Country music songwriting and collaboration

Like the motto of the Nashville Songwriters Association says: It All Begins with a Song. Without good songs, your chances of success are dramatically reduced.

This may seem blatantly obvious to you, but it is a very critical piece of your business and is often not given the attention it deserves. I have seen too many good vocalists singing poor songs, which effectively reduces an artist's chances of success. Not only is song selection important, but so is the placement of songs within a set, but that is another issue.

I have extensive experience writing songs and enjoy working in collaboration with artists on songs and songwriting. When songwriting, I prefer to get to know an artist, including their vocal style and personality, so that I can write (or we can co-write) songs that are truly reflective of the artist for whom they were written. In that vein, I don't keep a large catalogue of stock material available, although I do have a selection of songs in this regard.
~ Mike

The power of good songs and effective songwriting should not be overlooked or forgotten. Song selection is very important whether you are doing covers or original material, or a combination of both.

To really write great songs, it's important to know who you are, your style, your attitude and of course your vocal range. I have seen many singers write material that they can't sing! Or certainly that they shouldn't be singing in the arrangement they chose. Sometimes, it's as simple as tweaking a song to fit your range. Fiddling with the arrangement and intonation, for example, can do wonders for an otherwise difficult part of a song.

Working in collaboration, it's usually a simple and fun process of working through any rough spots.

If you have never collaborated on songwriting with anyone before, you may be a little nervous about the whole process. You shouldn't be. Collaboration is fun and exhilerating. There is no pressure to perform, or prove your brilliance, or come up with the next mega hit.

Collaboration is an iterative process that works best in a relaxed environment. People are usually pleasantly surprised by how easily the process evolves, how much fun it can be and the quality of material that is ultimately produced.

If you are looking for new material and you are in a rough spot (if you have writer's block), collaborating with someone is a great way to re-energize and get the flow moving once again.