|
Four Questions When Choosing A Genre For Your Song DemoSo, first there’s the song. Generally speaking when we sit down to write a song it has more to do with the groove, melody and the lyric than it does with which categories and/or boxes into which your new song will eventually fit. It has also been my experience that most songs don’t necessarily announce |
|
Mindful Drumming On Songwriter DemosGlen Caruba is one of Nashville’s most in-demand studio percussionists, Glen has not only recorded with Jimmy Buffett and on countless jingles and soundtracks but is also the author of three percussion instruction books & videos distributed by Hal Leonard. Glen’s insight into what drummers and percussionists should be thinking about in the studio is |
|
Four Reasons to Let Session Musicians Try It Their Way FirstOver the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the finest session musicians in the business. Above and beyond their jaw dropping musical talent, these studio thoroughbreds also bring a depth and breadth of experience to the recording process that shows up in ways both obvious and extremely subtle. It occurred to |
|
Six Important Reasons to Consider Scaled-Down Songwriter DemosI can picture the scene… You’ve just finished your song and you nailed it. Great melody, killer lyric and it’s got that magic “thing” that we all hope for when we write. Now it’s demo time. Nothing but the best will do. Why not put every instrument in the Western musical tradition on there and |
|
Essential Tips for Mixing Your Songwriter DemosOnce you’ve decided to up the ante and put your songwriter demos out there for the world to hear, it’s in your best interest to pay close attention to every step in the recording process. One of the most vital of these steps is the mix of your song. It’s not enough to have a |
|
Five Pre-Songwriting Demo Mistakes (…and how to avoid them)The professional songwriting demo process is a necessary part of the equation for songwriters aspiring to get their material heard by music industry decision-makers and, hopefully, cut by successful recording artists. Despite the fact that hundreds of demos are recorded every week in places like Nashville, New York and Los Angeles, new songwriters often find |
|
The Benefits of Stripping Down Your Song DemosLet’s begin at the beginning. You’ve written a song and, hopefully, you’re thrilled with it. So thrilled, in fact, that you want to record it right away and use every instrument in both the Western and Eastern musical traditions on the song demo. I don’t blame you one bit. There’s nothing more fun than dressing |
|
What Do Music Producers Do?Working as a producer for the last twenty-five years, I’ve recorded all kinds of artists from “fresh off the boat” newbies to artists whose experience in the world of music doubles my own. In every case, my role as a producer stays essentially the same. It’s that role that I’m going to describe in this |
|
A Primer on Professional Demo Studios for SongwritersWho’s the expert here? You’re a songwriter. It’s what you do. It’s what you’ve trained yourself to do through countless hours of study, practice and effort. Your songs are yours and no one can write them for you. In other words, you’ve become an expert at writing your songs. That’s how it should be. However, |
|
Six Ways To See if You’re Ready for a Professional Song DemoOne of the big decisions that we, as songwriters, have to make is whether or not we’re ready for a professional song demo. In other words, is our song good enough to warrant spending the money and time necessary to make a high-quality recording? While our instinct may be to love all of our songs |