Rob Roper's blog

Writing fictional songs with genuine emotion

2011-09-03T22:37:00.003-06:00

One of the things I haven't been able to do is to write songs that are entirely fictional; that is, songs with fictional characters and fictional plots. Or to be more precise, good songs with fictional characters and stories. I've written some but they're no good. You won't hear them. They lack genuine emotion; they seem phony. Well, they are phony; afterall, they're fictional.

But how does Bruce Springsteen write songs like "The River" or "Youngstown" that have fictional characters, but have such great emotion? How did Harry Chapin write "Taxi", which I assume is a fictional story with fictional characters, but brings tears to my eyes? How do you do that?

Any songwriters out there have suggestions?

Back in Songwriting Mode

2011-09-03T22:23:00.003-06:00

I realized last year that I can't do everything at once. I can't write songs, go out and get gigs, promote the gigs, practice with the band for the gig, play the gig (the easiest--and most fun--part), record a record, promote a record-- all at once. Especially when I still have to have a day job. It's too much. So I have to focus on one of 3 things: write, record, or gig. I recorded a record last year (Misfit), did promotional work and gigging in the Spring and early summer. Now I'm shutting down the promotional work and gigging (with a few exceptions), and getting back into songwriting. It's been 2 years and I've been missing it. I thought my songwriting had gone to a new level around 2008-2009 when I shut it down to record and gig. So it was disappointing to stop. But I think I can get it back. I've got some new songs in the works, and gonna dig up notes (musical and lyrical) from 2-3 years ago and work on them. I'm excited to see what I come up with in the next few months!

New Song: "Enviro Song"

2011-08-08T21:08:00.003-06:00

It seems I ease back into songwriting by writing goofy songs. See my blog from way back when called something like "The Solution to Writer's Block: Don't Care".

Enviro Song or The Last Generation
(not sure about the title yet)
by Rob Roper 2nd Draft July 4, 2011

The earth is not so hardy, and
efforts to save it are way too tardy, so
Let's have a party.

There's a big hole in the sky
caused by all the cars we drive, so
Let's all get high.

The scientists say we're on the brink, and
pretty soon we'll be extinct, so
Let's have a drink.

Some say it's not as bad as it seems
But they're being paid by the oil companies.

Hey there pretty lady
the world is dying and we can't save it, so
Let's get naked.

Unless there's some weird mutation
we're gonna be the last generation, so
Let's have a libation.

The animals will be glad to see us go
Except maybe for Fluffy and Fido

(Repeat 1st Verse)

If Dreams Came True (A Poem)

2011-07-24T22:22:00.002-06:00

If Dreams Came True

There would be a lake in our house
The cellar door would lead to a coal mine
and the attic would be a shopping mall

If dreams came true
Sheila would be hot for me
but we wouldn't be able to find any privacy
People would keep interrupting us
So we'd never be able to do it

If dreams came true
I'd be running down a hill
that gets steeper and steeper
until my feet no longer touch the ground
and I'd be falling

If dreams came true
I'd forget to put on my pants
and go to work in my underwear
Everyone would look at me disapprovingly
but no one would say anything
and I'd be embarrassed

If dreams came true
it would be a nightmare.

Notes from "The Screwup Song"

2011-07-07T20:37:00.003-06:00

This is one of my most popular songs. I began writing it in October 2005. It started with the melody. I went jogging, and got this Irish folksong melody in my head. (I was a big fan of The Dubliners). Then came the words "here's to". I had to figure out, what are we drinking to? Being me, I never want to go mainstream, so obviously we can't drink to success or love or happiness or any of that stuff. I'm a contrarian. So I thought, let's drink to mistakes. I went home and started making notes. Here's page 1. Note what I underlined. I quickly decided: this is a song about forgiving yourself. A friend of mine emailed me today to say that the song brought him to tears. Most people think it's just a funny song or a drinking song. That's only on the surface. This guy got it.

-Rob

Goodbye Gabriela

2011-03-29T23:06:00.004-06:00

I first posted this in February 2010. I revised it a little. Converted a B section to a chorus, and changed some lyrics in the 2nd half of verse 2. I've been wanting to write a song that had a sense of place.

Goodbye Gabriela
by Rob Roper 4th Draft March 29, 2011

Gabriela was pretty
though she always looked down
She was like Tucson
a grown-up little town
I should have left them
ten years ago
But the saguaros and the Catalinas
just won't let me go.

On 4th Avenue
College girls drink
Spending daddy's money
with fake I.D.'s
But Gabriela won't be there
Her dad works in the mines
And she lives on the southside
where they drink beer, not wine

Chorus:
I should rent a truck
and pack up my stuff
Goodbye Gabriela
Goodbye Catalinas
But the sun is too hot
in Tucson today
so I'm just looking for some shade.

Out in the desert
Snowbirds play golf
The winter's too nice here
It's making me soft
Oh give me four seasons
Winter snow and all
Where the trees
are pretty in the fall

(Chorus)

Gabriela, my dear
Summer's almost here
The Palo Verdes
have lost their yellow leaves
Oh you'll probably call me
sometime in June
Then you'll disappear
like a summer monsoon.

(Chorus)

Oh, the sun is too hot
in Tucson today
and I'm just looking for some shade.

The Man in the Movies

2011-03-27T14:01:00.003-06:00

I posted the first draft of this in December 2008. I worked on it off and on. I changed one line today and I think I'm finally done.

The Man in the Movies
by Rob Roper 5th draft March 27, 2011

She had no time for sadness
Didn't believe in second chances
She was looking for the man in the movies
She wanted flowers without the rain

I played the part for awhile
wearing a crooked smile
I was the man in the movies
I promised flowers without the rain

Guess I scared her a little
when I let her see my cry
I'm not the man in the movies
But I'll take the flowers with the rain

Sorry for ignoring you

2010-10-19T19:10:00.003-06:00

Dear blog,

Sorry for ignoring you. It's been a long time since I've posted. But I started this mainly as a blog about my songwriting, and I haven't been doing much of that. I recorded a record, "Me", in the Spring and Summer of 2009 and released it in the Fall. Then I formed a band around December 2009, and focused on gigs with the band in the Spring of 2010. Then in the summer and fall of 2010, I've been recording another record, a full-length, professionally produced record. And working a full time day job all along also. More than full time; I'm forced to work a lot of overtime on this job, no way out of it. So not much time for songwriting.

But I came back to the blog today, and read the last post, about getting better. That was confirmed in the current recording project. The producer, John McVey, is using professional musicians, and he himself is a very good guitar player and singer. And he's been kicking my ass to make me a better singer and guitar player. It's been a little humbling, but good for me. If you want to read more about this recording project, go to my website, www.robroper.com.

But I've been itching to get back to songwriting. I've got a ton of musical and lyrical ideas. So once I get this record done, and do a little promotion for it, I hope to take 2-3 months off and write some new songs.

Rob

I Need to Get Better

2010-03-07T17:53:00.003-07:00

This is a reply to myself in the previous blog, "What Happened to Built-in Crowds". (This is nothing new, I argue with myself all the time).

I need to get better. I need to sing better, I need to play guitar better, I need to compose better music, I need to write better lyrics.

Marketing and promotion can only help if you're good. At something. Maybe you're not a great singer, but people will come hear you if you're a good guitar player or songwriter. Maybe you're not a good guitar player, but people will come hear you if you're a good singer.

If you're just average, and not really good at anything, your friends will come see you-- for awhile. But to win fans you have to be good, at something.

If you're good, people will open doors for you. They'll tell their friends about you-- "You have to hear this!" Other musicians will invite you to open for them at a gig. The word will get around. That's more important that the best website, the best MySpace or Facebook sites, Twitter, emails, etc.

Of course if you are good, then the-above mentioned promotional tools can really help.

It's hard to evaluate oneself, but I think I'm a decent guitar player, a decent songwriter, and a below-average singer. So I'm taking singing lessons to improve my singing. But I also think I need to improve my musicianship and composing.

I'm going to spend less time on promotion and more time getting better. I want to hear rumors of people emailing their friends saying, "you've got to hear this guy Rob Roper". I want to hear other bands or singer-songwriters approach me and say, "Your music is important, I want to help turn people on to you. Will you open for me next month?" When I hear those sort of things, I'll know I'm good.

Rob

What Happened to Built-in Crowds?

2010-03-07T17:37:00.005-07:00

When you approach a venue for a gig, they ask, "how many people can you bring?" Some follow that up with, "we don't have a built-in crowd here". Usually even a small venue wants you to bring 20 people, which is dang near impossible for someone just starting out, and just beginning to build a fan base. But how can you get fans if you can't get gigs? It's a chicken and egg dilemna.

I was talking to Dan, my drummer, about this recently. He reminded me that, in the past, clubs had a built-in crowd, and people went to the same one or two clubs/bars all the time, regardless of who was playing. I remember that era. I remember I had a few places I liked to go, where bands played original music, and always enjoyed the thrill of hearing a good band (or singer-songwriter) who I had never heard of before. I still do this.

So what happened? How did we get from the venues with built-in crowds to venues where you have to bring your own crowd? Another negative with this is that, how can you reach new people if you always play for the same people you bring? I guess you can reach the fans of the other band playing, but that's it.

Of course, the other side of this is, with a built-in crowd, the band (or singer-songwriter) has to get a reaction. As Dan said, you had to be *good* to be invited back. Without a built-in crowd, whether or not you're invited back has nothing to do with how good you are, it's how many people you bring.

Rob

Live Life Like a 3-Legged Dog

2010-02-23T22:22:00.000-07:00

I had just finished jogging today at my neighborhood park, when I encountered a woman walking a 3-legged dog. The left front leg had been amputated. I petted the dog-- she was very friendly and lovable-- and asked her master about it. The woman didn't know how it happened; the dog was that way when she got her. They walked off, and it struck me how happy the dog was. It occured to me that dogs handle tragedies better than we do. They don't whine and bitch and moan about their misfortunes. Now this dog won't be the fastest dog chasing a tennis ball, but she was happy. She was just happy to be outside with her master, going for a walk, smelling all the interesting smells, and seeing all the other people and dogs. I've seen a few other 3-legged dogs, and they all have the same attitude. They don't sulk, they're happy.

So my new mantra is: Live Life Like a 3-legged Dog!

-Rob

Gabriela

2010-02-17T22:38:00.003-07:00

I moved from Tucson to Denver 10 years ago. I finally wrote a a song about Tucson.

Gabriela
by Rob Roper 1st draft Feb 16, 2010

Gabriela was pretty
though she always looked down
She was like the city
a grown-up little town
I should have left them
ten years ago
But she and the Catalinas
just won't let me go.

On 4th Avenue
College girls drink
Spending daddy's money
with fake I.D.'s
And the Sand Rubies play
while I sip my beer
Wondering what the hell
I'm doing here

Out in the desert
Snowbirds play golf
The winter's too nice here
It's making me soft
Oh give me four seasons
Winter snow and all
Where the trees
are pretty in the fall

Gabriela, my dear
Summer's almost here
The Palo Verde trees
have lost their yellow leaves
Oh you'll probably call me
sometime in June
Then you'll disappear
like a summer monsoon.

I should rent a truck
and pack up my stuff
Goodbye Santa Ritas
Goodbye Catalinas
But the sun is too hot
in Tucson today
so I'm
just looking for some shade.

Oh, the sun is too hot
in Tucson today
and I'm
just looking for
some shade.

Sea of Hope

2009-12-31T21:55:00.002-07:00

When I was at the Lyons, Colorado Song School last August, I was at my camp, noodling around on my guitar in a tuning I learned from Beth Wood. It's DADGCE. I came up with a rhythm and riff in the key of C that I liked, and The Muse sent me this line, "Sailing on a Sea of Hope". But C wasn't good for my voice, G was better, so as much as I loved the tuning, I decided I had to ditch it and go back to standard tuning. But here's a lesson I've learned: sometimes using a new tuning can give you a song idea that you never would have gotten otherwise, even if you go back to another tuning to finish it.

I wrote the chorus first, and then pillaged an unfinished song from 2005 for some verse lyrics. Another lesson learned: don't be upset about unfinished songs. Maybe they weren't meant to be finished. Put them in the song junkyard and use them for spare parts for other songs.

I don't know if it's done yet. It's a first draft. I'll probably tweak the melody and chords a little more, maybe some of the lyrics. I'll record a rough version and put it up on myspace.com/robroperdemos. Here's the lyrics as they stand now.

Sea of Hope
by Rob Roper 1st Draft December 31, 2009

Mistakes are necessary
so I'm gonna make some
This life of comfort is
a life of boredom
The radio plays
the same old songs
I've got to do something
even if it's wrong

Chorus
Sailing on a sea of hope
Bailing out this leaky boat
Set the sail, catch the wind
Won't be coming back here again
Won't be back here again

Tired of living
in the slow lane
Tired of saying
another wasted day
Everybody says
"You've got it made"
But even the best zoo is
still a cage

Chorus

Bridge:
I don't know
what I'm searching for
But I don't care if I
ever make it to the shore

Chorus

Point of View in Songwriting

2009-11-28T19:16:00.003-07:00

A songwriter friend of mine, Tim Riordan, once said if he writes a song about himself, he writes in the third person, and if he writes about someone else, he writes in the first person. I like that.

Check out Timmy's website, he's making a new record now.

-Rob

House Concerts

2009-11-22T11:29:00.003-07:00

In the last few years a new player in the music biz has come on the scene. But it's not really part of the music biz. It's outside of the music biz, because it's not a business; it's not a music venue trying to make a profit. To call it an underground revolution taking place may be an exxageration, but maybe not. It's the house concert.

What's a house concert? Someone invites one of their favorite singer-songwriters to do a concert in their living room. They invite friends and the performer publicizes it, mostly via email and websites. You bring food or drink as in a potluck, and a donation is requested for the performer. The performer keeps 100% of the donations, and also can sell cd's. The host doesn't do it to make money, they host because they love the performer and want to turn other people on to them.

I love house concerts. Typically everyone comes an hour early and socializes, eats snacks and drinks. The performer is right there in front of you. Some house concerts are unamplified. It's like going to a party where someone breaks out an acoustic guitar. Except instead of someone singing "Margaritaville" out-of-tune, it's a professional singer-songwriter singing original songs.

