SongwriterAdvisor.com Newsletter
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Tune Sleuth
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Issue 1.2 - June 1, 2008
Copyright 2008 Songwriter Advisor
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Look for the free bonus PDF e-books, "How To Drastically Im-
prove Your Songwriting" and "Beginner Songwriting Made Easy"
attached in this email.
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Contents:
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1. Songwriter Advisor's Message
2. Worthy Songwriting Contest Deadlines
3. Upcoming Article Preview (only available to TS subscribers)
4. Songwriting Book of the Month
5. Songwriting-related Product of the Month
6. "Tune Sleuth" Investigates "Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis
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1. Songwriter Advisor's Message:
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Wow! The response to the first "Tune Sleuth" newsletter
has been nothing short of amazing. We're honored to bring
you a quality newsletter worth your time.
We're also pleased to present exclusively to Tune Sleuth
subscribers until their release on June 1, 2008, the first two
of a series of innovative songwriting e-book guides, "How To
Drastically Improve Your Songwriting Skills," and "Beginner
Songwriting Made Easy."
On a different note, although it took a lot of effort, we
finally managed to get the "Tune Sleuth" out of his office for a
little celebration after the unbelievably positive feedback! He
resisted at first, saying he was preparing this month's song
investigation, but when we threatened to wrap him up in duct tape
up to his face and cigar before wheeling him out, he gave in and
hung out with us! I must say we had a great time.
Now back to work!
Check out the song contest deadlines, especially the John
Lennon Songwriting Contest (deadline June 15, 2008), take a
look at the Upcoming Article Preview - How To Really Conquer
Stage Fright (only available to "Tune Sleuth" subscribers until
its official release on June 1st, 2008).
See why the book of the month, Jai Josefs's "Writing Music
For Hit Songs" is the only resource you'll ever need to learn
the musical aspect of songwriting.
Finally, Tune Sleuth investigates Leona Lewis's smash hit
"Bleeding Love" and happily discovers a solidly-written, cool pop
song which utilizes many common songwriting principles that'll
definitely benefit all of us!
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2. Worthy Songwriting Contest Deadlines:
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Winning or placing in a high profile songwriting contest can
bring you much exposure and improve credibility, and merely
entering a contest brings much-needed experience for many song-
writers.
American Songwriter Amateur Lyric Contest
Deadline for next Bi-monthly contest - July 20, 2008
US 10.00 entry fee per song lyric
Winner receives - DX1 Martin Guitar, valued at $699.00., and a
chance to compete for a master production demo from Music City
Music Production, Inc. valued at over $1,500.00
http://www.americansongwriter.com
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The John Lennon Songwriting Contest
Session I
Deadline - June 15, 2008
US 35.00 entry fee per song
12 Grand Prize Winners receive $5,000 in project studio equipment
from Roland/Edirol/Boss, Ableton, Sibelius, Audio-Technica, Godin
and Propellerhead, and a $500 gift certificate from
MusiciansFriend.com.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com
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3. Preview Of Upcoming Article (available only to Tune Sleuth
subscribers until it's posted on 06-01-08)
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How to Really Control Stage Fright
I'll never forget the night I walked onto my biggest fear for
the first time in my life--yes, the stage. It was on a hot sum-
mer Miami, FL night and there were all of 30 or so people in the
room on open mike night. My palms were flooded and I had no idea
how I was going to keep my fretting fingers from getting stuck on
the first chord of my fairly new Takamine acoustic guitar.
I had practiced my three song set for two weeks straight, and
I had a good feeling about the first song I would play but I was
still unsure about the other two songs--I felt they were merely
O.K.
I stepped onto the back of the stage with my knees almost
buckling from the terror even though I had downed two Bud Lights
20 minutes earlier upon a friend's recommendation in a last ditch
attempt to ease my nerves. The butterflies in my stomach were
tugging hard on my heart strings saying, "You're still not ready,
you knucklehead!"
Then, the M.C. called out my name! I found myself standing in
front of the half-baked, eager crowd, knowing full well they had
booed an act earlier and they weren't in the mood for any more
wannabe singer-songwriters. I could literally picture big, plump
tomatoes bursting in my face and a big juicy one entering my
guitar's soundhole!
