OK...so we are still feeling the way around this forum thing. I fixed some bugs I saw during the past couple of weeks!

The news is I also thought of adding a new forum section: SongWriting Collaboration Requests

In that section you can describe your songwriting collaboration needs and your project and what you do and ask for songwriters who are interested in collaborating with you.

Click here to visit the new Songwriting Collaboration Request Forum and post your songwriting collaboration request

Good Luck :D

Regards,

Mahmoud Ibrahim

Hello,

Since the launch of SongWriting Fever Private Messaging system 8 months ago, we received a lot of very positive feedback from our members. I am so happy you are finding this useful. That's why I have decided to make an upgrade :)

SongWriting Fever is announcing today the launch of our new Private Messaging System. This new system has a lot of add-on features including:

• WYSIWYG editor for writing your messages
• Re-send a message if it still was not read (or edit a reminder that way)
• Put certain members in own black list, that way disallowing them from sending him a PM
• Report received message to administration, with the original message text as proof of concept
• Optionally subscribe to receiving an email notification when the new PM arrives

The OLD messaging system will remain in place ONLY as an archive of your old messages. You can not send messages through there. You can only read your old messages (those sent before third of July 2010).

If you have any questions about how to use this new PM system, please post your questions here: http://www.songwritingfever.com/forum/website-feedback-f3.html

All the best,

Mahmoud Ibrahim

SongWritingFever.com

So...

SongWriting Fever forums are up in soft launch...I'm so excited :D

There are forums on songwriting,songwriting collaboration and more!

No posts yet though, so post away :)

SongWriting Fever Forums

All the best,

Mahmoud Ibrahim

The story of how Lisa (USA) co-wrote a song with Sigurd and his band (Sweden)

Article written by Lisa Lewis

My name is Lisa Lewis. I’ve been writing poetry since the age of seven - ever since the time I got pissed off at my mother, and found I could say it “in rhyme“. However - I didn’t hit the garage band scene until I got a wild hair, and auditioned for an all male band at the age of 42.

During that single month of pure fun and musical enlightenment, I discovered a lot of things. First off - I was surprised to find out that many talented MALE musicians are WAY bigger divas than most of us girls will ever be.

And, I discovered not only did I truly have a decent voice, and I’m definitely not shy in front of a crowd but also, that I had a knack for being able to write lyrics (by ear) to any melody the old “diva dukes” threw at me. Well, it was a blast to be in a band - until the guitar player and the drummer got into it - and the drummer took back his studio , leaving us musically homeless. Oh well…

Anyway, fast forward through the life and death of another garage band and a divorce. In April of 2009, I joined Songwriting Fever on a whim and some wine. I set up my profile, and tossed in some poems, along with a couple of the lyrics I had written during that short and sweet adventure with the Diva guys.

I soon received 2 emails within the same week from interested would-be collaborators. One was from a nice man who wanted my lyrics AND needed me to have a recording studio of some type in which to make decent enough demos of our collaborations to try to market. Since I didn’t even have a cupboard to store Top Ramen in, I had to decline that invitation.

But the second one was from a young Norwegian composer named Sigurd Haug. He wanted to know if I’d be interested in writing the lyrics for a song that was to be recorded in both English and Swedish. I emailed him back and told him yes - then, I Googled his name to make sure he was an actual person, and not some type of “pyscho composer/stalker”. Happily, everything he said checked out - and then some.

He emailed me a copy of his song the very next day.

It didn’t take me very long to realize that my first collaboration partner was a very talented, and accomplished musician - especially for one so young – with years of seasoned experience already. And, after checking out his website, I saw that he had worked with many different Indy artists of both genders - and from every background, and nationality.

So, even though I’d always been confident in my writing ability, I have to admit I was a little nervous at the thought of possibly letting him down in any way - especially if I couldn’t come up with lyrics that met his standards.

In fact, for a while I reminded him on a daily basis, that I had absolutely no musical training whatsoever - and until they started counting garage bands that disinegrated in less than a month as time served - it the present time, MY street cred was still a big fat ZERO.

But, Sigurd wasn’t phased about this - not in the least. In fact, he said something like, “You have to start somewhere, right?” Right!

