Some Things I've Learned about Songwriting in 25 Years | Cliff Goldmacher | TEDxMemphis
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 13 сен 2015
- Cliff Goldmacher is a songwriter, session musician, producer, engineer and author. In his talk, he covers a few things he’s learned about songwriting in the twenty-five years he’s been doing it and plays snippets of a few of his songs to illustrate his points.
In the music business for over twenty-five years, Cliff Goldmacher is a songwriter, producer, engineer, author and educator. His songwriting collaborators include Grammy award-winning and multi-platinum selling artists Keb’ Mo’, Ke$ha, Lisa Loeb, Grateful Dead drummer, Mickey Hart, and Chris Barron (Lead singer of the Spin Doctors).
Cliff’s songs have been cut by major label artists in genres ranging from country, pop and jazz to classical crossover. His music has also been used on NPR’s “This American Life” and in national advertising campaigns. Cliff’s song, "Till You Come To Me,” went to #1 on the jazz charts.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx
So many mad artists on this thread! Lesson 1: Balance Story and Emotion
Lesson 2: Look for a fresh angle on a familiar topic.
Lesson 3: Write from what you know.
Writing a song is like trying to solve a murder case.
A positive comment for a positive guy. He does what he loves, which is the ultimate success.
Exactly dad
Thank you Cliff! Your passion for songwriting really shines through. I've been writing songs for 15 years cause I can't help it. I appreciate your insight and sharing your gifts.
I don't understand people ripping him for his voice. He's a songwriter, not a singer. Duh
Too RIGHT! If a raspy, weak, 2 note range singer like Willie Nelson can have a mega career spanning over seven decades, almost anyone can. Cliff is a brilliant songwriter. In the music business, you see moderately adept singers blaze to superstar, and brilliant musicians toil away in obscurity, never hitting ‘the big time’. His song “Not Quite” sung by Heather Rigdon, is a standard in the making.
If you know anything about songwriting you can plainly see we can and should take ideas from who or wherever we can...Great job Cliff...
Jim Stone 😎
I love this video of you Cliff. It really shows just who you are and you shine. Thank you so much for all the hard work you do for all of us. I feel so fortunate to have found you and Nashville Studio Live for my music!
Good advice! This gentleman is truly professional and talented. For those being rude and hateful about this video..please post your work so we can judge it. Otherwise, take the advice and improve and encourage other songwriters.
What a beautiful and inspiring person and wonderful songwriter!
advice from experience, never turn down free advice, take what you can use, build your skills and have many. learn all the mechanics from a to z and keep learning and practicing. it never stops.
Thanks for this clip. I have been stuck in my creativity. This reminded me what i have been forgetting in the process of writing one song after another.
I am just commenting to Cliff. Thank you I enjoyed the video. You are very delightful to listen to. Quite talented, and very helpful. A pleasure.
Hey people this man MAKES A LIVING WRITING .....NUFF SAID
Amazing video! Great songs! Thank you so much for the tips!
The balance between our emotions and lyrics
is perhaps the most important and difficult rule
Beautiful! Thanks❤️
the guy still non the less put together great four universal tips to writing songs. every song writer has their way for gods sake. but these can work for everyone. chill with mean comments.
inspiring ❤
Love Cliff! This is so great :)
He speaks only about the lyrical content .... but there's another dimension, THE MUSIC!!
Finally someone said this! 'Hey Jude' wouldn't be a classic if it was strummed with a ukulele...the orchestral involvement made it great and historic. You are correct, Brian.
Yeah honestly it doesn't really seem like that's what he's been focused on over the years...
@@bassinblue except, have you heard Jake Shimabukuru play it on the uke? Transformational. Without a beautiful tune, the lyrics are floating in the ether, untethered.
Wowza! The good news is that if you ever get tired of the songwriting biz.....you've got a stand-up comedy career waiting in the wings as your back up plan. Just watched this twice and actually learned something about making tunes. You totally crushed it! Congrats, Juan Patino
vil
Heartwarming, poignant and truthful. Thank you for this
great video and some great points. Thanks from a song writer
Right on brother and write on!
Excellent 😁
taking the emotion out of music leaves it lifeless
He said to find a balance. 100% emotion is not it. It's a good tip because it causes tension and you eagerly await the breakdown / the emotion.
Really cool!!!
Good stuff Cliff :)
The third one is the nice guy anthem
Working within parameters and light limits is great, but when you apply the same formula to each song, they all tend to sound the same. Songwriting is discovery, of what kinds of lyrics and sounds can be sculpted by different ratios of emotion and story and other elements of song. Everybody has their own sound.