It will be interesting to see how this "underground" trend develops.

-Rob

2am

2009-11-15T18:47:00.005-07:00

It was snowing in Denver yesterday and today. It reminded me of a song I wrote in 2004. It was one of my first songs, and I made a conscious effort to use imagery, metaphor, and create a good melody-- things I had learned at my first Lyons, Colorado Song School in August 2004.

Some other songwriters that I showed it to had some criticism of the lyrics and music. So I tweaked it over the years, and just yesterday and today changed 4 lines. I haven't figured out a way to change the music, probably because I actually like the melody and chords. Demos of the music are at myspace.com/robroperdemos. Here's the lyrics as they stand now:

2 AM
© Rob Roper January 2005 revised Nov 14-15, 2009

2am on a winter night
Denver, Colorado
I put on my boots, and winter coat
And step out into the snow
The cars are all sleeping
under their blankets of white
And a snowflake kisses my face
As I stop and view the sight.

The snowflakes toy with gravity
As they dance in the streetlight
Refracted, soft and blurred
Like whiskey eyesight
And the multicolored houses
Are now nuanced shades of grey
Like a black and white photo
A winter painting by Monet

Chorus:
I've seen many of the wonders of this world
And I've known the touch of a beautiful girl
And I've seen the works of the great Van Gogh
Ah, but this is just as fine
Like a great bottle of wine
Standing in the middle, of the street
at 2 am, in the snow.

The snow plays a symphony
of silent eloquence
and I know that I am lucky
to be in the audience
It's 25 degrees out here
But I don't feel the cold
And though I'm standing by myself
I don't feel alone

(Chorus)

Bridge:
Now you might think I'm crazy
And maybe I am
But if you could only be here
I think you'd understand

(Instrumental Break/Solo)

(Chorus)

New song - The Voice of Doubt

2009-11-14T18:55:00.005-07:00

This one started with a guitar riff in the DADGAD tuning, probably 2 years ago or more. Then January 2009 I started thinking of lyrics for it. It sat around until today when I assembled the lyrics into a first draft. You can hear a very rough demo, just me and guitar, recorded on a handheld digital recorder, at my myspace demo site. Here's the lyrics as of today.

-Rob

The Voice of Doubt
1st draft Nov 14, 2009

Why you wanna be all alone?
Can't you just do what you're told?
It don't matter if you're right
You will never change their minds
Can't you see the game is rigged?
And that you can never win?
And what makes you so sure you're right?
What if everything's a lie?

Just go along
Pretend it ain't wrong
Do what you're told
Let your heart grow cold

I'm just trying to help you, my friend
I hate to see you suffer like this
I hate to see you waste your life
You know we only go around one time
What's the point if you always lose?
You don't have to take the abuse
Why you wanna hang on that cross?
Who the hell do you think you are?

Just shut up
Don't speak up
A fool and his dreams
And you just want to scream

You think too much
and you read too much
A fool and his dreams
And you just want to scream

The Hippy and the Businessman

2009-09-12T13:06:00.001-06:00

This is from an email to my brother Greg. Greg is an English Professor at the University of Dallas.

Last fall and winter I felt that I advanced to a new level with my songwriting. I think I've started to figure things out. There's two stages that require different sides of the brain. The first stage, which should be probably at least 80% of your time, is the imaginitive, non-structured, creative stage, where you just go with whatever comes into your head. Then there's the editing stage where you use your craft to put some structure to it. My problem in the past was going to the second stage too early. The poor editor just didn't have enough material to work with. I had the percentages reversed. I only spent maybe 10-20% in the creative stage, then 80% in the editor stage.

I'm developing a metaphor for this. There's the hippy and the businessman. The hippy dances around barefoot with a gauze shirt and flowers in his hair, coming up with melodies, chords, rhythms and lyrics, which are all interesting but have no structure. The businessman looks at him with a combination of disgust but also jealousy, because he could never come up with such cool ideas. Then the hippy hands the businessman the stuff he comes up with and he sorts it out and gives it the structure that the hippy can't be bothered with.

The other thing I started doing last fall is, whenever "The Muse" sends me a line, and it sounds stupid and makes no sense, instead of throwing it out, now I say that line MUST stay in the song. I'll write around those lines. I may not know what they mean, but I now know those are the ones to keep. Whether they come from the deep subconscious, or God, or a god, or some spiritual blob in another universe, that can be argued interminably, but wherever the fuck they come from, they're staying. I may or may not figure out what they mean later. Or other people may figure out what they mean.

So last winter The Muse sent me these lines, and they became the titles to
songs:

"Falling into Heaven"
"Waiting on the Other Side of Nowhere"

For both, I've had people say, "that song really speaks to me". I chuckled to myself and wanted to say, "thanks but can you explain what it means, cuz I have no idea". Actually I did give them some meaning, the editor/businessman insisted and I couldn't shut him up. :)

-Rob

The Open Mic Diva

2009-09-09T16:35:00.002-06:00

She arrives at 7:00pm and signs up for the 9:00pm slot. Then she leaves.

She returns at 8:45 with her friend. At 9:00 she plays her three songs. Then she packs up her guitar and leaves.

She doesn't hear anyone else play, except the person who played just before her.

She doesn't meet or talk to anyone else there.

I guess the Open Mic Diva thinks that no one else playing could possibly be worth hearing, and definitely not becoming friends with.

Oh well, her loss.

-Rob

Flower Killers and Poster Killers

2009-07-24T12:19:00.003-06:00

I'm sad today.

I don't enjoy going around and putting up posters and flyers for gigs. I doubt if anyone does. I'd much rather be home creating new music, or practicing, or, for that matter, watching a movie or reading a book. But until you're big enough to hire your own publicity department or have a street team, you have to hit the streets yourself. Every band and singer-songwriter just starting out has to do it. So I'm not complaining. It's like cleaning the house, you don't like it but you have to do it.

This weekend is the Denver Post Underground Music Showcase. 200 bands playing various venues on S. Broadway in Denver. I have a gig the following weekend. So I figured that was the perfect place to advertise my show. Thousands of lovers of original independent music will be there.

A few months ago I paid a graphics artist to design to generic posters with a blank space where I can just fill in the specifics for each gig. So Wednesday night I got out my sharpies and made up several posters for my gig, then headed down to South Broadway and spent a couple hours putting them up in the showcase area.

Then Thursday night I went to down to the festival. However, I found that every single one of my posters had been torn down. Not a single one was up. They didn't even last 24 hours.

Who tore them down?

The event organizers? Were they paranoid that I was competing with them? If so, they didn't read the date on the poster. My gig is a week after the Showcase ends. And it seems laughable that they would feel threatened by little ol' me. Afterall, I'm not big enough for them to invite me to perform at the Showcase (and probably justifiably so)--at least this year. So surely they wouldn't they waste their time tearing down my posters. Would they?

Was it other bands or singer-songwriters? I hope not. Most of the folks I have met in the music community here have a cooperative and supportive attitude.

Was it the police? Perhaps there's an ordinance against putting posters on light poles? If so, boy, they sure acted quick. When I've called the police to complain about the lack of enforcement of dangerous drivers running red lights, I'm told they don't have the "resources" to enforce those laws. Perhaps posters on light poles is a higher law-enforcement priority than running red lights and other illegal activity that threatens public safety? I hope not.

Perhaps it was a random citizen who didn't like my poster? Perhaps they thought my ugly face was defacing the beautiful dark green metal light pole? Art, of course, is subjective.

Or perhaps it was just someone has a lot of rage inside them, for whatever reasons--justified or not--who took out their anger by ripping down my posters?

I paid Kinko's $1.50 each to print the posters that nobody will see. And I spent two hours of my life putting them up. So all that money and time is down the drain. But that's not what bothers me the most.

The day before, I noticed that a flower was missing from my flower bed along the front sidewalk. Someone had ripped it right out the ground, roots and all. It was the only one of its type. I planted it last summer. At the beginning of this summer, it didn't show much signs of life. I worried that it didn't survive the winter. But then it produced one beautiful, yellow flower. It survived! Now it's gone. What kind of person rips flowers up? Perhaps the same type of person who rips music posters down?

So I'm a little depressed today. I guess I'm overly sensitive. But it saddens me to know that there are people in the world who would rip a flower out of someone's flower bed. And it saddens me to know that there are people who would rip down a poster for a struggling independent musician just trying to reach a few people with his music.

-Rob

Songwriting Lesson Learned: Don't Care

2009-07-12T15:15:00.004-06:00

For those of you who have been following my blog, you know that I wrote several songs last fall and winter. I'm now trying those songs out at gigs and open mics; taking them for a test drive, so to speak. And tweaking them a little, lyrically and (especially) musically.

At the time, I made a conscious decision to experiment both musically and lyrically. That is, I consciously decided to try new things and not worry about whether the songs would be any good, whether anyone would like them; or even whether I would even ever perform or record them. The idea was to try new songwriting techniques. These songs would be "lab experiments".

A funny thing happened. These "experiments" turned out to be some of my best songs, according to several friends and fans. In fact, after posting the the song "Misfit" to my myspace demo site, I wrote that I would probably never record or perform it, because it was so unconventional. Several people go on me about that, asking why not? They thought it was one of my best songs.

Based on that experiment, I now posit the following hypotheses about songwriting:

1. The more you concern yourself with writing a "good" song, the less likely the song will be good. In fact, you probably will never even finish writing the song. The less you care how good the song will be, the more likely it will be good.

2. The more you worry about whether people will like the song you're writing, the less people will like it. On the contrary, the less you care whether anybody will like it, the more likely people will like it. That's because the song will be honest.

In summary: be playful and experimental, both musically and lyrically, have fun, be emotionally honest, and don't worry whether the song will be good or if anyone will like it. I don't know if this will work for other songwriters, but it worked for me.

-Rob

Music Website Design

2009-06-29T21:51:00.004-06:00

I'm redesigning my website (www.robroper.com). So I looked at other websites and made a list of things I like, and things I don't like, about other music websites.

Things I don't like:

1. Homepages that take 40 days and 40 nights to load. This is usually due to videos on the homepage, music players, and/or excessive high-resolution photos.

2. A homepage that's not a homepage; you have to click something to enter. Why can you just bring me to your homepage.

3. Pathetic begging for money and support. Buy my CD! Come to my show! Get on my email list! Now!

4. A cluttered page. Too much stuff on one page.

5. Small fonts that are hard to read. I'm not going to read it if it hurts my eyes.

#5 and #6 frequently go together.

6. Music players that auto-play a song on the homepage.

7. 4 billion cookies. There's no justification for more than one cookie.

What are the characteristics of a good music website?

The homepage should be simple, uncluttered, readable and fast loading. It should have the most important info up front. There should be links to other pages for everything else.

Music, video players and most photos should be on other pages linked to the homepage.

The site should express your personality. If you are humble and personable, then the site should convey that; it shouldn't make you out to be self-centered and pretentious. On the other hand, if you are self-centered and pretentious... hey, a lot of fans like that in their heroes. :)

For me, I like color and shape, so I like a nice background and a nice color scheme.

And last, but definitely not least, the site code for the site should meet web standards, and you should test your site with 2 or 3 common browsers.

Of course, those are just my personal preferences. I'd be interested in hearing what others like and don't like about music websites. And I'd love to get feedback on my work-in-progress, www.robroper.com. I'm just an amateur web designer at this point, but it's fun.

-Rob

Minor Key

2009-06-15T21:54:00.001-06:00

I only have one song written in a minor key (When They Go). I need to write more.

That's all.

-rr

Art and Commerce, or No One Owes You Anything

2009-06-14T15:17:00.004-06:00

If you put your heart and soul into creating a work of art, whether it be a song or a painting, do you have the right to demand that people appreciate it, take the time to admire it, maybe even spend money on it?

No.

Nobody owes you anything.

You can create whatever kind of music you want. Nobody's stopping you. But as soon as you want other people to spend their time and/or money on your work, you've now entered the world of commerce. And the rules of commerce now apply.

If I want someone to spend money, or perhaps more valuable, their time listening to my music, I have to offer them something in return. My music must do something for them. Make them laugh, make them cry, make them think, or perhaps just be beautiful and allow them to appreciate beauty.

As common sense as that sounds, it took me awhile to figure that out.

If you're a performer and/or songwriter, put on your music consumer hat for a minute. If I come to you and say, "Dude! You should buy my CD! You should take time out of your evening and pay the cover charge to come see me play!" What are you thinking? What if my music doesn't do anything for you? Would you spend your time and money on me just because I'm a nice guy? Just because I spent hundreds of hours, much introspection and soul-searching, to write these songs? Maybe. But that means you're doing it out of sympathy. Or even worse, pity.

Nobody owes me anything. It's my--and your--job to figure out how our music can serve people. Then people will spend their time and money on us because they benefit from listening to it. And that's how it should be.

-Rob

Friends and Fans

2009-06-01T17:19:00.003-06:00

It's been about 3 years since I started playing out as a solo acoustic performer playing my own songs. I've noticed an interesting phenomena, which probably applies to bands also (none of the bands I was in before I starting songwriting lasted long enough for me to notice this phenomena).

At your first gig, or rather your first few gigs, of course you have no fans yet, so you invite your friends, family members and co-workers. You have a good turnout, because of the curiosity factor-- the "I didn't know you played music!" factor. But then once their curiosity is satisfied, they stop coming to shows, unless they really like your music; that is, they have become fans. Your closest friends may continue to come to shows for awhile longer, just to support you, but eventually unless they also become fans, you'll see less and less of them.

This can be discouraging. At your first shows you've got 10 or 15 people, now a year later, even though you're a better songwriter, a better singer, a better performer overall, only one or two people are showing up.

So once you've passed Stage 1; that is, after you've exhausted the pool of friends, family members and co-workers, the question becomes: how to you get actual fans? People who come not to "support" you, but because they love seeing you perform and hearing your music.

Ah, if I only knew the answer to that problem. I'd be interested in hearing how other singer-songwriters and bands have made this transition.

