chased

I've only had a few singing lessons (didnt help much) but what I retained about vibrato was: 1. Not everyone can do it. It can be learned, but the quality of it depends on the timbre of your voice 2. It's 100% about breathing, but I can't quite remember how to do it. 3. It's important to control it, make sure you're counting beats while you hold the note and hold it for a set time, don't just let it trail off. Well, that may not help at all but hey, you pay peanuts: you get monkeys!!

"Walking Downtown" (b-side to 2005 single "Dave"), by The Boomtown Rats

Hey HoboSage, I'm gonna get me one of those Does it have a volume switch? And settings for certain functions? I'd go MJ for singing, Sir David Attenborough for speaking, and Barry White for when I wanna get close with my lady.

This is a good place to get some listens but check out the music promo pages for advice on how to get plenty more. Your stuff deserves to be heard because it is well written and engaging. Lyrics are especially good. The EP has that cool demo style, although I think it may have been a bit cooler a couple of years back. Look at the contrast between Bon Iver's two albums. So to pull it off now for a formal release it has to be very well played and sung, or mixed. Have a listen to dantematas, another member on this site, for a great example of this. You've done this 'live', in true demo style but for me mixing very pure versions of guitar first, then vocals over the top may serve your skills better. Even adding the odd simple solo or counter-rhythmic guitar would add some variety as your verse melodies tend to repeat in most songs. Your upper range is really beautiful and the last two songs take the best advantage of this I think. Hippie Hands is the standout track for me. Congrats on completing and releasing the EP, if you think of my advice for your next release you may find your new audience enjoys a cleaner sound. Any thoughts of a band or backup singer/player vibe next time?

John, I think the article is excellent, and HoboSage's addition is thought-provoking and insightful. But I do tend to fence-sit on the creativity/process issue as well, and its easy to get caught up in the syntax. I also think it scares away some tyro songwriters as they want it to come easy, and an article even of this length can seem overwhelming. I have read much, much longer articles (books even) that treat this topic as well and for me sometimes that still isn't enough! But what to do? Abbreviate a meaty, ideas-rich article down to Gen Z-sized chunks? Then it risks becoming shallow, and they will learn nothing. I do reckon, however, that its still worth trying to boil down a continual, possibly lifelong process or set of processes and hope that the reader can glean something valuable in it, even if they don't adopt this or that process. There are many elements, hints and approaches in your article that will speak to many people and hopefully unlock their creativity. Your looking-down-the-barrel frankness will appeal to many readers, I think. I know that it was when I came upon the idea of setting some limit or set of limits on a particular song or song cycle that my writing leapt up to a new, higher level. It is both a creative and process-based approach, and it works for me. I never would have discovered that if I didn't spend heaps of time thinking about music, experimenting, and reading articles such as this. Arrogant? No. Condescending? No. Helpful? Yes.

Have to be fingers but, oh so personal, this one!

I'd have to ask, what are your favourite melodies? There are classics that we all love but some just cut right thru to the heart. I suggest you try to study those ones the hardest until you understand them inside out. If music is a garden, melodies are the flowers.

Dont think too much about 'em, then sometimes wish I had...

Agree with mostly all above. The journey of finding your own "perfect" sound is more valuable, although possibly endless.

I prefer form too, but I love those guys who can pull off a great song that is totally original and avoids a recognisable structure. I tend to give myself a musical or structural challenge to work towards, like a new structure or a song with all 7th chords or a borrowed "feel" or rhythm, and sticking to it no matter what comes. That keeps me from straying too much and becoming lost in too many new ideas. Works for me.

"Pop vocals" not needed here, your voice and playing as they are seem well matched. Of course if you can get some balanced recordings it will allow both to be heard better. I like your passionate singing and especially the 6/8 rhythm, this upsets even experiences musos sometimes! But pretty common in the artists you listed in yr profile I guess. Maybe this song needs some more contrast, you can see even from the Soundcloud waveform that it has a very similar structure all the way through. A quieter bit, or slower bit? Anyway, for 16 years old this is a very impressive effort. Keep it up.

