Songwriters in Seattle

Category: Newsletter

“What comes first, the lyrics or the music?”

If I had a nickel for every time somebody asked me this question, I’d be able to afford studio time to record all my songs! I think it’s the kind of a question that people think you’re supposed to ask a songwriter.

Recently, at a house concert in Philadelphia, when a guest asked me the same thing, I started to answer the way I usually do:

“EVERYBODY always asks that question!” I said. “It’s a difficult question to answer.” Then I stopped. I made a decision. “Do you want to know what I really think?” I asked. Because I’d met him a couple of days before (he was a neighbor of the guy hosting the concert), I knew this guy could handle the truth.

The guy said, “Yes!”

I smiled. “I think it’s a stupid question.”

He guffawed and the rest of the 25 or so attendees broke out in laughter.

“It’s not a stupid question per se,” I backpedaled a bit. “It’s just that you’re always going to get a different answer. So the question really is more about why you’re asking it. If you are a budding songwriter [I knew this guy wasn’t], the answer shouldn’t really make a difference. It won’t affect your process or make you change the way you approach your writing. And if you’re just curious about MY process, I guess that’s legitimate. But I always imagine that people that ask this question are collecting answers to the question. Are you doing that, Frank?”

He shook his head. Then he added, “But maybe I will from now on!”

We all laughed again. “Well, okay, then,” I responded. “I’ll indulge your curiosity. But I can’t promise it will be enlightening.” And then I answered the question.

My point to you all, as fellow songwriters, is that the answer to the question really doesn’t matter! How you write is how you write. How you compose is how you compose. How you eat your peas with a knife is how you eat your peas. But I digress.

Whatever your process — and I imagine that it didn’t spring fully developed from your head like Athena from Zeus’ skull, but that you came to it over the course of days, weeks, months, even years — honor it, trust it. And, this is most important, let it be what it is, and that may include its continued evolution — it may still change or adapt over time.

In the immortal words of Iris DeMent, “Let the mystery be.”

Now go write some songs!

P.S. In the interest of full disclosure, I know some people who only write one way (“It’s always the music first.” “They come at the same time for me.”). Good for them! I myself vary the diet. Sometimes it’s the words; sometimes it’s the lyrics; sometimes they come together. Sometimes it depends on whether I’ve been commissioned to write something, so it’s even more contextual — What do the lyrics have to be about? What sentiment are we expressing? How do we want the listener to feel regarding the tempo? But that’s a topic for another time.

February 4, 2018
In Memoriam: Ann Gates Fiser

Ann Gates Fiser

We at Songwriters in Seattle are sad to hear of the passing of our friend, creative colleague, and community partner, Ann Gates Fiser. Ann joined SiS in 2013 – her warm heart and enthusiasm for music and community was infectious. She was a dedicated member of our Board of Directors for many years, often calling into our monthly meeting even when she was too sick to take part in person. Building community was important to her, and if you ever attended one of her events at The Den, where she hosted both a showcase and open mic each month, you know how much she loved being a part of it.

Ann was a creative force, not only as a musician, but also as a visual artist, running an art studio in Kirkland with her husband, Rob. She wrote music, recorded, performed, painted murals, illustrated children’s books, and more. Her SiS Board of directors byline read:

Ann is a singer-songwriter who plays the guitar and keyboards. She cut her musical teeth playing in Austin, Dallas/Ft Worth, and Vail, CO bars, hotels, and restaurants playing pop, top 40, country, and show tunes, and always in the background writing and singing her own songs. Finally burning out with the bar scene she quit music altogether and started a whole new career as a mural artist. She could not stay away from music for long and returned in 2013 with a commitment to play the music she loves which includes, of course, her own original songs. Her lyric topics are wide ranging and her music genre is somewhat eclectic. Learn more about Ann at anngatesfisermusic.com and fiserartstudio.com.

Ann will be missed by all in Songwriters in Seattle and our northwest creative community at large. In many ways she embodied the ideal intersection of welcoming community and creative spirit – we are honored and thankful to have been a part of her journey.

