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songwriting tips and techniques

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I am just another tunesmith, banging on the keys in the middle of the night, hoping my words will find someone with a smile.

I write music with piano, keys, guitar, my voice, and pencils banging on the dash board at red lights.:-) I enjoy encouraging others to do that too, there's something very satisfying about the entire process of creation. I also have a blog about music that's full of tutorials, which you'll find links to here. Over time this new lens will evolve into a resource for other songwriters looking for information or inspiration. Feel free to leave comments and suggestions!

I studied music composition at Oakland University, and also have performed with charity organizations, choirs, and some of the most fabulous skeezy Gothic night club bands ever!

Finding Ideas for Writing A Song

Writing your own songs is easier than you think, you can find inspiration anywhere if you really look.

LadyJasmine Southpark style!

Finding ideas for writing music is actually very easy. Once you get going you'll probably find that you have more ideas than time. Think about moments in your life that were meaningful, that taught you something, or gave you an unusual experience. Think about moments you've shared with people you love. Explore everyday things- tell a story or paint a music picture with words of where you are right now and how you got there.

Sometimes it helps to take a sheet of paper and just start jotting these things down.Make it a kind of freewriting, and just play with words on paper in a way that gets your basic ideas down. Don't be to judgmental with yourself in those moments, just let the words come out and then play editor later.

( and if you wondered, the above picture is a 'South Park ' version of me that my friend Kitty made. :-) )

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Some People Stress about Whether they Should Write the Lyrics or the Music First ,- Don't.

and it really doesn't matter whether music or lyrics are composed in a certain order, what matters is making something musical happen.

I have never really had trouble figuring out which should come first, that's not exactly how it happens for me. A lot of beginning musicians ask this question when they become interested in the process of composing music of their own. If there is one box I get to break you out of by the end of this page, I hope I can help you out of that one! If you worry about things like whether the lyrics or the music should be written first, it probably means that you've gotten caught up in the idea that there is a "proper" and an "improper" way to create music. Some people have one or the other come to them first, and many work on them back and fourth. The most important thing is to relax and let the inspiration come to you, however it may.

How do you Develop Musicianship?

Coco Robicheaux, Jon Williams, Blue Max, new Orleans Songwriters and Musicians.
Musicianship is Learned in Many Different Settings.

Like an artist with a paint palate of colors, the more experiences you have the wider your range of creative possibilities.

Music education and theory is important to growing musicianship, as well as direct experiences with other performer's and performance techniques. It is a personal evolution of self-development within a musical sphere that expands as the musician's range of experience increases.

In other words, join a choir. Pick up a guitar and learn to play chords. Fool around with a keyboard and learn the same thing in a different way. Join the school band and learn a classical instrument. Take voice classes. Study theater, too. Learn about entertainment venues and the music industry. Find out where local musicians play. Investigate the history of music in your community over the last several decades. Be in somebody else's rock band. Start your own band. painfully try to write a song about your feelings when you've had a bad day. Joyfully try the opposite on a good day. Become friends with people that have done this thing you're trying to do. Work more and more on your particular talents and skills in different ways. Over time, who you are in a unique way will develop more amazingly by virtue of having many different experiences that synthesize within you and harmonize with what's around you.

*photo of Coco Robicheaux, Jon Williams, and Blue Max at the Apple Barrel in New Orleans, by their friend Curtis and shared with permission. Some of the thoughts in this section came from a blog of music notes I keep here: http://nicolettesmusicnotes.blogspot.com/

These Are A Few Books That Were Helpful or Inspiring to Me. I own them and found them an invaluable source of information.

If you enjoy reading and are working on making music, check these books out.

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Just curious about who You are....

Hello Out There!

I started to put this page together on a lark because writing music is one of my passions, and suddenly I realize that people are actually reading it. To help me develop this page, let me know where y'at musically.

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Articles About Music

How a Musical Scale is Built - C, F, and G Major
And explanation of how a major scale is built, and the concept of scales and keys in music.
Why Scales are Important in Music
An explanation of why scales are useful to a musician and what a fluid understanding of how scales are built and how to play them can do for you. ( So practice! :-) )

Nicolette's Music Notes Blog

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Find More Great Books About Music...

I don't think I own any Matchbox 20 albums, but I like what this performer has to say enough that maybe I'll have to check them

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Say something, anything! :-)

  • JoyfulPamela Feb 17, 2011 @ 7:02 pm | delete
    I play several instruments, but have only fully composed a dozen or so pieces. It's something I would love to do more of, but just haven't. I'm looking forward to reading through the music notes blog! =D
    PS - Thanks so much for the surprise blessing on "Beethoven"!
  • WhiteOak50 Nov 24, 2010 @ 6:50 am | delete
    (laughs) Sometimes I have things come to me in the oddest places! Many moons ago I wrote this poem called "Where are the Answers". I was driving down the expressway and pulled off the side of the road to write something down. Then I ended up buying me a hand recorder because while driving I also have things come to me. The ideas that come in the shower are the ones that usually get lost because the idea's run as fast as the water.
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LadyJasmine

I play piano,guitar, write music and sing. I am also a Wiccan, a tarot reader, a freelance writer, a student, a teacher, a traveler, and a wandering s... more »

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