Dear Fellow Songwriter,
Googling the word MUSIC gets over a billion possible search results. SONG gets 350 million - not far behind SEX. No wonder it's easier to flog a horse than it is to get paid for writing songs.
Thousands of people take up the art of songwriting for a variety of reasons. Reward for the work involved is usually measured in popularity and commercial success. That is unfortunate because the fundamentals of many chart topping songs often originate from the work of artists who have achieved only mediocre commercial sales by comparison. One good example is Faith by George Michael which has Bo Diddley written all over it. That should not be taken as a complaint, it's just one of those things that even when I listen to Corinne Bailey Rae's Put Your Records On for me there is a hint of early Sly Stone or Graham Central Station.
Although working alone does have advantages, like being able to let songs mature like good wine, combining creative effort and skill with other singer/songwriter/musicians adds extra dimensions to a songwriting project. On your own the prospect of writing and recording that elusive final arrangement can be daunting.
Co-write ability & team spirit are magic ingredients. So is belief in material written by yourself. A demo containing seeds for a great song might not at first have the musical definition achieved by professionals. But if it inspires creativity, it will come up like a flower. Refining the distinctive elements for a new song and fitting them together in the best possible sequence can be a deceptive business. Lyrics, arrangements, phrasing, melody, tuning, timing, tempo, key, feel etc. - small changes can make big differences - quite often a simple tiny tweak in an awkward line works wonders.
I have experimented with sequenced synthetic tracks. SUN GROOVE took a few minutes to program, after which I lost interest. Sorry Kraftwerk - I think Techno sucks. For organic songs, unless backing tracks are time consumingly progammed with genius human touch ( Fine examples which I admire are E.Badu - “Baduizm” and Janet Jackson - “Together Again“) - synthetic rhythm tracks are not an option. Beverly Knight's “Shoulda Woulda Coulda” is a superb example of sonic awareness. Guitars, bass guitars,drums and cymbals recorded through microphones produce rich harmonics and naturally please the ear. Vacuum tube compression before the mics followed by tape compression works like magic. The end result makes all but the very best directly injected hard disc recordings sound lifeless and sterile. Being open minded I do try to adapt my sense of hearing so I can enjoy good prefab, instrumentless backing tracks and samples, but given the option I prefer to work with rich warm analogue sound. Listening exclusively to heavily compressed MP3s through headphones is responsible for many people's inability to detect and appreciate subtle differences in harmonic texture. Ignorance should not make tone purity an irrelevant part of the recording process. Perhaps it's wise to produce a mix optimized for MP3 headphone sound and another for radio or Hi-Fi CD system playback.
I always use ancient reel to reel recorders, either an Otari half inch eight track or a Tascam one inch sixteen track which I restored recently. My recording process usually begins with one or two tracks containing acoustic guitar and guide vocals. Click tracks can help to get stable timing, but often get in the way of natural human dynamics. I avoid using them as much as possible. Step two is usually a drum track with simple but well tuned kick and snare plus a hat. Step three is nearly always a mic’d bass guitar. One or two mic’d electric guitars follow. Occasionally the original guide vocals are erased, but replacing an imperfect virgin track with a more polished version can easily strip away the character of a performance. I have also re-recorded drum or bass tracks later - usually without any dropping in. In principle I would say: Never mind the odd bum note - getting the sound and feel of a live band is worth a few technical imperfections.
The home page links to "Repertoire" and "Early Work" contain several sets of my older lyrics, some with sound files. Links to sound files of more songs can be found at the top of the LINKS page. It's difficult for a busy one man band to find the time needed to keep the site up to date. It has gradually evolved and could probably do with a complete re-design. Most, if not all of the songs and lyrics on the site have already been updated and re-recorded. Many presentable demos of other songs are waiting to be added – spare time permitting. Download, listen. Get into the groove. Read between the lines. I have no problem when it comes to playing any song in a different feel, key or tempo. If your ideas are compatible in any way, please contact: rolg1@btinternet.com