So, for the next couple weeks – in between the boring annoyances of bill paying and a mind numbing job - I worked on perfecting the words I got from listening to the melody - and messed with it until I had found the song’s story. I cut and pasted and tweaked every word and syllable, until the pieces of the puzzle came together perfectly. (You lyricists and poets will know exactly what I’m saying)!

I then sent him the first draft of my endeavor. And the song/lyric “negotiations” went like this:

He always gave me excellent feedback in every respect. He wouldn’t hesitate to tell me what he really liked about some verses, and wasn’t shy either, about asking me to clarify the use of certain words and phrases in others -even requesting that I rewrite some parts altogether - which I was happy to do.

I would email back my corrections and answers to him, along with any questions I had about things like “segues”, timing and other minute details I’d never get right on a round of Jeopardy - not in a million years.

I found that Sigurd sometimes looked at a verse I had written and saw a meaning behind it, that was completely different from the one I had in mind when I wrote it. This opened my eyes to remember to look at ALL things - not just song lyrics - from every angle and perspective, instead of just from my own.

But anyway, to continue - In between both of our schedules, and the back and forth emails almost every day, we finally got the song perfected enough for him to mix and present to his singer. The song turned out to be kind of a pop tune - and I think it came out beautifully, in regards to how the melody and words flow together.

As far as the business portion of the venture went, I have to say again, how lucky I was to get Sigurd - with his musical talent, knowledge and all around decency - as my first collaboration. He explained the contract portion, and how monies will be distributed - if the song takes off, that is - and the terms he laid down were very fair.

Well, when it was finally time to take it to the next phase with the singer, and my part was over - we both agreed we had enjoyed the venture, and would love to work together again if the opportunity presented itself in the future - which I hope it does.

About Lisa: Lisa Lewis lives in Sacramento, Ca, with her fiancé Todd and their dog, a pit bull named Fluffy. Lisa has been writing all of her life, starting with poetry at the age of 7 and has two published pieces in two independent publications. She is also an independent lyric writer. Lisa has written two articles in the Relationship section of Helium.com that still hold top positions. She also is a blogger on PNN.com under the pen name Lisabobisa.

Lisa's SongWriting Fever Profile - Sigurd's SongWriting Fever Profile - Sigurd on MySapce

I'm not a fan of his music but this is how you make music

Like many rock ’n’ roll fans, Ted Horowitz began exploring the roots of rock by delving back into the blues. Eventually it became more than an avocation for the guitarist, who has forged a three-decade career as one of the most exciting blues-rockers in America under his stage name: Popa Chubby.

Now, with his 20th album, “The Fight Is On,” released in March on Blind Pig Records, Chubby has stepped firmly back into the rock sphere.

Chubby became known as one of the most creative blues musicians, but never let up on rock, either. In 2006 he released a double-CD of all Hendrix covers, “Electric Chubbyland.” The 2007 “Deliveries After Dark” album was another riveting blast.

“It’s who I am, that’s the music I like best,” said Chubby from his Bronx studio. “I always like to play some Jimi, of course.”

The title cut on Chubby’s new album is a vibrant shot of gritty rock, with lyrics likening love and life to a boxing match. “We Got Some Rockin’ to Do” might be better than anything Van Halen ever put out, and “Rock ’n’ Roll Is My Religion” is the kind of anthem KISS wishes they’d recorded.

Which isn’t to say the album doesn’t stray beyond arena rock. Chubby’s songwriting is renowned. He first gained fame with the funky blues of “Sweet Goddess of Love and Beer” in 1995, became a European star shortly afterward with tunes like “How’d a White Boy Get the Blues?” and penned the New Yorker’s view of 9/11 “Somebody Let the Devil Out” in 2002.

The new album includes the Latin sway of “Switchblade Combs and Candy Cigarettes,” as bewitching a slice of street life as classic Ben E. King. It also includes the Rolling Stones-like “Wicked Wanda,” and the exhilarating instrumental ode to motorcycles, “Steelhorse Serenade.”

“I have a lot of friends who are bikers,” said Chubby about the song. “They inspired me, their whole idea of freedom, being free and living free, that you get on a bike.”

