June 2012
Guild Tidings
The official publication of
The International Songwriters Guild
Volume 17, No. 6
NEXT MEETING - 5:00pm Sunday, June 3rd, 2012
Officers:
Newsletter/Articles
Jeff Mason, jeffrey_mason@me.com
Meeting Coordinator/Critique scoring/CFMA Liason
Matthew Campbell, matthew_sax77@yahoo.com
Membership/Certificates/Contact
Susan Foster-Trewick, susiecool2001@yahoo.com
407-760-2153
E-mail Contact, isgorlando@gmail.com
Website
Carlos Colon, videosaysitall.fl@gmail.com
352-267-5911
Treasurer
Asli Goncer, asli@cfl.rr.com
Secretary
Jacquelyn Gould, songsuite@gmail.com
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
The meetings will be structured as follows: 5:00 to 5:30, business and introductions. 5:30 to 6:00, presentation by a guest speaker (when scheduled), 5:30 or 6:00 to 8:00, song critiques. Please bring a CD or mp3 player or perform your song live, and bring 10 or more lyric sheets.
If we have at least 5 songs by members who wish to be scored, and 6 members scoring, then we will have them entered in the Monthly competition. Everyone is encouraged to write constructive comments on the lyric sheets.
What Makes A Great Song? Part 2
By Jeff Mason
Songwriting is not an exact science. Each time we sit down to write a song, we are conducting an exercise in problem solving. To quote Jimmy Webb from his book Tunesmith, “We must accomplish our aims and tell our entire story in a time frame of about three minutes.” We don’t have the luxury that a prose writer has of character development, long descriptive scenes or intricate plot development. Every word and line must count.
I like how Webb compares songwriting to house-building. Songwriting is a craft using words and lines as our building materials. Each verse is like a room in our house and our bridge could be the kitchen. Each musical segue is like a connecting hallway to another room.
Last month I wrote about Peter Link’s blog discussing songwriting found at HYPERLINK http://sparks.infonetportal.com/2010/04/the-5-necessary-ingredients-of-a-great-song/
I discussed Link’s first ingredient for a great song, The Hook, in my last article. His next ingredient was The Rhymes Rhyme. Link thinks that the ear demands perfect rhyme. “Cat” rhymes with “hat.” “Cat” does not rhyme with “hats.” He believes that when you don’t use perfect rhyme you disappoint the ear. I may agree with his premise, but I disagree in that there are some great songs that have been written without rhyme. The beautiful “Moonlight in Vermont,” written by John Blackburn and Karl Suessdorf, has no rhyme. Lionel Richie’s “Lady” doesn’t have rhyme and was a huge hit for himself and Kenny Rogers. Why do they work? In his book The Craft and Business of Songwriting, John Braheny suggests it’s because of the strength of the melody.
Link’s third ingredient in making a great song is The Scans Scan. I’ll quote Peter Link because he puts it so succinctly. “One of the most important ingredients of a great song is the power of repetition. Songs are ‘sticky’ if the melodies are first good ones, but also come atcha [at you] with exactly the same melody each time you hear it repeated in the song. When the composer changes his melody even slightly to fit in the lyric that does not scan (match perfectly in beats, syllables and pentameter each time you hear it), then you again disappoint and even confuse the ear of the listener and make the song less ‘sticky.’ I see increasingly good writers making this mistake today and sabotaging their own great melodies by not properly scanning. It’s hard work, but make your verses scan perfectly.”
I’ve made this mistake. It’s a difficult idea to grasp. In her fine book, The Craft of Lyric Writing, Sheila Davis analyzes Jimmy Webb’s song “By the Time I Get to Phoenix.” It scans perfectly and is well worth studying. Take a look at Stephen Sondheim’s work. Sondheim is a master at making lyrics fit the melody. Another place to learn more about this skill is at Peter Link’s blog where you’ll find a five-part article titled “The Decline of Lyrical Craftsmanship.” There are great songs that don’t adhere to this rule, however. Styles come and go. For example, Rap music doesn’t always scan.
Link’s fourth ingredient of a great song is an Inspired Melody. Some people are born with melody and some develop it with years of practice. The melody must be memorable and have the “stickiness” that Link likes to talk about.
His fifth ingredient is A Lyric That Runs Deep. It’s all about the concept, and that is usually derived from the title. Whenever I have to shelve a song project, it’s because I’ve lost focus and I don’t know what the song is about. A good way to clarify your idea is to write a letter to yourself or someone else.
Milt Okun is a music arranger and record producer for the Cherry Lane Music Group. Okun feels that you just know when you’ve heard a great song. He believes you can’t have a great song without great and meaningful words. His favorites are “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” by Peter, Paul and Mary; “The Last Thing on My Mind” by Tom Paxton; and “Rhymes and Reasons” by John Denver. [Try giving them a listen if you haven’t heard them in a while.]
Those songs may not make my top ten list, but they bring me to “the elephant in the room” –it’s all a matter of personal choice. Some people are swayed by great production or hypnotic rhythms. Others like only a certain genre of music like Metal or Rap. Let’s not forget instrumental songs [that often have a lyrical style within their melodies]. I’ve looked over several “Best Songs Lists” and I didn’t agree with most of them. Is a song great because it spans time or crosses genres? What makes a song endure? Is a profound question.
I hope I’ve stimulated some fresh thought on the subject. See you next month.
ISG Bulletin Board
Videography and website management services at a price you CAN AFFORD. Capturing your wedding or event on video may not be in your budget but you’re hoping that you may have something left over to hire a videographer. I will fit your budget. My goal is to offer my services to those who otherwise would have to pass because of funds. This is your special day and you most definitely want to capture those moments. Visit my website at http://www.videosaysitall.com . Thanks and call me anytime (352-267-5911)…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 Jeff Mason at the meetings or email him at jeffrey_mason@me.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 contact Jeff by the print deadline (usually the Friday 16 days prior to the monthly meeting); email is best ( jeffrey_mason@me.com ).
Why isn't your gig announced here? Call us with your appearance schedule!
Jeff Mason's Gig Schedule
Fiddler's Green
544 W Fairbanks Ave
Winter Park FL 32789
407-645-2050
Saturday May 26th 5-8pm
Scruffy Murphy's,
2625 Edgewater Dr,
Orlando, Fl, 32804,
407 835 7150
Thursday May 31st
8 p.m. to Midnight
The Farmer's Market,
Parking area in front of
Infusion Tea,
1600 Edgewater Dr,
Orlando, Fl, 32804,
407 999 5255
Thursday May 24th
6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Tijuana Flats,
444 S. Hunt Club Blvd,
Apopka, Fl, 32703,
407 774 0402
Tuesdays from 6 p.m.
Weather Permitting
Current members please send us your website info if you would like your site to be listed in the ISG members page. Also if you have any songs that have placed first in the monthly critiques, please send the mp3's to isgorlando@gmail.com if you would like to have them featured in the ISG MySpace page. http://www.myspace.com/internationalsongwritersguildorlando
Past Certificate winners can be found at https://sites.google.com/site/isgsusiecool/home/resultslist-2
New members always welcome!
© 2012 ISG