In the studio with Brian Baker - Songwriting #1

[LadyOfWordz]

DAM UR VOICE IS IMMPECCABLE

[atractorads]

@LadyOfWordz Thanx - about to start performing live with my friend Eddie Rayner of Split Enz fame. If you'd like to keep an eye on where we're up to check us out on facebook - Eddie Rayner and Brian Baker.

[antipopboner]

i was expecting bad religion lol

[PRIESTWORLD]

brian thanx for posting this , it really helped me out alot mate!!!!

greetings from nyc

priest

[Jamminn555]

Absolutely fantastic, Brian. So cool to follow your thinking and process for your very cool song. Please keep up the great work and keep any videos coming!

Benjamin Black

Los Angeles, CA

[atractorads]

@Jamminn555 Thanks for the comments Benjamin. I'm currently working on new material and plan to visit your part of the world for the Taxi Convention in Nov this year.

Cheers bb

[sunlinelabels]

really nice brother..some nice tunes to go along with some of the stuff i have been doing( cartoons sound fx and soundtrack) congrats my friend, i just add u as a friend hope u accept

[kieranblacker]

Good stuff Brian, Working on a album myself Keep up the good work

[flippinthemadstyles]

Very interesting and helpful to me. I have two questions for you, Brian. First, what kind of guitar are you playing? Secondly, did you end up recording this tune yet, and have you recorded an unplugged version of this yet? I would love to purchase it and also to learn how to play it. Would you be willing to share your secret tuning for it or maybe do a video of you playing it unplugged? It really captures my interest and is right up my alley. Good job on this one.

[atractor]

@flippinthemadstyles - Hey - the guitar is a Maton. Nice Australian made acoustic.

The song is recorded and on my new CD, "Hard Light" with a full band, but there's also an early version of the song that is more acoustic on the CD "Long Way Home".

"Hard Light" is on ITunes and CD Baby, "Long Way Home" - I guess I could send you a copy if you like!!!

Cheers

bb

[jchriswest]

he's too White acting

[MomoTheBellyDancer]

Maybe he can mix some purple up in how he acts.

[ShaShaZane88]

That chord progression was mean. mmhmm

[321harold]

Thanks for sharing. I always come up with a few lines and then I get writer's block. Your song sounds good, but as you know, the trick is to keep it sounding good and not bored.

[stabber63]

far out i thought this was brian baker from bad religion!

[allfantasticimages]

lol so did i, i thought he had lost all of his hair from the thumbnail picture lol

[Omasiu]

@stabber63 I thought ii too!

[dreamlife2046]

interesting how you present it as a simple step process...can be a nice starting point

[Berribunnyo]

What band are you with? Can you post some of your discography, please?

[endaderoad]

Re the dance between music and lyrics. Pat has a great article I found online ages ago about Prosody. Happy lyric - happy melody, etc.

[endaderoad]

Check out Sheila Davies book's on lyric writing and

Jason Blume on rewriting melody.

[BlinksAlienGuitar]

brian baker dosnt have an accent

[bam41791]

bad religions brian doesnt.

[deftonesfan192]

btw if anyones interested pat petterson wrote "the eye of the tiger" the rocky theme tune

[minky812]

Is that the Brian Baker of Junkyard?

[najtrows]

i dont think so, that brian would have an american accent.

[sirswedishmike]

Hey, I have some original tunes on my youtube page. They are in the prewar blues, delta tradition. I would love some critism or comments on them, I want to know what people "really" think about them. Thanks!

[JLeE9082]

Thanks helped alot

[39rc6cf]

He ain't no Neil Diamond, that's for sure.

[ACtwist]

do you always write your guitar part first or do you sometimes tailor that to the lyrics? I find writing lyrics simple but writing the fitting musical arrangements difficult. These were very helpful though, Thanks!

[atractor]

Personally, I find that this comes into the area of what I call "the dance between the music and the lyrics". Essentially one bounces off the other - for instance you may find a musical phrase that you like so you've then got to modify the lyric to suit. Then vice versa - you have a lyrical idea that just rocks and you bend the music to suit. PP gets into all this in his books

[dsrecs]

What kind of acoustic is tht it has to be an expensiveee one?

[ChRoPi21]

not nessesarily, looks and sounds like the one i have which is a washburn

[scoreperfect]

Thanks Brian for taking the time to post this - also, if you like PP, you'll also want to get: Popular Lyric Writing: 10 Steps to Effective Storytelling by Andrea Stolpe. Just search Andrea Stolpe on Amazon and it'll pop right up. It's endorsed by PP and continues/develops Object Writing and other PP techniques.

[JamesJPGR]

hey can you take a look at the songs i've written on my youtube page and give me advice?

[wilfromcali]

Thanks Atractor. I Have tons of poems that I written, and the few people that I share them with really like my poems. They all suggest that I make them into songs, but I dont play instruments, and I dont write song notes neither.

[wilfromcali]

What is a good intrument to write song with?

[atractor]

Whatever you're comfortable with, or whatever you're not comfortable with - or none at all, or just a metronome? There really are no rules here - just express yourself!! But, to quote Pat - "preserve the natural rhythm of the language".

[liamgallagher123123]

I would like to buy the book but I do songwriting in french... do you think it will help me or is it specific for english??? Thanks for your answer

[atractor]

Best bet would be to go to Pat Pattisons website and read bits of his books, try a few exercises etc... to see how it works for you.

Cheers

bb

[TubeYouGuru]

his head is super shiney

[atractor]

Thanks

[scoobyben]

I love that Pat Pattison book - it is by far the most inspirational lyric book I've come across. Every time I dig it out it just insires me to write again.

Writing good lyrics is more than just opening your mouth while playing and hoping what comes out is Shakespeare - understanding language tools and deploying them effectively will result in a more effective song.

Enjoyed your videos Brian, you've got a great and natural presentational style. Great stuff!

[liamgallagher123123]

I would like to buy the book but I do songwriting in french... do you think it will help me or is it specific for english??? Thanks for your answer

[soporia]

stream of consciousness. Nice. Stephen Dedalutian

[antyja]

More Please!! I have watched this and your other vids at least 10 times. Keep em coming.

[montezumasrevenge]

G'day mate. Keep on truckin' Enjoy your vids.

What um, volume level do you listen to strummed recorded acoustic after you've recorded it to see if the levels are satisfactory?

[atractor]

Hmmm, not quite sure what you mean here. Do you mean at what level do I listen to the play back at after recording, or what level is the guitar being recorded at? If you mean the levels on this video, the guitar is being recorded by the little mic in the camera along with me talking. It's not balanced or treated or meant to be a proper recording of the guitar.

bb

[atractor]

BTW Just come from Pat Pattison's workshop here in Melbourne, it was pretty good. He can really analyze a song and gives some great insights on how to make your writing better. Nice bloke too. He signed my book and wrote "WRITE FEARLESSLY" in it. Good advice.

bb

[fuxutoo]

from all the "user generated content" stuff on youtube, this is the first one i really found useful. thanks a lot for your work brian!

[philmarq]

I just ordered that book off Amazon now :).

[mr2monster]

I have that book and I love it... I've read it like 3 times already. Haha. .Thanks for posting these!

[atractor]

Yeah, it's a good one. Currently reading Jimmy Webbs "Tunesmith" - also an excellent insight into the process of songwriting. You can download the results of my songwriting efforts at my website.

Cheers

bb