More Apples in the Basket

Although our blog title Songwriting Apples refers to another site that the original members of this site came from, we have two new members that we will be adding to the bunch.

Please welcome Eric Shouse and Jason Gaylor. Please continue to check their personal pages to find out a bit about them!

Come on in, write a bit, sit back and listen... whatever feels right,
John

Playing Live

After witnessing the Ann Arbor Folk Festival this past weekend (see my review) I'm feeling pretty motivated about not only writing, but playing out. In addition to hosting such great acts as Over the Rhine, Glen Phillips, Bill Staines and more, The Ark in Ann Arbor has an open stage night about once a month. I've played out a bunch as the drummer for my band in years past, but never as a singer/songwriter. Now that I've got a couple years of playing under my belt, I'm considering taking a few songs out to the public.

I'm wondering what others have to say about the challenge of playing your songs out live. Any comments, hints, suggestions or warnings?

Thanks,
J

edit to add: Also, what do you think about "scripted" banter? I know that most banter isn't technically "scripted", but artists repeat the same banter between songs as a result of trying different things over and over and finding what works. Seems to me that keeping the audience involved and interested is vital. Comments?

If We Keep On At This Pace...

...all active participants could easily have at least one albums' worth of material to sift through by year's end.

In fact, if you wrote two songs a month, you would have 24 songs to choose from! But even if you only averaged one song a month you would still have 12 songs (more than enough for a traditional 10 song album).

Just a thought.


I guess this presumes that anyone cares about the album format anymore.
Discuss amongst yourselves: Is the album dead?
Even if it IS dead, it can't hurt to get the songs out of your head and into the world.

Plus, you're working through three or four ok songs to get to that really good one.

Songs and Absenteeism

THE ENVELOPE SONG.mp3 [01.25.07]

Hey guys. It's me, your token lady... back from her truancy.

So maybe this month was a horrible time to plan on writing four songs. Oh well. Besides getting hideously sick and having a hellish week singing with the Indianapolis Symphony (the music was pretty, it was just the 25+ hours devoted in one week on top of working full time that killed me), things have been kinda rough with my family. My dad got diagnosed with diabetes this week, so I wasn't in the mood to write pretty little love songs. Maybe I'll write a song about my mortality, just in time for Valentines' Day.

So anyway, I sent my two songs to John tonight, hopefully they'll make it up here soon. One is the "Lay the Line," for which I posted lyrics below.

Also tonight I recovered from my flimsy memory a song that I thought was lost... what a great relief that was. Inadvertently I already did one of John's little exercises from below- it's pretty much all verse. There is a bridge, but it doesn't go anywhere, just back to the verse, so maybe it's more like an oasis.

Regardless of the road to get there, here are the lyrics for "The Envelope Song." Yes, I wrote it on the back of an envelope. The BGVs are a little canned sounding, but with my limited recording capabilities at the moment (I'll post a separate blog on this later) it's about as good as I can get. You can either use your imagination to flesh things out a little, or pretend it's the Carpenters. I'd be flattered, either way.

The Envelope Song
words and music by Liza Swart

She walks by the water
She walks alone
She walks like her father
So far away from home
So far away --- from home

He loves like a brother
He loves with his soul
He loves no other
The one who makes him whole
The one who makes --- him whole

Here we stand
Heart in hand
On golden stands
You understand
You always understand

Well love is our mother
Love is a seed
Love is a wonder
And yes, love makes us free
And yes, love makes --- us free

yeah kinda sappy but what can I say. So am I. ;)

THE ENVELOPE SONG.mp3 [01.25.07]

That Water Came

That Water Came
words and music by John Natiw

Around the first of the year, I had been doing some bike rides through a local parkway here that had been flooded. The good news was that the parkway was closed, so I could ride on the roads. The parkway is designed to contain floodwaters and closes frequently during heavy rains. I'm always amazed at the power of water, and these four or five rides didn't change that. After pondering this for a few days, I figured there must be a song in there. I didn't want it to be a Katrina song, or about ANY particular flood for that matter. But it is a serious song.

The date of this recording is January 3rd and it was probably the second or third take I recorded. I listened back to it this morning after not hearing it for a few weeks and although this is an extremely early and rough representation of the song, was pleasantly surprised. I was intending on re-recording this one at a later date (and still will), but I thought it was worthy of posting.

This one has a bit of a "bluegrassy, sittin' on the front porch, thinkin' about stuff, story telling" feeling. There may eventually be a bridge added, but we'll see.

