Tag Archives: Songwriting Tips

Biz

The Songwriter Who Cried “Hit!”

August 25, 2014 Brent Baxter 5 Comments

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

Please protect the authority of your word.

Make your word mean something. If people can’t trust your word, they’ll keep you at a distance. Don’t be like the songwriter who cried “hit.” Don’t overhype accomplishments which are not… accomplished yet. Protect the value of your word, or people will stop investing in you and your career.

I know a person who always has some deal that’s huge and a “done deal.” Some deal that’s going to make us both a lot of money, etc. But not one of these deals (record deals, cuts, hit singles, etc.) have actually happened. And it’s not just big things- small things like “demoing our song tomorrow” rarely materialize. As a result, I just don’t get excited about any “big news.” I don’t know if this person is just trying to speak their wishes into existence or if they’re just naive… but either way, I just don’t believe this person anymore.

No, I don’t share this to complain.

I’m sharing this to beg you NOT to be this person.

This person is nice and has potential, but I can’t and won’t recommend that any of my contacts work with them. I simply don’t trust this person enough. I don’t want this person either looking like a fool or a fraud to my contacts. It hurts my credibility if I vouch for them. I just can’t afford that.

It’s true that if enough people THINK you’re a hot property, then you ARE a hot property in Nashville. But you can’t be dishonest. The wheels turn slowly here, and people have plenty of time to jump back off your bandwagon when they realize they can’t believe anything you say. It’s fine to promote yourself and highlight your accomplishments, but be honest with people.

Please, protect the value of your word.

What do you think? Have you had dealings with people like this? What was the result? Do you still work with them? I’d love to 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!

FOLLOW AND SHARE THIS BLOG

If you like this blog, don’t miss a single post! Subscribe by putting your email in the “Follow Man vs. Row via E-mail” section on this page. It’s either in the upper righthand corner or down below. Also, please share this blog with anyone you think would benefit from it. I appreciate it when you share it on Twitter, Facebook, and anywhere else. Thanks!

Brent’s Twitter: @Razorbaxter

Brent Baxter Music: http://www.brentbaxtermusic.com

Brent’s Instagram: Man_vs_Row

Biz, Muse

I Wrote A Hit Song Without Living In Nashville

August 18, 2014 Brent Baxter 11 Comments

You don’t have to live in Nashville to write a hit song. Or even to get that song recorded by a major artist. I’m Brent Baxter, and that’s my story

As a songwriter living outside of Nashville, you may think it’s impossible to get a song recorded by a major country star. You’d be wrong. Just because you may have a family, job, or other responsibilities that keep you from making a move to Nashville or one the other major music centers, New York or LA, doesn’t mean it’s impossible to get a song recorded. It just means you have to grow where you’re planted.

Now, don’t get me wrong, songwriters in Nashville have a decided advantage over those living elsewhere. They are close to the industry, it’s easier to make those all-important personal contacts in the business, and Nashville is a great place to learn the craft of songwriting. However, just because it’s harder doesn’t mean it’s impossible. At least not in my experience.

In 2000, after graduation from Arkansas State University, I was looking for jobs in Nashville, which, I hoped, would help in my pursuit of a songwriting career. However, the job offer came from a company in Little Rock, Arkansas, so Nashville would have to wait. But I knew I couldn’t afford to be idle in the meantime.

I dove into the local music and songwriting scene in Little Rock, which by no means qualifies as a major music center. But my main cowriter from back home in Batesville was living there, too, so that was a start. Since I’m a lyricist and not a singer, I helped get my friend, Tim Meitzen, some gigs in town.

Now, what follows is a string of steps that by themselves may seem insignificant. But in the end, each of those forward steps led to my big break.

I was downtown one day and saw a flier for an upcoming songwriter’s night. Well, that was pretty rare in Little Rock, and I immediately signed up my co-writer, Tim. (That was part of my job as the non-singing half of our cowriting team.)

Tim played the writer’s round, and we met a few guys who were starting a publishing company based out of Little Rock. Through the course of that relationship, one of ‘em gave me a cd of songs by Erin Enderlin. Erin was a songwriter from Conway, Arkansas, who was currently in college at Middle Tennessee State University outside of Nashville.

