songcoach@comcast.net
Fax & Phone 615-333-0504
5464 Village Way, Nashville, TN, 37211
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Micro Critique And Instructive Co-Writing
Thanks for visiting my website. My Songcoaching Services provides 1. Micro Critique to point out the strengths and weaknesses of each line and note, 2. Instructive Co-writing: I will give you actual lyric and music ideas and content during the critique session. I take no credit, you keep the publishing, so you can play with my suggestions, keep, change or throw them away if you choose. The songwriter actually experiences the thought process of one 32 year veteran hit songwriter. This pro-active approach helps songwriters mature faster through on-the-job training.
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HOW IT WORKS
I offer individual instructive co-writing critique sessions or seminars. Check it out below.
Individually you can book a session:
1. Live at my home office at 5464 Village Way, Nashville, TN, 37211
2. By phone (615-333-0504). I have unlimited long distance so I can call you for free.
3. On Skype, a FREE on-line phone service that also carries video. So the session will be seen as well as heard. Go to Skype.com, look for "get connected", download the free program and sign up, get a caller ID and call me at: mysongcoach. The phone will ring on my computer. It's that easy.
SCHEDULING:
Call or email the time of day you are usually available and I will email you back a date and time.
Email: songcoach@comcast.net
Telephone number: 615-333-0504
Please feel free to call any time if you have any questions.
PREPARATION:
Email or fax lyrics to me, preferably at least 1/2 hour before the session. You will play the song live or taped over the phone and I will record it. Guitar-piano or accapella work tapes are fine. Client can sing live over the phone. You are incouraged to record the entire session.
FEES:
INSTRUCTIVE CO-0WRITING: I charge $100 for one hour session. $50 for a 30 minute session and $20 for a quick ten minute check up.
MICRO CRITIQUE: $50 for a one hour session. $25 for a 30 minute session.
Checks or Paypal work fine.
PAYPAL ID: songcoach@comcast.net
ADDRESS: 5464 Village Way, Nashville, TN, 37211
GUARANTEE: All work is satisfaction guaranteed or your money back. You can pay after session to assure satisfaction.
CANCELLATION POLICY:
If you cancel and reschedule within one week, there is no charge. If you cancel two or more days in advance there is no charge. Cancellations one day in advance have a half session fee. Cancellations on the day of the session have a full session fee.
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More about Individual MICRO CRITIQUE and INSTRUCTIVE CO-WRITING Services
I provide personalized in-depth critique and instructive co-writing, line by line. Note by note. I'll point out your strengths as well as making suggestions to bring your song to a professional level. I like to get my clients thinking for themselves by suggesting possible ways to improve their songs. I give my co-writing ideas to the songwriter to play with on their own time. You get to keep, re-arrange or throw out my suggestions. I take no songwriting credit (unless you insist) so I have no emotional investment in the song, allowing you to take your song where you want it to go without my permission. We discuss everything from the creative process and the song's emotional message musically and lyrically to the core storyline and the finite details needed to bring out the best in your song.
I work equally well with both music and lyric. I co-write every day with Pop, R&B and Country artists through my Nashville publisher, Zavitson Music Group, so I'm comfortable in all genres.
I also help creatively blocked songwriters get un-stuck through a series of creative pep talks and exercises that really work magic.
My mission is to teach you, through instructive co-writing, how to think and write at a professional level on your own. Bottom line: I give every client one working pro songwriter's take on how their song could be developed into a polished song worthy of professional demo, film and TV or quality personal projects.
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SEMINARS
I can present seminars alone or with my super talented, amazingly brilliant and gorgeous bride, Deanna Walker, who teaches songwriting at Vanderbilt University and is a staff writer for Zavitson Music Group with cuts by Kenny Rogers, Rissi Palmer, Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton to name just a few. Together we put on the most powerful show in the Western World and the best and most nurturing and real world critique ever experienced ever!
Groups can choose from the below topics with songwriting exercises as well as critique sessions. I will perform at the end of any seminar upon request. Deanna specializes in teaching music with lyric(Masters in composition from Johns Hopkins) though you don't have to read music at all. I have seminars designed from one and a half hours to half or full days or weekends with an optional concert at the end of the day or event. Deanna and I are flexible and enjoy personalizing each seminar to the client's needs.
