May 13, 2020

Hope Is Alive !!!

May 13, 2020/ Mark Cawley

I have a very smart songwriting friend who has been a firehose of wisdom over the years. When we first met I was writing mainly alone and sometimes the lyrics I would share were full of the anguish of the human spirit; sometimes sad, sometimes full of people with real conflict. Nothing wrong with that but she made a simple suggestion one day after I came up with one of my dark night of the soul ideas. In fact, I think it was called “Dark Night Of The Soul.” Might have been where I was at the time. Hey, write what you know - right?

Her words were something to the effect of “you could write this and still leave a little hope you know?” I admit I was taken aback and remember saying “does everything have to have a happy ending, ‘cause you know real life isn’t always like that.” I was missing her point.

Think about watching a movie, reading a book, hearing a story or a song where the hero always dies at the end. Bound to make you feel let down. What if you’re left to at least imagine that the main character has a chance at redemption? Not a bad way to leave an audience. Maybe there’s a silver lining. We all like an underdog story. I started looking at some of my ideas with that in mind and I think it made my songs that much better; to leave hope when I could. Just let the listener decide how the story might continue after the song is over.

Maybe the hope element is the lesson learned by the narrator in your song. Maybe it’s the against-the-odds story you’re telling in your lyric. You can still show the struggle but you can instill an element of hope. Every time I hear U2’s “Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” I feel like he’s going to eventually. I know there are exceptions; I don’t know if Mick got any “Satisfaction” in the end, but I’m betting on it.

There’s a reason we tend to make songs of affirmation and hope into hits. They make us feel good. They aren’t so much happy-ever-after songs as songs of hope and a little hope is always a good thing.

Mark Cawley

Nashville, Tennessee

Image: Shutterstock

if you'd like to stay up with iDoCoach including receiving the latest blogs and my favorite 7 Toolbox tips here ya go!

http://idocoach.com/email-newsletter

I'm currently coaching writers worldwide, online, one on one and taking new clients for the spring. Visit my website for more info www.idocoach.com or write to me at mark@idocoach.com

Check out this interview in M Music and Musicians Magazine for stories behind a few of my songs!

Mark Cawley is a hit songwriter who coaches other writers around the globe through his one-on-one, online service iDocoach.com. His songs have been on more than 16 million records with cuts ranging from Tina Turner to Wynonna Judd to The Spice Girls. His book, Song Journey, was released in April 2019 and went to #1 in 6 catagories on Amazon.Mark is a 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, In Tune Magazine and Songwriter Magazine, a sponsor for the Australian Songwriting Association, and a mentor for The Songwriting Academy UK. Born and raised in Syracuse, New York, Mark now resides in Nashville, Tennessee.

you can find Song Journey on Amazon.

April 19, 2020

A Songwriters Candy

April 19, 2020/ Mark Cawley

First of all, I hope you’re all staying safe and sane during this challenging time. Like you, I’m looking for ways to stay creative as well as picking up some new interests. I came upon Masterclass and decided now was the perfect time to dive into courses being taught by experts. I wanted the creative writing classes but will also be checking out ones on cooking, the advertising world, comedy and my favorite…one taught by a former FBI hostage negotiator!

First up was author Malcolm Gladwell’s writing class. If you’re not familiar with him think “The Tipping Point” and “Outliers”. I’m always looking for parallels between songwriting and other creative forms. Malcolm talked about the theory of giving the reader “candy”. In his analogy just giving them the main meal was not enough. Think of it this way. When you tell a friend about something you’ve heard, seen or read you’re not inclined to give them the whole story, you’re gonna give them the candy. Just a moment or line that was particularly memorable. You need to give them something to talk about. The more he talked about candy the more it made me think of the songwriting equivalent, color.

How many times have you heard a song and remembered a line? I’m talking about the lines that are not the title of the song but just so good you can’t wait to hear them again.

Examples: The ring falling into the spaghetti line from the Kenny Chesney hit The Good Stuff written by Jim Collins and Craig Wiseman

From the Bruno Mars mega hit Uptown Funk “I’m too hot (hot damn) make a dragon wanna retire man”.

You get the idea, great songs but these are the type of lines that are absolutely the candy. You’ve probably heard lots of songwriters discuss color and detail, painting a picture with your lyric. Think of these things as the candy in your full meal of a song. Sometimes that’s the part of the song that your listener will remember most. Let’s not forget my personal favorite “smoother than a fresh jar of Skippy”.

That reminds me, I need to add peanut butter to my Instacart list.

Mark Cawley

Nashville, Tennessee

if you'd like to stay up with iDoCoach including receiving the latest blogs and my favorite 7 Toolbox tips here ya go!

http://idocoach.com/email-newsletter

I'm currently coaching writers worldwide, online, one on one and taking new clients for the spring. Visit my website for more info www.idocoach.com or write to me at mark@idocoach.com

Check out this interview in M Music and Musicians Magazine for stories behind a few of my songs!

