Revision of Strongest Body Point

To learn more about the songwriting process, I decided to write my own songs and compare my modus operandi with my peers. I supposed that my attempt at songwriting would provide valuable insights and further immersion into the subculture of Belmont songwriters.


The first song I wrote was entitled, “Why Did You Leave.” My inspiration sprouted from life’s uncontrollable circumstances in which people are torn apart. After I selected my topic, I chose to use my song as an informal address that would act as a catharsis. I predicted that my song would resonate with individuals because many people have been brutally hurt by their lovers’ destined departures. As I began to write, I tried to envisage an object that would flee upon individuals' perception of its presence. I thought of the wind and I began to write. My lyrics flowed continuously as if they were solely produced by the mere tactile stimulation of paper and pencil. As I concluded my song, I thought of confused souls who are left with unanswered questions; thus, I decided to end my song with two questions: "Where did you go? Why did you leave?"


Two days after my initial writing session, I recorded the background track and listened to said track as I read my song aloud. After practicing my song a few times, I made alterations to my lyrics to create better flow and refine my expression. I later recorded my spoken word track and distributed said track to Bandcamp, Facebook, YouTube, and TuneCore.


The second song I wrote was entitled, “Sympathetic Oscillation.” In this song, I ruminated on the perspective of a individual whose geographical location produced perennial rendezvous with its lover. During my initial writing session, I brainstormed terms in the physical vernacular that I could incorporate into my song. I thought of words that related to sound and space: bodies, gravitate, orbits, curves, ellipses, transients, resonation, harmonics, overtones, stereo, and oscillation. After my brainstorm, my mind fixated on the image of two intersecting sine waves oscillating between their maximum and minimum points. I decided to use oscillation as my theme because it accurately reflected the situation I was attempting to describe.

Draft of Strongest Section of Paper

To learn more about the songwriting process, I decided to write my own songs and compare my modus operandi with my peers. I chose to write my own songs because I believed that my attempt at songwriting would provide valuable insights and further immersion into the subculture of Belmont songwriters.

The first song I wrote was entitled, “Why Did You Leave.” My inspiration sprouted from life’s uncontrollable circumstances in which people are torn apart. I decided to marinate on the aforementioned concept because I thought people could connect with life’s obstinate mutilation of individuals’ social conditions. After I selected the topic for my song, I ventured to the deep recesses of my mind and tried to create a title for my song. In the midst of avid concentration, I had a revelation to use the song as an informal address from a confused, deserted person to their undestined, desired lover that would provide some type of relief to the amorous confusion. I asserted that my song’s format would resonate with individuals because many people have been brutally hurt by their lovers’ unexplained departures and yearn for closure.

As I began to write, my mind fixated on the idea of an instantaneous object that would flee upon others' perception of its presence; I chose the wind. From that instance in my songwriting process, my lyrics started to flow continuously as if they were solely produced by the mere tactile stimulation of paper and pencil. As I concluded my song, I thought of the confused souls who are left with unanswered questions regarding their desired lovers. Thus, I decided to conclude my song with two questions that I thought said confused souls would have: "Where did you go? Why did you leave?"

Two days after my initial writing session, I recorded the backing track for my song and listened to the backing track as I read my song aloud. After practicing my song a few times, I made alterations to my lyrics to produce better flow and refine my expression.

The second song I wrote was entitled, “Sympathetic Oscillation.” In this song, I chose to ruminate on the perennial nature of love. Throughout my life, I have experienced long-distance relationships resulting in sporadic encounters which bring about sudden, overwhelming rushes of love. While the physical proximity of the two souls may influence their love for one another, their rendezvous produces enough satisfaction to commit to their relationship.

Museum-Type Websites

After my perusal of the internet, I found some helpful resources for research at the Songwriters Hall of Fame and Bruin Publishing.

(Songwriter's Hall of Fame: http://www.songwritershalloffame.org/exhibits/era )

(Bruin Publishing: http://www.bruinpublishing.com/about/ )

These two websites will aid my ethnographic study because they include information regarding songwriters and the exploitation of their works. From that information, I will be able to obtain more leads that relate to the songwriting process and Belmont songwriters.

Songwriting Culture Terms

- Lead Sheet: A piece of compositional music that can dictate the musical notes, rhythm, melodic line, chords, lyrics, and various sections of a song.

