songwriting

click on the link below for a board mix of my latest worship song, written for crosspointe. enjoy!

Knowing You
by Stephen Claybrook

We are Your body
We’re bruised and we’re broken
We need You, God
To heal our hearts

We are Your children
We’re plagued by our doubts and confusion
We need Your light

But more than this
Lord, we’re running after You

We want You
More than we want answers from You, God
More than anything our hearts desire
Lead us further on in our pursuit
Of knowing You
Knowing You

We are paralyzed
Gripped by our fear
We’re afraid to move
There’s too much to lose

This is our confession
We carry the weight of our questions
We’re searching for truth

But more than this
Teach us to follow after You

We want You
More than we want answers from You, God
More than anything our hearts desire
Lead us further on in our pursuit
Of knowing You
Knowing You

(c)2008 Camillian Music.

(this post is part of creative chaos at ragamuffin soul.)

for just about every song i’ve written, the process has been the same.
i usually write the entire song on either my acoustic guitar or piano.
by entire song, i mean: lyrics, melody, key, chord progression(s), tempo.
then i give some thought to the full band arrangement and record a demo - programmed drums, live bass, keys, etc…

for this song, i decided to change the process up a bit.
i took it to the band much earlier in the process.

my thinking was that the input of other musicians would naturally produce a different outcome for each individual part and therefore the whole arrangement of the song.
then, as a result, the melody and lyrics would end up different as well.

so, here’s what i had going in….

**one line of the lyric: “we’ve caught a glimpse of your kingdom and we want more”
**a tempo: 144 bpm
**the rhythm for that one line: where each syllable falls in time with the music.

that’s it.

here’s what i didn’t have:
**key
**melody for the one line
**chord progression

joe, dan and chris did a great job of just jamming for awhile until we came up with a “riff” that seemed to work for a musical hook at that tempo.
we chose the key of E just for starters.
we played with that riff for awhile.
to me it started sounding like a verse.
so, we then decided to try to come up with a chorus progression and feel that would drive a little harder.

at that point, i decided to try to come up with a melody for the one line of lyric.
turns out we were in a bad key.
we couldn’t pitch the melody in the right range to match the intensity of the lyric and the music.
so we found a new key - key of B.
found a workable melody for that line and just sang blah blah blah for the rest of the chorus.

we worked on transitions between the verse and chorus.
decided that we needed a two-line ramp up to the chorus.
chose a chord progression that felt like it set up the chorus well.

transition back from chorus to verse, we decided to use the riff again.

we all agreed that it was coming together. felt good.
but we needed a bridge.
dan and joe threw out the idea of holding on each chord longer for the bridge - to help the dynamics change.
great idea.
they batted a few ideas back and forth.
meanwhile, i stumbled on a counter melody line that changed twice for each chord underneath (if that makes sense).
chris picked up on it on electric guitar.
we ended up with a nice bridge that starts out “down” and builds nicely over three repeats, leading back to a big final chorus.

now, i just have to write the parts that actually make it a corporate worship song - the lyrics and the melody.
but i have much more of a direction for that now, having experienced how the song feels with a full band already.

just got home at midnight after jamming and songwriting with a few of my musician buddies from church.

i’m so excited to be writing songs again. especially to be writing songs that hopefully give voice to what God is doing in and through our particular community.

here’s a heads up for you crosspointers…we got a great start on a new song that we’re writing for our next series coming up in august. i have one line of the lyric written and just a couple of other phrases.

the idea (and the series) is about the kingdom of God - or the kingdom of heaven depending on which gospel writer you’re reading….

jesus gave several incredibly rich metaphors to describe the kingdom, but my current favorite metaphor is the treasure buried in a field. i’ve decided to keep it simple and use this one metaphor for the verses.

we knocked out all the music for the song - verse, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge. there will likely be some tweaks depending on how the lyrics and melody flesh out, but it already feels like a song….

here are the lyrics for the chorus that i have:

“we’ve caught a glimpse of your kingdom
and we want more
blah blah blah blah…..
blah blah blah blah for the whole world”

catchy, huh?

more to come in terms of the songwriting process…..

