June 2010
Guild Tidings
The official publication of
The International Songwriters Guild
Volume 15, No. 6
NEXT MEETING: 5:00pm Sunday, June 6th, 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,
Goodness, here we are in the middle of the year already. My how time does fly! June is one of my favorite times of year with vacation, kids out of school, and all. Then there’s people like me that are on vacation all the time!
I feel so lucky to be living in this area. There’s something interesting in the newspaper every day, and current events make good fodder for songs. I write a few lines of lyric during the day, and make a game out of it. Then later I’ll get the ideas together and try to put together a song lyric.
Hey, why don’t we take an hour at our next meeting to see what each of us has been putting aside, material that never get finished? This way, maybe we could help one another, maybe even get collaboration ideas out of it. What do you think?
I’m looking forward to seeing all of you Sunday. Hopefully we’ll get some bright new ideas that will be helpful to all of us. Also Matt is going to talk about plans for a show at Beardall, maybe in September.
Russ
Lyricist’s Big Ideas
By Matt Griffin
I thought it might be fun, and hopefully instructive too, to list some big ideas about writing lyrics. Most of these notions are probably obvious to you, especially if you’ve been writing for any length of time. But it’s always good to see them again, perhaps for a little reinforcement. I’ve also thrown in a couple of my personal pet peeves.
Write to the title. The best lyrics stick to a single topic like glue, and that topic needs to be captured by the title! I just watched an episode of “Glee” that featured a performance of Rick Springfield’s “Jesse’s Girl”. The lyric is rock-solid, about a man who lusts after his best friend’s girlfriend. The easiest way to achieve this kind of single-mindedness is to start with a strong title and then write your whole lyric around it.
Give the listener a break. Most songs will feature some kind of bridge or break, and a musical break is sometimes enough. But if you’re writing a bridge into your lyric, it should be obvious on your lyric sheet even if you don’t label it “bridge”. It should be clearly different from your verses and/or chorus: perhaps using a different number of lines or syllables, different cadence or rhythm, but different! And just as important, the meaning should go somewhere new as well without straying from the topic. “Jesse’s Girl” focuses on the singer’s desire for a girl, but the bridge asks the related question: I wonder what she sees in me?
Pick a title that rhymes. I’m big on rhyme, and I’ve come up with a number of workable titles that I abandoned because they didn’t rhyme with much. Certainly this rule isn’t hard and fast; as there are ways to write where you don’t need to rhyme the title (like “Jesse’s Girl”). But I enjoy setting up the hook/title with a good rhyme, which of course means the title needs to be rhymable with a decent set of interesting words.
Use first person. I know, third person (he/she/they) story songs have their place. And there are good songs in second person (you) and even “person-less” songs. But I’ll take first person (me) every time. First person lyrics just have more emotional impact, more immediacy. Most of my favorite song lyrics tell the listener, “this is how I feel.”
Don’t use the words of the title early. For the maximum emotional wallop, don’t use any of the important words in your title until you unveil the title itself. If you write a verse-chorus song called “Rites of Spring”, avoid using either “rite” or “spring” until you introduce them in your first chorus. After that, use them as much as you want.
Paint a picture. There are lots of ways you can craft your lyric to paint a vivid picture for the listener. Sprinkle the song with detail words that give it a sense of place (downtown, Berlin , mansion, wilderness) or time (Monday, morning, August, Christmas). If you place the singer in a kitchen, mention the blender or toaster or fridge to reinforce that feeling of setting. The more such details you can add, the more the listener will feel like he/she is there with the singer, and even with the writer.
Songs differ in mood and meaning, so not every song can meet these ideals. But it does give us something to shoot for, doesn’t it? J
ISG Bulletin Board
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.
Matthew “Sax” Campbell open mics and gigs:
- Acoustic Open Mic Night hosted by Matthew, Fridays 8pm-12am
Edna’s Place, 4076 S Goldenrod Rd , Orlando (north of the airport and Hoffner)
- Acoustic Open Mic Night, 1st Thurs each month 9pm-12am
House of Beer, 13526 Village Park Dr, Suites 208 &210, Hunter’s Creek (Orlando)
Delivering high-quality FLASH streaming video! No matter what product or service you may be offering, the power of video can be impressive! In fact, flash video is the most effective way to deliver rich media on your website. Video grabs your visitor's interest more so than simply text and images, or even audio. Video keeps visitors on your site longer and often triggers a purchase! Video not only will enhance your marketing message, but it's also entertaining. Video is useful for demonstrating your product or service, as well as teaching, inspiring, and motivating your visitors to become a customer! So if you're holding out with a website that may look outdated or obsolete, you may be losing business. It's time to make a change. Visit my website at http://www.videosaysitall.com. Thanks and call me anytime (352-326-4295)…Carlos Colon
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!
May’s Top Songs—Results of monthly critique session
(1) A Perfect Day by Matthew Campbell
(2) Karaoke at the OK Corral by Sheila Dixon and Susan Foster-Trewick
(3) Words by Matthew Campbell
© 2010 ISG