http://www.songwritingtechniques.net Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:12:50 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en With the holidays just behind us, the beginning of a new term at Berkleemusic is only a week away. Silent night has transitioned into unfinished choruses and verses in Dorian mode, so I’d like to provide a little information on what types of songwriting courses will be available to tie ... http://www.songwritingtechniques.net/2009/01/berkleemusiccom-winter-course-offerings/ A big area of interest these days for independent and signed songwriters and artists alike is film and TV.  The acquisition of music libraries is a current trend in the industry, and is of growing interest to those of us looking to gain exposure and increase our income from the ... http://www.songwritingtechniques.net/2008/12/music-libraries-and-filmtv/ The group I've helped develop has been together for a couple of years now and has been financed by a production studio in New York. The music is getting recognized by many important connects, but the image and sound of the group is not as successful. Since we have ... http://www.songwritingtechniques.net/2008/12/placing-songs-and-creating-opportunities/ …I love the part of your book where you said the greater the detail, the less time has passed. I think we live moment to moment, so it makes sense songs should too. But one thing that came to mind is, once you have zeroed in on a particular moment with ... http://www.songwritingtechniques.net/2008/12/using-imagery-in-songs/ One of the most important things we can do to grow our songwriting careers is surround ourselves with a support system. Family and friends can be nice sounding boards when we’ve written a new tune, but we often don’t get the kind of feedback that is going to grow us ... http://www.songwritingtechniques.net/2008/11/how-to-set-up-a-songwriting-group/ If you are Object Writing or Destination Writing each day, you’re undoubtedly coming up with lots of material you can turn into songs. Many times we think we’ve got to start with a theme or topic clearly outlined to get a good tune. But, I’d like to show you how ... http://www.songwritingtechniques.net/2008/11/using-metaphor-to-build-song-ideas/ I live in Philadelphia and I want to break into songwriting so bad – I am not sure if I can afford to take classes at the moment and wanted to know if you had an alternative or knew what I could do. I have been thinking about relocation to ... http://www.songwritingtechniques.net/2008/11/breaking-into-songwriting/ Whether you are the kind of writer for whom the whole song falls out in 15 minutes, or you painfully deliberate for hours over each line, there are a few quick rewriting tools that can help polish that final product. To apply these tools, sometimes we’ve got to be flexible ... http://www.songwritingtechniques.net/2008/11/quick-rewriting-tips/ Over a steaming cup of tea and some of the best sweet potato fries I’ve even eaten, I recently met with a past student and fellow songwriter of mine, Joy Gora, in Boston, MA. We talked about the craft, about the daily challenges and the victories we experience as we ... http://www.songwritingtechniques.net/2008/10/whats-in-a-critique/ If you’ve been writing songs for a considerable length of time, or even if only for a short time, you might notice that many of your songs have a similar style or sound. Perhaps it’s a tempo you write in often, maybe it’s the movements of your harmonies, or rhythmic ... http://www.songwritingtechniques.net/2008/10/breaking-out-of-your-current-style/