Question by Michael:
I hate my day job. I'm a songwriter at heart. I shouldn't be sitting in an office all day doing a job that makes no sense. If only I could do songwriting full time… if only. Sometimes I think I should just give up my job and have a go at making a living from songwriting. With more free time, I think I'd be able to accomplish more and sooner in songwriting. Do you think I should quit my job?
Answer:
Having a day job can be a drag. Many hobby songwriters daydream a lot about being able to write songs full time. But would it really be THAT great?
Your present situation probably looks something like this:
▪ You work 8-9 hours a day.
▪ By the time you get home you're exhausted but you still find a couple of minutes for songwriting on most days and at weekends.
▪ Once you start writing, you just can't stop and you're surprised how much you've accomplished in such short time. You're wondering: where would I be now if I'd had all day for writing in the last couple of years?
Let's imagine that you have one year off work for some reason. What would happen in that case?
▪ You're euphoric because you have all the time in the world.
▪ You spend a couple of days with songwriting, resting every couple of hours by watching TV, or chatting on the internet and Facebook. You feel you're doing a little too much songwriting and draining your creativity. You think maybe you should go out and collect new experiences and re-energize yourself before you go on.
▪ And now that you have so much free time, there are some things besides songwriting you've always wanted to do or stuff you need to catch up with: go to the gym daily, meet old friends, make a cool website/blog, learn a language, practice playing the piano daily, visit all the galleries in the city…
▪ After a couple of weeks you notice that you end up having very little time for songwriting.
There is a saying by Lucille Ball: "If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it. The more things you do, the more you can do." I've found it to be totally true. So don't give up your job because you won't do more songwriting. And you won't be able to concentrate on being creative if you worry about financial security all the time.
Keep on songwriting, collaborating and slowly but surely you'll get to a point when you make so much from songwriting that can quit your job and tell your boss all the things you couldn't earlier… :)
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Should I Give Up Songwriting?
Question by Van:
I love writing songs. My favorite part of every day is always when I sit down with my guitar and come up with some interesting chords then start humming along and soon finish the song. It's so fulfilling.
But I'm getting more and more discouraged these days. I've been trying to have my songs cut by artists for two years with zero success. Should I just give up now?
Answer:
Hello Van,
Most songwriters consider giving up at one point or another. Or maybe every day :) But please, don't do it!
You write songs because you love it. If you're like most songwriters, you'd do it even if nobody paid for it (which is the case sometimes anyway).
If you do something for your songwriting career every day, you'll get better at the craft, you'll have better connections and you'll get closer and closer to getting your songs cut. It's a fact of life. But nobody can predict when it will happen. It's different for all songwriters. It might be your 15th or 157th pitch that will bring you success. But if you're persistent, you'll get there!
It looks like becoming a songwriter is your dream. And you should never give up on your dreams!
I love writing songs. My favorite part of every day is always when I sit down with my guitar and come up with some interesting chords then start humming along and soon finish the song. It's so fulfilling.
But I'm getting more and more discouraged these days. I've been trying to have my songs cut by artists for two years with zero success. Should I just give up now?
Answer:
Hello Van,
Most songwriters consider giving up at one point or another. Or maybe every day :) But please, don't do it!
You write songs because you love it. If you're like most songwriters, you'd do it even if nobody paid for it (which is the case sometimes anyway).
If you do something for your songwriting career every day, you'll get better at the craft, you'll have better connections and you'll get closer and closer to getting your songs cut. It's a fact of life. But nobody can predict when it will happen. It's different for all songwriters. It might be your 15th or 157th pitch that will bring you success. But if you're persistent, you'll get there!
It looks like becoming a songwriter is your dream. And you should never give up on your dreams!
Monday, November 7, 2011
Is Networking Important in the Music Business?
Question by Ashton:
Sometimes it feels like it's not the talented ones who make it. What do you think?
Answer:
Hello Ashton,
We've all heard the saying: "it's not WHAT you know but WHO you know". It's true in all businesses. And it's even more so in the music business.
You might be the greatest, brightest, most talented songwriter or musician but if you have no connections in the music business, your chances to make it are definitely lower.
The concept of business sounds cold and impersonal. But every business is made up of people. Every decision is made by people. And when people make a decision, they use their gut feelings much more than pure logic. That's why they probably won't care about your talents as much as their relationship with you. People do business and work with people they like. If they don't know you, they don't know if they like you.
If you take a look at any successful person's road to success, you'll definitely see how their network of connections helped them get to where they are today.
So I suggest that you should start networking with other songwriters and musicians. And it's not a hard or gruesome job to make new friends, is it? :) But networking is something you should do wisely. If you do the wrong thing, you might burn bridges. There is a book I like about this topic: Networking Strategies for the New Music Business
by Dan Kimpel. I highly recommend that you read it first then start your journey...
Sometimes it feels like it's not the talented ones who make it. What do you think?
Answer:
Hello Ashton,
We've all heard the saying: "it's not WHAT you know but WHO you know". It's true in all businesses. And it's even more so in the music business.
You might be the greatest, brightest, most talented songwriter or musician but if you have no connections in the music business, your chances to make it are definitely lower.
The concept of business sounds cold and impersonal. But every business is made up of people. Every decision is made by people. And when people make a decision, they use their gut feelings much more than pure logic. That's why they probably won't care about your talents as much as their relationship with you. People do business and work with people they like. If they don't know you, they don't know if they like you.
If you take a look at any successful person's road to success, you'll definitely see how their network of connections helped them get to where they are today.
So I suggest that you should start networking with other songwriters and musicians. And it's not a hard or gruesome job to make new friends, is it? :) But networking is something you should do wisely. If you do the wrong thing, you might burn bridges. There is a book I like about this topic: Networking Strategies for the New Music Business
by Dan Kimpel. I highly recommend that you read it first then start your journey...
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
What are the right piano chords to go with each other?
Question by Jamie:
Where do I go after an F minor chord, for example?
Answer:
Hello Jamie,
Chord theory, i.e. the answer to the question "What are the chords that go well together?" is really simple, fortunately. Although this is a question that has been bugging songwriters for a long time, there are a few rules that can guide you. To find out what they are, go to theChords That Sound Good Together page.
Where do I go after an F minor chord, for example?
Answer:
Hello Jamie,
Chord theory, i.e. the answer to the question "What are the chords that go well together?" is really simple, fortunately. Although this is a question that has been bugging songwriters for a long time, there are a few rules that can guide you. To find out what they are, go to theChords That Sound Good Together page.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)