Months later, I saw that Erin was going to be performing in Little Rock. She was in over her spring break, and I went out to catch her show. She’d been writing songs in Nashville and was having some success making contacts in the music business. I gave her a cd of some songs, and she liked them.

Well, when Erin came back over summer break, we started writing together. Then she went back to school and continued making music business contacts. Then, over Christmas break of 2001, I gave her a lyric I’d had for a few years for a song called, “Monday Morning Church.” She liked it and wrote a great melody for the lyric. Then she was back off to Tennessee.

Now, I ended up finally making the move to Nashville myself in March of 2002, but it was Erin’s contacts that made the cut of that song possible. She brought the song back to Nashville, where she had begun working with a publisher. He demoed the song, played it for Keith Stegall, and it was eventually recorded by Alan Jackson in March of 2004.

Looking back on it now, it might seem like a straight line to the record store, but that’s only in retrospect. At the time, I was plugging away, just trying to take advantage of every opportunity that I could either find or create. I chased several rabbits along the way, not knowing which one would lead somewhere.

And that’s the point. You don’t know which small step will eventually lead to where you want to go. No, the writer’s night at Starr’s Guitars wasn’t the Bluebird. No, Little Rock wasn’t Nashville. But taking those small steps, growing where I was planted, led to a hit song and the ability to do this for a living. At least for a while.

I wouldn’t presume to know exactly which steps you need to take. And I certainly don’t think I was so talented that Nashville couldn’t help but notice me. No, I know ultimately, it was up to God to open those doors. He had me in Little Rock at that time for a reason.

If I’d been idle, just waiting to get to Nashville, I might never have gotten here. God has you where you are for a reason. Maybe it’s for music, maybe not. But I do know that where ever you are, it’s important to grow where you’re planted.

I hope my story encourages you to keep chasing your passions.

What about you? Do you live in Nashville, or are you chasing the songwriting dream from out of town? I’d love to hear from you!

God Bless,

Brent

KNOW THE ROW

MvR presents your opportunity to visit with new Curb Records artist, Ruthie Collins, as she prepares to release her first single to country radio. Ruthie and hit songwriter, Brent Baxter, will give you an insider’s look at the reality of songwriting and record-making on Music Row. But they won’t be the only ones talking- you’re invited to join in the conversation, too! There are only EIGHT tickets available for this intimate get-together. Click on the image below to find out more!

DON’T MISS A SINGLE MvR POST!

Brent’s Twitter: @Razorbaxter

Brent Baxter Music: http://www.brentbaxtermusic.com

Brent’s Instagram: Man_vs_Row

Craft

Why Imagery Matters

August 11, 2014 Brent Baxter 6 Comments

Imagery is a very important part of your lyric- especially in country music. The saying in Nashville is, “Show me, don’t tell me.” There are a few reasons we’d rather you show us your song than tell us.

Images engage the heart, not just the brain.

You can tell me you’re sad. You can just say, “I’m sad now that you’re gone.” I will hear that and understand it. But I will only understand that with my head, not my heart. My head says, “Yes. The singer is sad. I understand what sadness is.” But that’s just information, and it stays in my head without moving to my heart.

However, when you show me what the sadness looks like- when I see the emptiness in your heart through the empty 2nd coffee cup you set out through habit and don’t have the heart to put back in the cupboard just yet- I FEEL your sadness. If I see you hugging his pillow at night because it smells like him, then I don’t just KNOW you’re sad, I FEEL your sadness.

Imagery is what gets your song through the head and into the heart.

Imagery makes it easy on your listener.

You can ask listeners to picture a lonely night AND be moved by whatever it is they imagine. Or you can SHOW your listeners a lonely night and ask them to be moved. Which one requires more from your listener? Exactly.

People are busy. They’re probably listening to your song while doing something else- driving, eating, working, hanging out with friends, etc. If the listener doesn’t have enough mental bandwidth left to process your lyric, they may either just hear the melody only (which isn’t the worst thing in the world) or they ignore your song altogether (which IS the worst thing- love my song or hate my song, but don’t ignore it).

Painting the picture for your listeners is often an easier path to their hearts- which is directly connected to their wallets, by the way.

Imagery helps you be unique.