-Rob

Searching for a Producer

2009-05-25T11:30:00.000-06:00

I now have enough songs I consider worthy of a full-scale album. I'm currently recording an EP, but it's stripped-down-- just acoustic guitar, violin and voice. What I'm talking about here is a full-sized record where I bring in other musicians to play and create arrangements for the songs. This could happen as early as next fall, but most likely will be done over the winter.

Step One is to select a producer-- the person overall in charge of the project. In my case, I'm looking for the following:

1. Someone who likes my songs and is passionate about making this record. Sure, I could hire any number of experienced producers, but I don't want someone who is just going through the motions because they're getting paid.

2. A producer who is also a songwriter, who will challenge me to make the songs as best as they can be, both musically and lyrically. Someone who might even co-write a song or two with me for the record.

3. A producer who is a singer, who will work with me to help me sing the songs as best as I can.

4. Someone who will be creative about the arrangements, the instrumentation, and the selecting of the musicians who play on the record. I don't want a generic-sounding singer-songwriter record, where you bring in studio musicians, go through the song once, give them a chart, and then they play generic, conservative parts. I want the musicians to listen to the songs several times before coming into the studio, try different things, take chances, be creative. I want a producer who knows these kind of musicians and has a pool of them to draw from.

As you can see from the above criteria, I'm looking for a *musical* producer as opposed to a *techical* producer. While some producers are also recording engineers, in my case they just have to know good recording engineers that they can hire (and good studios).

So the search begins. Ideally I'd find the right person in Colorado, but if I have to go elsewhere, so be it.

Amsterdam Songwriters Guild

2009-05-18T12:03:00.002-06:00

While in The Netherlands recently, a friend pointed me to the website (or rather the blogspot site) of the Amsterdam Songwriters Guild. As a result I found two great open mics in Amsterdam where I play, Cafe Sappho and Skek. If you're ever in Amsterdam, check 'em out!

-Rob

bicycles in Holland

2009-05-07T03:28:00.003-06:00

Upon arrival in Amsterdam, one of the first things you notice are all the bicycles. Same in Utrecht and other Dutch cities. There are far more people on bicycles than driving cars. I would guess the ratio must be at least 5 to 1, maybe as much as 10 to 1.

But it's not like the people who bicycle in Denver, where I'm from, or other US cities. No skin tight shorts and shirts polluted by advertising. No $2000 bicycles made of special metal alloys. Here, the bicycles are cheap and rusty, with a basket on the front or back. No self-respecting American cyclist would be caught dead on one of these. But here they are ridden by everyone--young and old, business people, students, everyone. And they are ridden by people wearing their normal clothes. That's because they are not riding for "exercise" per se; they are riding to go to work, or to shop; the bicycle is transportation. Less expensive than cars, and frankly, easier to get where you're going in a big city.

Not many fat people here. Wonder if there's a connection?

-Rob

Playing music in The Netherlands

2009-05-07T03:05:00.003-06:00

For the past week and a half I've been in The Netherlands. I was hanging out with Chicago Mike Beck on the Netherlands leg of his European tour. Mike did a presentation about playing in Europe at the Lyons Song School last August, and I decided to come over and check it out. Mike was gracious enough to let me hang out with him, and play a few songs to open his shows here.

Mike plays a rocking acoustic show, mostly blues-rock in style, playing mostly popular covers but also his own songs, which are good. He uses a looping pedal so he can play guitar solos over the chords, and was usually joined by two great Dutch musicians on keyboard and bass, Tim and Eibe. He's been doing this for several years now and has a following in Holland. Check out his website, mikebeck.us.

Here's where I played:

Sunday April 28: arrive in Amsterdam.
Monday April 27: open mic/jam at the Oude Pothuys in Utrecht.
Tuesday April 28: open mic at Sappho in Amsterdam.
Wednesday April 29: open for Chicago Mike at Scooters in Drachten.
Thursday April 30: open for Chicago Mike at Scooters in Leeuwarden.
Friday May 1: open for Chicago Mike at Skutsje in Haarlingen.
Saturday May 2: open for Chicago Mike at De Gouden Leeuw in Geldermalsen.
Sunday May 3: open for Chicago Mike at Café de Merckt in Tiel.
Monday May 4: a day off! went to the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam.
Tuesday May 5: open mic at Cafe Averecht in Utrecht.
Wednesday May 6: another day off. Slacker.
Thursday May 7: open mic at Skek in Amsterdam.
Friday May 8: back to Denver.

It's been a good trip. I've learned about some of the places to play and made contacts, met some great Dutch musicians and made some new fans. And I learned from Mike about some of the logistics of playing here. I plan to set up some gigs for myself and come back sometime in the next year.

Another thing that was reinforced on this trip is the primacy of the music in songwriting. Almost all the Dutch speak English--some very well. But I could tell when I was singing my songs that, for many of them, they missed the nuances of the lyrics-- slang words, metaphors, etc. So in choosing which songs to play, I started using the songs where I created a good melody, and/or had an interesting rhythm. The English language is not universal but music is.

-Rob

How to Describe your Music

2009-04-22T10:17:00.008-06:00

When I meet someone in a band, or a solo performer, I ask "what kind of music do you play". Frequently they'll say, "I don't know, I can't really describe it. My music is original and unique". That doesn't help me decide if I want to pay money to go see them, or buy their cd. "Original and unique" is great, but it doesn't mean I'll like it.

But that's exactly what I do when people ask me about my music. I fumble around; I'll say it's a little this, a little that... I really don't know how to describe my music.

That's a problem. It doesn't help get people interested in coming to hear me.

There was an interesting blog about this by Derek Sivers, a video with Ariel Hyatt about the need to be able to describe the your music in a short phrase, see

So I'm trying to come up with a description that's reasonably accurate that would help people know what kind of music I play.

Several months ago I put some songs up on the folkalley.com website just to see what sort of reactions I would get. A songwriter friend told me, "you know, you're music isn't folk music at all". Another songwriter friend told me "you know, you play true folk music". Aarghh! Not helpful! Or is it?

I've been playing solo acoustic for the last few years, but that's only because I got away from playing electric guitar in bands to focus on songwriting. Once I get a bass player and drummer, I plan to pick up the electric guitar again. Then I doubt anyone will use the term "folk" to describe my music.

Last year I asked some friends to describe my music, and they wrote some wonderful things, which I put on my website, and my myspace site. That was great, and I've been using those quotes. Tim Riordan said I'm "a rock and roller and raconteur with an acoustic guitar". I like that. But I still need a simple category that most people will understand.

I suppose I could say "acoustic rock" or "folk rock".

"Alternative rock" lost its meaning a year after it was invented. "Alternative" quickly meant "mainstream". I fear "indie rock" will soon suffer the same fate.

Any suggestions for me? Got an opinion on this subject in general?

-Rob

Recording a 2nd EP

2009-04-18T14:43:00.003-06:00

Today I scheduled a recording session at Swallow Hill in Denver for May 21. As of now, my plan is to make a 5-song EP of songs I've been playing for the last year or so. I'll record the 3 songs I wrote a year ago-- "Like a Child", "Me", and "You Could Have Had Me", and two of the first songs I wrote that I didn't put on my DIY record, "Daddy's Little Girl" (2004) and "I Miss Me" (2005).

"Some Songs I Wrote" was a DIY record I recorded myself in my basement 2 years ago, mixed and mastered it, played all the instruments, and did the artwork--even took my own photograph. This time I'll have Swallow Hill's recording engineer and live show sound man, Brian Hunter, handle the technical duties. And I'll have my violin player who's been accompanying me the last two years, Julie Oxenford O'Brian, record her parts.

The tentative title is "More Songs I Wrote". It will come out in a cardboard sleeve (I HATE jewel cases).

Of course I reserve the right to change my mind on any and all of the above. :)

-Rob

A singer-songwriter has 4 jobs

2009-04-17T17:19:00.003-06:00

It's not just singer-songwriter; it's not just two things. It's four:

1. composer of music
2. lyricist
3. musician (guitar and/or piano, or whatever you perform with)
4. singer

In the "old days", one person composed the music, another person composed the lyrics, a band of professional musicians played the music, and the singer sang. Sometimes it's still done that way today. Singer-songwriters are trying to do the jobs of 4 people. No wonder this is so hard. I'm not whining or complaining; I love it. But it explains why it's so difficult to be good at all 4 things (see my previous blog, "3 Types of Songwriters).

I began as a guitar player. Then I took singing lessons. Then learned how to write songs. Others do it in a different order.

I took piano lessons a few years ago, and took more last year. But my focus for the last 5 years has been songwriting (music and lyric composition). As a result, I'm starting to feel more confident in my songwriting. So now I'm taking singing lessons again, because I think that's my main weakness.

I've got 4 jobs. Not counting my paying job.

When I look at it that way, I don't call myself lazy anymore.

-Rob

Heart but no Brain

2009-03-22T23:18:00.001-06:00

I started this one about a year-and-a-half ago, then it sat for awhile, and I came back to it about a month ago, and feel like it's at a first draft stage where I can put it out there for feedback. I'm still trying to figure out how to sing it; it's a little challenging for me. I think that's because I'm still trying to figure out what the melody should be in some places. (You can here it at www.myspace.com/robroperdemos). And the lyrics may need some tweaking also. The structure is unusual, but that seemed to be what the song wanted musically.

Heart but no Brain
by Rob Roper 3rd draft March 22, 2009

You got a heart but no brain
a voice out in the rain
spoken, never heard
and so much to say

An apprentice with no master
Apollo's little bastard
left on your own
and time moves ever faster

I can see you're just a flower
that needs a little water
the neglected middle son
the farmer's ugly daughter

You just need a little help
but you're too shy to ask
you don't want to be a burden
and you're afraid they will laugh

You've got so much inside you
that wants to come out
but no one believes in you
and you've got your doubts

You know where you're going
but you don't have a map
So you stare at the road
and you feel that you're trapped

If you quit and gave up
no one would care
nobody knows
what you have to share

And now your forehead
is all black and blue
'cause the brick wall is stubborn
but so are you

(instr over B part)

(repeat V1 and V2)

President McCain's 1st Month in Office

2009-03-02T21:15:00.002-07:00

On the foreign policy front...

One of President's McCain's first acts was to announce the closing of the Guantanamo Bay prison, where Prisoners of War were being held and tortured, contrary to the protections required by the Geneva Convention. Most of the prisoners had been quietly freed by President Bush over the past several years. President McCain is not freeing the remaining ones, but simply transferring them to other prisons in the U.S.

President McCain also announced with great fanfare that he had ordered US military and intelligence personnel to stop torturing prisoners. However, he stated that he would continue the nefarious practice of "rendition", where prisoners are sent by US intelligence agencies to other countries where they can be tortured and the US can feign ignorance.

President McCain announced that he would continue the American occupation of Iraq, leaving as many as 50,000 US troops, and an unnamed number of mercenaries, to maintain US domination of the country. He did say, however, that he would reduce the number of direct US troops over the next 16 months in order to transfer them to Afghanistan in an attempt to shore up the US occupation of that country.

Regarding US support for Israel's ongoing war against its indigenous population--the Palestinians--President McCain has sent his new Secretary of State to Palestine to meet with officials there. However, based on statements made during his campaign, there is reason to believe that that he will press Israel to end its violence and land grabs against the indigenous population, and comply with UN resolutions to resolve the conflict.

Prior to taking office, the new President announced that President Bush's Secretary of Defense would continue in that post, and reached across the aisle to name Hilary Clinton--a strong supporter of President Bush's Middle East policy while in the US Senate--as his Secretary of State. Thus President McCain's continuance of Bush's Mideast policies, with a few minor variations, should come as no surprise.

Moving onto the domestic front...

President McCain announced a new budget with a record deficit, following in the footsteps of President Bush. Although he said this is the worst economy since the Great Depression, there are no Roosevelt-style WPA jobs programs. Instead there are tax cuts a la Bush, and subsidies to companies in the tradition of trickle-down Reaganomics.

Of course the new President is continuing and even escalating the massive bank bailout program, which is no surprise, since he voted for it as a Senator just before the election. There is no talk of punishing those responsible for the meltdown, unless you consider limiting the bailout companies CEO's salary to "only" $500,000 a form of punishment.

So far it appears that, as his opponent charged during the campaign, President McCain is just going to be "more of the same".

The most noticable change, of course--and the one that has everybody talking--is that, after taking office, McCain appears much younger, and with a more tan complexion. Reporters have also noticed that his public speaking is noticably more elegant and refined, in the style of a Harvard graduate.

Rob Roper
March 1, 2009

My Winter Songwriting Hibernation

2009-03-01T22:20:00.002-07:00

Over the last few years I've been trying to get more disciplined about making time for songwriting, because I want to write more songs, and I now know that, if I put the time in, songs will get written. But for reasons I don't understand, I frequently procrastinate. I can understand procrastinating over something that's not enjoyable, like cleaning the bathroom, but I don't understand why I procrastinate doing something I enjoy. I suppose I could pay a shrink a couple thousand dollars and find out, but I'd rather spend that money on a nice new Gibson J-45 acoustic guitar.

In October I decided that I would focus on songwriting during the 4 winter months, November-February. I've learned that I'm an outdoor person, so it's hard for me to go into my music basement and compose music when the weather is beautiful outside, like it almost always is during the Spring, Summer and Fall in Denver. But if it's cold and dark outside, there's no temptation to go out, and I can work on music. My plan was to put in 2 hours a night on 3 weeknights, and one 3-4 hour session on either Saturday or Sunday.

I wrote this in my songwriting journal on October 26, 2008: "The goal is *not* to say I'll write x number of songs in the next four months. The goal is to put in the time, with no pressure, have fun and learn."

Today is March 1, so the 4-month hibernation is over. How did I do?

I found it hard to work on music on weeknights. I just couldn't get going most nights. Maybe my brain was tired from my day job and I just didn't want to have to use it anymore. I'm not sure why. I did some songwriting on weeknights, but not even close to meeting the goal.