Every lyricist and tunesmith has a signature “sound”. They all have a “formula” or method of crafting a song. A Sammy Cahn song is easily identifiable from a Marvin Hamlisch tune, Willie Nelson from Kris Kristofferson. Because their songs have a similarity doesn’t lessen their value. They’re all working with the same 8 notes and 26 letters!
I hear a little bit of Jonathan Richman here. And yes, he's a songwriter, in the old, classic Tin Pan Alley or Brill Street sense. A lot of the songs you love have been written by people who are no more talented as performers than, or who are even less talented as performers than, this guy.
great talk, simple but important message, somehow whooshed over many peoples heads judging from what the comment section is raving about.
awesome
He got paid and still getting paid so im pretty sure he doesn't care what negative snakes have to say
Your amazing i enjoy your spirit
Dont get you guys here . The guy is a Songwriter which means he writes songs. The lyrics and the angles that he shows so easy are glimpses of what hardships he‘s been through . Means he sticks to it and thats what count in music. P.s.very nice songs and insight.thank you
i like that last point he shares🕵️🥀and also its a great deal come on....follow ur passion✨🥀🔥
Yes I have a few questions on writing
Thanks.
This guys interesting take on a love song.... about it being hard to write a love song that isn't generic and has something new to say... is the exact premise of a John Entwistle song "Its Hard to Write a Love Song" much better than what he's got.
I really liked the song, I would legit add some of these to my playlist!
Excellent.
Really tongue in cheek but very sound advice. What is music these days? A commodity which is really awful.
Hail to all songwriters. You guys are the best.
If this is where 25 years of Songwriting gets you, I'm gonna jump
AldiWiesel its where lack of depth gets you in a brainwashed society
LOL
He is a professional songwriter, not a singer or performer.
@@fernandoblengio It's his songwriting that sucks. Nobody cares about the performance.
dude all of these comments are so mean! this guy would be a PERFECT stand up comedian.. not a cool, good musician from what i have seen. he likes music.. he has heady lyrics.. yeah.. stand up comedian using music.. 100% fit for this guy.
I write songs too
Only 50---
okay, but...the lyrics he wrote say EXACTLY what he said would be too much emotion. Like almost freaking verbatim. How did this guy get a Ted spot? Can I have one? I can do the same thing.
No, you can't.
Singing the nice guy needy blues...!
I started writing songs only because something was telling me to and they just keep coming one after another where they come from I can only guess but it’s like it chose me not me had chosen it
Good songs for movies. Scores !
This dude's musical dream is to open for Randy Newman.
Wow that seems exactly right, good hear.
good ear
xDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
What a power dork!
'power dork' lol
I think u get best/most appropriate comment award so far..
Not surprising he's worked with Kesha....
Sean Adams I thought she was still tied up with Dr Luke
Sean Adams her latest album was genuinely good
"Give here to me"
When the guy who brings his acoustic to a house party gets a ted talk
"I've cooked 1000 eggs in my life". Chef Murray
Some good advice,those snippets sadly
demonstrate mediocrity of the craft and that's being kind.
Well, he makes money out of it, he is a songwriter... You'd have to be a musician to understand.
Hes writing commercially, for the public at 8am on the radio when they are going to work and listening mindlessly. Its easy to listen ti and understand qithout effort. He's not writing for the artists in the world. Its harder to write simply more than you might realize
Awesome ! Would like your help.
+Michael South Drop me a line at cliff@cliffgoldmacher.com.
+Cliff Goldmacher hello, I know your probably busy, my you tube is Michael south Times of life if you could give me your feed back would be awesome, any help would be appreciated . Thanks you !
i saw this guy in .sucess of songwriting channel. i. live interview👹😲
He should stick to driving fast cars in fast and furious.
That's screwed up
Last song was actually pretty good!
I think people are confusing performing with songwriting. He's not that spectacular vocally or on the guitar but the "songs" are pretty solid
In my official capacity as some guy on the internet I'm going to say yeah, this is good advice, but it won't help you if you're like me. You sit at a computer with a guitar thinking "I need a familiar topic and a fresh angle.. hmmmm... *strums a G & a D chord for 10 minutes and gives up*"
If you're like me, go start by searching for "Why is writing so hard?" and watch Damien Walter's video.
So what he's saying is, you need to do creative writing exercises. Fortunately I have Pat Pattison's Songwriting without Boundaries. Buy that book. Google him. Watch his videos. Excellent resource.
I'm developing a method of subtle theft and mining. Take notes. If a song has a nice little metaphor or a turn of phrase, write it down. Re-write it in your own words. Steal the rhythm for your notes. Write song fragments - don't try to write full songs - you're just doing the research. Then, when you sit down with the guitar and you think "what should I write?" Open the notebook or the google doc with all your fragments. You'll forget where they came from and they'll be brand-new. Get creative. Re-write stuff, sing it out. Remix. Recycle. Play. You'll find yourself naturally doing what this guy says.
