thepopeofpop

I do have the Pro version, so it definitely sounds sweet!

A pair of Tannoy 502s. (I also use KRK headphones - KNS-6400 - which were recommended to me by professional recording engineer, and they are really good and very reasonably priced).

I've only just realised that Sphere exists. Since I will want to upgrade to v6 when that happens, I guess it's partly a question of will it be cheaper if I'm subscribed to Sphere rather than paying for the new version.

This is where you should be looking for information, I believe that this category would be your best shot: https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/apply-for-a-visa/about-visa/high-end-music-act-visitor-act What you need: You must provide a letter from an "approved promoter" that includes: your name the name of the act your role in the act the dates or duration of the performance(s), or the length of time you’ll need to be in New Zealand with the act. The cost of the application is $140 in New Zealand currency, which is less than $100 US. An "approved promoter" will know whether or not they are in fact approved by the New Zealand government. You'll need to find a promoter who has booked overseas acts in the past. You'd be best advised to try and make some contacts in New Zealand - I don't have any suggestions unfortunately - I live in Australia and I don't know a lot of people active in the industry in New Zealand. Does the band have any following in New Zealand? It might be difficult to get any promoters interested if your band isn't known, unless you can be booked into some kind of music festival. If you do have some fans in New Zealand then you might want to reach out to them for ideas.

Yes, I recorded two albums! I was working on one album late 2019 into 2020 - and then, even before lockdown, I went into overdrive in February when I realised the world was going to change, and very quickly finished that album (by March 2020) and then started work on another album which I finished in late 2020. Now I'm four songs into my next album (which will be my fourth album overall). So yes, for me the current situation is just a reminder that time is short and I need to focus.

I often find that I accumulate "bits and pieces" - a riff ... then a few lines of lyric, then an interesting chord progression with a "surprise" chord - without necessarily thinking that any of it is part of a particular song. I just know that each bit has potential. I keep all the bits and pieces for a rainy day - they might well add up to several songs once inspiration really sets in! Other times an entire song might spring from nothing in ten minutes. What marks someone as a songwriter is the mindset that the smallest little thing (a snatch of melody, a couple of lines that rhyme, a "cool" chord change) needs to be noted down as it could lead to yet another song, or could even be the finishing touch for a song that's 90% there. I don't find it "easier" to write the lyrics first, or the melody first. I often tend to "find" the melody while working through promising chord sequences on guitar (or sometimes, piano) but I will also then play (or sing) the melody unaccompanied to test whether the melody stands up without the chords. I also will try the melody with just the root notes of the chords ... and often will end up trying alternate bass notes, or countermelodies in the bass. In my opinion (for what it's worth) the bass line and the top line (ie, the vocal melody) are what really define the musical shape of each part of the song, and all the other harmonic stuff is just icing on the cake. Lyrics: if I write the lyric first then I usually just find an interesting meter to write it in - or even use someone else's melody to get the lyric started. I used to think using another melody to get a lyric started was "cheating", but I was much younger then! As the song takes shape then assumptions I've made at the start might go out the window. The first lyrics to be written might not be the start of the song (unless I thought "wow, what a great opening line" as soon as I wrote it). After I've written two or three verses I critically examine the flow of the words. Start strong, but also finish well, I think. If the lyric tells a story then it clearly should have a logical progression, but even if the song is just expressing an opinion it should still have a "shape". Many people may not pay close attention to your lyrics, but those who do will appreciate that extra effort you have made in writing well. The same thing can equally apply to musical composition - many listeners only pay attention to the chorus, to the catchy hook, but more discerning listeners will enjoy the development of musical ideas in your song.

The Beatles tended to use a lot of chords - there's relatively few of their hits that have a small number of chords (Paperback Writer, Love Me Do and The Ballad Of John and Yoko all spring to mind - and none of them really would be classed as amongst their best material) and most tend to have more than average. It goes without saying that they were the most popular act of their era, and still probably the best selling of all time. Check out Yesterday, Strawberry Fields Forever, Penny Lane, Hello Goodbye ... just to name a few. So I don't think that using more than 3 or 4 chords will put off the average listener, if the melodies are strong and accessible.

Yeah, G#. I Mistyped that. But, It doesn't alter the point that a C#m chord and an A chord share two tones: C# and E.

If you were really in A minor then your first chord would not be A major! But your first chord is A major. But ... as far as chord sequences go you don't have to stick just to chords from the key you think you're in. That's a pathway to predictability. Go with whatever sounds good to your ears! Also the way chords fit together has a lot to do with the melody you're singing or playing over them and the "voice leading" between chords. Sometimes a supposedly "wrong" tone, in this case the "C" (instead) of the "C#", can be much more interesting. Here's one reason why: Your first chord is A ... composed of A, C# and E Your second chord is C ... composed of C E and G# The chords have one tone in common: E. That makes the chord change already smoother than you think. C is the "bIII" chord in A major. You are thinking that you want to use the III chord, which would be C#m. But C#m is composed of C# E and G#. Now that chord contains two tones in common with the A chord. Now, there's nothing wrong with that, but when you shift between chords that are almost the same the changes aren't always as interesting. Try playing the chords as: A C#m D7 E7 does that work as well as A C D7 E7 for you? Also your D7 chord has a "C" in it as well ... so, no reason why you can't have another chord with "C" in it. You can have a lot of fun playing around with the 3rd tone in a scale ... is it minor, is it major? Keep the listener on their toes, it's a classic songwriting trick.

yes, I've written verses after the chorus.

Ah, but technically if a song has never been performed then the songwriter can refuse to allow cover versions until he (or she) has performed it.

Well ... one thing you could try is not following the chords so much! As an exercise, take the first bit of melody in the song (1 bar or so) and try to repeat it a few times - just making minimal changes to fit the subsequent chords. That should at least give you some ideas as to the possibilities. Another thing to consider is: are you determined to keep the exact chord progression you are using? I often find that once I start to "flesh out" a melody a little that I end up making changes to some of the chords. This can certainly make things sound more interesting.

There are certainly no hard and fast rules. Songwriters as commercial as The Beatles often ''broke the rules''. You don't want to do it with every chord - but occasionally defying expectation about the next chord will certainly make for the odd memorable moment. As for the original poster's first example - if the first two chords in a sequence are C and F I don't see any reason why the third chord has to be G. For a start, you're assuming the song is in C major, but if the song was in F major then the third chord could be a Bb. Even if you're in C major the third chord could be Dm or Am. But really, the possibilities are endless. Rather than using a G, why not try Gm? (Or Gm7?) In fact the same goes with Dm - you could substitute a regular D major chord instead. A 2 - 5 - 1 turnaround might sound more interesting if you use D - G - C instead of Dm - G - C. Of course, a lot of this also depends on the melody.

I think it's fairly commercial - so that's a good start.

"Leave them wanting more" - this is why a lot of pop songs wear out their welcome pretty quickly, because they have one good idea that they pound into the ground and so don't leave you wanting more. If the hook is repeated over and over, especially through a long fade out at the end, you may please the listener the first few times but your song will have little long-term replay value. Anthony is exactly correct - the most powerful thing you can do in a song (like "We Are The Champions") is make the listener immediately want to hear it again to capture that special moment. Setting up that classic hook one last time and then denying the "payoff", or changing it radically, is one very effective technique. Gary has a good idea ... changing the duration of chords. Definitely a good thing in a song - not just for dramatic effect but also to add variation.