SONG JOURNEY BOOK

you can find Song Journey on Amazon.

March 21, 2020

Access To Pro's While You're At Home

March 21, 2020/ Mark Cawley

These are trying times for all of us. Maybe you have kids at home with schools closed, maybe you’re working from home or worse maybe your livelihood has been shut down for the time being. So many lives are being altered right now by this pandemic but there are still things we can do as creatives.

Now might be a great time to dig into books and how-to videos, apps to help you with your songwriting, private lessons or coaching via Skype or FaceTime. With this in mind, I wanted to offer a few suggestions.

Here’s a link to my latest blog about staying creative during difficult times with a few books and video suggestions.

I’m also offering a $50 savings on my single session option with 20% going toward Global Giving to aid those severely affected by the coronavirus. Details are in this link.

A few of my most talented friends are getting creative with what they can offer from home. Here’s an example of some of the world-class musicians offering unique services during this crazy time:

Bob Britt

My buddy Bob is my favorite guitarist is in Bob Dylan’s band and coming off a Grammy win for his production work with Delbert McClinton. Bob’s wife Etta is an awesome singer too! You can reach Bob directly through email and watch his pitch here.

Kevin Savigar

Kevin is an old friend and one of life’s good guys! He’s co-written some of Rod Stewart’s biggest hits as well as produced some of his best records. He’s also a current member of Rod’s band and like many of us, working from his home studio in LA during this time. Brilliant keyboardist and arranger. He can do online keyboards, production and mixing. It’s a unique chance to get him on your project! Contact Kevin by email and check out his website here.

Kenny Aronoff

How about drum tracks from the best in the business? My old buddy Kenny Aronoff offers this service from his home studio in LA.

Parisa

I love this one! Parisa is an awesome session singer based in the UK. Here’s her message for these times, her offer and contact info:

Hey all,
Parisa here! I hope everyone is keeping as safe and calm and possible during this unusual time. Things feel weird and uncertain right now and we're all strapped for cash, but I think it's important for us to keep our spirits high and out creative energy flowing whilst we wait for the storm to pass: even if we are confined to our houses for now!

On that note, I'd like to offer my services to you all, as a remote session singer, at an incredibly discounted rate (as I assume most of us are self-employed and don't have money to splash right now.) I can provide you with a fully comped Lead Vocal PLUS any and all harmonies/backing vocals/ adlibs (including double tracking) for just £75 (or the US/EU equivalent if you don't use £ where you live.)

I can send you the raw wav files back within the day if it's a push, or in a few days if you're not up against it :-)

This rate will stand until we're all back to our usual schedules.
Feel free to send me a DM on Instagram @itsparisamusic
or email me at itsparisamusic@gmail.com if you're interested.

There's a link to my soundcloud page below with some covers and 2 released songs as well as a live youtube video in a more stripped-back style. If you want to hear anything else or some other styles, reach out and I'll send you a private link to some unreleased music I have!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leSbLHOovyA
https://soundcloud.com/parisa-music

Styles include - Pop, EDM, Alternative, Singer-Songwriter, Country, Musical Theatre, RnB/Hip Hop

Love and light to all
Parisa x

We're all looking for things to do during this tough time. This one is very cool for my music friends, young and old. The Country Music Hall Of Fame and Museum here in Nashville has made lots of their content available to watch online. Check it out.

More and more artists are offering concerts in their homes as a way to cheer up some of these stay-at-home days. Google Keith Urban, John Legend and Chris Martin from Coldplay to name a few.

Lastly…feeling really ambitious and have the time to do something you’ve always thought you’d like to try? How about writing a book? Seriously. My friend Tucker Max is a bestselling author and his company, Scribe, based in Austin, is offering to help you write your book…FOR FREE! I took their Guided Author course and it it was a HUGE help in getting me going with writing my book “Song Journey”. Check out Tucker’s offer here.

Thanks to all of you who have picked up my book! If you haven’t read it yet here’s a link to purchase it through Amazon.

Please encourage each other to stay creative, sane and most of all stay safe my friends!

Mark

Nashville, TN
3/21/2020

Mark Cawley is a hit songwriter who coaches other writers around the globe through his one-on-one, online service iDocoach.com. His songs have been on more than 16 million records with cuts ranging from Tina Turner to Wynonna Judd to The Spice Girls. His book, Song Journey, was released in April 2019 and went to #1 in 6 categories on Amazon.Mark is a 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 and Songwriter Magazine, a sponsor for the Australian Songwriting Association, and a mentor for The Songwriting Academy UK. Born and raised in Syracuse, New York, Mark now resides in Nashville, Tennessee.

