1,751 Reply by James McCormick

(12 replies, posted in Songwriting)

hello tiff harvey11 - The name for a song is a perfectly good place to start. So . . . to get the rest of song underway, try this - what is it about the name that is interesting to you?  Why would it make a good song title . . . there are probably some ideas and words that are related to the title in your mind.


Chances are that with a little bit of free association  you can come up with a few choice words or phrases that seem to be somehow part of the title's stream of thought.  Jot all those words & phases down.


Take a look at what you got and then just keep jotting phrases or words that come to mind.  Eventually, you may stumble on some ideas that go "click" and you can start coming up with a few lines.


Don't try to make it all perfect right from the start - just keep chipping away at it until it starts to gel.  Don't fall into the trap of feeling that you've got to finish one song before you start another - just make it a habit of trying to have ideas and trying to use the ideas.


Hope this helps . . . songwriting can be fun and it can be frustrating (but it's alot cheaper than golf or gambling or other pursuits).

Go to forum: Songwriting

1,752 Reply by James McCormick

(20 replies, posted in Other string instruments)

Hello juliamarie - and touche'! My comments were made in jest . . . I started my discovery of music playing bassoon.  I also played braritone sax in the stage band in high school.


Even though I could read and play all the notes on the page, I never could improvise on the sax (or bassoon) - I just couldn't make that leap of faith off the written page.


Went off to college thinking I wanted to be a Music major, but soon realized that I did not have the dedication to spend at least 4 hours in a practice room every day perfecting my technique - so I switched majors and music became a hobby rather than a career goal.


I love classical (or "serious" music) and am lucky to live in a small town that has a major univeristy, so we can hear accomplished musicians ply their trade.


However; I see an irony in that most classically-trained musicians are incapable (or unwilling) to step out and improvise. They are excellent technicians, but seemingly lacking in the spark it takes to play music that is not written.


On the other hand, there are the vast hordes of self-taught musicians who love to improvise but who are unable (or are uninterested in learning how) to read music.


I believe that anybody who enjoys making music will benefit from learning as much as they can about how to do it better.  If you know the technical stuff - then learn how to play beyond the written notes.  If you already don't require written notes - then learn how to read music and whole new world of wonderment will open to you.


I've got a good friend who plays cello and I've been trying to get him to play with me - but he is terrified of not having a full bass line written out. . . I'll keep working on him though and wear him down eventually.

Go to forum: Other string instruments

1,753 Reply by James McCormick

(2 replies, posted in Song requests)

Hello rickburnout666 - try this link:

<a href="http://www.azchords.com/k/knack-tabs-7099/mysharona-tabs-109060.html" target="_blank"> http://www.azchords.com/k/knack-tabs-70 … a-tabs-109 060.html</a>

You will find the lyrics, chords, and tabs for the riffs. Hope this helps - it's a great long.

Go to forum: Song requests

1,754 Reply by James McCormick

(2 replies, posted in About Chordie)

Hello Styles Bytchly - There are 11 listings in the Chordie index for "Crazy On You" by Heart.  Some of them seem to be repeats of the same version from different sources.  Which version are you trying to use?


Seeing it from 6 feet away?  Since I can also vividly recall when the song was on the charts, I would also need to super-size the font to see it from that distance.


The 'sweet Chordie format' is actually a result of the 'chords in brackets embedded in the words' - it is called chordpro format.  If the coding is correct it will yield very pretty pages after Chordie does it's voodoo.


Try this - go to your songbook and open the song with the 'edit' button (at the end of the listing).  The 2-pane window you will see will show the song in it's coded format.  It is not necessary to edit in Word - just change stuff in the editing window.  Perhaps the version you are trying to use has an open comment command {c:blah blah blah}.  If the closing bracket is missing, then all the text that follows will appear very small.


I looked at one version of the song (#3 maybe?) and it is a mess.  Alot of stuff could be done to improve the general layout and coding.  Lots of 'chaff' can be cut from the version I looked at . . . but I did not notice any fatal coding errors that would yield miniscule font size.  Perhaps some of the overly-long lines of text could be split into 2 or 3 lines - maybe that is making it print tiny?


Perhaps the Admin might have some other suggestions regarding how to make the print "Barracuda"-sized.  Maybe as we all get older (and wiser) Chordie might come out with a 'Large-Print Edition' to cater to our special needs. . .

Go to forum: About Chordie

1,755 Reply by James McCormick

(22 replies, posted in About Chordie)

Yes - this is very OK!  The 'hover' feature is brilliant.  Using this sytem will (over time) encourage users to put some thought and effort into their posted songbooks.  It will gently remind users that books full of 'raw' or unedited selections are not nearly as useful or as desirable as songbooks which contain 'improved' layouts and corrected contents.


