March 2005
Guild Tidings
The official publication of
The International Songwriters Guild
Volume 10, No. 3
NEXT MEETING - 5:00pm Sunday, March 6th 2005
President's Letter
Dear Members,
I hope everyone has been busy writing a new song for us to hear at our next meeting.
Seriously, do bring something even if it’s old. It will be new to us. In the past, perhaps you had something critiqued and maybe put in some changes we suggested. We never get to hear some of the songs that have been changed due to our critiques. If you did so, bring in a song and let us hear what you’ve done.
Goodness, I’m proud of most everything I’ve heard from you. We need to get some of our better songs out to publishers. Publishers need good material, and I think we have a lot of good material. Stick with it; things will happen when you get your songs in front of the right person.
Well, last month I wrote you about a Guild starting on Florida’s east coast. And now, another one is starting up in the Tampa area. With the one in Miami, Orlando, and now both east and west coasts, we’re turning Florida into a very musical state. I’m thinking about how we can turn Orlando into the main “office” for all of the Florida guilds. And perhaps pick one weekend every few months to host an ISG meeting here for all of those other groups. We’re going to send them this newsletter; let’s see if they like the idea.
I hope to see lots of you here for our March 6th meeting. The February meeting proved we have lots of sports fans that watch the Super Bowl. I’m looking forward to seeing you Sunday; I’m sure more of you will be
there.
Best always,
Russ Robinson
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Punch Up Your Lyrics
By Matt Griffin
Same old thing. Now there’s three words a lyricist never wants to hear! And let’s face it: there’s a song about virtually any topic you can come up with. If you can come up with a songworthy idea that’s never (or rarely) been tried, all the better. But the rest of the time, you’re going to be retelling a story that the listener has probably already heard. Can it still work? Of course, but the story had better be worth retelling. And above all, the writer needs to find a fresh way to tell it.
Here are a few techniques you can use to punch up your lyrics. These simple (and sometimes obvious) ideas can add flavor and interest to your words. Don’t lose sight of your topic, however; a clever rhyme that doesn’t fit with your song idea will detract from, rather than enhance, your result.
Rhyme. OK, this is an obvious one. But in my mind, rhyme is still underrated as a grabber for lyrics. Well-crafted rhymes, placed in locations where the melody makes them stand out, just cannot be beat. If you’re going for a more subtle effect, try inner rhyme; inner rhyme is a rhyme in the middle of a lyric line rather than at the end. Or for a really subtle effect, use what I call verse rhyme. That’s where you put rhyming words in the same prominent place in all of your verses.
There are a lot of lyrics out there right now that have little or no rhyme, and a case can be made that it’s appropriate at times. Personally, I think many of the writers are basically lazy, or just aren’t good at rhyming!
Alliteration. If you don’t overdo it, alliteration can be a very effective way to punch up your song. Having multiple words start with the same consonant sounds seems to really grab the listener’s attention. I think it works really well in repeating sections like the chorus. You can also do something similar (not technically alliteration, but close) by repeating internal vowel sounds. Use your imagination and come up with something different!
Similes and Metaphors. Remember your English 101? A simile is where you say something is like something else (“she’s as cold as Greenland in winter”), and a metaphor is where you say something is something else (“she’s Greenland in a dress”). A clear metaphor can convey a lot of meaning in very few words, and does so much more colorfully and memorably. Similes and metaphors can be overdone, but not easily; I say, sprinkle them liberally throughout your lyrics.
Play-On-Words. Why not? A well-placed pun or other type of play-on-words can make a song. Song titles with simple wordplay are instantly memorable: New York State of Mind, She Got the Gold Mine and I Got the Shaft. But you can use puns and parodies anywhere in your lyrics.
Irony and Sarcasm. These are harder to pull off, but worth the effort. Irony produces a subtle and often gently humorous effect, as when Shaquille Oneal finds a sale on petite-size clothing. Sarcasm is tricky only because it can easily be mean-spirited. But if angry or resentful is what you’re going for, as in a bad-breakup song, a couple of sarcastic lines can convey that anger or resentment better than a whole verse.
Skillful use of these techniques will add color and depth to your words, and will make an old idea sound fresh. Give it a shot, and good luck!
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Songwriting and Business of Music Seminar
By Kim Copeland and Susan Tucker
Sponsored by Valencia Community College and NSAI
Cost: $5 - thanks to sponsorship by the VCC Student
Development/Dept. of Humanities
FREE - VCC Students with student ID card
FREE - NSAI members with membership card
Date: Saturday, March 12th
Time: 8:45 AM - 4:30 PM
Location: Valencia Community College - East Campus
Room #: 5-112
Directions: http://valencia.cc.fl.us/AboutUs/locations/east_campus.asp
Address: 701 North Econlockhatchee Trail, Orlando 32825
For details: http://www.nsaiorlando.com/
RSVP to Asli Walker at CFSongTree@aol.com .
© 2005 ISG