December 23, 2017
Getting Out of the Four Chord Rut

Many would consider a four-chord-song to be a song with one completely unnecessary chord in it, and it is true that there are many brilliant three-chord-songs.

Country songwriter Harlan Howard famously stated that all he needed was “three chords and the truth” and my mother-in-law used to joke that she only knew how to play three chords and a thousand songs, and that I seemed to know thousands of chords but only three songs.

It would be fair to say that there are definitely a lot of ways, both simple and complex, to decorate our songs with harmony, and it is well worth our time to explore some options and detail some of the rules of the road when it comes to “chording up” our tunes.

One of the first determinations, when looking for the greatest number of chord options for our song, is to establish what key that song is in. Determining key is easier with the help of the following chart which lists the names of the keys in the left column, lists the number of sharps and flats in the right column, and displays the chords indigenous to that key in the rows between. When attempting to establish which key a particular song is in, there are lots of criteria that music theorists factor into the equation, but in most cases we can simply state that “majority rules”. In other words, whatever key most of the chords are in, is a pretty good key to work within.

If we determine that all (or at least most) of our chords are in a given key, then we can add, remove, shift, or replace any of the chords in our song with other chords from that same key. Although we are not guaranteed to like the result of every choice, we might find some chords that fit to our liking and some of those good choices will provide a foundation to work from as we add chords to the other parts of the song.

As we continue to edit, we can then start to focus our chord selections by applying one of the many chord substitution techniques that are built right into the key system. A substitution technique that is fairly straightforward and easy to apply involves relative chords. The general concept of harmonic relation acknowledges that chords are considered similar to one another by having the most notes in common and therefore offer the greatest likelihood for success during substitution.

For instance, a C chord is a relative to Am due to the two notes they share in common (c, e) and therefore they can substitute for one another almost always and with very little, or perhaps even no adjustment to the melody. Likewise, a Dm chord is related to an F chord and an Em is related to a G, all within the key of C. Numerically, we can more broadly state that the I chord is related to the vi chord, the ii to the IV chord, and the iii to the V chord in every key, which gives us a substitution platform that we can apply to any key we choose to write in.

A terrific way to test drive this concept of relative harmonic substitution is to take a song you have already written in the key of C (or any other key using the chart above) and swap out the relative major and minor chords. You would then listen and assess the effect of each of the alterations. This may not necessarily increase the number of chords in our song but it will definitely get you more used to hearing your song framed in a new chord system that might challenge your initial choices as well as challenge the general feel of the song as well. Think of this as the training camp of chord substitution.

As far as using relative substitution to increase our chord count, a great technique is to use the relative major and minor in each section that previously featured only one of the two chords. For instance, in a bar where we had previously been playing just a C chord, we would now try a split bar of C to Am, then try Am to C, and determine if either of those options is more likable than the original chord choice.

I often teach the concept where we consider our songs initial chord progression to be an unchallenged ‘plan A’ until we have tried replacing the chords with at least three other progressions (plan B, plan C, plan D) to determine if there is a better progression available, at least with the options from this primary substitution concept of related majors and minors in splits and/or swaps. There are a few more ways to substitute harmony that are only slightly more complex than relative major/minor substitution that offer even more chord options. Let’s save those for another time.

In the end, the goal of this exercise is to ‘rule in’ or ‘rule out’ that the best progression for our song is the 4-chord box pattern that we often initially use to bring our songs into existence.

June 28, 2017
How to Write a Protest Song
Perhaps two of the only things left that we can all agree on is that we live in a world divided, and it is now a time of protest. Whether people are protesting truth to power, or power to truth, protesting a certain ideology, or defending it, it appears that protest and social justice songs will be in demand soon, perhaps before we can even get them written.

