Songwriters - Song Shaping

Shape the flow and structure of your song to give it maximum potential

http://www.kimcopelandproductions.com

Singers/bands 9 Tools For Increasing Your Performance Energy

Strong, exciting energy on stage can certainly win fans and influence people.  Some tips to think about before your next performance.

Kim Copeland
Music Producer/Artist Development
www.kimcopelandproductions.com

Singers - Vocal Strengthening for Singers

Vocal Warm Ups - Keep your voice strong and you'll perform better on stage and in the studio.  Daily workouts

www.kimcopelandproductions.com

Music Production
Artist Development

Writer/Singers - Creative Responsibility

Creative Responsibility

By Kim Copeland

We are all in a different place on our songwriting journey.  Some of us are great musicians, some beginners. Some of us are great singers, some can’t carry a tune.  Some of us have natural rhythm, some struggle to keep a steady tempo.  Some of us are poets while others of us ramble aimlessly, confusing the listener as we go.

Kim Copeland
Music Producer

The beauty of this ever shrinking world we live in is that you are never far away from someone whose strengths compliment your weaknesses.  As you identify and own your strengths and weaknesses you can, and should, seek out fellow creative beings that can fill in the gaps for you and improve your chances of songwriting success and fulfillment.  In doing so, you will become more self sufficient and better able to take responsibility for your songs.

 “Songwriting” means something different to each of us.  We all use the gifts we have and try to find some basic understanding of those we aren’t blessed with in hopes of improving our songwriting experience.  This process can be fulfilling or frustrating; often times both.   It should help to know that you do not have to be a great musician or singer to be a great songwriter.  If you can feel or hear your idea, you can find a way to express it and present it to the world.  It isn’t hard to cast a creative team to fill the roles you can’t.

Here are some key elements to creating a good, commercial song and where the creative responsibility lies for each.

1. Rhyme Scheme - Songwriter

2. Song Structure – Songwriter/Producer  (You should have the basic structure down, but be flexible in case musicians or producer come up with some creative modifications in the studio that you had not thought of.)

3. Attitude – Songwriter/Producer (Production should enhance it, but you should know what attitude you are going for before you get into the studio.  If you cannot express it, use other commercial songs as examples to illustrate this to musicians, vocalists, producer, etc.)

4. Emotion – Songwriter/Producer (Though production should enhance and showcase the emotional impact of the song, it is the writer’s responsibility to create the emotion in the lyric and melody.)

5. Range – Songwriter/Producer (You should have the range of the melody written to showcase the lyrical emotion. The producer and/or singer may embellish it somewhat to match the musical track.)

6. Phrasing – Producer/Songwriter (Though you should have the melodic and lyrical phrasing written into your song, you should also give the musicians, producer and vocalist some latitude with them to allow the song to evolve in the creative process of recording it.)

7. Melody ad lib – Producer/Vocalist/Songwriter (Whether you are singing your own demo or hiring a professional demo singer, be open to exploring ad libs that can enhance the emotional impact of your song.)

8. Instrumentation (chord voicings) – Producer/Musicians/ Songwriter (You may have chord voicings that work great with one guitar, but not with a full band.  Sustained chords, sevenths, etc should be used as coloring.  Trust the producer to find the compromise that brings out the flavoring you like without letting it interfere with the vocal and musical theme of your song.)

9. Musical signature lick, groove, arrangement, vocal harmonies and background vocals, vocal and musical phrasing – Producer/Songwriter/Musicians (You may have a signature lick written into your song, If so, let the producer build it into the full production to fit the groove and attitude of your song.  If you have ideas on harmony and background vocals, that is great.  But if you don’t hear these things, the producer will.  This is not something that you have to provide as the songwriter.   All of this falls under the umbrella of production.  Your producer should work with you to incorporate your ideas into the big picture in the way that best serves your song and your goals for the recording.)

Whether or not you are a great musician, singer, or linguist, your responsibility as a songwriter is to present your idea in a clear way that the audience can easily follow and be drawn into, and to move the listener emotionally.   Few of us can do it all.  Focus on the elements that you can do well and seek out others to help with the rest.  By learning where to put your energy to good use and where not to waste it, you can relax and focus and make better use of your creative time and energy.

