginning notator by the hand into the process of music notation. You'll end up with professional looking music notation with this modestly priced program. This program is well suited to pop songwriting.

The big guns programs for music notation are Finale and Sibelius and both are highly regarded. They're both vastly featured for intense compositional demands like writing orchestral pieces for example and have price tags to match :-)

For more automated help in getting a melody notated consider programs that can interpret your singing voice or even an instrument creating the notes actually sung or played into sheet music.

Cubase - Recording software for PCs and Macs.

For recording with your computer via software you're going to use a program called a sequencer. Today's sequencers record midi (electronic) and audio (vocals and live instruments) and there are certain leading programs for both Window's PCs (referred to as PCs from here on) and Macs.

For PCs top programs for songwriters that are most affordable and generally more than adequate include Steinberg's Cubase SE (works on Macs too) and CakeWalk's Sonar Home Studio edition.

For a very affordable and capable option for PCs check out PG Music's PowerTracks now out in version 10.

With programs for skill building, writing and recording you're now set for thrill building with your great songs.

Some key things to consider, style wise and lyric wise, when writing songs for another artist(s).

Firstly I suggest to familiarize yourself with, and incorporate, the stylistic touches of the artist you're writing for.

Also, as you're writing, I think it's always a good idea to ask yourself if this is a song that could be recorded by any number of other artists in your desired genres as well.

The song should not need an explanation such as "This song is about such and such..." If you find that other people have a hard time understanding what you are trying to say so likely will the artist - rewrite until it becomes clearer.

Musically, make sure that the melody is both memorable (not too simple or boring) and within a singable range (not too strange or difficult). A simple test - can you sing it yourself - at least in terms of the range of notes?

Evyn Charles is a full time independent singer-songwriter and musician in Los Angeles and graduate of the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. He regularly performs on his own and 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.

" "I can't do it" never yet accomplished anything;
"I will try" has performed wonders. "
-- George P. Burnham

Lyricist - 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.

Write lyrics masterfully with MasterWriter.

MasterWriter - the most comprehensive program for writing lyrics with a recorder for melodies and preprogrammed grooves. Easy to use as your word processor. Won Best of Show at MacWorld Expo and has received rave reviews in every major music magazine. Endorsed by ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, NSAI. 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.

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