This article is not going to be about the validity of anybody’s particular viewpoint or about our politics, but about how to craft an ideological protest song that will offer the greatest representation of your views, should you choose a guitar over a placard when your cause takes to the streets. If your cause has already taken to the streets, then you had better get writing because as the Bob Dylan song goes, “Your old road is rapidly aging, please get out of the new one if you can’t lend your hand”.

Here are 10 points you’ll want to know before you start singing angry stuff all over the place.
Above all other kinds of songs, protest songs and social justice songs have been able to influence culture. Some have even become the soundtrack to seismic shifts in how people feel about one another by providing the words and music to that particular moment in human history.
April 1, 2017
Songwriting: Your First 50

I remember very little about the first song I wrote…I was in sixth grade, and I know it was a cheesy breakup song in A minor about my first “girlfriend” in fifth grade. I don’t think any recordings of “The Love We Shared” exist (mercifully), and it wasn’t until a year later, when my older brother started writing some lyrics with a little more meaning and purpose, that I started down the serious road of songwriting and recording.

Over the years, I progressed from 4-track demos to college studios, to professional studios, to producing in my home studio, writing and recording going hand in hand – refining a sound and showing real evidence that improvement was happening. It wasn’t until I had written and recorded between 50-60 songs that I really felt I could output at a consistent quality level. None of those “First 50” songs were ever released and they hide in my archives only for my personal nostalgia.

This gets to the heart of my point: songwriting takes time and repeated, focused effort. No single song is precious, especially in your First 50. I know the feeling, “Whoa, I wrote a song and it’s really cool, and I need to copyright it and show everyone!” It’s hard not to be precious about your baby – your special creation! But if you can put that feeling aside and write your next 5 and then see how you feel about that previous one. Then write 10 more and see if you still feel the same way. I still “throw out” about one in ten that I thought was completely great when I wrote it and demo recorded it. When I “bulk write,” like for February Album Writing Month, where my approach is to sketch lots of new ideas, only ~2 of 10 survive. Sometimes there’s a re-write opportunity or smaller edits that can take a song to the next level, but sometimes you just have to let them go! After you’ve written your songs (or while you’re in the process of writing), I can’t recommend recording them highly enough. If you make that part of your songwriting/editing process, it helps tremendously not only in refining your vision of the song, but you can actually step back and analyze it a bit. You can critique yourself a lot better. You can experiment with different grooves and approaches, then leave it for a little bit, move on to other songs, and come back with fresh ears. Over time, you are also strengthened and motivated by the real progress and growth you will clearly hear. Be patient – it takes years.

While Songwriters in Seattle offers specific classes to help move your songwriting forward as well as critique sessions and opportunities to share new songs with audiences (another great way to hear your song in a new light and get instant feedback), what we hope to help you achieve is far greater than any single event. We offer a framework for you to be motivated and supported to write more songs! This is the best way to improve your songwriting! Songwriters in Seattle is a friendly audience with like-minded people – it is a tremendous opportunity to experiment, share new ideas, then go back to the drawing board and try again. I wish I had an organization like this to accelerate my first 50!

Now, the more experienced songwriters who may be reading this could probably even expand the idea to the first 100 or more, and I couldn’t disagree – there is always room to improve. Personally, while I am proud of my earlier released albums with songs that are now permanently in the public ear, I really only continue to play a few songs from them. Not only do newer songs represent where I am now as an artist, but from my current perspective, they are just better songs. At some point, there is bound to be argument about “better” being highly subjective, but ultimately you are your best judge and as long as you can create some distance (through time and recording), you will find you are a pretty good judge. You will almost always be biased toward your new songs, no doubt about it, but I think that also represents growth as an artist and songwriter. If nothing else, I use that as a motivating factor – I know I will love my next song, it’s going to be that much better, so I want to get on with writing it! I hope you can get to that point, too, if you’re not already there.