March 15, 2020

Staying Creative In These Difficult Times

March 15, 2020/ Mark Cawley

Well the pandemic probably changed your plans and lifestyle as much or more than my own over the past few weeks. It’s causing all of us to decide how to best use our time. Maybe it’s time away from work or just time away from leisurely pastimes. I know I keep checking ESPN an MLB hoping for a miracle and a full schedule of Yankee spring training games to magically reappear.

The biggest disappointment for me has been the new travel restrictions including the postponement of my book tour to Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Had to post this sad edit of the poster. My wife and I and some great buddies have a week in Florence, Italy and one week near Toulouse, France scheduled for the beginning of May and praying hard for a cure by then.

This new found free time got me thinking of some creative go-tos, things I can do to keep inspired. I’ve been doing this songwriting thing a long time and there have been tough periods in the past where I might not feel like working on a song or dealing with the music business. I’ve found this can be a great time to intentionally look for inspiration from other sources.

Reading. I’m not a fan of audio books, I guess I need something more tactile even if it’s an iPad which is my source for books these days. You can download books for free from your library through apps like Hoopla or buy them through iTunes and other apps. I also like to find instructional videos to try and learn something new on an instrument or piece of gear.

Here are a few of the books and sites I’ve found to be inspiring lately. Hope some of these are a help to you if you find yourself holed up at home and a might stir crazy.

Books:

“How Sweet It Is” by Lamont Dozier.

Fantastic behind the scenes stories and even has a section in the back devoted to the best bits of advice in the book.

https://books.apple.com/us/book/how-sweet-it-is/id1483510460?fbclid=IwAR19Z0Ol7TEkS0SSbcmumB4Hz76-eAFGzA96YKwmEH8kHRG-EsTgYpMzR38

“Me” by Elton John

What a journey though the life of one of the best songwriters of our time, loved it. Great sense of humor throughout.

https://www.amazon.com/Me-Elton-John-Official-Autobiography/dp/1250147603

“The Creative Habit” by Twyla Tharp

I keep going back to this one over the years. A great American choreographer with some inventive practices.

https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Habit-Learn-Use-Life/dp/1480589837

“On Writing Well” by William Zinsser

A Bible of creative writing.

https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Well-Classic-Guide-Nonfiction/dp/0060891548

“Sound Man” by Glyn Johns

Fun trip through some of the biggest records of the 60’s and 70’s.

https://www.amazon.com/Sound-Man-Recording-Rolling-Zeppelin/dp/0147516579

The Beatles Complete Chord Book

Every time I pick this up I find a new chord or two as well as a new appreciation of their genius.

https://www.amazon.com/Beatles-Complete-Chord-Songbook/dp/0634022296

YouTube Videos:

James Taylor Free Guitar lessons

Just started going through this, love the inside of the sound hole view!

https://www.jamestaylor.com/guitar-lessons/

Justin Free Guitar lessons

Just plain fun. He makes it easy to learn or revisit some old favorite songs on guitar.

https://www.justinguitar.com

Harry Connick Jr How To Play Piano

Just started to explore this one for new chord shapes. Looks good so far!

https://www.playgroundsessions.com

Apps:

“Hoopla” free books from your library

https://www.hoopladigital.com

I would urge you to poke around the app store for apps to help with guitar chords, lyrics, memos, drum loops … anything that will help inspire you.

What creative releases do you implement when you need a spark of inspiration or escape? Stay safe and God bless! Please keep my town of Nashville in your thoughts and prayers dealing with the recent Tornados.

if you'd like to stay up with iDoCoach including receiving the latest blogs and my favorite 7 Toolbox tips here ya go!

http://idocoach.com/email-newsletter

I'm currently coaching writers worldwide, online, one on one and taking new clients for the spring. Visit my website for more info www.idocoach.com or write to me at mark@idocoach.com

Check out this interview in M Music and Musicians Magazine for stories behind a few of my songs!

you can find Song Journey on Amazon.

February 12, 2020

8 Things to Know Before You Write Songs with a Co-Writer

February 12, 2020/ Mark Cawley

Photo from Mark Cawley and Eliot Kennedys Steelworks Workshop, Sheffield England Oct 2019

The following is adapted from my book “Song Journey”.

For many, songwriting is seen as a solitary journey. But what if you had help?

What if instead of looking for that muse, you had one in the room with you? Flesh and blood, living, breathing—a like-minded fellow traveler? In other words, a co-writer.

Co-writing is such a part of the new normal for songwriters that if you’re serious about making this your profession, you need to be ready to work with a co-writer.

I’ve been there, so I understand the apprehension and fear this idea conjures up. Truth is, great co-writing should be unselfish, open, fun, and uninhibited.

