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August 07, 2009
Your Baby is Pretty Good Looking
It can be difficult for some songwriters to deal with criticism of their work. They think of their songs as their “children,” and if someone were to offer a negative remark concerning the song, it would be tantamount to saying “Your baby is ugly!”
Yet every month we NSAI members subject ourselves to this very real possibility when we play our songs for the group. The purpose of our meeting is to have the members remark candidly on the strengths and weaknesses of each song presented, and offer suggestions for improvement.
One cannot have “thin skin” where the critiquing of one’s song is concerned.
My songwriting partner Sandy and I were a little anxious at our most recent NSAI meeting, since we would be presenting our first collaboration. Our “work tape” was a simple piano/vocal demo, with Sandy singing.
So, what did the NSAI Orlando Chapter think?
The general consensus was, “Your baby is pretty good looking, and here are a few ways to make it even better looking.” Not a bad start for a fledgling songwriting team.
Sandy and I are already hard at work on a second song. Well, Sandy’s working hard anyway; I’ve always considered the lyricist’s job to be more difficult than the composer’s.
As for this first one, we will “tweak” it a bit more, and record a proper demo. And THEN we may let you all hear it!
Posted by leonolguin at August 7, 2009 05:38 PM