The only cover song on the album is a live performance of Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades” that is so fast-paced and melodic, it leaves your head spinning.

“I’ve been playing that song for a long time,” said Chubby, 50. “Basically, I just like that song, and the philosophy it contains. Besides that, the tune itself is just lots of fun to play.”

Chubby loves the Rolling Stones.

“I think the biggest thing I took away from the Stones and their music was the need to just get out there and play live,” he said. “The key to rock is you’ve got to get out onstage and make it happen live, and I try to do that.”

Live music may be a tough business, and some areas may be better than others, but Chubby’s constant stream of excellent albums, and unforgettable live shows, keep him in demand.

“I’m able to stay busy all the time. I’ve been doing this for some time now, releasing a record every year or so. So hearing that this is my 20th is not a surprise. I just keep going out and trying to do my best, and I think I have a good life. I have no complaints.”

Sources: wickedlocal.com

The Patriot Ledger - Copyright 2010 Country Gazette. Some rights reserved

Teen songwriters win a songwriting constest

Like many situations that middle school boys get themselves into, it all started with a text message on a cellphone. But this is something that the parents of Max DiRado, Jack Duff, and Gabe Goodman approved of.

The three, students at Gates Intermediate School in Scituate, have won the first songwriting competition of the Hingham-based South Shore Conservatory, beating out about 17 other songwriters — all adults.

“Never in a million years did they expect to win this,” said Wendy Goldstein, DiRado’s mother. “It was not a composition contest for kids.”

The winning song, “Just When You Think That It’s All Over,” was selected by online voting and a panel of judges. The boys were put over the top not by the voting but by judges, Goldstein said.

The trio first collaborated last year in the Gates School’s annual songwriting competition. Goodman, 14, and DiRado, 13, who live across the street from each other, have been playing together for years. But last year, the two invited Duff, 14, to play with them. The three have been collaborating ever since — on cellphones.

Goodman records a draft on his cellphone and sends it to DiRado and Duff, who then give feedback via text message. The three usually get together once a week, and that’s when they work out the details.

As a reward, the winning song will be featured on the South Shore Conservatory’s website in June, and the band was selected to headline an open-mike night this month in Duxbury.

The three expect to continue writing songs and playing together at various venues — they’ve been invited to open for a North Andover band, called One Step Ahead, next month.

written by: Molly A.K. Connors

sources: The Boston Globe (boston.com)

This is an article I wrote a couple of years ago...it generated some heat over the time as readers on many websites discussed the theory I explained in the article. I am publishing it again here while I work on a part two for the May Monthly Feature.

Music vs. Lyrics (Part One)

A song is music and words, but there are two questions concerning the relationship between music and lyrics in a song. The first is which is more important and the second is which should be written first. This article is about the first question.

To answer the first question, we have to examine the audience perception of songs. Songs are written for people to hear them, therefore their opinion about the song is crucial and to understand their opinion we have to know whether they think more highly of the lyrics or whether it is the music they focus on.

I have come to conclude that different cultures produce people who are biased differently. For example, the Arabic culture and legacy is based heavily on poetry while music remained trivial and forgotten by later generations. Consequently, for Arabic listeners the lyrics come first and music is usually reduced to a melodic vehicle for the lyrics with the least amount of arrangement possible. On the other hand, for Europe the music heritage is enormous with a large number of genius composers, and the connection of these compositions to today is alive and well. At the same time, European great poets used the type of language that today needs a lot of simplification to understand. The music reaches the European listener before the lyrics, the fact that makes artists like Shakira and Gipsy Kings successful in UK even when they sing in Spanish, the same fact that makes Rai singers from Algeria successful in France although a lot of their songs are in Arabic.

So, a good songwriter studies his/her audience and their needs well before he/she embarks on writing a song. This doesn't mean that you can write bad lyrics for English listeners and get away with it; they eventually catch up. Also, Arabic listener will not listen to a song with bad music. So what can a songwriter do with understanding how the listeners think?