If you want that kind of experience, here are eight things to know about co-writing.

#1: Meet Your Co-Writer

Before you start to work, meet your potential co-writer.

Have a cup of coffee or a drink. It’s a lot like dating—see if you have anything in common before you spend a long day in a room together. It’s not foolproof.

I’ve made some great friends this way who didn’t turn out to be great co-writers, and I’ve also written some of my favorite songs with writers who didn’t seem like a match.

You want to be compatible, but you don’t want someone who only does what you do. With co-writing, you’re each looking for the other to bring something to the table.

#2: Know the Credit Will Be Split

This is important: know going in that the credit will be split evenly between the people in the room, no matter who does what in the end. That’s a hard one for new writers to swallow, but hey, do it long enough and it evens out, I promise.

Some days, you feel like you wrote a song on your own and the other writers watched.

Other days, you’re buying lunch and encouraging them to “keep at it; you’re on fire!”

If no publishers are involved, it’s best to work it out in that conversation before you write. You can also use a simple split agreement the day of your writing session.

#3: Bring an Open Mind, Not an Agenda

On the day of the co-write, it never hurts to come prepared with a couple of titles, concepts, or a bit of a melody, but make sure you also bring an open mind.

Co-writing is really about listening to each other and creating something new and exciting together. A big no-no for me would be the co-writer who comes in intent on working on their idea right from the start or, even worse, wants me to help them finish something they already had started. That’s not what co-writing is about.

#4: You Can’t Rewrite with Someone Else

What happens if you throw out that million-dollar title or melody you’ve been saving, and your co-writer turns it into small change? Can you go rewrite it with someone else?

No. I know it’s hurts but…NO.

You could call them and ask, but the reality is, your reputation is built around your integrity and creativity. If your co-writer thinks you’re going to write the same idea with three other writers, it won’t be long before you’re one lonely writer. This is why you have a coffee meeting; you try your best to put your ideas in the right hands.

#5: Get to Know Your Co-Writer

Do your homework on co-writers, don’t be too precious, trust your gut, and hope for a little magic. Learn how your co-writer tends to process information. Just ask them.

Do they need quiet periods to gather their thoughts, or are they the kind of writer who needs constant stimulus? You can set yourself up for an awkward co-writing experience by not being in tune with your new friend. Make sure you can laugh with them.

Pick up the tab once in a while and show up on time. Writers like that.

#6: Be Prepared for Bad Co-Writing Sessions

If you write long enough, you’re going to have a co-writing session where you both give an honest effort… and nothing happens. I’ve had plenty of days like that.

The co-writes that have been magic for me have always been with someone with a different approach, and we end up complementing each other. We come up with some magic that neither of us could have done on our own. It will happen. You may just have to suffer through speed date hell to find the love of your life.

Find more great ideas, book more co-writes, and one of these sessions will be magic.

#7: You’re Both Bringing Fears to the Table

When I coach songwriters about co-writing, I hear these fears all the time:

My idea is crap!

They’ll take my idea and turn it into something I’ll hate.

They’ll laugh at me.

No one else could possibly understand me.

No one will ever want to co-write with me again!

When I started writing with writers I admired, I discovered they suffered from these co-writing from time to time, which helped me see I wasn’t alone in feeling that way.

#8: Trust the Co-Writing Process

How do you up the odds of a great song coming out of your co-write?

First and foremost, seek out good people to work with. Find ones who are on your same level, same path. Joining songwriting groups is a great way to lose your fear of sharing. By hearing other writers talk about their process, you gain insight into yourself.

Sharing your song ideas might still be a leap of faith, but try it. If you stay open and give your best every time, you’ll have more great days co-writing than bad ones. Promise.

For more advice on working with co-writers, you can find Song Journey on Amazon.

Mark Cawley is a hit songwriter who coaches other writers around the globe through his one-on-one, online service iDocoach.com. His songs have been on more than 16 million records with cuts ranging from Tina Turner to Wynonna Judd to The Spice Girls. His book, Song Journey, was released in April 2019 and went to #1 in 6 catagories on Amazon.Mark is a 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 and Songwriter Magazine, a sponsor for the Australian Songwriting Association, and a mentor for The Songwriting Academy UK. Born and raised in Syracuse, New York, Mark now resides in Nashville, Tennessee.

December 23, 2019

How To Find Your Muse

December 23, 2019/ Mark Cawley

Really pleased to be writing a monthly article for InTune magazine. The magazine ( and digital version) goes out to 44,000 teachers and is seen by 9 million students. Here's the October article.