I tried everything I had researched to calm myself down while
I plugged in my electric-acoustic guitar into the sound system.
I imagined the audience was naked, but that didn't work because
there was a really good-looking girl in the front row staring at
me intently as if to say, "C'mon dude, get it over with!"
I tried slow, deep breathing exercises but I felt like I
would pass out if I didn't resume normal breathing. I visualized,
if only for a brief moment, the audience clapping with joy and
approval, but the clapping in my head was quickly drowned out by
the possibility of forgetting the words of the songs and failing
miserably.
Finally, I began my first song and although my nerves were in
full force, I managed to sing the song very well from beginning to
end without any obvious flaws, or so they said! I can tell you
this: I had never been more nervous in my life but I got through
it. The audience actually clapped hard after the first song.
The other two songs received a lukewarm reception in comparison
and I learned some valuable lessons that night which I still
practice today in order to ease stage fright:
1. Accept the fact that it's normal to be nervous before and dur-
ing a performance and that it lessens with every performance as
long as you prepare yourself by following the tip described in #2.
Know that there are many well-known entertainers who still
experience some degree of stage fright. The difference is, they've
learned how to channel their anxiety in a positive way through
practice and experience! You have to be patient.
2. Practice at improving your songwriting and playing ability,
and more importantly, rehearse, rehearse, and rehearse until you
feel supreme confidence in your music sets before playing them in
public. This is the quickest route to conquering stage fright.
The more confident you are the less nervous you will be.
That's it!
Here are new articles added to SA in April & May 2008:
http://www.songwriteradvisor.com/how-to-write-pro-quality-songs-
part1.html
http://www.songwriteradvisor.com/songwriting-for-the-not-so-
needy.html
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4. Songwriting Book of the Month: Writing Music for Hit Songs, by
Jai Josefs
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This month's book, even though it stands mightily strong on
its own, is the perfect compliment to last month's book of the
month, Sheila Davis', "The Craft Of Lyric Writing".
Drum roll please..............."Writing Music For Hit Songs",
by Jai Josefs is SA's book selected for June, 2008.
This book teaches you everything you need to know about the
musical aspect of songwriting in an easy to follow format. If
you're looking to improve your understanding of music theory as
it applies to effective songwriting, look no further!
Josefs' book doesn't bog you down in technical music theory
mumbo-jumbo like most other music theory books. He helps you
learn the necessary basics to become knowledgeable by using real
hit song examples throughout the book!
Remember, music consists of two areas: Lyrics & Music.
With that said, if you are on a budget like most of us, save your
money and buy only "The Craft Of Lyric Writing", and Writing
Music For Hit Songs" for real cheap, even if you have to buy them
used. You'll have the best info on both music & lyrics and it'll
be the best 15 or so dollars you ever invested in your songwrit-
ing career!
For many songwriters, including myself, these are
really the only two books you'll ever need to buy on songwriting.
Read more about this by clicking the following link:
http://www.songwriteradvisor.com/songwriting-books.html
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5. Songwriting-related Product of the Month: Jamorama Acoustic
Guitar
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Jamorama claims to be the easiest learning method for
acoustic guitar available, and they may be right!
With software and online technology, guitar instructors'
earnings have dropped considerably over the last few years be-
cause of great, inexpensive packages like this one.
Make no mistake; There is absolutely no substitute for a
great guitar instructor but this product comes extremely close.
The course has everything you need to learn acoustic guitar
quickly in step-by-step fashion.
Aside from virtually learning to play right away, You'll dis-
cover how to recognize chord shapes and how to transcribe songs
from radio and CD's so you can easily play your favorite songs.
Check it out at:
http://www.songwriteradvisor.com/learn-guitar.html
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6. Tune Sleuth
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Leona Lewis's "Bleeding Love," written by Jesse McCartney
and Ryan B. Tedder, is the subject of the Tune Sleuth's investi-
gation for the month of June.
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The Tune Sleuth barked, "What? Can't you see I'm busy?" af-
ter I knocked lightly on his door. Talk about sensitive ears!
