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Inspirations For Songwriters is I F S
IFS hopes to INSPIRE YOU to ACTION
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2,337 songwriters, artists, producers, and music fans receive IFS
Share IFS with your friends.

If you want receive IFS or
change your email address with IFS
send an email to

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If you want to ask me a question
send an email to

AndeRasmussen@...

my contact info is

Ande Rasmussen
835 Martindale Falls
Martindale, TX 78655

512-217-2728 cell

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From: mail@...

Dear Ande,

Thank you so much for making this opportunity available. My song was one that
was chosen to be listened to by Tim and Faith's people. Living in Nashville
now for 3 years, I know what the odds of that alone are. I am so grateful to
you and excited about the possibilities! Today is one of the happiest days of my
career so far!

Thank you again,
Take Care,
Diane Falcone
http://www.dianefalcone.com

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Congratulations Diane, you're writing exceptional songs to have yours chosen
as one of 29 out of almost 400. Thanks again to Patricia Smith for being so
generous.

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Songwriting EVENTS around the world.
If you are hosting a songwriting event
please email me a blurb and I'll check it out then probably
Share it with IFS readers.


Greenville, South Carolina, USA

My friend and cowriter Greg Valente is an NSAI regional coordinator for
Greenville, South Carolina.  He sent me an email about a terrific event with
Steve Seskin. If I lived with in 150 to 200 miles I'd drive in to attend this
don't miss event.

Steve Seskin will be in Greenville, SC on Saturday August 2nd for an all-day
songwriting workshop and evening performance. Find out more at
www.NSAIGreenville.com.
www.steveseskin.com

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Denver, Colorado USA

Subj: Denver NSAI Workshop
From: kellyrogers@...

Hi Ande,

Greg Valente says (Greenville NSAI coordinator) that you’re happy to promote
NSAI workshops. Thank you! I’m the coordinator for the Denver chapter, and
we
’re sponsoring a workshop Aug. 18. I’m sending pertinent info below. (We
also have a PDF format if you prefer).

Thank you, Ande.

Kelly Rogers


Denver NSAI Coordinator

kellyrogers@...

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Alternate Guitar Tunings for Songwriters

By Justin Roth, Guitarist/Songwriter

Monday, August 18, 7:00 p.m.

Angie’s Place, 8528 W. Colfax, Lakewood

$10 NSAI members, $20 nonmembers

More info: Joe Lickteig, 303/346-5139

Learn how to play in alternate tunings, compose, convert songs, and switch
between tunings for songs you know or want to write

Learn a simple way to relate alternate tunings without the need to know music
theory

Discover new approaches to the guitar to inspire new melodies and chord
progressions

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Congratulations to IRS reader Pat O'Bryan
what a great story! (below)

Texas Blues Syndicate Records
P.O. Box 2272
Wimberley, Texas 78676

artdesperado@...
512-589-9592

Contact: Trix Daylee NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

Please Steal My Song!

(How getting bootlegged by a European record company led to a 5 CD recording
contract.)

Imagine Wimberley singer/songwriter Pat O’Bryan’s (www.patobryan.com)
surprise when he discovered he was on a CD with Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton!
He’d
been bootlegged, but he was in great company.

While surfing the internet looking for reviews of his recent European tour,
he found a website advertising Real Country- Most Wanted, a compilation CD on
ZYX (www.zyxmusic.com) records in Germany. This CD included his song, When You
Love Somebody, in addition to tracks by Willie and Dolly, Wade Hayes,
Shenandoah, Ricky Van Shelton, and Lee Roy Parnell. The only problem was that
Pat had
never heard of ZYX records, had never thought of himself as a country artist,
and had certainly not signed a contract with them authorizing the use of his
song.

A quick call to Casey Monahan at the Texas Music Office
(www.governor.state.tx.us/music/) provided the email address of a music business
attorney in
Berlin. A few weeks later, Pat had a check, contract and apology from ZYX. It
looked
like a happy ending, but it was actually just the beginning.

A short time later, he received an email from his attorney in Berlin: "ZYX
wants to know if you have any other songs". The next day, he mailed his previous
three CD’s, along with an advance copy of his newest CD River Keep Risin’,
to Germany. While on tour of Germany in May, 2003, Pat sat in the offices of
ZYX records with his agent and the president of the company, and signed a
five-CD recording contract between his production company and ZYX records.

