Monthly Archives: April 2012

Thoughts On Chasing Music Trends – 5 Things You Can Do

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Have you ever had someone say, “Your song is not what is happening in music right now?” Or maybe they say that you don’t sound ‘current’ enough.  Then you go and turn on the radio and every song sounds like it was produced in the 80′s with a sprinkle of autotune. WTF? Right? I have had all of this happen, and I have let it get to me more than a few times. I know, I shouldn’t but I have. Seems like the ‘industry’ wants something different, but they want everything to sound the same. What they actually mean is….’we want what sells.’

So I have been thinking about this….and here is what I think about chasing musical trends:

1. I think you do need to be able to sound ‘just’ like what is hot right now. – - This gives you street cred and shows that you can play the game the way it is right now. Does this mean always doing it? Nope.

2. If you can’t play the game right now, how can you change the rules? - Learn what is fresh. Study the crap out of it. Then break the rules.

3. When you hear things on the radio and think, “I thought of that before” or “I wrote a song like that” That means you are on that cutting edge of what is going on. You are super close to breaking through. keep going! Write, Write, Write!

4. Once you get super comfortable with making ‘now’ sounding stuff….start pushing the envelope and developing from it. Put your own twist on it, or try to make it evolve into what you think is coming next.

5. No one has the exact same style as you….So play up what you do great, and work on improving the things you do OK. Celebrate your uniqueness, by mixing your influences.

6. (bonus) – Pick one song that you really dig that is hot right now, and listen to it at least 11 times in a row. Then listen to it any chance you can for a full day. Listen to it, so it almost becomes etched in your head. Listen to it as many times as you would listen to your own song you are working on. — My personal feeling is that this rewires your brain cells in a way that somewhere deep in the abyss of your thoughts, the song structures, melodies, lyrics, etc get stored and can add that ‘hit’ sound to your original stuff.

Trends are always going to change. Sometimes your style will be in, then in a month it will be out. I think the key is to be you, but to still be aware of what is happening. Learn how to do what is ‘in’ but make it your own.

Let me know how you feel about chasing trends…

~~ Chad

New Music Discovery: Steve Moakler

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I was listening to Pandora this weekend, and a song I had never heard came up. It was by a poppy country artist called Steve Moakler. The song is called, “This Ain’t Rock and Roll.” It is a well written song, and I can relate to it. It is a song about being from ‘the north’ but appreciating ‘the south’ and country music.

I am from South Dakota and I grew up listening to Top 40 radio and some counrty. As I have gotten older and gotten more into songwriting and lyrics, my taste has skewed towards poppy country. I am even working on a pop-country album of my solo stuff right now. So I think that is why Steve’s song, “This Ain’t Rock and Roll” hit with me. It was almost like taking words right out of my mouth!

So I thought I would share my music discovery with you…

Tip For Using Lyrics Online to Study Song Structure

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I am a big fan of studying hit songs in order to improve my songwriting. So I like to go online and look up the lyrics to hit songs that I like. It gives me a chance to look at things like number of lines, rhyme scheme, length of lines, song sections and generally how the song works lyrically.

My tip today, though, is to make sure that you listen to the song at the same time you are studying the lyrics, because many times the people that transcribe the lyrics do not set them up on the screen how they actually work in the song.  What does that mean? Well, the proper way to write down lyrics….or at least the most helpful….is to write them down so that each line represents a musical phrase. A musical phrase usually corresponds with a lyrcial phrase. So you will just want to make sure that on the page, the song is laid out so you can see exactly how the rhymes and rhythms are working.

Need to find the songs to listen to? Youtube is a great place to listen to songs. Some of the videos actually have lyrics on the screen…..these lyrics may or may not be written in a way that you can see the rhyme schemes and song structure. So you should also download the lyrics and make sure each lyrical line fits with a musical phrase.

Do you have any lyric analysis tips to share?

Songwriting: What Jobs Song Sections Do

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In the world of songwriting there really are no rules…there are just trends and tendencies….and tools.  Our jobs as writers is to practice using as many of them as possible….and writing on a very regular basis, so we improve. It is really like working out. At first your muscles ache and you can’t do as many reps, but as you go on, you get more in shape and you can do more. Songwriting is the same. So that is what I try to do….write alot using the tools I learn as I go along.