“o worship the king” by chris tomlin (cd “passion: hymns ancient and modern”)
“all because of jesus” by steve fee (cd “burn for you”)
“knowing you” by stephen claybrook (as yet unrecorded)
“made to worship” by chris tomlin (cd “see the morning”)

this was the wrap-up to our “live in concert” series. the most memorable thing from the day will be the challenge that jonathan brought to our community - to pool together and pitch in to come up with $385,000 to buy 17 acres for Haitian Children’s Home.

i also wrote a song for our community to sing together. it was good for me to get back into the discipline of songwriting. it had been too long. i shouldn’t let that part of me atrophy like i have been. thanks to the band for helping me to flesh out the arrangement. i look forward to writing more. through the process of writing this song, i realized that i have lots more in me. it just takes dedication and discipline to get it out.

gravity…
…is working against me
…wants to bring me down
…has taken better men than me 

i’ll never know what makes a man
with all the love that his heart can stand
dream of ways to throw it all away

keep me where the light is
keep me where the light is

–john mayer, “gravity”

i suspect that these days God chooses whoever he wants to be his modern day prophet. and i suspect that a lot of times the prophet is unaware, and would probably be unwilling if he/she knew….

it’s been too long.
i’m letting a part of me atrophy.
it’s not good.
i’ll even settle for a bad song.
i just NEED to write a song.

i was commenting in staff meeting today about how i’m growing in my understanding of the fallacy of a sacred/secular divide.

specifically in music, i find truth, beauty, and good in secular and sacred music. i also find a lack of those qualities in both secular and sacred music. sometimes in the same song.

just because something is labeled “christian music” doesn’t necessarily mean much…

anyway, i had an interesting thing happen this afternoon. after remembering a jackson browne song that was quoted in brian mclaren’s book, “everything must change,” i decided to download the song and check it out. challenging stuff. here’s an excerpt…

We guard our world with locks and guns
And we guard our fine possessions
And once a year when Christmas comes
We give to our relations
And perhaps we give a little to the poor
If the generosity should seize us
But if any one of us should interfere
In the business of why there are poor
They get the same as the rebel Jesus

after reading through the lyrics, i decided to check out some of jackson’s other music, since i’m not very familiar with his stuff.

i went to www.songmeanings.net and just started down the alphabetical listing of jackson browne songs. in each of the first three songs i looked at, i was struck by the spiritual overtones and the longing for transcendence. don’t know the music, but just reading the lyrics was an enriching spiritual experience for me.

here’s one song in particular that i think is lyrically beautiful….

I want to live in the world, not inside my head
I want to live in the world, I want to stand and be counted
With the hopeful and the willing
With the open and the strong
With the voices in the darkness
Fashioning daylight out of song
And the millions of lovers
Alive in the world

I want to live in the world, not behind some wall
I want to live in the world, where I will hear if another voice should call
To the prisoner inside me
To the captive of my doubt
Who among his fantasies harbors the dream of breaking out
And taking his chances
Alive in the world

To open my eyes and wake up alive in the world
To open my eyes and fully arrive in the world

With its beauty and its cruelty
With its heartbreak and its joy
With it constantly giving birth to life and to forces that destroy
And the infinite power of change
Alive in the world

To open my eyes and wake up alive in the world
To open my eyes and fully arrive in the world
To open my eyes and wake up alive in the world
To open my eyes and fully arrive in the world

Jackson Browne, “Alive In The World”

belief is a beautiful armor
but makes for the heaviest sword
like punching under water
you never can hit who you’re trying for

john mayer, “belief”

i’m not a very prolific songwriter by any means, but it has been a very meaningful creative outlet for me from time to time. something about the process is cathartic. even if the finished song doesn’t completely convey what’s on my mind or heart, there’s usually a very warm sense of satisfaction and a peace that comes from having followed through and “birthed” the song.