To order copies of Pat’s CD River Keep Risin’, send $15 (postage paid) to
Texas Blues Syndicate Records,
P.O. Box 2272,
Wimberley, Texas 78676

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SongwriterUniverse July 2003 Newsletter
From: SongwrtrUniverse@...
http://songwriteruniverse.com/

Welcome to the SongwriterUniverse Newsletter for July.
Here are the latest updates regarding this site:

Special Announcement:

New "Best Song Of The Month" Contest:

We are very pleased to launch the "Best Song Of The Month" Contest, which
will honor and publicize the top songs which are submitted to SongwriterUniverse
each month. The contest not only spotlights the winning song and songwriter,
but showcases the Top Five songs that we hear each month.

The writer(s) of the winning song will be interviewed for a very positive,
feature article in our popular SongwriterUniverse Magazine section. The article
will include a photo of the winner, an MP3 of the song for listening, plus a
link to the writer's website and e-mail address. The winning song and
songwriter will be announced on the front, home page of the site. In addition,
the four
other finalist songs will be spotlighted in the same article page, with the
names of the finalists and their winning songs, their MP3s, plus their website
and e-mail links. Each “Best Song Of The Month” article will remain online
indefinitely (for at least a year). This is important, because we will be
referring top music publishers, label A&R execs, producers, music supervisors
and
managers to read the “Best Song Of The Month” articles, and listen to the
winning songs.

Winning Prize: In addition to receiving the recognition and publicity from
SongwriterUniverse, the contest winner will also receive a free copy of the
highly useful "A&R Registry" directory book, which lists the contact information
for all A&R execs at the major and top indie record labels throughout the U.S.,
Canada and the U.K. This book (which sells for $65.00) will be sent free to
the contest winner.

Also, one entrant will be selected each month, in a random drawing, to
receive a free "Individual Consultation" with SongwriterUniverse head, Dale
Kawashima. This will be a 30-minute, phone consultation session with Kawashima,
who
will answer your music-related questions, provide personal input and guidance,
and review your songs during the session. This is a $50 value, which one
entrant will receive free each month.

The entry fee for the contest is $12.00. Or, you can enter two songs for
$20.00. One last note: anyone who submits songs for our Song & CD Evaluation or
Individual Consultations service will automatically have their songs eligible
for that month's contest, at no extra charge. For more information about this
contest, please click:

"Best Song Of The Month" Contest

SongwriterUniverse Magazine Will Be Introducing Two New Sections:

In addition to the new "Best Song Of The Month" Contest section (which will
spotlight the winners and their songs), there will be another section added to
SongwriterUniverse Magazine. We are introducing an "Industry Commentary"
section, where top songwriters and industry figures will speak their mind on a
wide
range of music-related topics. The first commentary will be written by
prominent Los Angeles attorney Neville Johnson, who has championed the rights of
songwriters and artists. Johnson is known for fighting for the "underdog"
songwriter, taking on cases where writers have been ripped off by publishers,
producers, or other music companies. There should be a new Industry Commentary
posted
each month.

New Live Chat This Wednesday, July 16:

SongwriterUniverse head Dale Kawashima will be hosting a live, online chat
this Wednesday, July 16, at 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time (PT), which is 10:00 p.m.
Eastern Time (ET). The session will be for one hour. Kawashima will answer your
questions about songwriting, publishing, the music business, and the
SongwriterUniverse website during this session. Anyone who would like to
participate
will need to register and login at the SongwriterUniverse Message Boards/Chat
Rooms page on the site.

Get Free Input From Top Industry Pros:

SongwriterUniverse continues to offer free advice and input in our Message
Boards section. The site features three, popular message boards, where experts
will answer your questions. The "Production, Studio & Musician Q&A Board" is
moderated by Philadelphia producer/musician Anthony Newett; the "Music Business
&
Legal Q&A Board" is moderated by Los Angeles attorney Ben McLane; and the
"Film & TV Music Q&A Board" is moderated by Los Angeles music supervisor &
author Sharal Churchill. You will need to register before posting your
questions.

