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| December 2003 Guild Tidings The official Publication of The International Songwriters Guild Volume 8, No. 12 NEXT MEETING/CHRISTMAS PARTY 5:00 PM Sunday, November 30, 2003 at Starlight ranch. (and NO december meeting) Songwriters, composers, performers, publishers, and the curious are encouraged to join us. Non-members are invited to attend a meeting or two to get a feel for our group and what we do. Officers: President/Treasurer Russ Robinson (407) 851-5328 Vice President/Member Reception/Newsletter Matthew Griffin (407) 903-1212 Membership Coordinator/Website Coordinator Susan Foster-Trewick (407) 760-2153 Archives Barbara Ross (407) 862-2795 President's Letter Dear Members, Happy Thanksgiving and Christmas! It feels kind of funny to be having our Christmas party on the Sunday right after Turkey Day. But that�s when we were able to get the clubhouse. Actually it will probably be nice to have the party early this year; December gets so busy, doesn�t it? Although it is just after Thanksgiving, I�m sure after a few cheerful Christmas songs that we�ll all be in the holiday mood. I am inviting outside people�entertainers, musicians, performers�who will be participating in the evening�s entertainment. Feel free to ask your family and friends to come, but remember to bring an appropriate amount of food to cover the number of folks you�re bringing. Thanks again to Art and Polly Cappuccio for their efforts with the party, and especially for getting that nice clubhouse for us again. Everyone, when you see Art and Polly at the party, be sure to thank them personally. By the way, we are not having a meeting on our usual day (December 7th). Instead we will have a brief meeting at the beginning of the Christmas party. And we will go back to our usual meeting day on Sunday, January 4th. Congrats again to member Jim Dolan. You may remember me mentioning a couple of months ago that he had received a contract from country star Lee Ann Rimes for his song Blue and Pensive Mood. Jim decided against that contract in favor of a better deal for himself with blues legend B.B. King. Wow! We wish Jim all the best. I hope we can get him to come to the Christmas party so we can brag on him in person! I really enjoyed last month�s meeting. The talent level of our group seems to be rising. Though we had a small group at the meeting, we heard some really good songs and had some fine critiques as well. Actually, most of our recent meetings have been good ones. I hope you enjoy your turkey or whatever goodies you have to eat on Thanksgiving (or enjoyed them, if you�re reading this after the holiday!). So, bring food and friends and original music with you to the party November 30th. If you have a Christmas song, this would be a good time for us to hear it. I�ll see you at the party. Best ever, Russ Robinson Christmas Party News!!! What: ISG Meeting and Christmas Party When: Sunday, November 30th from 5 PM till...? Where: Starlight Ranch (same place as last year; Directions: the ISG Christmas party (and December meeting) is being held at the Starlight Ranch clubhouse, 6000 East Pershing Avenue about a block east of Semoran. Starlight Ranch is on the south side of the road, and actually has two clubhouses. Our meeting/party is at the second clubhouse. You'll pass the first one on the left, just inside the entrance. Keep driving; the second clubhouse is a couple of minutes further along, and also on the left. Special thanks to Art Cappuccio for setting it up! Who's invited: ISG members, friends, and family What to bring: A covered dish and drinks, enough for your party. If you'd like, come prepared to perform one or more of your original songs (no critiquing). What to expect: Lots of music, food, and fun! Great Songs By Matt Griffin One of my goals as a songwriter is to write a truly great song. What is a great song? Most folks respond to that question with a hedging answer like, �I�ll know it when I hear it.� That�s not a lot of help for those of us seeking to actually write something great. I�m going to give you my answer, but first I have another question: how do you feel when you hear something great that you didn�t write? A number of years ago, I had the pleasure of hearing author Kurt Vonnegut talk at Rollins College. It was fun; Vonnegut is a hilarious, flaming liberal who stomps all over political correctness whenever he gets the chance. Vonnegut said something I found very interesting; he said that �almost no great writers come from English departments�. He explained it this way: English majors study the greatest works of literature. How can they write something that can even hope to compete with Shakespeare or Hemingway of Faulkner? The situation isn�t quite so bleak for songwriters, since everyone hears great songs on the radio. But the question is still valid: do you find great songs discouraging? I certainly do, sometimes. I�ve remember listening to a Billy Joel album years ago, wondering if I�d ever write a song as good as the worst song on the B-side! I occasionally have to prop up my ego by reminding myself that Joel had to learn his craft, too, and wasn�t always so good. So again, what is a great song? Here�s my answer. It�s not hard to come up with other ideas, but these seem to be the most important ones: A great song has great music. This doesn�t mean complex music, necessarily; simple chord progressions can work if they fit the genre. No exceptions here; in my view, there are no great songs with mediocre music. A great song probably has great words. Yes, the lyrics matter, but not as much as the music. But even if the words are not outstanding, they must fit the music like a glove. And it helps a lot if the words sound good to the ear, especially in the chorus and/or hook. A great song captures a universally-understood feeling. I think a well-written song can communicate an emotion better than any other written work. There�s something about hearing a song and thinking, �I know just what he/she means.� It makes the song seem personal�to everybody! A great song has a terrific hook. There�s a grabber somewhere in there. The obvious one is a terrific title, repeated in the song often enough for the listener to remember. But musical hooks can be just as memorable. Special indeed is the song that ties a clever melody hook to a clever title. The overall effect is magical. When a song really works, all of these things seem to belong together, inseparable. It�s a lot to aspire to, but hey, that�s why we�re here! ISG Bulletin Board Printing services for Guild Tidings are graciously provided by Printing USA, 4732 South Orange Blossom Trail (just south of Holden), Orlando. Phone: (407) 857-7468. Meeting space graciously provided by Central Florida Musicians Association. Local 389 You are invited to join the largest union in the world, representing the interests of the professional musician. Visit their website at afm389.org for more information. You may reach them by phone at: 407-894-8666 Just wanted to let you know that the certificates are ready for distribution. Please see Susan at the next meeting to pick them up if you placed in any of the monthly evaluations. Custom CD Cover Art - Full color paintings, black & white illustrations to computer-edited photos with half-tone for photocopying. Prices start at $25. Call John Martello at (407) 293-1739 or email: [email protected]. Omega Ltd. Productions 3415 Silverwood Drive Pine Hills, FL 32808-2847 SusieCool invites you to an open mike event! The open mike is held at Austin Coffee and Film, 929 West Fairbanks Avenue in Winter Park (phone 407-975-3364). The open mike is held every Tuesday night from 8pm till 11pm, starting Nov 25. Why isn't your gig announced here? Call us with your appearance schedule! Place your classified ad or gig announcement here! Free to ISG members as always! Just get your text to Matt by the print deadline (usually the Friday 16 days prior to the monthly meeting); email is best ([email protected]). Please keep your articles brief and to the point. Print deadline for the newsletter is approximately two weeks prior to the monthly meeting. Classified advertising may be placed free of charge to members in good standing in the ISG. For more information on display advertising and/or classified advertising for non-members, please call Russ or Matt or email: [email protected] New members always welcome!!! November TOP FIVE Winners of last month�s evaluation session (members only) (1) Crazy For Your Love Dale Scott Cunningham (2) Cold Cold Ground Kent Trewick and Susan Foster-Trewick (3) Rain Bill �V� Vontobel (4) Andy Andy Lilly Ingersoll (5) I Sit and Wait Emil Ernyey � 2003 ISG http://www.geocities.com/i_s_g_2000 |