May 2005
Guild Tidings
The official publication of
The International Songwriters Guild
Volume 10, No. 5
NEXT MEETING - 5:00pm Sunday, May 1st 2005
President's Letter
Dear Members,
I hope this finds you with your latest song ready to be heard at Sunday’s meeting. I look forward to that each month, and I’m elated with the talent in this guild. Keep it up.
I just got mail from someone wanting to join the ISG. She writes lyrics only, but has some really good ideas. The one I like most has a title that caught my eye; it’s called “Quiet Hurricane”. Living in Florida, of course, is why the word “hurricane” caught my attention. Of course, last month Kristen Bruno played her song “Hurricane” for us.
I’m always interested in how titles of songs can be used. Now, this is a title that can be used in lyrics regarding the hurricanes that Florida is known for. And it could be played and heard every year during hurricane season. I hear really good lyrics of all kinds, but they mostly are about love. And I’m thinking perhaps we should concentrate on other subjects.
Member Sammie Brown and I went over to Clearwater to participate in a talent show produced by Jennifer Knoepp; you may recall Jennifer attended our April meeting. Several of the entertainers will be attending our next meeting, and hopefully will join the guild. The talent at the show was very good; in particular, there was a young lady I’ve been calling the next Kate Smith. I hope to get her to this Sunday’s meeting so you all can hear her.
I’m looking forward to the meeting. Gather up your latest songs and we’ll see what happens. I think all of us enjoy hearing others’ ideas. Seriously, do bring something that you’ve written and let’s see how we can help you.
Best ever,
Russ Robinson
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Do You Have What It Takes?
By Matt Griffin
Part of being a writer is having enough confidence in one’s own work to believe that someone else would want to read or hear it. In fact, it’s almost a given. That confidence seems to be an essential element of almost any kind of creative endeavor.
But confidence can be false. I knew a professor who was one of the worst teachers I ever had in college. He had work opportunities outside of teaching that he consistently turned down, and I once asked him why. His response: “God has given me a gift, and I feel like I should use it.” I wonder how many of us are like that, sporting confidence in a talent that others don’t see. Is it possible that your faith in your own work is misplaced?
We’ve all heard inspiring “perseverance stories”, of songwriters who refused to give up despite the naysayers. Barry Mann believed in a song of his (co-written with Cynthia Weil) enough to shop it to over a hundred publishers before one took a chance on it; the song was “Here You Come Again” and was Dolly Parton’s first big crossover hit. But don’t you believe in your best songs just as much? Clearly, belief is not enough. How do you know if you truly have what it takes?
Part of the answer is to work for realistic self-appraisal. I believe in the ISG and organizations like it because it’s a way to bounce your own evaluation of your skills against other (hopefully) more objective evaluations. If you are enamored with your songs but don’t seem to be getting positive critiques, maybe you’ve overvalued your current talents. I’m not suggesting you abandon your self-confidence, far from it! As I said, that confidence is necessary to do your best work. But pay some attention to the criticisms, even the harsh ones (especially the harsh ones!). You may discover areas of your writing that you can improve.
My theory is that many, maybe most of us have enough innate talent to write a hit song. It takes a lot of time and a lot of work to develop that talent, and perseverance really does pay off. A couple of years ago, I attended a day-seminar by a professional songwriter named Jason Blume. Jason said that, in his years of working his craft, he met many songwriters that were more talented than he was. He believed that he made it simply because he worked harder and hung in longer.
Confidence is important, but avoid letting it spill over into overconfidence. If you achieve a realistic idea of where your talents lie and where you need work, you can fill in the gaps with training and studying rather than crushing disappointments. And here’s another thought: if you’re a great lyricist but only a decent composer (or vice versa), consider taking on a collaborator while you work to improve the lesser skill.
Best of luck, as always.
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April 2005 Top Two
(1) I Can See Kristen Anne Bruno
(2) Scratch Scratch Emil Ernyey
© 2005 ISG