Let’s face it, there are only so many emotions that show up in songs. New love, old love, new heartache, old heartache, anger, hope, nostalgia, etc. Since we really just sing about a handful of emotions, our lyrics are going to be pretty bland and boring if we only write in emotional terms. After all, how many ways can you say, “I miss you” without imagery?

The use of fresh imagery allows you to talk about the same old emotions in a new way. So it’s really in your best interest (and you’ll be more likely to keep your listener’s interest) if you use fresh, believable images to tell your story.

People are visual.

Visuals impact us deeply. There’s a reason radio dramas were made obsolete by movies and television- people respond more strongly to visuals! If you can paint pictures with your lyrics, you can give the listener something to see in his or her mind.

So there you have it. Four reasons why imagery matters. If you’ve been a very emotional, non-imagery based writer, I encourage you to try incorporating images into your lyrics. I think it will serve you well.

God Bless,

Brent

ARE YOU READY TO JOIN MvR IN THE TOP 10?

The listener’s reaction to your song is only as real as the character in your song. The W.I.L.L.power workshop will teach you tips & techniques to make the characters in your songs come alive and jump out of the radio and into your listeners’ hearts. There are only a handful of tickets available for this intimate get-together. Click on the image below to find out more!

BECOME AN MvR VIP!

If you like this blog, don’t miss a single post! Join by putting your email in the “Become An MvR VIP” section on this page. It’s either in the upper righthand corner or down below. Members receive discounts on products and services and well as some other cool stuff. Also, please share this blog with anyone you think would benefit from it. I appreciate it when you share it on Twitter, Facebook, and anywhere else. Thanks!

Brent’s Twitter: @Razorbaxter

Brent Baxter Music: http://www.brentbaxtermusic.com

Brent’s Instagram: Man_vs_Row

MvR Community, YouDay

One Email Away

July 28, 2014 Brent Baxter 14 Comments

It’s ironic that I posted about “8 Ways To Build And Protect A Positive Attitude” on Monday morning, because I felt anything BUT positive. Maybe it’s just a Monday thing when you’re not heading off to do what you love, and you know you have a full week of not doing what you love ahead of you. Maybe it’s just life trying to make a hypocrite of me for what I had just posted.

Either way, I was pretty sour. My next success felt too far in the future, and my last success felt too far in the past. I felt miles away from where I want to be. I even had an old buddy return my call about a MvR opportunity, but I didn’t pick up. I was in no mood to dream and plan. The rock I’m trying to push up that mountain felt very heavy.

Ever have those Monday mornings?

Well, I eventually started pulling myself out of the funk. I started listening to some podcasts which inspire, motivate, and fire me up. That got the juices going some. Then I called my buddy back and we had a good little chat. That helped, too.

Then, around 2pm, I got an email from another old friend and cowriter, Roxie Randle. She said we had just gotten a cut! The song is called, “No Promises,” and we wrote it back in early 2008. It’s been cut by an artist out of Oklahoma. Her name is Sarah Dunn, and she’s on a radio tour right now promoting her first single on Audacity Records. The album should be out in a month or two. (You can check her out here.)

I’ve been hearing good things about Sarah, and it’s ALWAYS cool to get a cut. But what I’m really happy about is that it’s Roxie’s first outside cut. She’s a talented singer/songwriter and has put out her own albums (check her out here), but this is the first time she’ll get to pop in somebody else’s album and listen to her own song. She was one of my first cowriters when I hit Nashville in 2002, and I’m so proud to be a part of her first cut.

It just reminds me how everything can change with just one email or one phone call out of the blue. Believe me, the last thing I expected was to get a call about a cut on a 6 1/2 year old song. But that kinda stuff can happen when you do good work and put it out into the world.

I have no big expectations for this song. I’ve learned not to lean too much on what might be. I’m just thankful for the cut, and anything else is gravy. And I’m also thankful that tomorrow might bring another call or another email.

But enough about me. What about YOU?

Do you have a story of being in a dark place with your dream, only to have a ray of sunshine just when you needed it? I think if someone else out there is in that valley, hearing your story might encourage them. Thanks.

God Bless,

Brent

UPCOMING LIVE MvR EVENTS!