I am far from prolific, but I make it a goal to show something new at every SiS monthly networking meeting. Professionals who are songwriting full time are writing every day – many who are in the licensing business are producing and posting something finished for their catalogs every day! Think about how that would add up and create a body of work. That is how you get to be a better songwriter. If you’re a beginner (still within your first 50), don’t worry about your copyrights (to be frank: nobody cares) and making each song perfect – it’s not going to be and that’s okay. No need to be self-deprecating about it, either, you can be proud of it – it is cool and no doubt some people will like it! Learn what you can from it and move on. Write another song. And another – get in the habit of consistently writing and recording. It’s a great habit and I bet you will find more fulfillment in creating a body of work than in trying to create singular masterpieces. I look forward to hearing your next 50!

March 30, 2017
Top 10 Songwriting Insights From Durango

Twice a year for the last six years or so, I have attended the four-day Durango Songwriters Expo. The people that attend this intensive confab are publishers, film supervisors, performers, and most of all songwriters of all ages. I’m going to break with my usual MO here and not drop any names, but I can tell you that the pedigree in attendance is pretty noble and the level of songwriting craft is pretty high.

Starting at 9 AM each morning (and going to well past midnight for most of us) we perform and attend panels, discussions, and workshops about the songwriting industry. But the main focus of this event are the song critiques.

Twice a day, we break off into groups of 20 or so for two hours and subject our songs to the industry luminaries and ask for their guidance in exchange for smiles and gratitude. Every session starts out with the disclaimer that these are just opinions and are to be taken as such. You’re not necessarily encouraged to change the song that you were sharing, but take the ideas and feedback and apply them to your next song. I did the math here and figure that over the course of my participation, I have probably listened to more than 500 song critiques. And although we tend to get specific and come up with unique ideas and feedback for each song, there is a thread of recurring criticism. So I thought I would share and highlight what I sense are the top 10.

1. Understand your role. Not so much a critique as an important distinction, the role of a songwriter as opposed to that of a singer-songwriter is good one to understand. As a singer-songwriter you will be able to get away with lyrics that you can explain in your performance intro or that goes along with your image and story. You have a bit more leeway since these are personal. Writing as a songwriter only, you are more beholden to the craft and use of direct language and form. You are now writing something personal for someone else. You not only have to win the heart of the audience, you have to win the heart of the performing artist.

2. Don’t chase the industry. Write from your deep place and your experiences. If you are still working your way into the industry there is a good chance that the market will have changed by the time you get there with what you think is the current trend.

3. Don’t write in an outdated style. This one comes up a bunch for us older types who are told we just wrote a hit song … if it was 1985! Again don’t set to chase the current styles but it is a great idea to be aware of the latest trends … and the old ones too.

4. Show not tell. This is the big one. We know you are sad, or in love, or ready to dance. But don’t just tell us. Paint a picture, give an example, create a mental image of your emotion. Think of it as a 3-minute movie and you have the camera.

5. Keep the lyrics conversational. Use as much common language as possible. It’s not poetry. Would we say that line, or use that lyric in everyday conversation?

6. Avoid the curse of the second verse. You have a killer first verse, but you said it all and now the second verse is just a rehash of the first. Learn to peel back the fruit and expose the story a little at a time, kind of like those Russian nesting dolls. I have also seen songs dramatically improved by switching the first and second verse.

7. Know when to throw out the best line. You know how you are working on a song, let’s say about sunshine, and you come up with a killer line. But it really doesn’t fit into your song about sunshine. But you keep trying to force it in. Experienced writers will be able to see what’s happening and pull that line and start another song with it.

8. Create lift. The idea here is that the songs needs to keep getting more interesting and pull the listener in as it goes along. The observation goes something like … the verse and chorus sound the same. Create lift and interest by raising the pitch of the chorus melody. Or lift by double timing or increasing the subdivisions of the rhythm. Or lift by increasing the energy of the lyrics or the cadence of the lyrics.

9. Keep your subject focused. The more narrow and specific you can be with your idea, the more powerful it will be. It will then be easier for the listener to know exactly what is on your mind. Frequently we have seen two songs being written as one. Create a statement or a short paragraph as to what the song is about. A little storyboarding can really help.

