I am working on a new album of songs. I am taking it back to the old school Minneapolis Sound. Feel Good, Pop, Dance, Funk. I am working on quite a few songs right now. I wanted to share a new one I just sang and mixed today. It is called, “Law of Attraction” Check it out:
“Law of Attraction” written and produced by Chad Shank. ©2013 Chad Shank, Rowley Street Music, BMI
Ok, so since my last video post, I worked on lyrics and melody and recording a worktape of my songwriting assignment for this week.
The result is a pop-dance song called, “Better Than You Think.” It has the same basic structure, rhyme scheme and tempo as The Wanted, “Glad You Came.” Give it a listen and see what you think….
Better Than You Think
by Chad Shank
Chorus:
You keep making wishes
For love delicious
Set your goal but will you hit it
Don’t blink you’ll miss it
Might not play out like you dream
Could be Better Than You Think
V1:
You set your standards high
Want just the perfect guy
Great body rockin’ smile
He has to be just right
V2:
But now you met someone
Not quite what you’d expect
But he seems super nice
I know you haven’t met, but
You should meet him for a drink
Might be Better Than You Think
Chorus:
You keep making wishes
For love delicious
Set your goal but will you hit it
Don’t blink you’ll miss it
Might not play out like you dream
Could be Better Than You Think
V1:
You set your standards high
Want just the perfect guy
Great body rockin’ smile
He has to be just right
V2:
But now you met someone
Not quite what you’d expect
But he seems super nice
I know you haven’t met, but
You should meet him for a drink
Might be Better Than You Think
Chorus
©2012 Chad Shank
This week I am giving my first video blog a shot on this site. I have not posted any of my own videos on this site, yet…..so her goes nothing! This is a video of my progress on my songwriting assignment I have myself. My assignment this week is to create a song that has the same rhyme scheme, structure and tempo as The Wanted, “Glad You Came.” Watch the video to see what I have so far…. (the video isn’t perfect, but you get the idea…)
So I finally finished up my C Dorian Mode – Songwriting Assignment from a couple weeks ago. The assignment I gave myself was to write a song, melody first, in the C Dorian Mode. This is what I came up with. I think it needs some work, but it has some redeeming qualities.
The song is called, “Struck by Lightning.” My reason for doing these self guided assignments is to make myself write things that I may not normally write. Keeps me in practice. Stay tuned for more assignments. I posted my worktape demo below. Let me know your thoughts or if you have any questions. Also feel free to post your own songs if you follow my assignments. ~~ Chad
Struck By Lightning – Worktape
by Chad Shank
Like Giant strobe lights
or Camera flashes across the sky
I toss and turn thinking about you
the Lightning shines through my closed eyes
My Heart’s pounding like the thunder
I’m running for shelter
but it’s too late for cover
I’m Struck by Lightning
My hair is standing on end
Smells like something’s burning
That’s just my heart
I’ve been Struck by Lightning
When you zapped me
I didn’t really know what to feel
It’s like you fell out of the sky
Lit me up like nothing I’ve seen
Now My Heart’s pounding like the thunder
I’m running for shelter
but it’s too late for cover
I’m Struck by Lightning
My hair is standing on end
Smells like something’s burning
That’s just my heart
I’ve been Struck by Lightning
I need some rain to cool me off
I need some rain to Tone things down
I keep praying for rain
I keep Praying for rain
CHORUS
© 2012 Chad Shank http://www.chadshankmusic.com
My latest self guided songwriting assignment was to write a song starting with a melody first, in the C Dorian mode. I have been toying around with it for the last week and a half or so. I have not finished the song, yet. I wanted to give you an update on where I was and show you some of my thought processes while working on it. Hopefully it will help give you some ideas for your own writing. So I have made this little ‘podcast’ of what I have so far. As always, please email me or leave comments with any questions or thoughts you have. I love to hear from you! Listen below… ~~ Chad
Ryan at MusicianLauncher.com has compiled some online songwriting and music related resources into a cool video. I am featured in the video, but so are some other great sites and people that can help you improve your songwriting and playing! Check out the video and Ryan’s site! ~ Chad