He buzzed me in and I was greeted with a smirk as he said, "What?
You can't take a joke? I knew it was you who was knocking, why
do you have to be so sensitive?" A-ha. The Tune sleuth has a
sense of humor after all.
I quickly found out why he seemed so cheerful. He said,
"Songs like these make my job easy," referring to "Bleeding Love."
Then he handed me the following full report and said, "This
is what great, contemporary pop songwriting is all about."
Here's the full report from the Tune Sleuth's desk files:
Enjoy!
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.........................Tune Sleuth
After receiving a confidential informant report that "Bleed-
ing Love" was causing quite a stir emotionally and physically
around the world, I was left with no choice but to investigate
further to see if any songwriting crime had been committed:
My findings will be based on partly facts and a lot of object-
ivity and subjectivity, and those songs found in violation will be
subject to the full extent of songwriting law!
As a free song reference, I can click virtually anywhere and
audition either the promotional video or hear the audio file. For
this song, I paid a mere .99 cents to download the single. Like
any other consumer, If I like what I hear on the web site I will
purchase her CD to support her music.
************ I always try to lead by example when it comes to
preserving copyright laws, so I can only provide a few lines at
a time for educational purposes only. Luckily, most artist web
sites provide lyrics as a courtesy for their fans. So grab or
write down the lyrics and follow along:
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Bleeding Love
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Writers:
Jesse McCartney
Ryan B. Tedder
Here are the first few lines:
Closed off from love
I didn't need the pain
Once or twice was enough
And it was all in vain
Time starts to pass
Before you know it you're frozen
........
To conduct my investigation, first I'll run the song through
the song checklist found at:
http://www.songwriteradvisor.com/songwriting-checklist.html
I will then point out good techniques used as well as possible
flaws in the song's construction.
Most importantly, at the conclusion I'll list all the cool
techniques we can all apply to improve our songwriting.
1. Song Title
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The song title is an original and catchy one that evokes
emotion and creates vivid images of love's turmoil. With a song
title like this one, many times the song will write itself be-
cause the title inspires so many different theme angles and
possibilities for great lines.
For example, the original song's theme is about a lover
who remains faithful and true despite the fact that her lover
hurts her, and she keeps getting cut until she's "Bleeding Love".
Here's an idea that came to mind for a new song with the same
title:
A song about a lover who loves the other so much that they're
bleeding love because they feel their lover's pain in a life
situation.
The possibilities are endless. Excellent title!
2. Song Form
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The song begins with a synth line and some sweet vocal riffs
setting up the stage for the song continuously building tension.
The song form is actually a verse-prechorus-chorus-verse-
prechorus-chorus-bridge-chorus (ABCABCDC). Notice how the
prechorus "I don't care what they say" lifts away from the verses
and builds tension into the chorus. The phrasing remains pretty
much the same as the verses but it starts 2 notes higher than the
verses, and this gives the necessary separation to give the section
contrast.
3. Hook/Chorus
===============
The phrasing in the chorus starts after the downbeat, i.e.,
PUM-I keep bleeding....keep in mind this is the least powerful
method for lyrically starting a chorus but it appears intentional
in order to build tension in keeping with the flavor of the song.
Usually, the best practice in order to hold the listener's
attention is to vary the placement of where lyrics begin in each
section. i.e., if the verses start before the downbeat (as
lead-in notes) you probably want to start the chorus on the exact
downbeat or after the downbeat for contrast, etc.
The chorus ends up being powerful as it repeats the title
over and over, ending with the line "you cut me open" which is
almost the same line as the last line of the prechorus "you cut
me open and I." This is a nifty little trick that's been used
before, and as you can hear, it's very effective!
4. The Verses/Pre-choruses
==========================
During the first six bars of the first verse, Leona sings over
a synth line and a kick drum, then there are two bars
with no lyrics to let the vocal breathe. The same pattern is
repeated for the second part of the first verse except a snare
drum is added. Then, a prechorus kicks in (I don't care what...)
and you can immediately hear the tension building as it is sung
with more intensity as well as the starting note being two notes
higher than the verses.
