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I AM WOMAN! HEAR ME ROAR!

Women in music are a powerful force. A woman will typically deal with what life throws her way from an emotional viewpoint. Known traditionally for being nurturing, expressive, emotional  and empathetic, this is our gift though music. Many of today's most successful women in music owe their success to their ability to capture their emotions through their words and their music. This is an ability that comes naturally to most of us and should be embraced and celebrated as women continue to make headway in what was once a male dominated industry.

I am woman! Hear me roar!

So how do we take what has been naturally given to us and express that through words and music? How does that transition occur?

For every professional and aspiring artist the process is different. Some will start will a poem, other a journal entry and some with a melody or chord progression that captures the mood they are trying to convey.

I can't share with you the secrets of other women's success in songwriting. I can only share my own story, of how I found my voice and let my true feelings shine through in my music.

When I was seventeen, something happened to me that changed my life and shook me to my core. Like many other women, I was a victim of sexual assault. I was taken advantage of because of my youth and my innocence. I was used.

I carried my secret with me for many years. I always knew I wanted to write about what had happened. I knew I needed to express myself through music to allow myself to let go of what had happened all those years ago. But I was scared. Tackling a subject like this through song was no easy thing. How do I express what I am feeling without revealing to the world what had happened to me?

I was still trying to keep it a secret.

I wrote many rough drafts of the song. All of them seemed to come up short. They were all missing something. I tried over and over again for nearly six years.

Then it came to me one night.

I had been censoring myself.

I was still being victimized.

I wasn't telling the truth.

So I sat on the floor with my paper, pen and guitar and I let the truth flow out of me and into words and melody and rhythm. It came so easily. I felt free. I felt lifted. I no longer felt ashamed. It was the first time in seven years that I realized that I was not to blame. This was something that had happened to me, and I was standing up, facing the world, and letting them know that this was not my fault! I was free.

And the result of this freedom and this truth was one of the best songs I have ever written. The song is called "That Day".

I cried many times looking back on that day. I don't cry anymore.

Throughout my career, with all the new songs I have written, and all the shows I have performed, "That Day" is the one song that has touched at least one person every time I sing it. I have seen men and women brought to tears, and every time, they have a story of their own and are thankful for the honesty and the emotion that I let out through my song.

"That Day" taught me how to be an honest songwriter.

I think censoring and editing ourselves is one of the worst things we can do as artists. If the message isn't true, why would anyone buy it or believe in it? Music is our outlet to be who we are and say what we have to say. This is why we do it. Sometimes the truth will make people uncomfortable, but that means we are doing our job right. We are provoking thoughts and feelings. We are compelling and drawing out emotions. My favorite songs, happy or sad, are the ones that draw emotions out of me, make the hairs on my arms stand up and make me want to listen to them over and over again. That is art. That is music.

The only advice that I could give to young songwriters would be to say what you mean and mean what you say. Don't write what you think people want to hear. Write the truth as you know it, and  you will be amazed how many people feel the same way that you do.

We all have struggles and victories in our lives. And while no two people's experiences are ever exactly the same, there is always a common thread that binds us together. As a writer, you have the potential and the ability to really affect somebody's life. So never water down your words, your thoughts or your feelings. Let your truth's become the truths of tens, hundreds, thousands, and maybe one day millions.

Truth is a powerful thing. A woman's emotions are a powerful thing. This is our gift. Use it to its fullest. Never take it for granted.

Amanda Bentley

www.amandabentley.ca

Discovering Your Singing Potential as presented by Marnie Ann Stebner

1)      Support

The first and most important key to becoming a great singer!

The power and support for your voice must come from your diaphragm. Your diaphragm is a muscle attached to the bottom of your ribcage and separates your chest from your abdomen.  This will help you control your voice without hurting or damaging the vocal cords.

*try slightly flexing your upper abs and the muscles around your waist to help you focus on where you should be singing from. 

Strengthening the muscles around your diaphragm is a great way to improve your support.  Sit-ups, crunches, working your obliques and lower back muscles can make a big difference in your vocal ability.

2) Breathing

As you inhale, your diaphragm will naturally expand. Your shoulders should remain relaxed and not be raised.  As your lungs fill up with air, the lower back muscles will flex a little and your waist expands outward. 

Heres a breathing exercise:

Lay flat on your back and try placing a heavy book on your stomach.  Breathe in very slowly causing the book to rise and then exhale very slowly until the abdomen pulls in and the book lowers. 

3) Opening your mouth/dropping the jaw

Pretend like you are biting into a big hamburger, now stay there!  That is where your jaw should be 90f the time while singing.  This helps with hitting notes on pitch and will improve the overall sound of your voice.

            4) Voice registers/chest and head voice

Your chest voice starts at the lowest note you can sing comfortably.  As you travel higher there will be a breaking point, that is where the chest voice ends and head voice begins.

The higher notes in your range are called your head voice or falsetto.  The sound is completely different than the chest voice.  To place this part of your voice correctly you can practice imitating a fire engine siren.  It should sound bright.  If you dont use the head voice often it will sound airy or much softer in volume than your chest voice.  While breathiness is great for style the goal is to develop both of your registers in strength and volume.

