Song

International Day of Peace

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Today is the International Day of Peace.
 
I grew up in the Beatles generation, and I thought the world was coming to an end in 1969 — not because of the Viet Nam War, but because the Beatles announced they were breaking up!
 
Fortunately, the music didn’t stop. Especially John Lennon (and — yes, you have to include Yoko) who tirelessly campaigned for Peace and Love. “Give Peace A Chance” and “Imagine” and “War is Over If You Want It (And So This Is Christmas”), the “Bed-In” in Toronto.
Teddy R-bigstick-cartoon 
But reality is not kind — there has never been a cessation of war.
 
I learned a Christmas song when very young — “I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day” and the last verse is so melancholy.
 
And in despair I bowed my head,
There is no peace on Earth, I said
For Hate is strong and Mocks the song
Of Peace on Earth, Good Will To Men.
 
Happy International Day of Peace.
 
Let’s all try to get along.

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John Lennon Hit Songwriting Teleseminar

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At this moment, you’re just a click away from discovering the Hit Songwriting Secrets of John Lennon… even if you’re starting from scratch.




April 18th and 19th, 2007 6pm PST/ 8pm CST/ 9pm EST

Count me in! Please reserve my tele-slot for your LIVE teletraining so I too can discover the hit songwriting secrets of John Lennon … even if I’m starting from scratch!

I understand that during these LIVE training calls, you’ll reveal proven songwriting secrets that can dramatically improve my songwriting WITHOUT going through years and years of trial and error…

I further understand that you’ll reveal the identical songwriting techniques that have generated dozens of memorable and enduring hits!

By the end of these calls on April 18th and 19th at 6pm Pacific (9pm Eastern) I’ll have access to…

  • Analysis of a number of John Lennon’s hit songs: You’ll receive a detailed analysis of the lyrics, melodies, harmonies, rhythms, and song forms of the legendary John Lennon.
  • Four hit chord progressions to write a song over.
  • Four hit song titles to get you started.
  • Two teleseminars to ask questions and discuss songwriting – both teleseminars will be recorded and put online to download (in case you can’t make the scheduled time).
  • Learn how to use the “Chorus Cheat Sheet” to write dozens of choruses.
  • Learn how to create a songwriting flow so you can generate more ideas faster.
  • Learn rewriting and editing techniques to help you improve your work based on what you’ve learned.

And so much more!

I will confirm my registration for this Samurai Songwriting live two-part teleseminar as follows:


VIP Code Registration – Saves you on tuition

Enter your Promo Code (JL101) below:


(Normal Tuition is )

FREE BONUS! If I’m one of the first 10 registrants for these live calls, I will also be eligible to claim the new “Songwriting Video Tutorial – From Start to Completion Using Today’s Technology.”

Normal Registration – (No VIP Discount Code)

Warning: These LIVE teleseminars are available only to the first 50 people who register. Once 50 tele-slots are filled, registrants will be placed on our “Stand-By” list. (Sorry, there are absolutely no exceptions)


Samurai Songwriting

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Songwriting Help – How To Write A Song Today!

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John Lennon was asked, “What do you write songs about?”

And he answered, “Whatever annoys you.”  (From what I’ve read, John probably used a stronger word than “annoy.”)

I recommend checking in on Corey Stewart Songwriting Tips regularly.  A recent posting there says, “To be a songwriter you need to have the mindset of one. Always be on the lookout for an idea.”

You can check out some methods of determining the subject of your next song, and how to always have a “next song.”

[READ MORE HERE]

WADE

 

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How To Know Which Key A Song Is In

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If you don’t know music theory and the formula for telling the key signature of a song by the number of flats and sharps in it — here is a SNEAKY MUSICIAN’S TRICK (one in a long series — collect them all).

This works for MOST songs — there will always be exceptions.  But I’d say at least 90% or 95% or maybe even 99% will follow this rule.

Read more on How To Know Which Key A Song Is In…

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Mike Viola is Lost in the Supermarket

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By Mike Viola

 

 

There is a base human need to consume.  We gotta eat. We do it with food, we do it with sex, we do it with raising our kids. We do it with movies, music, musicals, paintings, pictures, pictures of musicians in musicals who paint movie posters. The list goes on.  What do we love more than lists? Crossing something off our lists. Consuming our lists.

Let’s walk right past the “I wanna be famous” stage of being an artist. Even though you tell yourself and everybody else around you that you “don’t want to be famous, I just want to be heard.”  You’re kidding yourself.  You’re hungry.  I know very famous people at the top of their game. One guy is the only surviving member of his era. He’s the best. Everyone knows he’s the best. And it’s not enough for him. And that hunger has nothing to do with more fame. He’ll die starving, a very rich man.

Read more on Mike Viola is Lost in the Supermarket…

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Write new lyrics over the old ones

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I don’t know how long this method has been around, but I remember hearing Tom T. Hall talk about it on “Nashville Now” hosted by Ralph Emery back in the late 1980s.

Select a song to use as a model. It’s best to choose one you like and one that was popular and sold well.

Then write a new set of lyrics for the song.  They don’t have to be about the same thing as the original.  For example, Paul McCartney wrote the tune for “Yesterday” first, using dummy lyrics — “Scrambled eggs, how I love to eat my scrambled eggs.”

As soon as you get a set of lyrics you like, write a new tune for them.

As with the lyrics, the tune doesn’t have to be in the same style as the original model.  It can be any style you want — just make sure the lyrics fit into the tune.

My wife once presented me with some lyrics she wrote.  She told me she had modeled them on a famous song, but didn’t tell me what it was.  I didn’t want to be influenced by the original.

This was some years back when Santana came out with “Smooth” and the song was playing everwhere you went. So I wrote a latin groove and the lyrics fit very well — I only had to add one word.

When I played her the finished song, she was really surprised — she was obviously still thinking of the original song.

She had based it on “Ob La Di, Ob La Da” and I turned it into Santana,

If you want to hear the result — click here.

There are a million ways to write a song, but this is one that can give you a good place to start and a structure to work with … maybe making it easier.

WADE

 

 

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