iDoCoach Blog
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Mark Cawley is a hit U.S. songwriter and musician who coaches other writers and artists to reach their creative and professional goals. Hit Songwriter Mark Cawley takes you inside pro songwriting with his posts covering everything from co-writing to the etiquette involved in taking a meeting and much, much more!
iDoCoach | Inside Pro Songwriting
3y ago
HAPPY NEW YEAR
I wanted to use this first blog of 2022 to wish you all a healthy and prosperous new year and to let you know about a major change in my life. Hope you’ll indulge me and read until the end.
70 !!
January 9th, 2022 marks my 70th birthday or as I like to call it, the 70th anniversary of my escape from the womb:-) I’ve been completely obsessed with music from the age of 14. I blame this on the Beatles, the Stones and Motown. First in garage bands, eventually graduating to a few major record deals and touring. Before long I realized that songwriting was my real, one true passion an ..read more
iDoCoach | Inside Pro Songwriting
3y ago
Ever thought about writing a song based on a virtue? Lots to pick from. How about faith, hope, charity, fortitude, justice, temperance and prudence. Also know as the “seven heavenly virtues”.
There are “moral virtues” like courage, liberality, magnificence, magnanimity , proper ambition, truthfulness, wittiness, friendliness, modesty, righteous indignation.
We even have the “human virtues” of humility, honesty, courage, perseverance, hope, charity, balance, wisdom and justice.
Honesty
I’m going with honesty today. Give this one some thought before you jump in. Know someone who’s honest ..read more
iDoCoach | Inside Pro Songwriting
3y ago
iDoCoach.com
Ever suffer from paralysis by analysis? Stressed out over a line or a melodic phrase? Easy to get caught up in your song with the smallest of details. If you tend to overthink your song just …don’t.
I’ve mentored a ton of songwriters through the years both online, in sessions, workshops, and writer retreats. Can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve come into a room and found co-writers have retreated into their respective corners and the song has come to a complete halt. I’ll ask them to take me back to the beginning of their co-write and walk me through it. It’s usually a sho ..read more
iDoCoach | Inside Pro Songwriting
3y ago
Definition of one-trick pony: one that is skilled in only one area
Grohl has never been mistaken for a one-trick pony.
— Lars Brandle, Billboard, 25 May 2021
Times have changed for songwriters. I’m not talking about the pure act of writing a song. It will always take inspiration and skill that you’ll have to summon up from inside but, more about the tools needed to succeed as a songwriter in 2021. If you’re writing just for the sake of writing, then you can stop here, but…if you want this to be your livelihood, read on.
Love it or hate it, we’re in a time of co-writing. Just look at the song ..read more
iDoCoach | Inside Pro Songwriting
3y ago
iDoCoach Blog
If you’ve been writing songs for awhile you’ve no doubt heard the phrase “show, not tell”. It’s the art of letting the listener into your world, letting them see what you see. Color and detail are your tools. But how do you go about doing this more?
Think of your lyric writing like a stager.
A stager is the person who goes into a house for sale with the job of making it inviting for the potential buyers. If they cram too much into the house it’s harder for the buyer to picture themselves there. If they were to just take everything out of the house they present a different proble ..read more
iDoCoach | Inside Pro Songwriting
3y ago
Does Songwriting have an expiration date?
I might just as well ask if songwriters have an expiration date. I coach songwriters all over the world, of all levels and all ages. I’m seeing a surge of writers coming to me for coaching who are coming back to a love of writing they may have put on the shelf for years. Maybe it was the need to focus on work or family. Whatever the reason most put their dream on hold. In some cases Covid provided more time and more focus on being creative and that’s bringing them out.
I love coaching these writers because most are realistic. They know they aren’t abo ..read more
iDoCoach | Inside Pro Songwriting
3y ago
iDoCoach.com Blog
Let go of the wheel
You might consider a whole lot of things when you start putting a song together. Can I suggest one that might not enter your mind while you’re making choices? Choose to let go of the wheel and let the song dictate the structure at some point.
This is a good time to mention, once again, that there are no rules in songwriting, only tools. This one is as valuable as any other in your toolbox.
There is so much information out there for songwriters, online and in person. So many valuable tools and methods being taught that it can get easier and easier to ..read more
iDoCoach | Inside Pro Songwriting
3y ago
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 ..read more
iDoCoach | Inside Pro Songwriting
3y ago
iDoCoach Blog
My article first appeared in the Spring 2021 issue of Songwriting Magazine and reprinted here with thier permission.
Chorus First
You can’t have too many tools in your songwriting toolbox and this is one of my favorites. So you’ve hit a wall, your approach to songwriting is starting to seem like too much of the same thing, the usual method is getting stale. Try forgetting about everything else in your song but the chorus. Seriously. Just focus on those huge 4 to 8 lines that are going to be the most memorable part of what a listener hears.
I would call myself a title writer and ..read more
iDoCoach | Inside Pro Songwriting
3y ago
iDoCoach Blog
A fish story
I’m a songwriter and living in Nashville Tennessee and it’s pretty common to hear songwriters say they’re fishing for ideas. This fishing is one fun step for me and always has been. There is no better part of the songwriting process than that initial bite, no matter how you got there but if you don’t capture the idea it’s just more “one that got away” story.
I’ve heard some songwriters say they don’t write ideas down or worry about recording them in the early stages because “if it’s great I’ll remember it and if I don’t …well it must not have been that ..read more