Regarding the lyrics themselves, the first line in the verse
makes an immediate impact by telling us she was tired of feeling
pain in a relationship, and this easily holds our attention so she
can explain more about this universal feeling.
The last line of the first part of verse 1 (Before you know
it you're frozen) leads into another eventual line (My heart
melts into the ground) clearly completing the thought in a
metaphoric fashion that she's numb to the pain of being mis-
treated but she's never felt this much love before so she can't
leave him--excellentlines!
Notice these two lines are surrounded by lines that are
much clearer and more conversational. This is one of the char-
acteristics seen today in great contemporary pop songwriting. A
good rule of thumb is: don't use more than two metaphoric-type
lines per song section so the listener can immediately understand
the song.
5. The Bridge
==============
The song drops back in intensity during the bridge
intentionally instead of the normal high intensity bridge, and it
ends up being very effective in building excitement back up.
During this section, Leona cries lyrics which basically say
she's defeated by love and there's not a darn thing she or anyone
else can do about it because she loves him and it's her heart!
6. Point of View
=================
The point of view sung by Leona Lewis in this song, 1st
person narrative, appears to be the best one because she's
singing about her feelings.
If she used 2nd person the chorus would be:
Well, you don't care care what they say
You're in love with him
In the 3rd person narrative it might be:
Well, she don't care what they say
She's in love with you
7. Rewrite
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This song was obviously written, then put through a worthy
rewriting process. There are no wasted words, the song is
abundantly clear and heartfelt because it contains a single
idea and the story logically progresses from beginning to end.
Folks, if you're in the market for writing good, everlasting pop
music, this is one for the books! Study this song and make use
of the "Lessons Learned" section for this song.
Verdict
=======
This is a near-perfect contemporary pop song. I guarantee
many of us could've come up with a better line here or there
but that's not the point. This well-written song came across
as being catchy without being overly cheesy, which is hard to
find in pop music these days.
The only crime committed in association with this song was
when I spilled all of my iced tea on my notes while trying to
pause "Bleeding Love" while I wrote the "Lessons Learned" sec-
tion for our studying pleasure.
Outstanding piece of work!
Lessons Learned
===============
It's hard to pick out any obvious flaws in this song's
construction.
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Here are techniques and cool tips we've learned from this
song to improve our songwriting:
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1. Remember, if you take the time to come up with an original,
interesting title, the song will virtually write itself!
2. Start a song with an underlying synth chord progression
and concentrate on bringing other elements in at the appro-
priate times in order to build tension.
3. The prechorus doesn't necessarily have to have different
phrasing as long as the notes are different from the verse
and help build tension into the chorus.
4. Although the best practice in order to hold the listener's
attention is to vary the placement of where lyrics begin in each
section, you can ignore this principle if the song has enough
contrast in itself without using this technique.
5. A good rule of thumb in pop songwriting is to use no more
than 2 metaphoric-type lines in each song section so the
listener doesn't get lost, unless you're going after a cool
poetic effect.
6. Using an ultra-consistent rhyme scheme like in "Bleeding
Love" helps the listener learn the song quickly, and the song
ends up more cohesive and powerful.
7. Don't be afraid to put in a laid back bridge as opposed to
a powerful one which explodes into the final chorus.
8. Rewrite your songs so they appear polished enough to appeal
to listeners. Get rid of wasted words, change a line here or
there to make the song clearer, and use a consistent rhyme
scheme.
9. Use the same line at the end of your prechorus at the end
of your chorus with perhaps a little variation to drive your
song's message as in the line "You cut me open and I."
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Tune Sleuth is Songwriter Advisor's monthly newsletter con-
taining valuable insight, information, tips, and techniques to
benefit the songwriting community.
It is released two weeks early for subscribers during the 2nd
and 3rd week of every issue's preceding month. Subscribers are
authorized and encouraged to recirculate and reprint this news-
letter for non-profit use as long as the entire newsletter text
is included, and we ask that subscribers only release this news-
letter on or after the official issue date (Always The 1st of
each month).
Feedback is welcome and appreciated and suggestions for future
Tune Sleuth songs for review are also accepted and very
important to us. Visit:
http://www.songwriteradvisor.com/feedback-suggestions.html
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