Songwriter101 Articles

Takes from the Top: Badfinger�s 'No Dice'

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:00:27 GMT

While attempting to salvage what they could of their various business interests, in mid-1969 the disintegrating Beatles focused on one of their brightest prospects: Apple recording artists the Iveys, whose single �Maybe Tomorrow� had dented the charts months earlier. Re-christened Badfinger (from �Bad Finger Boogie,� the original title of the Beatles� �With a Little Help from My Friends�), the group proceeded to cut the Paul McCartney-penned �Come and Get It,� with McCartney himself manning...

Producers: What They Do & Why You Should Consider Using One

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:10:51 GMT

By Cliff Goldmacher What Is A Producer? The best way I know to describe what a producer does comes in the form of this analogy: A producer is to a recording as a director is to a film. When it comes to making a film, the buck essentially stops with the director. It�s the director who steers the ship, working with everyone from the technical editors to the actors in order to achieve his or her overall vision of the movie. It is exactly that way with a...

� C in a Circle - Splitting Heirs: Paying Royalties After Your Death

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:27:43 GMT

By Gary Roth It is a truism that most people, of any age, don�t like to think about their ultimate demise because it is either too distant or too near. Yet the fact of the matter is that estate planning is the only way to assure that those people whom you want to inherit your property do. Although the laws of descent and distribution vary from state to state, state law allows you to make a will setting forth who you want to get your property. The law also determines who owns...

Using Notation Software

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:00:09 GMT

By Dave Simons Many of us who are songwriters have little use for reading or notating music, and why should we? Jot down a chord progression, add some words and a melody, and there you are. But let's say you wanted to add a horn part to your new song. Though you could play your idea on a keyboard for your saxophonist guest, writing out the section is far more efficient. But unless you're very skilled, putting the notes on paper, complete with all necessary rests, repeats, sharps and...

Takes from the Top: The Ramones� Rocket to Russia

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:19:40 GMT

By Dave Simons At the end of a turbulent Big Apple summer of 1977 marked by a garbage strike, a massive blackout and a ritualistic murderer who took orders from a dog, the Ramones, a clad-in-black rock quartet from Queens who all answered to the same last name, entered New York�s Mediasound Studio to begin work on a third album for Sire Records, Rocket to Russia. A triumphant tour of the U.K. the previous year had established the Ramones (guitarist Johnny, vocalist...

Gear Cheapness Pt. 3: Reel Deals

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:18:55 GMT

By Dave Simons If today�s digital recording apparatus can do everything from soup to nuts and only cost a few hundred bucks, why is eBay still brimming with clunky old reel-to-reel tape machines? Unlike their significantly lighter (and user-friendlier) digital counterparts, a tape recorder requires some degree of discipline and patience. And yet even now, home recording people of all ages are drawn to these reel-to-reel relics. For some it�s mainly about aesthetics; there�s nothing like...

The Co-Writer Conundrum

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:27:13 GMT

By Kevin Zimmerman Many Nashville-based music industry professionals recommend hooking up with established songwriters to help get their own foot in the door. Handy advice for someone who�s got Keith Urban�s home phone number, but what of the rest of us? �If you want to write country music and you don�t live in Nashville, the best thing you can do is to get to Nashville,� says Walter Campbell, VP, creative at Sony ATV�s office in Music City. �You should familiarize yourself with the...

Takes from the Top: The Beatles� Revolver and Abbey Road

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:29:52 GMT

By Dave Simons Without a doubt, the most compelling statistic in Fab Four folklore is the sheer speed with which John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr arrived, conquered, compiled and then fled, shedding their stylistic skin with each and every album, often many times in a single year. How fast were they? By comparison, three years in the life of a modern pop artist means nothing; in Beatle years, it meant the difference between "I Want to Hold Your...

