Questions - Who?

When it comes to songwriting, I think it's essential to at least understand the "who, what, when, where, why and how" of creating. The way we each answer these questions should give us a clearer understanding of the process and purpose of our creativity. Let's begin with "who."  

Who writes songs?

The simple answer is, anyone. I believe we all have some level of musical ability, and some message we desire to communicate.

The complicated answer is that songwriting, at least on a professional level, is not for everyone. That should be freeing for some, and sobering to others. For some, it is better to enjoy writing songs as a hobby. For others, it is a deep calling that can only be satisfied by pouring out the creative soul. Either way, writing songs has a therapeutic way of giving life to the creator. Where there was nothing before, now there is something. And you, songwriter, had something to do with that.

Keep writing,

Ben

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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Pair of Boots

In case you're dreaming about moving to Nashville, rest assured there's a pair of boots waiting for you.



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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

One Man Band

To be a songwriter is to be an entrepreneur. Each of us is sort of a one man band, playing the part of both the creator and critic. Also, no one (not even a publisher) can make us create art. Nor can any outside force sense when the soul needs rest, or when an idea must come out. No one else can get us past any fear that may be blocking us from creating. When all the parts are working as they should, there's a beautiful outcome: music.

Keep writing,

Ben

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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Utah's "soundcheck series"

This week I had the wonderful opportunity to talk with a group of Songwriters and industry professionals at the soundcheck series in Salt Lake City, Utah.

We had a great time discussing the importance of co-writing and mentoring, and I'm excited to see and hear the growth that is to come. I'm encouraged to see the potential of a group of passionate, creative musicians who decide to band together.

I also had the chance to write with Ryan Innes. Tell me this boy can't sing (this was one take, by the way):



Keep writing,

Ben

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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Quote of the Day - Thomas Edison

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work."

- Thomas Edison 

"Mama Ain't Talkin'" (Eric Paslay/Ben Cooper)

Here's a song I wrote with the extremely talented Eric Paslay (he's singing).

 

MAMA AIN’T TALKIN’                                                                               9-28-10

(COOPER/PASLAY)

MOON THROUGH THE TREES, QUIET AS A MOUSE

TWO WILD DREAMERS RUNNING SOUTH

CAREFUL AS CAN BE NOT TO LEAVE A TRACE

BACK ROAD NOBODY SEES THE GET AWAY

DON’T YOU KNOW OIL AND WATER DON’T MIX

THE BOY’S AS TOUGH AS NAILS BUT NOT HER DADDY’S PICK

HE SAID, NO YOU WON’T, SHE SAID YES, I WILL

SHE JUST FLEW THE COUP IN A COUPE DEVILLE

DADDY’S GONNA TURN THIS LITTLE TOWN UPSIDE DOWN

EVERY INCH AND MILE UNTIL HIS DAUGHTER’S FOUND

HE’S ASKING EVERYBODY, NOBODY HEARD A SOUND

SOMEBODY KNOWS THE TRUTH BUT MAMA AIN’T TALKIN’

FROWN ON HIS FACE, BADGE IN HIS HAND

GLEAM IN HIS EYE ‘CAUSE HE THINKS HE’S THE MAN

TELLS HIS WIFE WHAT TO DO, TELLS HIS DAUGHTER WHAT TO BE

THEY’RE FINALLY MAKING A STAND AND HE CAN’T EVEN SEE

OH, MAMA WAKES UP EVERY MORNING

WITH A BIG SMILE ON HER FACE

SHE KNOWS HER DAUGHTER’S HAPPY

JUST NINETY-TWO MILES AWAY

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Writing Tools - Yerba Maté

Those who have written with me know that it's a given that I will be drinking Yerba Maté (a South American green tea that arguably tastes like wet hay) when we write. This may sound silly to include this as a writing tool, but I believe it is essential. When writing every day in a different environment with a different person, there has to be some constant involved. For some people it's having their laptop open in front of them. For others it's their favorite guitar in their hand or having a beautiful, inspiring view out the window.

Maybe it's the same reason a little kid carries his blankie to a slumber party - a comfort of home in a foreign place. So I guess I'm saying that my Thermos of hot tea is my grown-up blankie, and I'm OK with that. It keeps me just as warm.

Mark Knopfler - Monteleone

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Finding Forrester

In Finding Forrester, Sean Connery plays a writer who has these wise words to say:

"You write the first draft with your heart. You re-write with your head."

"The first key to writing is to write, not to think."

"A lot of writers know the rules about writing, but they don't know how to write."

Keep writing (without over-thinking),

Ben

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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Thomas Dolby on Science Friday

Thomas Dolby is a technological pioneer. Dolby developed the speaker system in over 3,000,000,000 cell phones, along with these famous ringtones:



In an interview with Ira Flatow, from NPR's Science Friday, Dolby had this to say:

"I see toys and devices as a means to an end, really. It's all about the music at the end of the day...There are geeks who care a lot about how music is made, but at the end of the day when you hear a great piece of music or a lovely melody or a lovely voice, it communicates with you on an emotional level and it transcends the technology that was used to create it."

Listen to the interview here.

Keep writing,

Ben

PS - By the way, I attended an extremely informative luncheon at NSAI yesterday. There are some exciting things coming in the form of new legislation that will allow more songwriters to get publishing deals. Stay tuned...

