The Songwriter's Workshop

The Songwriter's Workshop

Hello and welcome to The Songwriter’s Workshop. This is the series where I attempt to write songs based on the process and techniques of famous songwriters. Each video looks at a different songwriter’s writing habits, musical inspirations, and creative process while also including an original song written using those techniques.

How Tom Waits writes songs

How Tom Waits writes songs

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  • @derrickturner7163
    @derrickturner71635 күн бұрын

    That song is terrible! Although the guitar melody is decent.

  • @hansaugustsson7288
    @hansaugustsson728811 күн бұрын

    Great video! Demonstrating practicing the method was very inspiring. Thnx!

  • @michaelmullenfiddler
    @michaelmullenfiddler16 күн бұрын

    Wow. 1st song was good. Josephine was excellent. Wow

  • @michaelmullenfiddler
    @michaelmullenfiddler16 күн бұрын

    Cool video. Your first song does have a "Tom Waits-ie vibe". But it also reminds me of Nick Cave

  • @Pabloisradical
    @Pabloisradical17 күн бұрын

    This is fucking horrible. All of it.

  • @rolandhicks1874
    @rolandhicks187417 күн бұрын

    Love that song

  • @hermancharlesserrano1489
    @hermancharlesserrano148920 күн бұрын

    I’m getting more of a Grace Jones vibe, I like it!

  • @normaleehi
    @normaleehi21 күн бұрын

    Kathleen Brennan.

  • @HoratioLindez
    @HoratioLindezАй бұрын

    Brilliant advice, but really distracting background loop🫨

  • @matapichones
    @matapichonesАй бұрын

    Perfectly placed setting in the narrative of the song, man. I'll prolly be sending people links to this video if they ever mention "Fortunate Son."

  • @fuckgoogle8661
    @fuckgoogle8661Ай бұрын

    So then why doesn’t this include booze, Cocaine and hookers in the late evening? That’s how he wrote in the early years. He’d be f@cked up and listen to what people say and try to write it down after he woke up from being passed out. You can’t do the later period after because those songs are written w/ his wife.

  • @LindaLeyble
    @LindaLeybleАй бұрын

    Fantastic! I always loved his songwriting. You nailed it in yours. Love all your videos!

  • @LindaLeyble
    @LindaLeybleАй бұрын

    I thought this was great! I bought Jeff’s book during the pandemic…yes, it really helped write some different kinds of songs that I had never tried before. I have to go back to the book again ‘cause I’m in another songwriting time when feelings and struggles are trying to escape from my pores. My husband passed away last year - so I’ ve been trying to write about my feeling about this. It’s been very hard - every time I write something that’s too close to my emotions…I start crying my eyes out. So, I’m thinking I should write some other songs that I can finish without too many tears. Thanks so much for this video - I’m getting the book out again. Your song was great! I subscribed!❤

  • @jefftweedyofficial
    @jefftweedyofficial22 күн бұрын

    🤘🤘🎸 🎸 🌹

  • @yak7414
    @yak7414Ай бұрын

    incredible video!!! lots of great insight. would love to see one on lcd soundsystem/James murphy

  • @dynamicalan
    @dynamicalanАй бұрын

    I think if I remember correctly that a 2nd inversion should have the root doubled and it's ok to have the 3ed doubled in a 6/3 a 1st inversion triad.

  • @ibendiben
    @ibendibenАй бұрын

    3.14 no harmonic complexities? That strikes me as a very silly comment from them about him. "A lot of the time he's happy letting V follow II and I follow V...." Yeah duh. Now let them try and cover a song by him or Ray Charles including the piano and in case of Randy also the orchestra without using more then 3 note harmony... Apart from that, rythm, feel and timing is huge in music. It's not simple. Randy can say that about himself. But no one else imho.

  • @jeremiahhankins3372
    @jeremiahhankins3372Ай бұрын

    I really like your analysis! I can definitely hear more of the singing through a megaphone sound, or maybe just some more percussive buisness going on in the first one. I was making up my own background vocal choir parts (and strings too) while listening to the second one. Very good, both of them!