What to Do Before You Record Your Demo

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:24:40 GMT

By Cliff Goldmacher Song Preparation It may sound obvious but make sure your song is finished. I can't tell you the number of times I've had clients come into the studio only to start rewriting a part of the lyric or melody. It is significantly less stressful (and quite a bit less expensive) to write a song when you're not paying the studio an hourly fee. You can also benefit from trying a few rough recordings at home before you get...

Thinking Analog

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:24:48 GMT

By Dave Simons Anyone who started out in home recording using a clunky cassette-tape or reel-to-reel multitracker and managed to remain a musician deserves some credit. Not only were those relics off-putting and temperamental, they weren�t even supposed to sound all that great in the first place. Back then, a demo was, well, a demo, an approximation of what a song might sound like in a pro studio in the unlikely event that a record exec decided to proffer a recording contract. In...

� C in a Circle - Copyrights in Bankruptcy: When Seven Is Not Your Lucky Number

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 20:18:22 GMT

By Gary Roth In these difficult economic times, some of you may find your own financial situation to be so severe that you are considering filing for bankruptcy. Although not the stigma it was decades ago, bankruptcy nevertheless is a drastic measure that should not be done without a lot of thought and legal advice. Although it often is said that a bankruptcy filing gives you a �fresh start� to wipe your debts clean and move forward without that burden, it is important for you, as...

Takes from the Top: The Smithereens� 'Green Thoughts'

Fri, 15 May 2009 12:00:11 GMT

By Dave Simons Late August, 1987: The Smithereens � guitarist Pat DiNizio, lead guitarist Jim Babjak, drummer Dennis Diken and bassist Mike Mesaros � were winding up a packed 16-month tour in support of their breakthrough effort, 1986�s Especially for You. Encouraged by the strong showing of EFY cut �Blood and Roses,� the New Jersey-based foursome was eager to get back into the studio in order to strike while the iron was hot. With little time...

New York & Nashville: How the Songwriting Centers Differ

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:53:52 GMT

By Cliff Goldmacher Differences within the Similarities I�ll start with a similarity between New York and Nashville and then explain how, within that similarity, one city differs from the other. One of the first similarities is that both cities have huge songwriting populations. The depth and breadth of talent in both places encompass many more genres that the obvious country music for Nashville and pop and rock music for New York. There are great pop writers...

Jay Ferguson on Writing TV Themes

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 18:56:52 GMT

By Kevin Zimmerman SW101: When you mention �TV theme songs� to most people, they�ll think of something like Gilligan�s Island or The Brady Bunch, but those days are pretty much over, aren�t they? Jay Ferguson: TV theme songs are the incredibly shrinking format. Something like The Brady Bunch was basically exposition � telling viewers about the show and the characters. Today�s theme songs...

Q&A with Recording Engineer Joe Barresi

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:34:33 GMT

You once made a comment that modern engineering has changed for the worse because young mixers who grew up using digital tools have become accustomed to fixing everything after the fact, rather than learning to get good sounds up front. It�s true. Plug-ins, for example, are cool, and they�re right there at your fingertips, but they sure can make you lazy�plus they allow you to take something that�s intrinsically bad and make it �good.� And because you can fix...

Tales From the Top: The Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers (1971)

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 20:18:28 GMT

By Dave Simons While the Beatles were falling apart in the fall of 1969, coincidentally or not, their cross-town rivals, the Rolling Stones, were hitting a creative high. Let it Bleed, the Stones� final effort for Abkco, was in the can, but already creative heads Mick Jagger and Keith Richards had a full compliment of new material ready to be recorded. Concluding a brief U. S. tour in West Palm Beach on November 30, the band decided to check out a new studio located up the road in...

Gear Cheapness Pt. 2: The Pleasures and Perils of Purchasing Online

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:10:58 GMT

By Dave Simons I recently said goodbye to my old rust brown Ford F-150 after 17 years of reliable, gas-guzzling service. Its ragged appearance meant I never had to worry about scrapes or thieves, and, best of all, it cost next to nothing to buy or to maintain. I tend to look at studio stuff the same way � the more beat up and cheaper the item, the more I like it. Guitars that were abused by baggage handlers, amps that spent years in someone�s shed and microphones that looked like they...

