CO-WRITING
IN THE AGE OF CORONAVIRUS
We’ve all had our lives affected in some way by the
covid-19 crisis that has swept our country.
For me, as a musician and songwriter, it has virtually upended many of
my activities. Live music performance with my band, or as a single, is simply not an option right now. Going live on FB and doing YouTube videos only go so far.
I have continued
writing songs every day, and I continue to co-write with other songwriters in
Nashville. Here are some suggestions and
ideas for you to consider if you currently write, or plan to write, with
others in separate locations.
First, there are several tools you can use to connect with
co-writers. I’ve used Skype, Facebook
Messenger, and Zoom for remote “face to face” writing sessions. Google is rolling out a tool similar to Zoom
as well. The visual aspect seems to help in making communication better. I’ve also simply used the old-fashioned way
of simply talking on the phone. It’s a
little more difficult if there are three or more people. I much prefer the more personal feel of
seeing the people I’m working with.
Google docs is another effective tool, part of the Google
suite of apps. It allows each writer to
see the draft lyric at the same time and to make additions or edits on the
fly. It’s very much the same in use as MS
Word, with a few minor differences.
There are other programs to do this, but this one is pretty much universally
available and very easy to use. I have
two windows open during a session, one with whatever video feed I’m using and
the other with the draft document.
The music side of the process is a bit different. I find that all the writers will generally have
an idea of how the melody, tempo, and groove of the song could be
constructed. I’ve found the best way to
work through this remotely is to record the ideas in MP3 format and share with
each writer. This gives everyone time to
get a feel for each other’s ideas, and often generates other useful ideas. When that’s done, we get together in video
conference to discuss likes and dislikes.
This generally surfaces one approach that stands out. Sometimes it means combining parts of two or
more ideas, but it is a way to unify ideas.
It’s much easier to pull together the working draft from there.
Here’s a few tips to help get through the process with less
confusion and time:
- Do your homework. Be prepared to offer ideas to move the project along
- Be considerate. Not everyone communicates the same way. Try not to dominate discussion or let another participant do so. If it’s a large group, consider designating someone as a facilitator to keep things moving and ensure everyone is heard. It’s a good idea to establish some ground rules at the outset.
- Set realistic timelines and stick to them. It’s easy for ideas to fall through the cracks without follow up in a reasonable time. Plus, many songwriters (and other creative types) I have known are not always the most organized, so a little nudge can help.
- Make sure of consensus before moving on. Don’t leave friendly differences of opinion to simmer and become big problems later. Either take care of them immediately or get agreement to resolve later.
Hope this helps you along in your writing journey!
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