I did much better on weekends. I did songwriting on a Saturday or Sunday--and sometimes both--most weekends. And I took advantage of holidays during Thanksgiving and Christmas, and even took a couple days off work just for songwriting. It was on these days, where I could dedicate a whole day to songwriting, that I was most productive.

I did a lot of composing in the DADGAD guitar tuning. I wrote 3 songs in this tuning, "Let's Go to the Mountains", "The Man in the Movies", and "The Other Side of Nowhere". I also wrote "Mama Had a Mohawk" and "Misfit" in standard tuning. I started about a half dozen others, but not quite getting them to a first draft stage.

I was also taking piano lessons during this time. I composed one instrumental on the piano, and came up with a few other ideas to be developed later. And I came up with several musical ideas on the guitar which I saved.

Compared to other songwriters, this doesn't seem very productive for a 4-month period. But for me it was more productive than any other time in my songwriting history. If I can just figure out how to be more disciplined to write on worknights, I could really be productive.

Now I plan to get back out and perform, so more of my music time will be devoted to getting gigs, practicing songs--both myself and with bandmates. But I don't plan to stop songwriting until next winter. I'd like to have about a 50-50 balance between work for performing and songwriting. I'd still like to write some songs before the next winter hibernation.

I'm not sure why I'm posting this blog. Do I just want people to write and say congrats, good job? Do I want people to write and offer suggestions how to get motivated to be creative on worknights when you're tired? Do I want free therapy to explain why I procrastinate doing things I love? I don't know. But for some reason I felt the need to write and post this. Maybe it's just another form of procrastination; afterall, I could have been working on a song instead of composing this.

-Rob

The Other Side of Nowhere

2009-02-11T22:29:00.002-07:00

by Rob Roper 1st Draft February 11, 2009

You walk through this world
but you can't find your song
Doing what you should
not what you want
And the last time I saw you
you were drunk on despair
I'll be waiting on the other side of nowhere.

You talk of your dreams
with a frown and a sneer
You've been living the wrong way
for so many years
And you say that you're trapped
but the answer's right there
I'll be waiting on the other side of nowhere.

Drive down the freeway
Stare at the grey
You like to complain
But you don't like to pray
You could take the next exit
But you don't dare
I'll be waiting on the other side of nowhere.

(I'll record the song and put it on my demo site so you can hear the melody. www.myspace.com/robroperdemos)

Luxury

2009-02-09T18:40:00.003-07:00

by Rob Roper February 9, 2009

What a luxury it is
to be able to step away from my desk
in the middle of the afternoon
and walk up to the park
or a coffee shop
and write.

Let's Go to the Mountains

2008-12-16T12:38:00.003-07:00

Here's another new song I wrote in the DADGAD tuning. Been messing with DADGAD for over 2 years, finally got some songs to the 1st draft stage. A rough demo is on my demo site, myspace.com/robroperdemos.

Let's Go to the Mountains
by Rob Roper 2nd draft December 8, 2008

Hey, girl, what's up today?
I got an idea, now what you say?
Let's go to the mountains

Yeah I know I slept 'til noon
But fall is here, and in full bloom
Let's go to the mountains

(break)

The trees are turning yellow and red
So don't be lame, don't be dead
Let's go to the mountains

Remember that place we went last year
We'll sit on the deck and have a beer
Let's go to the mountains

(break)

No, I didn't go out last night
just played guitar and stayed at home,
How 'bout you?
No wait, I don't wanna know

Yeah I know that we're just friends
I won't try to start it up again
(I promise)
Let's go to the mountains

(break)

We don't even have to talk
We'll find a trail and take a walk
Let's go to the mountains

So hang up the phone, jump in the shower
I'll be at your house in half an hour
We're going to the mountains

The Man in the Movies

2008-12-16T09:59:00.004-07:00

I dug up some free writing from my journal from a couple years ago, created some potential lines, and liked "she was looking for the man in the movies". Initially I came up with a simple melody with some rock and roll music, nothing very original. A few weeks later, I was noodling around in the DADGAD tuning and thought of these lyrics, and decided this slower, more melancholy music was better. So I started writing lines and the melody and tweaking the music. I'll put a rough recording on my demo site later today, myspace.com/robroperdemos.

The Man in the Movies
by Rob Roper 3rd draft December 16, 2008

She had no time for sadness
Didn't believe in second chances
She was looking for the man in the movies
She wanted flowers without the rain

Guess I scared her a little
when I let her see my cry
She was looking for the man in the movies
and no clouds to block the sun

I guess I've changed
'cause I no longer play the game
She's still looking for the man in the movies
I take the flowers with the rain

Misfit

2008-12-08T21:53:00.004-07:00

by Rob Roper 2nd draft Dec 8, 2008

Too weird for straight
too straight for freaks
not a redneck
not a hippy
Don't have a tatoo
don't have piercings
don't have dreadlocks
don't wear a hoodie
Misft

Don't watch sitcoms
or the cop shows
Don't watch the Oscars
or the Grammys
Don't like the Idols
or the hit songs
The music that I like
you never heard of
Misft

Don't eat McDonalds
I'm not a vegan
don't drink Jaegermeiser
or Bud-lite
Don't have children
or a wife
not gay
or even bi
Misfit

Not a Democrat
or Republican
not a Christian
not a Jew
not a Muslim
or a Buddist

What's a misfit boy gonna do?
Gotta find me a misfit girl
Like you.

Mama Had a Mohawk

2008-11-18T16:09:00.004-07:00

A couple of years ago I was at my neighborhood bar, and met this young kid who was into to punk rock. He was a second generation punk rocker; he said his mom had a blue mohawk. Didn't know his dad, he was just some guy in one of the bands his mom met. He was working at a tatoo shop on S. Broadway. I mentioned that I liked the song "Story of my Life" by Social Distortion, and he said, "man, that song saved my life when I was in high school". I thought, "this is a song!" I made a few notes at the time, but just got around to really working on it yesterday and today. I took what he told me, and made the rest of it up. Here's a first draft of the lyrics. I posted a rough recording on my myspace demo site, http://www.myspace.com/robroperdemos.

"Mama Had a Mohawk"
by Rob Roper 1st Draft Nov 18, 2008

Mama had a mohawk, painted it blue
black leather jacket, an angel tatoo
Daddy played the drums, in a punk rock band
Mama said, "son, one day you'll understand"

Chorus
Mama had a mohawk
Daddy wasn't around
They let me run wild
on the streets of the town
A rock and roll baby
Born and bred
I look back now
Can't believe I'm not dead

Sometimes at night, mama wouldn't come home
I'd have to call my friend, on the telephone
She'd pick me up at noon, and buy me ice cream
and say, "sorry, litle man, I was out with the band"

Chorus

High school was tough, I didn't fit in
I was skinny and ugly, only had one friend
We were always skipping school
hanging out, smoking pot
Just sitting in the car
and listen to punk rock

Chorus

I remember the day, Social D came to town
Mama snuck me in the back, when the guard wasn't around
Mike Ness looked at me, sang "Story of my Life"
Every word rang true, man, he got it all right

Chorus

Now I'm ok, work in a tatoo shop
got a hardcore band, and man, we really rock
I watch the kids jump around, from up on the stage
They remind me of me, when I was their age.

Chorus

Freestyle

2008-11-17T19:01:00.001-07:00

I saw a good movie last night. It's a documentary called "Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme". "Freestyle" is a type of rap where you spontaneously make up a rap. The lines can't just rhyme, they have to flow logically and make sense. And you can't pre-write any of it; it has to be spontaneous. Try it sometime, it's hard! I think it could be a good songwriting exercise even for songwriters who don't write in the hip-hop style.

Rent the movie. I got it on Netflix. It's amazing the stuff these guys come up with on the spot.

-Rob

Fare thee well Ronnie Drew (of The Dubliners)

2008-10-08T21:02:00.001-06:00

I just heard that Ronnie Drew, a singer and founder of The Dubliners, passed away in August.

I was living in Tucson, Arizona in the 1980's, and my brother Greg, then in grad school, came to visit me. While floating down the Salt River in inner tubes, he sang a few Irish folks songs--drinking songs--and I was enchanted. They were funny and clever. Most of them were by The Clancy Brothers.

About the same time, I began listening to an Irish music show on the community radio station in Tucson on Sunday evenings put on by a fellow named Scott Egan. Among the bands whose songs were played regularly were The Dubliners. There were hilariously funny drinking songs, such as "7 Drunken Nights", and sad, story songs such as "Donegal Danny". Although Ronnie shared singing duties with Luke Kelly, it was Ronnie's songs that I liked the best. He had a rich, gravelly baritone with a great Irish accent that I just loved.

Since my teenage years I've been into both rock music and quiet acoustic songs. Now I had a third love--Irish folk songs.

Today bands like Flogging Molly, which combine punk rock with Irish traditional music, are big. Flogging Molly was directly influenced by The Pogues, the first band to play and write Irish traditional music in a punk style. And The Dubliners were a huge influence on The Pogues. Without The Dubliners, there would have been no Pogues, and without The Pogues, there would have been no Flogging Molly.

Here's a great summary of The Dubliners history:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/ronnie-drew-lead-singer-of-the-dubliners-900669.html

What I found interesting in this article is that, back in the early 1960's when The Dubliners started out, Irish pubs generally didn't have live music. It was O'Donoghue's Pub in Dublin that allowed Ronnie and the boys to play a little music. The Dubliners are credited with reviving Irish traditional folk music in Ireland in the 1960's. During my last visit to Ireland in March of this year, I stopped in O'Donoghue's for a couple of pints. Old photos of The Dubliners were all over the walls. I felt like I was on sacred ground.

In 2004 I began taking up songwriting in earnest. In 2005 I was doing my 3-days-a-week jogging around the local park, and began thinking of a melody for a song. It sounded like an Irish melody, an Irish drinking song melody, the kind of song The Dubliners would sing. While jogging, it seemed like the lines should be saying, "here's to this, and here's to that". I asked myself, "ok, that's cool, but what are we drinking to?" I didn't want it to be the normal stuff, and I had been working on another song where I was exploring the consequences of making mistakes, and not being able to go back and undo them, but what would happen if we could go back and undo them? After working on the song off and on for 5 months, "The Screwup Song" was born.

I couldn't have done it without you, Ronnie. Thanks, man.

-Rob Roper

Here's a beautiful video of Ronnie singing "In the Rare Old Times", with footage of Ronnie singing interspersed with photos of old Dublin. Damn, the tears poured down my face watching and listening this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T7OaDDR7i8

3 types of songwriters

2008-09-07T23:06:00.003-06:00

Being a singer-songwriter means learning three crafts: songwriting, singing, and playing an instrument. I've noticed a difference in songwriters' strengths and weaknesses depending on their background:

1. the musician
2. the writer
3. the singer

I'm generalizing, of course, but here are my observations about the strengths and weakness of the three types:

1. The musician got his or her start playing other people's songs in bands. The typical example is a male guitar player. When he begins trying to write songs, his strengths are his knowledge of music, and of course his instrument. He can easily come up with ideas for chord progressions, rhythms, etc. His weakness is with singing, unless he's always been singer and guitar player. And he's almost certainly going to find lyric writing difficult, since he probably never did any creative writing; he probably never read, much less, wrote poetry. (I'm in this category).

2. The writer wrote a lot of poetry, and has kept a journal for a long time. I'm going to stereotype this person as a female. She decided she wanted to put her writings to music, so she acquired a guitar somehow, but didn't take lessons. She noodled around and came up with her own chords, which can be interesting. But due to her lack of music knowledge, the songs tend to sound the same. Being creative, she may also come up with good melodies, but she's not a trained singer, so she doesn't sing very loud. More likely, she copies her favorite singer rather than develop her own style. Her strength is her lyrics. She knows how to write about the senses, with imagery, and metaphor.

3. The singer's strength, naturally, is her singing. I'm going to make my example for this category a woman also. Her weaknesses, obviously, are her musicianship and writing. She's learned to play guitar at a basic level, so she plays simple first position chords. And her lyrics are simple and direct. But, damn, can she sing.

Our three songwriters should feel no shame about their weaknesses; we're all beginners at some time. They should only be ashamed if they're not willing to recognize, and work on, their weaknesses.

1. The musician needs to read poetry, and then try to write poetry. He needs to start a journal and write every day. He needs to learn how to write in a creative way; to "show me don't tell me". And he probably needs to take singing lessons, and practice.

2. The writer needs to take guitar (or piano) lessons. She should learn to play a bunch of cover songs by some of her favorite artists. She'll learn composing skills from learning the cover songs. And she probably could use singing lessons also.

3. The singer should take guitar (or piano) lessons, and read and start writing poetry, and start a journal.

So what do y'all think? These stereotypes are based on real people I've known. Maybe I'm over-generalizing based on just a few people?

-Rob

New song - Falling into Heaven

2008-09-01T12:26:00.008-06:00

Here's another experimental song I'm working on. With this one, I started with a rhythm and chord progression on my Fender strat electric guitar, then started humming a melody, and during the musical refrain section, the words "falling into heaven" just came out. I didn't know what that meant, but I liked the phrase, since we normally think of "rising" into heaven, not "falling".

Later, while walking, driving, and hiking--especially while hiking--I had the music in my head, and allowed myself to just open my mind and allow anything to come out, no matter how absurd, and wrote them down. Later I arranged these weird phrases into loose verses. My "editor" tried to get involved and give the song a meaning, but I tried not to let him. I wanted to keep it open to different interpretations by different people.

It's still a rough draft, I'll almost certainly add and change some of the lines. I recorded a rough acoustic version and put it on my myspace site.

Falling into Heaven
by Rob Roper September 1, 2008

Lost and found and lost again
That's the way you've always been
Running naked with the wind
Fall down, get up, fall down again

You're falling...
into heaven.

Go outside, talk to the trees
Hear the wisdom in the breeze
Read a story to your cat
Walk around in a silly hat

You're falling...
into heaven.

Hitch a ride, don't ask where
Go to work in your underwear
Lay your head down on the ground
Listen to that pretty sound

You're falling...
into heaven.

Give your spare change to a bum
Don't ask what he spends it on
Take a hike, go off the trail
Get too drunk and land in jail

You're falling...
into heaven.

