Scott R. Cooley's Blog

The Evolving Role of the Professional Songwriter in America Today

2008-04-01T15:18:00.000-04:00

In an era where the visual appeal of the performing artist has become the focus of a song’s success, there is an increasing demand for the services of those of us who specialize in the craft of songwriting to introduce new compositions to those with vocal talent and a flair for entertaining live audiences. Mainstream major label artists are no longer the only vehicles for professional songwriter’s compositions. With the advent of the Web, we now have new electronic distribution means that open up the possibilities.

As with any industry, the music business is full of specialists and has few generalists. A single person isn’t blessed with the combination of gifts to be great at everything, and despite hard work, simply does not have the time to achieve mastery of all aspects. Chuck Berry had a unique combination of natural abilities and developed skills that allowed him to not only pioneer a new genre of music, but also a new level of participation in the industry by simultaneously wearing the hats of a songwriter, singer, musician, live performer and recording artist.

From the folk-rockers of the sixties, to the singer-songwriters of the seventies, to the video artists of the eighties, to the indie artists of the nineties, to the do-it-yourself online artists since the turn of the century, we’ve seen glimpses of a few successful individuals who could do many things well, provided they had a team of assitants picking up the slack in areas where they either didn’t have an interest or didn’t excel.

This didn’t signal the end of the professional songwriter, however. From MTV to YouTube, music video’s influence has spilled over into contemporary film music. In addition to symphonic instrumental film scores, today’s movies now intermittently feature pop and rock songs as well, with soundtrack compilations sold separately.

Individual songs either written specifically for the context of a film, or retroactively selected because of their unique ability to complement a script, allow professional songwriters more opportunities than ever before.

The recent advances in recording technology, including both the decrease in size and affordability of equipment involved, has made it easy for songwriters to work alone and from their homes to produce quality demonstration recordings. The internet, with it’s e-mail and audio transmission capabilities, make it easier than ever for the marketing and pitching of songs to their would-be vehicles mentioned herein. Despite the increased competition, it still takes some drive and perserverance beyond creating the demos.

From Leibler & Stoller to Brian Wilson to Carole King to Diane Warren, today’s professional songwriter still has the same qualities of their predecessors: a tendency to be introverted and shy from the spotlight; a tendency to enjoy the creative process more than the selling of the creation; a tendency to prefer to writing more than performing; and a tendency to have talents and skills more suited to writing than performing.

As an amateur songwriting hobbyist who is contemplating taking action to increase my chances of being able to call myself a professional, I’m faced with stepping outside of my comfort zone of favoring the woodshed/mad scientist side of the craft and taking my arsenal of exisiting songs and polished writing abilities into the uncharted territory of marketing and pitching. Stretching ourselves is what makes us feel most alive and stay young, but talking about it and actually making it happen are different things.

A logical place to start is to enter a songwriting contest or two. Many ask for electronic press kits that include gig schedules, and some offer as awards to winners the opportunity to play at live shows – both prompting me to curb the enthusiasm about the prospects. Past winners all have their own Web sites, CDs, and even merchandise available for sale online, in addition to having beefed-up performances schedules as a result.

Winning would mean a venture into self-marketing, vanity, and actually memorizing my own songs in preparation for the live performing. Could it be the kick in the ass I need to foray into the world of the travelling singer-songwriter, or the way more appealing need to move to one of the big music hubs like Nashville to start working my way into the whole open mic writer’s night scene, and also as all industry insiders advise as being the most important thing of all -the dreaded Networking thing? Time will tell, and when it does, I’ll be chiming in this blog to keep you informed on the progress.

The Problem With Story Problems

2007-12-12T14:51:00.000-05:00

This post will contain the exact e-mail that was forwarded to me from my wife. It contains one of those math questions that was forwarded from one of her coworkers. After the e-mail, you'll see my reply. You can tell a lot about someone's personality by reading their answers to questions like this.

The Problem
-----Original Message-----
From: Lenore Cooley [mailto:lenorelouise@ameritech.net]
Sent: Wednesday, December 12, 2007 1:11 PM
To: Cooley, Scott
Subject: how_smart_are_u(1)(1) (4).xlsx

How many legs are there in the bus?

They are looking for an actual number - not the word! It's not a trick
question. Can you figure this one out...

.
There are 7 girls on a bus.

. Each girl has 7 backpacks.
. In each backpack, there are 7 big cats.
. For every big cat there are 7 little cats.

How many legs are there in the bus?

The number of legs is the password to unlock the Excel sheet. If you open
it, add your name and send it on to see who else can unlock it.

