Category Archives: Craft

These posts focus on the craft of songwriting.

Craft

Take A Cliche Moment And Make It A Hit Moment

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Man vs Row

Every time you use a cliche in your song, you miss an opportunity to do something great.

Cliches get used so much because they’re so easy. They are the first things that come to mind when we want to communicate certain things.

For example, it’s a lot easier to just say we’re “raising hell” or “painting the town” than it is to dig deeper and say we’re “filling Friday night full of empty cans” or “trying to make the Barhopper’s Hall of Fame.”

The cliche gives the listener information, but it’s forgettable because the listener has heard it a thousand times. There’s no emotion left in it. (Unless you somehow set up the cliche in a way that makes it fresh.)

When you go beyond the cliche, you have a chance to wow the listener with something they haven’t heard before.

A great example of this is “Summertime,” recorded by Kenny Chesney and written by Craig Wiseman and Steve McEwen. It’s about being young in the summertime, and there’s a part in the chorus where they reference driving around.

Young + summertime + driving = radio up + window down. Right? Yes, and that’s why it’s a worn out cliche. Sure, it’s true- we’ve all lived that line many times. But there’s nothing memorable or “wow” about it.

Instead, these hit writers reference a Yoohoo bottle on the floorboard. So much better!

It’s believable- I can totally picture young guys leaving a Yoohoo on the floorboard.

It’s fresh- I’ve never “seen” that image in a song before.

Bonus: It provides a fun melodic moment when Chesney sings, “Yoohoo!”

The writers took a cliche moment and made it a hit moment. It’s our job to do the same.

Dig Deeper

What do you think? What’s your take on this topic? I’d love to hear your comments. And if there are some lyrics where the songwriter make a cliche moment a hit moment, share those in the comments, too!

Knowing simple things like this is how you write stronger songs- and 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

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.

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Craft

Small Details Make Your Song More Believable

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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.

There is power in finding images that go deeper than the obvious or cliche images.

I had a publisher tell me once, “write about the truck from the INSIDE THE CAB, not from the OUTSIDE.”

Too many writers (and I was obviously guilty of this) write about “the truck”- the situation in the song- from the outside. They describe it using imagery and details that anyone who isn’t IN that situation could use. It’s the obvious ones. And, usually, it’s the cliche ones.

Our job is to dig deeper.

Dig Deeper

We need to use our memory, our imagination, research, and whatever we have at our disposal (including our cowriters), to write from the inside of the truck.

That’s what I tried to do with my Alan Jackson cut, “Monday Morning Church,” and it made a big difference.

Once the situation was decided- the man had lost his wife, who was the more spiritual of the two and his anchor- the trick was to figure out “what does this look like from the inside?” The results were the opening lines:

You left your Bible on the dresser

So I put it in the drawer

‘Cuz I can’t seem to talk to God

Without yelling anymore

Yes, the part about yelling at God is a bold, raw, and real way to start off a song. But the first two lines are really important, too. They balance the big, bold statement by giving the listener something small, real and believable. It also sets up “God” in line three.

Use inside details, but be sure and use details that make sense to the listener. Be inside but not too inside. In our truck analogy, write from inside the cab, which people can understand. Don’t write from so far inside the truck that you’re in the carburetor and only a mechanic knows what you’re talking about.

Also, keep the images relevant. They should add to our understanding of the characters or story, not just be filler. In our “Monday Morning Church” example, the fact that she left her Bible on the dresser is very telling. It’s HER Bible. She reads it often enough that she keeps it out where it’s handy. The next lines show the listener, in pictures, that he’s putting it out of his sight because he’s too angry at God.

So next time you write, take your time. Close your eyes and imagine the situation. Then climb into the truck.

What are some other songs that do a good job of writing from inside the “truck?” Do you find that this comes naturally to you, or is it a struggle?

Knowing simple things like this is how you write stronger songs- and 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

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Biz, Craft, Muse

Why I don’t play guitar- and play to my strengths instead.

8 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.

My guitar is in the garage. The strings on it are older than my son, Ozark. Yet, I’m a decently successful songwriter. How do I manage that?

Well, if you’ve followed Man vs. Row for very long, you know I’m a lyricist by trade. I don’t take a guitar to cowrites, I don’t write melodies, and I don’t sing or play out.

This way of operating has not been without consequence: I don’t get to put my face with my songs at writers nights. Cowriting with a non-playing artist can be tricky because we have to bring in a third cowriter. But I’m sticking with this way of thinking. Here’s why:

It allows me to focus and specialize.

