July 2010
Guild Tidings
The official publication of
The International Songwriters Guild
Volume 15, No. 7
NEXT MEETING: 5:00pm Sunday, July 4th, 2010
Officers:
President/Treasurer
Russ Robinson (407) 382-9942
Vice President/Member Reception/Newsletter
Matthew Griffin (407) 903-1212
Secretary
Jacquelyn Gould, campkittycat@gmail.com
Website
Carlos Colon (352) 326-4295
The International Songwriter’s Guild meets at 5 PM on the first Sunday of every month at the Central Florida Musician’s Union building, 3020 East Robinson (at the extreme east end of Robinson, near Orlando Executive Airport ) in Orlando .
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 or myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/internationalsongwritersguildorlando .
President's Letter
Dear Members,
Happy 4th, and yes that’s the same day as our meeting. Several have asked if we’re really going to have the meeting on the 4th of July, and I’ve said why not? I remember several years ago that date came up, and we had a great meeting. We meet early (5:00) and it’s daylight until 8:00 anyway. Before when we had a meeting on the 4th, several of us went to Lake Eola afterwards to watch the fireworks. It’s only five minutes away, so maybe some of us can do that again.
I like this time of year. Some people complain about the heat but I don’t mind. It’s been hot but not as bad as it could be. Besides, there’s always air conditioning!
Our last meeting was really good, wasn’t it? We had several new people, hopefully they’ll be new members soon. I always like it when we get new songwriters to come to the meeting, I think it helps keep things interesting. Fresh blood and all that. If you’re reading and I’m talking about you, please come back!
Matt tells me we have a date for our show at Beardall. It’s Saturday, September 18th at 3:00 pm. The room at Beardall is wonderful, with a big stage. And our show last year was terrific. We’ll talk about our new show at the meeting.
Looking forward to seeing you all Sunday.
Russ
Substituting Chords
By Matt Griffin
Last month’s article focused on lyrics, so I thought it only fair to discuss a music topic this month. Selection of chords used to be a big problem for me. I’ve always been able to substitute good words and phrases till I get the effect I want, but the same skill with chords eluded me. Jai Josefs’ book “Writing Music for Hit Songs” was a revelation to me in that regard. Much of this material is based on his book. All of my examples are from the key of C (notes CDEFGAB) for simplicity, but apply equally well to any major key.
Most of you know that any chord that uses only notes in a given key are diatonic to that key. So chords Cmaj7 (CEGB), G (GBD), and F2 (FGC) are all diatonic to C. Each major key has a set of 14 basic chords which are diatonic chords based on the notes in the key. The chords are labeled I (C—CEG) and Imaj7 (Cmaj7—CEGB), IIm (Dm—DFA) and IIm7 (Dm7—DFAC), IIIm (Em—EGB) and IIIm7 (Em7—EGBD), IV (F—FAC) and IVmaj7 (Fmaj7—FACE), V (G—GBD) and V7 (G7—GBDF), VIm (Am—ACE) and VIm7 (Am7—ACEG), and VIIdim (Bdim—BDF) and VIIm7b5 (Bm7b5—BDFA). Many songs have been written using just these chords.
But variation adds interest to your sound. One easy way to vary the chords is to use inversions, which are the same notes but in a different order. So you can play a G with a D in the bass (lowest note), written G/D (DGB). The sound difference is quite subtle. You can also put a note in the bass which isn’t part of the basic chord, like G/A (AGBD).
Simple major chords like C can be replaced with lots of variants, depending on the chords around it. Try a 7th (C7—CEGBb) or a 9th (C9—CEGBbD) or major-7th (Cmaj7—CEGB) or major-9th (Cmaj9—CEGBD) for a big bold sound; notice that the 7th and 9th are non-diatonic, since they each have a note (Bb) outside of the key of C. For an interesting twist, I like the sound of the 2nd chord (C2—CDG) as an occasional major chord substitute. A really different-sounding substitute, especially in the middle of a chord progression, is the sustained chord (Csus4—CFG). Sometimes this works beautifully and sometimes horribly; let your ear be the judge. By the way, these substitutions can work for other major chords besides the base C; try them for the IV (F) and V (G) as well.