I have two special online small group coaching sessions coming up in August, and I’d love for you to make it. The first is on “Finding And Focusing Your Idea.” Learn some of the techniques I have used to generate song ideas that have led to cuts. The second is a special small group interview/chat/Q&A with new Curb Records artist, Ruthie Collins. This is your chance to connect with her as she’s recording her debut album and is prepping her first single for release. It’s a very cool opportunity. Just click on the image below to find out more about each!

DON’T MISS A SINGLE MvR POST!

Brent’s Twitter: @Razorbaxter

Brent Baxter Music: http://www.brentbaxtermusic.com

Brent’s Instagram: Razorbaxter75
//

Biz, Muse

8 Ways To Build And Protect A Positive Attitude

July 28, 2014 Brent Baxter 14 Comments

As I discussed in “A Positive Attitude Matters For Songwriters” (to read it, CLICK HERE), it is very important for songwriters to have a positive attitude. In this post, I’d like to discuss 8 ways to both build and maintain that positive attitude. These are techniques which I personally use (some more than others). Feel free to tweak for your own needs/personality.

1. Regular Bible study and prayer time.

It’s important for me to connect with God on a regular basis. It’s good to spend time focusing on something outside of myself, to remember that there are things more important than music. Aligning with truth helps me to keep the ups and downs of the music biz in proper perspective. Christ has a loooong way to go in making me who I will eventually be, but He’ll get me there.

2. Display trophies.

Sometimes it’s easy to think about present disappointments and forget past victories. Try displaying trophies from your success. My wall includes albums I’m on, a few awards, and some pictures. You might not have that yet, and that’s fine. Start where you are. It might be framing a lyric that was a breakthrough in your writing. It might be framing the comments from a positive song evaluation. A photo from your first writer’s night. Or maybe it’s more of a vision board where you post visual reminders of where you want to get.

3. Listen to positive messages.

Garbage in, garbage out… so make sure you’re exposing yourself to positive messages. During my day gig, I do a lot of driving, so I’ve really gotten into podcasts. I mostly listen to entrepreneur podcasts, and songwriting podcasts and sermons. Not only do these podcasts inspire and educate me, they keep my dreams in front of me. For you, it might be posting motivational or inspirational messages where you’ll see them often.

4. Serve others.

Get out of your own life and help somebody. A disappointing publisher or pitch meeting loses some of its sting when you’re face to face with the homeless or the sick. Try it out and see for yourself. (Full disclosure: I’m lousy at this, and God usually has to put those opportunities in front of me because I’m too self centered to go look for them. But when I follow through and help somebody out, it always lifts my mood. Who’s really helping whom?)

5. Exercise.

Exercise releases endorphins and helps raise your mood. Getting in shape also gives you more energy for chasing your dreams. Plus, it helps your general self-image and makes it easier to see yourself as a disciplined person who does the right things. If you’re out of shape, that gives you one more thing to beat yourself up about. “The publisher didn’t like my song… and I’m fat.”

6. Enjoy the journey.

Don’t delay gratification until the night of your Hall of Fame induction ceremony. First of all, you might get hit by a bus the week before. Secondly, if you just put your head down and work work work until you reach some far off goal, you’ll probably burn out and quit first. The journey itself is the only guarantee- so enjoy it. Celebrate the small victories- go out to dinner with your team or hang a trophy on your wall. Don’t rest on your laurels, but celebrate along the way.

7. Eavesdrop on yourself.

What story are you telling yourself about your talent, your songs, and your chance of success? It’s important to listen to your internal monologue- that voice in your head that tells you that each obstacle is either proof that you’re a failure or just a hurdle that you’re going to overcome on your way to success. Retrain yourself to think (and talk) in more positive terms. Replace your negative thoughts with positive ones. I know, I know. It sounds kind of “woo-woo new age,” but it’s true.

8. Build a positive team.

Just as it’s important what you tell yourself, it’s important what others tell you. Are they lifting your spirits or pulling you down? Does your cowriter spend half the session complaining how nobody’s getting cuts and great songs can’t win? Or is he trying to figure out how your great song WILL win? You don’t want a team that refuses to see reality and how hard this biz can be, but you also don’t want a team that is defeated from the beginning. Align yourself with the folks who bring out the best in you – both musically and otherwise.