  • @jeffthevideoguy23
    @jeffthevideoguy23Ай бұрын

    Well, I'd rather be dead, than to wet my bed

  • @wyshwood
    @wyshwood2 ай бұрын

    His songs, and yours always seem a little 'hymn' like to me. A story shallow buried beneath an accessible tune. Hidden depths, though. Keep listening and there's more going on. Nice job.

  • @jameslightningappleby
    @jameslightningappleby2 ай бұрын

    Brilliant! Should do Roger Waters.

  • @TheJety
    @TheJety2 ай бұрын

    Great song! And excellent résume of Randy´s life

  • @KatShotz
    @KatShotz2 ай бұрын

    How cool , but not all have words playing in their mind continually.

  • @EmilioExploring
    @EmilioExploring2 ай бұрын

    Nice job dude!

  • @acoustically9201
    @acoustically92012 ай бұрын

    I've watched a fair few of you vids now and your model is a great way to exemplify the 'greats' different musical approaches. One of the most interesting channels on songwriting out there. Many congrats. One thing I have to say...I'm still surprised by just how many people hold Lennon/McC as the greatest ever (including industry people - who should ''know'') .....I mean they were essentially playing covers all day every day and then magically wrote 200 songs in a few years in a range of styles....the majority of which are now standards. Literally everrything they released went to number 1. After the Beatles, neither could really get close to that level again. George Harrison's ''best of'' is probably a far more pleasing listen than the other two's. So ....they clearly had ''help'' (ironically!) or they didn't contribute much at all. At the very least, G. Martin must've ''influenced'' the clever middle 8s. Some of their songs are complex and they had no formal training (Michelle?). Anyway, I leave it there. Personally, I am far more interested in the styles you have included in your videos. Diverse writers, all who sat down and wrote as a ''job'' and were working on their craft for decades. PS I think Neil Finn might be a decent candidate for a look, Robert Smith too....for 15 yrs his output was fantastic - thereafter not so convinced, but I'm pretty certain these two wrote their own. Elvis Costello's best work is outstanding. Very few make it past a decade of exceptional level output... Elton John a good example of this. Jethro Tull's first decade or so (Ian Anderson's writing) was groundbreaking.

  • @jamestulk5111
    @jamestulk51112 ай бұрын

    Your song has a strong jazz feel/

  • @tuneytwosome
    @tuneytwosome2 ай бұрын

    👍 Thanks for the motivation to get Tunesmith and work through improving my song Good Morning to You My Sweetheart NEW SONG by Mary Kay Aufrance - Now, instead of a short little ditty with just Verse-Verse-Chorus twice through, I included: - a prolog with a fun little bass line and accordion accompaniment, - an introduction with lyrics that set the stage, - a couple of 7th chords at the end of the intro, with the last of these being on the 2-chord, to peak the listener's interest, - a bunch of short little fills throughout the song, which I played on my happy little accordion, - a bridge that I also played on my accordion, to lead into the second verse, - a bass line. These days I think songs just really gotta have a bass line, - vocal harmonies on the chorus, for Tom to sing with me. That's a lot! It was a lot of composing and twiddling on my part, but it sure was fun to put the suggestions in the book to work.

  • @MattDelahunt-nl1gd
    @MattDelahunt-nl1gd3 ай бұрын

    Can you please do a video on how counting crows write there songs thank you.

  • @JoshWaters-mu5tl
    @JoshWaters-mu5tl3 ай бұрын

    for me it's the lyrics are the hardest any advice?

  • @soxymoon
    @soxymoon3 ай бұрын

    i love tom waits so much and i got to the end and got the best surprise heheh

  • @languagechallenge
    @languagechallenge3 ай бұрын

    Great content, although this is essentially a lyric writing video not a really songwriting one. I came to this vid looking to move beyond reams of words and form some into songs but this video doesn't really cover that much... more generating lyrics in the first place.

