Writing Lyrics - 3 Things to Remember When Writing Song Lyrics

Living the life of rock stars and pop divas has always been a dream of many. These music artists live the lives we all dream about - expensive cars, designer clothes, fame and fortune. In fact, everything relating to the music industry is quite exciting, and we all want to be a part of it. However, we only see one side of the coin, and this is the easier part of being successful in this line of business. We see the result - great songs, millions and millions of fans, and so much more. Few of us ask ourselves how they got there, and how much effort and time they put into what they do. The fact is that not everyone can write a hit song and earn millions from it in the years to come. Here are the three things to keep in mind if you want to write a good song. You might not earn a lot of money from it, but it is a start even if you don't earn anything. As long as you keep on trying and believe in your talent, you have a good chance of becoming a famous songwriter.

Three Things to Remember - Length, Effect and Editing

Writing song lyrics is a true pleasure for those poetic souls who enjoy writing, but it is also hard work. Many people wrongfully believe that writing songs is easy and nothing but fun. The truth is that you need to invest a lot into the task of writing song lyrics, and one of the things that deserve your attention is the song's length. Before you start making rhymes, think about how long your song should be, taking into account that most songs last from three to five minutes. So, think carefully and try to fit your lyrics into this time frame. To help you, the best lyrics length would be somewhere between 150 and 200 words.

Another thing you might want to consider is the effect you want to cause in your readers or listeners. Some song lyrics make people think, whereas some make them sympathize with the author or relate to his or her feelings. You need to decide what effect you want your song to have on people reading or listening to the lyrics. Finally, you need to edit your lyrics. This means that you need to check whether your lyrics are ready to see the light of the day, and if there is anything you would like to change.

Why Cannot Everybody Write a Song?

The problem with becoming a famous songwriter is that there are no rules when it comes to who will make it big in this department. You can be a fantastic songwriter, and still not be credited for it; you may write songs for years, and remain unnoticed. The reason for this is the fact that you need a great deal of luck when it comes to becoming a well-known songwriter. Therefore, the recipe for writing fantastic lyrics has two main ingredients - talent and luck. If you have what it takes be sure to start writing lyrics, and maybe you will make it big in the music industry. After all, this is a dream worth chasing.

Ana is a freelance writer, and she enjoys writing on any topic.

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5 Things That Your Piano or Keyboard Teacher Won't Let You Know As a Beginner

Do you love to play your keyboard or piano so much that every opportunity you get you are tinkling on the ivories.

Have you discovered you have a talent and ear for playing?

Most pianists or keyboard players have other things that come and go in their lives but one thing that will stick is playing their music.

Playing piano and keyboard starts off as a hobby for most in which people but once you get the bug for playing music you will be fixated and it will become a huge part of your life.

Most musicians you speak to will always talk passionately about how much they treasure their time at the keyboard or piano.

If you are just starting out playing piano or keyboard and are taking lessons then here are 5 things to consider that your teacher might not let you in on as a beginner:

Many piano and keyboard teachers will tell you that learning by ear is the wrong way for a beginner to start. This is not always the case as it's vital if you have a talent of playing by ear to utilise this skill and use it to your advantage. Musicians that can play by ear are very often far more talented players than people who are taught by sheet music alone. They can sometimes have a lot more expression and colour in their performances.
Most teachers will insist on Hanon Exercises weeks in week out, and sometimes this is before even having the opportunity to play a song. If this is how you have been taught then you won't know any different, but it is important to learn something that you really want to play as a beginner to keep your enthusiasm up.This is why so many people give up piano & keyboard lessons after a short period.
Traditional teachers may push from your first lesson to take exams. This isn't always necessary and can put people off. It may end up with pupils not enjoying their lessons and their music. If it's something you really want to do then your teacher should support you but not push you to do something you're not happy about.
Teachers sometimes feel it is necessary to teach you in-depth knowledge surrounding the theory of music. You do need to know the basics but don't need to have in-depth knowledge of theory to be a great keyboard or piano player. Look at Elton John who was completely self taught.
Playing a song and then converting it to an accompaniment style is something that every teacher should give you the opportunity to explore but many won't do this because they prefer to teach using traditional methods. By playing music in a variety of different ways you will get the chance to accompany singers or support a band if this is something you wanted to do in the future and not just be stuck playing on your own.