Lost and found and lost again
That's the way I've always been
You don't have to rescue me
It's the way I like to be

I'm falling...
into heaven.
I'm falling, falling...
into heaven.

New song in progress - I Believe

2008-09-01T12:17:00.004-06:00

Lately I've been experimenting with unconventional lyrical and musical styles. At least their unconventional for me. Unconventional in the sense of the song structure, rhyme or lack of rhyme, and so forth. I'm also striving for lyrics where the meaning isn't completely obvious, and could be open to different interpretations. Here's a draft of one tentatively titled "I Believe". The music is also somewhat unconventional, and composed on electric piano, which I haven't done before. Another thing I like about this one is that some of the lines are very short; there's a lot of space between lines. I'll record it soon and post it on my myspace site.

I Believe
by Rob Roper August 31, 2008

I believe
because I need to
It exists
because it must
Don't bring logic into this
Don't ask me for the proof
Don't bring logic into this
I won't think about it
I won't think about it
I won't
think

I believe
we have a choice
That one's bad
so this one must be good
Don't say anything bad about him
Don't say anything bad at all
Don't say anything bad about him
I won't hear it
I won't hear it
I won't
hear

I believe
because I need to

Josh Ritter's songwriting tips

2008-08-31T17:45:00.005-06:00

I attended the Song School in Lyons, Colorado August 10-14. One of the instructors was Josh Ritter. Here are some points he made in his workshop, taken from my notes. In some cases, I've also expanded on his comments from my own experiences.

1. Why do you write? If you're not writing obsessively and for pleasure, then why are you doing it? You should be writing because you love it, you should be compulsive and obsessive about it.

2. There's no such thing as "Writer's Block". If you can't write, then don't. When you have something to say, you write. If you write all the time, eventually you'll run out of ideas. So you need to take some time off. If you force it, you'll write songs that you won't be happy with.

My comment: I need to start recognizing when I get to this point. When it doesn't flow, rather than try to force it, I should use my music time to improve my musicianship--learn new things on the guitar, piano or mandolin, learn songs written by others, take a singing lesson-- do some of the things that I never seem to have time for. All those things will help my songwriting and performance.

3. Originality: don't worry about it. Nothing is 100% original.

4. Cliches: never allow cliches in your songs. Our goal is to create new cliches. If you allow cliches, you're not pushing yourself.

5. Don't be afraid to kill your song. If it's not working, put it in the compost, let other songs cannilabize it. If you force it, it won't be a good song.

Another songwriter, John Common, uses the analogy of the junkyard for this. I like that analogy, too. If a song needs a carburator, go to the junkyard and take one off a discarded song.

My comment: I started learning this last Spring. My songs, "Me" and "Like a Child" used both lyrical and musical elements taken from other songs-in-progress.

6. Always keep a journal. Always record lines, ideas.

7. You don't have to be crazy to be a songwriter. Take care of the problems in your life.

My comment: for a long time, I didn't try to write lyrics because I thought I wasn't weird enough. I thought songwriters were born, and they wrote songs without effort. This prejudice held me back; kept me from becoming a songwriter. Or perhaps I didn't realize that I was weird enough to be a songwriter. :) And flowing from that concept...

8. Songwriting is a craft; it's hard work. To view yourself as an "artist" rather than a craftsman may take you down the wrong road. Songwriting is a craft, and occasionally we will make great art. Not everything you write can be great.

Josh mentioned that he typically goes through 8 or 9 drafts of a song. Then he plays it for people, and edits it some more.

To hear Josh's music, see joshritter.com or myspace.com/joshritter

-Rob

Boston trip

2008-07-28T11:09:00.001-06:00

I took a little vacation July 17-23 in Boston. I have some songwriter friends there that I met at the Lyons, Colorado Song School over the last few years. I had heard that Boston was a great city, with a great music scene, so I decided to go visit my friends there. Charlene DiCalogero was nice enough to offer me a place to stay, so I didn't have to pay for lodging.

I played at The Lily Pad in Cambridge on Friday, July 18, along with Boston-area singer-writers Rob Mattson, Charlene DiCalogero and Tim Riordan. Charlene organized that show, and Tim and Rob helped with the publicity. It was a great little hall, and the crowd was small but appreciative. I used my handheld recorder, the Edirol R09, to record the show at the Lily Pad. I posted two of the songs on my myspace site, myspace.com/rroper, "Like a Child", a song I wrote last Spring, and "The Screwup Song".

I also played two open mics. Monday July 21, I played The Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, hosted by Tom Bianchi. What a great open mic! It's a contest, with a $50 prize for the winner, selected by a judge appointed by Tom. You play two songs. Tom always has something positive to say about every performer, and jokes around between acts. Tom also insures that the sound is good. There were some very good songwriters there; the talent pool there is very large.

The next night I played the open mic at The Burren, a great Irish pub in Somerville. The front room is the bar, and the music room is in the rear. Here you got to play 4 songs, which is nice. (One reason I generally don't like open mics is that I like to play for an hour. After two songs I'm just warming up!).

On Sunday night, July 20, I attended Charlene and Tim's songwriter group, at the home of Chris and Esther (forgot their last names, dammit) in Reading. Great people. Earlier that day, we visited Charlene's future home, a co-housing development on the outer edge of the metro area. And we went to Walden Pond. What a beautiful place; now I understand why Thoreau was so inspired.

Of course I walked around the old Boston and saw the Boston Common and the historical revolutionary war sites, and ate some good seafood. But it was mainly a music vacation. One afternoon Tim Riordan and I started writing a song. Tim came up with some cool chords and a lyrical theme, I wrote some lines, who knows if we'll finish it. And I ran into Theresa Storch, another Boston songwriter whom I met at the Lyons Song School.

The only negative was that I came down with a cold the week before, and was suffering from that the whole trip. But all in all a good little vacation. I hope to get back there before too long.

-Rob

My songwriting room

2008-07-03T22:14:00.002-06:00

I get the impression that most songwriters just need a small room, a guitar, a pen and paper. I wish that was true for me. But I seem to get most of my ideas when I'm outside, and moving. I went hiking today in some mountains just outside of Denver. This photo is where I stopped for lunch. I bring my songwriting notebooks and handheld digital recorder with me. I'll walk around and come up with lines, rhymes, melodies and such. I realized a few years ago that I'm an outdoors person; I'm happier when I'm outside, especially in the woods. I don't know why.

A Billy Collins Poem

2008-07-02T15:55:00.004-06:00

I'm going to write a Billy Collins poem
I'm gong to write about
the poem I'm writting about
right now
What I'm doing
Where I'm sitting
Very self-aware, you know
Like "Budapest"
or "Tuesday, June 4, 1991"
or the best, "Workshop"
You know, Billy Collins-style
very conversational.

How does he pull it off
without sounding cute or pretentious?

Maybe it's because
in the midst of the conversational style
he throws in a great image
or a devastating metaphor
to remind you
that he's the real deal.

(A pause while I take a swig
from my vodka tonic
The vodka tonic I made
in a beer pint glass
2 shots of vodka,
1/4 of a lemon squeezed
then 1/8 of a lime
ice
and tonic water.
Now back to the poem)

Ha!
How did you like that clever digression
with the drink recipe?
Just the sort of thing Billy Collins would do.
Brilliant!

Anyway...
I'm sitting on my front porch
in Denver, Colorado
It's June 26, 2008
A beautiful early evening
like all Denver early summer evenings
I should say it's 7:30pm
(notice my concern for detail)
This is my favorite time of day
Perfect temperature
perfect light
I sit out here everyday that I can
at this time
and write
or read poems
I watch my neighbors walking their dogs
and I have a drink, of course
It tastes so good after running.

Oh I forgot to tell you
Usually after work
I go up to the local park
and run 2 miles
it keeps the fat off
and lowers the stress
then I shower
and sit on the porch.

I should say something about the flowers
I love flowers
So I've planted a bunch in my front yard
And I have planter boxes hanging off the deck
or mini-deck
that is my front porch
half of the ones I plant die
I'm not a good gardener
But I'm learning and getting better
I like the amazing colors
and amazing shapes
They make me happy.

So I'm sitting on the front porch
on a beautiful Denver evening
drinking a vodka tonic
and writing a Billy Collins poem.

No devastating metaphor
simile or image
but dude
this is like
only my third poem
or something.

-Rob Roper

A Live Music Lover's Pet Peeves

2008-06-21T12:02:00.006-06:00

My blogs thus far have been from the point of view of a music creator. But I'm also a music lover. I've been going out to hear live music, individuals and bands, for years. So I thought, blogs being a perfect forum for rants, complaints and pet peeves, I'd list my longstanding grievances about many live music venues. Don't get me wrong--I'm grateful that they provide a venue for live, original music--but I wish they would have...

Tables and Chairs

I can understand a dance venue not having tables and chairs, or a venue that has punk or rock bands where people thrash or dance. But when the music is for listening, I like to sit on a chair, and have a table to set my drink on. I really hate to have to stand during the entire show, my back starts hurting, my feet start hurting, and then there's the issue of what to do with my drink when each song is over and I want to applaud? Put it on the floor? In my armpit? Between my legs? Or just don't clap and yell instead? What if I really like the song and want to yell and clap? It's so much more enjoyable to be able to sit at a table, have a few drinks, and listen to the band. For venues that have all kinds of bands, well, take the tables and chairs out for the dance bands, and put them back for all others.

I suspect that some venues take the tables and chairs out in order to pack more people in and sell more tickets. Well, I can understand why they want to make more money, afterall, they're a business. But frankly, I avoid going to these venues, unless it's someone I just can't miss, so they're actually hurting their business by not having tables and chairs, at least for people who feel like I do.

Local Beer

I live in Denver, and there are many small breweries in Colorado that make great beer. So why do so many live music venues only have the boring corporate beers? Dude: support small business! You're a small business, for chrissakes! Support your small business comrades. And their beer is more interesting than the big corporate beers. When I asked bartenders at these corporate beer venues in Denver (which, incidentally, are also the table-less and chair-less venues, hmmm....), I was told, "we're a Miller bar". Seems Miller has made some sort of exclusive agreement with them to ban local beers, and only sell Miller and it's large European corporate partners (Guiness, Pilsner-Urqell, Newcastle). OK my anti-corporate bias is coming out here. But it's not just that; small local breweries' beer is better tasting than the large corporate beers.

So listen up, corporate beer, chair-less and table-less live music venues: change your ways, and you'll get a bigger share of my entertainment dollars.

Sound

Why is that, all too frequently, despite very high quality equipment, the mixes are so bad? I was at a show recently, at a small venue, and the drums were WAY too loud, and you could barely hear the singer. You definitely couldn't hear the lyrics. Now, as a songwriter, I know how much time, heart, pain and suffering goes into creating lyrics. What a shame that nobody can hear them. And speaking of drums, who invented the lamentable modern standard of mixing the bass drum and snare WAY louder than the drum kit as a whole? The lack of balance sounds awful. A good drummer makes use of more than just the bass and snare, and I, for one, would like to hear it all. I didn't come to a show just to hear a bass drum and snare drum. I came to hear music; I came to hear a band--the whole band--including the lyrics. And how many times have you seen this: one band member, perhaps the lead guitar player--is playing his heart out, but you can't hear it, because the sound guy is... I dunno, either deaf or asleep? Isn't he paying attention?

I've done a little live sound, and I recorded and mixed my own cd's, so I know it's not as easy as it may seem. And everyone has their own tastes in terms of mixes. But when one band member can't be heard at all, and another is WAY louder than everyone elses, I don't understand that.

OK now that I've got all that off my chest, guess I should get off the computer and go practice guitar, or piano, or write a song. Or clean my bathroom.

-Rob

Another new song, 1st draft

2008-04-19T15:58:00.003-06:00

Following up on my earlier blog, "The Songwriting Process is Weird", I've written a 2nd and 3rd verse for the song. So here's the first draft lyrics, I will post a rough cut on my myspace site, myspace.com/rroper, so you can hear the music.

No Title Yet
by Rob Roper 1st draft April 19, 2008

She took off for Biloxi, with a banjo on her back
and left me here in Denver, trying to understand
I heard thunder in the distance, but I never thought it'd rain
and now you say, you'll be ok

Chorus
But try and explain that to my heart
It cries when it's left out in the dark
Like a child, it wants to have its way
everyday, and feel no pain
(hey-hey-hey)

Well, I've got a friend, all she does is cry
'cause he won't return her calls, and she don't know why
She showed me the pictures, of that beach in Mexico
I tried to say, you'll be ok, (but she said...)

Chorus
Try and explain that to my heart
It cries when it's left out in the dark
Like a child, it wants to have its way
everyday, and feel no pain
(hey-hey-hey)

Most good things come to an end
That's the way it's always been
Just listen to your brain, it's easy to explain
So what's wrong? Just move on

Chorus
But try and explain that to your heart
It cries when it's left out in the dark
Like a child, it wants to have its way
everyday, and feel no pain
(hey-hey-hey)

The Songwriting Process is Weird...

2008-04-15T16:37:00.003-06:00

...but I'm starting to accept that, and even like it.

You may have noticed I haven't written any love/sex/relationship songs. Of course, that theme comprises probably 90% of all popular songs. That's partly why I haven't written any, I figure the world doesn't need anymore of them. Why write the same songs that have already been written 1,000,000 times by 1,000,000 songwriters? But I have done some free-writing on various past relationships, and even started putting some lines together. I thought I should do at least one.

I was trying out some lines with different types of music, not finding anything that seemed to resonate well. I then put on a cd of my "library" of music ideas--stuff I'd come up with and recorded so I wouldn't forget, sometimes years ago. One was on a mandolin. Upbeat, simple I-IV-V chords. I started to fast forward to the next idea, then hesitated. Hmmm... something about that. The girl in question was into bluegrass music... and maybe the music shouldn't be slow, shouldn't be minor key, the subject matter is dreary enough... let's try it. So I grabbed my acoustic guitar instead of the mandolin. The music on the mandolin was in D. I replicated it on the guitar. Then I remembered seeing a songwriter friend of mine, Ed Skibbe, performing recently, and it seemed on 2/3 of his songs he used a partial 5-string capo on the 2nd fret, for a drop-D simulation in E. I had one of those laying around, hadn't written a song that way before, so I slapped in on there. Bingo. That was it.

