Road Rally Notes

[nomiyah]

Michael posted awhile back asking if some of us could share on the forum for those who didn't get to go. I only took notes on things I was personally interested in remembering, what I left out could fill a library. But maybe someone can pick up something useful from my scribbled notes. I'll post a few at a time.HOME RECORDING BOOT CAMPRonan Chris MurphyRonan is a producer who has worked with King Crimson and many others. My notes: Don't sound mediocre like a bunch of midi tracks made by one guy in their bedroom. One way to make it sound high quality instead of like a demo is to add real instrument tracks on top of the midi. Use a real shaker, tambourine, cymbal or highhat. Get one real string player to do a couple of tracks over synth strings. Or use an unusual signature sound like a toy piano. Any acoustic track will add air to midi sequences.Great producers need people to count on that are really great. Don't do it all yourself, get people on recording who are really great at their instrument. Get best ingredients for each instrument and mix, a strong team makes a great recording.Match the vocal to the mic. Even with the best mics available, still uses mostly Shure SM57 and SM58. Solid state preamps can be better than tubes. On a budget, spend more money on a good mic, that's more important than a good preamp. A good converter is important.Better not to use compression while recording a track unless you really know how to make it sound great. Pro's usually do compress going in but if it's not right don't do it.If equipment is humming, try connecting everything through one outlet.Never heard a reverb plug-in that sounds as good as an outboard reverb.Constantly listen to other people's CDs on studio monitors to compare.Don't use subwoofers while mixing (except occaisionally). Can cause crossover unless it fits acoustic room treatment.The 808 kick rattles at 60 Hz.Don't put too many effects in mix on vocals. Dry vocals sound more current. The easiest way to date a recording is the reverb and where the kick and snare sit in the mix. For reverb, delay, compression and EQ, the idea is sprinkle, don't douse. During mixing, add tons of compression. Majority of hit songs use analog outboard compression.When you get to number 9 on the charts, it's such a great feeling. When you get number 2, it's such a failure.RED=BADNever go into the red while recording.Most tracks should be recorded mono, except overhead drums and certain instruments (string sections, some keys).Sometimes double-tracking can mask a good track. Don't overdo it.

[ragani]

Dear Nomi,Thanks for the great post! I missed Ronan's workshop, and it was nice to read your notes. Nice to find I'm not too far off-base too! I was fortunate to connect with Ronan at my first Rally three years ago-- he does some really solid work, and he's got some advice. And this year when I saw him in the booth area, I was thrilled that he immediately remembered my name (not an easy recall!) AND my music albums! Okay... now you've inspired me. I'm going to go pull out some of my notes here. The Rally was loaded with great workshops this year, and you're right, what we didn't write down could fill a library. It was like music immersion for an entire weekend, with a smorgasbord of tasty workshops, meetings, and networking opportunities! Raags

[nomiyah]

Quote:Dear Nomi,Thanks for the great post! I missed Ronan's workshop, and it was nice to read your notes. Nice to find I'm not too far off-base too! I was fortunate to connect with Ronan at my first Rally three years ago-- he does some really solid work, and he's got some advice. And this year when I saw him in the booth area, I was thrilled that he immediately remembered my name (not an easy recall!) AND my music albums! Okay... now you've inspired me. I'm going to go pull out some of my notes here. The Rally was loaded with great workshops this year, and you're right, what we didn't write down could fill a library. It was like music immersion for an entire weekend, with a smorgasbord of tasty workshops, meetings, and networking opportunities! RaagsRaags,Thanks for reading and replying. One thing I really liked about the Road Rally was that many of the panelists had tables in the book selling room. They were all so gracious with their time and information. Ronan gave me answers to some questions I didn't ask in his class since they didn't relate to the subject. He was open to listening to my goals and telling me specific ideas for achieving them. Very great guy and he gave a good lecture (Taxi, please ask Ronan back next year).Nomi

[Casey H]

You know what would be cool? If someone who went to the rally this year (or anyone here who just works their ass off getting better every day) has such a successful 2008 that they are invited to be a panelist for 2008's rally.My holiday wish for ALL... Casey

[nomiyah]