If you are just starting out learning piano or keyboard then here are 5 essential posts you must read: Easy Keyboard Lessons

Play piano or keyboard like Elton John; 12 great songs for piano & keyboard: Easy Piano Keyboard Songs

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Things You Need to Consider When Looking for Music Publishers

Every talented musician deserves recognition. However, with today's competition and economy, getting the least bit of attention can be challenging and frustrating, not to mention expensive. To attract more listeners, you need a lot of determination and strategies. Fortunately today, there are now online music publishers that can help you with your goals.

Music publishing admin tips

Music publishing is a process, which includes detailed record keeping, keeping up with mechanical and performance royalty rates, and acquiring rights to songs from composers, lyricists, and songwriters. This also involves the marketing of songs and the collection of royalties from artists assigned to record labels. With knowledge and research ranging from performance to mechanical rights, a person can establish their own publishing division.

Copyrights

Copyright protection is important in the music industry. Copyrights indicate the original lyricist and the composer. It should provide intellectual law protection for the artist. If the music publishers are claiming copyrights, the Library of Congress has an automated system to verify it. Anyone can create his or her copyright account. You can submit a CD or phonograph recording to the copyright office. After reviewing your submission, the Library of Congress will assign a registration number for your piece.

Mechanical rights

These rights allow a musician to reproduce a copyrighted work by another songwriter, lyricist, or composer. The role of the music publishers is to issue a mechanical license to the artist who requests the right to record a composition. In this case, a publisher may use administrative organizations to assist in tracking mechanical fees owed to an artist. Publishers need to sign agreements to have other agencies track mechanical licenses. These agencies have elaborate tracking system, which are web-based reports that you can download into the publisher's computer.

Keep records

As a music publisher, you also need to keep accurate records of all publishing processes including raw recorded materials. There are software packages available in the market, which can assist an aspiring publisher to track tasks related to music publishing.

These are just some of the things you need to consider when publishing your own music. Today, most indie bands and music production make use of an online publisher. It's cost effective and more convenient. You just need to upload your songs, and make reviews. You can also update your account any time you want. You can also add other things such as profiles, images, and blogs.

With the growth of file-sharing and commercial download sites appearing on the web since the early 2000s, the distribution of music has changed dramatically. Several prominent record store outlets and major music production companies have disappeared. The ability of artists to publish and distribute their own work has increased significantly.

Music publishing remains an important part of the music industry. It involves different requirements for use in television, radio, movies, and other public settings. You don't need to sign with a major music publisher. You can do it yourself and make more money in the process. Just make sure you sign up with a reputable publisher and you are all set.

Amber Reeves is a professional songwriter looking for an established music production and music publishers.

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3 Things You Must Know Before You Buy an Acoustic Guitar

Don't make foolish mistakes while shopping for your acoustic guitar. Follow the guidelines below, and you'll end up happy with your purchase.

1. Go through the stores and catalogs and narrow down the field of possibilities. My daughter bought a very good guitar -- sounded fabulous -- but she was just not happy with the look of the thing. So we took it back and threw ourselves on the mercy of the store owner. He allowed us to trade it in for the model that still sounded good (same maker), but looked "cool" in her point of view. Had we narrowed down her choices based on appearance to start with, I'd have saved two hours and five bucks of gas. Lesson learned.

2. Talk to someone who's owned the model you're interested in. If you know someone in person, go to them and have them play it for you, and talk with them about their experience. If you don't know any such person, then go to a competent review site or magazine, and see what lot's of users have to say about that particular guitar.

