HI MARK,

If it wasn’t for tape recorders I would not have had any success in song writing at all, there is a simple programme that comes with Windows Ex P. it's one minute samples, I tend to start songs via chord sequences with guitar and or piano, I then go and sing with a guitar into a cheap 3 dollar mike and listen to the play back, if I don’t think it's so hot I re write it and go back to this one minute sample until it's
right, I have found that what sounds Very Good to the ear whilst singing and playing , does not always sound very commercial on playback.

I have sung professionally for over thirty years, so I have a good range, I sometimes have three samples of the same song verse on one, chorus (if Any ) on two ,and climb or bridge on
three . as they all improve I delete the earlier samples

periodically, something stands out and then I do Demo try outs on Cool Edit Pro, it's a bit old but it works.

So yes it's still a great way to start a song off, I really don’t know how so called writers who do not play an instrument
can write anything of substance, in the same way any one who writes a lyric without understanding Meter, is just wasting his/her time, I start many songs off by writing down a metric pattern straight from my thoughts. Just look at some lyrics here and you can see the writers are trying to please the eye with no idea how a song builds , singability is the answer
to success, and Yes that can all be recognised by a simple Tape Recorder.

SPLIT

Have been working at E.M.I. Hayes U.K. in many departments starting as Tea Boy and worked through to A and R, New Artist Management,
Co Writing , with Boy Bands, and some solo acts
I have always played in bands,

SPLIT LEVEL
psuedonymn of course to many thieves and robbers on the web these days