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| WORKSHOPS + Anatomy of a Song + The Art of Writing  + A Note on Workshops + Songwriting Exercises + Develop Your Songwriting Skills |
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A Note on Workshops Songwriters, YWW '04, Session II [This is a note I wrote to my students last summer wishing I had stressed editing a little more] I want to thank you for coming to Young Writers this summer. You are an inspiration to me. Every one of you should feel proud of the work you've done here. Every now and then I'll do a songwriters in the round gig, where maybe four of us are up on stage together swapping songs. I might have written my latest masterpiece and gotten there feeling really good about myself - my playing, my singing, and my writing. Then someone might start playing the simplest song, with the most pedestrian accompaniment as the audience swoons. Has this ever happened to you? If it hasn't it will, and then you might understand the most important thing I have to say to you (like I do every time it happens to me). There is no substitute for writing a great song. The song is not about your voice, your stage presence, or your guitar work. It's not about your fabulous intricate lyrics, which are so deep you feel like you get lost in them. And it's not about how you emote. The song is the song, and it's all about the song. Here are some questions to ask yourself: Does it speak the truth for you? If not, it's not worth writing in the first place. Does it have a point? If not, even you wouldn't want to listen to it. Can the melody stand on it's own without an instrument? If not you can rest assured that this song will have a short shelf life. Would you be afraid to show your lyrics to an accomplished poet? If so, you will not be able to sing it with conviction. Is this song worth writing? If so, continue to work until you can answer the questions I have asked. The key to writing a great song is not how talented you are, but how willing you are to edit, to rethink, to substitute lines and words, and rethink the melody. In short, it's about how willing you are to work. I hope you like the CD's. A lot of hard work went into them. I personally spent three days this week up till 3 or 4 AM trying to get them done. I listen to the songs remembering about how hard you worked on them, trying to imagine what you were thinking when you wrote, and hoping that your peers love them as much as I do. But as good as these songs are, there's not one on those discs (including my own) that couldn't be improved by answering the questions I asked earlier. Think about it. Stay in touch. I have loved this session so much. Thank you for making me a better songwriter and teacher. - tom
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