Bruce Springsteen, an Imposter?
Thanks to TheaterMakers for essence of this article
Pretty much everybody in songwriting and performance has struggled with this to varying degrees, yet I think songwriters take the lion’s share of the Imposter Syndrome.
I’m sure you’ve all heard of this illogical illness, but if not: Imposter Syndrome is that feeling of not belonging alongside one’s peers. That somehow your status or success is undeserved (or shouldn’t exist).
In an interview with Charlie Rose, Bruce Springsteen confessed that his biggest fear when he stepped out on stage was that the audience would discover that he was an imposter. https://charlierose.com/videos/16872
Most everyone has struggled with this.
Now, let’s be clear… “success” is a sliding scale and there are as many ways to measure it as there are people to perceive it. Am I a GRAMMY winner? No. Has my writing been covered by a popular artist? Not yet. Does that make me any less of a success?
The honest answer is: no, but it feels like it sometimes…
Because being a “success” as a songwriter can sometimes just mean that I found an hour out of my week to actually work on my songs (when I’m not doing my office work, working on other people’s projects, spending time with my family, etc). And it is easy to look around you and see other people “succeeding” and be discouraged or feel as though your own accomplishments pale in comparison.
Succeeding may mean completing a song, performing a song in public, or recording a song. These are important milestones for the quiet development of a career.We’re all moving at our own pace. And that’s okay.
Try not to constantly measure yourself with someone else’s ruler, and keep an eye out for the wins you do have. Give yourself achievable, manageable goals and keep taking them on. I guarantee those wins will get bigger as you go.
That brings me to another contributing factor to imposter syndrome in our field: the definition of what it even means to be “a songwriter.”
A few years back a friend of mine was finally at a point in her life where she was able to make the big, scary choice to quit her job and focus on songwriting full-time (and it’s funny, even just writing this shows the weird bias we have around songwriting… her “job” was the thing she did during business hours and her writing was somehow this OTHER thing, despite it being just as, if not more, important than her “job”). Now her JOB was SONGWRITING. By even the most draconian of standards, everyone would agree she was a SONGWRITER.
But she was always a songwriter (and she would agree).
It’s not an all-or-nothing game… You don’t have to be writing full-time to be a songwriter.
You don’t have to be making money off of your songwriting to be a songwriter.
Heck, a lot of the time you don’t even have to be SONGWRITING to be a songwriter (songwriters spend a whole lot more time observing, analyzing, and thinking than they do actually creating output).
There is nothing quantifiable about the term songwriter that should make you afraid to use it or apply it to yourself.
We all have goals, we all have things to learn, and we all have obstacles. Let the successes of others fuel you, but never let them make you feel as though you don’t belong or that you are anything less than what you are.
Did you write, are you writing, or will you be writing? If yes, then you’re a songwriter.
Wednesday, September 6, 2023
Bruce Springsteen, An Imposter?
Sunday, March 7, 2010
LITERARY DEVICES - PART 2 - SIMILES
Sunday, February 7, 2010
LITERARY DEVICES - PART 1 - METAPHORS
Songwriters have less than 4 minutes to tell their story, with the extra weight of providing enough descriptive elements in the lyric to set a tone, paint a scene and emote a heartfelt truth for the listener. There is no video to help tell the story. The songwriting must provide enough lyric information for the listener to create the movie in the mind when listening. Literary devices provide a great tool to complete this task.
Metaphors are the mainstay of good creative writing. By comparing two unlike objects that do not belong together, you've created a friction, an essential conflict, that will emote a feeling in your listener by creating a new descriptive idea that will demand your listener to pay attention.
Listen to these songs with great metaphors:
Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AscPOozwYA8
Hearts & Bones by Paul Simon
Lyrics: http://www.lyricsdomain.com/16/paul_simon/hearts_and_bones.html
Lisen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyBotGRFAX8
Love is A Battlefield by Pat Benatar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjY_uSSncQw
Mercy Street by Peter Gabriel
Lyrics : http://www.venco.com.pl/~piotrus/greenpages/pgabriel/m.htm
Listen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX7zIypE2FE
Loser by Beck
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcjz8czb81s
Everything You Did by Steely Dan
Lyrics: http://www.purelyrics.com/index.php?lyrics=mippueqo
Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoJwJoJ52wU
& Californication by Red Hot Chili Peppers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQYJRw4R4-Q
Here are the tools to create three types of metaphors.
