Role: Songwriter/Storyteller
SMART GOAL
Specific skills learned: Composition
Measurable: I will know when the song sounds complete and has good flow.
Achievable: I believe I have the skills to do this.
Relevant: No time like the present. Also, this is the end of my senior year.
Time bound: The time needed for this is realistic
Pre-production
Key leaders in this field: Neil Young, Rodger McGuinn, Jimi Hendrix for both stated and described. All of these composers have the ability to take the listener elsewhere.
HOWEVER in the instance of needing to study composition, my Mom recommended that I look at Leonard Cohen, one of the best songwriters ever. Here is one of his most popular, “Hallelujah”, sang by Jeff Buckley
There are many people in the world that talk about melodies being “familiar”. In our culture, we use 7 modes for music. The most common is the Ionian. Any Song in any major key is in Ionian mode. Dorian is the minor mode (minor third between first and third degree). (Wikipedia, 2022)
There are many methods to composition as there are stars in the sky. Some people believe that there is something as simple as “songwriting compass”, others invest in large amounts of education given to learning music theory and how other people write songs.
Here is an example of the “compass” version and train of thought:
2:05 I like how he focuses on how he wants you to choose with your ears.
10:03 I think its interesting how he links it into Polo and how it works with listening to time length of listening to songs.
17:58 This is a pretty good example of how to put it all together.
20:34 Rythym, rhyming, emotional centering and hardwiring evolutionarily wired into you.
Smart Goal Schedule
I made the song is much as I could And I was being creative.
Production-Action
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yfmhYvNS1FIEzq81SycLOq3Hs4pzwgw2/view?usp=sharing
Post-Production-Reflection
The ways of thinking about composition are varied and individual to the person. You have to pick which ways work for you and these can be ways that nobody else has ever heard about before. Songwriting is usually an individual exercise. Although there are commonly teams of people who write together, the most popular songs seems to be written by someone who is working alone.
The whole process of songwriting is in the made to stick SUCCESs model
S- Simple
Find the essence of the idea. The best melody lines are always simple, sometimes as little as 2 notes.
U – Unexpected
To get attention, do the unexpected. Sometimes you need that major life like Leonard Cohen used.
C – Concrete
Paint a mental picture. The best songs always come with a mental picture.
C- Credible
I wasn’t sure about this one.
E- Emotional
People care about people and the emotions surrounding others.
S – Stories