Songwriting Techniques

[LuvTim]

This isn't about technique per se, but general songwriting encouragement.

A co-worker met Barry Gibb at a charity event this past Saturday night, and she was sweet (and brave) enough to ask him for an autograph for me. She told him I'm an aspiring songwriter and asked what advice he would give me. Mr. Gibb said the most important thing is to write all the time and to never give up. He wrote that encouragement on my autograph, which is definitely getting framed!

Oh, wow, how lucky are you??!! A great friend like that is a rare find. And a cool autograph, too. Man.

[NightMistBlue]

It was such a surprise. I had asked her the day before the event to get Barry's autograph and she turned me down (gently!). She was there in a professional capacity and I totally understood that it was dicey for her to seem ... you know, skeezy, or like she was bothering him. But thank goodness, Barry was sweet as could be.

Speaking of sweet and talented Englishman [how's that for a segue!], SongwriterUniverse asked Justin Hayward about his writing process:

"Nights in White Satin” and “Tuesday Afternoon” are known for having great, beautiful melodies. Did you usually come up with the melody first?

Hayward: Usually, it comes to me—I’ll have the first rush of the melody and some words together, that work together, in the first hour of working on a song. And then I’ll spend the next two months (laughs) trying to do all the rest of the pieces. So I suppose it’s 5% inspiration and 95% hard work. Usually, a good part of the melody comes, with a phrase, that starts to explain what the song is about. I wish I could say that I was an off-the-cuff songwriter. I think what Picasso said is right—inspiration exists, but it has to find you working. If I go into my music room and work for a day, it’s pretty sure that I’ll come out with something.

http://www.songwriteruniverse.com/ju...rview-2016.htm

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Congratulations, NMB. That is very, very cool that your friend got Barry's autograph for you - and some very sound songwriting advice from him to boot!

[AlreadyGone95]

How very cool of Barry Gibb to do that for you NMB!