Now, a word of warning: you have to ask yourself, "Who is it that leaves reviews?" Well, there are only two classes of people. First is the person who has a real chip on their shoulder. They come in and flame the acoustic guitar victim for any number of reasons. Read these reviews, but if the issue was customer service, that actually doesn't reflect on the guitar at all; just don't buy from that vendor. The other type of reviewer is the rabid fan, and if they happen to just be thrilled to finally have an instrument so they can go on America's Got Talent, they'd write a raving review about a two-by-four with rubber bands attached. Take it all with a grain of salt.

3. If you can, "kick the tires." If you can hold, play, and get a feel for each acoustic guitar on your short list, then by all means do so. Each guitar has a slightly different character. This is mainly true between makes and models, but even in the same model there can be slight variations of tone. If you just don't have a music store in your area, or the ones you have are all junk mills, then don't be afraid to watch YouTube videos and eventually order from an online vendor. Again, good review sites can be a lot of help here because they will compiles videos, user reviews and photos into one place for you. Just be sure you get a site ranked in the top three or four pages of Google, and that you visit several, so that you get a more authoritative viewpoint.

In summary, wait to buy the right acoustic guitar, but use these three methods to avoid buyer remorse - Enjoy!

Arlen L. Card is a 25-year veteran music producer and instrument junkie. He's spent more money on instruments than feeding his kids. Get more insider information from his site, http://www.acousticguitarhub.com/

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10 Things You Don't Know About the Beatles

1. It may sound impossible but there are still lots of Beatles song unreleased. The most remarkable one is the experimental piece recorded in January of 1967 made specifically for the Million Volt Light and Sound Rave showcase at Camden Roundhouse in London and has never been released and the illustrious 27-minute jam of Helter Skelter. The three surviving Beatles also worked in the early '90s preceding the Anthology release titled Grow Old with Me also remains unreleased.

2. Lennon and Paul McCartney sang for the Rolling Stones and provided backing vocals to the 1967 single We Love You.

3. Aside from writing hundreds of songs for the band, Lennon and McCartney also wrote tons of songs for other artists such as One and One is two (with Mike Shannon for the Strangers), From A Window (With Billy J Kramer for The Dakotas), Come and Get It (Badfinger), Step Inside Love and It's For You (Cilla Black), Woman (for Peter and Gordon).

4. The third album of the band A Hard Day's Night is the only album to contain Lennon-McCartney compositions.

5. Lennon changed his middle name to Ono from Winston after marrying Japanese-American artist, musician, author and peace activist Yoko Ono. Also, James is the real first name of McCartney, not Paul.

6. Get Back Don't, Let Me Down is the only Beatles single to feature another musician on its credit (credited to the Beatles with Billy Preston). The musician was recruited by George Harrison to take pressure off in the growing tension in the band. Preston played the Hammond organ on both songs.

7. Lennon is heard to mumbling "I buried Paul" at the end of the song Strawberry Fields Forever, which fueled the 'Paul is dead' speculations. Lennon was actually saying "cranberry sauce". Also, the final version of the song was made by mixing two takes in different keys and speeds, which was considered as a remarkable achievement considering the music equipment and technology of the time, but then it still failed to satisfy Lennon.

8. The early instrumental track entitled Cry for a Shadow recorded in 1961 is the only track credited to Harrison and Lennon, when the band was backing Tony Sheridan. Dig It and Flying are the two tracks credited to the all four of the band.

9. Ringo Starr was the first one to leave the group; he walked out during their 1968 acrimonious White Album sessions. Thus, all the three remaining members took turns on the drums for some of the songs. When Ringo Starr returned to the group, he found this drum kit all covered with flowers.

10. The closest time the band came to reunite was at Eric Clapton's wedding in 1979. All of the band members attended, except Lennon.

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Pro Audio Equipment Is One of the Things That Will Improve the Chances of Making It As a Cover Band

One of the things that you should know is that if you are going to be a working cover band, you probably aren't going to be pulling in huge dollars, nor are you likely to be the first name that people think about when they are listing their favorite bands. The other thing that you should know when you are putting together a cover band is that if you are going to get decent gigs, you are going to have to sound every bit as good as the bands that originally performed the songs that you are going to be covering.