My Solution

-----Original Message-----
From: Cooley, Scott
Sent: Wednesday, December 12, 2007 2:18 PM
To: 'Lenore Cooley'
Subject: RE: how_smart_are_u(1)(1) (4).xlsx

One of those logic deals, huh? As a wordsmith, I have to examine this from all angles. Hmmm...well, first of all, there's no spreadsheet attached to your e-mail, which makes me suspicious of the legitimacy from the get go. I don't find chain e-mails or letters to be reliable in general - they frequently contain errors, mistakes, and such. The writer of this was probably into the math part only, and if the words signify anything to the reader that would make them think it was a trick question in any way, there's the built-in caveat that it's not (although I don't know if you wrote this, or a forwarder, or the original author). To begin with, I tend to assume people who write these kinds of things on the internet or in e-mail are into the kick of a tough math problem, and are not worried about the details of the precision of the words (particularly when it states that it's the actual number being sought, and not a word). Sometimes you can sort of guess what their true intent was and correct the wording inconsistencies for them in your interpretation of the meaning of what they probably meant. I work with math nerds like this, and in fact, I have to do this very thing - make corrections to their words based on what I think they likely meant to say. If you were to assume further the question writer intended it to be a true story problem and simply used "on" instead of "in" by mistake, and that all girls had two legs each and that all cats had four each and that all girls and backpacks and cats (both large and small) were in the bus, there are still more things to consider. It's really a statement of facts with a question, hence a story "problem" rather than just a question. Another thing that is weird is that "they" are named, but not identified or defined. Who are they? I would want to know that. Yet another dilemma is that if the whole point is to unlock a spreadsheet and be able to pass it on, then it's pointless for me to reply to you with my answer in the first place! Let's see, what else is wrong here? There's probably one driver who probably has two legs. The seats inside the bus each have legs....Some of the girls and/or cats may have less than two legs due to birth defects, disease, or accidents....If some are hanging their legs out the windows, those legs would not be considered "in" the bus.....Since you say "it's not a trick question", then I can only assume that the backpacks and cats are also "in" the bus....And also, since you say it's not a trick question, I can only assume that the inconsistent usage of locators "on" and "in" are of no significance, and simply a reflection of a poor question writer.......However, I'm not going to infer that, and instead, I'm going to perceive it as a completely accurate question as worded, and therefore say that the number-only answer is 0 (zero) because the girls are "on" the bus and not in it. How did the girls get on top of the bus anyway? I wonder if "they" know the answer to that, and if not, I would say this whole thing is definitely a sham. I can't tell if you or someone else along the way added text to this or not, so it's hard to tell what is the original. Since the question is first, but you can't answer it until you read the fact statements, the logical explanations to arrive at my "0" answer might need to be explained for full credit (again, even though the absence of the actual spreadsheet defeats the purpose). So, I guess to prove my math though, I have to point out more stuff, even though it's totally irrelevant, but "they" might be looking for how I arrived at the answer. The fact that the girls have backpacks with big cats in them doesn't matter, because the question says nothing about those backpacks w/ big cats being "in" the bus...they could be anywhere. Likewise the little cats could be anywhere, and not in the bus. The possibility that they could all be amputees has no bearing. The second to last sentence says "The number of legs is the password", so maybe the total number of legs is the answer, whether any of them were in a bus or not, and hence, when you focus on that goal, the previous question of "How many legs are there in the bus", which was repeated twice, matters not. If one was to judge this as a true math problem then, below would be my calculations to arrive at a number of legs and thus the password for the missing spreadsheet:

-----Original Message-----
From: Lenore Cooley [mailto:lenorelouise@ameritech.net]
Sent: Wednesday, December 12, 2007 1:11 PM
To: Cooley, Scott
Subject: how_smart_are_u(1)(1) (4).xlsx

How many legs are there in the bus?

They are looking for an actual number - not the word! It's not a trick
question. Can you figure this one out...

.
There are 7 girls on a bus. 7 girls X 2 legs/girl = 14 legs

. Each girl has 7 backpacks. 7 girls X 7 backpacks = 49 backpacks
. In each backpack, there are 7 big cats. 49 backpacks X 7 big cats = 343 big cats X 4 legs/cat = 1372 big cat legs
. For every big cat there are 7 little cats. 343 big X 7 little = 2401 little cats X 4 legs/cat = 9604 little cat legs

How many legs are there in the bus? 14 + 1372 + 9604 = 10990

The number of legs is the password to unlock the Excel sheet. If you open
it, add your name and send it on to see who else can unlock it.

Your Comments:

Catcher In The Rye Review

2007-12-10T14:44:00.000-05:00

I suspect that I’m not the only member of Generation X who should’ve read this book while young, but didn’t, and have now rediscovered it as a middle-aged adult. I have a vague recollection this book was assigned reading when I was in college. I probably skimmed it, wrote a paper about it, got my passing C grade, and moved on, as I did with many a reading assignment in the ‘80s.

