IT'S OK, GO AHEAD, DARE TO BE YOU !!!!



Sure, studying the masters and copying their styles can help any starting writer get going, but there comes a time when you really need to take off the training wheels and ride that bike yourself. Here are a few ways to put yourself into your writing, and feel good about doing that.

I'M TOO OLD!

Garbage. Sure, you may be too old to get signed as the next American Idol, or even try out for that chance, but there is plenty of stuff you can still do. To be honest, many of those idols can't write, and need people like us to crank out the material that will make them look good. Get those demos together, find out who has signed them, and send off those CDs. True, they might already have a whole album's worth of material lined up for them, but whether they flop or fly, they will probably get a chance to get a follow-up disc right behind that first one. Find one of the finalists from one of the competitions that will work in your style and try writing something they could use, if nothing else. It will still be good practice, regardless. You can also still write soundtrack music for movies some new talent might be up for, or just DJ at raves if nothing else. There are loads of places where it is product output, not age that matters. Genres like classical, jazz, blues, country, bluegrass and folk have always been open to everyone, and many folks would like to hear new tunes mixed in with standards. Sorry, age is just no excuse. Even rockers can still at least do parties, and many toss their own tunes inbetween covers of favorites, and you probably will be making more money than most all-original bands while you are at it.

DO WHAT YOU KNOW

If you are a 5-octave singer or a virtuoso guitarist or both, let it rip! Don't care if some rep might have told you that no one will be able to sing it but you know that is nonsense, and any good singer can just break it down to a lower key, third or whatever if they want. Trust me, studios are full of hack guitarists that can play anything put in front of them, they are there because they have ability, but most can't write those riffs to save their life, unless it is to just come up with the occasional basic solo. Walking bass lines and concert-sounding piano and violin parts will be memorable, and there are loads of straight-A school band geek musicians that could play them if handed just a CD to listen to, and even faster if given a lead sheet or tab. Write that lovely jazzy solo, hit that high or low note, and write that lyric that a good singer will be proud to say because it has substance and is poetic fans will eat it up. I can't say how many times I've seen a performer get a standing ovation because he or she got up and did a solo, even though some detractors thought they didn't know how to play the part you will only make the fans love them more for the attempt. Don't dumb things down for people either, even if asked to play long and slow notes, make those the most beautiful and melodic you know how, and show how good you can write melodies, not just play notes fast. If you are any good, it will show, and don't be afraid to let yourself shine, no matter what you are asked to do. Let those influences show, too. They are a part of your sound, and even if that changes year to year, people should be able to tell at some point that it is you, not you trying to sound like someone else.

BE PROUD OF YOUR HERITAGE

If you are of a certain ethnic group, religion or nationality, let that slip into your music. The last thing any musician needs is a chip on their shoulder that somehow they are hiding some personal shame about what they were or what their family was like. Many great musicians were born or even died poor. Many came from rural backgrounds, but many came from well-off families and had to take huge amounts of grief from other musicians about their lack of hard knocks before they earned any respect, too. Many came from the classic bad home with the bad reputation, but there are plenty of good Christians out there, too, and many will find a way to let what they are sift into their music, at least in a small way. Perhaps you will find a little Gypsy violin or a finger piano sneak in to your tunes. One of the most fun things I've heard is how some rockers whose parents were into show pieces write some of the most stirring anthems that sound like they could just be rearranged for Broadway. The important part is to let you be you, and never be ashamed of what you are or your background it will only manifest itself as yet another form of writer's block, and that is the last thing any of us need. Let it instead be additional inspiration to spur you on to that next hit.

So look at that face in the mirror and dress in a skin you are comfy in. You will find that doing so will give you the confidence that will keep you going in the face of how tough this field is. It will also help you to feel able to stretch and grow, not feel straitjacketed into some artificial mold that you think you should be or feel others might like. neuroticallyicians turn neurotically unhappy because they become something they aren't happy with. Don't do that to yourself or to your music.


Deb's Top 5 Songs Of The Day:

Drowning Pool, Bodies
Cat Stevens, Wild World
Green Day, American Idiot
Hamell On Trial, Coulter's Snatch
Pink Floyd, Dark Side Of The Moon

Local Artist Of The Day:

New Found Element