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I've been singing since I was seven and writing songs since I was 13. That's 20 years or 14 years, depending on how you look at it. I've learned a lot in that time period, and I want to share some of the things I've learned and some of the experiences I've had. I'm in favor of helping others get started. Most of the time that kind of help comes from seasoned professionals. This time it comes from someone who is still waiting for her time to jump in. I've made some mistakes and done some things write--I mean right--and I don't mind sharing them.
I had a good start. I started singing in church musicals when I was seven. By the time I was 12, I was singing solos for services on a regular basis. By that time, I was also very involved with choir at school. I had wonderful choir directors who made me work hard and got their point across.
My voice when I was in junior high was, in my opinion, not that good. I was loud, had perfect pitch, and could sing harmony. That was about all I had going for me. When I was 15, I signed up for voice lessons. That particular teacher and I did not mix well at all. I don't know what I was doing with my voice. I just know it was wrong. My choral director knew it was wrong. I went on with the lessons for nine months and did not make any improvements. But I was determined to sing.
My choral director announced at the end of my sophomore year that she would be teaching privately that summer. I signed up. The first thing she did was tell me that I needed to work on my speaking voice. I had a job as a receptionist that summer, and during my first voice lesson we modified my phone-answering techniques. It took a lot of practice, but I learned to improve my speaking so that it was not so low and harsh.
During my junior and senior year, the school had a private teacher come in to work with some of us once a week. She was wonderful! I began to overcome a lot of my inhibitions, and my range began to expand.
I bought my first four-track recorder when I was 16. I had been using two standard tape recorders to do overdubs for several years. Getting the new recorder was a major event in my life. I used it for about nine years before it finally wore out.
After graduating from high school, I went to Anderson University and planned to minor in music and major in Christian ministry. I didn't end up staying there. Looking back now, I wish I had. I might have avoided a lot of the mistakes I made after that. Later, when I get to the tips, I will stress the importance of putting God first. This is the first and worst mistake that I made.
When I left Anderson, I went to Stephen F. Austin State University. I began to let some personal issues I had been struggling with for years take over my life, and doing what God wanted me to do--sing, write music, and most of all, spend time every day with Him--gradually took a back seat. I never stopped professing to be a Christian, and only in the end of my struggle did I engage in any activities which were questionable. My drawing away was more subtle, and only those closest to me, those people who saw me every day and knew my dreams and aspirations, noticed. I eventually stopped going to church. In fact, I isolated myself very much without even being aware of it.
I am beginning to get back on my feet now. It's a long road to walk, but I am still determined to sing and write music, so I walk the road. Following are some tips I've gathered from my experiences.
Write first and foremost as an expression of your feelings rather than for the money or acclamation.
For me, songwriting has always been very casual. It is something I do because I have something to say. I find that I cannot treat my writing any other way. Otherwise it becomes the highest priority in my life, making it my God. When this happens, I find that I don't write anything at all worth writing.
>If you feel creative but no ideas are coming to mind, just doodle. If you are a musician, sit at your instrument and just play. If you are a lyricist, write or sing whatever comes to mind. This is similar to the concept of freewriting used by writing teachers.
Always write down your ideas and lyrics, and always record a rough draft of your songs.
I am both a composer and lyricist. For me, melodies often come before or along with lyrics. I hear songs in my head as though they were finished. This makes communicating my ideas to other musicians difficult, and it is hard for me to accept the idea of sending someone a demo of a song with only piano accompaniment. However, hearing my songs as finished products also gives me the motivation to work at making them into finished products. If I haven't made a rough draft of the song, though, I often forget it by the time I get ready to work on it again.
Write about what you know. If your songs are not meaningful to you, they probably won't be meaningful to other people, and the lack of enthusiasm will show through in your performance.
The most important thing I have to do as a songwriter is keep my spiritual life going. Since I write about my spiritual life, I become dry when my spiritual life is dry. Also, I see my music as a ministry. I cannot minister to other people if I am not living what I am ministering.
Practice. Play an instrument, sing, or write something every day, even if you come up with something that sounds stupid. You can revise it and make it something good later.
Learn about music theory.
Don't get distracted by daydreaming.
Learn about music business.
Take care of your voice if you are a singer.
If you're interested in singing Christian music, don't stop going to church. Your pastor can be a very important resource and reference. It's important for him to be able to speak to your abilities as well as personal integrity.
Enter contests and go to festivals.
If you can, collaborate with other writers.
Listen to different kinds of music.
Develop your style. As you doodle, you will develop a style of playing or writing which is unique to you. Don't copy someone else.
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