Midnight Wind Music

When I lived in Las Vegas, I was a member of the Las Vegas Songwriters Association.  Besides having great people in its membership and its holiday charitable focus to help underprivileged children, LVSA had (and still does) a strong emphasis on collaboration amongst writers.There are many reasons why working with another songwriter is a plus:

• Both of you get the benefit of other points of view.
• Each of you has a different cache of words in your vocabulary.
• You bring a variety of musical models into play.
• You bounce ideas off each other in a way not possible by yourself.

And that's just a start!  There is a whole new dynamic when you're working with someone else, and that kind of fire is good to have.  But how do you begin, especially if you've never worked with someone else before?

1. Join a songwriting group and ask if a member would be interested in working together.
   
2. Agree on ground rules and use a contract to spell out working terms.
3. Leave your ego at the door.  Respect the other person and the learning available to you from the relationship.
4. Decide on your focus: are you working on a specific project or song, or are you doing a free association thing to come up with new ideas?
5. Create a timeline and follow it.  Commit to starting and ending on time when you're working together.
6. Choose ahead of time when your collaboration will be completed or tabled.
7. Remember that it's business; don't take things personally.  A professional will always look to see what lessons can be learned in any situation.

My collaborations have always been where I add music to someone's lyrics.  The words may lend themselves to 3/4 time, like a waltz, or it may be more free form. You may have to go back and rework the melody a few times, especially if the lyrics change.  You may need to amp up the chorus, or insert or delete a bridge.  In any case, your craft deepens as you work it.

Some of the best-loved songs have been written by two or more people, and  many musicals and operas have separate composers and lyricists.  It's always nice not to have to do everything yourself, so try something new and check out the possibilities of collaborating with another songwriter.  You'll be glad you did!

This title probably sounds stupid, but that's the mistake I made years ago.  I went to audition to be part of a chorus, not even for a solo, and I went in there acting like I already knew it all.  I hadn't really prepared, needed a cheat sheet for the lyrics to my audition piece (an absolute no-no), and failed miserably with a sight-reading piece that I could have nailed had I practiced ahead of time.

The bottom line?  Don't ever assume that you're "ready."  I should have picked a shorter song for the audition, completely memorized the words, and just been more prepared by practicing for much more than a mere hour beforehand.  This was a downright embarrassment not only to me and the people who auditioned me, but also to my husband, who knew the people auditioning me.  Yikes!

How did I sink so low?  I wasn't hanging around with very many musicians, so I didn't hear those who were better than me and how they were working at it.  When you're just surrounded with yourself and your thoughts, you can think you're really great when you're not.  The opposite also occurs, so it's important to hang with other musicians for a reality check.  Also, if you're not serious, the serious ones will not waste their time hanging around you.  That should also be a clue!  (And for the record, I didn't get it.)

Consider where you are and where you want to be.  Ask for help from those who have been there.  The great ones will want to help you or give you a hint or clue if they haven't got a lot of time.  But don't assume that you know it all already!