Well, I hope this has been helpful for you. Keep your chin up and keep writing!

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!

DON’T MISS A SINGLE MvR POST!

Brent’s Twitter: @Razorbaxter

Brent Baxter Music: http://www.brentbaxtermusic.com

Brent’s Instagram: Razorbaxter75

MvR Community, YouDay

Awards

July 22, 2014 Brent Baxter 7 Comments

I got some exciting news last week when the nominees were announced for the 2014 Canadian Country Music Awards (CCMAs). Gord Bamford, Byron Hill and I are nominated for Songwriters of the Year for our song, “When Your Lips Are So Close.” The song is also nominated for Single of the Year. (It went #1 with Gord as the artist.) By the way, if you happen to be a CCMA member, we’d appreciate your vote!

What award would you love to win? As a writer and/or artist, which award would you take if you could only have one? And, honestly, if you couldn’t care less about awards or if your dream reward has nothing to do with the music business I’m cool with that. I hope you’ll put whatever your answer is in the comments.

What award would YOU love to win?

As a writer and/or artist, which award would you take if you could only have one? And, honestly, if you couldn’t care less about awards or if your dream reward has nothing to do with the music business I’m cool with that. I hope you’ll put whatever your answer is in the comments.

I’ll go first, and I’ll keep it to music.

In 2005, “Monday Morning Church” won a “Song I Wish I’d Written” Award from NSAI. There were only 13 given that year, and the other winning songs included “Bless The Broken Road,” by Rascal Flatts, “I May Hate Myself In The Morning” by Lee Ann Womack, “Hey Good Lookin’” by Jimmy Buffett and Friends, and “Memories Of Us” by Keith Urban.

To have one of my songs sitting along side songs written by Hank Williams and Rodney Crowell was simply amazing. What made it even more special was that the award was voted on by only pro songwriters. When I dream about success, it usually involves that award.

But enough about me. What about YOU?

God Bless,

Brent

DON’T MISS A SINGLE MvR POST!

Brent’s Twitter: @Razorbaxter

Brent Baxter Music: http://www.brentbaxtermusic.com

Brent’s Instagram: Razorbaxter75
//

Biz, Muse

A Positive Attitude Matters For Songwriters

July 21, 2014 Brent Baxter 11 Comments

Success in songwriting and the music business is about so much more than just talent. For one thing, there is just so much talent in (and trying to get in) the business that talent alone is not enough. In a biz where talent is as common as water, attitude can make or break you. So today, I’d like to focus on why having a positive attitude is important.

A positive attitude keeps you going.

This is a marathon, not a sprint. A positive attitude allows you to tap into your deeper energy reserves. Without this, it’s too easy to quit when it’s been a few miles (or a few years) of uphill climb. A positive attitude gets you through the tough times.

A positive attitude draws the right people to you.

Wise, successful people want to surround themselves with positive people. They know that negative attitudes are contagious and toxic, so they intentionally avoid negative people. If you want to keep the company of successful people, it helps to be a positive person.

A positive attitude helps you be more creative.

If you believe you’ll be successful, if you believe your next great song is just around the corner, your mind will be open and receptive to song ideas in the world around you. In a cowrite, you’re more likely to shut down and not contribute if you’re more worried about not saying something “stupid” than you are about saying something that might be great.

A positive attitude opens your eyes to possibilities.

Pessimism focuses on the closed door, but optimism keep an eye out for an open window. A positive attitude allows you to move on from disappointments more quickly so you get back in the game. Pessimism sees only the reasons something won’t work. Optimism sees the obstacles, but it can also envision the path to victory- or at least believes that there IS a path to victory to be found.

A positive attitude helps you learn.

If you always focus on how “bad” the songs on the radio are or what hacks the hit songwriters are, you’re less likely to see what has made those songs and those songwriters successful. You don’t have to love every song on the radio, but they each might have something to teach you. Don’t miss the lesson.

Songwriting should be fun!

Listen, the chance of big monetary or commercial success in songwriting is very slim. If you don’t have a good attitude, if you aren’t having fun, then you should probably find something else to do. Music is meant to be a blessing. If it becomes a curse, you may need to step away for a while.

