Letter to a 15 year old Songwriter
Monday, March 11, 2013
Dear .....,
Good to see you and your family this weekend.
15 is a great age.... you are on your way to finding what 'your voice' is all about.
This is the perfect time to work really hard at the craft of song writing.
Here are some of my suggestions:
First you need to study the great songwriters.
Go to your parents record collection...Listen to some of my favorites: Leonard Cohen, Ellis Paul, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, The Beatles, Cat Stevens, James Taylor...
Study their songs, the choice of words, phrasing, production...get these songs into your bloodstream, into your musical DNA.
Check out Springsteen, Bruno Mars, Michael Jackson, Prince, Adele, Rob Thomas, Jay Z, Eminem and do the same with them.
Figure out why a song moves you.
Really study how the great songwriters write, compose and perform their music.
The writer Hunter S. Thompson when he was starting out used to type out all of Hemingway's novels.
By typing out every word out himself he worked his way into Hemingway's head, which informed him as a young writer.
Learn how to play some of the great songs, cover them, yet make them your own.
And then after this you have to write EVERY day...
and READ every day.
Read the great writers
Write a journal, write stories, poems, letters, write letters that will never be sent...
Then write songs..
Every week you should have another NEW song written and completed....
Starting now, you should have 52 new songs by this time next year....
It is hard work... if you focus on this NOW you will be working harder than most your age.
If you want to be a songwriter/musician professionally you have to want to change the world with your music.
It has to be a holy crusade.... or nothing at all.
If you want to change the world with your music, you have to 'serve the song' ... become the best songwriter possible.
Keep in touch with me and let me know how you are doing.
Check out www.RalphJaccodine.com and the ['Ask a Manager'] blog I write from time to time, this might help.
And, finally enjoy the process.