http://www.musicianlauncher.com/2012/06/making-music-great-resources.html
This week I gave myself a songwriting assignment. I posted that assignment here. I started off following my own assignment pretty closely….but then the song kinda of took a few different turns. Mainly in the number of lines in the sections and where in the measures the melody starts. Anyway, what came out was the start of a song called, “Human.” It probably needs some work, but the whole point of these assignments and exercises is to keep myself writing. Not every song is going to be a smash hit, but even the not-quite-there songs are very important, because you don’t reach the gold without digging for it. So this is my songwriting ‘digging’ this week….. ~~ Chad
Human
by Chad Shank
He has beach blond hair with darker streaks
And he moves like a breeze across the beach
The sand sticks to his sweat
Beads of water on his skin
He’s free as the Caribean sun sets
Chorus:
He feels Human
In this place he likes to find his joy
Where he feels Human
Away from the stress
Away from the noise
He feels Human
Sometimes he paints to forget the pain
With a brush in his hand in a different state
Emotions on the page
Feelings in the scene
Art is what takes him away
CHORUS
Bridge:
He lets himself go
Lost in the taste, touch, sight, sound and smell
Where he can find himself
Find himself again
Chorus Repeats
Chords:
Verse: ||Cm |Cm |Ab |Ab |Cm |Cm |Fm |Fm ||
Chorus: ||Ab |Bb |Gm |Gm ||
Bridge: ||Bb Fm |Ab ||
©2012 Chad Shank
Here is another song that I wrote. Check it out, it is called, “The Past I’m Running From” ~~ Chad
The Past I’m Running From
by Chad Shank
On wet gravel
A tear slips down my face
I push the pedal
And try to drive this hurt away
The sky is black
The rain it pounds
I’m not sure where I’m going now
So I just drive away
Make my escape
But I’m haunted
By choices made and my mistakes
I’m trying to find some answers
Speeding down this dirt road
Struggling
With the Past I’m Running From
Ugly demons
Staring at me from the backseat
‘Cause I hurt the
One closest to me
I cheated
And I told some lies
And now I’m in this storm tonight
CHORUS
Bridge:
From the bottom of my heart
I never meant to tear our world apart like this
Lost out on these muddy roads
The first and last place that I should go is to you
CHORUS
©2012 Chad Shank, Rowley Street Music
Here is another new song that I wrote recently. It is called, ‘I Feel Free.’ ~~ Chad
I Feel Free
by Chad Shank
I fill up with gas at a 2 pump station
On the outskirts of civilization
Out here where I can roam
The rat race I run away from
So I can breathe in freedom
The prairie feels like home
PC:
City’s where I make ends meet
back there I’m Mr Corporate
Stuffed into an office
Out here I’m king not a worker bee
CHORUS:
Country air
Windows down
I Feel Free
Getting out
On the road
I Feel Free
As the sun’s sinking down over the corn fields
I Feel Free
V2:
The way time is flying it won’t be that long
I can quit my job and say so long
Can’t wait til I’m retired
Get back to rural America
No concrete hysteria
The place where I’m revived
PC:
Watch the sunset and stars come out
Sinking slow on the horizon
Man it’s really something
It’s those simple things that what life’s about
CHORUS
Bridge:
Hello Farmland
It is always good to see you
But let’s not wait so long for next time
CHORUS
©2012 Chad Shank, Rowley Street Music
Here is a new song that I co-wrote with a great friend and songwriter, Janice Gilbert. I cut the demo at my place in Minneapolis. Check it out! ~~ Chad
When She Puts On That Lipstick
by Janice Gilbert and Chad Shank
Verse:
She’s a foxy little vixen
With a wild look in her eyes
Wearing rich velvet lipstick
The way she moves should be a crime
The whole town’s been talking
About where she was last night
Was alone when she walked in
But walked out with a new guy
She had him on her hook
She was playing the game
No one can resist that kind of bait
Chorus:
When she puts on that lipstick
Boy, you better forget it
She knows she’s got ‘em watchin’
She can feel it in their looks
When they stare longer than they should
When she puts on that lipstick
This ain’t the first time this has happened
Feel sorry for the last guy
She used her body to trap him
and she took him for a ride
She was chasing dollar bills
She was playing the game
No one can resist that kind of bait
CHORUS
Bridge:
When she puts on
On that Lipstick
They forget their common sense
And get stuck with
Sorry regrets
But she knows just what she’s doin’
Chorus
©2012 Janice Gilbert and Chad Shank
