All posts by Brent Baxter

Craft

You should be writing more uptempo songs!

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Man vs Row

Brent Baxter is a hit songwriter with cuts by Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, Joe Nichols, Gord Bamford, Ruthie Collins, Ray Stevens, and more. He’s written a top 5 hit in the US and a #1 in Canada… so far.

You should probably be writing more uptempo songs than you already are.  Why?  Let me tell you.

Tempo is the speed of your song in beats per minute, or bpm. As a general principle, uptempo songs are in higher demand than midtempo or ballads. Therefore, your best bet to get a cut is by writing great uptempo songs.

Knock knock. Who’s there? Math.

Look at the albums by the top artists. Most of their songs are mid- and uptempo. There’s usually only one or two true ballads on most albums these days.

Radio mostly plays uptempo and midtempo. They want the listeners to feel good and stick around through the commercials.

And, finally, artists want their shows to be fun- they want the crowd on their feet, singing along and having a great time so they buy a T-shirt at the merch table.

An artist works hard to get everybody on their feet at a show. Then he plays a ballad. What does everyone do? They sit back down. Now the artist has to work hard to get them on their feet again. Because of this, most artists don’t play many ballads in their shows.

Shows, radio, and records all rely on tempo.

Therefore, it’s wise give your song, if possible, in a faster tempo. Here’s another reason to lean toward writing tempo. A lot of people listen “beat first.” This means they don’t pay attention to the lyrics of the song at first. They listen for a good beat first. Then, if they like the beat (or groove), they MIGHT get around to connecting with the lyric.

Your song might have a great idea and a powerful lyric, but “beat first” listeners will likely never know. Writing songs with a good beat and a good lyric helps your song connect faster to both beat-first and lyric-first listeners.

Knowing simple things like this is how you write market-smart songs (songs that have a competitive advantage in the market).  If you want to  learn more about how to write market-smart songs, check out my ebook, “Cut/able: Lessons In Market Smart Songwriting.”  Click on the image below or click here to write market-smart songs.

God Bless,
Brent

cutable 3d final white

 

WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #95

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Wordplay Thursday

Welcome to Wordplay Thursday!

Here’s a writing prompt for you.  It’s a simple fill-in-the-blank. You can use one word or several. Feel free to get as crazy, genre-appropriate, or as imaginative as you want. The point is to get the creative juices flowing. And it’s a good thing to dig deeper, so don’t stop at the first idea that hits you. Try coming up with at least five things.

“Our new employee was as eager as _____.”

I’ll give you an example to get you started:

“Our new employee was as eager as a husband on a honeymoon.”

I’d love to hear what you come up with, so please share in the comments. Oh, and please keep your posts below an R-rating. It’s a family show, after all!

God Bless,

Brent

SHOUT OUT!

Thanks to Matt Martoccio, Tommy Kib, Jillian Silcox, Janet Goodman, Brenda Karl, Eric Tingstad, Brek, Joe Slyzelia, Michael Klenda, Ken Matthiessen, Aubrey Teeter and everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #94 (read it here)! Great job!

Wordplay Thursday is a great way to the get the creative juices flowing and get some songs started. But what about finishing songs? Sometimes that can be more difficult. That’s why I’ve written “Finish Your Song! 20 Ways To Overcome Creative Roadblocks.” Click here to find out how to finish more songs faster and better. Or click on the image below. Thanks!

finish cover 3D

Biz, Cowriting

The Value Of A Songwriter/Producer Relationship

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Man vs Row

Brent Baxter is a hit songwriter with cuts by Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, Joe Nichols, Gord Bamford, Ruthie Collins, Ray Stevens, and more. He’s written a top 5 hit in the US and a #1 in Canada… so far.

Everyone tells you about the value of writing with an artist/writer. And, true enough, those can be very valuable relationships. Write a great song with an artist/writer, and you have a direct path to a cut.

There’s another type of “slash” that has a lot of value, too. That’s the writer/producer.