Once I had music that seemed right, what do you know? The lyrics started falling into place. Got a chorus--a good chorus too, if I do say so myself--and the first verse written. Some of my best stuff, I think. Here it is as it stands now:

Verse 1:
She took off for Biloxi
with a banjo on her back
And left me here in Denver
trying to understand
I heard the thunder in the distance
but I never thought it'd rain
And now you say
You'll be ok

Chorus:
But try and explain that to my heart
It cries when it's left out in the dark
Like a child, it wants to have it's way
Everyday
And feel no pain
Hey hey hey

Now for the second verse. Another weird thing happened. I'd written all sorts of other lines about the girl in question. But something said to me: you've said enough. Talk about somebody else now. I thought of a friend, and started writing about one of his experiences. Then I ran into another friend, and decided her story was better. I'll write that one for the 2nd verse.

Then I'll have either a bridge or a third verse where I summarize the theme--talk about how illogical the "heart" is; how the "brain" can accept that something is over and move on, but the heart won't listen. That's the plan now, it could change. Hell, the first verse and chorus could get changed, too! Gotta keep an open mind...

Weird how this songwriting works. But now I say, "bring on the weirdness".

Capturing Ideas: songwriting technology

2008-04-11T16:16:00.004-06:00

Every songwriter knows that ideas--lyrics, melody and such--frequently come at times when you don't have a guitar, pen and paper handly, much less a multitrack recorder. But if you don't get them down, they're long gone and forgotten.

For a few years I carried a mini-cassette recorder in the car with me, because, oddly enough, I would get ideas for lines or melodies while driving. Of course I have a notebook (or notebooks), for free-writing and such. That was good for capturing ideas, but if I wanted to record a demo, I'd have to setup the microphones and my multitrack recorder.

Last December I gave myself a Christmas present: an Edirol R09 handheld digital recorder. I highly recommend it. It's easy to use, and the fidelity is great--of course, WAY better than a mini-cassette recorder or a boom box. In fact, the built-in microphones are good enough to record a concert. You can record to either .wav or directly to .mp3 files, then just transfer the files to your computer with a USB cable. I put two new songs that are in the first draft stage on my myspace site (myspace.com/rroper). I recorded them by simply setting the Edirol on the music stand next to the lyric sheet, and recording voice and guitar at the same time.

By the way, I'm not being paid to promote the Edirol R09. There are other similar products by Zoom, Tascam, Sony, etc. I can't say if those are better or worse. I suspect they're all pretty good.

Yesterday I got new cellphone, the Palm Centro. It has an application called "Voice Memo". The fidelity is crappy, but I think it will be fine for capturing lyric ideas if I don't have my Edirol with me.

New Song - You Could Have Had Me

2008-04-05T21:07:00.003-06:00

I started work on this a few months ago, then forgot about it. I found it in my songwriting folder yesterday, worked on it yesterday and today, and got it to a first draft state. I'll record a crude version and post it on myspace for feedback.

You Could Have Had Me
by Rob Roper 1st draft April 5, 2008

You could have been happy
You could have had me
But you went for him
And I was just a friend
So I have no sympathy
For your latest tragedy
Why can't you see?
You could have had me

You like the pretty ones
Won't consider the other ones
But they don't need you
They get bored and they leave you
You wouldn't give me a chance
Now he's left you at the dance
Still you don't see
You could have had me

Oh, you say you'll change
But I know it's not true
You see, I understand
Cause I'm just like you

Soon you'll recover
And you'll find another
And he'll do you wrong
And you'll write another sad song
And I'll sip my beer
But I won't shed a tear
Cause you'll never see
You could have had me

Stepping back and looking at the lyrics myself, I see no detail or imagery, no similes or metaphors except for the metaphor about leaving her at the dance. But I worry that's a cliche. I'll try it out at some gigs and open mics the next couple of months, and continue to tinker with it.

-Rob

New song - Jones County

2008-03-24T18:37:00.003-06:00

A few years ago, I read a book called The Free State of Jones by Victoria Bynum. It's about a county in eastern Mississippi--Jones County--where, during the Civil War, non-slaveholding whites who had opposed secession deserted the Confederate army, and when the Confederates sent a squad to capture them and return them to the army, they resisted. They fought guerilla warfare against the Confederates for about a year and half until the war ended. The leader of this band was Newt Knight. A Natchez, Mississippi newspaper wrote at the time that Jones County had "seceded" from the Confederacy and formed "The Free State of Jones". This was an exxageration, but the legend lived on. I found it interesting in that it dispels one of the many myths about the "Old South", that all whites supported slavery and the Confederacy.

I was born in Jackson, Mississippi, and grew up during the last days of segregation and the civil rights movement. My parents brought me up not to be racist. But that caused conflicts with the other white kids in my neighborhood. At a very young age, I had to decide whether to "get along" or stand up for what was right. Now, nobody threatened my life, or even beat me up over it. But still, it was tough sometimes. Because of that, I admire Newt Knight and his band of brave southern whites who fought against the slaveowners.

When I read the book, I wanted to write a song. But I was just getting into songwriting, and didn't think I was worthy. The topic is so holy to me, I wanted to do it justice. And also, I think you need an "angle". And what about the music? The obvious thing would be to write it as an old British or Irish-style folk song-- "Come gather round me children, and I'll tell you a tale, about how brave Newt Knight...." But I wanted to consider other "angles" besides the obvious.

Recently, I got an idea for the "angle". The song will appeal to those who don't just go along with the crowd, who will stand up against peer pressure for what's right. I'm thinking the last 2 lines of the chorus will be:

I'll take my stand for what's right
I'll take my stand with Newt Knight

I re-read the book, this time with pen and notepad. I wrote down imagery and interesting phrases from the book. That gave me a "library" to build lines for the song from. The problem will be to scale it down, to pick one aspect of it and write about that.

Musically, instead of the old folk style, I'm thinking a loud, jangly electric guitar. I'm thinking Steve Earle, John Hiatt, Neil Young. But do it in such a way I could still play a solo acoustic version. I started working on the music--melody and chords. I've changed the music 3 or 4 times already. I have a guitar riff. I can hear an Irish tin whistle, mandolin and fiddle doubling that electric guitar riff. Cool. I think The Elders are influencing me.

I've got a tentative first verse:

The Piney Woods of eastern Mississippi
is where I call my home
Where we raised the Union flag in 1863
They called it The Free State of Jones

A daunting task I've created for myself, but I'm pretty stoked about it.

-Rob

Songwriting stretching exercises

2008-02-17T22:45:00.002-07:00

I've noticed that, when it's time for a scheduled (or unscheduled) songwriting session, my brain usually isn't in the right place. I've been working the day job, or maybe doing housework, or reading and writing email--that is, mostly using the logical side of the brain, rather than the creative side. And I can't just flip a switch and go from the logical side to the creative side in an instant. And sometimes, I just feel mentally and/or physically tired, so I'm subconsciously or consciously looking for excuses to not do the songwriting session.

I decided that the way to overcome that is to slowly phase from the logical (or tired) brain to the creative (and energetic) brain. Maybe I'll pick up the guitar and noodle around, maybe practice a song, play a cover song. Or practice piano. Maybe I'll grab a book of poetry and read some poems. But I won't start working on a song immediately. I have to first transition to the right frame of mind.

I used to think these things were just me procrastinating. I told myself, "you're wasting time, get to work!" But now I see them as necessary; like stretching exercises before you run or play a sport.

-Rob Roper

New Song: This Ain't Me

2008-02-08T10:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got a 1st draft of a new song, tentatively titled "This Ain't Me." The way it came together taught me the value of keeping an open mind when writing songs.

Several months ago, I had an idea for a funny song, called "I want to be an expatriate". The theme would be envy for the lifestyle of the expatriate writers (Hemingway, Henry Miller, etc.) living in Paris in the 1920's. The singer would be longing to leave his day job, go to Paris, hang out at sidewalk cafes and such. I did some writing, coming up with images of Paris and such, got a few lines together, then dropped it to work on "serious" songs.

Musically, the original ideas was just going to be a semi-ragtime, blues ditty, rolling chords, probably C - E7 - F - A7 or something similar. Nothing very original or creative.

But I decided, well, let's listen to my stored library of music ideas and see if I like something else better. I heard one that was a little funky strumming pattern, starting in C, going to F or Am, I forget. I thought, hmmm, maybe. Let's try it. I changed the second chord to D9 (or Dsus2, whatever you call it), and really liked it. But I thought, that has a melancholy sound to it, doesn't work for a funny song. But that's ok, I'll save it for another song. But then, for some reason, I said, let's just sing a few of these lines. One line, "This Ain't Me", really resonated with those chords and rhythm. I said, wow. But it totally changed the song. It didn't really change the theme of the song, but it changed the approach to the theme; it changed the mood. But since I want to write "serious" songs anyway, this worked out better!

The first verse would be about his current job/life, then subsequent verses would be about wanting to be living it up in Paris as an expatriate. But then I thought, maybe Paris should just be one of his dreams; why not come up with other places he'd rather be. So I changed the later verses.

Here's the first draft of the lyrics. The rhyme scheme isn't consistent from one verse to another, so I have to make some adjustments. And I'm sure I change other stuff as well. Our songwriter group meets tonight, I'll play it for them and get some feedback.

This Ain't Me
by Rob Roper 1st draft Feb 7, 2008

Sitting in a cube
Living in a Dilbert cartoon
But my mind is far away
sitting at a sidewalk cafe

Chorus:
But here I am
Working for The Man
Staring at a screen
But this ain't me
This ain't me.

Me is in Paris
Walking down the street
with Amelie
Me is on a train
on my way to Spain
or Italy

(Chorus)

Me is on skiis
flying on the snow
past the trees
Me is on stage
Singing songs of joy
and of pain

(Chorus)

Ignorance is Bliss

2008-02-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

I used to play guitar for a young songwriter in Tucson. She didn't know anything about song structure. But she wrote cool lines. She also never took guitar lessons, and didn't know any standard chords, or music theory. She made up her own chords, which were cool. I always wondered how she thought of all those weird, cool ideas. Of course, I would use my knowledge of music to give her songs structure and polish, which (I think) she was grateful for.

My songwriting mentor told me that I'm "too smart for my own good" and I need to use "more heart, less brain". I didn't know what he was talking about. Now I think I do. Because I've been such a huge music lover all my life, listened to so much music, learned how to play the guitar and a little piano, I understand the components of a song, musically and lyrically. When I go to compose a song, from the very start, I'm thinking about all those components, and how to frame what I want to say within the structure of a song.

I also noticed from my own experience, as well as that of other songwriters, that, once you've written your first batch of songs you consider good, it's harder to write the next batch. You've set the bar at a high level, and you feel the pressure to exceed that level.

I know two English teachers. They have a hard time writing. They know too much. Their standards are high.

It seems so unfair that the people who love literature the most, have the hardest time writing it, and the people who love music the most, have the hardest time writing songs!

So I think at need to find a way to pretend that I'm ignorant of music. At least at the beginning stages of the song.

I have an idea: when starting a song, I'll write the poem first. By "poem", I don't know mean a real poem, well-thought-out, edited with craft; I mean, just write lines with rhythm, but no rhyme or structure. Since I don't have any poetry craft, that will guarantee that I'll just write simple, crude, primitive stuff, purely from the heart. Then I can use my songwriting craft to convert it to song lines, give it structure, and pretty it up with similes, metaphors, imagery and detail.

Well, that's the strategy I'm going to try next. Who knows if it will work? But worth a shot.

-Rob

Heart But No Brain

2008-01-31T09:46:00.000-07:00

When it comes to songwriting, I've got heart but no brain. At least that's how it seems to me.

I can come up with musical ideas-- chords with a rhythm-- no problem. I've got over 100 of those ideas recorded, not to mention all the ones I didn't record, lost forever (perhaps). I could come up with new ones daily, if I wanted to. No problem. That's easy for me.

I can free-write about all sorts of topics. My grandmother's house. How I felt about a breakup with a girlfriend. Observations of my neighborhood. I've got notebooks and file folders of papers full of that stuff. And I can easily write more. No problem. That's easy for me.

But putting the musical and lyrical inspiration together into a structure--writing a song--now that's different. That's not easy--at least for me. I'm still trying to figure out how to do that. That is, how to take the raw material from inspiration, and convert it to a first draft of a song. Something with flaws, to be sure--musically and lyrically-- that needs editing, but it has structure; there are verses, there's rhyme (for most songs), there's the same number of lines in each verse, etc. Needs polishing, but it's a song.

What I've done up until now, is to go back over the free-writing, and circle words or phrases that, for whatever reason, are interesting to me. I then list those phrases on a new sheet of paper. Those become the building blocks of lines. But they're not in a logical order, they don't rhyme, etc. Converting those phrases into lines of the song is the part I don't really know how to do yet. Or at least not well or easily. I have probably two dozen songs in this phase right now.

I've finished a handful of songs, so obviously I've gotten through this stage, but it's hard, and frankly not a lot of fun. I think it's because to organize a bunch of creative ideas takes craft; it takes the logical side of the brain. That's like work--and it's work that I'm not good at, so I don't like doing it. Plus, I don't want to work. I want to have fun. It's the child in me rebelling when dad says "go mow the lawn" when I'd rather play baseball with my friends.

I think I need to figure out a way to make this stage fun instead of work. I need to figure out a way to engage the fun, creative part of the brain--the heart--at this stage of the process. A songwriting mentor told me "less brain, more heart". I just don't know how to do that yet. It just seems to me that to go from a collection of organized musical and lyrical ideas to a structure of a song, you need to use the logical side of the brain, not the creative side. Maybe this stage requires some percentage of both.

I'd be interested in hearing what other songwriters do at this 2nd step of the process--getting from raw ideas to a first draft. I guess the answer to this is what's called the "craft" of songwriting. It's what I don't have much of yet. A lot of heart, but not much brain.