I figured out early on that it’s better for me to be great at one thing (if I can be great at anything) than average at many things. Focusing on my natural strength (lyrics), allows me to have an identity as a writer. It gives my cowriters a reason to call me in on a song.

It’s more rewarding.

Focusing on my strength gets me better results than working on my weakness.  It’s a lot easier to take a strength up to professional level than it is to take a weakness up to professional level. It’s also a lot less frustrating than banging my head against the melodic wall.

It’s a more effective use of my time.

If I took my guitar to a cowrite, I’d feel obligated to pull it out. Then, I’d end up taking up our writing time by getting my cowriter to show me how to play a certain lick or sing a certain melodic line. That would distract us from the task at hand- writing a great song. If I’m solo writing, I’ll get a lot more done if I work on a lyric than if I try to write a melody.

I’m not saying that the way I work is the way YOU should work.

We each have our own unique mix of skills and challenges. What I hope to do with this post is to get you thinking about the best way for YOU to work. Maybe it’s focusing on just lyrics or just melody. Or maybe it’s doing both. Or maybe it’s something else. That’s up to you to figure out.

Playing to your strengths will lead to better songs.  However, how you apply those strengths can help you write market-smart songs (songs that have a competitive advantage in the commercial market).  If you want to discover 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

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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

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Craft

If You Go Ballad, Go Big!

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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.

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.

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God Bless,

Brent

Craft

How To Keep Your Phrasing Interesting

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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.

Phrasing is the rhythm of the lyrics (and the spaces in-between) as they fit into the melody. You could say it’s the “bounce” of the words.

Phrasing could be melodic and slow, like the chorus on “Drink A Beer” recorded by Luke Bryan and written by Chris Stapleton and Jim Beavers. It could be more like a rap, like the verses of “Boys ‘Round Here” recorded by Blake Shelton and written by Craig Wiseman, Thomas Rhett, and Dallas Davidson. Or it could be somewhere in between.  (And I’m not talking about lyrical CONTENT here.  I’m not telling you what subject matter to write.  I’m just talking about the rhythm and spacing of the words, whatever those words happen to be.)

It’s hugely important to keep your phrasing interesting.

(Back when I was starting out, I had a pro songwriter- the son of my church’s music minister- listen to some of my songs.  He said, “I can tell you grew up Baptist. The songs all phrase like Baptist hymns.  You need to make your phrasing more interesting.”  My reaction was… “what’s phrasing?”)

Play with your phrasing. Mix it up. If you’re not great at writing uptempo songs, try writing faster, more interesting phrasing within your slower tempos. Brantley Gilbert and Colt Ford did this well when they wrote “Dirt Road Anthem,” which went on to become a #1 country single for Jason Aldean. The tempo wasn’t that fast- the song felt really laid back. It’s the rapid-fire phrasing on the verses which really gives the song its energy (instead of giving it a power chorus or a fast tempo).

You don’t want your lyric to have the same “bounce” all the way through.

Mix up the phrasing between your verse and your chorus. This will help you vary the melody between the verse and chorus, too. That’s really important. Also, make sure your verse doesn’t have the same bounce to every line.  Mix it up there, too.

Right now, rap-like lyrics are pretty popular in country music, but who knows how long that’ll be the case. My best advice is to just keep it interesting, whatever you do.

What do you think?  What are YOUR thoughts or questions on phrasing?  Do you have trouble mixing it up?  I’d love to hear your thoughts!

God Bless,

Brent

1-TO-1 COACHING

Hey, ya’ll! Several of you have been asking about 1-to-1 coaching opportunities.  Well, over the next few weeks, I’ve made a few sessions available.  It’s our chance to sit down together (over the phone or over the web) and discuss your songwriting goals, dig into a few of your songs to see how we can make them stronger, answer questions, whatever.  If you’re interested, just click on the image below or go to the “STEP THREE” tab at manvsrow.com.  Thanks!

-Brent

1-to-1 Coaching

 

Craft

Change Your Time Zone To Finish Your Song

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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

Craft

Condense Your Lyric To Finish Your Song

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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

Craft

Write 1,000 Words To Finish Your Song

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Finish 5

Are you trying to finish your song, but you’re having a hard time of it?  Maybe you’re stuck because 1) your idea is still vague or fuzzy or 2) you’re too busy trying to write lines instead of trying to figure out the thought BEHIND the lines. Maybe you’re stuck with your title, and you’re not sure where to go from there. So now you start to ponder what those words mean or what that notion means.

