NEW SONG JOURNEY Chapter 5. Barbarians!

I don’t know how to play piano or how to read and write music on a staff, yet I’m doing both today! (I got ambitious about how quickly I could work on the previous Thank You Nature song. It’s still percolating on a back burner. So I’m turning...

NEW SONG JOURNEY Chapter 4: Revision.

Just now, typing this title, I see that the word “revision” means a little more than I’ve always considered. It clearly says “re-vision,” as in take another look, give it another thought or two. Good to keep in mind.I find song revisions...

NEW SONG JOURNEY Chapter 3: The Name!

Computer printed now, you can see the revisions beginning. I like to play the song while revising, rather than simply read it. I find words and rhythms that work better with the guitar and voice, the rhythms I initially feel and hear in my head may not work once I...

THE NEW SONG JOURNEY Chapter 2.

I am posting daily about my new song <untitled> and my writing process as it moves along:I said before I like to write with paper and pen. Once I have something roughed out I take it to the computer to revise. I print it and start marking it up.It’s neater...

THE NEW SONG JOURNEY Chapter 1.

For me, songwriting is like getting a new baseball glove – it needs to be broken in, gotta get the pocket just right before it’s ready for the show.You can see I write with pen and paper. When I use the computer I obsess about fixing typos and other errors...

Studio! Studio!

I’m busy writing new songs these days. It’s a lot of fun. And it’s a lot of work. I get an idea, it sounds great, I write it down…. and then what? As the ever-inspring great songwriter Steve Earle says, “The first verse is easy. The rest is work.” I can’t agree more....