Here's what will be happening on Sunday, September 26 at 2 p.m.
We'll be at the usual place at the usual time and we hope you will too!
Carl will be Coaching.
Here’s what Bill sent us about Sunday’s session:
Prosody: what is it, and why does it have such a big effect on how the audience perceives your song?
Things to consider:
- If you start with a lyric/story idea:
- is the feeling or intent of the lyric/story - somber/humorous/hard-hitting/satirical?
- what tempo/melody/key (major or minor) best supports and conveys the story?
- If you start with a melody/groove/instrumental riff:
-what kind of story is the melody/groove conveying to you (and your audience)?
- how does the rhythm/rhyme scheme of the lyrics “ride” on top of the melody/groove?
“Pastures of Plenty”: two different versions of the same song
- Woody Guthrie - major key
- Odette - minor key
In my songwriting experience, well over 90% of my songs start with a lyric/story idea, and the melody/groove rarely comes to me until the lyrics are done. For me, it is about putting music to a poem. I also have a pretty basic guitar/banjo skill, so I naturally put greater emphasis on the story/lyrics. Sage advice from Jack Williams, one of the best songwriters/troubadours I have met: don’t let guitar pyrotechnics steal the show from your story!
Of the few (less than a dozen) of the songs in my repertoire that started with an instrumental groove / melody line, ALL of them involved either noodling with an alternative tuning (e.g., DADGAD) or picking up a less-familiar instrument (banjo, mandolin, ukulele). That is a great way to break out of a slump and discover something new in your musical brain!
Takeaway: do a major/minor key switch on one of your songs, or any popular song. I seem to recall that some record producer took an entire album of Beatles tunes and did that to amazing effect!
Music is a mighty force!!
Here's how to get to the workshop:
Click on this link or paste it into your browser:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83457975628?pwd=WVlYelhqbVQ0djh2SUdQNTh0eDRvUT09
Meeting ID: 834 5797 5628
Password: 228275