WRITING & SELLING SONGS IN THE HOT AC MARKETRobin FrederichRobin is an AC Taxi screener, writer, producer and recording artist who has worked with Rhino records and Virgin. Robin is a very fun teacher, animated and creative. This was one of my top favorite classes at the Rally, since my music is AC. My notes:AC and Hot AC demographic is 25-55 years old.AC= Older artists, smoothHot AC= Edgier, assertive groove, syncopated lyrics and tracksHot AC is bigger than AC. The combined AC/Hot AC format is the second biggest for radio (first is country) and is the preferred style currently for ads and TV shows such as Gray's Anatomy, Men In Trees.Included in format is pop, pop/rock, adult pop, singer-songwriter, teen pop, country crossover. Pop is the melodic style, an old word for AC/Hot AC. AC= Norah Jones, John Mayer, Kelly Clarkson on Breakaway, Celine Dion on Taking Changes. Pop-country crossover Rascal Flatts, Big & Rich, Faith Hill, Leann RimesHot AC= Fray, Lighthouse, Matchbox 20, Chris Daughtry, Pink, Goo Goo DollsCrossover both charts AC/Hot AC= Fergie on Big Girls, Chris Daughtry, John MayerThere's room in the market for hit songs. Album filler is written by artists but hit songs are place-able. In the top of the charts this week, 6 songs on Hot AC and 5 on AC are cowrites.Every couple of weeks, check the charts (Billboard, search online, listen to the radio). Buy a download or CD of the hit song and study it.Song structure is VCVCBC, VPCVPCBC or sometimes VPCVPCVPC (V=verse, P=prechorus, C=Chorus, B=Bridge). It's rare to do 3 verses because it brings the listener down at the end. Sometimes an exception would be a half verse but never in teen pop. No AABA for the same reason, returning to the A after the B brings the listener down. Hit songs have big chorus and forward momentum.Pink: Who Knew? Co-write with producer and artist. Pop-rock. Short intro, conversational lyrics, big chorus, clever hook, the hook is at the end of the chorus.Lifehouse: First Time. Pop Rock. Conversational lyrics, lift builds, big chorus, hook at the end of chorus.Natasha Bedingfeld: Unwritten. Co-write. Pop AC. Short intro, repetitive 2 lines, lift gathers momentum, big chorus, hook at end of chorus.Common elements: structure, momentum, rhythm and melody, repetition, passion, emotion, revealing lyrics, syncopation in hook. Shifting the beat emphasis is the difference between old pop and contemporary. 70's pop melodies lines begin on the first beat and have this rhythm: Line/Pause/Line/Pause and not too much repetition. Current songs repeat more but it doesn't get boring because of the syncopation. Fewer chord changes currently than in the 70s. Lifts don't have any pause, taking out pauses adds momentum.To study the syncopation of the lyrics, keep beat with hand or foot emphasizing the one. At the same time, speak Da-Da-Da along with the lyrics, not singing or saying the words but just listening for the rhythm of the words. Notice where in the beat the words are emphasized.Pink: Who Knew? In the verse, empasizes beat 2 until the end when it changes to emphasizing the 4. When it gets to the chorus, the 1 is emphasized. Phrase lengths are all different, sounds current. If all phrases are the same length, sounds dated.If Robin screens your AC song and says the hook isn't strong eough, it might mean the hook needs to emphasize the 1. If she says it's too generic or dated sounding, it can mean the 1 is too much emphasized and it could change to a more syncopated beat. Try different phrasing, "get in your playpen" and change things around.Tori Amos: Beekeeper CD. AC. Melody shifts the phrases.Embed new styles of music by taking a hit song and writing new lyrics. Keep the phrasing the same, where the emphasis is and length. Keep where the title is the same. Try this a few times and then write your own and it will be easier to write in new style.Rascal Flatts: What Hurts The Most. Unusual beat emphasis and phrase lengths.Besides syncopation, hit songs have personal lyrics. Fresh, impact, unusual, conversational, revealing, strong images, emotionally direct statements, mix poetry with directness. Make sure listener understands, beautiful imagery is mixed with clear explanation. Listener wants to know what you're feeling and why. Don't have to rhyme, rhymes call attention to themselves and that takes away from the conversational tone. The lyrics can't be too crafty.Pink: Who Knew? Common phrase is the hook. Contrasts with seriousness of the song's subject. This contrast adds punch.When pitching, consider if the client is an advertiser. They want to incite feelings of passion, excitement, to associate that feeling with their product. If it sounds like a current hit, it's place-able.

[tedsingingfox]

wooHOO!Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting THESE, Miss Nomi. This class was one of my FAVORITES all weekend (and I don't even WRITE a/c...HOT a/c music). Robin had SO much information that could be transferred over to ANY genre of songwriting. I'll sit in on ANY class she offers next year.I felt like I had taken GREAT notes during that class, but because I am a GENIUS , in my effort to lighten my suitcase on the way home, I decided to leave my pre-Rally print out behind, not remembering that I had taken 90% of my class notes on the backs of it (because I left another notebook at home in an effort to lighten my suitcase on the way to the Rally...SEE?...Genius! ).We love you, Nomi, oh, yes we do...

[matto]

Hey Nomi,thanks for doing this, it's really helpful...now it kind of irks me that I had to miss so many classes... Robin's class sounds brilliant, I hope they bring it back next year.