C in a Circle - Three Copyright Firsts

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:27:12 GMT

By Gary Roth The most contentious dispute that recently was resolved was over what the mechanical royalty rate should be for interactive music streams and downloads of music available by subscription or supported by advertising. Although these are subject to compulsory licensing, the government�s rate-setting body, the Copyright Royalty Board, had yet to establish a statutory rate, given the fact that this kind of digital delivery of music was so new. The RIAA, representing record...

Tales From the Top: Recording Pink�s �Get the Party Started� (2001)

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:18:03 GMT

By Dave Simons While preparing to record the follow-up to her platinum-selling debut Can't Take Me Home, in early 2001 Philadelphia�s then 21-year-old pop ace Pink (born Alecia Beth Moore) decided to make a beeline for the Sherman Oaks residence of Linda Perry, the former leader of early '90s rock quartet 4 Non Blondes � and, as it so happens, one of Pink�s earliest musical heroes. An independent producer/songwriter and author of 4NB's million-selling hit...

Gear Cheapness, Pt. 1

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 21:23:16 GMT

I really hate spending money on just about anything, even when the fundamentals of the economy are really strong like they are today (heh, heh). So when it comes to buying stuff for the studio, I generally gravitate towards the kind of gear that can get the job done for as little as possible (as in under $100, in many instances). On that note, for the next several installments I�ve compiled a list of some of the most reputable low-priced mics, effects and other audio aides, including...

Tales From the Top: Van Halen�s �Van Halen� (1978)

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:25:46 GMT

By Dave Simons In an era already overcrowded with knuckle-dragging metal bands, Van Halen was clearly different. Behind the macho swagger lay four supremely talented individuals who could play and write circles around the competition. As a rhythm section, bassist Michael Anthony and drummer Alex Van Halen offered bottom to spare; frontman David Lee Roth was a vocal gymnast of the highest order. But it quickly became obvious that the driving force behind VH was then 22-year-old...

Room Adjustments

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:57:09 GMT

By Dave Simons There�s one inescapable truth about recording � it�s hard to keep it to yourself. Unless you live in the middle of nowhere or direct-line all of your tracks, there�s a good chance that your housemates, neighbors and other unintended (and potentially hostile) audiences will be privy to your studio sessions, particularly if you�re prone to using amplification. However, a few basic soundproofing tools and techniques can help immeasurably. Using sound absorption to...

Tales from the Top: Neil Young�s After the Gold Rush

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:27:05 GMT

By Dave Simons In January 1969, 23-year-old singer/songwriter Neil Young released his self-titled solo debut album, its layers of guitars reminiscent of Young�s work with the Buffalo Springfield. But when Neil Young failed to crack the album charts, Young immediately went back to work, recording Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere at Wally Heider�s Los Angeles studio in less than two weeks with new backing band Crazy Horse. A tour-de-force of spontaneous...

Eliminating Vocal Phobia

Thu, 08 May 2008 18:38:53 GMT

By Dave Simons I�ve never really liked recording my vocals. Maybe it�s my voice, or knowing that once the vocal is on there the finished track might not sound nearly as great as I�d previously thought, or any number of other reasons � which might explain the amount of vocal-less backing tracks currently on my hard drive. Unfortunately, it really doesn�t matter how good your rhythm tracks are if you don�t have a vocal that can do it justice. However, there are a handful of strategies...

Tales from the Top: Johnny Cash�s �At Folsom Prison�

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:07:36 GMT

By Dave Simons In January 1968, America was quickly coming apart at the seams. The war in Vietnam had boiled over, hastening President Lyndon Johnson�s demise and creating a firestorm of political tension. As rock music increasingly became the voice of dissent, Nashville, the acknowledged seat of social conservatism, stood in sharp contrast with its tales of drinking, divorce and redneck mayhem. Few knew about the raucous side of life better than Johnny Cash, who�d had his share of...