GET SONGWRITING HELP FROM A PROFESSIONAL
Kent Songwriting Studio
Having a great song idea is only the start. Anyone with even a slight musical background can put together some words, maybe a few chords on guitar or piano and slap it onto a cassette, DAW, iPhone or some other recording media for posterity. But, some artists want more than that. They want their songwriting skills to be heard globally in its finest form. Recording and sounds apart, lyric quality, song structure, melody and harmony are all crucial factors in a good song. Songwriting is a craft in itself. There are plenty of songwriters workshops where likeminded people meet with industry professionals and learn from the best.
Most people don’t want to go as far as songwriting workshops but would simply like to get the very best they can from their songs during the recording process. Oastview Studio’s in house producer has worked with countless up and coming artists and songwriters helping them to refine their song ideas. Whether It’s helping to write melodies to lyrics, creating chord structures, adding instrumentation to support the vision or helping to refine the lyrics to fit the song structure we will help every step of the way.
The Songwriting Process
Every project that comes into Oastview Studio is different therefore we tailor the songwriting assistance to the requirements of the artist and the session. A big part of the projects we get start with the artist coming to the studio with a rough recorded demo, others like to bring a guitar or play piano and perform the idea to us. Either way is fine and we take notes as we go, identifying points like key, chord structure and whether there is a strong melody present. We then take the important step of trying to identify the artistes vision for the song. This normally manifests as a commercial song in a similar vein that we can use as reference, or even, simply by description.
We can then proceed to record the song in demo form. The reason it is recorded in demo form rather than full on production from the beginning is for speed of building parts and the ability to swap sections around as required. It is then a simple matter to make different demo versions to take home and live with for a while to see what works. Once the demo is recorded with all the parts in place and the format is finally decided the finely honed song can then progress to the tracking phase to record the song in all its sonic glory. Of course, the line between demo and finished song can be blurred as some takes and recordings could have been recorded and performed to a good standard during the demo phase.
Bespoke Songwriting
A good number of lyricists have no musical ability whatsoever and thus needs the skills of a musician write and play instrumental parts to go with their lyrics. The in house producer at our Kent Songwriting Studio facility is perfect for this. If the producer is not able to play a particular instrument then he can arrange for session musicians to come in and perform the required parts. We can also write and produce complete songs and compositions from scratch and to a brief. Please contact us for more information.
Lastly, it is important to understand that any creative input by the producer is regarded as “joint work” and as such the producer retains copyright with respect to his creative works. Studio fees paid by the client will allow the use of his work by the client. In some cases it’s a good idea to have a written agreement between client and producer for protection of both parties. This is all discussed on the first meeting prior to commencement of any work.