Whereas a writer/artist gives you direct access to that particular artist, a writer/producer can give you direct access to several artists. Here are a few of my experiences with writer/producers.

Byron Hill is a hit songwriter with multiple #1s and a ton of cuts. He’s also produced Gord Bamford’s first several albums. Gord’s a big star in Canada, and he and Byron have cowritten a lot of his songs. Because of my cowriting relationship with Byron, I was able to write with both of them, leading to 3 cuts and 1 #1 hit / Single Of The Year in Canada.

Aaron Goodvin is a young songwriter/producer. As a songwriter, he’s recently gotten cuts on Luke Bryan, Jon Pardi, and Cole Swindell. He’s also starting to produce some artists back home in Canada. He and I’ve been friends and cowriters for several years, and he brought me in to write with an artist named Drew Gregory. We wrote a song called, “Five String.”

Drew actually didn’t cut that song, but it WAS cut by another artist, Tristan Horncastle, that Aaron was producing for Sony Canada. Drew ended up cutting a different song of mine, “Farm Hands,” which he heard through Aaron.

Like I said, one writer/producer can link you to several artists.

Another buddy of mine is Brian Hitt. I’ve written songs with him that have landed on some of his projects including a Canadian Christmas single and 3 songs on a Christian kid’s album for Brentwood Benson, a big player in the Christian music space.

Here’s another advantage of writing with a writer/producer: if they have a home studio, you can get great, cheap demos of your cowrites. Bonus!

My writer/producer relationships have been an important and valuable part of my network. They might be worth giving some focus as you build your network, too.

What do you think?  What are YOUR thoughts on writer/producer relationships?  Have you had success with that on a smaller or larger scale?  I’d love to hear your thoughts!

God Bless,

Brent

A GIFT FROM BRENT

Thanks to those of you who have already downloaded my book, Hit Songwriting: How A Songwriting Coach Can Fast Track Your Success! You made it an Amazon bestseller in both the Songwriting and Music Instruction categories, and I really appreciate it! However, if you haven’t downloaded your copy yet, you can get it FOR FREE at www.GiftFromBrent.com or by clicking on the image below. Enjoy!

Gift From Brent Songwriting 3

 

WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #94

17 Comments

Wordplay Thursday

Welcome to Wordplay Thursday!

Here’s a writing prompt for you.  It’s a simple fill-in-the-blank. You can use one word or several. Feel free to get as crazy, genre-appropriate, or as imaginative as you want. The point is to get the creative juices flowing. And it’s a good thing to dig deeper, so don’t stop at the first idea that hits you. Try coming up with at least five things.

“She melted into his arms like _____.”

I’ll give you an example to get you started:

“She melted into his arms like an ice cube in a skillet.”

I’d love to hear what you come up with, so please share in the comments. Oh, and please keep your posts below an R-rating. It’s a family show, after all!

God Bless,

Brent

SHOUT OUT!

Thanks to Matt Martoccio, Barney Coulter, Dionne Kumpe, Janet Goodman, Ken Matthiessen, Kim Krenik, Brenda Karl, Michael P. Baker, Adam Farr, Joe Slyzelia, Brek, Shane, Taylor Sappe and everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #93 (read it here)! Great job!

FREE AMAZON BESTSELLER!

Thanks to those of you who have already downloaded my book, Hit Songwriting: How A Songwriting Coach Can Fast Track Your Success! You made it an Amazon bestseller in the Songwriting and Music Instruction categories, and I really appreciate it! However, if you haven’t downloaded your copy yet, you can get it FOR FREE at www.GiftFromBrent.com or by clicking on the image below. Enjoy!

God Bless,

Brent

Brent Baxter Book BIG

Biz, Quick Tip

A Quick Lesson On Publishing

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Quick Tip

Brent Baxter is a hit songwriter with cuts by Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, Joe Nichols, Gord Bamford, Ruthie Collins, Ray Stevens, and more. He’s written a top 5 hit in the US and a #1 in Canada… so far.