[ragani]

Okay... here's my notes from one class. While most of my notes are written in personally useful snippets, I did take a few more notes in this one.MELODY MASTER CLASSJason Blume - A Hit Songwriter who has had singles on the Pop, Country,, and R&B charts-- all at the same time. His songs are on 3 Grammy nominated albums, have sold more than 50 million copies, and have been recorded by artists including Britney Spears, the Backstreat Boys, Jesse McCartney, John Berry, the Oak Ridge Boys, and more. Author of three best-selling songwriting books and teaches workshops throughout US and internationally.MY NOTES (Disclaimer: These are my notes, so they are not likely to be 100% accurate to Jason Blume's presentation. In my enthusiasm to write what interested me most, I likely missed some great points. His sessions were chuck full of good stuff! P.P.S. Jason Blume's incredible sense of humor will also not be accurately conveyed herein!)Main reason for hits are MELODY, NOT LYRICS. MELODY!! There are NO RULES, just tools. Tools to spark and have creativity emerge.It's a mistake to look at chords, grooves, and beats-- okay with hip hop, jazz, etc., but songs not in those genres need more. Chord changes and groove are only foundation-- shouldn't take front seat.People don't walk down the street singing chord progressions. So write melody and then choose best and most delicious chords and rhythms that match and bring out that melody.JASON BLUME WRITES ACAPELLA ONLY! Locks in with rhythm and guitar later, after that one singable melody is created. [demonstration]When you write for yourself, choose your best range and best techniques-- i.e. deep sultry low notes-- and SHOW THEM OFF!! Show off what you've got. For a record company-- give them notes and range to shine on-- they want their singer to SHINE and show off their range. Those are the money notes for them. Tool #1: BIG held out notes-- high, full note held-- shows range and fullness. [song demonstration] Study 1st songs by an artist-- here you can see what makes it a hit and gives them their first break! Need that 1st break-- through a single hit-- so study these breakthrough songs and you'll hear those incredible songs!Attitude to have when rejected: "You think my songs isn't good enough? I'll show you how good it will be!! I'm going to do something so undeniable that it just blows you away!" [shared from his personal experience of rejection]Tool #2 - Limit to simple motifs-- 1-2 per section. One simple, very simple melody [another great demonstration with If You Ever Stop Loving Me song]. Keep it simple. Tool #3 - Highest note comes in the CHORUS-- pops out, lifted higher in range. To recap: One simple melody, repeatAnother simple melody, repeat[uses songs to give demonstration here]Tool #4 - Opening lines need to GRAB someone MELODICALLY and if anywhere your lyrics matter, those 1st 10 seconds are it! Grab them at the top of the song. [Demonstration with Face is a Map of the World song, quirky and grabs you right away]Tool #5 - Title should JUMP OUT of the song, especially when you are pitching to an artist or publisher. Use a different range-- high or low-- to accent the title of the song in the song. Use life (pre-chorus) to lift into the chorus [Demonstration with There is No Arizona song]Keep a "hook book" of phrases from anywhere that strike you [he shared how this happened with There is No Arizona song]. Then when you write a song, this can be life-changing!

[nomiyah]

Hey, I'm glad sharing these is helpful. I liked reading the notes for Jason's class since I missed them.VOCAL TECHNIQUE, THE MEMEL METHODSteven MemelVocal coach for artists such as Maroon 5. This was another of my favorite classes. My notes:Emotion in singing is the most important thing to connect to listener. Sometimes a singer gets the emotion right, other times misses. There's techniques to getting it right every time, so you can get the great feeling you have singing in the car and bring that to studio or stage on command.When in touch with emotions, it feels new and authentic. When it isn't right, we get stuck in rigid ways of thinking and moving. First identify the emotional blocks. Demonstration: someone stands up and sings in front of class, nervous. Steve asks what she's nervous about. She answers afraid her voice will crack, that she'll sing out of tune, forget the words, not look good, etc. These thoughts inhibit her so she doesn't sing well, physically stiff performing, no emotional connection to lyrics.Recognize fears and then dismiss them. So what if her voice cracks? If she looks foolish in front of the class, what difference will it make a year from now? Analyze fear and decide it doesn't matter if judged, voice cracks, out of pitch, disliked, criticized, ashamed, make mistakes, get self-conscious.Analyze lyrics line by line to understand what the feelings are. Find a physical movement that expresses the feeling. Make it a big gesture, not to be corny or theatrical, to allow our brain to disconnect the auto function and feel the song.Use a movement that connects to the lyrics. In the demonstration, the lyrics are pleading, Steve suggests holding hands together like praying. Singer does this and there is a big change, her tone is strong and in tune, there's emotional connection to the words listeners can feel.The movement will reactivate our spontaneous nature and this will allow us to sing like we do when uninhibited. Unexpected movement releases spontaneity. Recognize when fear is activating and allow physical movement to convince brain to relinquish learned behavior. Tell yourself: I have something to say and someone to say it to. I'm going to like myself no matter what when I leave. These positive thoughts short circuit the habit of being afraid.Memel technique doesn't work sometimes, it works all the time.

[nomiyah]

PHRASING, THE BODY LANGUAGE OF YOUR SONGPat PattisonSongwriting teacher at Berklee, students include John Mayer. His book "Writing Better Lyrics" is hands down my favorite book on songwriting, the only book I use on a regular basis as a reference.Front end= before the 1Back end= after the 1Body language of phrasing, leaning forward or back changes emotion. Front is stable, solid. Back= unstable, floatingArchitectonic= structure of tone (cool new word)If phrase begins on 1 and 3, it'll sound strong. If phrase begins on the 2 and 4, it'll sound like it's floating.Front heavy/ weak bar= phrase starts on downbeat of 3rd barWhoops, didn't take anymore notes...