The Importance Of Being A Good Hang
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Steelworks Workshop ( L to R Kareem, Kevin, Conan and Holly )
The Intangible
There are tons of books, articles, blogs and videos to do with co-writing. Love it or hate it, it’s certainly the norm these days. You might be in Nashville, New York, London, LA or attending a workshop or retreat in some exotic locale. Wherever you find a couple songwriters you’re bound to enter into a co-writing relationship even if it’s just for a day. Aside from all the tangibles you need to bring to the session, maybe the biggest intangible is your ability to be a good hang.
Why?
Isn’t it enough to be a strong lyricist? Great musician? Awesome singer? Do I also have to have a good personality? Yep. I’ve been in every kind of writing situation over the course of my career and I want to share the one thing that you don’t find in any “how to”. The importance of being a good hang. What does this mean?
Keeping the atmosphere light. Being able to laugh and make those around you comfortable, and trust me, if they're comfortable enough to let their guard down and be vulnerable the song goes to a deeper, more real place pretty quickly. Have you ever been in the room with someone that sucks the air out? Maybe they're more of a buzz kill? Pretty hard to be at your best in those situations. Maybe it’s the writer who takes time to complain about the current state of the music business according to them. Or the writer who just can’t let go of that idea that died an hour ago. So many things can derail a once promising session but, you can avoid most of them by having a good attitude.
Think of it this way…
Think of it as being the kind of person other people enjoy being around. Not suggesting you try to be the comedian when in truth, that’s just not you. Or the total extrovert if it doesn’t come naturally. What I am saying is try your best to bring energy and positivity to the day. I’ve had days where the song just didn’t happen but the writers had a good time and were up for trying again . . . and that’s huge.
This journey you’re on has the potential to be a long and rewarding one and, at the end of the day, being a good hang can bring you lifelong, talented friends. The ones you like to hang with and make music.
One last thought, be a good listener, an encourager, show up early and oh yeah, pick up a check once in awhile!
P.S. This photo is from a workshop Eliot Kennedy and I hosted at his Steelworks Studios in Sheffield, England awhile back. Great songs, great people and each one a great hang!
Mark Cawley
Nashville, Tennessee
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Mark Cawley iDoCoach.com
Mark Cawley is a hit songwriter, best-selling author, in demand speaker, songwriting coach, and popular blogger. As a songwriter his songs have been on more than 16 million records to date with cuts ranging from Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan and Diana Ross to Wynonna Judd, Taylor Dayne, Paul Carrack, The Spice Girls and many more. Through his coaching service iDoCoach.com, he has coached thousands of songwriters worldwide.
His book, Song Journey, was released in April 2019 and went to #1 in 6 categories on Amazon. Mark is a past judge for the UK Songwriting Contest, Nashville Rising Star, Belmont University’s Commercial Music program, and West Coast Songwriter events. He’s also a contributing author to USA Songwriting, InTune Magazine, Songwriter Magazine, a sponsor for the Australian Songwriting Association, and a past mentor for The Songwriting Academy UK. Born in Syracuse, New York, Mark has lived in Boston, Los Angeles, Indianapolis and London. Mark now resides in Nashville, Tennessee. The Daily Song Journal is his second book.
The Daily Song Journal
Here is a link to “ The Daily Song Journal” on Amazon
You can also find Song Journey on Amazon.
To stay up to date on Mark’s latest work you can also visit www.markcawley.com.