Take good care of your attitude, and your attitude will take good care of you.

What about you? What other advantages do you get from a positive attitude? What disadvantages of a negative attitude? I’d love to hear your comments!

God Bless,

Brent

DON’T MISS A SINGLE MvR POST!

Brent’s Twitter: @Razorbaxter

Brent Baxter Music: http://www.brentbaxtermusic.com

Brent’s Instagram: Razorbaxter75
//

Biz, Money

Should You Copyright Your Song?

July 14, 2014 Brent Baxter 19 Comments

Should I copyright my song?

That’s a question I used to ask, and it’s one I’ve heard a lot over the years from other songwriters. Here are my thoughts on it. Hopefully, this will give you some answers, some guidance and some peace. By the way, I am NOT a lawyer, so this is NOT legal advice. Always check with a legal professional before making big decisions.

What do the pros do?

I used to work in the royalty department of Bluewater Music. We wouldn’t send off a copyright registration until the day a song was commercially released. The last time I checked, it cost $40 to register a work, and it’s just financial suicide for a prolific writer or publisher to invest that much per song. I’ve had years when I’ve written 100 songs – that’s $4,000 just to register the copyrights! Even if you only register the songs you demo and pitch, it’s still not a good use of time and money.

What if somebody steals your song?

First of all, it’s hard to sue and prove plagiarism. You can’t copyright a title, idea or approach. Secondly, you have to prove the “thief” had access to your song. Thirdly, and most importantly, they’d have to make enough money off your song to make it worth your time to take legal action. Basically, it would have to be a hit. And that is VERY hard to do! The odds of that happening is so very slim that it’s a non-issue. Don’t let it stop you from pitching your songs or playing them out.

Do you protect your songs at all?

Yes. I leave a paper trail to prove the date of creation (which is a huge part of proving ownership). But, honestly, this is more to protect ME from someone suing me. I keep a paper calendar where I write my cowrite dates and cowriters. I write on a laptop, but I also copy the lyric into a series of notebooks with the date on each page. Additionally, I keep the Garageband file of each worktape. For songs which are part of a publishing deal, there’s an additional paper trail- assignments, Schedule A, etc.

You own the song the moment you write it down or record it. Registering your song with the copyright office just helps to prove it.

So, that’s me. I don’t copyright a song until it is commercially released (on more than just a small do-it-yourself indie project). But how you handle it is up to you. If it’s worth $40 a pop to help you feel comfortable sharing your top songs with the world, that’s cool. I hope that gives you some answers.

God Bless,

Brent

DON’T MISS A SINGLE MvR POST!

Brent’s Twitter: @Razorbaxter

Brent Baxter Music: http://www.brentbaxtermusic.com

Brent’s Instagram: Razorbaxter75
//

MvR Community

Tell Us About Your First Song

July 9, 2014 Brent Baxter 22 Comments

What’s the story of the first song you ever wrote?

Did a light come on, telling you, “This is what I do!” Or did the songwriting bug slowly creep up on you? Did you ever play it for anyone? What do you feel about that song as you look back on it now?

Here’s my story:

It was Christmas of 1994. I was back home in Batesville from college at Arkansas State. It was my sophomore year. My buddy, Tim Meitzen, had gotten a guitar for his birthday, and he was starting to play and sing. He was still back in high school, but we knew each other and were friends from church.

Me, I had been writing poetry since my senior year in high school. Bad poetry, mostly venting about unrequited crushes, etc. I had also been writing short stories- mostly superhero adventure stuff. It was an outlet, and fun, but I didn’t consider myself a “writer” really. Or at least, I didn’t know what to do with it.

Anyway, Tim and I got together over Christmas, hanging out at his house. He had started songwriting a little bit. I showed him a “poem” I had written called, “Waiting On Wings.” I didn’t realize it at the time, but the structure of the poem was just like the structure of a song- it had verses and a repeating chorus.

Tim liked it, and he stole the melody off something else he had been working on and applied it to my poem… which was now a lyric. It was a ballad about a girl named Julie who had always been waiting on her wings. “Julie’s just an angel who is waiting on her wings – waiting for her chance to soar above all earthly things.” Each verse told a different story from her life, and (you guessed it) ended with her old, dying, and waiting on Heaven.