10. Can you think of another way to say that? Watch out for the over used and cliché lyric. There have been so many songs written that it seems by now that there can’t possibly be anything that has not been said or used in a song. But we have to keep trying to come up with fresh ideas … or old ideas and make them seem fresh.

I know these are short explanations for each. And I know that many creatives can be leery of the rules of craft. But as one of my favorites teachers years ago said, “You have to know the rules so that you know which ones you are breaking.”

We will be going over these ideas and much more at my Songwriters in Seattle workshop on February 25^th in Greenwood.

Click here to sign up!

January 28, 2017
Meet the Host: Todd Christoffel

Todd Christoffel, a long-time member of the Songwriters in Seattle Board of Directors has recently taken on our newest showcase, the Columbia City Theatre. As host, he will help SiS songwriters put their best foot forward when playing their original compositions at this historic landmark, previously graced by the likes of Quincy Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Chris Cornell, and many other musical greats. As Todd is often busy helping other songwriters feel welcome and prepared to share their work, we wanted to introduce you to him through his own words.

“I am from the Chicago area and had a brother who played guitar, so I kind of learned to play the guitar that he had laying around the house and got into the coffee house scene singing songs. I just found that writing songs was as much fun as singing songs.

I went to college for a couple years but couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do, so I quit college and went off to Nashville to try and be a professional songwriter. However, I don’t think Nashville was the best place for me, especially since at the time it was almost always country music.

I was very young and immature and didn’t have much money. I played some songs for a few guys and they said, “hey- if you could stay around for a while, in a couple of years you might be able to go somewhere.” Well, that is not what I wanted to hear. A couple of years seemed like an eternity at that age, so after a while of banging around I just kind of hightailed it and decided I was going to forget about songwriting and get a “real job”.

So, I got a real job, got married, and I got transferred to Washington State though I didn’t like the job much. I had decided I was going to put music away and not deal with it anymore. However, I kept coming back to it. I guess I ended up not being able to put music away.

I went back to college at the University of Washington and got a degree in medical technology and went to work doing research on blood, and all the while I was still writing music.

My wife and I had a son, and at around that same time I met Cris Faget who also worked at the blood bank. Cris and I hit it off and formed a group called String Theory which later morphed into the group called Don’t Ask. After adding Doug Aslin as a drummer we decided to record a couple of CDs and also played out in the Seattle area.

One day when I was searching the web I came upon Songwriters in Seattle, which was very newly formed. We met at the Pike Place Market, and a few of the founding members stuck with it and turned it into the group it is today.

My decision to become a host for the Columbia City Theater Round Robin showcase came about because it seemed nice to give back to the songwriting community. Also, being a founding member, I feel like I have an obligation to help out the group.

One of the great things about being a host is that it really can foster a sense of community between songwriters, and you can also meet a lot of interesting, talented, and crazy people. I find I really enjoy playing out and listening to other songwriters. Being a good listener is one of the best skills to have as a host, and hosts also need to be comfortable on stage and somewhat organized.

Songwriters in Seattle always needs volunteers to move our projects and showcases forward, and it seems to me the more volunteers we have the better off will be at connecting between the other songwriters and the songwriting community.”

To find out about becoming a host or volunteer opportunities to help support your songwriting community, click here.

January 28, 2017
Meet the Board: Griffin James
With the desire to build a more friendly and welcoming community through our volunteer efforts, Songwriters in Seattle would like you to get to know our volunteer leaders. This month we’d like to introduce active Board Member, host of the monthly networking meeting, and newsletter editor Griffin, in his own words:

I began plinking around on piano as soon as I could reach the keys. I received an electric air-powered organ for my 4th birthday and have been playing daily ever since. Though I started composing in my early teens on both piano and guitar, my first formal training came in college where I took almost every music class available. During this time I both formed a rock band and became more interested in recording and production. After college I opened an early digital project studio and ever since, have been recording myself and others with an effort towards refining my skills and creating professional quality productions.