but music can be a lonely endeavor. writing is a private affair. you lock yourself in a room and wrestle with thoughts, melodies and harmonies until something sparks. then you go to work. crafting. constructing. deconstructing. editing. finally, you end up with a song. but once the song is born, then what? it’s difficult to find outlets. songs need to be heard.

my friend nathan and i have experimented in the past with a songwriting forum. sort of an open mic concept, but also with an opportunity to dialogue with the writer after/between the songs about inspiration, technique, etc. we’re talking again about bringing it back, better than ever. maybe a blog to promote the events as well as some of the songs presented at the events.

it’s early for new year’s resolutions, but this is definitely on my list for 2008.

foy vance is an irish singer-songwriter who writes incredibly heartfelt and introspective songs. the simplicity and beauty contained in his cd “hope” is inspiring.

i’ve found his willingness to write the plain truth about pain and hope to be refreshing. nothing about this record seems to contain any pretense. certainly not lyrically. even the way that he recorded it is very straightforward, stripped down, live.

i’m currently stuck on the song, “two shades of hope”. it expresses so artfully the way that it can sometimes hurt to have hope.

if there’s one thing that i know
it is the two shades of hope
one, the enlightening soul
and the other is more like a hangman’s rope
it’s true, you may reap what you sow
but not that despair is the all-time low
baby, hope deals the hardest blows

–from “two shades of hope” by foy vance

unfortunately, robbie seay band has had a horrendous time on the road this week including their van breaking down twice and a bout of pneumonia. they’re going to recoup for a few days at home.

the concert at crosspointe will be rescheduled for next time they’re in the area. robbie feels horrible about having to cancel. apparently this is the first time they’ve cancelled a show in 10 years.

i’ll definitely post info on the show as soon as we can make it happen.

crosspointe jumped on a last minute opportunity to host robbie seay band in concert this coming tuesday night, october 9. 7pm. $8.00.

it’s going to be a great show. RSB’s new cd, “give yourself away” is brilliant! great songs, excellent musicianship. this is a band’s band.

if you’re anywhere close to raleigh-durham, nc, you should definitely come check it out!

I went to an open mic tonight in support of my friend, Brian. He’s just finished his first year of college and is home for the summer as of this week. Brian led the high school worship band as a junior and senior in high school at the church where I serve as worship pastor. I’ve tried to be encouraging and supportive of him, although I always wished I had more time to spend with him and build into him when he was here.

Anyway, turns out there were a couple of other young guys on the bill tonight that are in some way connected with Crosspointe - they play in cover bands with some of the musicians in our junior high band. So I decided to stay awhile and catch some of their sets, too.

Here are some of my observations and thoughts from tonight.

1. I remembered what it was like to be that age and discovering the joy of music. These guys just love to play - discovering old songs, writing new songs, whatever. An open mic night with no one there except family and a few friends, but that’s cool. They just love to play! I want to have that kind of fun with music again….

2. 60’s and 70’s seems to be the musical era of choice for junior high students. Tonight I heard songs from The Beatles, George Harrison, The Doobie Brothers, The Eagles, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and more. Is this phenomenon common to the whole country? Not surprisingly, the original songs that the guys played tonight sounded as if they were definitely influenced by these artists as well. Very interesting.

3. I realized that I’m growing up. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy listening to live music whenever, wherever. But at the end of the day, I was not there tonight for me, but instead I was there to support the younguns. At 32, I’m starting to recognize the need to build into the musicians of tomorrow. (Wow I sound old.) And I’m not just doing it out of obligation, but I actually enjoy it. I think of John Ferguson, my friend who was most responsible for putting me on the track to where I am today as a musician and worship leader. I see now that it was no accident that he built into me, but that he was intentional about it. And I’m very grateful. And I’m happy that it’s my turn to do the same.