Screen Shot 2019-12-23 at 11.58.40 AM.png

December 22, 2019

Songwriting in 2019: Big Goals, Small Bites

December 22, 2019/ Mark Cawley

We all like to set goals heading into a new year - it’s a natural thing. I also know that all of us songwriters are dreamers and dreamers don’t tend to think in terms of limitations. We dream big. But sometimes dreaming big set’s us up for some pretty big disappointments. In coaching songwriters every week it usually comes up sooner or later that this business is…hard!

Small BItes

What I suggest to my clients is to think in terms of attainable goals. Small bites to get them where they wanna go. The point is to think of your goals as “next steps”. Could the goal in 2019 be to co-write more? Make better demos? Write 3 killer songs and create a website where people can discover you? Create a network and get your songs in front of the powers that be? Make trips to a major music city? Sign up for a workshop? Learn a new instrument? These are all viable, doable, attainable goals.

Songwriting as a career is a marathon, not a sprint. You’re in this for the long run and along with gathering all the knowledge you can, you need affirmation along the way and achieving goals is a great way to feel like you’re closer to that big goal.

2 Tasks

I have two things I ask my songwriting clients to do and both might be good tools for you to consider heading into a brand new year. The first would be to answer these five questions:

What do I want?
Why do I want it?
How will I get there?
What tools will I need?
Where am I now?

Your answers can shine a light on your goals and get you thinking about next steps.

The second task would be to come up with a short mission statement. You’ve seen or heard these for companies. Life Is Good has a simple one: “To spread the power of optimism.” Warby Parker, the eyeglass company, has this one: “To offer designer eyewear at a revolutionary price, while leading the way for socially conscious businesses.” You’re not a business but think about your goals as a songwriter. They’re not easy to write, but the more you can define and distill just who you are as a writer and your goals, the better choices you tend to make. When you write this think about your passions. What drives you to write songs? Your mission statement needs to include the things that fire you up. A mission statement is a great way to put those passions into words and words into action for 2019.

Song Journey

On a personal note I’ve always wanted to write a book and 2018 was finally the year to do it. The book is called Song Journey and has moved on to the layout and cover design stage with a release in April 2019. In working with my publisher, some of the best advice I received was not to be intimidated by the amount of writing involved but to think of it in terms like “writing 250 words a day.” The book ended up being around 44,000 words and if I had focused on that number instead of the more attainable chapter-by-chapter idea, I think I would have lost my mind. Small bites. Big goal . . . attained.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and an amazing new year!

Mark Cawley

Nashville, Tennessee

Image: Shutterstock

I was pleased to be voted the #4 Songwriting blog worldwide recently. Check it out here.

if you'd like to stay up with iDoCoach including receiving the latest blogs and my favorite 7 Toolbox tips here ya go!

http://idocoach.com/email-newsletter

I'm currently coaching writers worldwide, online, one on one and taking new clients for 2019. Visit my website for more info www.idocoach.com or write to me at mark@idocoach.com

Check out this interview in this edition of M Music and Musicians Magazine for stories behind a few of my songs!

Mark Cawley is a hit U.S. songwriter and musician who coaches other writers and artists to reach their creative and professional goals through iDoCoach.com. During his decades in the music business he has procured a long list of cuts with legendary artists ranging from Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Chaka Khan and Diana Ross to Wynonna Judd, Kathy Mattea, Russ Taff, Paul Carrack, Will Downing, Tom Scott, Billie Piper, Pop Idol winners and The Spice Girls. To date his songs have been on more than 16 million records. . He is also a judge for Nashville Rising Star, a contributing author to USA Songwriting Competition, Songwriter Magazine, sponsor for the Australian Songwriting Association, judge for Belmont University's Commercial Music program and West Coast Songwriter events , Mentor for The Songwriting Academy UK, a popular blogger and, from time to time, conducts his own workshops including ASCAP, BMI and Sweetwater Sound. Born and raised in Syracuse, NY, Mark has also lived in Boston, L.A., Indianapolis, London, and the last 23 years in Nashville, TN. Mark is in the process of writing his first book to be released in early 2019 based on his coaching and adventures in songwriting.

November 21, 2019

How Do Songwriters "Tap In"?

November 21, 2019/ Mark Cawley

The Question

My wife and I were out to dinner with two of our best friends the other night and in the course of checking in with each other I told them about a song I had written at a recent TSA retreat near Malaga, Spain. After telling them a bit about the song one of them asked how songwriters are able to tap into their feelings as well as allowing a listener to tap into their own. A bit of background first.

I was a mentor at this retreat as well as writing with a different group each day. On the next to last evening the mentors performed a few of their songs and it was a magical night. I went to bed with a pretty full heart. The next morning I woke up to the news that an old friend had passed away. Not someone I had stayed close to but someone who I had been friends with in my band days. Great guy, about the same age as myself.

