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| September 2003 Guild Tidings The official Publication of The International Songwriters Guild Volume 8, No. 9 NEXT MEETING 5:00 PM Sunday, September 7th, 2003 The International Songwriter's Guild meets the first Sunday of every month at the Central Florida Musician's Union building at 3020 East Robinson (at the extreme east end of Robinson less than a block from Herndon Airport). Songwriters, composers, performers, publishers, and the curious are encouraged to join us. Non-members are invited to attend a meeting or two to get a feel for our group and what we do. Officers: President/Treasurer Russ Robinson (407) 851-5328 Vice President/Member Reception/Newsletter Matthew Griffin (407) 903-1212 Membership Coordinator/Website Coordinator Susan Foster-Trewick (407) 760-2153 Archives Barbara Ross (407) 862-2795 President's Letter Dear Members, I hope all of you plan to attend the meeting on Sunday, September 7th. Matt and SusieCool will be in charge in my absence. I have a very important engagement up north and for only the 3rd time in 27 years will miss the meeting. I feel good about Matt and Susan being there. Both of them know the routine and you'll see that the critiquing is one of the most important parts of the meeting. Last meeting was a nice event. Those present got to eat some of my beautiful 77th birthday cake. It was really too pretty to eat, three feet long with a chocolate-and-white icing. There was even a full keyboard on top with black and white (iced) piano keys, with my birthday greetings and name on it. It was a nice surprise gift from an out-of-town member; I wish he could have been present! SusieCool surprised us by bringing her brother and niece, both visiting from England, to the meeting. Susan's brother is a songwriter, too. They got to visit the Cape and enjoyed the beach while here. It was very nice having Jack Kapanka at last meeting. We got to hear one of his songs and I believe he will fit right in. Jack and I judged a national beauty pageant a few weeks ago and his resume was most interesting. He is part of Lou Pearlman's group as a record producer and publisher (Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync, etc.). I hope he will become a regular part of our group! I'm glad I asked him to attend the meeting. Sorry I won't be able to see you on the 7th. But the October meeting will be here quickly enough. Everyone show up Sunday, have a good one. Best always, Russ Robinson Co-Writing, by Yourself By Matt Griffin I'm reading a fascinating book called "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards. It's basically a book on learning how to draw, but many of the concepts apply equally well to any creative endeavor. And a few of us seem to be on the creative side! First, a little background is in order. As you may know, the human brain is split into left and right hemispheres, and each half performs different functions. The left brain is very good at math, language, and analytical skills, and is great at identifying parts and forms; the right brain excels at creativity, spatial relations, and such, and appreciates things as a whole. (note that these are generalizations; in some people the brain functions are reversed, and in a few people there seems to be much less lateralization). Our left brains are large and in charge, and typically dominate our right brains. The American education system only makes this disparity worse, emphasizing math and English (left brain activities) and teaching less and less art and music (right brain strengths). The central idea of Ms. Edwards' book is to teach you how to "turn off" the control-freak left brain for a while and let the right brain do the things it's good at. Her idea is that everyone can draw, if we can just get our left brains to quit interfering. The book outlines practical exercises you can do that the left brain can't or won't participate in, with the idea that if we can recognize how the shift to right-brain thinking feels, maybe we can learn to do it at will. Extending the same notions to songwriting, an interesting thought occurred to me: maybe each song we write is in fact a product of left/right collaboration. Think about it: the left brain handles all things language-related (i.e. lyrics), and the right brain is more musically inclined. So even if you write alone, your two brain hemispheres are effectively co- writing! In truth, though, the division of labor probably is not that clean. But it may be a useful way to think about the creative writing process. So what does this mean for us as writers? I think it means we need to structure our writing habits to take advantage of the strengths of our brains. In particular, we need to get into right-brain mode for melody and music work. Many of us already have habits that do exactly that, even if we don't think of it in those terms. I write melodies while driving. Most any repetitive activity that doesn't require deep concentration is handled by the right brain, and therefore may facilitate making music. Examples: walking, running, knitting, solitaire, whittling, etc. Take a tape recorder along and let your musical right brain do its thing. In contrast, lyric work probably requires more concentration due to its left-brain emphasis. So, if you're like me, you need quiet time to write and polish good words. Even if you've no real interest in drawing, I recommend Ms. Edwards' book. It's an interesting read, and will give both sides of your brain some new ideas to chew on. ISG Bulletin Board Place your classified ad or gig announcement here! Free to ISG members as always! Just get your text to Matt by the print deadline (usually the Friday 16 days prior to the monthly meeting); email is best (griffinmc@netzero.net). Printing services for Guild Tidings are graciously provided by Printing USA, 4732 South Orange Blossom Trail (just south of Holden), Orlando. Phone: (407) 857-7468. Custom CD Cover Art Full color paintings, black & white illustrations to computer-edited photos with half-tone for photocopying. Prices start at $25. Call John Martello at (407) 293-1739 or email: omegaltd158@juno.com. Omega Ltd. Productions 3415 Silverwood Drive Pine Hills, FL 32808-2847 Songwriting Workshop on Saturday, Sept 27th SusieCool,and Asli Walker would like to invite you to attend a songwriter's workshop presented by Singer/Songwriter Carla Ulbrich. When: Saturday, Sept 27th, 11:00am Where: Musicians Union 3020 E. Robinson Street Who: Carla Ulbrich What: (In Carla's own words) 2-hour comedy song workshop. I'll play a few of mine, a few of other people's and talk about what makes something funny, devices for structuring funny songs, coming up with ideas, writing mistakes to avoid, performance tips, choosing material, and making a funny song even funnier. I'm open to a feedback/ critique session if folks want to play their funny songs. Price: Suggested donation $15 at the door A fan favorite on the long-running, nationally syndicated Dr. Demento show, award-winning songwriter and general smarty-pants Carla Ulbrich has been compared to the likes of Ray Stevens, Christine Lavin, Jerry Seinfeld, Chet Atkins and others. carlau.com More info: http://susiecoolsongs.com Or call Asli at (407) 359-0506 We're always looking for material for the newsletter. If you have any information that you would like to see added to the newsletter, please see Matt Griffin at the meetings, or you can email him at griffinmc@netzero.net. Please keep your articles brief and to the point. Print deadline for the newsletter is approximately two weeks prior to the monthly meeting. Classified advertising may be placed free of charge to members in good standing in the ISG. For more information on display advertising and/or classified advertising for non-members, please call Russ or Matt or email: griffinmc@netzero.net New members always welcome! We're always looking for new faces and new music. Come to a meeting and check us out! August TOP FIVE Winners of last month’s evaluation session (members only) (1) tie Leavin' Me For Good Bob Neace (1) tie Some Day Bill "V" Vontobel (3) Today We Celebrate Our Love Gar Brandt (4) Rocky Roads Bill Downs (5) Your History Bob Barker © 2003 ISG http://www.oocities.org/i_s_g_2000 |