It is all about complexity. Arabic listeners will settle down with a nice melody that fits the lyrics well. European listeners will not settle for that, you have to have strong chord progressions , a powerful base line and even a really good drum line. The lyrics ,however, are not poems and are very relaxed. As long as they rhyme and have meaning, every thing is great. Lyricists in the Arabic world are usually accomplished poets with all the Shakespearian attitude that comes with that, and some of the more successful Arabic singers sing nothing but poems that were not intended to be songs in the first place.

Therefore, If you are writing for an English Rock band, make the arrangement relatively complex but keep the lyrics smart and simple. If ,on the other hand, you are writing a song for an Arabic singer, look for a poem that you can write an amusing melody for, and forget about the arrangement...or may be just a little of it :).

Responding to its members feedback, SongWritingFever.com (the first website to be dedicated to songwriting collaboration) has now an improved much more useful version...

SongWriting Fever was founded in May 2007 and has since been a thriivng community for songwriters looking to meet each other and write songs together regardless of geographical barriers. In May 2008, SongWriting Fever saw new updates and functionalities in response to it members' feedback....

The new SongWritingFever.com now features...

• A Private Messaging system to allow members to easily and conviniently contact each other
• A comments system for Lyrics, to allow members to recieve feedback regarding their lyrics
• A new blog featuring songwriting and music news to keep its visitors updates as well as monthly songwriting editorials (that's where you're at right now!)
• A new improved look and simpler layout
• An updated eBooks section featuring free songwriting eBooks as well as songwriting ebooks from Amazon.com and other stores. You can now read the free books online without having to download them.
• A search system that allows visitors and members to easily search the lyrics directory and songwriters database. The search box can be found to the right of the menu.

And that's not all...songwriting collaboration will become easier with much more features to come to improve our members' experience and make the community more interactive and useful.

Stay tuned....

German Rock legends the "Scorpions" announced they are back in the studio recording a new album to be released in 2010 under ARIOLA records, a part of SONY BMG.

In messages directed to their fans through their official website, the three main band members announced they were conducting songwriting/recording sessions at guitarist Rudolf Schenker's studio in Hannover, in collaboration with Swedish producers Mikael Nord and Martin Hansen. The band has already recorded 6 new tracks according to Blabbermouth.com.

Scorpions reached international stardom in the 80's and early 90s with such classic hits like "Rock you Like a Hurricane", "No One Like You" and the power ballad "Still Loving You". They are most famous for the are most famous for the ballad "Wind of change" which became the anthem for the fall of Berlin Wall and Germany's unification.

However, Scorpions experimented with different styles throughout the 90s which resulted in a fall of their popularity, especially in the US. Matthias Jabs, band's lead guitarist, promised the new album will be comparable to their classic albums "Blackout" and "Love at First Sting". "As early as the first recording day with my band mates I realized, pure creativity is in the air," says the band's rhythm guitarist and main songwriter Rudolf Schencker. The new album is expected to be a full throttle back-to-the-roots comeback, something the fans have been demanding for a long time.

Scorpions latest album was titled "Humanity:Hour One". It was produced by Desomond Child and released in 2007 and is their only album to chart in the US since "Pure Instinct" in 1996. Scorpions are also releasing a new DVD titled "Amazonie - Live in the Jungle" this November.

Sources: the-scorpions.com and Blabbermouth.com

Around since 1998, the "John Lennon Eductional Tour Bus" is a pretty cool idea...It's a full-functioning, completely mobile, audio and video recording studio. The bus is great because it provides free hands-on training to young musicians and songwriters and you don't even have to pay for gas...The bus will come to you.

On its extensive tour, the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus visits high schools, colleges, clubs, festivals, conventions and community organizations all across the US. Throughout its tour, the bus offers a variety of training programs including a chance to professionally produce your own song and its video in their "1 day music video production" program, a high school battle of the band with full media nation-wide coverage, access to major artists tours like Shakira, Santana and Elton John and more.

MTV NEWS has just gained access to the bus and gave us a very nice tour of the state-of-the-art, fully mobile facility...It's amazing; just watch the video below!

you can check out the bus tour dates and you can also request the bus to come to you, just visit their website: http://www.lennonbus.org

Sources: newsroom.mtv.com and www.lennonbus.org