1. Expressed Identity occurs when you compare two unlike nouns. There are three formulas in which to do this.
First pick two nouns. A great way to find new comparisons is to create an expressed identity worksheet. Make two long lists of nouns and try out the formulas on each noun on list 1 by comparing it to each noun on list 2. For example: If "love" is the first noun on your list 1 and "rose" is the first noun on your list 2, I try out all three formulas below with these two nouns. Then compare "love" with the second noun "river" on list 2 and so on. Then do the same for each noun down list 1, with all the nouns down list 2.
List 1 is "X" List 2 is "Y".
Love = X Rose = Y
River = Y
Razor = Y
Flower + Y
Formulas
(1.) "x is y" (Love is a rose; love is a river; love is a razor; love is a flower)
(2.) "the y of x " ( The Rose of love; the river of love, the razor of love, the flower of love)
(3.) "x's y" (Love's Rose; love's river; love's razor; love's flower)
Building expressed identity worksheets is a great way to come up with your own unique metaphors.
Now listen to Neil Young's song, "Love Is A Rose" or Amanda Bloom's song, "The Rose".
2. Qualifying metaphors are another way of using comparisons. This time adjectives qualify nouns and adverbs qualify verbs. The conflict between the relationships create metaphor. Again build your lists: List 1 of adjectives and list 2 of nouns and then have fun comparing list one with list 2. Then build list 3 with verb and list 4 with adverbs and have more fun comparing.
(This is a short list for examples only, you should have a whole page.)
List 1
Adjectives
tender
lovely
beautiful
sharp
windy
careful
forgetful
feathered
gothic
blackened
List 2
Nouns
love
reed
rose
razor
flower
seed
clouds
canyon
fairy
soul
List 3
Verbs
bleed
leave
ache
blind
sail
love
sing
run
pitch
toss
List 4
Adverbs
sedately
bleeding
rigidly
blindly
tightly
lovingly
sharply
blindly
carefully
solely
Adj / Noun example = feathered canyon
= gothic fairy (Red Hot Chile Peppers)
Adverb / verb example = to sail blindly into his arms
3. Verbal metaphors are also good literary devices which are formed by conflict between a verb and it's subject or object. Take your list 2 of nouns and your verbs from list 3 from the above qualifying metaphors worksheet and compare.
Example: the flower aches for the sun
soul bleeds
We all have the ability to have the creative spark it takes to make metaphors. Creating worksheets will help you train your vision and prepare you for that spark of bright and wonderful inspiration.
Once you've found your great metaphor, don't leave it dangling from abandonment in mid song. Continue to carry the idea thru to the end.
See if you can find the references to warfare in this John Mayer song:
Heartbreak Warfare by John Mayer -
Heartbreak Warfare - John Mayer /w LyricsHow many gambling references do you find in this Lady Gaga song?
POKER FACE - She milks the metaphor by referring to gambling all the way through the song.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
GETTING STARTING
From the beginning of human interaction, songs have been the most powerful means of communication. We've all been moved by improvised stage performances that occur instantly and touch our souls, sending chills up our spine. It appears so spontaneously, yet, there are years of study and practice behind the scenes to be able to go on autopilot and reach that next level. The same principle applies to songwriting. It's takes hard work and preparation, to become a great songwriter. There are tricks and tools that will help you get started, but it will be up to you to exercise your songwriting muscle.
MAKING A SPACE & COLLECTING YOUR TOOLS - Find a corner or a room in your home that you can call your own for songwriting. Assemble your tools and keep them there when not in use. Gather your lucky pen, paper, three ring binder, reference books, your instrument, a a small portable recorder. You might want to designate a briefcase or something portable in which you can carry supplies to your co-writing appointments or the studio. If you use a laptop for writing and recording, that's even better.
SONGWRITING NOTEBOOK - You'll need a three ring binder in which to keep your work.
Here is a list of tabs for the notebook sections that I have suggested to my students.
- Object Writing
- Ideas
- Titles
- Works in Progress
- Completed Songs
- Assignments
- Educational Articles
- Quiz
- Contacts
- Pitch Opportunities
- Agreements
You can arrange the above suggestions to fit your own needs. I'll talk more about each one of these points later.