I love God. I love music. I love musicians. I’m glad God created music.

this site being called “mostly music” i guess i should make sure to have an occassional post about music.

i’m a kings of leon fan. my little brother turned me on to them more than a year ago. their classic rock influenced, raw, straight ahead, energetic approach appealed to me immediately. the sound is of four guys who just plug in turn the amps up and go for it. nothing very technical, no time to bother with effects.

however, their third release “because of the times” just released this month is different. it sounds as though each player has progressed on their instrument, each growing in different directions. when they got back together to record, the result is….well….different. and i’m loving it. the lead guitarist has discovered the edge. drummer has been practicing rudiments and is now using them creatively. bass player is experimenting with effects. the songs, while still nowhere near the tried and true radio format, are memorable.

here’s a test for any musicians reading this….

go to itunes and listen to track #2, “charmer”. 1,000 bonus points for anyone who can tell me where the downbeat is.

do you ever have a song that you feel like carries an important message, meant for you, that’s deeper than the lyrics appear on a surface level? for example, the first time i heard “fix you” by coldplay i had an immediate emotional reaction that i still haven’t quite nailed down after who knows how many spins. it’s visceral. spiritual.

the lyrics and the musical arrangement, when combined with certain of your own life experiences, current circumstances or surroundings, take on more meaning.

i realize that in some circles it’s considered silly to try to give meaning to a song that may or may not be intended by the songwriter. and many songwriters enjoy being just vague enough. not so literal or specific that the song loses a universal appeal, but lyrically detailed enough that you want to know the real story. Then you can find out if your particular connection to the song is warranted.

“all kinds of time” by fountains of wayne is another song that has been working on me for a couple of years. in my gut i know that it’s about more than football, but i can’t quite grasp the larger meaning that i should be getting.  before i go sputtering through my working personal application, i wonder if anyone would care to offer some ideas.  depending on the interest, i may post again about my own thoughts on it.

(warning - this is one of those songs that loses some of its guts when you’re just reading the lyrics. i suggest paying the .99 cents and downloading it from iTunes to get the full effect.)

all kinds of time
by fountains of wayne
from cd, welcome interstate managers

The clock’s running down
The team’s losing ground
To the opposing defense
The young quarterback
Waits for the snap
When suddenly it all starts to make sense

He’s got all kinds of time
He’s got all kinds of time
All kinds of time
He’s got all kinds of time
All kinds of time

He takes a step back
He’s under attack
But he knows that no one can touch him now
He seems so at ease
A strange inner peace
Is all that he’s feeling somehow

He’s got all kinds of time
He’s got all kinds of time
All kinds of time
He’s got all kinds of time
All kinds of time
He thinks of his mother
He thinks of his bride-to-be
He thinks of his father
His two younger brothers
Gathered around the widescreen TV

He looks to the left
He looks to the right
And there in a golden ray of light
Is his open man
Just as he planned
The whole world is his tonight

I leave on June 6 for 10 days to play several dates with Nate Fancher and band. We’ll be playing in KY at Asbury Seminary and in VA at Liberty University for a youth rally event called “War Cry”.

We’ve had a couple of rehearsals with the band, mostly hashing out arrangements for Nate’s newest original stuff. I’m really enjoying the direction of the music. Quite Sting-like - with some disco-ish, pseudo-reggae beats from Dale and Jamie, who make up the rhythm section. Modern guitar tones and effects from George, the wonderkid. I’m playing keys - mostly ethereal pads and vintage wurly and hammond - but so far I’ve been able to add in some weirdness, like marimba and some analog synth leads. Pretty eclectic so far, really.

I love creating good music with good people!

I’ve been more in reading mode than writing mode lately. here’s a very interesting and thought-provoking piece by Brian McLaren. It’s called “An Open Letter to Worship Songwriters”.

What do you think?