Eventually, a generally-agreed-upon set of rating principals will probably evolve.  Personally, I will give highest ratings to books exhibiting the following characteristics:


Correct lyrics

Correct chords & correct chord placement

Chords throughout the whole song (not just verse 1)

Coded so as to be fully transposable


Songs with these features are the most helpful to somebody trying to learn a new tune.  There are probably some other desirable characteristics, but these are what come to mind right now.


By the way - I like the idea of the Christmas Songbook competition . . . I've started mulling over what my entry should contain.  Obviously, since many books will contain similar selections this little contest will help to clarify what makes a 'good' songbook 'good' and a 'great' songbook 'better'.

Go to forum: About Chordie

1,756 Reply by James McCormick

(16 replies, posted in Songwriting)

Yep - I'm  absolutely geezerly - and I still have that Sex Pistols album along with a few others.  As I recall it, Punk was basically a reaction to the over-produced, over-hyped, and over-slick stuff being pumped out by the record labels at the time . . . some things just never change!


I seem to remember there were alot of really good (& really sick) Sid & Nancy jokes . . . but somehow I just can't recall a single one.


Speaking of geezerly . . . here's a link to a song I posted a few days ago:


Re: Post formatted songs [message #3156 is a reply to message #331 ]


The sing is entitled "My Geezerly Years". Don't know if a link to another forum thread will work, but there it is.

Go to forum: Songwriting

1,757 Reply by James McCormick

(16 replies, posted in Songwriting)

Hope this helps - - - To put it together here is what you do:  Once the lyric is written, you can then place your chords within the lyric by enclosing it within brackets: [C].  Position the chords where they go in the song.  Melodic riffs and other embellishments may be indicated in tab form.


To see how the formatting works, go to your Chordie songbook.  Hopefully, you have some songs in there that are well-formatted so they appear nicely on the screen.  Open a song using the "edit" button.  You will see a 2-pane window with the unformatted coding in the upper pane.  There is also a 'help' button that explains about the formatting commands.


Can't say as that I'm all that into Punk anymore - although I did buy "Never Mind the Bullocks - Here Come the Sex Pistols" when it first came out on vinyl . . . guess that sort of dates me.  The band that most fascinates me lately is Old Crow Medicine Show because they play and sing with great gusto.


I am also quite enamored of Gillian Welch's music and artistry.  But really, I just can't get all excited about bands much anymore - I just enjoy music.


When did you start writing songs?

Go to forum: Songwriting

1,758 Reply by James McCormick

(16 replies, posted in Songwriting)

Hello Gabe - welcome to the forum.  I look forward to seeing some of your stuff here when you are ready to share.  When you say "make the chord charts", what do you mean?

Go to forum: Songwriting

1,759 Reply by James McCormick

(1 replies, posted in About Chordie)

Hello cpaul - Quite a list of accomplished musicians you have there.  Some I knew of, others are new to me . . . there is a Wikipedia article about each of these artists (I just checked) and there are plenty of links at the end of each article that may get you closer to what you seek.


One reason why info/tabs on the web is hard to find is that some of these guys use a completely different tuning for each song.  Another reason is that some of them were at the height of their popularity before the web was what the web is now (if that makes any sense).


Hope this helps - if you find a treasure trove of stuff on any of these guys, please share the info.

Go to forum: About Chordie

1,760 Reply by James McCormick

(12 replies, posted in Acoustic)

"Tupelo Honey" also works with the letters of the alphabet for the lyric . . . makes for a rather unexpected 'extra' verse.  Try it . . .

<div class="song"><link rel="StyleSheet" href="../css/chordie.css" type="text/css" media="screen" title="Chordie style"><div id="singlesong"><div id="singlesongc"><div class="header"><h1 class="finaltitle"> Tupelo Honey Alphabet</h1><h2 class="finalartist" style="text-decoration: none">With Apologies to Van Morisson</h2></div><div class="song"><div id="firstcol"><div class="chordline"><span class="bracket">[</span><span class="relc"><span class="absc">C</span></span><span class="bracket">]</span>a b c d  <span class="bracket">[</span><span class="relc"><span class="absc">Em</span></span><span class="bracket">]</span>e f g

</div><div class="chordline"><span class="bracket">[</span><span class="relc"><span class="absc">F</span></span><span class="bracket">]</span>h i j k l  <span class="bracket">[</span><span class="relc"><span class="absc">G</span></span><span class="bracket">]</span>m n o p

</div><div class="chordline"><span class="bracket">[</span><span class="relc"><span class="absc">C</span></span><span class="bracket">]</span>q r s  <span class="bracket">[</span><span class="relc"><span class="absc">Em</span></span><span class="bracket">]</span>t u v

</div></div><div id="secondcol"><div class="chordline"><span class="bracket">[</span><span class="relc"><span class="absc">F</span></span><span class="bracket">]</span>w x <span class="bracket">[</span><span class="relc"><span class="absc">C</span></span><span class="bracket">]</span>y & z