  • @tuneytwosome
    @tuneytwosome3 ай бұрын

    Your Songwriter's Workshop is a really nice presentation and I am looking forward to all of your videos. What a nice song, using the techniques presented inTunesmith and encouraging. I have been doing the same with that book, to gussy up my songs. Currently, I am getting into Chapter 6 chords and progressions, and since I never had patience with that stuff I appreciate how Jimmy Webb inserts encouragement to stick with his exercises even though progress will seem glacial and frustrating. This time it is finally sinking in! As a piano player, I imagine you worked through the chording stuff years ago, eh? Lastly, please check out my most recent song that I augmented with Tunesmith recommendations. It is youtube video Fk1RtFz_9GA

  • @RegularSean
    @RegularSean3 ай бұрын

    Sometimes I come here just to listen to Josephine. Dig the lyrics.

  • @GingerWaters
    @GingerWaters3 ай бұрын

    I would have guessed, that the song was cover version of Talking Heads song I haven’t heard before. I have noticed the same thing, that one chord songs develope groovy rythms.

  • @GingerWaters
    @GingerWaters3 ай бұрын

    Interesting. Awoked thinking: ”if you think if to make it short or long, shorter is better.”

  • @465marko
    @465marko3 ай бұрын

    I feel like you ended up with a Queen song!!! haha..... It's good.

  • @nicoledelcastillo8443
    @nicoledelcastillo84434 ай бұрын

    Absolutely fantastic. Thank you for being so generous with sharing your demo. It really gives others inspiration and permission to do the same!

  • @TristanMiller1
    @TristanMiller14 ай бұрын

    Incredibly impressive! Great song I host a podcast about Randy Newman would you wanna be on an episode?

  • @bille77
    @bille774 ай бұрын

    Ok, this isn't about songwriting but lyrics writing.

  • @robertwynkoop7112
    @robertwynkoop71123 ай бұрын

    Yes, writing music and writing lyrics are different things. Writing music and writing lyrics provide different challenges. Most musicians are more comfortable and more adept at writing melody and music, less so with lyrics. It is the inspired, emotionally consistent integration of these two art forms that make up the songwriting art form….

  • @bille77
    @bille773 ай бұрын

    @@robertwynkoop7112 That's true. 😊

  • @kevinjoseph517
    @kevinjoseph5174 ай бұрын

    Dumb click track. and start is 3 minutes of PC bio.

  • @morbogast
    @morbogast4 ай бұрын

    I think you don't get Tom Waits.

  • @greenvelvet
    @greenvelvetАй бұрын

    Okay? Care to expound? Not very helpful or constructive. I'd like to see you putting yourself out there.

  • @ibm_businessman6033
    @ibm_businessman60334 ай бұрын

    Thanks for this!

  • @kevinnolan6579
    @kevinnolan65794 ай бұрын

    I really liked your video. I am very influenced by waits' spirit of songwriting. Here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/n4OtytFsf5u2pdo.html&ab_channel=KevinNolan

  • @wanderingdrew
    @wanderingdrew4 ай бұрын

    My favorite part is the slide. It sounds very langy.

  • @davebella298
    @davebella2984 ай бұрын

    There's something I love about this song. Good work man

  • @pauldritsas6047
    @pauldritsas60474 ай бұрын

    Luv it!! Absolutely Brilliant!

  • @melanielynne0414
    @melanielynne04144 ай бұрын

    Newman wrote the music and lyrics and sang the theme song for the TV Detective "Monk". His best in my opinion.

  • @kevintarrant5854
    @kevintarrant58545 ай бұрын

    Just like Tom you wrote the songs using 8 bar phrasing, I’ve never heard him use anything else.

  • @andrewtea
    @andrewtea5 ай бұрын

    Love your song!!

  • @PBeetheFox
    @PBeetheFox5 ай бұрын

    Jeff: Write freestanding couplets to help spark ideas. Me looking at my google doc of lyrical ideas: Yay! I'm such a good songwriter! Jeff: Don't let adjectives make you think you're being poetic. Me looking at my google doc of lyrical ideas: Wait, wut......

  • @kablefransen6849
    @kablefransen68495 ай бұрын

    Terrific vid. Cool song. Thank you