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Singers/Bands: How Many Hats Can You Wear Well?

How Many Hats Can You Wear Well?

By Kim Copeland 

(email)

We live in a wonderful age for creativity.  We also live in a time that can be overwhelming for the creative soul.  Should you buy your own home recording gear and save studio costs?  Should you play all of the instruments on your recordings and save musicians costs?  You could also sing all of the background and harmony parts and save on the expense of extra vocalists, and do your own mixing and mastering.  Think of the money you could save.

Kim Copeland
Music Producer

Now think of the time you would have to spend to: become really good at the technical side of engineering, learn the skill set for mastering, develop the chops for playing multi instruments at the level you want for your album, develop the ear and range for elaborate vocal parts.  Oh, yes, and also act as your own project manager -keeping the time and costs in balance while creating a project that you are sure you can market.

It is not impossible, but it is very rarely the most fun, logical or professional way to approach recording.  You can do anything; but can you do everything well?

I work with so many indie artists and singer/songwriters who express such relief at having me to think about and handle parts of the project that they were not aware of or equipped to handle. 

Usually, there are some elements of recording a project that they did not want to deal with and others that they did not know how to deal with.  But during the process of recording together, they also become aware of aspects of singing, playing, interacting with musicians, exploring and arranging the songs, or even dealing with the coordination and marketing of finished product, that they had not given a thought to going in; Things that make a huge difference on the recording experience and the quality of the final product.

Unless you particularly enjoy creating in a vacuum, my advice is to do what you love to do and hire someone else to do what you are less passionate about and/or less qualified at. 

If you enjoy exploring and experimenting in the studio, spend some money on gear.  It’s a great time to get high quality gear at affordable prices.  But don’t get so focused on becoming an engineer that you set yourself back on being an artist.

If you have a limited amount of time and money to spend on your music, recording in a studio would be more efficient, though you can still use your home recording gear for working out parts, writing songs, experimenting with arrangements and sounds, etc.  This can save you money when you are on the clock in an outside studio.

Here are some things to ponder as you mull over your options for recording your next project.

Recording music at home:

Pros: 

>Experimenting without watching the clock. 

>Learning about ProTools or similar equipment. 

>Developing songwriting instincts.  

>Removing performance anxiety.

Cons:

>Working in a vacuum. 

>Spending your creative time and energy reading technical books and playing with a mouse instead of your guitar.  

>Limited to your own skill set and experience level.

>No creative interaction to grow your skills, expand your knowledge or discover new elements of your songs and artistry.

Recording vocals at home:

Pros:

>Time to explore arrangements and techniques without watching clock. 

>Time to arrange and perfect bgv’s.

> Experimenting with EQ and effects to see what you like on your voice and what you are capable of with and without digital help.

Cons:

>Working in a vacuum. No one’s voice sounds the same to their own ear and is does to others.  Assuming you want others to buy your album, it is good to have someone other than yourself pointing out your strengths and weaknesses and help you discover your uniqueness and commercial potential.

Mixing at home: 

(Even if you choose to record at home, mix elsewhere.  Get a new set of ears on it, perhaps some with more experience, different gear options, an ear for the current market; etc.)

Pros:

>Trial and error.  You can spend as much time as you want playing with effects and dialing in that sound you hear in your head.

Cons:

>You can spend as much time as you like….and NEVER finish!

>That sound you hear in your head may not be viable in the commercial marketplace.

>It may take you 10 times longer to find that sound than an experienced engineer with 10 times the plug ins and outboard gear you have at home.

Mastering at home:

(Don’t do it! Master elsewhere.  Again, another set of ears will pick up on things you may miss and also offer new insight into the strengths and weaknesses of your work.)

Pros:

>The experience.

Cons:

>Sound and quality.  Use a different set of ears for mastering than for mixing.  Otherwise you have no feel for whether what you are doing resonates with anyone else or competes with other albums your audience is buying. 

If you are recording purely for pleasure, home recording is great fun.  However, if you are investing in expensive gear and spending copious amounts of time to achieve commercial success, you may be handicapping yourself. 

