August 20, 2010
by martin byrne
0 comments
On a busy street where poets meet
I still can hear him call
By the Grand Canal of an autumn day
As leaves begin to fall…..
All gone before us now
The words that dripped from the poets brow
Turned down by life’s own plough
All gone before us now
May 13, 2010
by martin byrne
0 comments
Well, here i am blabbing on about songwriting tips–getting the full picture and doing everything in the right order, when i really should have said–Buy a book–download some information and generally educate yourself on the back of other peoples experience.
So you have all this great new information and now you want to put it into practise. Now is a good time to look at what structure the song might take. As the word structure suggests–it means how you build your song and what shape it will take. Once again i should make reference to the fact that i am talking mainly about writing Folk songs. Most folk or ballad songs as they are refered to, serve the purpose of telling a story and passing on some information about an event or a person, wheter they be real or imaginary, the rules are the same. Firstly the listener does not want to listen to an epic, so writing a 15 minute song is out of the question. Listen to your favourite artist or similar songs on the radio and try to gauge what the average time is for these songs. I would say that three and a half to four minutes is long enough, as you dont want to lose the interest of your hard won audience. Folk and ballad usually go verse chorus verse chorus verse chorus or some variation or repeat sequence. O ften a change of key or some musical interlude can be an attractive feature of some songs.
So to recap–get the facts right before you start–decide on your structure–experiment with a key change or some music only in a part of the track.
I think i can hear the song playing already…hope you can too. Back soon with some more info—meanwhile get busy writing, and stay tuned to
Martin
May 11, 2010
by martin byrne
0 comments
I can now confirm that the date for my interview on Sydney Irish Radio has been confirmed as Sunday 16th May. You can lisen in by visiting www.sydneyirishradio.com or you can also listen in by tuning in to www.2ser.com
I am looking forward to saying hello to all the people who will be listening in to the Michael Lyons show as he brings his own special magic to the airwaves. If you have any questions or anything that you would like to ask me about, im sure that you can contact Michael, before Sunday and he will pass on your request.
Regards
Martin
May 1, 2010
by martin byrne
0 comments
When you are writing any kind of folk or ballad song, where you are recounting past events, it is of the utmost importance that you get your facts right. This can range from something as simple as dates names places or the order of events. With today’s technology only a click away, it has never been easier to gather information. If you are writing about something that you are not fully familiar with, then great care must be taken not to alter any of the facts.
Assuming then that we have all the facts before us, the next challenge is to place everything in the correct order. These may seem like silly unnecessary pieces of advice, but can you imagine the horror of committing your story to paper and then to recording, only to be later told that some of your facts are untrue—so do your homework and save yourself any embarrassing moments.
And so to song or story that is a part of your great imagination, you could be forgiven for thinking that the rules do not apply, but they do. Even inside your head there has to be a running order an a believable story line if you are to convince the audience that you were there when it all happened and now you are recounting the drama , blow for blow.
So, now that you have all the facts and a great storyline you are well on your way to writing a great song. Well there is still a bit of work to be done yet, but once you have the ingredients, we can start baking.
A song is a bit like a motion picture, but in the song you only have somewhere between three and four minutes to tell the story. So all we need is a great opening sequence to set up the story—a high octane mid section,–a breath taking finish.
It really is that simple—baking can take as long or as short as is required to deliver the final masterpiece.
To summarise—get the facts—get the running order—put them in place –and good luck.
Martin
Contact Martin Byrne Music
April 25, 2010
by martin byrne
0 comments
Great news – I have been asked to give an interview on Sydney Irish Radio with the innimatable Michael Lyons.
Some people have already contacted me from Sydney inquiring about my new CD–” MY IRELAND ” which is available from
My Ireland, the album by Martin Byrne
I hope to be able to confirm the date soon, and i am really looking forward to linking up with all the listeners down under.