THAT WATER CAME.mp3 [01.25.07]

Mary had a baby last Sunday
She was just seventeen
Brought her home just three days later
times were lean

Friday night she sang to that baby
wind started to blow
storm was comin' along the old highway
the sky started to glow

that water came
like it knew her name

Mary dropped to her knees and said dear God
I'll do anything
If you spare me and my baby
I'll never ask again

I know there's been some things that I've done wrong
some that I regret
But if you could just help us to hold on
I'd be in your debt

but that water came
like it knew her name

that damn water came
(it came) just the same

they say the risin' water can't hear you
when it comes to call
no emotion or human feelings
it just takes it all

there wasn't anything anyone could do
in the rise and fall
two little angels died in that bayou
when the devil called

that water came
like it knew her name

that damn water came
(it came) just the same

black water came...

THAT WATER CAME.mp3 [01.25.07]

Things

The blog made me do it.

THINGS.mp3 [01.24.07]

(Original art by my brother...I thought it sort of fit the mood/idea for this song).

Seriously, this blog has been the best thing for my songwriting since my college days relationship angst songs...that and not watching the t.v. or using the computer as much.

:)

Things
words and music by Steven Wesley Guiles

VERSE 1
Take all my things, all that junk, the television
My radio, my books and my magazines

I try too hard, to hold on to the things that I don't
Really need, cause then I need something new to fill the hole

PRE-CHORUS
Brothers, Sisters, my heart blisters with the heat of the sun

CHORUS
Things I have that I can't keep
Pretty lights beyond my reach
Things I have that I can't see
Holding me here in my sleep
Things I try and let them go
but things are all I know

VERSE2
yeah I know, I know that I, can't take it with me
Sometimes that's all I need, some knowledge that'll set me free

I try too hard, to hold on to the things that I don't
Really need, cause then I need something new to fill the hole

PRE-CHORUS

BRIDGE
the only wa-ay, this goin' to stop
the only wa-ay is to get rid of those

CHORUS
Things I have that I can't keep
Pretty lights beyond my reach
Things I have that I can't see
Holding me here in my sleep
Things I try and let them go
but things are all I know

THINGS.mp3 [01.24.07]

Ponderings on Pitch

Ok, so I've been busy. Just not busy writing (at the moment). The past few days I've entered into a sort of "Master Class" on pitch. With the struggles I had singing All We Need Is Some Love, I decided to study the pitch ranges of some popular singers and compare the results with my own.

First, I had to understand pitch notation. Understanding that each octave begins with C, we then can label each octave's notes. Middle C, for instance, becomes C4. The A above middle C would be A4. The C lower than middle C would be C3, and so on.

Once I grasped this concept (which I had learned as a child during piano lessons, but needed a serious review of), I was able to begin studying popular songs (as well as my own).

I started with songs done by male vocalists that I was able to sing fairly well, without struggling. I would literally play the melody notes on my keyboard and keep track of the highest and lowest pitches sung. I did the same thing with a few other popular songs and finished up with a few songs of my own.

One of the things that jumped out at me was the range of notes a singer would include in a song. Ben Harper sings a range of only five notes in Waiting For You. Coldplay, on the other hand, includes two full octaves in Fix You, with a reach for C5 on a couple of occasions. Another song, Long December by Counting Crows covers six notes (F3-D4) but, amazingly, spends 95% of its time in THREE notes (F3-A3).

The main thing I learned is that most of these artists spend 90% of their singing time within a few notes of middle C. EVERY SONG (with the exception of Morning Yearning) covers the four notes G3-C4. The highest (and lowest) notes you see plotted here are generally sung one or two times in the entire song. Let It Be, for example, spends almost ALL of its time at or below A4. Only two or three times does Paul reach for the C5.

Another interesting observation is that there are great popular songs that are sung entirely below C4 (middle C). Morning Yearning (Ben Harper) and Empty (Ray Lamontagne) are a couple of examples. A song like 100 Years by Five for Fighting, however, spends most of its time ABOVE C4. Also, thinking about those who are gifted at hitting the high notes, during the famous chorus for When A Man Love a Woman, Percy Sledge bangs away mercilessly at the B4.

Finally, it's really interesting to me that my songs This Time and All We Need Is Some Love have the same highest pitch. What is interesting about this is that I don't have any trouble singing This Time, but struggle a bit with AWNISL. The reason, I think, is the way I sing the highest notes.

In This Time, I'm only up at E4 a few times and not for long. During AWNISL, I'm up there in the chorus and I hold out the E4 a bunch of times! It's really the signature note of the song. It may be some time before I write another song that requires me to be up around E4 for any length of time. One of my songs that is the most comfortable to sing is Stop the Rain. Interestingly, and perhaps obviously, it never ventures above C4 (middle C).

I encourage any artist to investigate and consider pitch. Learn where your strengths are. Learn your weaknesses. Study your favorite artists and the songs they sing! Use the information to YOUR benefit in writing your next great song!

Class dismissed,
J

Time Is Tickin': Let's Be Creative!

So, we've got ten days left in our first month.
How's everybody doing?


I thought we should at least have a weekly "post in" or "comment in" or "posted therapy session regarding songwriting".

