Ralph Schuckett - Fri, Jul 23rd, 2010 5:54 PM PDT
Hi Robin-- I think we met years ago when I was an A&R guy at Colombia Records '89 thru '92. I just wanted to thank you for the potential students you've sent my way. One of them showed me your book & I was impressed by how succinct & well organized it was. It would be useful on many levels, not only for beginners, but for pros who want to improve their craft. Congratulations on a job well done. I'd love to meet you sometime over coffee or a good meal to talk shop & catch up (My treat). Thanks again, & I hope you're having a great summer. Ralph Schuckett Ted Allen - Tue, Jul 13th, 2010 1:25 PM PDT Hi Robin- I've been writing songs for over twenty years, and a TAXI member for about 8 or 9. I just watched your excellent interview with Michael Laskow and had to leave a comment here. I consider myself fairly well-versed in songwriting techniques, but you shared a lot of invaluable information that I had never heard elsewhere. I also checked out your site, and it is wonderful. I really like the way you break down current hits, and even point out where they could be stronger. Just wanted to say thanks for all the help and inspiration. Best, Ted jerome weldon - Sat, Jul 10th, 2010 11:27 AM PDT need help.I am seeking to find someone to help me to write a song,it is about my true feelings from my heart to my wife. Please help, i am not good at writing but i can tell my true feelings to someone. Again Please help i am desparate. Thanks - Jerome Weldon Hi Jerome - Try posting your message on one of the big songwriter forums. You can find a very active message board at http://www.musesmuse.com. In the meantime, try writing down your feelings and thoughts as the basis for a lyric. You may find that you come close to the kind of honest, conversational lyric style that's characteristic of today's singer-songwriter style. Then, look for a collaborator rather than someone to write both music and lyrics for you. Besy of luck to you. - Robin ryan - Fri, Jul 9th, 2010 1:33 PM PDT hi what do you when i have done some songs. Thank you Matt Shockley - Tue, Jun 22nd, 2010 11:10 PM PDT I find your work/thought processes very inspiring and helpful. I stumbled upon your site somehow in Google. - Go figure. haha. Anyways, I often write a TON of uncompleted pieces (hooks, chorus's, sometimes whole songs minus the 2nd verse). I DO complete songs on occasion very quickly and others after many months and sometimes years. I find that my struggle tends to be the same every time and I was wondering if you could help. It seems that my musical hooks, melodies, and even lyrical ideas are strong, However, after I end up writing most of the song out of sheer inspiration, I then find myself getting stuck and asking finally "What is this song even about?" I don't know if its a fear of commitment to the initial idea that keeps me from trying to answer that question from the beginning or the thought of not wanting to plan it out but rather just see where this idea takes me. SO, I personally feel like I may not understand plot development or themes very well except that I do KNOW when I get them right. I'll admit I'm incredibly ADD when it comes to analyzing lyrics and even when reading so understanding the main idea over just noticing all the details has always been a struggle. Do you have any ideas or suggestions that could help me write from a thematic or structured plot or even take a song that I'm stuck on to re-work it so that it has depth and actually goes somewhere? Hi Matt - I know exactly what this feels like. I've been there! Just today I tweeted about laying out a "song map" to act as a guide. You can also create a "lyric development path" to guide you through your whole song. Write from the title using questions to lead you. While I'm always concerned about pushing my book on people, it really does describe several solutions to this problem, like the two I just mentioned. You might want to buy it at Amazon.com. Good luck! - Robin Casper Castello - Sat, Jun 12th, 2010 1:59 PM PDT After writing songs for 15 years, published and aired this book is the best i've ever read on the subject. I did a song following your steps as strictly as i could and it worked! Just got a call from a major management because of that song. Way to go!!! Thanks for letting me know! - Robin Thanks and greetings from Denmark! Sabrina - Fri, Jun 11th, 2010 2:42 AM PDT this is the best site 4 writing songs. i had 2 disign a song 4 a book if it were made in2 a movie, this site helped me with the basics i needed 2 no. Sue - Thu, May 27th, 2010 4:06 AM PDT I hope this is the site of the writer of "Just You and Me Kid. My son is getting married this summer and I am trying to get a copy of the song for his wedding. The song was and still is "our" song. I hope you can help me. Hi Sue - Yes, you found the right person! I did write that song for the Disney Channel. What a wonderful idea to use it as a Mother/Son wedding dance. I love it! Unfortunately I don't have a copy of the recording myself and, to my knowledge, it has never been released on a CD of any kind. However, at Amazon, there are episodes of the show "Just You and Me Kid" available on VHS. Each includes, I think, four episodes. You could take the audio out of the VCR and record the song on to cassette or into your computer where you could then burn it to CD. Just be aware that it's a short song. I think the longest version runs about a minute. Hope that helps! - Robin alexandra - Tue, May 25th, 2010 6:45 PM PDT this is great:) Jonathan Boyd - Tue, May 18th, 2010 12:49 AM PDT I've perused a lot of sites claiming to offer advice for songwriters, but rarely found material like what you offer. You don't burden the reader with fluff or excessive references to your own music or book, and you offer very practical advice. Recently I