- Demo: The first recording of a song that is pitched to music publishers, artists, entertainment industry officials, etc. It usually contains a rendition of the song by the songwriter.

- Advance: Prepayment of royalties. Once an advance is recouped, the receiver of the advance can begin to accrue royalties based on the exploitation of his/her work.

- Writer's Nights: These are performances at venues that showcase songwriters and their songs. Usually multiple writers take turns performing their works.

- Harry Fox Agency: Licensing agent that issues mechanical licenses to users of a songwriter's material.

- Copyright: This entity protects the use of copyrightable material. A work is protected by copyright when it is original and fixed in a tangible form. A copyright protects a copyright owner's rights regarding reproduction, distribution, derivative works, public performance, public display, and public performance via digital transmission.

- eCO: Electronic Copyright Office.

Coherence and Cohesion Revision

BEFORE:

I will never forget the first time I was captivated by a song. I was twelve years old, frustrated with the world around me. Passionate for the pursuit of knowledge, I could not connect with my peers because they did not receive the same amount of satisfaction from learning. Discouraged, I ostracized myself from my surroundings because I could not cope with the world.

One day in the midst of my seclusion, I watched a silent movie that used background music to convey the words, actions, and emotions of the various characters. Throughout the movie, I experienced intense physiological reactions that invigorated my being. I could not look away from the screen; I was consumed by the movie.

Afterwards, I realized that the underlying music of the movie was the catalyst of my reaction. The music brought me so much pleasure that I forgot about my frustration; I became lost in the wonder of music. I was no longer disappointed because I had found my sanctuary from the world around me.

While my self-reliance taught me many things, economics showed me the need to work together. The cooperation of separate entities brings about advances in the quality of life that would not be possible by individual effort. Thus, I wish to become a songwriter someday so that I can attempt to captivate others in the mystery of music and enhance their quality of life.

Well, that's a nice notion, but how does one captivate others and enhance their quality of life through songwriting? As an outsider to the songwriting culture, I am unaware of the processes and techniques songwriters use to write songs. Although the previous statement is true, I studied the classical, baroque, and romantic styles of music in elementary, middle, and high school. Interested by the mystique of music, I leaped at the chance to play in a jazz band which taught me how to improvise and analyze musical styles. Improvisation led me to composition because it made me cognizant of the structure of a song, the importance of dynamics, and complex music theory. I may be an outsider, but I am aware of some of the rules.

One may think that I already know how to write songs and my study of the songwriting culture is unnecessary; I disagree completely. As previously mentioned, cooperation with others brings about insights that would not be possible through individual effort. Thus, I hope my study of songwriters at Belmont University will produce a greater understanding of the songwriting process, writer’s block, and the captivating nature of songs.

AFTER:

I will never forget the first time I was captivated by a song. I was twelve years old, frustrated with the world around me. While I was passionate for the pursuit of knowledge, my peers did not receive the same amount of satisfaction from learning. Discouraged, I ostracized myself from my surroundings because I could not cope with the world.

One day in the midst of my seclusion, I watched a silent movie that used background music to convey the words, actions, and emotions of the various characters. The music created intense physiological reactions that invigorated my being. I could not look away from the screen; I was consumed by the movie.

It was only afterwards that I realized that the movie's underlying music was the catalyst of my reaction. The music brought me so much pleasure that I forgot about my frustration; I became lost in the wonder of music. I was no longer disappointed because I had found my sanctuary. Thus, I wish to become a songwriter someday so that I can attempt to captivate others in the mystery of music and provide refuge to troubled souls.

As an outsider to the songwriting culture, I am unaware of the processes and techniques songwriters use to write songs. Although the previous statement is true, I studied the classical, baroque, and romantic styles of music in elementary, middle, and high school. Interested by the mystique of music, I leaped at the chance to play in a jazz band and, as a result, learned how to analyze musical styles and improvise. Improvisation led me to composition because it made me cognizant of the structure of a song, the importance of dynamics, and complex music theory. I may be an outsider, but I am aware of some of the rules.

One may think that I already know how to write songs and my study of the songwriting culture is unnecessary. I disagree completely because attempts to understand and cooperate with others brings about insights that would not be possible through individual effort. Thus, I hope my study of songwriters at Belmont University will produce a greater understanding of the songwriting process, writer’s block, and the captivating nature of songs.