One problem I hear in many writer’s songs is that they do not set up their ideas in a way that makes sense to the listener and in return, the listeners don’t really care. So here is a loose guide that I like to follow to help guide me as I am writing so my songs make a bit more sense. These are kind of like ‘jobs’ that each song section performs….or questions they answer….

VERSE 1: Sets the Who When and Where. Establishes the idea or problem of the song.

Prechorus: What could be different, what would different look like?

CHORUS: WHY? What are the big feelings and grand idea?

VERSE 2: More about the problem or topic, maybe How did we get here?

Prechorus: What does different look like, how could things be different?

CHORUS – Same as First Chorus

Bridge: Where do we go from here? What do we need to do next?

Chorus – Same as others

This is a basic guide, but can be very helpful if you do not know where to take your song next.  Many times if I just have a title, I will try to answer these questions and map out the story of the song….before I actually work on the lyrics.

How do you plan your songs?

MN Association of Songwriters presentation this Wednesday!

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Hey Everyone,

I wanted to let you know that I am going to be presenting this week at the Wednesday night meeting of the MN Association of Songwriters. We meet at the McNally Smith College of Music in St Paul, MN from 7pm to 10pm.  This week I will be doing a presentation on how to use hit songs to get ideas for you own songs.  We will look at Lyrics, Melody and Harmony and many ways that you can analyze hit songs to get tools that work. It is this Wed April 25, 2012 at 7pm. Everyone is welcome to attend!

Hope to see you there….if you are in the area :)

~ Chad

Songwriting Tip: Practice What You Suck At

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If you only practice doing what you are good at, you will never grow. You should really practice doing things your are not good at. What does this mean for songwriters? Well, maybe you are really good at writing songs chords first, then writing lyrics. You really shine and can do it very well. Ok, now you should try getting really good at writing songs lyrics first, then coming up with chords. Or maybe you write most of your songs about love….try writing one or a dozen that are not about love.

Yes, you are going to feel uncomfortable, and it will feel weird….but that is the point. You want to push through our routine and grow as a songwriter. That uncomfortable feeling is you growing. So keep doing it! Do it until it becomes natural. One way I found that helps me to commit to writing 5 songs with the new process. Just 5 songs.

I used to always make music tracks and music first and then write words and melodies to whatever the music made me feel. This works, but there are times when my songs started to sound very similar and I was not hearing new stuff in the music. Then I decided to start writing lyrics first, then coming up with melodies and music. Wow, it was awkward and some of the first songs didn’t work so well, but the more I kept trying and practicing, he better they got. So now I try to give myself new songwriting assignments so I can keep growing and making new music.

So my assignment to you is to do the things you thing you are not good at. You will grow from it.

- Chad

New Song: ‘Summertime Lover’

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I wrote and cut a new song this past weekend. It is a fun -pop-country type track called, ‘Summertime Lover.’

LISTEN HERE

Summertime Lover
by Chad Shank

The sun
It burns my forehead
I take my shirt off
And hang it on the barbwire fence
I swig some Coca Cola
And set it on the fence post
You’re down on that blanket
I wanna get real close

I come down so we can snuggle
Kinda teasin’, kinda playful
We stare into each others eyes
We kiss, We sweat
Under a hot blue sky

Chorus:
You’re my Summertime Lover
You’re my Summertime Lover
You’re my Summertime Lover
You’re my Summertime Lover

Right on
Since this is the country
Ain’t no one gonna see us
There’s something I must confess
Baby you’re really smokin
We got too many clothes on
We’re not to far from water
We can get our splash on

You and me in the midst of nature
Little action, perspiration
We got the temperature on the rise
When we kiss, when we sweat
Under a hot blue sky

CHORUS

Bridge:
We got the birds and the bees
And the shack and the trees
And the bugs and the creek
And our barefeet
We got your and me and the summer heat
Uh Oh, Uh Oh
We got the birds and the bees
And the shack and the trees
And the bugs and the creek
And our barefeet
We got your and me and the summer heat
Uh Oh, Uh Oh

CHORUS

©2012 Chad Shank, Rowley Street Music, BMI

Chad Shank Songwriting Class Starting May 3rd in St Louis Park, MN

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Chad Shank SongwriterWriting Great Pop and Country Songs

Are you a songwriter? Do you write lyrics? Do you struggle with writer’s block or not knowing what to write about? Want to write better songs? Join us to take an in-depth look at what makes hit songs work, explore topics like object writing, point of view, rhyme scheme, building contrast, writing from your senses, and more! Songwriting is a mix of craft and art. Many times it starts with inspiration to get a rough draft, but how do you make your song shine? You’ll leave class with the tools to start writing better songs that touch people.