I discovered long ago that I could not make a steady living recording others and that trying to do so took the joy out of it and turned it into work. So, now I typically offer my skills free of charge. All I ask is that you treat my time like it is very expensive. If you do that I will give it to you for free.

Some people say that my sound is stuck in the 80s, but my skills are definitely not. I’ve graduated from reel-to-reel and analog 4-track, to ADAT digital 8 track, and now to hard-drive based digital recording using a DAW, Sonar Platinum on Windows PC.

More of a composer than a lyricist, I have little difficulty deriving chord progressions and melody. However, words come with much more difficulty and most of my favorite songs came by inspiration and luck, rather than perspiration and hard work. I enjoy collaborating with lyricists because they fill the hole in my skillset, and hopefully I can fill a gap in theirs.

Born and raised in South King County, I’ve lived here all of my life. I can’t imagine living anywhere else. I love the rain, the trees, the ubiquitous green and gray of the Northwest. The perpetual bachelor, I am a single parent to an adult son, Alex, who plays piano, drums, and a little guitar.

I spent many years bouncing around, testing out careers in engineering, cartography, performance, management, instruction, and many less glamorous jobs. Having finally settled down, my day job for the last decade has been working for large tech companies, where I have been technical artist, composer, programmer, author, editor, webmaster, and a multitude of other technical and creative roles that fall under the title ‘Writer’. Because I work from contract to contract, I frequently have long vacations between assignments, during which time I typically concentrate on helping others develop their music.

You can find samples of songs I have written and recorded myself, as well as a smattering of songs I’ve produced for others at the following sites:
THE SONGWRITERS IN SEATTLE BOARD

Soon after joining Songwriters in Seattle, I attended one of the open board meetings that occur every January. I enjoyed the informal attitude of cooperative leadership and community so much that I continued to attend as many board meetings as I could ever since. I just started helping in whatever capacity I could, and I feel like I have been of some value to the organization. I’ve sat on the Highline College Computer Information Systems advisory board for more than a decade and am currently the chair. However, Songwriters in Seattle is a whole different beast. Sitting on the board at Highline College is professionally rewarding, but helping to guide Songwriters in Seattle is rewarding on a more personal level. I get great joy from our successes, and I look forward to being a part of this organization for the rest of my life.

It’s difficult to predict what comes next for Songwriters in Seattle. We continue to grow in numbers, but the actual volume of engaged and participatory individuals is not as great as our membership tally might suggest. However, I have hope that our continuing efforts to provide quality activities that help foster the music community in and around Seattle will lead to continued expansion of both membership and services.

I look forward to a day when we have a venue of our own, a ‘clubhouse’, with tons of live music, food and drinks, practice/meeting rooms, and regular instructional and cooperative activities. I see it in my mind’s eye as a place that will allow people of all cultures and backgrounds to cooperatively share knowledge and collaboratively compose in a safe and friendly environment. It is my fervent desire to guide our organization towards this and other high-reaching goals. I’m confident that as an organization, together, we can make this happen.
January 28, 2017
SiS Featured Songwriter: Andy “Roo” Forrest

Songwriters discussing their craft often focus on structure and style, or perhaps a particular genre that inspires their stylistic choices. However, songwriter Andy “Roo” Forrest’s writing process begins at his feet… literally. “I walk. I have written everything while walking. I sing, tap out rhythms, talk to myself and make noises while I walk and I record it on my phone. Because I’m sometimes walking briskly or uphill, there is the constant grinding of my heavy breathing in the background on all the recordings.”

Perhaps the roots of that kinesthetic approach to writing began in childhood, where Roo said he “grew up doing musical theater; being a ham on stage in that somewhat cheesy art-form of clever rhymes and over-acting.” This auspicious beginning would seem a perfect lead in to songwriting, but actually Roo, involved in a wide array of creative work, explored the landscape of songwriting almost accidentally. “One day, not too long ago, my son stopped taking guitar lessons, but his teacher kept coming over to the house. So I took my son’s place and learned a few chords”. Those chords were the catalyst for an explosion of creativity. Of this time, Roo reflected, “Suddenly the songs just started bursting out…kinda like that scene in the movie Alien, but without killing me.”

