No More Excuses...Please Help A Wannabe Songwriter

Anything about MUSIC but doesn't fit into the forums above.
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Lesson 5 - Ego

Okay, I get it. Make a cover of a song in a genre I don't normally listen to. I'll put that on my to-do list after creating my web page. Right now I just want to get through the lessons. I have done covers before but all songs I loved so they don't count.

I will return to this at the end of the course.

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Lesson 6 - Letting The Song Lead You

One assignment I can't do. I have NEVER not finished a song. I have no half done tracks on my drive.

However, here is a song that started out as a serious metal tune that just wasn't working. So I turned it into this. Probably one of my most original songs.

https://soundcloud.com/steven-wagenheim/pig-on-the-dash

On to lesson 7.

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Lesson 7 Finishing & Publishing Your Work

Honestly, I almost laughed my ass off reading this lesson.

Okay, let's start with my inspirations, the artists who made me want to write music.

Today I listened to this album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwAPFbQ ... A4376238CF

Annie Haslam has the voice of an angel. Betty Thatcher writes lyrics of one touched by God. Probably my favorite group of all time.

Every single day I listen to tons of songs of other artists. Music is my life. There isn't a day without music in my life.

Now, as far as my making my own albums, I have done all of these just since 2016. Forget everything I did prior to that.

The Vocaloids A Little At A Time
Once Upon A Time
M
The Lost Tapes III
The Reflecting Pool
Back Together Again III
Glitch
Guitars From Hell
The Dungeon Masters
No Signal
A Whole Lotta Country
80s Squared
Resisting The Temptation
Bananas Crackers And Nuts
Amp It Up
Sins Of The Father
Botany Bay
V Pop
The Basement Tapes
The Gates Of The Lord
Six Guns And A Chaser
Divas
Weather Report
Raising Kane
Pop Madness
The Vocaloids Live At Carnegie Hall
Outtakes
Ten Years Later
The Wyzyrd Of Trance
Untitled Masterpiece

All of these albums are posted at Soundcloud. I am currently working on my latest album, "Still Out Of Sync" which has 14 songs completed. I have 2 more to do and then that one will be done. Finishing projects has NEVER been a problem for me.

Feel free to listen to any one of these.

On to lesson 8

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Lesson 8 - Answering The Call

Okay, let's go through the checklist and see if there are any of these things that I honestly have a problem with. I will be totally honest here.

1. My music is private and not for the whole world - FALSE

2. I'm opposed to being signed or making money - FALSE

3. I don't have the tools I need to make a pro record - FALSE though as a songwriter I don't know how important this is.

4. I'm not talented enough - DEPENDS. As a songwriter, I feel I am talented enough. As a performer, no, I'm not a pro singer or instrumentalist. That's just a fact. My voice is okay but nothing great. I can play my instrument well enough to put a demo together. But this is immaterial if all I want to be is a songwriter. If I wanted to be a performer, I'd go take vocal and piano lessons.

5. I don't know how to do it - DEPENDS. What is "it?" If you mean how to write songs, yes, I can write songs. If you mean how to make it in this business, no clue. I know my craft and I'm confident in my craft.

6. No one would be interested in my record. NOT APPLICABLE. Again, I'm not looking to make my own record. I'm looking for somebody ELSE to make a record with one of my songs. I am NOT a performing artist nor do I want to be.

7. We don't want to make a record. Only play live. NOT APPLICABLE. Same reasons as above.

As I am almost finished with this course it is becoming more and more clear that it is more geared towards performers. Still, I am going through this as requested.

On to lesson 9.

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Lesson 9 - Bringing It All Together

My current project is "Still Out Of Sync". Essentially, it is a tribute to the Police, doing songs in their style or at least attempting to do songs in their style. I have 14 tracks completed so far and have 2 more to do. I expect to be done with this project the beginning of August. I started it on April 1.

On to lesson 10.

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Lesson 10 - The Whole Shebang In A Nutshell

Okay, so here's what I've gotten out of all this aside from the impression that much of this is targeted to performers and not songwriters.

1. Be Unique - More importantly, I think be yourself. If you try to copy somebody else, as mentioned in one of the articles about so and so trying to be like so and so and failing, you most likely will fail. Well, I am most certainly myself and nobody else. I have no problem with that. Yes, I have been compared to other artists but oddly, not just ONE artist but many. That is because I have so many different sounds within my sound.

2. Know My Craft - It goes without saying that you will not get better at something unless you constantly work at it. I do. I am much better today than I was 42 years ago by a mile.

3. Put Yourself Out There - Nobody is going to knock on your door. You have to put yourself out there. You have to make people want to know you. This is the part I seem to struggle with and need help with. Hopefully, you can help me with that.

Anyway, that's it. I haven't technically completed the course because I don't have a web page with some kind of bio and I haven't done the cover song in a genre I'm not comfortable in. Therefor, I assume you're not going to help me until I've completed those 2 things. Fair enough. The web page I will work on today and the cover song I will work on when I get back from my 3 day vacation starting tomorrow. Honestly, I don't really want to do a cover song but to fulfill the requirements of this course and to get your help, I will.

That is all for now. I will post my web page later today.