Liza, how's that new song coming? John, did you have another one on the burner?

I also have an idea, why don't we post a few "do-able" song excercises or challenges with a specific theme/idea/subject so that we're not just working from the completely blank page.

Here are some ideas from the top of the head:

-write a commercial jingle
-write a kid's song about something silly
-take a famous poem (or any poem) and put it to music
-write a song using only two chords
-write a song consisting only of verses
-write a song about an inanimate object
-write a song from a character's point of view (not your own)
-write a song based on a book you've read
-write a song based on a movie you've watched

Every song doesn't have to change the world.
Every song doesn't have to be intelligent or witty.
Every song doesn't have to be your best.
We just need to keep trying.

:)

If The Song Is Good Enough For U2 and Arcade Fire To Cover, It Must Be Half Good

What can we learn from a song covered by such respected artists?
I love this song too, it's Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart Again".
What a gloriously sad song.

"Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Joy Division (from the album "Substance")
======================================================================

transcribed by Gilles Velay (gvelay@free.fr)

Updates :
* 16 jan 2005, fixed low notes on main riff thanks to
Armando Ciccarelli
* 24 mar 2004, added low notes on main riff, fix provided by
Armando Ciccarelli


Notations :
e : 8th q : quarter


Intro
-----
Some may think it's the guitar but I'm pretty sure it's the bass that
plays those chords on the intro (8 times) :

e e e e e e e e
G-|-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-|
D-|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|
A-|-----------------|
E-|-----------------|


Main Riff
---------
q e q e e e q e q e q q e e e e e e
G-|-9---9-9---9-9-9-|-11----12-11----9--7-----|---------------7-|
D-|-0---0-0---0-0-0-|--0-----0--0----0--0-----|-9---9-9-9-9-9---|
A-|-----------------|-------------------------|-----------------|
E-|-----------------|-------------------------|-----------------|

e e e e e e e e
G-|-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-|
D-|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|
A-|-----------------|
E-|-----------------|


Break Riff (8 times)
--------------------
q e e e e e e
G-|-9---9-9-9-9-9-9-|
D-|-7---7-7-7-7-7-7-|
A-|-----------------|
E-|-----------------|

The song structure is very simple, which is perhaps why so many people like it. Now that I think about it, which really, really complicated songs (structurally) have become big hits? Just wondering...not that writing songs is about having a big hit. Ultimately as a musician/artist, our goal is to connect with others via the song. Obviously this particular song connected with a lot of people.

Here's a video of the song on youtube.
Click here.

And U2 and Arcade Fire's version is here.
Love Will Tear Us Apart Again
When routine bites hard, and ambitions are low
And resentment rides high, but emotions won't grow
And we're changing our ways, taking different roads
Then love, love will tear us apart again --

Why is the bedroom so cold? You've turned away on your side
Is my timing that flawed - our respect run so dry?
[or in the Peel and Bains Douches versions:
Is my timing that flawed - have our feelings run dry?]
Yet there's still this appeal that we've kept through our lives
Love, love will tear us apart again --

You cry out in your sleep - all my failings expose
There's a taste in my mouth, as desperation takes hold
Just that something so good just can't function no more
When love, love will tear us apart again --

Lay the Line

LAY THE LINE.mp3 [01.14.07]

Ok-- so I don't have the mp3 available yet because I haven't recorded it, but I will post that part of the business tomorrow.

[Yes she does, as of 01.25.07! Check it out! JN]

the good news is that I've finished a song. And now that I'm not sick, or singing 5 million performances a day with the symphony, I'll actually have time to catch up with you gentlemen! I've finished the bit that I posted earlier, and there is no "awful" in the lyrics. (Although it could be said about them...)

I don't know if this is a keeper yet. time will tell- but I like it now, and since it's now, I'm ok with it.

LAY THE LINE.mp3 [01.14.07]

Phone rings in the night
Woke me up, but that's alright
I'll take what I can get
Just to talk with you in bed
No games this time
If it's wrong or if it's right--

Take my heart tonight
I'll lay it on the line
Oh love, I'm all for you
I've seen it in your eyes
Farewell to this disguise
Trade in these lies for truth (lies for truth)

Fire in the sky
I was pressed against your side
Your eyes in the dark
Started fires in my heart
No more dancing, please
Let's just say what we mean

Take my heart tonight
I'll lay it on the line
Oh love, I'm all for you
I've seen it in your eyes
Farewell to this disguise
Trade in these lies for truth

Take my heart, take my heart... I'm all for you
Take my heart, take my heart....
Just take my heart tonight
I'll lay it on the line
Oh love, I'm all for you
I've seen it in your eyes
Farewell to this disguise
Trade in these lies for truth (lies for truth)

Phone rings in the night
Woke me up, but that's alright

LAY THE LINE.mp3 [01.14.07]