August 2007
Guild Tidings
The official publication of
The International Songwriters Guild
Volume 12, No. 8
NEXT MEETING: 5:00pm Sunday, August 5th, 2007
Songwriters, composers, performers, publishers, and the curious are encouraged to join us. Non-members are invited to attend a meeting or two to get a feel for our group and what we do. For more information, visit our website at www.isgorlando.org .
Officers:
President/Treasurer
Russ Robinson (407) 851-5328
Vice President/Member Reception/Newsletter
Matthew Griffin (407) 903-1212
Secretary
Jacquelyn Fain, crosstyes1@yahoo.com
Website
Carlos Colon (352) 326-4295
Archives
Barbara Ross (407) 862-2795
Membership
Gilda Corrales (407) 327-5494
President's Letter
Dear Members,
Welcome to hot times hereabouts! I hear from members in other states that it’s hot there as well. My answer is to stay inside in the air conditioning and write songs. I feel those of us living here in Florida are luckier than places like Seattle and New York . Many folks there don’t have air conditioning like we do.
There are several nationwide songwriting contests going on right now. Are you entering of your originals? I’ve heard some terrific songs at our meetings. I would like so very much to have some of you honored as contest winners. Think about it. All forms including country, pop/rock, and Christian can be entered; maybe you have a song you’re holding on to, so don’t be bashful about submitting it.
I just had a houseguest, a songwriter from Connecticut who likes it so much here that he’s decided to move down. He will be starting a record company. I played a few tapes I’ve held on to, and he thought they were very, very good. I was in hopes he might be here for our August meeting, but I doubt he’ll be back that early.
My birthday is August 2nd and our meeting is the 5th, so I will have already been celebrating a few days. I just might try to bake a cake for the meeting. See you this Sunday, and do bring your latest composition.
Russ
Writing for an Instrument
By Matt Griffin
When you travel to someplace new, you never know what you might see. My family and I just returned from a vacation to the northeast, and spent four days of it in New York City . We did most of the obvious tourist things: we went inside the Statue of Liberty, walked through a big crowd in Times Square , and saw a Broadway show (Spamalot—very funny!).
We also spent an afternoon in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a world-class art museum. It was getting late in the day and there was far more museum left than time to see it. So we looked at the museum map and decided on the “Musical Instruments” room. I’d never thought of musical instruments as art, but the exhibit made a good case. There were some beautiful specimens, including several violins and a cello made by Stradivari. In a way, it seems a shame to put such marvelous instruments in cases where they’ll never be played!
What really struck my fancy were some early instrument designs. It seemed perfect for a David Letterman Top Ten List: instruments that didn’t quite make it to the orchestra. My daughter plays French horn in her high school band, so she was especially taken by some early horn designs that sent those now-beautiful pipes off in odd directions. There were several bizarre trumpets as well, and a trombone whose horn pointed straight up. And there were instruments that defied classification. One saxophone-like instrument had a weird dragon’s head where the bell should have been. There were also a couple of small horn-like devices that were made of glass or ceramics.
Somebody built these instruments, and somebody must have played them. It made me wonder if someone also wrote music for them.
For those of you who play an instrument, it’s the most natural thing in the world: write songs you can play on it. It’s both an advantage and a disadvantage. It’s an advantage because a person who plays and writes for the guitar can get the most out of it. But it’s a disadvantage in the sense that you’re boxed in by the limitations of your instrument of choice. Every instrument has such limitations. The piano seems to have the fewest limitations for a songwriter, but they are there. Think of it this way: Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” was written and performed on guitar, and just doesn’t sound right on piano even though you can play the notes.
Many writer/performers spend their whole careers composing for a single instrument. I understand why, but suspect it’s a mistake from a craft perspective. Certainly there aren’t many Paul Simon’s out there, people who can write equally well for the guitar and piano. But I think we all should try if only to stretch our skills. Or try writing with no instrument in mind at all—no limitations! You might be shocked at what comes out.
Of course, some of us write for our most personal of instruments, our own voices. Again, it’s only natural to want to avoid melody notes you cannot sing yourself. But it’s probably good for your craft to allow yourself to do just that, at least occasionally. Let the melody go where it wants to go rather that limiting it.
Personally, I’m going to try to write for that dragon-head sax; it may still catch on. J
ISG Bulletin Board
Jeff Mason’s gig schedule:
Appearing At O'Keefe's Irish Pub, Fridays & Saturdays from 5pm, musicians welcome!
115 S. Rockingham Tavares, FL, 352-343-2157
Appearing at Tijuana Flats on the Patio (weather permitting), Thursdays at 6pm
444 S. Hunt Club Blvd , Apopka , FL 407 774 0402
Lead Sheet preparation by Carlos Colon. A simple lead sheet contains the melody, lyrics and chord symbols. For more information, visit my website at www.cecoriginals.com and click on “Lead Sheets” at the top of the page. Website design also available. Use your website address in advertising. Newspapers, business cards, fliers, to name a few and let’s not forget the use of email. Send your link to potential clients. For more information, visit a few of my clients sites at http://www.ticopeach.net/clients.htm.
Meeting space graciously provided by Central Florida Musicians Association, Local 389. You are invited to join the largest union in the world, representing the interests of the professional musician. Visit their website at afm389.org for more information. You may reach them by phone at: 407-894-8666.
We’re always looking for material for the newsletter. If you have any information that you would like to see added to the newsletter, please see Matt Griffin at the meetings or email him at isgorl@cfl.rr.com . Please keep your articles brief and to the point. Print deadline for the newsletter is approximately two weeks prior to the monthly meeting.
Classified advertising may be placed free of charge to members in good standing with the ISG . For more information on display advertising and/or classified advertising for non-members, please call Russ or Matt or email: isgorl@cfl.rr.com .
Why isn't your gig announced here? Call us with your appearance schedule!
Place your classified ad or gig announcement here! Free to ISG members as always! Just get your text to Matt by the print deadline (usually the Friday 16 days prior to the monthly meeting); email is best ( isgorl@cfl.rr.com ).
New members always welcome!
July Top Songs—Results of monthly critique session
(1) Classified by Ester Starling and Ray Barnard
(2) Florida is Calling Me by Bob Witmer
(3) May the Good Lord Be With You by Cindy Sadler
© 2007 ISG