the art of songwriting !!: having the vision to see a song through

I would like to take off on a subject that was discussed on one of my new favorite blogs (reeltoreal.blogspot.com) where he takes a Mazzy Star demo and compares it to the finished album product with the intention of showing how after the main framework of the song is created many great songwriter's have the vision to take the song to another level whether it is through better recording quality or a more complex arrangement.

I'd like to start off by presenting an example from my own catalog titled "The Great Depression" which is a song I wrote in the spring of 2006, but didn't record a more professional version until the fall of 2007. The original version can be found at "redfizz.com/rf/song.aspx?&songid=346523 and the album version can be found on "myspace.com/jivewhiteboy."

The original chord progression essentially exists in it's entirety in both versions of the song, but the instrumentation that is built around the progression either emphasizes its dark surrealness or changes the emotion entirely as I feel is the case with the second chorus where the lead guitar/piano combo creates a brighter/happier feel.

In all honestly, with this particular song and pretty much most of the songs on the ep, I came into the recording process with no intentions of how it should or was going to sound. I have a feeling this is going to change for my next album. Having more of an idea of how the recording process works, I'll probably come into it with more ideas of arrangements rather than doing everything on the spot. I'm not really sure if that's a good thing. There was something about the spontaneity of this particular situation where the producer and I collaborated on something neither of us had put much thought into beforehand that helped make this one of the better tracks. It was also my willingness to let someone else "mess" with my work that took it to a different level. I know a lot of people who are almost phobic about letting others change their work, but sometimes you have to sit back and put trust in someone. It's also a hell of a lot more enjoyable to work with someone else.

I've had people tell me before that it was blasphemy to change some of my songs the way I did. But, it was always my intention to take them in a different direction and turn them into something bigger. Though, I'm probably considered a "singer-songwriter" the music I've always listened to as never reflected this title. I've never been very strict about how things should sound, genres and the like. The thing I'm looking most forward to about the next album is just how much I can turn the original songs into something different.

the art of songwriting: chapter !

The difference between songwriting and technical ability

I started playing guitar in the 5th grade after a three year stint of learning the piano which never really managed to inspire me. I took classical guitar lessons for about 4 or 5 years, but alas, was yet to be moved by the art of playing music. I loved to listen to groups like the Beatles, but playing classical never grew on me. By the end, I practiced so little that my teacher thought it would be better if I just stopped taking lessons. What a disappointment! I wasn't too upset at the time. It freed me up to take on more constructive activities like Super Street Fighter on the Super Nintendo. Three years later I started messing around with my Classical Alvarez again, learning how to play Beatles' songs with a tablature book I got years earlier for my birthday. As my teenage years progressed and I started listening to good music again after a period of being in love with cheesy 70's rock bands like Styx and Supertramp, I fell in love with the Smashing Pumpkins. Though they're not in my rotation much these days their music encapsalated the way I felt during that brief, yet emotional time in my life.
So, when I started to play the guitar again after a three year hiatus, I learned to play a little bit of almost every smashing pumpkin song I could. Certain aspects of the music were beyond my technical ability, but I always managed to learn enough to make it recognizable to the listener. In the tablature book for "Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" there were a couple articles written by Billy Corgan for Guitar World magazine. There was a quote that has always stuck in my mind about the difference between songwriting and technical ability.

"Guitar playing, in and of itself, does not mean a whole heck of a lot. But guitar playing with in the context of great music and great songs is a big deal. If you look at the guitarists who are most noted for their playing ability, you will find that their reputations are inextricably tied to the great songs they have written, or at least reinterpreted in their own unique ways."

At the time and today still, all the music I love and the music I write have one thing in common: good songwriting. I listen to hip-hop, electronica, indie rock, whatever. I'm not a genre nazi and hold no allegiance to any kind of music. The ultimate failure of scenes and things that categorize music into a small box is that they emphasize the technical aspects of the music being performed or listened to, not songwriting. Usually only a couple bands from a scene will actually connect to anyone outside of the scene, probably because they were good songwriters. When these bands leave that scene they usually want to grow into something different after which they'll be extricated from the scene or they'll continue to make the same kind of music and become stale.

So, advice to young musicians is to learn how to write and play music. Like in most aspects of life, the middle ground between the two is the best place to be. If you don't learn the technical aspect you'll eventually be stifled by your own ignorance and unable to move forward. If you only know how to play you'll never be able to create something that connects to anyone other than yourself when you're playing it.

critique from A&R representative of the Universal Music Group (UMG)

so, as a part of finishing in the top five of that famecast.com thing one of my prizes was to choose between a $100 gift cirtificate from Guitar Center or to get one of my tracks sent to an A&R representative for the Universal Music Group. choosing the later, i got my response a couple of days ago. as it was told to me by the famecast.com people, they would only critique the one's that they like the most, which i guess i'll take as the truth. in that respect, i'm flattered they chose to critique mine, which was "knives that stab your face."

"I really like this vibe. I love the harmonies and the stacked vocals. The music would fit perfectly next to Bright Eyes and other indie bands of that ilk. The lyrics are great. Please send me the full record when it's complete. I stress that in this genre of music, it's very important to cultivate a fan base before trying to get on a major label, as all major label operations are based around radio support. I checked out the myspace and don't see too much activity. I'd like to see more. I want to see an organic fan reaction. Lots of talent here. Look forward to hearing the full LP."

I'm pretty happy with what he said. Though, I never had any expectations that any kind of major label would be interested at this point without any kind of real fanbase.

new demo: "white kids"

this song was my first attempt at creating a fuller sound for one of my demos. so, i had to deal with more instruments in the mix than i normally have had to in the past. it's hard to say where the inspiration for this song came from. i was feeling particularly down one night and i was by myself. i came up with the simple little guitar progression that you hear throughout the song which is basically a C major chord with the bottom G. i make a little melodic line one the bottom string by going from the G to the E then to the F, keeping the rest of the C major chord intact. then, as i usually do, i came up with the vocal melody which had an almost punk quality where you have a lot of exaggerations on the beginning and end consonents and a lot of ah ah ah's.
what i like most about this song is that it's a departure from what i had written in the past and is kind of a new direction. i'm opening up a little more with my singing and seeing what i can do with my vocals. i'm not an amazing singer in the classical sense, but i feel it helps to make up for it with a little bit of originality. you be the judge i guess. as far as the subject matter, i'll leave that up to interpretation. enjoy "white kids." brian (jivewhiteboy)

white kids from the plains
become white men in the game
grow white hair on their face
throw white fits to get their way

i'm sick and tired of everyone
i'm sick and tired of everyone
guess i'll shoot them down with my gun

white kids live in malls
buy white things to show off
no thought in their brains
revelling in white fame

chorus

white kids from the sand
become white teens in a band
write white songs about grace
become white men who spit in your face

you can check this song out at myspace.com/jivewhiteboy