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Michael L wrote: Mon Jul 22, 2019 12:08 am ... be generally likeable, and easy to deal with! :party:
That's funny ... :hihi:

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thecontrolcentre wrote: Mon Jul 22, 2019 2:31 pm
Michael L wrote: Mon Jul 22, 2019 12:08 am ... be generally likeable, and easy to deal with! :party:
That's funny ... :hihi:
i was really good at all the stuff, but no one wanted to give me all the power or even any of the benefit. i spent a lot of money.
you come and go, you come and go. amitabha neither a follower nor a leader be tagore "where roads are made i lose my way" where there is certainty, consideration is absent.

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Okay, web page is done. 2nd link on main page, Songwriter Bio. Open to suggestions for improvement.

http://wagsrfm.com/

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wagtunes wrote: Mon Jul 22, 2019 3:39 pm Okay, web page is done. 2nd link on main page, Songwriter Bio. Open to suggestions for improvement.

http://wagsrfm.com/
I evaluate a lot of portfolios for my work. The first thing you usually want to make clear is what the purpose of the portfolio is. Do you want to attract customers, or is it just for informational purposes? Do you intend to use it for applying for a job or for school? Does it support some other part of your business (e.g. your libraries)? Etc.

The other thing I see a lot of people do which is an absolute no-no, is to pat yourself on the back. You never call yourself "capable" regardless how capable you actually are. It is purely the work that is talking on your behalf. And, btw, you also never say something like "let the work talk for itself" either because that is completely self evident.

I would rewrite the first paragraph a bit to establish the purpose of the bio. Then drop the second paragraph completely, it is not necessary. You say you "do not want to write about boring stuff". That is perfectly fine. But what exactly is the purpose of writing about what you are not writing about?

And also drop the first part of the first paragraph after the portfolio pieces (up to "I'm quite versatile") and fold the second half of that paragraph into the very last one.

Depending on who you are writing it for, a slightly less colloquial language might help as well.
Follow me on Youtube for videos on spatial and immersive audio production.

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sounds like good advice :)

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mgw38 wrote: Mon Jul 22, 2019 4:01 pm
wagtunes wrote: Mon Jul 22, 2019 3:39 pm Okay, web page is done. 2nd link on main page, Songwriter Bio. Open to suggestions for improvement.

http://wagsrfm.com/
I evaluate a lot of portfolios for my work. The first thing you usually want to make clear is what the purpose of the portfolio is. Do you want to attract customers, or is it just for informational purposes? Do you intend to use it for applying for a job or for school? Does it support some other part of your business (e.g. your libraries)? Etc.

The other thing I see a lot of people do which is an absolute no-no, is to pat yourself on the back. You never call yourself "capable" regardless how capable you actually are. It is purely the work that is talking on your behalf. And, btw, you also never say something like "let the work talk for itself" either because that is completely self evident.

I would rewrite the first paragraph a bit to establish the purpose of the bio. Then drop the second paragraph completely, it is not necessary. You say you "do not want to write about boring stuff". That is perfectly fine. But what exactly is the purpose of writing about what you are not writing about?

And also drop the first part of the first paragraph after the portfolio pieces (up to "I'm quite versatile") and fold the second half of that paragraph into the very last one.

Depending on who you are writing it for, a slightly less colloquial language might help as well.
You're welcome to rewrite it for me.

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It looks like you spent about 10 minutes on it ... your bio contains info about your age, and how "capable" you are in every genre, but nothing about what you are trying to achieve (or past achievements). The Flash Player demos don't work on my phone, so chances are they don't work for very many people. You really need to put some thought into what the site is for, then put some effort into designing it.

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wagtunes wrote: Mon Jul 22, 2019 4:08 pm You're welcome to rewrite it for me.
You could pay someone to do that ...

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wagtunes wrote: Mon Jul 22, 2019 4:08 pm
mgw38 wrote: Mon Jul 22, 2019 4:01 pm
wagtunes wrote: Mon Jul 22, 2019 3:39 pm Okay, web page is done. 2nd link on main page, Songwriter Bio. Open to suggestions for improvement.

http://wagsrfm.com/
I evaluate a lot of portfolios for my work. The first thing you usually want to make clear is what the purpose of the portfolio is. Do you want to attract customers, or is it just for informational purposes? Do you intend to use it for applying for a job or for school? Does it support some other part of your business (e.g. your libraries)? Etc.

The other thing I see a lot of people do which is an absolute no-no, is to pat yourself on the back. You never call yourself "capable" regardless how capable you actually are. It is purely the work that is talking on your behalf. And, btw, you also never say something like "let the work talk for itself" either because that is completely self evident.

I would rewrite the first paragraph a bit to establish the purpose of the bio. Then drop the second paragraph completely, it is not necessary. You say you "do not want to write about boring stuff". That is perfectly fine. But what exactly is the purpose of writing about what you are not writing about?

And also drop the first part of the first paragraph after the portfolio pieces (up to "I'm quite versatile") and fold the second half of that paragraph into the very last one.

Depending on who you are writing it for, a slightly less colloquial language might help as well.
You're welcome to rewrite it for me.
or "thanks, is there any chance you could give me a few pointers to make it more appealing?"

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