Originally Posted by BIG JIM MERRILEES
No point in studying Taylor swift unless you are writing country music.

PS Why oh why do people assume that COUNTRY is the only kind of music worth writing and that we all aspire to write country songs? There are other music genres and styles and each has its own rules and role models. It just so happens that most of the strict country music disciplines, rules and traditions are a no no in many other genres.


Hi Jim

I'll do my best to avoid a long thread about popular music again smile

1- She writes POP music.... That is why she is where she is chart wise. Pure Country artists rarely sit on the HOT CHART top 10.. meaning the mixed bag chart, the HARDEST one to reach.
Hip Hop dominates that chart month after month week after week.

Taylor is WAY closer to Avril Lavine in her appeal to the young than to Reba or Loretta Lynn. Our own Heather sounds WAY WAY more country than Taylor Swift...


Songwriters - Ever tell somebody at the store or at the bank or any non musical place that your a songwriter?

They kinda look at you funny and the first thing they think of if they start discussing it with you is.. Oh have you had any hits? You mean like the songs on the radio? Oh you write the words?

They don't think "hey your the bassist in a band who came up with the chords or music to a song"

"Oh you write songs for TV? Or commercials or plays"

Oh you just write music? Instrumentals is that songwriting"

They think RADIO so that means Popular Music. Whats most popular
1. Hip Hop
2. Country
3. Kid Pop - Think Hanna Montanna

Of course there's the songwriters who are the artist.

In the songwriting circles like here we all know about the can't write for singer/songwriters or Bands LAW! lol

Hardly ANYBODY here writes any hip hop. R&B or Rap
So Country Music would be the number one style to write, and refer too. Think about it, even teen pop is rarely heard here in comparison to Country styled songs or general folk, and also non commercial stylized songs.

Songwriters can also get very cornered in. Even if they like a whole variety of music how often do they write, produce and promote it? Watch most writers and you'll see patterns.

But for commercial reasons,pitching,biz aspects etc.. etc.. Country is on the top choice list for "The Songwriter"

Thanks!
Peace Mike
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