Message from Dale Kawashima (Head Of SongwriterUniverse):

This month marks a significant expansion of this site. With the "Best Song Of
The Month" Contest section in SongwriterUniverse Magazine, we will now be
spotlighting talented, new songwriters, not just the superstar writers we have
been profiling. The Industry Commentary section will also provide a strong new
forum for songwriters and industry figures to speak their mind on important
music topics. Our goal is for SongwriterUniverse to be an outstanding resource
for songwriters, artists and the overall music community. Also, we believe our
new "Best Song Of The Month" section will attract more, top industry execs
(publishers, A&R, managers, producers and music supervisors) to visit the site
regularly. Thank you very much for your interest in SongwriterUniverse. Here is
the link back to the site:

SongwriterUniverse

Best regards,
Dale Kawashima
http://songwriteruniverse.com/
Los Angeles

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check out IFS reader Glen King's websites

My new music site.
http://www.tune.cd

My new CD is on sale at:
http://store.mixonic.com/glenking

here are some excellent tips he shares in his TIPS section

Songwriting Tips

The following songwriting tips should be helpful to both the novice and
seasoned writer. They are, by no means, all inclusive, and stamped in stone,
just
those commonly applied by most writers. Rules were made to be broken, but you
have to know the rules first, that's why there is a "should" in most of them.
These are mine, others have their own. I am referring, to what I believe, are
lyrics written for commercial recording.


Follow standard stuctures, such as ABABCB, or verse/chorus, verse/chorus,
bridge/chorus. Or AABA, verse, verse, bridge, verse.

The first line should be provocative enough to peak the listener's curiosity.

The lyric should be conversational. Poetry is lyrical, but sometimes not
suitable for a song.

Today, perfect rhymes are not mandatory. Though, cliche rhymes like time/mind
should be avoided.

The title of the song should become evident as the lyric is heard. that means
it should be the in the chorus as an emphasized line, not a pick up line
leading to a stronger line

The lyric and the melody should work together(prosody) and flow naturally. No
forcing more words into a line than what would sing easily.

For the most part, lyrics should have a timeless quality about them. Using
contemporary references may work in the immediate sense, but over the long term
they date the song, and eventually it loses it's recurrent play asset.

Lyrics should be built around universal themes that pervade each of our
lives. You want as many people as possible to relate to the material.

The lyric should be self-contained. If you have to explain what it's about,
then it hasn't been properly crafted.

The lyric should be honest, believable and heartfelt.

Length is important. A song probably shouldn't exceed 3-4 minutes. A demo
shouldn't contain a musical breaks or fills.

It is important to consider the tone or message of the lyric,as far as the
singer of it would be concerned. What kind of portrait does it paint of the
singer? Is the male weak-willed, is the the female a victim? Shopping such songs
is difficult. Self-pity usually gets songs passed.

Avoid abstractions that stop the audience in the their tracks while they try
to figure out what the meaning is, and then lose the thread of the song.

The lyric should get better as it progresses, and move the story forward from
verse to verse.

Each lyric should revolve around one main idea or theme. The bridge, if there
is one, might go elsewhere to present a different perspective or
understanding of the verse/chorus material.

A logical progression in time frame is essential to lead the listener along.

Controversial topics need to be soft pedalled and presented in a tasteful
manner. In recent times, we had songs about child abuse, wife battering, fatal
diseases and more: All done in a manner that doesn't offend the listener.

Does the lyric blame the listener for the singer's condition? Being labelled
as the cause of the singer's pain, is painful to the audience, as well.

Have you subjected your lyric to an objective viewpoint, for comments and
critique? Keeping songs close to the vest and either being fearful of criticism,
or defensive about it, could doom it to the circular file.

Does your lyric use pictures? Do you use metaphors and similes to convey
description? Images are worth....etc.

Have you presented the familiar in a new light?

Is there a touch of mystery or suspense that pulls the listener in? Not
spelling out every single detail, not only makes for a more concise lyric, it
allows the audience to participate in filling in the blanks.

Is the melody short enough and simple enough to catch the listener's ear?
Will it be recognizable from the first time it's heard?