I’m afraid I would’ve enjoyed it more, had I not been influenced by all the hype. There’s only one thing worse than assigned reading by a professor, and that is recommended reading from family or friends. The childish rebel in us all wants to do the opposite of what we’re told we should do. This is also one of those books that people my age are always being asked whether they’ve read or not, particularly male English majors like myself, and then worse being told they should read it, usually by some phony uncle who got way more out of it back in his day because of what was considered in its time to be rebellious, controversial language. The funny thing is, phony (to use the main character Holden Caufield’s favorite adjective) uncles like these seem to have missed the book’s main message, which was perhaps hidden by their excitement over the blunt teen colloquialisms of that era.

To me, this book should teach a lesson to the reader that one shouldn’t try to ship their kids off to schools to rid themselves of the hassles of parenthood when those kids are unwilling or uncertain about it. Such action puts parents at risk, after becoming empty-nesters, of wishing they’d spent more time with their kids and had developed better relationships with them. This book is filled with conversational language and stream-of-consciousness writing style that, while entertaining, masks the overall message of the importance of family.

While at first glance, one might think the protagonist’s cynicism is hilarious, but upon further discovery one realizes it is incredibly sad. Likewise, on the surface it appears to be a simple story of a child struggling with becoming an adult, when in fact it is a deeper tale of neglect, and of a depressed child being “pushed out of the nest” before ready. When Holden hears the little kid singing the “catcher in the rye” song, and it makes him feel better, it’s because the scene symbolizes his yearning to be a happy child with the comfort of his family nearby. Holden’s parents continually want to ship him off to any boarding school who will take him, which not only shows they don’t care much for him, but aren’t willing to put in the effort to prepare him for the challenges of adulthood. One would think his parents would want to maximize their time with him, having lost another child previously, but the opposite has occurred.

At age 16, Holden wants what he’s never been able to get -the love of his parents. Although they’ve provided for him well, it is apparent that he does not value being sent to the finest schools, having the finest clothing, etc., and instead contemplates moving to Colorado for a more modest life devoid of such superficial things and people. He decides to stay home for one reason only, and that is to be able to spend time with the one family member who returns his unconditional love, his little sister Phoebe.

Maybe the moral lesson to be learned is that one should consider himself lucky if he can count on his hand one relative with whom it is important for him to maintain a meaningful relationship with, one that includes unconditional love; and that to be a wealthy person one needs much more than material things or the “advantages” of a prep school education.

Chords Generic

2007-07-30T16:28:00.000-04:00

Introduction

Since blogs are about people typing and sharing things that piss them off, I’ve never really had much to blog about. I’m a happy guy in my life, and in general, have few complaints. I try to not let things bother me too much or for too long, and I try to not allow myself to get depressed or angry very often. I’ve found exercise works better than ranting and raving. I’ve also learned that consuming mass quantities of alcohol in isolation no doubt lends itself efficiently to blogging.

When I was trying to think of a topic so that I could at least post one blog, I thought about what has made me angry in my past. I realized that a weakness I have is that I am perhaps unusually sensitive to criticism of my work. I work hard at my job and at things I create in my personal life, and rarely get negative feedback. When I do, sometimes even though it’s eye-opening, I even appreciate it. Not always, however.

Topic Overview

I have sought and received critical feedback on many of my original songs from multiple reviewers. As someone who is probably more aware of the limitations to my own musical talents and skills than the average amateur songwriter, I frequently agree with the negative criticism I’ve received. There is however one particular criticism from one particular critic that has stuck in my craw a bit. That’s what this blog is about: the one thing that has sort of bugged me, the comment that I’ve allowed to get under my skin a little, the critical remark that has irked my soul a bit. This negative comment can’t be summed up or shortened because in its entirety it is only two words: “generic chords.”

Standard Disclaimer Before I Begin

As a critic myself, I give people feedback I think will help them improve. I wonder if, out of my own insecurity and perhaps even unconscious evil retaliation, I’ve attacked another’s song in the very area that I know I’m stronger myself, or even worse, found a single weakness and pounced on it out of an innate, competitive spirit. Although the idea of soliciting feedback from a “supportive” peer is about encouragement, sometimes we don’t have each other’s best interest in mind. We somehow feel better about ourselves when we can point out that someone else is worse off than we are. Human nature is sick but true in this way.

Examining the Terminology

The free, online version of Merriam-Webster puts it this way: “having no particularly distinctive quality or application”. What this means to me is that the chords I play, according to the reviewer in question, do not stand out.

