Songwriting Course at Arvon

Last September (2013) I attended a songwriting workshop at a beautiful old manor called Totleigh Barton, in deepest mid-Devon.

It is a creative centre run by Arvon (http://www.arvon.org/) offering residential, week long courses, in a rural location (no mobile phone signal and no internet!).

The accommodation is simple, comprising of room with a single bed, desk, chair and chest of drawers. There is a large dining room in the medieval part of the manor, a library and a converted barn (containing many sofas and a grand piano).

We were greeted on Monday afternoon by the centre staff who laid on a real Devon cream tea. As other attendees arrived the course tutors introduced themselves. They would be hosting workshops and personal tutorial time.

Our two very talented singer/songwriting tutors were

 

Boo Hewerdine (http://www.boohewerdine.net/),

 

and

 

 

 Karine Polwart (http://www.karinepolwart.com/)

 

On an Arvon course the tutors are usually joined by a guest on Wednesday.

 

 In our case this was Mark Freegard (http://kyotistudio.com/) the owner/producer of Kyoti Studios, Glasgow, who actually stayed for the whole week and patiently recorded some of

the songs written during that tme.

Most mornings consisted of a singing/vocal warm-up with Karine, followed by songwriting challenges from Karine and Boo. These consisted of writing three verses for a song on a given subject (30 minutes), then reading them out and working on them later. On occasions this meant writing the tune to another persons lyrics, or collaborating with someone.

During the week everyone helped cook a meal and wash up. In addition to the workshops, there was evening entertainment; a quiz, a concert by the two tutors, sing-arounds.

As the course progressed, some of the finished songs were recorded by Mark, who had set up his studio in the library. The CD of 20 or so songs was played in the barn on the last night. This was a great way of showing what everyone was working on during the week.

The friendships made over the week have been great, with many of us continuing to correspond via Facebook.

The validation I gained from the course has encouraged me to get on with recording my own CD. The initial tracks are currently being laid down, as time permits.

Also, I had to deal with the results from my tests for Cancer that I had shelved while I had this amazing week.

Out in the wilderness

After I left school I played on my own for many years, occasionally at local events on the Isle of Wight (probably very badly), until 1980.

In the 1980's I started volunteering at Medina Theatre in Newport, where I learnt how to rig and focus the lights and run a lighting desk for a variety of shows. Also, I started to master how to mix the sound for live shows. There was an amazing range of artists that came through the doors in the theatres early years. It was a real challenge at times. But it was here that I met a pianist (Helen) that eventually became my wife.

In the early 1980's we spent many days going through all sorts of music and often recording them onto good old trusty cassette tape. We just used to set up four microphones and let the tape run. Amongst all the recordings were some real gems. Lots of covers and some 'very' originals, mostly just busked from a few scribbled notes. There are a few surviving tapes, that have been put onto CD for posterity.

The one thing that this partnership did was teach me how to accompany others and really learn to listen while I was playing with another musician. Helen's father was/is a jazz musician and it was listening to him that the penny dropped that I loved jazz. He introduced me to all sorts of recordings. He also had a portable vibraphone. Ok, when I say it was portable, it was about two octaves and fitted into a case/box, but I would challenge anyone to carry it any distance.

The sound a vibe makes is just amazing and some of my favourite jazz musicians are vibe players (Milt Jackson/Gary Burton).

 

 



Songwriting

Q. So when do you get the bug to start songwriting?

There is that initial stage where you are just so delighted to play a single chord, that is fingered correctly and where the strings are not buzzing and there are no dull thuds (where the string hasn't been held down hard enough), and your fingers no longer sting. After that comes the challenge of changing to another, equally successfully held chord and then back to the original one, or... onto a new another one!

The tutor books will show the chord name or a chord box detailing the fingering and with this information you expand your knowledge. Then you hit a song with 'F' or 'Eb' in it and have to rethink this whole song playing idea.

But with perseverance and some swearing you get through this steep learning curve and plateau out to be able to get through a whole song without too much scrambling about. You may have even started to change songs into a more playable key (avoiding 'F' and 'Eb')!

My first sheet music was for songs by T-Rex, Sweet, Moody Blues and Alice Cooper. I really didn't understand the dots, but could manage the chord/chord boxes. Looking back, they are the songs I would just busk along with now, intuitively knowing where the chords would be going. But how did I learn this? I suppose it was just with trial and error.


So, going back to the songwriting question, it had to be once I got my first guitar and started to string chords together.