In my experience, the best substitutes for minor chords like Dm seem to be other chords based on the minor. Try Dm7 (DFAC), Dm9 (DFACE), Dm-maj7 (DFAC#), Dm6 (DFAB), or Dm7b5 (DFAbC).
There are several good substitutes for the V/V7 chords (the G and G7 in the key of C). The sustained chord (Gsus4—GCD) sometimes works, and the sustained-7th (G7sus4—GCDF) is especially good. And Josefs really likes the V9sus4 (works out to Dm7/G—GDFAC), which produces less tension than the G7.
The VIIdim (Bdim) sounds odd to modern ears and is not often used today, and the VIIm7b5 (Bm7b5) is used even less. Try substituting the bVII (Bb--BbDF) or bVIImaj7 (Bbmaj7--BbDFA); the effect is much more palatable.
I hope this little primer was helpful. Just as you can substitute words to produce subtle changes in meaning, you can substitute chords to produce subtle changes in sound. Experiment and enjoy. J
ISG Bulletin Board
Matthew “Sax” Campbell open mics and gigs:
- Acoustic Open Mic Night, 1st Thurs each month (July 1st) 9pm-12am
House of Beer, 13526 Village Park Dr, Suites 208 &210, Hunter’s Creek (Orlando),
www.hobflorida.com . All ages with parental supervision until 10pm, 21 and up after 10pm; no drum sets plz, small 1-spkr amps OK, all musical styles welcome, clean language till 10pm (no exceptions), non-smoking inside, full PA and bass amp provided.
- Acoustic Open Mic Night hosted by Matthew “Sax” Campbell , Fridays 8pm-12am
Edna’s Place, 4076 S Goldenrod Rd , Orlando (north of the airport and Hoffner). 21 and up, no drum sets plz, small 1-spkr amps OK, all musical styles welcome, full PA provided.
- Live Original Music by Matthew “Sax” Campbell , Sat July 24th 9pm-12am
Orlando Brewing Taproom, 1301 Atlanta Ave , Orlando , orlandobrewing.com. All ages with parental supervision, non-smoking inside.
- Live Music by Matthew “Sax” Campbell , Sat July 10th 9pm-12am
House of Beer, 13526 Village Park Dr, Suites 208 &210, Hunter’s Creek (Orlando),
www.hobflorida.com . All ages with parental supervision until 10pm, 21 and up after 10pm; non-smoking inside.
- Acoustic Open Mic hosted by Matthew “Sax” Campbell , Thurs June 24th, 8:30pm-11:30pm
City Centre, 14 E. Dakin Ave , Kissimmee ; weather permitting. All ages with parental supervision, no drum sets plz, all musical styles welcome, full PA provided.
- Live Music by Matthew “Sax” Campbell , Wed June 30th, 8pm-11:30pm
The Blue Note Urban Tavern, 4120 S. Orange Ave , Orlando , thebluenoteorl.com. All ages with parental supervision til 10pm, 21 and up after 10pm; non-smoking inside.
Jeff Mason’s gig schedule:
Appearing at Tijuana Flats on the Patio (weather permitting), Thursdays and Saturdays at 6pm, 444 S. Hunt Club Blvd , Apopka , FL 407-774-0402
Kitty Camp Pet Boarding—A loving, lakeside resort in Fruitland Park . Daily activities include: playtime, bird-watching, brushing, petting, purring, sunbathing, catnapping, and kitty’s favorite…mealtime! Daily/Weekly/Long Term, private rooms and suites available. 25% off weekly stay, FREE first night. Please call for details at 352-205-4284. Posted by ISG member Jackie Gould.
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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 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!
June’s Top Songs—Results of monthly critique session
(1) Blink of an Eye by Matthew Campbell
(2) Not the First by Jeri Simpson
(3) Desert Night by Matthew and Rebecca Campbell
© 2010 ISG