Aesthetics and the Ear of the Beholder

This statement implies that every songwriter’s goal should be to write songs that have unusual or complicated chords. Maybe along with a rhyming dictionary, every songwriter’s toolkit should include a “rare chords” book! Most reviews are based on whether the music sounded good or not, whether it moves the listener in some way, not whether the chords were rare or difficult to play on a guitar.

There are many sources of advice from music industry professionals out there that describe what makes a song a good song. Seldom, if ever, do they contain specific advice about using really unique chords. Pros know that the chords matter not, and that a good song is a good song no matter what chords it uses.

Chords are Chords

Whether an “augmented-minor-sharp-seventh-diminished-to-the-tenth-power” or an open E, chords played on a guitar are just that, nothing more nothing less. Whether they require high degree of difficulty finger contortion or not is irrelevant. The average non-musician listener of a guitar chord being played hasn’t a clue as to how difficult it was to play or how often it is used in popular songs, nor does he realize it is rare.

In fact, I challenge any non-musician to a taste test (a la the pepsi challenge): I can play a series of rarely-used chords interspersed with commonly-used chords and challenge the non-musician listener to discern the difference. My guess is the result would be that most people would not be able to differentiate between them at all.

Playing a Commonly-Used Chord in an Unusual Way

Of course there are many factors that come into play when referring to the sound of guitar chord – the tone of the guitars being played can vary drastically, the type of strings used, the amount of sustain, the reverberation in the room, the volume of the sound being produced, the strumming technique, the type of pick used, the way the chord fits with the other instruments in the song – all can be considered factors in the way chords are “phrased.” The critic in question could’ve been referring to the fact that the phrasing was not unusual enough, however, in multiple critiques of multiple songs of mine, this is a recurring comment, so I rule this out, since those songs were all in different styles, time signatures, genres, played on different guitars, with different strumming styles, different strings, etc. Note: they did not all use the same chords as each other either!

Critiquing the Critic

Unless he was looking for a starter idea for writing an “original” song of his own, I don’t know why this reviewer would take the time to figure out what chords were being played in a song he was asked to review that someone else (me) wrote. If this particular reviewer was known for providing extremely long, thorough & detailed critiques, it might make more sense, but that is not the case.

Pro critics for newspapers or magazines don’t typically comment on whether chords being played were commonplace or rarities. Pro songwriters who give advice to those of us who are aspiring advise us about hit song forms, tempos, melodies, hooks, and subject matter, but never much at all about what chords to play. If he’s planning to learn my songs to play as covers, then I should be flattered, but I doubt that’s the reason he took enough time to determine which chords were being played and label them generic.

What I find intriguing is that no other critic of my songs has ever mentioned anything negative about the chords I use in my songs. Some songwriters use unusual chords and filler in the form of fancy hammer-ons, pull-offs, and controversial lyrics to compensate for a lack of basic understanding of things like the proven concepts of commonly-accepted song forms, chord families, and writing melodies.

There is a general consensus that certain chords go well with each other in a song that is in a particular key, and maybe this reviewer was looking to enhance his own understanding of this concept by carefully studying the chords used in my songs. Personally, I just happen to be a fan of pure melody vs. a lack of melody made up for with a lot of tricks, gimmicks, bells & whistles.

Melodies and Hooks

The idea of hooks being the quality of a song that makes it get stuck in your head is tried and true. It could be a memorable vocal style, it could be memorable lyric, it could be a drum solo, it could be wicked bass line. More than any of these, however, is the fact that a hook is usually related to the melody of a song. This could be a repeating guitar riff, it could be the singing of a chorus. More often than not, either of these examples have to do with one thing: the melody of the song. The melody is the part you hum to yourself, whether vocal or instrumental. It’s the part of a song that you find yourself involuntarily whistling long after you’ve heard the song.

Conclusion

When you consider that an entire song can be transposed into a different key, that alone can convert a song from one that had commonly-used, open-string major chords for example, to one that has rarely-used chords. Whether a song stands out from the rest by having unusual chords or whether it winds up having the simplest chords to play, played with the most commonly-used techniques even, it should stand as a creative work to be judged on its overall appeal. It’s not an exercise in manual dexterity, but rather the blending of many parts that make up a whole. Songwriting should be about writing a song that feels good, that flows out of you, that comes from your heart, soul & mind in such a way that it is unconscious. It should not ever be about consciously trying to write a song that is distinctive, but instead be about not caring what the outcome will be or whether others will think it distinctive. The bottom line is that non-generic chords being played on guitars in songs do not make them sound better.

First Post

2005-09-30T15:59:00.000-04:00

First Post