FEE: My fee for 1 1/2 hours is $200, half day is $500, Full day is $1000, Weekend is $2500. Deanna and I only do full days at $1500 or weekends $3000. Travel expenses are paid for all events. Deanna and I don't mind staying with the folks putting on the show. 20 people hiring me solo works out to $10ea for 1 1/2 hours, $25ea for a half day, $50ea for the day and $125ea from Friday night to Sunday afternoon. For Deanna and I, 20 people would pay $75ea for the day or $150ea for the weekend to meet our fee. We do negotiate so please call or email. We love what we do more than the money.
COURSE TOPICS
SONGWRITING ELEMENTS AND FINDING YOUR STYLE:
Learn the basic parameters of lyric and music. This knowledge will not only create more songwriting possibilities but will allow us all to discover our individual style, be it emotional, symbolic or detail driven. We'll explore the ten songwriting elements: concept, genre, form, development, rhyme, rhythm, symbols, physical, emotional, and conclusive writing, texture, melody and chords.
FINDING GREAT SONG IDEAS AND LOSING WRITER'S BLOCK:
Techniques for searching out interesting ideas and testing these ideas to see if they will be compelling and complete enough to form a central theme for a song by
writing "treatments" and headlining. Learning techniques to combat and beat writer's block.
ADVANCED LYRIC STRUCTURE & DEVELOPMENT:
This lecture teaches the tricks of chorus vs. non-chorus song structure, character development, hook placement and plot variations used in the trenches of professional commercial songwriting. The importance of contrast and repetition are explored in all facets of songwriting. Shifts in meaning and where to shift are discussed. Power Placement Contrast & Repitition:
After inspiration, contrast and repetition could be our most valuable tool in creating powerful songs. Contrast creates interest while repetition creates bonding and memorable songs. Learn all the ways to create contrast and repetition in lyric as well as music. Learning about beginnings and endings, opening lines and lead-in lines, the art of power placement. Knowing about WHERE AND WHEN to shift concepts or person.
RHYME TO THE NINES:
Learn the rhyme and rhythm tricks of the pros. Polish your songs with interesting rhyme variations. Learn the hip new rhythm variations as well as the basics to expand your groove opportunities. Scansion and Meter Breaking are taught.
SYMBOLIC WRITING AND POETIC LEVELS:
Learning the language of lyric from spoken conversation to poetic styles will keep songs sounding honest while increasing lyric intensity. Symbolic writing will be analyzed and defined. Metaphor exercises.
MUSIC MANIPULATION:
Understand the powerful natural dynamics and emotion in your melodies and chords. Learn to explore your lyric for the most effective music possibilities. Tension and release, symmetric and asymmetric lines are defined. Prosody, notes against chord variations, key changing and chord substitutions are explored. Reading music is not necessary.
CREATIVITY EXPANSION
: Become closer to our inner songwriting power. Know we all are successful songwriters. Get deeper into your creative well through a series of exercises designed to open up your wild creative inner self. Go where the hit ideas live. ART exercise. Cluster Exercise.
P.I. LEVELS (Professional Intuition) : Learn to maximize melody-lyric for emotional effect. Look into the world of song idea and structural possibilities and learn how to prioritize, choose the most effective path to song success. Gain insight into how pro songwriters instinctively take chances, try new things, then rationalize their choices in the songwriting process.
SECRETS TO POWERFUL EMOTIONAL WRITING AND CLICHÉ BUSTING! Emotional writing can be so predictable and clichéd. Examine the great emotional songwriters and discover their secrets for diverse, engaging and original emotional music and lyric. Learn how to make minimalist lyric an effective tool in the songwriting process. Get techniques to replace or deal with clichés.
SECOND VERSE-ITIS, FINISHING TOUCHES OF THE PROS: Powerful secrets used by the pros for bringing a song from pretty good to awesome! Learn to recognize ringers of hit songs so you can finish your songs with compelling flare and / or deeper gut wrenching emotion.