REFERENCE BOOKS - You'll need to acquire and exercise your verbal skills to compete with hit songwriters. Play games that focus on vocabulary and language skills. Read to develop language skills and get ideas. Also, keep up with pop culture and developing expressions of slang. Here's a list for a start. Much of this list can be found online, as well.
- New dictionary that includes slang terms
- Rhyming dictionary - The Complete Rhyming Dictionary, editied by Clement Wood, Doubleday http://www.rhymezone.com
- Thesaurus -Pat Pattison recommends the original Roget's Thesaurus http://www.thesaurus.reference.com
- Book of popular quotations
- encyclopedia
- Newspapers & magazines
SET ASIDE TIME - You may have a space, but if you don't spend time in it, you'll never write that hit. You'll need to free yourself from distractions. The best way to do that is to schedule songwriting time on your calendar, and ask your family members not to distract you. Keep your date with yourself. This may be the hardest thing to do, but if you want to be in the business of songwriting, then you need to treat it like a buisiness and report to work. Turn off the phone, put a note on the door, and send the kids to a movie.
You also will want to network and find songwriters with which to co-write. When you've found someone compatible, you can set a regular work time each week. Nashville is full of active songwriters who are daily exercising their songwriting muscle as evidenced by a crowded co-write calendar.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
The Ultimate Song Evaluation Check List
- Does your title instantly grab a listener's attention because it is fresh and interesting?
- Is the hook free of cliche?
- Is the hook placed in a power position?
- Is your hook repeated?
- Does your hook sum up the story or feeling of your song?
- Does the melody employ repetition?
- Is the melody simple?
- Is the melody interesting?
- Is the melody catchy and easy to remember and sing even without lyrics?
- Is the melody range within an octive and a third?
- Does the melody refrain from skipping around?
- Does the melody reach a climax with the story.
- Is there prosody between the melody and lyric? Does the feel of the melody and the tempo of the music match the meaning of the words?
- Does the melodic rhythm change in each part of the song structure? (Verse/chorus/bridge)
- Are the important words in the lyric placed in the power positions of the measure (beat 1 or 3) or on longer note durations?
- Does the verse lyric lead the listener directly to the chorus or the hook?
- Is the lyric detailed and full of fresh imagery?
- Does the lyric employ metaphors or similes and carry the imagery through the song?
- Does the lyric sound natural and conversational?
- Does the lyric effectively employ rhymes?
- Does the lyric draw the listener into the story, by showing instead of telling how the singer feels?
- Does the lyric have one focused idea?
- Is the lyric concise and not too wordy or have too many syllables to be melodic?
- Is the point of view consistent?
- Does the lyric make the singer look good and not cause him or her to look bad?
- Are the lyrics easily relatable and not too personal?
- Is the story completely told and does it make sense?
- Is the melody the same but the lyrics different on each verse?
- Is the rhyme structure consistent from verse to verse?
- Is the meter of the lyric consistent from verse to verse?
- Does meter of the lyric change from verse to chorus or bridge?
- Are the chord changes the same in each verse?
- Is the song form a standard popular song?
- Does the verse lyric tell the story and advance the idea?
- Additional points to check depending on the song form:
- Is the title/hook in the first or last line (power positions) in each verse?
- Is the title/hook in the first or last line (power positions) in each verse?
- Is the bridge a departure from the verse musically?
- Is the bridge a departure from the verse lyrically?
- Is the bridge a departure from the verse rhythmically?
- Are the chord changes different in the bridge?
- Is the chorus the catchiest part of the song?
- Does the chorus contain the title/hook?
- Is the chorus the same musically and lyrically each time?
- Is the chorus a summation of the idea?
- Is the chorus a departure from the verse musically?
- Is the chorus a departure from the verse lyrically?
- Is the chorus a departure from the verse rhythmically?
- Are the chord changes different in the chorus?
- Does the rhyme structure change in the chorus?
- Is the chorus the catchiest part of the song?
- Does the chorus contain the title/hook?
- Is the chorus the same musically and lyrically each time?
- Is the chorus a summation of the idea?
- Is the chorus and bridge a departure from the verse musically?
- Is the chorus and bridge a departure from the verse lyrically?
- Is the chorus and bridge a departure from the verse rhythmically?
- Are the chord changes different in the chorus and bridge?
- Does the rhyme structure change in the chorus and bridge?
- Is the bridge the climax of the song?
- Is the story original?
- Is the melody fresh and doesn't sound like another song?