As I headed down to breakfast I felt flooded with emotions. I’ll admit when real life happens like this it’s almost impossible to define what you’re feeling. Grief for sure, but something else. I’ve been writing songs long enough to listen to that voice and let it take me wherever it wants to. I had trouble joining in for breakfast with this great group of writers who were still on a high from the previous night, so I slipped away and went back to my room. I picked up my guitar and just let it dictate the direction. I didn’t really think I was writing a song at this point, maybe more just a comfort thing. But pretty soon I realized my subconscious was channeling my thoughts and feelings. I also realized one of the underlying feelings was guilt mixed with relief and a touch of worry. I know the guilt came from feeling relief that I was still here. The worry was am I running out of time?

The Birth

Now on this last day I talked with the two writers I was grouped with and told them I honestly might have to bow out, not feeling that I could shake this song. Instead, they offered to help me get this out and at that point we became three midwives at the birth of a song. I’m forever grateful to Steve and Angela for their willingness to just go with it.

By the afternoon the song was there. It’s called “Running Out Of Time”. So to answer my friend’s question about tapping in, I think you have to trust. Trust your experience as well as have the skill set to give structure to an idea. The main thing I think you have to do is tell the truth. Your truth. There’s a very Nashville saying that you should “tell the truth and make it rhyme”. Along with real emotions, real events, detail, color and make it specific. I feel that if you do this well enough, the person hearing your song will see it and in turn tap into their own version of it. Make it too general and they're left to imagine.

I don’t know if there’s anything better about this songwriting experience than being able to touch someone with your song. We all have gifts and as a songwriter yours is sometimes to tap into feelings that someone else feels but maybe doesn’t know how to express. The bonus is you can give form to your own feelings and it can be a freeing thing.

A little post script

After coming home to Nashville I reached out to my friend Bob Britt and asked if he’d do a simple guitar vocal demo. Bob is currently the guitarist in Bob Dylan’s band but I also love his voice. He played with Leon Russell for years and brings that same honesty to his vocals. A few weeks ago Angela emailed to say her husband had shared the song with a friend who had lost his son. His friend asked if he could play the song at the memorial service for 250 people. He said that at the end of the service their friend read a closing speech and told all gathered that we should live by the words in this song. I can’t speak to what he was feeling but I know for me the song is about letting people know you love them while there’s still time.

Here’s the lyric and a link to the song ( click on the word “song”)

RUNNING OUT OF TIME

Lost a good friend of mine
Good friends are hard to find

Somehow it don’t seem right

To be the one left behind
Did I tell him that I love him?
I’m afraid it slipped my mind
And I just ran out of time.

We were young and bulletproof
Ten feet tall
But I’ll tell you the honest truth
We didn’t know nothing at all
And I hate to admit it
But what’s running though my mind

Am I running out of time

Time to waste and time to spend

Singing ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ again

Sha la la la la la la la la
It’s weighing on my mind

Am I running out of time

I wonder and I wonder
Will I meet him down the line

When I’ve run out of time

‘Cause we all run out of time

( Mark Cawley - Angela Skinner- Steve Jones )

In memory of Chooch Kennedy

Thanks to Bob Britt for sharing his gift

With special thanks to Kathy Dupree for inspiring this blog!

if you'd like to stay up with iDoCoach including receiving the latest blogs and my favorite 7 Toolbox tips here ya go!

http://idocoach.com/email-newsletter

I'm currently coaching writers worldwide, online, one on one and taking new clients for the fall. Visit my website for more info www.idocoach.com or write to me at mark@idocoach.com

Check out this interview in M Music and Musicians Magazine for stories behind a few of my songs!

Mark Cawley is a hit songwriter who coaches other writers around the globe through his one-on-one, online service iDocoach.com. His songs have been on more than 16 million records with cuts ranging from Tina Turner, Joe Cocker, Chaka Kahn to Wynonna Judd, Taylor Dayne, Billie Piper and The Spice Girls. His book, Song Journey, was released in April 2019 and went to #1 in 6 catagories on Amazon.Mark is a 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 and Songwriter Magazine, InTune Magazine, a sponsor for the Australian Songwriting Association, and a past mentor for The Songwriting Academy UK. Born and raised in Syracuse, New York, Mark now resides in Nashville, Tennessee.

October 30, 2019

Writing Songs To A Brief: 10 Essential Points

October 30, 2019/ Mark Cawley

A brief Introduction

I co-hosted an event with my buddy Eliot Kennedy in Sheffield, England last week made up of two, three-day songwriting camps. These were held at Eliot's studio, Steelworks, with four separate studios, each with an engineer/operator. The idea was that three writers would be assigned to a team for the day in one of the studios not only to write their song but to demo it each day. Next day, start over with a new team and a new assignment. 24 writers over the weeklong, two camp workshop. Eliot and I would drop in from time to time with each group to check their progress and offer suggestions if needed.