A publisher’s job is to get your songs recorded. They generally do this in return for the ownership, or copyright, of your song.  A publisher may sign you or your song.  If they just want one or two songs, they offer what is known as “single song agreements.”  That means they will pitch that one (or two) songs in exchange for the copyright.  You won’t get a monetary advance for this.

A publisher may offer to sign YOU, which is to say they may offer you a staff songwriting deal (aka a publishing deal).  Publishers usually pay their staff songwriters an advance against future earnings.  This advance (or “draw”) will be paid back by you as royalties come in from the songs that are part of your publishing deal.  Basically, the unrecouped advance money is withheld from your royalty check by the publisher until they are paid back.  You’ll continue to receive your advance, though.

If your deal ends with you still owing money toward the advance, you don’t have to write the publisher a check.  They will continue to collect any royalties on the songs they own until you’re recouped.

Publishers used to mainly help their writers by just pitching their songs.  However, in today’s country market, not too many outside songs are getting recorded.  The most successful publishers are acting more like the songwriter’s agent- helping the songwriter make good relationships with decision-makers and helping the songwriter get artist cowrites, etc.  It’s less about pitching a song than it is about putting the songwriter in the right room, giving them the best chance to succeed.

What about you?  What’s your experience been regarding publishers?  How do you see their role changing (or not changing) in the current music business?  Let us hear from you!

God Bless,

Brent

THE PRO KNOWS

To BE a pro, you need to THINK like a pro. In this complimentary report, learn the mindsets that help the pro songwriter get cuts, earn respect in the industry, and maintain long-term success in the music business. Just click on the picture below to download this complimentary report today!

The Pro Knows

 

WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #93

14 Comments

Wordplay Thursday

Welcome to Wordplay Thursday!

Here’s a writing prompt for you.  It’s a simple fill-in-the-blank. You can use one word or several. Feel free to get as crazy, genre-appropriate, or as imaginative as you want. The point is to get the creative juices flowing. And it’s a good thing to dig deeper, so don’t stop at the first idea that hits you. Try coming up with at least five things.

“He makes her feel as calm as _____.”

I’ll give you an example to get you started:

“He makes her feel as calm as blue skies.”

I’d love to hear what you come up with, so please share in the comments. Oh, and please keep your posts below an R-rating. It’s a family show, after all!

God Bless,

Brent

SHOUT OUT!

Thanks to Pam Tippett, Mike Maher, Jeff D. Green, Kim Kondrashoff, Earl Keith, Brenda, Shane, Ken Matthiessen, Matt Martoccio, Selwyn Chong and everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #92 (read it here)! Great job!

FREE AMAZON BESTSELLER!

Thanks to those of you who have already downloaded my book, Hit Songwriting: How A Songwriting Coach Can Fast Track Your Success! You made it an Amazon bestseller in the Songwriting and Music Instruction categories, and I really appreciate it! However, if you haven’t downloaded your copy yet, you can get it FOR FREE at www.GiftFromBrent.com or by clicking on the image below. Enjoy!

God Bless,

Brent

Gift From Brent Songwriting 3

Craft

If You Go Ballad, Go Big!

3 Comments

Man vs Row

Brent Baxter is a hit songwriter with cuts by Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, Joe Nichols, Gord Bamford, Ruthie Collins, Ray Stevens, and more. He’s written a top 5 hit in the US and a #1 in Canada… so far.

I’m a lyricist, and I don’t write melodies. I leave that to folks who are great at that. However, I know from experience and observation that MELODY MATTERS. It’s huge.

Let me be clear- a song with a great melody and average lyric will get cut a lot faster than a song with a great lyric and an average melody.

Your melody has to fit your idea, simple as that. This is not to say that sad songs HAVE to have “sad” melodies (I’ll touch on that later), but if your lyric is angry, your melody probably shouldn’t be too “sweet.” Likewise, if your idea is for a tough guy, the melody should be one that a tough-guy artist would sing.