- Is the hook or title fresh and does not sound cliche?
- Did the song make you laugh or cry?
- Is the story and are characters believable?
- Is there enough contrast between the sections to build to an emotional climax?
- Does the lyric allow the listener to empathize with the singer?
- Does the story move forward and come to a conclusion?
- Does the melody work to create the emotional impact that the lyric intends?
Saturday, November 7, 2009
The Importance of Contrast
Have you ever been listening to a song, or not really, because it is so monotonous that you don't even know where the chorus starts?
Even though repetition is an important device for driving home the central idea or hook in a song, making the song memorable, repetition has it's limits. It can be carried too far and the song loses it's power to grab the attention of the listener. At this point, the song doctor orders a dose of contrast.
Contrast can be applied to a number of song elements to accomplish a "heads up" from the listener as an enticement to keep listening.
An important rule in song structure is to keep the meter (rhythm of the lyric), rhyme scheme, melody and chord progression the same from verse to verse, however, all of these elements should change when moving to another section of the song, a chorus or bridge.
Here are some ways you can apply contrast.
Vary your melodic and lyrical meter by:
- Having short note durations in the verse and long note durations in the chorus or vise versa.
- Changing the length of your lines from one section to another,. For example, long in the verse, short in the chorus and then maybe two medium lines and a long line in the bridge.
- Changing the length of your sections. For example, say you have an eight line verse, then have a four line chorus and a three line bridge.
- Changing the rhythmic accents or stresses on the syllables in your lyric.
- Changing the feel of your sections. For example, if you have a more rhythmic and less melodic verse, then create a strong soaring melody that is less rhythmic for your chorus.
Vary your rhyme scheme by:
- Changing your rhyme pattern for each section. For example if you have common meter (Mary Had A Little Lamb nursery rhyme) in your verse (xa xa xb xb), use couplets (Eenie Meenie Minie Moe nursery rhyme) in your chorus ( aa bb) or vice versa.
Vary your melody by:
- Keeping your melody in low to medium range in the verse and moving to the highest melodic range of the vocalist on the chorus, or vice versa
Vary your chord progression and keep them interesting by:
- Changing your progression for each section.
- Modulating in the bridge and returning to the same key.
- Modulating to a new key.
Another important contrast to consider is emotional intensity. Just as `in a novel, movie or any other story telling media, your three minute song story should have a scene setter (who, where & when), a conflict with rising action, a climax, and falling action with an outcome. Try drawing a graph of the emotional intensity of your song. Is it a dead flat line or does it have some wavy lift to it, culminating in a peak point for your climax?
©2009 Barbara McMillen _ All rights reserved.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
The Bridge - Song Forms - THE CRAFT OF SONGWRITING
Listen to Billy Joel's I Love You Just The Way You Are for an example of this song form. In this case the B section (which starts with the lyric,
I need to know that you will always be) is a bridge between the 2nd and 3rd verse.
I've previously stated that song forms fall in and out of fashion like bell bottom pants. The bridge section of a song form is also subject to falling in and out of fashion.
If you should choose to add a bridge in your song, here are some important things to remember. The bridge functions just as it sounds like it does. A bridge over a river connects one bank to the other. A musical bridge also carries the listener to new ground. It is a transitional section of the song form and should take the listener to a new place lyrically and musically. Something extra both musically and lyrically, the bridge should be different than the other sections of the song by changing the melody, chord progression, the rhyme pattern, lyrical meter or sometimes the key. Lyrically, it can offer a surprise in the story, a change in point of view or take the listener to a different time. Musically, it can break up the repeated sections of the song and keep the listener interested. The bridge can provide some contrast and an opportunity to try something different within the context of the song's vibe. You can go outside of what the rest of the song is doing and push the envelope with the bridge. Lyrically and musically, it can come from a different point of view and tell another aspect of the story in a way the verse and chorus maybe can't without losing continuity and focus. It often occurs near the end of a song and is lyrically and musically the climax of the song. Often the bridge is followed by the final chorus and the lyric and music, especially the last line leads smoothly right into the chorus.
For and example of a bridge towards the end of the song leading back to the chorus, listen to Because You Love Me by David Foster as sung by Celine Dion.
Many times a bridge is not necessary. A simple verse/chorus will do, or a short instrumental leading to a lift/chorus will do. If your not saying anything new with your bridge, then leave it out of your song.