5) Practice

Practicing 30 minutes each day, 4 to 5 times a week is ideal if you want to be able to feel and hear results. 

Its super important to take the time to warm-up your vocal cords before singing at full volume.  Take 10 to 15 minutes doing vocal exercises or scales (CDs available in abundance online) or sing 3 to 4 relaxed songs and work up to some more challenging ones.

*remember singing is about having enjoyment and expression, so have fun!

            When I was asked to write this blog about songwriting, I was so excited because I really feel that songwriting is my passion. I could just sit here all day long listening to songs and analyzing how they are written. I ask myself, "Why did they used those lyrics?" "Do they even make sense?" "What do they mean by that?" "That's a dumb guitar part." "Here comes the chorus!" There are so many different elements involved in songwriting. There are many rules, but there are no real rules. Anyone can write a song in any manner they'd like. Bob Dylan is a good example of someone who breaks the rules, but at the same time writes brilliant songs. So, keeping in mind that no one has to follow any rules in particular, I can say that the majority of songs that you hear on the radio do follow a certain structure. If you listen to your favorite songs, I bet you that most of them follow the structure that I am about to talk about most if not all of the time.

            So what is this structure that I'm going to talk about? It's almost too easy. It's kind of like writing a paper in school. You have your intro paragraph, thesis statement, your 2-4 supporting paragraphs (depending on how long your paper is), and then your conclusion. There is structure to writing any paper and anyone can do it. However, it is the content and style that you use within that structure that will really make your paper a great paper. In the same way, if you follow this structure for songwriting, it doesn't mean that you will automatically have an amazing song. What you write about and how you say it will ultimately make it a good song or a bad song.

            Before I get to the structure part, I want to encourage you to get inspired. People get song ideas from everywhere. You may want to write down your thoughts and feelings in a journal everyday. You may use some of those journal entries to write your songs now. Or later on when you are looking for ideas, you could flip through your journal and find a sentence that may surprise you and that you really like. You can also get ideas from talking to people that you usually wouldn't talk to. People that are different from you really give you a different outlook on life and can really inspire you. Be a good listener and ask questions. I believe this will make you a better writer. You can also get inspired by reading books, poetry and short stories. You may do none of the above and just pick up your guitar and start humming a melody. The next thing you know what you are humming begins to sound like a word and then a sentence. Then you start building your song from there. It might sound weird, but that is usually how I begin writing most of my songs. Okay now on to structure.

The following is a Basic Songwriting Structure. Remember, it is just a guideline.

Basic Song Structure

1. Intro

2. Verse 1

3. Chorus

4. Verse 2

5. Chorus

6. Bridge

7. Chorus- End

The Intro is usually a short little musical part at the beginning of the song with no vocals. It doesn't last very long and usually sounds like the chorus.

Verses vs. Verses

The first Verse of the song introduces the listener to what your about to tell them.  Lyrically, you are setting the stage and painting them a picture of where you are coming from. For example, Kelly Clarkson says, "Here's the thing we started off friends," in the first verse of the song "Since You've Been Gone." By saying that, she sets up the story for you. Saying that you started off as friends, probably means that it's not going to end up that way later in the song. She has given you a starting point. Musically, you want to keep it quieter or less busy than the chorus. This is because when the chorus comes in, you want it to be really powerful. If your verse is "all out," there will be nothing left to make your chorus pop out when you get to it. Lyrically you can be a little more free with the 2nd Verse because by then you will already have heard the chorus, which is the most important part of the song. However, you still want to keep the second verse musically less powerful than the chorus.

The Chorus- It's the whole point.

The chorus is the part in the song that repeats. It's the part that you always sing along to. It's usually the only words most people know in a song: "But Since you've been gone! I can breathe for the first time!" The Chorus is your chance to get to the point lyrically. This is your chance to be clear about what you want to say. You want everyone to remember this. It is usually the title of the song as well. Musically, you want the chorus to be the biggest and loudest part of the song. This is the part where all the instruments come in. If they are already in, then you want them to kick it up a notch. This is the most important part of the song.

The Bridge

The Bridge of the song is the part that takes you away from the song a little bit. By this point you have already heard the verse and chorus twice. You don't want to bore the listener so you want to take them away for about 30 seconds (or less). The bridge can be a guitar solo. It can also be a place for you to explain your deepest thoughts. If you're angry in the song, this can be a little window where you show that you are hurt and that you are actually sad. It is basically a place where you can do something a little different, so that when you come back to the chorus it is exciting again.

So, that is the basic structure of a song. Of course you never have to follow this structure. It is only a guideline. However, it is the structure for most of the songs that you will hear on the radio or anywhere for that matter.  My personal hope is that however you do decide to write your song, that you will do it with integrity and thoughtfulness. Take time to think about what words you are using. Take time to write interesting parts or to figure out cool chord progressions. Remember that songwriting is a craft. It takes time and patience to write a good song. Also, I hope that you are not intimidated. To encourage you, know that most songs that you hear on the radio are made up of 3 chords. If you know 3 chords on a guitar and can be honest about what you want to sing about, you're well on your way to writing a great song.  I hope these little tips are helpful to you in your journey to becoming a great songwriter.

Love,

Ginger Sling