In general (there ARE exceptions), if your song has a slower tempo, it probably needs to have a bigger, more rangy melody. There just aren’t many slow songs with soft melodies getting cut these days. You put your song at a disadvantage when you frame it that way.

If you’re going to go ballad, go big.

A good example of this is “I Drive Your Truck,” written by Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington, and Jimmy Yeary and recorded by Lee Brice. It’s a sad ballad. But it doesn’t FEEL like a ballad because of the power in the chorus. Lee just sings his backside off.

If they hadn’t CHOSEN to go the power ballad route, I don’t think the song would have worked as well- and I definitely don’t think it would’ve been a #1 hit country single. If the tempo had been too fast, it might have trivialized the subject matter. If they had given it a soft, flat melody, I think the singer would’ve come across too whiney.

Again, if you go ballad, go big.

Also, if you’re interested in writing commercial songs, I’ve put together a book/workbook to help you write songs that are commercial and marketable.  It’s called, “Cut/able: Lessons In Market-Smart Songwriting,” and it teaches you how to break down what’s getting cut, help you find gaps in a major artist’s catalog (gaps that YOUR song might fill), and how to compare your songs to the songs on the radio.  You can find out more by clicking on the image below or by clicking here to write songs that connect to listeners and music industry professionals.

cutable 3d final white

God Bless,

Brent

WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #92

16 Comments

Wordplay Thursday

Welcome to Wordplay Thursday!

I think a huge part of effective writing, songwriting or otherwise, is wrapping intangible ideas or emotions in imagery.  I want you to wrap today’s topic in sensory images.  Use any or all of the five senses.  How does this idea LOOK, SOUND, SMELL, TASTE, and FEEL?

Feel free to get as crazy, genre-appropriate, or as imaginative as you want. The point is to get the creative juices flowing. And it’s a good thing to dig deeper, so don’t stop at the first idea that hits you. Try coming up with at least five things.

And remember, we’re going for ONLY imagery.  We’re not talking ABOUT the topic.  We’re SHOWING the topic with imagery.  Show me, don’t tell me!

Today’s topic is:

DISAPPOINTMENT

I’ll give you an example to get you started:

“His rose bouquet and his eyes both lowered at her front door when her mom said, ‘I’m sorry, she’s not here’.”

I’d love to hear what you come up with, so please share in the comments. Oh, and please keep your posts below an R-rating. It’s a family show, after all!

God Bless,

Brent

SHOUT OUT!

Thanks to Matt Martoccio, Amy Nichols, Tim Bell, Janet Goodman, Joe Slyzelia, Ken Matthiessen, Brenda, Mark Steven Brocke and everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #91 (read it here)! Great job!

FREE AMAZON BESTSELLER!

Thanks to those of you who have already downloaded my book, Hit Songwriting: How A Songwriting Coach Can Fast Track Your Success! You made it an Amazon bestseller in the Songwriting and Music Instruction categories, and I really appreciate it! However, if you haven’t downloaded your copy yet, you can get it FOR FREE at www.GiftFromBrent.com or by clicking on the image below. Enjoy!

God Bless,

Brent

Brent Baxter Book BIG

Biz

S.M.A.R.T. Goals For Songwriters

3 Comments

Man vs Row

Brent Baxter is a hit songwriter with cuts by Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum, Joe Nichols, Gord Bamford, Ruthie Collins, Ray Stevens, and more. He’s written a top 5 hit in the US and a #1 in Canada… so far.

A while back, I wrote about the difference between goals and dreams. (Read it HERE.) Today, I’d like to dive further into the type of goals you should be setting.

You should be setting SMART goals if you want your best chance to be successful.

S.M.A.R.T. goals are: Specific. Measurable. Actionable. Reasonable. Time-bound.

Specific.