began working on a folk/singer-songwriter sort of project with a friend, and I'm glad to say that your insight has helped me with writing lyrics that don't meander (a big problem of mine), given me a better understanding of song structure, and spurred me to begin writing in earnest. More specifically, the idea of choosing a title first has done wonders. Gone are the half-formed, amorphous ideas I used to come up with. With a title firmly in my mind, the direction of the song is clear and I can proceed where I need to go. It's such a simple bit of advice, but it was a revelation to me, the king of aimless lyrics. Thank you, and shoot me an email if you know of any good folk in Austin, Texas. Travis Winn - Fri, May 14th, 2010 11:23 AM PDT Hi Robin, I really liked your site. I liked how it wasn't just filled with ads, just a few tastefully placed book recommendations and I also liked how you are hones tand it is simple. So many websites these days are just filled with garbage, I think it's really killing the web. Keep up the good work! Finished my first dance music album (took two years including a course from SAE Institute on Electronic Music Producer) and was on your site for ideas into writing pop songs, thanks! Travis phyllis wright - Mon, May 10th, 2010 2:10 AM PDT Hello Ms. Fredrick. First of all, I want to say thank you for succeeding,looking and reaching back, to help other song writers. You are an answer to my prayers. Thank you for letting your light shine so that we can see the steps we need to take to succeed. Second, my ultimate goal is to write songs, but my secondary goal is to get paid as soon as possible for my lyric. rosa lewis - Fri, Apr 30th, 2010 5:07 PM PDT i love your tips on writing a song. i find them to be very helpful. i will continue to try and learn how to use your techniques. please pray for me that i get my gospel tunes in order. tiffany - Sun, Apr 25th, 2010 7:04 PM PDT hello we want to write our own songs on this website Christina - Fri, Apr 9th, 2010 12:50 PM PDT I am so glad I found this site...I definately fall in that 3 or 4 progression pattern with my guitar,but I have written over 800 songs...some recorded by newcomers,most just sitting in a box.Trying to learn how to update them.I was always a traditional country writer...but traditional country doesn't work anymore,todays music is much more complicated...I think I need to find a darn good guitar picker as a partner..What do you think? Owen - Thu, Apr 8th, 2010 12:54 PM PDT Hi Robin, I came across your site due to my love for Nick Drake. Your wonderful article is much appreciated. Then I found your "You have a poet's soul...", Oh my... there are no words dear lady! Bless you always, Owen. Bob Lingenfelter - Tue, Mar 30th, 2010 10:42 AM PDT Robin, as always great website...love working with you in SongU. I also love all the tips you give everyday on Facebook...we are blessed to have you and your ideas are awesome... Andy - Mon, Mar 29th, 2010 12:21 AM PDT Great site....full of information and I hope it works. ;o) Jim Deutsch - Tue, Mar 23rd, 2010 3:37 PM PDT Hi Robin: Jeff, my son is living in Denver now. He's married and is still writing great songs. I still live in the LA area and wanted to know if you know a country singer (sounding like Willie Nelson) but younger voice? I need a male singer for my demo. All the best, Jim Deutsch e-Mail Address: sngwrtr@verizon.net Morgan - Fri, Mar 19th, 2010 5:10 AM PDT Hey. I am 15 and I write lyrics alot. My friends say my previous song I've written is awesome. then I actually got dared to send it in to a record company or whatever to see what would happen. I'm actually wanting to do it because I'd love to hear the opinon of someone who knows music alot better than my friends. is there anyway you can help me contact a record company that could use my song for another band to see? thanks so much. Hi Morgan - I'm afraid I don't have a good answer for you. Record labels and publishers don't accept what are called "unsolicited submissions." But here are some ideas: See if you can get a local band to record it for you, then enter it in a contest like the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. Post it at Garageband.com and get feedback there, or get the opinion of a pro like John Braheny (www.johnbraheny.com). None of these options is totally free but they don't cost much. You'll need a recording of the song no matter what you do so look for some help with that first. And have fun! - Robin Lena - Sat, Mar 13th, 2010 2:24 AM PST Hi i was wondering if you can give me some tips on how a verse and chorus should look like..thank you:) Hi Lena - Just take a look at lyrics for hit songs in the style you're writing in. There are plenty available on the Internet for free. Try using the Ghost Song technique I recommend in my article "Notes on Songwriting." That should help. - Robin Lizzie - Fri, Mar 5th, 2010 7:47 PM PST I enjoyed your book, and the website, too. Very helpful. Thank you. roxann - Tue, Mar 2nd, 2010 7:40 PM PST your cool \ Nick Hinton - Thu, Feb 18th, 2010 1:07 AM PST Hi Robin. I just wanted to stop by to read your piece about Nick Drake, something I do from time to time. His music has completely changed my life, and steered me towards a life of creating music. I was also fortunate today to listen to your songs on your site, and I would like to say that I really enjoyed them. I would like to say your style is classic, but that doesn't do the songs enough justice. It is a style all your own, but you can hear your knowledge of songwriting in there too. I'm off to Amazon to see if I can get a CD of your work! Thank you for all that you're sharing. Kind regards, Nick Hinton Martha Ramirez - Tue, Feb 16th, 2010 5:50 PM PST Thank you so much for creating this site! I always wanted to learn more about songwriting! LOVE it. Next page >> |