Handling criticism of your song

If a pro-writer's criticism makes you angry, you probably need to rewrite it. Because down deep, you know they are right and there is a problem with the song. Let a little time pass before you dig in and rewrite so you're not "writing angry". Come back later and consider their suggestions seriously. See if you can incorporate their suggestions into your writing while keeping a positive attitude. The goal here is to come up with something you like even better, while also addressing these criticisms. When is it okay to disregard a suggestion from a pro-writer? When you've already thought about what they've suggested and you just made a decision to do exactly what you've done. ie: The girl leaves at the end. (and that's how I want it to stay). Even a pro-writer would tell you to stand up for what you really believe in regarding your song.

I see your verse, and I raise you another verse.

On days where I don't just sit down to the piano and burst into a new song that I'm writing as fast as I can sing, I'll do some writing exercises. Here's one. Take a perfectly good song that has several verses and a chorus and write new verses to it. That's hard to do. But it gives you an idea of exactly what the original writer was facing. Or you can imagine you are co writing with the original writer and he's just suggested a verse and now you are going to suggest your own. You may even come up with a verse that is indeed better than what is on the record. At least you may think so. It doesn't work so well trying to write a new chorus though because all the verses point to the chorus. However, you can form a variation on the chorus and come up with your own hook idea. Heck, if you keep going you may have your very own completed song. I may be able to burst into song after all!

Who are your influences?

That was the one question I am embarrassed to say I was not ready for during an interview for a staff writing position at a publisher here in Nashville. I managed to come up with a few names that got me through however it made me realize I didn't really know who my influences were as a writer. Sure, I've got songs I like and I've got a few singers I like, but what songwriters do I like? John Maxwell is a Christian-based author and he writes a lot about leadership. He spends quite a bit of time studying coaches and heads of companies and dissecting what they are doing so we can model that in our own lives. It works. If you do what successful people do long enough, you too will be successful. With that in mind you can see how important it is to find a few writers you just totally love and study the heck out of them. Right now I'm in a Rivers Rutherford phase and I'm really enjoying getting inside of his head and learning what chords, rhythms, and subject matters he likes to use. And I'm not ashamed to admit it, I'm also studying him because he flat-out gets cuts. After a few weeks of Rivers (or maybe months) I'll move on. I did not get that staff writing position, but I did walk out of there knowing I needed to know who my influences were and without a doubt that has made me a better writer.

Erika Jo breaks things

Erika Jo is a sensational young lady and a powerful singer I got to play with recently. We did 4 songs including her hit "I break things" and new ballad "Good place to turn around" for a buyers convention in Kentucky. She'll be touring more and more in 2010 and if you get a chance to see her, you should. I was analyzing "I break things" (as I often do) and what struck me most was the simplicity of the idea and the perfect fit of lyrics to music. It's an aggressive and rockin' little tune that is fun to play. The bridge is used to drive home the point from a few different angles and it does so beautifully. Talk about focus! Check out the lyrics below. For more of her songs go to her myspace (link above).

"I Break Things" by Wade Kirby and Monte Criswell

Verse:

I broke most of Mama’s dishes

She banned me from the kitchen when I was a kid

I tore Daddy’s truck to pieces

Left it in a heap that no mechanic could fix

You don’t believe me I can see you laughin’

But trust me I’m an accident waiting here to happen

Chorus:

Cause I break things

Anything I touch

I just get around and then I’m bound to tear ‘em up

Yeah, I make things

Snap and fall apart

So if you wanna hold me boy, you’d better watch your heart

Cause I break things

Verse:

You say I’m nothing you can’t handle

You’re tougher than enamel

Well baby we’ll see

I’m like a wrecking ball coming

You’re better off running

Bar away from me

Don’t get me wrong now baby I adore ya

It’s only right that I give you fair warning

Bridge:

Rain is wet

The desert is dry

That’s the way it’ll always be

Fire is hot

It’s dark at night

The sun comes up in the east

(Chorus)

Songwriters of Wisconsin Presentation

Thank you Songwriters of Wisconsin for having me as a guest speaker last weekend. Hopefully you enjoyed some of my road stories and got some useful information regarding writing great songs. I enjoyed myself thoroughly and I hope to keep in touch with all of you as we continue our life-long journeys to becoming better and better songwriters.

Deciding to be confident

Reader's Digest had an article recently that said most people tend to think they are better than they really are... except depressed people... they tend to be realists.  I think it's the other way around and being a realist makes it easier to become depressed!  Still, I think it's fair to make the following statements and really believe them:

1.  Goals worth achieving take time.

2.  Working a little bit every day on writing will make it get better over time.

3.  Singers like to sing great songs and are always looking for them.

4.  I may not get any cuts.

5.  I may get lots of cuts.

6.  There are song-writers that are better than me.

7.  There are song-writers that I'm better than.

8.  Sometimes my desire to be heard short-circuits my desire to say something worth saying.

9.  Every successful song-writer has had to overcome obstacles.

There are probably more but these are the first that come to mind.  Okay here is where I think it's time to make the switch.  My favorite song-writers have a certain confidence about them, an ego really.  I think if I adopt that mind-set I'll have more success too.  Maybe we all will.  We can be realists about bills or the fact we need to work out and a million other things in life that seem to require that.  But I'm going to be confident about my writing.  I'm going to have a bit more ego about my writing.  Just typing this make me feel better.  And besides, I am damn good.  (say it with me..."I am damn good")  At least that's what I'm telling myself for a few weeks here.  If it doesn't yield better songs I'm sure the realist in me will point that out with great satisfaction. 

Rick Beresford's 7 things that make a great song:

In order of importance:

1.  Entertaining

2.  Universal Emotion/Story

3.  Told in unique way

4.  Compelling, deep emotional impact

5.  Singable

6.  Memorable lyric/melody

7.  Strikes you as honest

These are tough to get all in one song.  I've found if I focus on one that I'm weakest at, the others tend to be better too.  What are your strengths and weaknesses here?  I welcome comments and suggestions.