Also, songs don't need to mean anything until they're written, or the thing you started with. The meaning of the song can change mid-sentence. If you do it right, it'll feel like you didn't write the song yourself.
Write bad things intentionally. Write good things by accident. Time yourself writing. 5 minutes of free association about a lampost or a flower pot. Stop as soon as the timer goes off.
Good ideas! How's your writing going man?
Some people at 6:40 not finding that joke particularly funny...
this is what u learned in 25 years?
dude, u r a genius!!!
So they managed to rip off Kesha? Or did Kesha rip off them? I'm too lazy to find out, so used to it now 😭
YEAH GREAT! XXXMISTYCELT SINGER SONGWRITER UK:)
You had an opportunity to teach, speak, pass on experience.... and ya sang.... we call this a missed opportunity or a complete waste of time. Both apply.
His advice is good but his lyrics aren't.
I was expecting better tbh...
awesome video I am inspired ☺💕
sorry what was you billboard charting single - surely not one of the examples played here. might lend this some street cred to know what you've actually achieved. examples here are a little soft
Wow this isn't Neil Young? This isn't Neil Young at all? I demand my money back.. That's it! I'm writing a letter!
Started my own songwriting tutorial series on my channel. Best advice I could give to anyone whether it's songwriting, music production, composition, and even improvisation: Analyze/Transcribe/Recreate your favorite pieces of music. It's as simple as that.
Those who can... DO and those who can't... TEACH.
Okay, as a teacher by trade, I'm going to have to take offense to this. You wouldn't be able to do whatever it is you do if you hadn't learned from a teacher first. Teachers are experts in their field. They may not all be great teachers, but they know what they're doing. So, miss me with the teacher's insult. Besides, as terrible as this guy sounds, he is actually writing songs, which is the whole point. Tell me. What have you done lately?
Lyrics are not that important, melody is key just listen to k pop.. or french pop music most people dont know wth they are saying but still bang foreign speaking songs thnks 2 rhythm, harmonic structure and melody,
z zz z
cliff.... about your moves.....
they're weak.
His songwriting is very generic, he’s very lucky he has a platform to perform. I know a lot of songwriters better at both singing and writing who would kill for that stage. It’s a shame how privilege even affects us in the creative industry. It’s not about what you sing or play it’s how much $$$$’s you got for lessons and co writers
So bad musically and lyrically even worse!
ted talks should just stop trying to explain music
Nonsense what has this man ever written that people would BUY ?? trouble with using a Joke as the Theme Once its been heard thats it, Too much Dissonance in his melodies, Nothing hits one between the eyes its just drivel you can hear from any cafe amateur, who believes he is a musical genius ; Billboard Jazz Charts ???? say no more
I'm getting a degree in music composition. These people don't know nothing about writing music.
John Cavanaugh I didn't say a degree is required to be successful. Some of the most successful artists ever had no formal education. For example, Miles Davis, who's album "Kind of Blue" is the best selling jazz album in history, was accepted to the Juilliard School of Music but he dropped out because he didn't think he needed it.
But seriously, many people here don't know anything. They think that all you have to know is the sales basic scales and chords.
And you know nothing about English grammar.
The music couldn't be more old-fashioned, boring and unsurprising. Why care for the lyrics then? People who can't write interesting, fresh music should write poems.
25 years composing and you compose like that? sorry dude but this sucks. I mean it's very mediocre. Maybe try getting a band and singing about other fellings? like anger, agony, oppression, euforia, depression...
did you really watch the video? and still you say this guy is creative? I guess the word-choosing is good but the overall lyrics are so plain, boring and predictable that the overall lyrics are still mediocre
His 'songs' sound like amateur nursery rhymes. Seriously, this guy is nowhere near a talented songwriter.
boring
For 25 years he's not that good
Pretty sure he's had a top 10 song sooo I dont think he cares about your opinion
This guy is actually delusional.
The first three songs were basically comedy songs. Quite embarrassing really. I'll stick with my Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Paul Simon. Nothing to learn from here.
Hey dude, practice what ou preach, get a band to play the song, pay the guys to make you sound better.
Terrible voice. Sure doesn't help...
Cheero Well he actually sings in tune the entire time. It's just incredibly mediocre.
It helped Mick Jagger. Ozzy Osbourne. David Bowie. etc.
His lyrics are just misogynistic "give her to me", yeah he thinks it's a punchline but really it's just removing all agency from the woman. "I'm the nicest guy you ever knew" classic whining of a man who thinks he's entitled to something just because he's Mr nice guy.