The big question is... What was my first song? Now this is where it gets a little complicated. Is that a completed song, with lyrics and everything, or the first attempt at writing an original tune? My first tune was called 'Cascade'. I am not sure why it was given that name, and all evidence of it is long gone. I must have written it in 1973 or 1974. My first song with original tune and lyrics was 'Waiting on the Station'. Some of this does exist. I have a couple of verses (lyrics) with the chords and can vaguely remember how it went. One day I will record a bit of it as a record of how far I have come in the past 40 years!

 

Recording (old school)

After school finished I continued playing music and started on the flute. I purchased a new red strat copy (which I only passed on recently - 2013) and a few effects pedals.

In the late 1970's I purchased a Teac A108 tape cassette machine. It allowed the right track to be recorded and then played back while you added the left track. then you could play and mix them back while adding another track and recording to a second machine.

In 1983 I purchased my first Fostex 4 track recorder. It was a simple machine and was totally portable.

I recorded many demo's on this. From this I progressed to other 4-track machines:

It was great using multi-track machines. The ability to put down a drum and bass track and then add guitars and vocals opened up a really creative world for me.

One thing I did notice, while I was listening to the recordings, was how much higher my voice was in those days!

Being the odd one out - We had a band at school (1970's)

It was a weird experience being the first to go through the comprehensive system, into what was originally a high school. All I really enjoyed was learning and playing music and maths. The maths was fine and I did well in this, but the music was harder. The actual music wasn't hard, it was the difficulty in being allowed to actually study it as a school lesson.
Apparently, you can only do music if you are in the top stream. You can only learn a musical instrument if it is one that can be played in an orchestra.
I was a guitarist and in the second stream, so I was totally stuffed by the system! No, you can't do music 'O' level and you can't play in the orchestra.
So, I decided to carry on playing in the band and getting into as many of the school concerts as possible. This meant towing the line regarding what we could play. Yes, you can play songs by the Carpenters and John Denver. No, you can't play songs by Alice Cooper!
We did get to play some gigs that were arranged for us by a very accommodating English teacher, who supported us.

Left to right: Nic, Me, Paul and Steve. This was taken at the Broadway park hotel in Sandown at a NSPCC charity event. I make no apologies for the lilac shirt and matching tie - it was the 70's!

I got through the three years at high school, but did manage to send a passing shot to the establishment at the last 'leaving' concert for parents. We went along and played the usual 'safe' songs and then were told we had to set up in front of the curtain on stage, as they wanted us to 'fill in' and couldn't afford us the time to set up properly. So two guitarists and a bass player along with amps, etc. and a drum kit were moved into place, in full view of the audience. Then we started playing... not the agreed set, but a much heavier one including the already banned Alice Cooper number! It was out last performance and we were not going to be asked back, so it seemed a fitting exit.

Other than a few more gigs during the 70's, once I left school I didn't play in the band as we all went our own way. I did carry on writing and playing.

I have had the time to look up these old photos while I have recuperating after an operation for prostate cancer in December.

My first electric guitar

While I was at Middle School I got my first electric guitar. It was quite a spontaneous act. I was 12 and on holiday with my parents in Bournemouth and was passing a music shop. I originally went in to buy some sheet music, but on the wall was a Tele-type Japanese copy in glorious sunburst. It played like a dream. It was new and cost £23. This was 1972. A great guitar, but one slight problem... I didn't have an amplifier! The solution was a 15watt, second hand, valve amp with tremolo. It was very portable and had an integrated 10" speaker. So for just under £50, I had a fairly decent electric guitar and amplifier. The guitar survived until the early 1990's when it was sold at a car boot sale. The amp was given away to a friend when I purchased a Yamaha JX40 amp in the early 1980's - a decision I have resented ever since. It had an amazing tone. I really didn't appreciate how lucky I was.

It was at this point I realised that you could also make up songs. Ok, I know that this seems a little obvious, but up to then I played the songs that I had heard on Top of the Pops or the Old Grey Whistle Test. So, with a guitar, pen and paper I started scribbling tunes and words down. The main problem was a lack of musical knowledge (I had played recorder for a few years so could read music, a little). I could string three or four chords together, but didn't realise why a certain chord went with another. The theory would have to wait. I was going to High School.

But soon I would form a band...

Windsor Arms

Firstly, thanks to Trudie and the Windsor Arms for a lovely open mic (Saturday, 25th).

So, what else has been happening?

The North Devon Publishing Project appears to be gaining momentum. Also, there should be an initial meeting of the North Devon Songwriters very soon. For more information on this look at the blog.