I've been conducting a workshop called "The Five Absolute Essentials of Songwriting Success." Having made the observation that most compulsive creative types approach their careers with either the wrong strategy (or with no strategy at all) I've designed a basic, simple 5-step guide that can help any [naughty word removed] along the road toward realizing his or her visions of creating meaningful songwriting activity.

I use the words "basic" and "simple" purposefully because, admittedly, at least a few of these 5 essentials could seem like absolute no-brainers to any writer with a modicum of intelligence. So, please try not to be offended (or accuse me of being a self-righteous, ornery, pedantic old song-dog) because I feel compelled to remind you that we all need to (trumpet fanfare, please)...

(Absolute Essential #1) WORK ON SONG-CRAFT.

So, how do we start improving our songwriting skills? First, we pay more attention to the songs we love, the songs that have affected us emotionally, the songs that may have even inspired us to become songwriters in the first place. We go back and listen to those songs again with more discerning ears, while observing the qualities in those compositions that originally caught our attention and continue to appeal to us.

What I'd like to suggest is this: We are a community of creative souls. Ostensibly, we all care passionately about songs and the craft of constructing them. So, why don't we share some of our own personal thoughts and impressions about those impact songs amongst ourselves. I'll get the ball rolling.

It's likely that many of you will find this to be a very corny confession. (What follows is a paragraph from page 54 of my book, Makin' Stuff Up, secrets of song-craft and survival in the music-biz...)

"No recording had ever had more impact on me than the lilting Bacharach/David composition, Close To You, the smash that launched the Carpenters into superstardom. I remember pulling up in front of (my bandmate, Bob) Segarini's tiny Hollywood Hills cottage in my VW Beetle when that single came on the radio. I sat transfixed, unable to extract my ears from Karen's clear, resonate alto, a sound so rich it seemed to fill every square centimeter of air in the atmosphere. I listened until the final nanosecond of the fade, knowing I'd just experienced a perfectly crafted song, performed by what I surmised right then and there would become one of the greatest pop voices of its era."

I'm fundamentally a rocker at heart. So what was it about that syrupy, middle-of-the-road, pop confection that hit me right in the center of my heart?

Well, obviously Karen Carpenter's magnificent voice was a big part of the appeal, as well as brother Richard's sparse, yet textured arrangement -- with those multi-tracked, clustered background vocals. But, listen to that first melodic arpeggio on the words, "Why do birds..." on the third, the fifth and the ninth of the tonic chord. That's classic Bacharach. How many songs do you hear these days that start with the notes of "Three Blind Mice." Would Close To You have had even 10% of the impact if "Why do birds..." had been warbled on the 3-2-1 notes of the scale? No way.

Even in the absence of a punchy snare drum, the groove of the track moves in easy syncopation under those uniquely Bacharachian chords, those beautifully crafted melodic phrases and hallmark-card lyrics. Listening to the song now, I see that it's more about what's not there than what is.

The melody, the voice and the arrangement were fresh. They stood out against the cluttered, aggressive textures of the day. The song was youthful, yet sophisticated; it was sweet, naive and emotionally fearless, an honest expression of the way it really feels to be head over heals in starry-eyed, newly discovered love.

As a songwriter in this new millennium, what can I learn from listening to this song, a song that had such a tremendous impact on me, nearly 40 years ago? I think there are two very obvious lessons here: First, writing a great melody makes a huge difference. And secondly, honest emotion is key to the impact of any song.

So, in this discussion, I invite any songwriter who might be interested to return to a fave or two. Listen again in the light of today and share what it was about that particular composition that gave it such personal appeal to you.

By doing this, maybe we'll all learn something about how we can improve our own song-craft.

Thanks for indulging in this exercise. And much success to all...

Rand Bishop
songwriter/producer/author - Makin' Stuff Up, secrets of song-craft and survival in the music-biz
http://www.makinstuffup.net

Rand Bishop
Songwriter/producer/author