Sorry for the blatant self-promotion, but I’m excited that my church worship band’s CD, “Becoming Stones”, has been featured in the current issue of Willow Magazine, a publication of the Willow Creek Association. They included our music in a sampling of new material coming out of WCA churches.

I haven’t seen the print version yet, but here’s a link to the online magazine where they’ve also posted samples of some songs: Willow Magazine Online. They were also kind enough to publish a link to our cdbaby.com site where the CD can be purchased.

My mom’s going to be so proud.

A friend recently turned me on to the music of singer-songwriter, Imogen Heap. A standout track from her latest CD is called “Hide and Seek”. This track has been in several movies and TV. Besides an absolutely beautiful melody, what stands out immediately about the track is the lush “a capella” vocal arrangement.

After seeing her perform this song on one of the late shows (I can’t remember which one….maybe it was Late Call Tonight with Conan David Kimmel), I noticed that she was using a midi keyboard and some sort of outboard device to create the vocal “harmonies”. In reality it was her voice multiplied and pitchshifted in real-time. Very cool.

I got curious as to exactly how she created this track. So, I googled it. (On a side note: how funny is it that google is now a common verb?) Anyway, if you’re curious about this kind of stuff like I am, here’s a link to an interview with Imogen Heap on DragonFire. Enjoy!

Thanks to an insightful post on Tales By The Fire, I decided to rename my vox “mostly music”. I definitely want to connect with other musicians, so maybe this will draw more of the right people.

Any fellow musician voxers, please leave a comment. I’d love to check out your blogs and music as well. Hopefully, I’ll be able to post some of my new music here soon…..

For you smart technical people…what’s the best way for us to make music available through Vox? As of now, we can only send people away from voxtropolis to myspace or whatever. thoughts?

I had a great time last night at our second monthly songwriter’s community. Thanks for organizing and hosting, Nate. Again, a small group. But, I have to say that selfishly they both have been smashing successes as far as I’m concerned.

I decided that I’m going to use the open mic as a deadline to have something new every month. This is going to be my plan of discipline to keep writing and being creative. So I sang my latest song “Chasing the Daylight” this time. I received some fairly good feedback on the song. Now I need to get it recorded…

….oh, and I heard a rough mix of “Waiting” that Nate Fancher is producing for me. He’s done some really great stuff to fill out the arrangement of the song. It has some cool Nate Fancher-ness to it. Can’t wait to be able to post it and give it to the world (or at least my mom).

that’s it for now….

. . .for the past few years. But recently, finding myself in a dry spell, I’ve taken some of that pressure off. Lately I’m just trying to write whatever comes out. I’m having fun and it’s helping me work through feelings, frustrations, fears, etc. In fact, it strikes me that this must be what David felt like. No holds barred. Lettin’ ‘er rip, if you will.

Here’s a bit that I wrote today. Maybe I can post a link once it’s recorded. . .

Chasing the Daylight (thanks Erwin!)

Wasting the daylight
Hiding from your fears
Abandoning your dreams
Wasting the daylight

Oh, you used to be alive
Oh, you can come alive again

Let’s chase the daylight
Staring down our fears
Embracing our dreams
Chasing the daylight

Oh, I used to be alive
Oh, I want to come alive again
Oh, I used to be alive
Oh, I want to come alive again

Abundant life
What’s the meaning?
Abundant life
Is there some for me?

Oh, I used to be alive
Oh, I want to come alive again
Oh, I used to be alive
Oh, I want to come alive again

As a songwriter, I’m currently finding inspiration in experimenting with different guitar tunings. I find that it gets me out of familiar patterns - both chordally and melodically. Half the time, I’m not even immediately sure EXACTLY what chord I’m playing. It kind of forces me to turn my left brain off and go with the right side for awhile…

Here’s the tuning I’m really digging right now: C G D G B D (low to high)

Any other songwriters care to share ways that you are inspired to get out of familiar patterns?