I know that for myself, sitting and pondering quietly is not usually the most effective way to dig into an idea. Why is that? I think it’s because it’s easy to get distracted. Or maybe it’s easy to sit there and FEEL your notion without ever putting it into words. And we kinda need the words to happen at some point, don’t we?

Anyway, I think I work most quickly and effectively when I can bounce ideas off of something, whether it’s a cowriter or a blank page. And it’s the blank page I want to talk about right now. I call it the “1,000 Word Exercise.” I open up a new Word or Pages file and put the title at the top (if I have one). Then I start typing and I don’t stop until my wordcount at the bottom of the file tells me I’ve hit 1,000 words. (Okay, you can take a bathroom break or refill your coffee, but no flipping on the TV.)

I don’t give myself any hard and fast rules when it comes to this, other than hitting 1,000 words. I can repeat phrases multiple times. I can put down… whatever… as long as it’s concerning that title or notion. I’m not worried about writing lyrics or lines, though some rhyming lines will inevitably appear.

No, I’m just concerned with getting thoughts on paper. If a cool line pops in my head, that’s great. Maybe it goes in this song, maybe it doesn’t. I really don’t know yet because I don’t know what my song is about yet- or even if there’s enough there to write a song about in the first place. Either way, you’ve captured the line, so it’s there if you need it later.

The reason it’s 1,000 words is because 1,000 words is A LOT.

Having that much space to fill means you can’t just stop with glib, shallow first impressions. You have to dig deeper. And wider, actually. That space both allows and forces you to consider multiple angles for your idea. It may turn dark for a little while, then it may turn funny. Sure, you’ll have some cliche stuff in there. That’s fine. Just put it down and keep on writing.

Hopefully, by the end of the exercise, you’ll have discovered an angle or layer of meaning which feels real and compelling. Then you can go through your 1,000 words and highlight lines and thoughts that go with that angle. (I also suggest you highlight- in a different color- lines and thoughts which could be seeds of other songs.)

Have fun… and keep writing!

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

Craft

Songwriters, Write The Video For Your Song

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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.

Sometimes, as writers, we have the tendency to leave too much information in our heads and off of the page. Maybe we know the story too well- maybe because we’ve lived it. Either way, our lyrics can sometimes just comment upon the story without actually giving us the story.

You might say, “Last night, you made me cry,” without telling us that he made you cry BECAUSE he “looked at me with cold blue eyes like I was some stranger you were telling goodbye.” It’s up in your head- you see the picture when you sing that line. But the listeners won’t see that. They can’t. They’re not in your head.

So you want to build the habit of showing us the cause of the emotions, not just telling us about the emotions.

Show The Cause

One way to help in this process is to “write the video.” This is not actual storyboarding. It’s just stream-of-consciousness (or more thoughtfully) writing down what you see in your mind’s eye when you’re thinking about the story in your song. Memories or make believe, it doesn’t matter. Just capture the sights, sounds, tastes, touch and smells of your story.

This process is good for a few reasons:

1. It gives you a stack of images to draw from in your lyrics. You can now pick out the coolest, most true images for your song.

2. It helps you really crystalize your thoughts. Instead of vague notions you’re trying to capture in your song, you’ve already sketched out your story. Now, instead of trying to come up with the next rhyme, you’re more likely to think about what the thought needs to be. And that’s much more important than just a cool rhyme.

3. It helps you reach past cliche’ images. It might be easy to just write about her “feet on the dashboard” because that’s what country songs say (and you’re just focused on finding a line that sings well). However, if you spend more time on the story without being constrained by “next line syndrome,” you’re more likely to say, “Well, no. Her feet weren’t on the dash. One leg was curled up under the other.” That’s way more original and more believable.

So, remember. Focus on giving the listener the cause of your emotions, not just your emotions. Write the video to your song, and you’re more likely to see the video OF your song someday.

God Bless,

Brent

KNOW THE ROW

You’re invited to be a part of an exclusive Google Hangout with myself and music publisher & former ASCAP Membership Representative, Chad Green. Ask Chad YOUR questions face-to-face as we discus how YOU can get on the radar of a publisher or PRO! There are only TWO spots left, so don’t wait- click the image below to find out more:

Know The Row pic 2