A goal needs to be specific, not vague. For example, “Do more songwriting stuff” is not specific. However, “Finish more songs” is more specific.

Measurable.

Make your goal measurable so you can track your progress and know if and when you reach it. For example, “Finish more songs” is not measurable. “Finish 25 songs” is measurable.

Actionable.

A SMART goal is actionable. This means you have the ability to affect the outcome. You can do something about it. Setting a goal for something you can’t do anything about is like setting a goal for the sun to come up tomorrow or for it not to rain tonight. “I will finish 25 songs” is something you can do something about.

Reasonable.

A goal should be something that requires effort (and is worth the effort), but it shouldn’t be unreasonable. For example, “Have 2 top 10 singles this year” is just not reasonable if you’re living outside of a major music center and haven’t even gotten a song published yet. A more reasonable goal might be, “Sign 2 single-song contracts this year.”

Time-bound.

Your goal should have a deadline. Without one, it’s too easy to keep putting off the work. Without a deadline, it’s easy to tell yourself you’ll get around to it “someday.” Not only that, without a deadline, how will you know if you’ve actually accomplished your goal? “Finish 10 songs,” could take the rest of your life. “Finish 10 songs in the next 2 months” lets you know in two months if you accomplished your goal. It also gives you a sense of urgency.

Setting SMART goals can take you from a vague non-goal of “Do more songwriting stuff” to the SMART goal of “Finish 10 songs in the next two months.”

Here are some other examples of SMART goals:

“Record 5 new demos this year.”

“Select and join a PRO by the end of September.”

“Book my first cowriting session by the end of the month.”

“Attend one songwriting conference next year.”

When your goals are SMART, you’ll get more done and be more successful. And that’ll make you look REALLY smart.

What do you think?  What are YOUR thoughts on goal-setting?  What are some of your songwriting goals?  I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Also, if you have a goal of writing and finishing more songs this year (or this month or this week), I have a resource I’ve put together that I think can really help.  I’ve gathered 20 techniques to help you finish your songs.  It’s called… amazingly… “Finish Your Song!”  Click on the image of the book below, or click here to finish more songs.

finish cover 3D

God Bless,

Brent

WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #91

10 Comments

Wordplay Thursday

Welcome to Wordplay Thursday!

I think a huge part of effective writing, songwriting or otherwise, is wrapping intangible ideas or emotions in imagery.  I want you to wrap today’s topic in sensory images.  Use any or all of the five senses.  How does this idea LOOK, SOUND, SMELL, TASTE, and FEEL?

Feel free to get as crazy, genre-appropriate, or as imaginative as you want. The point is to get the creative juices flowing. And it’s a good thing to dig deeper, so don’t stop at the first idea that hits you. Try coming up with at least five things.

And remember, we’re going for ONLY imagery.  We’re not talking ABOUT the topic.  We’re SHOWING the topic with imagery.  Show me, don’t tell me!

Today’s topic is:

CHEATER

I’ll give you an example to get you started:

“He slipped his ring-hand into his pocket as he reached out his other to hand her a margarita.”

I’d love to hear what you come up with, so please share in the comments. Oh, and please keep your posts below an R-rating. It’s a family show, after all!

God Bless,

Brent

SHOUT OUT!

Thanks to Matt Martoccio, Paul Alvin Harris, Janet Goodman, Debbie Convoy, Jeff D Green, Tim Bell, Ken Matthiessen, Shane and everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #90 (read it here)! Great job!

FREE AMAZON BESTSELLER!

Thanks to those of you who have already downloaded my book, Hit Songwriting: How A Songwriting Coach Can Fast Track Your Success! You made it an Amazon bestseller in the Songwriting and Music Instruction categories, and I really appreciate it! However, if you haven’t downloaded your copy yet, you can get it FOR FREE at www.GiftFromBrent.com or by clicking on the image below. Enjoy!

God Bless,

Brent

Brent Baxter Book BIG