</div>
</div></div><div class="grids"><img class="chord" alt="C" src="../ramimages/Cchord_N32010_1.png" /> <img class="chord" alt="Em" src="../ramimages/Emchord_022000_1.png" /> <img class="chord" alt="F" src="../ramimages/Fchord_133211_1.png" /> <img class="chord" alt="G" src="../ramimages/Gchord_320003_1.png" /> </div></div></div><div style="display:none">

{t:Tupelo Honey Alphabet}

{st:With Apologies to Van Morisson}

[C]a b c d  [Em]e f g

[F]h i j k l  [G]m n o p

[C]q r s  [Em]t u v

[F]w x [C]y & z

</div>


Now there's something you don't hear everyday!

Go to forum: Acoustic

1,761 Reply by James McCormick

(12 replies, posted in Acoustic)

Check this link for Richard Thompson's raw & rousing acoustic version of 'Oops! I Did It Again".  Once you strip away all the smarmy, insipid pop junk it is a song with a very interesting chord structure and a great lyric.


<a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1506843" target="_blank"> http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor … </a>

Go to forum: Acoustic

1,762 Reply by James McCormick

(3 replies, posted in About Chordie)

OK, I think I understad now . . You were copying & pasting the chord symbol [Dsus2] into your lyric file.  Try this: If the song is in one of your Chordie songbooks, open the song using the "edit" button at the end of the selections listing.


You will then see the song in a double-paned window.  The upper pane is where you can alter the song's coding using ChordPro notations (see the 'help' box in that pane for basic instructions).  This allows you to place chords exactly where you want them to appear in the lyric.  The lower pane lets you see what the selection will look like once Chordie has formatted it for display.


Sometimes when editing a song, I will copy and paste the entire contents of the edit window into a Word or Notepad document.  Then I work on it and paste the changes back into the edit window.


If you have songs in your collection that are not indexed by Chordie, then you can view & print these ChordPro-type files at this website:


www.bythechord.com/chordpro.php


It is also possible to 'hijack' a Chordie listing in your songbook (temporarily) by pasting a whole new song into the edit pane, save it, and then print.  Since Chordie formatting is very nice, I do this occasionally to get one of my own songs looking very pretty.  The downside of this is that the song's index name is still the same as the original 'hijacked' listing.


Perhaps I am still not understanding your situation.  If this doesn't help, let me know.

Go to forum: About Chordie

1,763 Reply by James McCormick

(2 replies, posted in About Chordie)

Hello absurdus delerium - I surfed around abit and didn't find anything for the song you seek.  However, Lucky Jim does have a myspace site:


<a href="http://www.myspace.com/luckyjimmusic" target="_blank">http://www.myspace.com/luckyjimmusic</a>


Perhaps somebody there can assist in providing the chords.  In future, post song requests to the "Song Requests" section of the forum.  Your posting sat unaswered for several days becuase it was a little out of place.


Hop this helps you find what you want . . .

Go to forum: About Chordie

1,764 Reply by James McCormick

(3 replies, posted in About Chordie)

Hello KBarrit - Saw your post was unanswered after several days, so thought I would reply.  What specifically do mean, "copy & paste chords into Word documents"?


Do you mean the chord-fingering graphics, or do you mean the whole song layout (lyrics & chords) as seen on the Chordie screen?  Or do you mean something else?


Give me some direction on this and problem and I'll try to help you figure it out . . .

Go to forum: About Chordie

1,765 Reply by James McCormick

(3 replies, posted in Acoustic)

hello Smil333y - 4/4, 2/4, 3/4, 6/8, etc are time signatures.

4/4 means four beats per measure with a quarter note being one beat.

2/4 means 2 beats per measure with a quarte note being one beat.

3/4 means 3 beats per measure with a quarter note being one beat.

6/8 means six beats per measure with an eighth note being one beat.


4/4 time is 'march time'. 2/4 is 'quick march'. 3/4 and 6/8 are 'waltz times'.


Most rock & blues songs are in 4/4 time.  To hear the difference between these time sigs, try this:

Beat your leg with your hand at a steady rate . . . keep the beat rate steady and keep it going as you do this . . .

To feel 4/4, count 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 and put some emphasis on the downbeats (1).

To feel 2/4, count 1 2 1 2 1 2 and put the emphasis on the downbeats (1).

To feel 3/4, count 1 2 3 1 2 3 and put the emphasis on the downbeats (1).

To feel 6/8, count 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 and put the emphasis on the downbeats (1).


There are other time signatures, but these are the most common.


For playing a song, it is important to get the right pulse going in your head since it will convey the basic rhythmic structure of the tune.  If you try to play a waltz tune (3/4) in (4/4) time it will never sound right.