The kicker was that each day these teams would be writing for a real artist. One who was currently signed or working with Eliot. The best part, they were writing to real briefs and even better, two of the artists would be in the studio on the second day and would spend time with the groups and in some cases, sing the demo at the end of the day.

If you’re not familiar with writing to a brief it simply means you’re given some parameters. They currently need uptempo, or a ballad, like to sing songs of affirmation, maybe even “in the style of” and some background on the artist. You’re not shooting in the dark with your song but rather at a specific target. Now, if you have the luxury of the producers input and the artist in the studio to pick their brains, that’s about as good as it gets.

So…you have your brief, you have your co-writers and you have a studio to write and record in for the day. Where do you start?

The 10 Points

Talk with each other. Find out your fellow co-writers strengths and weaknesses and be dead honest here. This will help you understand the resources in the room.
Ask about how your co-writers like to process. Do they need constant stimulation or do they need to consider every option and make their choices slowly and deliberately?
If the brief mentions other artist hits, or references particular styles by all means check these out before you decide on your direction. Remember, you’re not trying to clone these examples but it’s smart songwriting to use them as guides.
This song is for someone else. This is not the time to write that country idea you’ve had sitting around when the brief mentions your artist is a 15 member K-pop band, (Shout out to the awesome John Saunderson here:-)! You’re writing to get a cut!
Don’t be precious. By this I mean don’t get an idea and hold on to it for dear life. Your co-writer may have a better one. Go with the best idea in the room no matter if it’s yours, someone else’s or the collective inspiration. Again, you want a cut!
If you have the holy grail of songwriting experiences and you have the artist “in the room” ask questions. This is not the time to tell them your life story, it’s the time to ask them theirs.
Listen for things that the artist seems passionate about. Work them into the song where ever you can. If you work with an artist and they say it seems like you read their mind with your song you’re so, so close to that cut. If, at the end of the day they say your song would be great for someone that means that someone ain’t them. No cut, no way.
If you have the artist there or you’re able to listen to their work, make some notes. The singers general range is always a good idea to keep in mind.
Never, never, never go rouge on your group and ask the producer or artist to listen to a song of yours that you think would be perfect for them. You’re in this co-write together.
As your day goes on continue to go back to the brief. Are you still headed in the right direction? Trust me, as the deadline looms you can get desperate to finish and go down some alternate routes to the destination you’ve been given.

In Brief

The brief is just that, a brief heads up for the project/song/artist. Nail the brief, nail the cut, nail enough cuts and you’ll get more briefs, keep it up and it will keep you from having a brief career :-) Good luck!!

P.S. These two camps nailed the briefs and many of the songs written are being considered for the artists currently.

Mark Cawley

Nashville, Tennessee

10/30/2019

A big shout out to izotope for providing the awesome Spire units for our workshop!

if you'd like to stay up with iDoCoach including receiving the latest blogs and my favorite 7 Toolbox tips here ya go!

http://idocoach.com/email-newsletter

I'm currently coaching writers worldwide, online, one on one and taking new clients for the fall. Visit my website for more info www.idocoach.com or write to me at mark@idocoach.com

Check out this interview in M Music and Musicians Magazine for stories behind a few of my songs!

Mark Cawley is a hit songwriter who coaches other writers around the globe through his one-on-one, online service iDocoach.com. His songs have been on more than 16 million records with cuts ranging from Tina Turner to Wynonna Judd to The Spice Girls. His book, Song Journey, was released in April 2019 and went to #1 in 6 catagories on Amazon.Mark is a 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 and Songwriter Magazine, InTune Magazine, a sponsor for the Australian Songwriting Association, and a mentor for The Songwriting Academy UK. Born and raised in Syracuse, New York, Mark now resides in Nashville, Tennessee.

September 30, 2019

Revisiting A Life Changing Songwriting Workshop In Spain

September 30, 2019/ Mark Cawley

I’m getting ready to co-host a songwriting workshop with my buddy Eliot Kennedy in Sheffield England this month and it got me thinking about the value of workshops and retreats. For this blog I really am revisiting a songwriting workshop. One I know and love, the TSA Workshop held a few times a year outside of Malaga , Spain. I was there this month, part of my excuse for reposting this blog from 2016 or at least updating!

This pic is from the recent one in September 2019. Martin Sutton does an amazing job and this year I was among some fantastic mentors including Ed Hill who came along with me from Nashville, Chris Neil and the awesome force of nature that is publisher John Saunderson. It may have topped the first time I went (and the inspiration for this blog) but all I can say is…you need to go!! Doesn’t have to be this one but find one that looks like a good fit and put yourself out there!

In Praise Of Songwriting Workshops!