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The Civil Wars Up Close

If you aren't familiar with The Civil Wars, you should be. I mean, it's not 1861 anymore. Here's a photo of them performing at the recent Grammy Block Party here in Nashville:



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Rules, Schmules

There are plenty of rules that can be helpful when writing a song, but only if they are viewed as guidelines. Instead of using the rules as tools to build the skeleton of the song, The strongest lyric will share a lot of these common characteristics.

There is no concrete rule when it comes to songwriting, because you can find a great example that breaks every rule. It’s helpful to understand rules and guidelines as road signs, but it doesn’t mean you have to follow exactly where the map tells you to go. You can take a more scenic route and still end up at the finish line. It's often easiest to take the fastest, most direct route, but the path less traveled should always be a viable option.

A lot of times when I learn something new about songwriting, one of the first emotions that rises to the surface is a sense of lost time...a sort of regret that I may have been doing it "wrong" for so long. But as I mentioned earlier, it's important to view songs more as stepping-stones rather than the other shore (a means to an end rather than the end itself).

“There is no right way to paint...so just paint.” (Nashville's Helen King to her art students)

I would echo that by saying that there's no right way to write songs, so just write.

Keep writing,

Ben

Bess Rogers' Hamster Song

I talked about Kickstarter last week, but here's a great video of how Bess Rogers is hoping to fund her record:



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Blogger Maintenance

I apologize on the behalf of Google for the delay in today's post. Not sure what happened, but glad to be back up and running!

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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Work For the Job You Want

Though talent can get you through the door of the music business, hard work is what keeps you in the door. Once you have the chance to meet with a publisher, be intentional about how you continue to pursue that relationship. More important than how often you meet is how hard you work in between meetings. Having a song or two that shows tangible growth is key in impressing a publisher. In the same way that you "dress for the job you want," work for the job you want and prove that you deserve a spot on their roster.

Keep writing,

Ben

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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Quote of the Day - Unknown

"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

- Unknown

Keep Antenna Up

Have you ever had a great melody or idea pop into your head, only to have it disappear before you capture it? I have.

Great songs are all around us--all we have to do is write them. One thing I try to do is always keep my antenna up, hoping that I see, hear or experience something that could inspire a song. All it takes is having a way of keeping track of these song titles or ideas (phone or notebook). Then, when I'm ready to sit down and write, I have a handful of potential launching points. I no longer have the pressure to come up with a profound starting point, but have a list to draw from.

Keep writing (and taking down ideas),

Ben

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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Elizabeth Gilbert: A New Way to Think About Creativity

Elizabeth Gilbert is the author of the recent book (and Julia Roberts movie), Eat Pray Love.



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The Life of a Song (Part 3 of 6)

On the business side, there are six steps in the life of a song. I've decided to break it down into six posts.

Here's a basic unfolding of events (with estimated length of time in parentheses):

1. Song is written and turned into publisher
2. Song is demoed (three months after it is written)
3. Publisher pitches song to artists/labels/managers around town (six months)
4. Artist decides to record song (three months)
5. Album gets mixed and label promotes upcoming release (six months)
6. Album is release, and publisher and songwriter look forward to royalties (six-nine months)

Here are some basic general levels of approval that a song has to go through before it could be heard on the radio consistently:

Photo by Fod Tzellos. Used with permission.

           1. The songwriter(s)
2. The publisher(s)
3. The artist’s manager(s)
4. The record label
5. The artist(s)
6. The promotion team
7. The radio DJ(s)
8. The listener(s)

I believe the most important step is the first one. If we don't write something that we believe in, then why should we expect someone else believe it?

Keep writing,

Ben

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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Why Songwriting is Like Gardening

Gardening is a lot like songwriting. In fact, I've talked to a lot of writers who find great inspiration in keeping a garden. Like farmers, we plant seeds, water them, and wait for them to grow. Truth is, most of the life of a song is actually out of our control.

Keep writing (and planting seeds),

Ben





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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Writing Tools - SoundHound

Here's a little phone app that I've found incredibly helpful. Whether I'm trying to identify a song on the radio or the melody that's stuck in my head, this the place I turn. Check it out.



Keep writing,

Ben

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Would you or someone you know like to go on a songwriting retreat with industry professionals? Visit SongbirdCamp.com for more details!

Key West Songwriters' Festival

Last week I had the opportunity to head down to Key West with a large group of writers and publishers from Nashville. The festival was full of shows happening all over town, from noon until three or four in the morning.

What's the point of such a migration, you may ask? For me, the main value of attending is for the opportunities to network. In town, I may run into other writers in a coffee shop or on music row, but generally we are both on our way to meet someone or to write. In Key West, no one really has to be anywhere, unless you are performing. Every meal and show is another chance to build a relationship or discover a new favorite songwriter. Here were a couple of my new favorite writers I saw perform this week:

Tony Lane ("I Need You" by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill)

Lori McKenna ("The Luxury of Knowing" by Keith Urban)

Here's a video from last year's festival:



Keep writing,

Ben

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Do You Feel Like We Do?

I believe the ultimate accomplishment of a songwriter is to get the listener to feel exactly what the writer did at the moment of inspiration.

If the song is about falling in love, they should feel butterflies. If the song is about breaking free, they should be driving just a little faster. If the song is about God, they should feel a little closer to heaven (think of Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus").

I have this piece of art hanging in my office (thanks for the housewarming gift, Jon!), and it's a great reminder that music truly should always be the language of emotions.

Keep writing,

Ben

P.S. - I just can't help myself...






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