As you will see from his candid answers Simon is not someone who mucks around with words. He is a very direct writer who knows what he wants. He does bring up a good point about who you show your songs too.
Lets see what Simon has to say for himself.....
Name:
Simon James Betts
URL (if any):
www.simonjamesbetts.com
Main genre:
Pop/Rock with a bit of country (but I borrow from many styles)
Years writing:
Too many...lol. Well, I first started messing around about 18 years ago (1986) when I first picked up a guitar. However, it wasnt until 10 years ago that I finished a song and said that I was happy playing this song to the world.
What comes first, words or music:
Oh, I know this...the egg? No seriously, it's a bit like sex really, sometimes one or the other but rarely do they come together. Most of the time though words (or a line) come first.
Why do you write:
Because the voices in my head say that I have to! I think we all need a creative outlet. I often hear people say that they are not creative and I say to that 'bullshit'.
We are taught not to be creative through a thing called school, I'm sure you have heard of it. We need to let go and start thinking outside of the square, give ourselves the freedom to be creative. We do have it all inside of us. It might not be for songwriting but its for something.
How do you write:
With a pen, sometimes a pencil......... I play one chord and find what goes with that then I search for the third chord and guess what? You have a song. Don't make it harder than it has to be.
I would usually have a feeling of some kind that puts some words or an idea into my head from there I play around with it until a melody appears. I'm not a technical musician, I just search for chords that sound good with the melody and put that in.
I have to say it is always different though. Some songs come from the most strangest places and some I clearly cant remember writing.
What inspires you:
Life. What I see, hear and feel. Thoughts, emotions, enjoying life and the hope that I make it better through my writing. Also the hope that I might one day write a song that makes girls throw their bras and panties at me.
Most important aspect(s) of songwriting:
Being your own harshest critic. If you are wanting to be the next U2 then you need to ask yourself this question - "Are my songs as good as theirs?"
I never feel that there's no reason to compare yourself to the band at the local pub if they are not going anywhere with their work. The other important aspect is to get your material out there. Whether you play it or someone else does you will always grow as a songwriter if you get feedback from industry people. Not your Mum or Dad, boyfriend or girlfriend.
Advice for beginners:
Dont write to a formula, there are no rules. You just need to start. I started and it took me 8 years to get a song where I said to myself that it's good enough to keep and another 5 to go out and play them (I should've done it sooner).
My process goes like this, write, review, write, review, write, perform (or present - someone else performs it for you), review and repeat.
Main strengths and weaknesses:
Strength - I'm not bad at writing a catchy tune. As I am not technically trained when it comes to musical theory ignorance is bliss.
Weakness - Not being technically trained.
Songwriting goals:
To consistantly write good songs. To write songs that people remember me by long after I'm gone. I would like to get a number one hit the old fashioned way, by having lots of people like what I do enough to buy it. It would also be nice to make a good living from it too.
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It's refreshing to see what other songwriters do in their creative processes. I personally use it as a means of refining my songwriting process by introducing new ideas or gaining the knowledge that what I am already doing is on the right track.
As I mentioned earlier Simon bought up a good point about who you show your songs to. Dont be afraid to get your stuff out there. Join songwriting organisations and go to industry events. It's not all like Australian or American Idol, you wont need to see a counsellor afterwards (if for some reason you do well, you can write a song about it) there are people who want to help.
I hope that seeing what other writers do helps you and your writing endeavours.
Until next time, happy writing,
Corey Stewart
Songwriter/Musician
Keywords: songwriter, song writing, songwriting, rss feed, songwriting tip, songwriting help, songwriting idea, songwriting blog, free songwriting tip, songwriting technique, corey stewart
Everyone has heard of the quote "every journey start with the first step" but I ask you, how many people are prepared to take that first step? It's the people with that self belief that actually start.
Corey