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Subj: Where Are All The UK Writers?
From: graham.a@...

Hello Ande,

Every time I read your newsletters there's a ton of songwriter activity going
on all over the US. It seems there's no end to the seminars, writer's
conventions, workshops and songwriter association meetings over there. I'd just
like
to express my frustration and disappointment at the fact that by contrast,
there appears to be so little happening here in the UK. For example, my local
NSAI group is virtually extinct, and the two UK songwriting organisations I'm a
member of both do a good job, but mainly as remote advice centres.
Do other UK writers express similar frustrations?
Am I missing something?
Where are all the UK writers?
Slaving away in isolation?

Regards,
Graham Andrews,
Sheffield, UK.
graham.a@...

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Ever Met Lorna Flowers?

She owns and operates
www.developyoursongwriting.com
and already has a list of some 40+ clients for whom she critiques and acts as
a consultant regarding songwriting.

Next month she's hosting 2 UK songwriting courses
(Aug 30/31 and Sept 6/7) which will be led by renowned lyric writing expert
Pat Pattison
www.patpattison.com
of Berklee University, Boston, USA and 
here web site is
www.lornaflowers.com


She's a UK based songwriter/producer, working mainly in country and pop
genres. Lorna travels to the US 2 or 3 times a year to write, perform and
record.
Some of her pop and country songs signed both to BMG (Nashville) and Roba/Smile
music.

Her co-writers include ex-Fleetwood Mac guitarist Bob Welch, Grammy award
winner John Peppard (“In Another’s Eyes”), as well as US #1 hit writers
Steven
McClintock, Jim Femino, Joie Scott, Jane Bach, Benita Hill, Tom Paden and Dove
Award winners and nominees Michael Puryear, Dwight Liles and Kevin Stokes. 

In 1998 Lorna won a Songwriter of the Year award in the UK for country music
and she's have recently been working with various country and pop writers in
the UK and USA.  One of her songs has been used over the end titles of an
independent film made by a Canadian director and 2 others are currently being
recorded for use in a film, due for release next year. Lorna has 12
independent
cuts to her credit on labels worldwide, which has given her 2 European #1
songs on Country Radio Charts as well as 4 other top 5 songs. All my cuts have
received extensive airplay in Europe, Australia, Canada and via the internet and
one song
"Slow Down For A While
(UK artist : Sue James) was Record Of the Week on Ritz Radio (London) in
2000. In the last few weeks, 3 major labels in Nashville have kept songs to be
passed to their major artists. She's had material on British Airways and other
airlines in-flight programmes and a video broadcast on CMT (Europe) for 5
months. For 3 consecutive years (1999-2001) she received Best Song nominations
in
the UK Country Radio Awards and in 1993 she won the Hastings Songwriters Contest
with a rock song (she was also a finalist in 1994). Lorna has received
4 Finalist awards in the Worldwide Unisong contest between 1997 and 2002.

She has 107 professionally produced demos and 20 independent cuts so far
(pop and country) and have 3 major labels in Nashville currently passing songs
onto major artists, having expressed initial interest in them. She used to work
with tup UK country artist Sue James with whom she opened (as a duo) a UK tour
for Charley Pride and also appeared on festival bills in the UK and Europe
with Jon Randall, Gail Davies, George Hamilton V, Anita Cochran and others.

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What would you like IFS to write about?
email your suggestions

Write on!

Ande Rasmussen
Editor and Publisher of I F S, Inspirations For Songwriters

AndeRasmussen@... 

My Bio
http://hometown.aol.com/anderasmussen/myhomepage/profile.html

If you'd like to hear some of the songs I've cowritten drop by

http://www.tonos.com/ande
or
http://www.mp3.com/ande

If you want receive IFS or
change your email address with IFS
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Forward IFS to your music friends and members of songwriting
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http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DIFS/messages

once you're in our archive
you can do a key word search
if you're looking for something in particular

I F S stands for Inspirations for Songwriters
I F S is a brief email for songwriters
filled with inspirational and
practical information about the
art, craft, and business of songwriting.

We want to help you be a more successful songwriter.

COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
The entire text of
"Inspirations for Songwriters"
© 2003 Anders Rasmussen



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