P.S. - I even started writing a song about this, called "Heart But No Brain". But of course I'm stuck in the 2nd stage; I can't get a first draft. :)

Which came first, the music or the lyrics?

2008-01-29T20:54:00.000-07:00

Ah, that old question. I've deliberately done it differently for different songs, to see which works best for me. I'm still experimenting. Here's the order I got the ideas for the songs on my EP "Some Songs I Wrote":

1. "Let it Go" Chords and rhythm first, then the hook line ("Let it go"), then the theme, then the melody. (By "theme" I mean what the song is about).

2. "A Special Request" Theme first, then some lines, then rhythm and style, then melody, then chords.

3. "Bipolar" Rhythm first, then chords, then melody, then some lines, then theme.

4. "When They Go" The music and the theme were developed independantly. After going through my library of music ideas for the song, I remembered this chords/rhythm idea, and decided to use it. Then I found melody for the initial lines I had.

5. "Invisible Prison" Theme first, then melody and rhythm, then lines, then chords.

6. "The Screwup Song" Melody and rhythm first, then lines, then theme, then chords.

music choices for lyrics

2007-12-30T11:02:00.000-07:00

I had a lyric idea awhile back: "You/I got a heart but no brain... Lumber but no hammer/an apprentice with no master". (I haven't decided yet whether it will be in the first or second person). I then came up with some chords and a melody for it. But the melody and chords sounded familiar, and sure enough, I realized it was almost the same as another song someone else had written. I guess that song was in my subconscious. I was a little bummed because I couldn't use the melody and chords, they seemed perfect for the lyric. Not to mention that I would have to start over.

I have a bunch of music ideas without lyrics. I like to just fiddle around with the guitar and come up with music. When I get something interesting, I record it. So last night I started listening to some in hopes of finding one that might work for the lyric. After going throught the first 20 music ideas--not even half--I had 3 that might fit. So I went down to the basement and tried them out. One seemed to work the best. Interesting enough, it was in a minor key; the almost-stolen chords were in a major key. I actually like my chords and melody better than the one I almost stole!

-Rob

new song, early stages

2007-12-16T17:31:00.000-07:00

I'm going to show my songwriting butt to the world in this blog. Here's a song in the earliest stages of development. Earlier today I was going to work on one of my many unfinished songs, but couldn't get motivated. I just wanted to play electric and loud. So I turned on an amp and grabbed my electric guitar, for some weird reason I started playing some rock-reggae music, Dm to Am. I immediately thought of some stream-of-consciousness free-writing I did about a month ago. So I dug it out, and started singing some of these lines to the music. Here's the lines-- no structure yet, no rhyme, etc. Just building blocks.

Too much traffic
Too much stress
Bright lights in my face
I can't see / I can't look away
I can't pass
running off the road
When did this start?
How did this happen?
What went wrong?
I thought I was smart
Doesn't make sense
Where's the essence?
Where's the root
Too many filters
It's all fake
It's all an illusion / delusion / mirage
lake in the desert
false attraction
noise and chatter
too many distractions
can't hear the music
too much chatter
I follow the leader
not my brain
too many salesmen
grabbing my arms
reaching for my pocket
too much greed
lying is respectable
everyone does it.

In the past, I would have started trying to assemble these into a structure, with rhyme. But as a result of the mentoring sessions I did with John Common, I'm gonna try to stay in the creative mode longer, and just groove on a few of the lines with the guitar, experiment with melodies and rhythms and chords. I'm open to changing anything. Might not end up as reggae. Might be acoustic. Might not be Dm-Am. I might keep the music and throw out all the lines and write a completely different theme.

I'll keep you posted.

P.S. - a lesson learned here: if it's time for your scheduled songwriting time, and you're feeling uncreative, lethargic and unmotivated, do it anyway. Do something. You never know what might happen. Put the time in.

-Rob

Your Last Day (poem)

2007-12-08T18:13:00.001-07:00

My brother Mark died in Feb 2007 from brain cancer. His last days were spent at a hospice. I got this idea yesterday and wrote it down.

Your Last Day
by Rob Roper Dec 7, 2007

It was cold
and snowing, lightly.

You didn't open your eyes
You couldn't talk anymore
We talked to you
but we didn't know
whether you could hear us
We talked to you anyway
just in case.

But most likely you were dreaming
and the dreams were probably wild and exotic
All dreams are
Time and people and places
are juxtaposed, inverted
disassembled and reassembled randomly
It all makes sense in the dream
Then you wake up and think, "that was weird".

But of course you didn't wake up.

The next morning you passed away.
And the snow stopped falling
And the sun came out.

Songwriting is not work

2007-11-17T21:41:00.000-07:00

I went to a 2-hour songwriting workshop today at Swallow Hill in Denver, given by songwriter Tom Kimmel. My personal takeaway was, stop using the term "work" when thinking about songwriting. I will no longer say, "I'm going to *work* on a song now". Work--ugh! Who wants to work? That's no fun. A song is not a *chore*; something to get done; something to cross off the todo list. From now on I'm going to say, "I'm going to *play* with this song". I'm going to "have some fun". On the surface it sounds like just different terminology for the same thing, but behind the terminology is a completely different attitude. When it comes to chores, I procrastinate. No problem with procrastination when it comes to fun. But more importantly, "work" and "play" use different parts of the brain. "Work" uses the logical, editor part of the brain, and "play" uses the creative, imaginative side. I think the reason I've been having trouble getting songs done is that I need to be in the creative mode more than the logical mode.

The Solution to Writer's Block: write crap, have fun

2007-11-01T22:21:00.001-06:00

I emailed a songwriter friend of mine, Kathy, and asked how she's doing. She replied:

*****

I'm Ok. Pretty tired. I need to schedule some more shows. I have been lazy. I also tried to write a song today. i am really haviing a hard time with my inner critic. i just don't like what I am writing and haven't got much inspiriation.
I am starting to feel like I won't write another song.

*****

I replied:

There's tricks you can do to overcome that, you know. :) The main thing is, take the pressure off, banish the critic; bound and gag her and lock her in the closet. Then let the playful, creative side of you just have fun, with no expectations.
Do something weird. Write an acapella song. Put the capo in a weird place. Start with a chord you NEVER start a song with. Try a song in DADGAD. Write a really stupid, corny song. Nobody will ever have to hear this stuff. Write a song that's so personal and depressing and suicidal that you would die of embarassment if anyone were to ever hear it. Invent a character and write a short story about the character. Write a poem. Write two poems. Just have fun. No expectations of any of this becoming a song. Consider it practice; exercises.

That's my advice, for what it's worth. :)

-Rob

*****

Then I wrote her again:

Kathy,

After sending you my advice, I remembered this. Following my own advice, I was sitting out on my front porch in the late afternoon/early evening, not long after Song School, and said I'm gonna try something goofy. I'll go through my notebook of observations, pick a phrase, and just start writing from it. About a year ago I would walk around my neighborhood with a mini-cassette recorder and just make random observations. One of those was "a window with no curtains". So I wrote that down on the tablet, and just started writing, with no idea where I was going to go. Here's what happened:

The Window with no Curtains
by Rob Roper 1st draft Sept 5, 2007

This window had no curtains
And the light was always on
You could see the furniture in the living room
an antique sofa
antique chair
coffee table
end tables
oil painting over the sofa

But I never saw anyone in that living room
You wondered if anyone even lived there?
They must always be in a back room-- a den, a "family room"
This must be the "formal" living room
For show-- not for human habitation
Seems like a waste
Like a museum
But a museum that no one ever visits

But still, they have to clean it
Dust the shelves
Clean the furniture
Sweep and mop the floor
Funny how a room without life still gets dirty

I want to break in when they go on vacation
invite a bunch of teenagers over
Buy 'em some cheap beer and cheap wine
Tell 'em to have a party
Get drunk, dance, have sex, vomit on the floor
Wreck the place
and least then it would have been lived in.

No, that's mean.
I should have empathy for these people.
I bet they're lonely.
I bet they have no fun.
I bet they're sad.
I should show up one night with a bunch of friends.
Knock on the door, invite ourselves in.
Bring some good beer, good wine, good whiskey.
We'll show 'em how to party
and be happy.
We'll use that room.
We'll dance and drink (but we won't vomit)
Get out the guitars and sing songs til 4 in the morning.

Of course it would never happen.
But now, when I walk past that house
And look in the window with no curtains
and the light on
and the undisturbed furniture
with nobody in it
I smile.

That will probably amount to nothing, but it gets the creative juices flowing, and it was fun!

-Rob

*****

Kathy wrote back:

thanks Rob! I will give it a try. I like the poem. It is good visualization. Kind of like a kid story, but with booze and vomiting.

*****

I wrote:

Yes, go write something stupid like that! It might get you going! This should be fun, not work.

-Rob

*****

Kathy wrote back a couple days later:

I never used the word stupid!! But I did write somethng that was just talking and not trying to be artistic. It felt better and now I want to write some more.

Thanks

*****

I replied:

Yes! and stupid is ok, if it gets you writing again!

*****

Actually, I can't take full credit for this advice. I stole it from Peter Himmelman. At his workshop at the Rocky Mountain Song School in 2004, a young girl said she had made an album, but was now suffering from writer's block. Peter told her, "write crap". He said it's important to keep writing, even if it's not serious. It doesn't have to be recorded, nobody has to see it. But it keeps you in practice. And you never know, while trying to write crap you might accidently write something good. I never forgot that.

The Importance of Detail in Songwriting

2007-11-01T21:59:00.000-06:00

A new music discovery for me is a songwriter named Kevin Quain. Last summer, at the Irish Festival in Littleton, Colorado, I heard a great band called The Town Pants. They played a song called "Mr. Valentine's Dead", which I thought was great. I bought their cd with the song, and, upon reading the cd booklet, saw that it was written by somebody named Kevin Quain. I googled him, found his website, made friends with him on myspace, and bought his 3 cd's. Turns out this isn't the only good song he's written, he has a lot of great songs. But I want to use "Mr. Valentine's Dead" as an example of how the use of detail really helps a song. Here's the lyrics:

*****

Mr. Valentine's Dead
by Kevin Quain

Mr. Valentine's dead, and he's drinking Manhattans
singing a coal miner's tune
in his daddy's tuxedo, and Fred Astaire shoes
he's the best looking corpse in the room.

Mr. Valentine's dead, and the angels are waiting
down at the end of the bar
Well they're drinking martinis, and laughing at nothing
smoking Havana cigars

Chorus:
Have you ever seen dead men dancing so lightly?
Did you ever hear corpses who sing?
Mr. Valentine's dead, and the angels will take him
but not 'til he's finished his drink.

Mr. Valentine's dead, but it won't slow him down
He's determined to stay on his feet
And he bangs on the table, and orders a round
and pays with the gold in his teeth

Mr. Valentine's dead, and he's singing in Spanish
wearing a rose in his hair
Now the angels are howling, and drinking tequila
shooting their guns in the air

(Chorus)

Mr. Valentine's dead, but he still loves a party
He's always the last one to leave
And he hangs down his head, and cries like a baby
when the band's playing "Goodnight, Irene"

Mr. Valentine's dead, but he's never looked better
Tell the priest we won't need him tonight
Tell his mom to stop crying, and the band to keep playing
'cause the angels are too drunk to fly

(Chorus)

*****

Notice the detail. First of all, the guy has a name--Mr. Valentine. He's not having a drink; he's "drinking Manhattans". He's not just singing any old song, he's singing "a coal miner's tune". And so forth. To drive home the point, let's subtract all the details, and replace them with generic lines that essentially mean the same thing, and see how it affects the song:

Mr. Valentine's Dead - Rob Roper's butchered version with detail removed

A man is dead, and he's having a drink
singing an old folk song
in an old suit, and old dancing shoes
he's the best looking corpse in the room.

The man is dead, and the angels are waiting
down at the end of the bar
Well they're having drinks, and laughing at nothing
smoking expensive cigars

Chorus:
Have you ever seen dead men dancing so lightly?
Did you ever hear corpses who sing?
The guy is dead, and the angels will take him
but not 'til he's finished his drink.

The man is dead, but it won't slow him down
He's determined to stay on his feet
And he bangs on the table, and orders a round
and then he pays for it

The man is dead, and he's singing a song
acting silly
Now the angels are howling, and having drinks
acting reckless

(Chorus)

The guy is dead, but he still loves a party
He's always the last one to leave
And he hangs down his head, and cries like a baby
when the band's playing his favorite song

The man is dead, but he's never looked better
Tell the priest we won't need him tonight
Tell his mom to stop crying, and the band to keep playing
'cause the angels are too drunk to fly

(Chorus)

*****

It's still a pretty good song; there's still the humor of a dead guy who's still behaving as if he's alive, and the funny stuff about the angels. But not as good. Don't you miss the "Fred Astaire shoes" and things like that?

For many songwriters--including me when I started out-- the second, butchered version is closer to what we write, at least on the first draft. I've learned to run my songs through a "detail filter", and if there's no detail, to add some. For example, instead of saying, "I was walking down the street", say "I was walking down Maple Street". Instead of saying, "It was morning", say "It was seven in the morning" and so forth. Instead of saying, "an old man", say "Mr. Valentine". It's more interesting, don't you think?

-Rob

The Artist and the Editor

2007-10-30T21:11:00.000-06:00

Songwriters like to talk about the two elements of songwriting, sometimes called inspiration and craft, or the "creative" and the "editor". This correlates to what we call the "left brain" and "right brain"; the creative side of the brain and the logical side. Call it what you want, but the reality is, both are needed to write a song.

In the last year, I've started several songs, but they remained unfinished. I had a musical idea, a few good lines, a rhythm and melody--all of which I liked-- but couldn't seem to get the song finished. Those last few lines just didn't come.

I figured, OK, the creative part of the songwriter has come up with music and some lyrics, now it's time to hand it off to the editor. The editor worked many hours trying to get the songs finished, but just couldn't do it. The artist became impatient and frustrated with the editor: "Hey, I did my part. Why don't you do your job? I need this song done. Now!"

