All posts by Brent Baxter

WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #86

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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.

“She’s as innocent as _____.”

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

“She’s as innocent as an axe murderer.”

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 Dave Quirk, Mel Ayres, Jim King, Tammy Siler, Jeff D. Green, Kim Kondrashott, Tim Bell, Mae Young, Ken Matthiesen, Sly Valentine, Adam Farr Matt Martoccio, Joe Slyzelia and everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #85 (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

Change Your Time Zone To Finish Your Song

3 Comments

Finish 5

Are you trying to finish your song, but you’re stuck?  Try experimenting with the element of time. Don’t let your use of time be happenstance. It’s a powerful tool if you use it wisely. Time can be used as a telescope, framing your idea through the lens of a character’s whole life (and beyond). Or it can be a microscope, framing your idea through the lens of just a few pivotal seconds in a character’s life.

I dealt with the time element on an idea I had called, “Love Is Tough.” My initial thought was a three-act play where each verse told part of the singer’s love story with the girl- some struggle they overcame, some fight, etc. And the chorus would say something like, “Love is tough, but our love is tough enough to handle it.”

Yeah, that works, but it didn’t really excite me. But one day I started working on it with Brent Anderson and Joel Shewmake. We put away the telescope and unpacked the microscope. Instead of looking at years, we started looking at just a few minutes. To me, that made all the difference.

We didn’t have to set up a whole new situation in each verse, so we were free to really dig into the emotion. Heck, we didn’t even have to talk about WHY they had a fight. That wasn’t the point. All that mattered was that even though love can be tough, their love is tougher. (The song, “Tough,” ended up being cut by Lonestar and is a Wal-Mart exclusive track on their album, “Party Heard Around The World.”)  Oh, and Brent Anderson just had is first #1 with Blake Shelton’s “Lonely Tonight.”  Congrats, Brent!

Another way to play with time is to experiment when WHEN the story happened. For example, your “leaving song” idea could be framed as…

     “When you left me” (at some unspecified time in the past)
     “Last night when you left me”
     “You’re leaving me right now”
     “One of these days, when you leave me”

Each one of those options will have a different energy to it. In general, there’s more power in the present. “You’re breaking my heart right now” is more powerful than “you broke my heart.” “You look so good tonight” is more powerful than “you looked so good last night.”

However, one size does not fit all. Take the time (pun intended) to find the best time zone for your song.  The one with the best energy just might give you the “umph” you need to finish your song!

If you’d like more techniques to help you finish your songs, check out my ebook, Finish Your Song! 20 Ways To Overcome Creative Roadblocks.  It’s in the Man vs. Row store.  Click HERE or on the image below to find out more.

Finish 5

WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #85

16 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.

“The worker at the DMV was as considerate as _____.”

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

“The worker at the DMV was as considerate as a rock in my shoe.”

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, Kenny Lee, Mel Ayres, Tammy Siler, Barney, Ken Matthiesen, Toni Lynette Davis, Sly Valentine, Tommy Kib, Janet Goodman, Laureleeauther, Willa Thompson, Eric Tingstad, Tim Bell, Michael Klenda, Kim Kondrashoff, Joe Slyzella, Adam Farr, and everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #84 (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

Money

6 Ways You Might Be Wasting Your Songwriting Money

8 Comments

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.

Songwriting is a business, and businesses have to watch the bottom line.

It’s as simple as that. The more money you waste, the less money you’ll have for the important things, the longer it will take you to save up the money to go part-time or quit your day job to pursue songwriting, or the less time you’ll have to get a cut before having to go back to a day job.

Here are six ways songwriters waste money. Avoid them if you can.

1. Demoing unworthy songs.

It’s fun to demo songs, even the ones that’ll never get cut. But from a business perspective, it isn’t always wise. Check out my post on “8 Questions You Should Ask Before You Demo That Song.”

2. Taking trips to Nashville without a plan.

Nashville is a great place to vacation. You can come on up and wing it. That’s cool (I’ve done it). But if it’s a business trip, you need to do some planning. Plan a place or two to play. Try to get a meeting with a PRO rep (ASCAP, BMI or SESAC), NSAI rep, or other legitimate coach/mentor.  Set up some cowrites if you can.

3. Lyric-to-music services.

They’ll take your money and put a melody on your lyric. But you’re simply NOT going to get a cut out of it. I would be shocked if that kind of service has ever… EVER… led to a major label cut.

4. Copyrighting the wrong songs.

Most songs are simply never going to earn the writer a dime. That goes for amateur and pro alike. So, in most cases, copyrighting your song is a waste of both time and money. For more on this topic, read my post, “Should You Copyright Your Song?”

5. Songpluggers.

You know that old joke, “I refuse to join any club that would have ME as a member?” Well, that’s how most songwriters should think about songpluggers. If the only person in Nashville flipping out about your songs is someone who wants you to pay them to pitch your songs, be very cautious. There are probably only a handful of real-deal indie songpluggers in Nashville, and they pretty much just work with established pros (because pros consistently provide the most pitchable songs). Songplugging is so much about relationships. So even if your prospective plugger is honest, he or she may just not be connected enough to get results worth your money.  Be cautious.

6. Non-expert experts.

Anybody can get a website and call themselves a “songwriting coach” or “music biz expert.” That doesn’t mean this person really knows what they’re talking about. Before you buy somebody’s book or time, do your homework. Make sure they really have some track record or street cred. Some mean well. Some are sharks. Either way, wasted money is wasted money.