You've had the best start by listing similar songs. Now you know what you like, keep studying them, write out or Google the lyrics and look at them like poetry: what works, where are the rhymes, what is the "story", what bits make you feel the most emotions? Next, find or work out the chords and you'll soon know where the majors and minors fit. The songs will probably mix these up a lot, but usually a happy or hopeful song will use mainly major chords, a yearning or sad song mostly minors. A love song could be either. The rest is up to you. If you keep thinking deeply about love songs and understanding them well by starting with the above before long a new set of chords or a melody or a line of poetry will come to you and you will be writing your first love song. If you're already in love or want to be it will be all the easier. Best of luck and make sure you share your stuff with the community!

Can't agree with this, even though I understand the sentiment. There are many, many, many examples of nobodies who have become somebodies overnight due to the right song/video - Gotye was self-produced and won a Grammy! Just read and study and listen to others, and keep writing better and better songs. Believe. Practise. Back yourself. And think how much money do you need to make from this? The major bucks are made by the Madonnas and AC/DCs anyway, artists in their 50s. It takes endurance, talent and a s**tload of luck. But if you can't buy a yacht after your indie efforts is it a waste? Refer to my quote below:

Orla, I'm a massive fan of Irish music, trad and contemporary, and never tire of those breathy, heartfelt tones. How do they do it? I believe musicianship and Irishness are so strongly linked, and they clearly have so much heartache to sing about. The metaphor of little apples is perfect. Does your aunt have more of these? I traveled in the South four years ago and the pub music and ceilidhs I enjoyed there are forever in my heart. Beautiful.

Great poll, and very revealing.I sat at about the middle of all responses, so I guess that makes me one of you! But all these songs sitting on shelves, when we hear so much drivel on the radio. No justice.

Hey dante, listened to the acoustic EP cos thats more my thing and I think its fabulous! The close melodic collaboration of your guitar lines and voice is what jumped out at me immediately, and over the whole EP becomes very alluring and engaging. Do you play this stuff live? It really suits a small club vibe, or even an outside market if you have those in Toronto. I did think the vox are maybe a little heavy on the reverb, but thats a personal thing, I think a drier mix allows more of the emotion to come through. But its very revealing, I get that. My most favourite part is the playing, flawless and beautiful, never boring and endlessly busy, but in a good way May try the band album too but for now this my favourite late-night music, with Heavier Than Feathers my pick of the tracks. What's next for you?

I have a Zoom too but I'm wanting to start exploring the options more. There's some great on-board FX available in DAWs these days so we're spoilt for choice, but there also seems to be a huge number of players either going or staying retro. This is an excellent rundown of what Ultimate Guitar users voted as their favourite: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/ug_news/top_10_best_guitar_pedals_of_all_time.html Needless to say, I'd happily have all of these!

Well done, I did enjoy it! You manage to make it contemporary and medieval all at once. Not easy. And what's that cool software you've used for your video? It's hypnotic.

Works great with Chrome, my new favourite browser.

Do you have any Springsteen songs as examples of this turnaround? There's no reason why it shouldn't work, especially with poetic skills like those of The Boss. It seems as a rule though, if you take most songs the approach Anthony suggests will be the norm. Another way of looking at comparative lyrics for verse and chorus is that the verse deals with information, or the story, where the chorus provides an emotional comment on what has been introduced in the verse. These lyrical imperatives are supported by the musical hooks and melodies stuff John talks about above. As a side issue, it seems the bridge often provides a resolution to a story or an answer to a problem, a new direction or a new angle. But hey, if we can discover these "rules" without even knowing about them, they are either so hard-wired that they are too obvious to mention, or so essential that songs just don't work without them.

Delivered myself a crash course in flamenco guitar (sorry purists!) for a bridge section of a new song. Thanks youtube. Love those crazy scales and jumpy right hand rhythms on guitar. Will be returning to this to write something totally Latinesque soon!

Love of the Common People - originally by Hurley and Wilkins in 1967; covered and No. 1 hit for Paul Young 1983.

Mmmm...a right answer, wonder how I went. Very new to this but answered with my instinct. I think we are lucky there are so many ways to achieve this these days! It wasn't too long ago you had to trust all this to a greedy multinational "music" company! Interested to see reults, good poll -Stephen