Ninety nine percent of successful artists have a recording team to help them capture their vision and leave them free to focus on what they do best.  Why? Maybe it’s because there are very few creative geniuses that are good at every aspect of creating and recording a music project. And even those who are know that stretching themselves to thin makes their creativity and productivity suffer.

My advice is to do that thing you do so well and let others help you look good by allowing them to do what they do well.   Perhaps the real genius is in bringing out the best in those around you so that you look your best.

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Songwriters: Five Ways to Tell the Truth

Five Ways to Tell the Truth in Songwriting

By Kim Copeland

Kim Copeland
Music Producer

As writers, we are always trying to put words in other people’s mouths.  We not only have to guess what artists want to say to their audiences, but also how they want to express it.

Every line of lyric contains not only information for the listener, but also emotion. How it is delivered helps to determine the audience’s reaction to it.

As a writer, artist, or producer of your own demos, I challenge you to read each line of your lyric and try saying/singing it at least five different ways before you commit it to a final delivery of it.  Below is an example of how the meaning, emotion, attitude can change based on the way a line of lyric is delivered.

1. 1.     He couldn’t love her anymore
2. 2.     He couldn’t love her anymore
3. 3.     He couldn’t love her (anymore)
4. 4.     He couldn’t love her any more
5. 5.     He couldn’t love (her anymore)

1. 1.     I don’t want to love you tonight
2. 2.     I don’t want to love you tonight
3. 3.     I don’t want to love you tonight
4. 4.     I don’t want to love you (tonight)
5. 5.     I don’t want to love (you tonight)

It’s not only important that the accent be placed on the correct syl-a’-ble. It is also important for it to deliver the correct emotion and attitude. Explore every possible delivery before settling on the one that tells the truth in the most believable way.

    

Performers - If Not Now, When?

IF NOT NOW…WHEN?

By Kim Copeland

Most of us are way too good at putting things off.  There are an unlimited number of excuses to avoid beginning a daunting task, even if it is something we really want to accomplish. 

There are an equal number of clichés about taking small steps to cover a great distance.  Here is my favorite one:  “You can always adjust your course if you are moving, but if you stand still, you stagnate. “ (This applies to water and people.)  So, if you want to get anywhere, get moving!

You will never BE a star until you BECOME a great performer and have great SONGS to sing!

> Are you writing or selecting great, commercial songs right now?

> Are you performing in front of audiences right now?

> Are you practicing vocal delivery and strengthening?

> Are you learning how a tour works?

> Are you researching about where you might fit into a label roster; who your audience would be, what kind of recording and touring deal YOU need?

> Are you studying other artists for stage performance; fan interaction; career development tips? 

If not now…. when? 

>> If you need vocal coaching, find a vocal coach that fits your needs and budget. Set an appointment. Tell them what your goals are and ask how they can best help you get there.  Be specific so you don't waste valuable time and money.  

>> Get on a vocal workout plan. Let your coach (or your former experience with a vocal coach) help you develop a work out that you can do regularly to boost your stamina and range.  

>> Choose 5 artists whom you admire and watch and read everything you can find on them for one month.  Study their stage moves, their interview techniques, their interaction with their band and their audience.  

>> If you do not write songs, start studying songs.  Identify songs that you would choose to perform as an artist. What do you like about them?  >> Develop a song profile to use when you are ready to search for songs for your own album. Decide what messages, emotions, attitudes you want your audience to experience at your shows and when listening to your music.  

>> Attend writers shows/songwriter nights.

>> Introduce yourself to two writers whose songs you liked that night and ask to hear more of their catalog. You will need relationships with good songwriters your entire career.

>> Find 3 good references for music business advice. Buy the books. Watch the interviews. Read the articles. Attend the seminars. 

>> Write yourself a business plan. Once you understand the industry create a path for yourself so you know what step to take next.  

>> Study record labels. Learn which artists are on each label and familiarize yourself with their music. You need to know where you fit in when you are ready to shop yourself.  

>> Get your look and sound ready for action so when opportunities present themselves, you are ready to take advantage of them.   

Little steps lead to big achievements.  Try some of these small steps today and see where you can be tomorrow.

Get started! Don't just dream... Show up!

More information at www.kimcopelandproductions.com