But, in hindsight, I think that the artist turned the songs over to the editor prematurely. The artist had more work to do. The artist needed to experiment with different melodies, different chords, different lyrics, maybe even a different theme. The artist was trying to make the editor do things that the editor isn't capable of. Only after the emotional core of the song is worked out, with the melody, music, rhythm, and at least half the lines, can it be handed to the editor to polish and finish. The artist was slacking. Typical artist.

Put another way, I was unconsciously trying to take shortcuts. But in trying to take a shortcut to get the song done, I was actually causing the process to take longer.

I want to thank fellow Denver songwriter John Common for helping me figure this out.

-Rob

Things I wish someone had told me about songwriting

2007-10-22T23:25:00.001-06:00

I wanted to write songs when I was 18. But I didn't know how. And didn't have anybody to go to for advice. I didn't have any friends who were songwriters. No one in my family was a songwriter. There were no websites and blogs. No books on songwriting, no workshops, no songwriting schools.

I wish somebody back then would have told me these things:

1. Like any other art or craft, you have to learn it, and practice. Songwriters aren't "born" (well, maybe some are). Most will tell you that it's the result of hard work.

2. You have to crawl before you can walk, and walk before you can run. Don't expect your first songs to be great. You learn by doing. Frustration and self-doubt come with the territory.

3. Schedule songwriting sessions. Be disciplined. Show up for work. Put the time in...

4. ...but don't pressure yourself to accomplish anything in those sessions. Have fun, enjoy it. If you put the time in, you *will* get results.

5. Seek out other songwriters. Make friends with them. Ask for advice. Ask for constructive criticism.

I wonder how different my life would have been if someone had told me those things when I was 18? Maybe if I write them here, someone else won't have to figure them out on their own.

-Rob

Self-doubt

2007-09-20T14:56:00.001-06:00

For myself and other beginner writers, there's a self-doubt demon, conscious or unconscious, that telling us, "You're not really an artist. You're not really a writer. A writer is Hemingway, Yeats, Twain, Faulkner. You call yourself a writer? Ha! You're not in that class. Who are you trying to fool? Do something useful."

That self-doubt demon is evil. You have to confront him, punch him in the stomach, kick his teeth in. He's holding you back from doing what will make you happy. Of course you're an artist! Of course you're a writer! If you weren't, you wouldn't be trying to find time for it! Yes, you're not a Faulkner--yet; that's because you haven't put enough time in. And maybe you'll never be that good. So what? You're still a writer, you're still an artist. This is what you do.

A couple years ago, at Song School, I went to a class by Beth Nielsen-Chapman. She's been making a living as a songwriter in Nashville for 25-30 years. She said (paraphrasing), "Everyone has had unique experiences, and so everyone sees the world in a unique way. Therefore, only you can write your songs. No one else can." This had a huge impact on me. On the one hand, it means that the greatest songwriters--the ones that I admire the most--can't write my songs. Even with their craft and experience, they don't see things the way I see them. That's a powerful feeling. On the other hand, it's an awesome responsibility. It means that, if I don't write these songs, they will never be written.

Of course, the self-doubt demon is still there. Even after knocking him out, he gets back up and sucker-punches me when I'm least expecting it. It's a constant battle, but I think that half the battle is being aware of his existence, and knowing that he's wrong.

Songwriting Discipline

2007-09-20T14:33:00.000-06:00

I've learned that, just like exercise, you have to schedule songwriting (or any kind of writing). You can't take the attitude that's it's optional; something you'll do "if you have time". You'll never have time. You have to make time. It has to be scheduled, and you have to be "religious" about it. And you must defend it from all attackers--wives, kids, friends... but mainly from the enemy within yourself.

Yourself? Yes, yourself. My brother Greg, a writer and English professor, is grappling with this problem. Why don't you schedule time to write? Because, he said, "it seems self-indulgent rather than important and essential."

Of course that's nonsense, as he knows. If you're a writer--even a beginner writer, then it's important and essential for your happiness.

But like exercise, you need to set achievable, realistic goals. Maybe you shouldn't say "I'm going to schedule an hour a day". That's too big a departure from your current routine, so you could be setting yourself up for failure. Try something less that's more easily achievable. For example, 20 or 30 minutes, 3 days a week. You can increase the time later if you want. But regardless how short a time it is, it should be a regular schedule. For example: "On Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday morning I will write from 6:20am to 6:50am."

You'd be surprised what you can accomplish in 1/2 hour, or even 20 minutes.

I'm not a morning person, so getting up early 3 days a week to write just isn't going to happen. I know that. I work a day job, so after I get off work at 5pm, I go exercise on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (also Saturday and Sunday). Then I take a shower, and write from about 6:30pm to 7:00pm. Then I have dinner. So I schedule both my exercise and my songwriting, one after the other. I also schedule a longer session on Saturday or Sunday afternoon.

Another thing I learned: don't set any goals or expectations for your writing period. For example, DON'T say, "I'm going to finish the song I started 6 months ago in this session." If you do that, you won't finish it, because you'll be feeling the pressure, and then you'll beat yourself up about it. The only thing you have to say is, "I am going to write during this time." If you schedule time and write, then things WILL get accomplished eventually.

-Rob

Working on Multiple Songs

2007-09-18T22:15:00.000-06:00

When I get stuck on a song, and can't seem to make progress, I leave it, and work on another one.

I used to think this was a bad thing; a clear sign of an amateur songwriter, if not a personality defect. Surely a real songwriter wouldn't give up when they hit a block; a real songwriter would stay with it, overcome the obstacles, and finish the song. Last fall I got frustrated by the fact that I had so many songs in an half-finished state, that I told myself, "You cannot start any new songs until you finish some of these." I figured that would motivate me to get them done. It didn't help. It just made me feel worse about myself, or at least about my songwriter self.

I wrote Denver songwriter John Common about this, asking for tips on how to speed up the process of finishing songs. He replied, "The only trick I've learned is to simultaneously be working on 15 songs ALL THE TIME. That way, when one dead ends, you've got 14 others waiting for attention." Good advice.

At the Rocky Mountain Song School, someone asked songwriter Darrell Scott essentially the same question. Darrell said (I'm paraphrasing him), "Be patient. It will come when it's ready. Don't beat yourself up about it."

Work on 15 songs all the time. Don't beat yourself up. Be patient. Those are my songwriting mantras now.

Disclaimer: I know some people like to work on one song, and one song only, until it's done. If that works for you, cool! Do whatever works.

-Rob Roper

Non-Linear lyric writing

2007-09-18T21:54:00.000-06:00

When I first tried to write songs, I tried to write them in a "linear" way; that is, start with the first line of the first verse, then the second line, and so forth. Don't start the second verse until the first verse is done, don't start the third verse until the second is done. Maybe the chorus would be written before the first verse, maybe after. But I would try to write the song sequentially.

The problem with that is, if I got stuck on, say, the third line of the first verse, then everything came to a halt. But also--and perhaps more importantly--the lines tended to be pure narrative, and not very interesting.

A couple years ago I changed my method of lyric writing. I would first free-write about the subject to flesh out my thoughts and generate interesting words and phrases. Then I'd develop lines from those phrases. At this point, I have no idea whether these lines will be in the chorus or verse, or which verse, or what order in the verse. I'm just trying to generate good, interesting lines. Sometimes I find lines which rhyme, and I wasn't even trying to rhyme them. That's a bonus to this approach-- the rhymes sound unforced and natural, because they are.

I then start arranging the lines into a structure; into verses, chorus (if the song has one) and bridge (if the song has one). Of course, with this I usually only end up with half the number of lines I need. I have several songs at this stage of development right now. My current challenge is to find better ways of getting those remaining lines. But, when I *do* get the song done, I find that the lines of the song are stronger when I do it this way.

I call this "non-linear" songwriting, because I don't try to write the song sequentially. It's more like gathering pieces of a puzzle and then assembling them together.

I'm sure "linear" or "sequential" songwriting works for some people. If so, by all means continue doing it! The only "rule" for songwriting is to do whatever it takes to write a good song. But if you are using the "linear" method and struggling, you might want to try my "non-linear" method and see if that helps.

-Rob Roper

On downloads and "piracy"

2007-09-12T20:48:00.000-06:00

As a songwriter and performer who would love to be able to quit his day job and make a living playing music, I thought I'd give my opinions on the downloading and "piracy" issue.

First thing I'd like to say is, regardless of how you feel on the issue, it's a losing battle. It's like illegal drugs and illegal immigration. You can't stop it. That's just a simple fact you have to face. People are going to obtain music without paying for it. You can condemn it, rage against it, but you can't stop it.

As a songwriter, I know how hard it is to write a good song. I know how much time goes into it; the self-doubt, the frustration. So I understand that songwriters would like to get paid for their efforts.

However, I would also like to point out the advantages that performers often ignore in their rants against "piracy". I'm a songwriter and performer, but I'm also a fan; a music consumer. I don't know how many times a friend has burned a cd for me, or emailed a song by people that I had never heard of before. As a result, I've gone to see them when they come to town. I never would have gone if my friend hadn't engaged in download "piracy" and turned me on to them. That was one less ticket they would have sold. And I've then gone and purchased cd's by the band.

That brings up another point. There have been times where a friend has burned a cd for me so I can check out a band. I liked it so much, I went out and bought the cd. Why? Because I wanted the booklet; I wanted the lyrics, I wanted to see who played what instruments, etc.

So "piracy" has advantages and disadvantages for the performer: on the one hand, cd sales are lowered by people who download songs. On the other hand, cd sales and live performance ticket sales can be increased, due to the increased exposure of the artist.

The recording industry is less than 100 years old. I think it was in the 1920's that the Victrola was invented. What did performers do before that? There were no records, no cd's, and no mp3's. The only way for performers to get paid was by... performing. So, in the extreme case that nobody ever again pays for recorded music, performers have simply come full circle. (Although, unlike performers before 1920, they now sell t-shirts, caps, g-strings...).

Of course there's the question of songwriters who don't perform, but write songs for others. Again, I ask, what happened before the recording industry was established? The "professional songwriter" is a creature of the recording industry. Of course, classical music composers were paid for their compositions. But in popular, or folk music, I don't think songwriters were paid. And their songs weren't copyrighted; nobody knew who wrote the old Irish or English or American folk songs. That's why the author of these songs is always listed as "traditional".

The recording industry is worried about downloading. Screw 'em. These are the people who kept a lot of creative people out, and controlled what got recorded, and who got on the radio, and who got to tour and play live. We still hear the remnants of the "music industry" on corporate radio today; radio that plays the same 10 crappy songs all day everyday. They dominate the airwaves--but not the internet.

Now, thanks to digital technology, a "nobody" like me doesn't have to beg for a recording contract. I can record music at home of reasonably good quality, and make it available to whoever wants it. So, if the music industry, as we know it, dies, I say, good riddance.

So download my songs, pass 'em around to friends, I won't ask how you got it or if you paid for it. I'm honored that you like my music and want to tell other people about my songs. Come see me play live. Buy a Rob Roper t-shirt or g-string. Then, if you really like my music and would like to help me quit my day job and devote myself to music fulltime, pay for a cd or downloads. That makes you a "platinum" fan. :)

So pardon my rambling, I'm still sorting out my views on this subject. I'd love to hear what others think about the issue and my views, both from a music consumer standpoint, and a performer and songwriter standpoint.

-Rob Roper

Jeff's Songwriting Blog

2007-09-10T17:38:00.000-06:00

I was inspired to create this blog partly because of Jeff Oxenford's songwriting blog. He has a lot of good stuff on his, check it out: http://jeffsongwriting.blogspot.com/

songwriting and movement

2007-09-08T23:21:00.000-06:00

I drove to the mountains west of Denver yesterday and went for an afternoon hike. One of the advantages of living in Denver is that I can go from being in the middle of the city to a mountain trail in 45 minutes. I took a cd I had made of musical ideas and listened to it on the car stereo while driving into the mountains. Sometimes I'll sit with a guitar--electric or acoustic--and noodle around. I always record those noodlings--or I do now--I've lost so many good ideas because I didn't record them. When I collect about 20 of them, I'll burn them to a cd. Nothing fancy; in fact, very crude. Then I'll listen to them later, and see if any of them might be a good match for some lyrical ideas I've written.

Anyway... I was listening to some of those while driving to the mountain. One I had come up with 2 years ago, I started singing a melody--la-la's and nonsense, and started getting some lyrical ideas. The stuff started flowing out, and reminded me of a lyrical concept I had a couple years ago. It's weird; if I'm sitting at a desk with a pen and paper, this doesn't happen. I have to be moving. Even though I'm sitting while driving a car, for some reason, I get ideas while driving that I would never get sitting at home. It's not very efficient; I have to sing these ideas into a mini-cassette recorder, and then transcribe them to paper when I get home. I wish I could get the same ideas sitting at my desk at home, but unfortunately, it doesn't work that way for me, I have to be moving.

Once I got to the trailhead and parked my car, I started hiking. I get a lot of ideas hiking. I bring my notebooks and song folders with me in my backpack. If I don't want to stop hiking I use the mini-cassette recorder (that's old technology, I know; if I wanted to be modern I'd use a microphone with an ipod).

I jog 4-5 days a week to try and keep the fat off. I get ideas jogging. That's the worst--can't bring a notebook and pen while jogging, and can't really bring the mini-cassette recorder either. I have to hope I remember the ideas when I get home.

I wrote the chorus to "Invisible Prison" while hiking, and the verses while jogging. The chorus to "When They Go" came to me while walking around the neighborhood on a beautiful fall Sunday afternoon. The melody to "The Screwup Song" came while jogging. The lyrical concept behind "Let it Go" came while driving (no surprise, given the second verse). A considerable part of the lyrical development of "A Special Request" came while hiking. Guess that explains why I don't get as much songwriting done in the winter...

-Rob Roper

Welcome to my Blog

2007-09-06T12:43:00.000-06:00

Welcome to my google blog site. Yes, I'm belatedly joining the blogging fad. I'll probably use this mostly for music--to comment on what I've learned about songwriting, recommend musical artists I've discovered, and such. I might comment on politics, but probably not. I find that the political blogsites just become an insult contest; nobody ever convinces anyone to change their mind. So I'll probably stick to music, but never say never...

-Rob