These bursts spring from a constant source. While other writers might agonize over what to write, Roo again uses his feet to fuel the muse. “Oh my God, everything inspires me. I’m probably over-stimulated by things. Walking is the thing that calms me down and helps me put some of it into digestible order.”

Some of the over-stimulation may be due to the full schedule of activities that fill up his life. “I’ve been blessed with a creative life, outside of songwriting, that supports me and my family. So I have not had to thread the art-and-commerce needle that can be stressful for so many artists.” As a result, he noted, “My challenges in the songwriting realm tend to be about my own orientation to the work, making enough time for it, finishing things I’ve started, that kind of thing.”

Though not having to “thread the art and commerce needle,” Roo’s work has not gone unnoticed by his audiences or his songwriting tribe, and it was one of those members that encouraged him to audition for a coveted spot in New Voices at the 2014 Kerrville Folk Festival. “Val D’alessio told me to apply,” he explained, “Val is connected to forces which are not of this world, so I try to listen to her directives.”

From 800 submissions from all over the world, Roo was one of 32 artists chosen to perform. Besides the musical experience, Kerrville had some surprises in store for Roo. “I was surprised at how little drugs, sex and general hedonism there was at Kerrville,” he reflected, “The people at Kerrville really care about the songs. I had been to other music festivals before but this one was more earnest…more sincere.”

For those just embarking on a songwriting journey, Roo’s advice was simple: “Write it like you feel it, sing it like you mean it, have a good time.” In addition, for Roo, most important in his own journey as a writer were good teachers… “mentors who were willing to show me things I didn’t know,” which may partially explain why he serves as a host of open mics for Songwriters in Seattle and a source of constant encouragement for his fellow songwriters.

To those who have experienced the songwriting of Roo Forrest, accolades are part and parcel of their descriptions of his work. But Roo is not one to easily tout his accomplishments. “Most of the time I feel grateful or fortunate. I wouldn’t describe it as feeling proud, because pride seems to imply that one’s actions led to a particular outcome. But in reflection, it doesn’t feel like I’m the one who’s responsible for positive results. It seems to be all a collaborative effort with different people: parents, my spouse, kids, business partners, employees, friends, strange and wonderful collaborators. Most of the time I just feel lucky to have smart, funny, talented people who are willing to tolerate me.”

Though he is a self-described “snarky singer songwriter”, a recent reviewer commented that Roo also has “a pervasive humor and detectable kindness which will leave you smiling.” That effect may reap rewards in his next project which could send him back to his roots: musical theater. “I’m writing a musical revue on world population, over consumption, and the future of the planet. As you can imagine, it’s a laugh riot.”

Unlike some, Roo did not have an epiphany when he realized becoming a songwriter was something he was “supposed to be doing” because “only my Mother knows that and I don’t find her a very credible authority, so I need to swim through the mystery one day at a time.”

One thing we can be sure of: Out on a walk somewhere, one step at a time, phone recorder running, punctuated by the sounds of leg slaps and labored breathing, that mystery will be revealed, one song at a time.

Find out more at www.rooforrest.com

January 27, 2017
The Honest Lyric

There is no right or wrong way to write a song lyric. And there are no right or wrong lyrics. But, there is truth and falsehood. Is your song honest? Or are you just making rhymes?

I was honored to be asked to write this column exploring the craft of lyric writing. I have no particular expertise or unique understanding of that magic process, but I have a deep belief that songs should be ‘about something’ and, that something is best delivered not through the melody, but through the lyric.

I am drawn to songs that reveal truths I didn’t know. They make me see things anew. They open my mind while they entertain my ear. They are real.