SECRETS TO SUCCESSFUL MESSAGE SONGS: PREACHING SUCCESSFULLY: Preachy Songs can be a hard sell. But we WANT to write them! We examine some successful message song techniques used by the pros. Get your preach on and out to the listener most effectively.
SECRETS TO POWERFUL STORY SONGS: Secrets of interesting and unique detail from the best story-narrative-situation songs. Learn how to “Show don’t tell”. Discovering originality in detail and symbols. Using the physical world to create compelling emotion. interest and depth.
SECRETS TO SUCCESSFUL SYMBOLIC WRITING: Exploring the colorful world of idioms, metaphors and similes through the greatest symbolic hit songs. Using symbols as themes-hooks or powerful support to a literal hook. Learn the difference between Figurative and Physical Symbolic themes. Easy exercises build symbols for the symbolically challenged.
ANATOMY OF HIT SONGS, LINE BY LINE, NOTE BY NOTE: Analyzing current hit songs to learn how different pro writers manipulate Form, Development, Rhyme, Rhythm, and Lyric Elements into more compelling, emotionally charged lyric and music. Talking about "Ringers", that special little extra something that keeps songs rising on the charts for months.
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Rick's Bio
Rick Beresford teaches Commercial Songwriting at BELMONT UNIVERSITY in Nashville, TN. He is the director of the KERRVILLE FOLK FESTIVAL SONG SCHOOL held in Kerrville, Texas each year and permanent faculty member of the NASHVILLE SONGWRITERS ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL'S song camps and workshops. Rick has given workshops in the USA, Canada, England, and Australia. He has been coaching songwriters, lecturing and teaching since 1985.
DISCOGRAPHY HIGHLIGHTS
Rick has had songs recorded by such artists as George Jones, Brenda Lee, The Everly Brothers (Oh yeah), Don Williams, Canada's Jake Mathews, Mickey Gilley, Sweethearts Of The Rodeo, Elizabeth Eckert, Kyle Wyley, John Conlee and many Grand Ol' Opry stars.
AWARDS
Rick has received two BMI AWARDS and a MUSIC CITY NEWS AWARD. He produced the ARIA Award winning (Australian Grammy) Country Album of the Year, 1998, for Shanley Del for BMG, Australia.
WRITING CREDITS
I've been a staff writer for ZMG Music Group 3 years, co-writing with artists such as Country artist Rissi Palmer, Slugfest Records Elizabeth Eckert, Kyle Wyley, pop artist Chris Mann, Indi artist Tom Kimmel and Country legend Janis Oliver of the Sweethearts Of The Rodeo. I've co-written with some super talented hit writers such as Deanna Walker (Rissi Palmer's Mr. Oo-La La, She'll Believe You by Kenny Rogers), Sarah Majors, Kye Flemming (30plus #1 Country songs from Barbara Mandrel to Sylvia), Mary Ann Kennedy, Jenifer Kimball, Roger Cook, Red Lane and Wayne Carson and talented Canadian Country star Jake Mathews. So Rick brings all this songwriting experience that he's learned with him to share with clients.
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SONGWRITINGDATE.BLOGSPOT.COM
This is a free service Rick created for co-writing. Say you live in a small town and need a co-writer where there is none. Rick feels you pain. Co-writing long distance is the way to go with free Skype (with video) or all these cheap phone rates. Go to skype.com and follow the directions to "get hooked up". You can call anyone with Skype for free and see them. Just set up a time to call and your off and running! Or... Get a speaker phone for $25 bucks, make an appointment, call and GO, GO, GO! Rick co-writes with Australia on Skype!
Rick has set up a website for songwriters in need of a co-writer to network. To find a co-writer to write with over free Skype with video or phone go to: songwritingdate.blogspot.com
Put your information in the category that best suits you. Browse all the numbers already there. Pick a co-writer that you think will suit your needs and contact them. IT'S LIKE HAVING THE WRITER IN THE ROOM. No more whining that there's no co-writers for miles. The world is at your computer tip.
