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Songwriting

© Deborah Jeter

Although this particular topic has little or nothing to do with the month of November and its activities, let's just say that it is a subject that I had intended to write about for several months now and leave it at that. :-)

Songwriting is a way to check and see if your students are grasping all of those theory lessons that we present. Better yet, it's a way to allow their minds to "paint" a picture with sound. It is a wonderful vehicle for identifying those students with "natural" ability too.

There are some wonderful resources on this topic on the WWW. The first site featured this week is:

Songwriting Tips

This site discusses the components used in building a song with various structures. The "attitude" section is very helpful too. The author encourages people to keep an open mind and to not label songs good or bad, but rather as what's personally appealing or displeasing. I'm melodically oriented rather than word oriented. Something stated at this site got my attention. The author of the page stated, "Don't be afraid to let the melody do the 'talking' . . . if the melody starts to write itself a little differently compared to the lyrics, go with it." I like this idea. She keeps it simple at her site and I found it very refreshing and not too technical.

Progression

When you are ready to get serious about polishing your recording, this site is a very good resource. The guitar section has an interesting piece on ear-training — "connecting the ears and the fingers." Also, don't miss the article on 12-tone music, learning a new language.

The Muse's Muse is a great site for making contact with other songwriters. There are sections that include Songwriting Organizations, Songwriting Survey, Articles on Songwriting, Chat Rooms, Sample Songs, Related Links, Classifieds and Suggested Reading.

Other Links of Interest

Suite 101 Songwriting Editor Be sure and drop by this section of Suite 101. Kent, the editor, will be a good resource for you in your songwriting process.

On Hold has lots of great songwriting tips and resources for you. Go by and grab some.

Lyrical Line A lyricist & songwriter resource. Get your songs critiqued by your peers or showcase them in the SpotLite!

B.J. Pizazz "These links provide the doorway to a vast wealth of songwriting information."