September 27, 2016

No rain in Spain ...well once

September is a month I’ll remember for a long time to come. Most of my coaching is done from my home office in Nashville via Skype and my songwriting clients are all over the world at this point. This is something I’ve loved doing for over 5 years now but…I do miss seeing writers in person, writing more myself and traveling. This month I got my fix.

I was invited by Martin Sutton who runs The Songwriting Academy in the UK to come to Malaga, Spain and be one of 4 mentors at their annual songwriting retreat from Sept 10-17. I also got the chance through Martin and TSA to have a full day workshop in London on the 19th. This took me right up to my workshop in DC with Kye Fleming organized by our friend Tom Nichols and the Songwriting Association Of Washington. It felt like a mini tour!

In Malaga they had over 30 writers, mostly UK based but a few from Russia and even Norway. Had a chance to write with a different group each day and mentor two other groups per day. Martin, Dominic Roy King and Charlie Dore were the other mentors and some gifted folk. After dinner every group performs the song they wrote followed by pure fun and wine…lots of great food and wine:-)!

DC, London and Spain...the people are all the same...awesome!

These are songwriters investing in their passion, turning information into inspiration every day. This, along with the one day workshop in London and the one I held in DC a weeks later, just reminded me how amazing it is to write songs and to co-write with people for the pure buzz of it. It filled up my well and I got to experience the “non-music business “ part of the music business. People were gracious and giving as well as sponges for anything new. I’ve been to pro-writing camps and although they can be great for networking and a shot at getting a cut, they can lack the pure joy of these events. I got to share my life stories and hear some amazing ones but it comes back to the thing we all have in common, a love for songwriting and expression.

Got as much as I gave for sure and in that sense it was all one big co-writing experience. Although most attendees were close to my kids’ age (and a few who might have done the math and found I could be their Granddad) when writers get together in that kind of spirit nothing else matters but the music and I heard some great music everyday from the writers at the retreat to the ones in the West End of London to the beautiful city of Washington DC. I loved TSA and its people enough to become a mentor on their site to coach their members from time to time.

Just go!!!

If you haven’t tried a writing camp or retreat, gone to a workshop in your town or in some far off place, I would really urge you to do it. We can live inside our heads as writers and need to much of the time but there’s no substitute for making music with other people, sharing stories and seeing how other writers go about writing a song. I made music but more importantly made some lifelong friends and filled up the well to overflowing. I'm vowing to do more in the coming year.

Here are just a few of the places you can do the same!

The Songwriting Academy ( Martin Sutton and his team are awesome at what they do and what they offer)

NSAI ( with branches in many cities they offer a great chance to meet other writers and though the Nashville chapter, lot’s of information)

The West Coast Songwriters Association ( I’ve done a few workshops for them as well as their big event in September. Ian and Joanie Crombie are the real deal)

BMI Workshops ( Great workshops with Jason Blume and they’ve hosted workshops for Kye Fleming and myself over the years)

ASCAP Workshops ( Their create music seminars in LA are great!)

Berklee College Of Music ( mainly online offerings but check for events)

Sweetwater Music (The worlds biggest internet music equipment provider and has great programs. I’ve been their guest for many over the years)

Songtown ( Clay Mills and Marty Dotson offer some events and great info with a focus on Nashville)

Eliot Kennedy and I are offering a brand new workshop featuring the chance to write with artists and for movies. We sold out quickly but will offer this again in the new year.

More and more songwriters are offering their own workshops including me from time to time so just Google Songwriting Workshops to find one near you. Judy Stakee offers cool retreats as does Chris Difford and Dominic KIng. Steve Earl even offers a camp once a year. I’ve seen camps pop up in Yosemite and even Marthas Vineyard. Take the leap and I promise, it will be life changing!

Mark Cawley

Nashville, Tennessee

9/27/16

if you'd like to stay up with iDoCoach including receiving the latest blogs and my favorite 7 Toolbox tips here ya go!

http://idocoach.com/email-newsletter

I'm currently coaching writers worldwide, online, one on one and taking new clients for the fall. Visit my website for more info www.idocoach.com or write to me at mark@idocoach.com

Check out this interview in the recent edition of M Music and Musicians Magazine for stories behind a few of my songs!

Mark Cawley is a hit songwriter who coaches other writers around the globe through his one-on-one, online service iDocoach.com. His songs have been on more than 16 million records with cuts ranging from Tina Turner to Wynonna Judd to The Spice Girls. His book, Song Journey, was released in April 2019 and went to #1 in 6 catagories on Amazon.Mark is a 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 and Songwriter Magazine, a sponsor for the Australian Songwriting Association, and a mentor for The Songwriting Academy UK. Born and raised in Syracuse, New York, Mark now resides in Nashville, Tennessee.

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Revisiting A Life Changing Songwriting Workshop In Spain

In Praise Of Songwriting Workshops!

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