| | | |
Verity Keen
|
9/17/2023 1:03:17 PM
---- Updated 9/17/2023 1:03:17 PM
What is a song writer ?
Something to ponder!
If you just write lyrics are you still a songwriter ?
If you create melodies over a bog standard backing are you a song writer ?
If you play an instrument using different chords are you a song writer ?
If you call yourself a Singer/Songwriter what elements to you need to justify that ?
|
|
Larree
|
9/17/2023 1:23:03 PM
If you write melodies and/or lyrics, you are a songwriter. Chord progressions and multiple instruments do not count unless the lyric and melody writer(s) want to cut you in.
|
|
Paul groover
|
9/17/2023 5:08:15 PM
What if the music is the first thing and then the lyrics and melodies come after. The musician gets told to bugger off. Even though it,s there song. When Me, Anjuli and Brendan did Pearls and Tales it was a third each. That was the plan i provided the the music and idea. Brendan provided the lyrics and Anjuli did the vox simples no arguments. People are human beings and should be treated and trusted as my such and such
If u want to go down that road i did this and that see how far it gets you
|
|
Richard Scotti
|
9/17/2023 6:37:55 PM
Bernie Taupin only wrote lyrics and I would certainly call him a songwriter. I think that anyone who contributes either words, music, or both to creating an original song can be called a songwriter regardless of the tools used to construct the song. A person who sings and writes songs can accurately be described as a singer songwriter.
|
|
Larree
|
9/17/2023 10:02:56 PM
---- Updated 9/17/2023 10:04:17 PM
To piggyback on Paul's comment; therefore, it is good to work all this stuff out before the first collaboration. Then there can be no surprises down the line. When songs come together during improv jams, I like to include everyone with equal splits.
|
|
Stoneman
|
9/17/2023 11:06:15 PM
A songwriter is someone with the talent for creating all of the elements of a song. A complete writer writes both lyrics and music. He/or she would be someone who understands various song forms and how to create intros, bridges, verses and most importantly "The Hook". I tend to think of songwriting as being an observer. The world and everything happening in it is their material. The reasons that people love songs are varied but one reason is because the perspective of the songwriter was similar to their own or unique enough that they are intrigued. Another important aspect would be melody. We all know that a catchy melody can live in your heart for a lifetime. If you only do lyrics then you are basically a collaborator which is also a songwriter but without a musical collaborator a lyricists songs is incomplete. If you are a instrumentalist that writes only music you also a collaborator in need of a lyricist. Through collaboration, the full construction of the song can be completed. Then, there are those songwriters (like me) that do it all themselves. That is what I would consider to be a complete songwriter. A singer/songwriter would be someone that vocally performs the songs that they write. They would also be expected to provide musical accompaniment while they perform. In most cases that would be a guitar but quite often it could be a piano or synth. So, what comes first the egg or the chicken. The music or the lyrics? The answer to that is as varied and numbered as their are songwriters, We all have our own thing that gives us that edge we seek. My thing is production. Others have the gift of melody and a few know various forms of chordal theory. They use variety of chords to create the right mood for the song. Bright chords happy songs and not so bright chords for not so bright subjects. The lyrics and the mood of the music must be compatible. This is where the gifted get separated from musicians and players, The ability to imprint emotion into a song is where the master songwriters like Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye rise above the rest of us. They observed what is happening in the world and their own lives and were able to capture those feelings and emotions into a song. The result is that when we hear the song we are grabbed by the emotions and/or energy of the song and moved to do something like maybe dance, pat are feet, or remember a particular time that our lives felt the emotions of the song. A master songwriter will take you someplace new time after time, song after song.
|
|
Verity Keen
|
9/18/2023 2:38:31 AM
Oh Wow, I didn't expect such a great response on this one. Thanks to all.
It's not an easy question and I know there's a lot of debate about 'ownership' of a song. Is it the person who inputs the most, the creator of the original idea or lyric or the one who finds the secret key to it's success (either musically or lyrically).
If you do it all be yourself then you are a super songwriter... but I'm not sure so many of the mainstream stars do that now :)
|
|
Stoneman
|
9/18/2023 12:51:51 PM
The answer to "ownership share" should be stipulated in the written collaborator agreement. I do not collaborate with anyone that I don't have a collaboration agreement on file with. This is crucial and should always be negotiated, written and signed before any work on the song begins. It is important that we as artists recognize that we are working in a business climate and should approach each phase of collaboration accordingly. Bands need to do this in order to make sure that everyone who contributed to the creation of the song knows what their percentage of any proceeds derived from the song is going to be. Without that written agreement things get murky and creators get shafted in court. I have seen some really good bands destroyed by the fact that when they hit, the business side had not been handled and someones feels got hurt vecause someone else is getting a bigger percentage of the revenue. Word of thumb? Handle your business correctly. When everyone knows what they are entitled to upfront, there s no confusion and division within the band ranks. Top ten destroyer of bands? unwritten agreements! Respect, Stoneman
|
|
Stoneman
|
9/20/2023 1:18:34 AM
---- Updated 9/20/2023 1:34:47 AM
Oh there is another kind of songwriter that seldom gets mentioned but deserves to be. That would be the all important "Top Line Songwriter". A Top Line songwriter is usually brought in to compose lyrical lines over fully produced music that has not yet been worded with a vocal melody/theme. I know several that have made lucrative careers by creating top lines on music scores for TV commercials. Also, they write Top lines in English for music scores from Asia and other foreign markets. The percentage of the take for a Top Line Writer is negotiated up front, written and signed as a collabo. before any work is done. Are you seeing a trend here? Before any work is done, the business part must be settled. The Top Line profession can be very lucrative. Top line writers tend to have an uncanny knack for creating vivid hooks, verses and bridges to music that has already been laid down and finished. Now, to go along with the Top Line writer there has to be a bottom line writer who creates the music tracks that the Top Line writer imprints his own final melody and message on. Many Top Line writers have never even met the bottom line writer. Its a very old school process that dates way back to the days of Tin Pan Alley, Tin Pan Alley was a collection of music publishers and songwriters in New York City that dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Look it up as it was quite a fascinating time for songwriters. In those days the Top Line Writer ruled the theater setting with catchy choruses and creative stage theme songs. These days the Top Line writer is usually someone that nobody knows but the recording companies and publishers. This brings me to the "work for hire" songwriter. this person may be hired to come in and construct an entire song for singular purpose. His contract usually stipulates that there are no royalties or residuals to be paid to the writer. Instead he receives a one time stipend for his work and may or may not even get industry credit. the advantage of this for the songwriter is that he receives a large up front payment for work that may or may not receive any long term revenue. Okay, I'll stop now because I'm beginning to sound like "Music Business 101 from college. Sorry about that. Stoneman
|
|
Verity Keen
|
9/20/2023 2:26:46 AM
Stoneman, this is fascinating, we are lucky to have someone so knowledgeable about the whole business. I never heard of a "Top Line" writer but I think I'd like to be one :)
It must be difficult for artists and bands who are totally focused on the artistic side of song making if they trust others to manage their affairs, and as you say it has been the downfall of many. Thank you again
|
|
| |
�2015-16 IndieMusicPeople.com All Rights
Reserved
| |