Phrase Writers Group

The journey is the reward

MAKING MUSIC

Making Music seeds have been planted several times over the years. And they have yielded fruit.

My songwriting began in 1975. First by writing new lyrics to obscure album tracks, or my own melodies to poems or lyrics I chanced by. Tunes tended to thrive in my head, where most of them still are.

Come 1978 and I taught myself the acoustic guitar from a book. Avoided the F chord, notoriously difficult on acoustic guitars. Continued writing songs, this time accompanied on the guitar. Used A minor and E minor chords a lot; they are next to each other on the guitar and easy to play!

There are various ways of creating music. Sometimes I got a tune in my head, and matched the guitar chords I knew to it. Or I would randomly play chords and la-la-la until a tune of sorts came out.

In the early 1990s I saw an interview on TV with multi-instrumentalist and musical genius Prince, and his backing band. His musicians did most of the talking, explaining the way to succeed like Prince. It involved daily practice of a musical instrument and learning about thirds, chords and other basic music theory.

Fast forward some 15 years. Bought a digital piano. Had 88 keys, the same as a “proper” piano. Being digital meant I had to plug it in before it made any noises. And, more importantly, I could use headphones and avoid annoying my neighbours.

I had piano lessons for a year in 2006. Explained to my teacher Tim I had three aims. Learn Enya’s instrumental Watermark, play my existing songs, and write new ones. Oh, and no piano exams! Tim explained the piano grades were largely to reassure parents, who were paying for their children’s expensive weekly lessons, that good progress was being made.

Tim taught me a lot. That the notes on sheet music were a starting point, not regimented instructions. For example Enya’s Watermark require a left hand stretching about 3 inches further than mine did. Or anyone else’s come to that. Tim simplified the notes to be played on the lower half of the piano. And in time I mastered Watermark that way. Then he showed me how to play by wrapping my left hand over itself, and I could play Enya’s masterpiece as written down.

In 2007 two things happened. London was awarded the 2012 Olympics Games. And I entered a BBC songwriting competition. With a song composed on my piano.

The BBC held a “Sing London” competition, asking for original songs to get London singing during the Olympics. They explained the quality of the demo was not important, that a great song would trump recording shortcomings.

I lacked the confidence and recording equipment so sent in an a cappella version of my song, “You are not alone”, with just me singing. It wasn’t chosen. Sadly, five years later, no one heard any of the winning songs either.

My piano lessons ended about the same time, when the music school closed and my teacher moved away.

In 2018 I had not played the guitar for 20 years. So decided to learn it properly with a guitar teacher. Nick Zala had his work cut out as my confidence was rock bottom. But my progress surprised me. Down to Nick’s expertise and patience, and regular practice. And then he encouraged me to go electric. With a Squire Strat, a budget Stratocaster guitar. As a way of playing the dreaded F chord. And yes I did finally crack F.

I gradually acquired basic recording equipment. Nick Zala, with a lifetime of recording and performing live, knew the right microphone, amplifier, and more. I use them every week for my Hayes Fm radio shows plus news and events bulletins.

And another monthly news bulletin for Uxbridge Amigos, a group of visually-impaired people. They also hear my light-hearted stories, along with their guide dogs. Who silently woofed along to my Cat’s tale.

Lessons with Nick ended when I injured my hand, not from guitar playing I hasten to add. And somehow regular guitar practice ground to a halt too.

Come the Lockdown in March 2020 and my Hayes Fm shows changed. They had been “What’s on” in Hayes area of West London, a 50/50 mix of talk and music.

Now they are mostly music. Some prize-free competitions, just for fun. Every Tuesday I read one of my light-hearted stories. Or poems. Or recipes. Or...

In May 2020 I rerecorded my Olympics song and played it on my show. Once again it was a cappella, just me singing. Though I added backing vocals, and judicious Cowbell notes. And was pleased with the result. My American friend Brian is a record producer and sound engineer, amongst other musical skills. He added his magic, improving the recording immeasurably in the process.

The next song I want to record is a light-hearted one, written in 1987. Chords written down and tune faithfully in my head. This time I would like to have a proper band sound; drums, guitar, keyboards and maybe more. And here the challenges begin.

I used music software called GarageBand to record my Olympics song. Musicians use it all the time to record songs and albums. Just connect a microphone to the computer, press “Record” and away you go. Singing, or playing musical instruments.

Music software has an extra trick up its sleeve. It has dozens of built-in instruments with thousands of different sounds. So, if like me your playing skills fall short of recording them, you can use what are already on the computer.

Except.

If you do so GarageBand requires a Key Signature. C, F or G are common key signatures. Each one determines which music notes play well together. Get it wrong and you sound like Les Dawson with his pristine piano playing!

And which key signature? There are twelve major keys to choose from. I have the guitar chords for the song so that’s a start. Clearly need some music theory. Enrolled on an online course with ThinkSpace Education. After the first lesson I knew I needed to improve my one finger piano playing.

About the same time a musician friend told me he had received a piano six months ago, in January. Bob is known for his mandolin and guitar expertise plus exceptional song writing. He plays the piano every day, and now composes songs on it.

There are many online courses for learning the piano. I bought “Piano For All”. It takes an unconventional approach, teaching a strong foundation by learning chords, rhythm and basic harmony. I am also working through ThinkSpace Education’s course “Learn Music Theory”, and the two courses perfectly complement each other. Social media for these courses means there is help and encouragement from others.

I’m amazed how far I have got. Way outside my comfort zone. But repeated effort pays off. And there is always more to learn.

The secret to becoming good at anything is really no secret at all. Practice five or six days a week. Keep learning. Stay enthusiastic. And remember why you’re doing it. I’m looking at my song right now, with its chords and lyrics. And the microphone to record it, ready when I am.

ONLINE COURSES:
ThinkSpace Education: Learn Music Theory / How To Write Music
What sold me on Guy Michelmore (ThinkSpace Education): YouTube videos

Piano For All: Learn Piano or Keyboard
Piano For All review -- what sold me on this course

Nick Zala
About Nick / Nick's website

Gowan Clews
Gowan’s Radio Show Facebook page
Listen (free) to Gowan’s shows