Take care of your money, and your money will take care of 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

Man vs Row

Muse, WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #84

25 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.

“His values are as old fashioned as _____.”

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

“His values are as old fashioned as a Model T.”

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, Mark Brocke, Ken Matthiesen, Jeff D. Green, Michael Klenda, Janet Goodman, Kim Kondrashoff, Sly Valentine, Eric Tingstad, Tastyniblets, Joe Slyzelia, Adam Farr, Brek Lancaster, Tim Bell, Chris & everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #83 (read it here)! Great job!

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

God Bless,

Brent

Quick Tip

Quick Tip: Interesting Titles, Part 1

1 Comment

Quick Tip

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

“INTERESTING TITLES, PART 1”

There are two songs. One is called, “True Love.” The other is “The Night Clement Jones Caught Fire.” Which song are you more likely to listen to? Write titles that intrigue people!

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 #83

24 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 keeps her room cleaner than _____.”

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

“She keeps her room cleaner than a nun’s police record.”

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 Chris, Janet Goodman, Jeff D. Green, Eric Tingstad, Matt Martoccio, Ken Matthiesen, Sly Valentyne, Michael P. Baker, Tim Bell, Deadduck (Stacy), Joe Slyzelia, Adam Farr, Kim Kondrashoff and everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #82 (read it here)! Great job!

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

God Bless,

Brent

Craft

Condense Your Lyric To Finish Your Song

4 Comments

Finish 5

Are there places in your lyric where it feels like it loses energy or interest? Maybe you’re using too much space to say something that should be said in fewer lines or words.

This often happens when a writer “chases rhymes.” For example, the second line of the verse ends in “tailgate” and you spend all of lines three and four just to get to the rhyme “jailbait” without really saying anything.

The thought behind the line is more important than the rhyme at the end of the line.

Step back and take a look at your lyric. Are there places where you waste space by chasing rhymes? If so, scrap those lines and start over. Keep the rhyme if you want, but ONLY if you can rewrite the lines to say something that will keep the listener engaged.

Don’t let a cool rhyme ruin a cool song.

Or maybe you’re not chasing rhymes, but you’re just not using good economy of words. Maybe you’re just beating around the bush, not getting to what you really want to say. Say what needs to be said and then move on to something else that needs to be said. Look for fluff words that don’t add any real meaning to your song. Look for fluff ideas you can cut.

Is it relevant that you’re driving your brother’s truck on your date because yours is in the shop? If it’s just a little detail that was maybe true in your life or some interesting piece of backstory but isn’t important to the heart of the song, cut it. Make room for more lyrics that point right at the heart of your song.

God Bless,

Brent

If you’d like more techniques to help you finish your songs, check out my ebook, Finish Your Song! 20 Ways To Overcome Creative Roadblocks.  It’s in the Man vs. Row store.  Click HERE or on the image below to find out more.

Finish 5

Muse, WordPlay

Wordplay Thursday #82

25 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.

“His wife’s steaks are tougher than _____.”

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

“His wife’s steaks are tougher than boot camp.”

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 Michael P. Baker, Amy Nichols, Matt Martoccio, Toni, Davis, Janet Goodman, Chuck Hughes, Jeff D. Green, Kim Kondrashoff, rachaelmullerwriter, Tim Bell, Joe Slyzelia, Adam Farr, Rachel Walker, Ken Matthiesen and everyone else for your great additions to Wordplay Thursday #81 (read it here)! Great job!

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

God Bless,

Brent

Biz, Muse

Songwriting: Not For Control Freaks!

8 Comments

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.

Control Freaks

Songwriting is a terrible career for control freaks. Sorry. It just is. There is just so much that’s out of your control, and you need to make peace with that.

You control a few things. You control how hard you work… and that’s about it.

You don’t control your natural talents. For example, I can work really hard on my singing and melody-writing, but I’m never gonna be great.  So that means I have to give up some control.  It’s not me singing the demos or up on stage at the Bluebird.  It’s not me writing the melody.  Sure, I have input and cowriter approval rights, but it’s not total control.  It’s collaboration.

If you don’t have solid producer chops (or communication skills), you don’t have full control over what happens in the demo session.  It’s not you playing every lick on every instrument. You just have to hire the best and hope for the best, giving your input along the way.

Once you start pitching the song, you don’t control the reaction of anyone who might hear it. You can’t tuck them in bed the night before to make sure they’re awake and focused. You can’t keep a bad-news email from hitting their inbox just before your meeting, etc.

And if your song makes it to the artist and they like it, you can’t control if they just cut a similar song the week before so they pass on yours.

And you sure don’t have control if an artist takes your song into the studio to cut it.  You don’t hire their musicians.  They don’t have to cut the song just like the demo.  And the artist doesn’t have to sing it exactly like you want.

And you don’t get a vote on whether your song makes the final album or gets singled.

So many things can happen to derail your song. But that doesn’t mean you’re not doing your job. Your job is to work really hard, write the strongest songs you can, and do your best to put them in a position to win.

At the end of the day, that’s how you should evaluate your success:

Did I work hard?
Did I write the best song I could?
Did I do what I could to get my song in front of someone who can say, “yes?”

If so, you controlled what you could. Make peace with the rest. I know it’s hard, but when you stop spending all that emotional energy on being a control freak, you have more energy to devote to your life, your family, and to working on things that matter.

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