The problem that cover bands run into is that they are playing songs that the general public knows really well. Even more importantly the people who are going to be coming to your shows are going to be huge fans of the band that originally played the songs, and if you don't perform them every bit as well, you are going to be disappointing. If you are going to be successful, you and every other person in the band need to plan on spending enormous amounts of time and effort into learning every single aspect of the band whose songs you are going to be covering.

The first thing you need to do is load your iPod with all the songs that you are planning on covering. You are going to want to memorize every nuance of their music. Once you have memorized the music, you and your band mates are going to want to go through the music, one bar at a time and work to recreate the exact sound. Don't try to learn how to play the music by ear; you are going to need to record your band playing the songs and listen to yourself play.

When you are first getting started, you are not going to be getting the greatest of gigs. In fact, a lot of the places that you are going to be first playing are going to be pretty bad. The acoustics aren't going to be great, not many people are going to be listening to your performance, and you the odds of you getting paid are slim to none. Just because the gigs you get aren't going to be great, it doesn't mean that you shouldn't do everything in your power to sounds as good as possible. The best way to make sure that you sound amazing is to make sure that you are using Pro Audio equipment.

The great thing about the Pro Audio equipment is that it is something that you and your band is going to be able to afford. Despite the fact that they equipment is very affordable, the sound that you produce while using it will sound great. Best of all, the Pro Audio equipment is that it is very durable and will stand up to the wear and tear of being transported from one gig to another.

If you would like to start doing home recording on computer and need pro audio tools, visit us at WorldMusicSupply.com.

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Three Things to Avoid When Choosing a Beginner Electric Guitar

So you want a beginner electric guitar? These guitars are designed to offer a new user ease of use at a decent price. This way, the purchaser can make sure that they are truly into the guitar hobby before sinking thousands of dollars into an instrument that will end up collecting dust. Unfortunately, not all guitars are created equally, which can make purchasing one extremely difficult and frustrating, especially for the layperson or someone newly interested in the art.

The following three tips will show you what to avoid when looking for a beginner electric guitar. The following mistakes are commonly made, and can end up being costly in the long run.

3 Must Avoid Tips for Purchasing a Beginner Electric Guitar

1. Cheap stores. There are numerous mainstream stores that you can purchase this kind of guitar. Unfortunately, you should do your best to avoid them. Stores such as Wal-Mart, Best Buy or other nationwide chain stores may advertise an electric guitar at a bargain, but you will be getting what you pay for. Most of these in store purchases from non-specialty stores are nothing more than high-end toys designed for children. Plus, these chain stores will not be able to give you much advice when it comes to the instrument you are purchasing, or the accessories you will need to go with it. Yes, you will find your best prices in these types of stores, but they are essentially selling poorly made merchandise that will not last you very long. And, when you decide to upgrade, you will find it hard to sell your old one.

2. Do not buy from chains that do not offer lessons. It's a no brainer that you should be able to try out your instrument first. If you can find a local music shop that can give you lessons on the instrument that you purchase, or better yet - let you try it out for free during a lesson, you will be able to make a much better buying decision. Plus, this way you will have the opportunity to actually feel the comfort of the instrument and make a decision between several different types of beginner electric guitars before signing on the dotted line.

3. Never purchase a beginner electric guitar without plugging it into an amp. If you have been playing acoustic guitar, then you might not recognize in the beginning of your electric guitar hobby how important an amp is. And yes, you will need to purchase one. Before you buy, however make sure you are able to plug your guitar into the amp of your choosing. Then, it is important to plug it into a few other amps so you can actually identify the differences in sound. Many people may be unhappy with their guitar, when the reality is they purchase a substandard amp which distorts the clarity, tinniness, depth, and color of their guitar sounds.

These three tips will help you avoid the most common buying mistakes. You should also note that it isn't a good idea to purchase the first one you set your hands on. When it comes to instruments, slow and steady wins the race.

Julia P. Ray is a electric guitar and sound system equipment expert that specializes in the best musical instrument equipment that money can buy. His articles are designed to offer you expert information and tips on Beginner Electric Guitar and Electric Guitar Kits so you can make informed buying decisions.

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