Sad, sweet, ballad… does that sound like your first song?

Tim put that melody on my words, and I was hooked. It was such a great feeling to have my words sung back to me! My short stories were in a notebook at home. My poems were in a notebook at home. But this SONG… this song was being sung out into the world! Tim could play it around the campfire with our buddies- which was way cooler than me reciting a poem to a bunch of 18 year old guys out in a field at 2 in the morning.

It wasn’t a very good song. It was okay, but miles away from anything professional level. Of course, we didn’t know that- we thought it was great!

After that night, I still wrote a poem or two, but I mainly wrote song lyrics. I was hooked on hooks… and I still am.

What about you? I’d love to hear your story!

God Bless,

Brent

DON’T MISS A SINGLE MvR POST!

Brent’s Twitter: @Razorbaxter

Brent Baxter Music: http://www.brentbaxtermusic.com

Brent’s Instagram: Razorbaxter75

Craft

Shuffle The Deck To Beat 2nd Verse Hell

July 7, 2014 Brent Baxter 8 Comments

“2nd Verse Hell” is that lovely place you reach at the end of the first verse and chorus where you stare at the page for an hour, pulling out your hair and trying to figure out what to say next. I’ve been there, and it’s not fun.

Sometimes the solution to 2nd Verse Hell isn’t what happens next. Sometimes, the solution is what happened before.

Think of each section of your lyric, or even each thought, as a single playing card out of a deck. Shuffle the deck. Take what you thought was your first verse and move it to the second verse. Now what needs to be said in the first verse? Or maybe verse two is really the chorus and the chorus is really verse two.

Don’t be afraid to shuffle the deck several times. If you don’t like the result, you can always put the cards back in their original order. Go ahead. Give it a try.

Shuffling the deck just might change a losing hand into a winning one.

God Bless,

Brent

YOU VS.

What about you? Do you struggle with 2nd verse hell? What ways have you used to fight it? I’d love to hear from you!

DON’T MISS A SINGLE MvR POST!

If you like this blog, don’t miss a single post! Just put your email in the “Follow Man vs. Row via E-mail” section on this page, and I’ll send each new post right to your inbox. The “Follow” box is either in the upper righthand corner or down below. Also, please share this blog with anyone you think would benefit from it. I appreciate it when you share it on Twitter, Facebook, and anywhere else. Thanks!

Brent’s Twitter: @Razorbaxter

Brent Baxter Music: http://www.brentbaxtermusic.com

Brent’s Instagram: Razorbaxter75

Please protect the authority of your word.

I’m sharing this to beg you NOT to be this person.

Please, protect the value of your word.

THE PRO KNOWS

FOLLOW AND SHARE THIS BLOG

DON’T MISS A SINGLE MvR POST!

Images engage the heart, not just the brain.

Imagery makes it easy on your listener.

Imagery helps you be unique.

People are visual.

ARE YOU READY TO JOIN MvR IN THE TOP 10?

BECOME AN MvR VIP!

Ever have those Monday mornings?

But enough about me. What about YOU?

UPCOMING LIVE MvR EVENTS!

DON’T MISS A SINGLE MvR POST!

1. Regular Bible study and prayer time.

2. Display trophies.

3. Listen to positive messages.

4. Serve others.

5. Exercise.

6. Enjoy the journey.

7. Eavesdrop on yourself.

8. Build a positive team.

THE PRO KNOWS

What award would YOU love to win?

But enough about me. What about YOU?

DON’T MISS A SINGLE MvR POST!

A positive attitude keeps you going.

A positive attitude draws the right people to you.

A positive attitude helps you be more creative.

A positive attitude opens your eyes to possibilities.

A positive attitude helps you learn.

Songwriting should be fun!

DON’T MISS A SINGLE MvR POST!

Should I copyright my song?

What do the pros do?

What if somebody steals your song?

Do you protect your songs at all?

You own the song the moment you write it down or record it. Registering your song with the copyright office just helps to prove it.

DON’T MISS A SINGLE MvR POST!

DON’T MISS A SINGLE MvR POST!

YOU VS.

DON’T MISS A SINGLE MvR POST!

Helping songwriters turn pro.