3 classes just $49! Sign up here: http://www.slpcommunityed.org/insight/registry/classinfo.asp?courseID=7986&catID=1391

Classes are Thursday nights from 7pm to 9pm, May 3, 10 and 17.

Music Business Career Tips from Night Shield Entertainment

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About 12 years ago I was producing and promoting a female R&B-pop artist around South Dakota. We met this young guy who said he had a record label and wanted to work on some music. His name is Gabe Night Shield. He was starting up his company, Night Shield Entertainment. NSE is a indie hip-hop label based in South Dakota that reaches around the world.

In the last 12 years I have watched Gabe grow his company, sign artists, gain fans, and make money. His drive and vision have been an inspiration to me. We have collaborated on a few projects, including a remix I did for his single, “Games” that is on his latest CD release. Night Shield Entertainment is the product of hardwork, passion and not giving up. Today Gabe posted some music business tips on his Facebook page and I had to share it with my readers. This advice is straight from the front lines of the music biz. Gabe is just like most of us, he loves music and makes things happen for himself.

Here are some tips that you can use in your music career:

Gabe says:
“So I’ve been reading a lot of other artists messages about this game and I decided to add my 2 cents to being successful in this music scene, these are the 6 steps I think all artists should pay attention to, and remember to take it for what it is, my opinion…

1. Hone Your Craft – When I 1st started in this game I never wanted to be an artist, I couldn’t rap for shit, I just wanted to promote other artists that I thought were dope and that people should hear. I didn’t even know how to write a verse but being around so many creative people kinda made me want to give it a try and when I started being on tracks with people that were 1000x better than me it forced me to step my game up. I don’t think I was “comfortable” with myself as an artist until my “Loved & Hated” album, which was my 3rd solo. When I listen to my first 2 albums there’s a ton of cringe worthy songs and verses. Allow yourself to grow as an artist and be able to take criticism, it’s not always “hating”.

2. Build Your Brand – You are the secret to your own success. Who are you? Why should I care? What makes you stand out from the 5000 other rappers out there? Define who you are as artist. I’ve tried to carve out my niche in this scene as a “personality”, someone like a Snoop Dogg or Puff Daddy that sort of transcend the actual music, sure they make great music but they are also known to most people even if they aren’t a fan or have ever even heard of their music. Not saying that’s what you should do but that’s my goal. Who’s your target audience? Don’t waste your time on people that will never be your fan no matter how hard you try, just try to please that people that do support you.

3. Be Patient / Hustle – Not everything comes over night. I’ve been doing this for years and while I have some “status” behind my name it took hundreds of hours of work to build whatever it is that I have going for me. Anyone that’s semi-successful in this scene works very hard at it. This game is 10% rap, 90% hustle. You can be the dopest rapper alive but if you have no work ethic it’s talent wasted, Soulja Boy will take your spot.

4. Be Humble / Be Professional - I work with anyone that’s “cool”. If I don’t dig you as a person, why would I ever want to do anything with you? The 1st step of this game is being “liked”, if people like you they are going to support you, same is said of the opposite. Even if I’m not a fan of your music but you’re a good person and you’re serious about your business I’m gonna do what I can to assist you given the opportunity.

5. It Takes Money To Make Money - If you just have a CDR like the 9,000 other artists out there and so & so comes along with a professionally printed album, who do you think people are going to take more serious? If you’re not going to invest in your passion, why should you expect anyone else to?

6. Network – No one can navigate this game solely by themselves. I try to never beef and do my best to never burn bridges, you never know who that person is that will open the next door for you is going to be. Now networking isn’t spamming the shit out of everyone’s facebook page with endless videos and songs, I personally hate that shit. That’s only going to annoy most folks. Networking is getting out there and shaking hands, meeting promoters, meeting other artists, meeting the fans and putting a face to the name. Let them meet the person and not just the name behind the computer or text.

And that’s what I got, I’m sure I could go on about this subject forever but this is my top 6, hope it’s useful to you guys…”

I hope to have an interview with Gabe Night Shield very soon… ~~ Chad