My own way of writing a song is pretty consistent. I noodle around with a chord progression and immediately start singing a melody over the chords. Most often, I have no idea where I get the first line. I just sing whatever pops into my head. Then I rhyme it. At this stage they are meaningless words, picked from the ether. But are they? Or is my subconscious becoming manifest, telling me it has something to say?

Everyone probably knows the Paul McCartney story about writing “Yesterday.” He awoke with the melody fully formed in his head. He was sure he had heard it somewhere else and hummed it for his producer, George Martin, to see if he had unconsciously cribbed it. Having no lyrics, he first sang: “Scrambled eggs. Da, da, da, da, da, da. Scrambled eggs.”

Singing nonsense words works. It helps you form structure and cadence. In doing that you’re choosing the number of syllables, the pauses, the flow of the melody. No matter at this point what the song is about. Don’t try and force the song one way or the other in its early iteration. Let the muses take you.

For me, the melody does indeed come before the words. Once I have some melody in mind, but not fully realized, I begin writing the words. From that point on, they affect each other. The tone of the words begins changing the tenor of the music.

The melody, as expected, will move the listener to feel different emotions, melancholy or joy, foreboding or jubilation, with minor or major progressions. Do they make you want to jump and shout, or sit and moan? But, it’s the words that tell the truthful story. Are the words in your song worth taking to heart? Do they live in the truth?

I generally begin to know what my song is about around half-way through. I have an ‘ah-ha’ moment. “Oh, this song is about greed.” That’s when I take the creative steering wheel away from the muses and start driving the idea by myself. That’s when the words start to have meaning, purpose, power.

“No, that line doesn’t fit the theme. That line isn’t clear. That’s pedestrian. What am I trying to say here?”

I don’t want to criticize anyone’s art, but all songwriters, in my opinion, should be on constant alert against being trite, predictable, banal, obvious. Too many songs are way too obvious. As a listener, you know where they are going. You can predict the next rhyme, the next thought. They don’t tell you anything you don’t already know.

So, this is my fundamental songwriting advice: Say something new, something different, something true. Say something honest.

The most powerful songs, to me, have a moment of searing revelation, a single line that makes you stop in your tracks and say, “Wow!” A single honest declaration that can change your world view. Look for that moment in your song. Is it there? Try to make it there.

I wrote a song about an illicit romantic affair. I told the story through the guilt of the adulterous lover. But, the true nature of the story didn’t reveal itself to me until the final line of the final verse.

“Before this night is through
I’ll wash away the scent of you
To hide the stain of passion
We’ll kiss goodbye
While others wait at home alone and cry
From love unfastened.”

That line, out of nowhere, hit me like a lightning bolt. While all the previous words in the song set the literal atmosphere of the affair – the smell of cigarettes, intoxicating perfume, worn sheets, cold rooms, loosened morals – these last two words brought honest revelation about the reason for the affair. Love unfastened.

The audience may not get that those two words are the heart of the song. But I know. They declare the breaking of a trust. They uncover the true feelings of the narrator. They reveal that believing that love is bonded forever is a lie. I didn’t literally say those things in my song. Those two words did it for me. The honesty is there, even if just implied. It is left to the listener to hear it.

I didn’t start out to write that sentiment, that true love can be a lie. I started out writing a song about guilt. The real point of the song revealed itself to me because I am continually asking, what is this song about? And my mind answers. It’s not an earth-shattering revelation. Many others have had it. But it’s an honest lyric. And I may have said it in a slightly new way. Love unfastened. Those two words have layers of meaning to me.

That moment of clarity is not always possible in your songwriting. But you know it when you write it. I know it when I can read my line and say, “That’s it. That’s the truth of this song. That’s what I was working to reveal. That’s what this is about. That’s what I want to say.”

So, I posit that we should all try to say something real in our songs. And say it honestly.

On the other hand, if your song gets people to move their feet, that’s pretty damned cool, too. As the teenagers in Philly used to say to Dick Clark on American Bandstand, “It’s got a good beat and you can dance to it. I give it a nine.”

December 29, 2016