Hope this helps . . .

Go to forum: Acoustic

1,766 Reply by James McCormick

(4 replies, posted in About Chordie)

Hello ramans - Try to print the first couple of songs in your songbook individually. 


Go to your songbook and open the first song and then click the print button on the open song's page. Try it again on the second and third songs.


If this same problem occurs, then there is probably something in the edit codes in your selections that is doing it when you try to print the whole songbook at once.


Try this and post another message telling what happened.

Go to forum: About Chordie

1,767 Reply by James McCormick

(12 replies, posted in Acoustic)

hello jhopping - take a look at these songs - you don't normally hear them done acoustically, but they are great tunes. Since you have a vocalist along with you, you could really have some fun on these oldies but goodies:


Piece of My Heart, Janis Joplin

Without You, Harry Nillson

Call Me, Blondie

Oops, I Did It Again, Britney Spears

Take My Breath Away, Berlin

Don't You (Forget About Me), Simple Minds


I realize that some of these songs are very schmaltzy as heard in their over-produced form on the radio - BUT, they are actually good tunes.  There are some cleaned-up versions of the songs in Chordie Songbooks that I have posted ("Strut Your Pipes", "Ballads From Blondes", and "Silly To Sublime").


Hope you find some suitable stuff . . .

Go to forum: Acoustic

1,768 Reply by James McCormick

(1 replies, posted in Songwriting)

Hello <a href="mailto:guit&#64;rm" target="_blank">guit&#64;rm</a<a href="mailto:>&#64;n" target="_blank">>&#64;n</a> - I don't ever have that problem because I have never written a great poem!


Seriously though . . . Should I ever write and great poem I would probably just come up with some simple chord changes that seem appropriate and then let the melody just sort of evolve.  If the lyric is strong, then you don't need to go into overkill with an elaborate melody and complicated music.


Check out stuff by Leonard Cohen - elegant, flowing poetry for lyrics with elegant, flowing simple musical accompainment.  Good stuff - memorable, sincere, powerful.

Go to forum: Songwriting

1,769 Reply by James McCormick

(1 replies, posted in Song requests)

hello prezmpa - I believe the song you are looking for is originally by Don Williams.  There happens to be a cleaned up version of the Don Williams song in a Chordie songbook entitled "Silly to Sublime".  There is also a 'raw' version indexed under Williams, Don.


Great song - hope this helps.

Go to forum: Song requests

1,770 Reply by James McCormick

(53 replies, posted in Acoustic)

I also enjoy the traditional Scottish and Irish songs - you may also appreciate this link to an article about the 'Carmina Gadelica' a fascinating collection of old songs, poems, and stories from the Highlands and Hebrides.


<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmina_Gadelica" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmina_Gadelica</a>


The article has links to on-line versions of the texts.  Although there are no chords or music for the songs, it is fun to figure out your own musical versions.

Go to forum: Acoustic

1,771 Reply by James McCormick

(15 replies, posted in About Chordie)

Hello admin - I just categorized the songbooks that I had published over the last several months.  Since they were assembled prior to the new & improved system, it was a toss up as to where some of them would fit best.


I shall keep the new genre-based system in mind when assembling future songbooks.

Go to forum: About Chordie

1,772 Reply by James McCormick

(36 replies, posted in Songwriting)

Wrote this ditty today - I am quite pleased with it!

My Geezerly Years by; James McCormick, Oct. 30, 2006


In 3/4 Time, a stately waltz


(For the occasion of my 50th birthday!)




Well I [C]used to be [F]charming,


And I [C]used to be [G]cute.


But [C]now Im just [F]honest


And [C]old and hir-[G]sute.


. . .


Ive got [C]hairs in my [F]ears.


Ive got [C]hairs on my [G]toes.


And less [C]hair on my [F]head,


And more [G]hair in [C]nose.


. . .


Geezer-[Bb]ly, geezer-[F]ly, [C]geezerly years


Geezer-[Bb]ly, geezer-[F]ly, [C]geezerly years


I am [F]happy to [Bb]be in my [C]geezerly [F]days


And Im [Bb]comfortable [F]in my [C]geezerlyways.


You wont [F]see me [Bb]cry any [C]geezerly[F]tears


Because Im [Bb]proud to be [F]into my [C]geezerlyyears


[C7]Geezer-[Bb]ly, geezer-[F]ly, [C]geezerly years


[C7]Geezer-[Bb]ly, geezer-[F]ly, [C]geezerly years


. . .


And I [C]really dont [F]care


If you [C]think that Im [G]nice


Im not [C]rude or of-[F]fensive


And Im [C]always po-[G]lite


. . .


But I [C]wont put on [F]airs


Or pre-[C]tend to be [G]cool


Ill just [C]tell you the [F]truth


And Im [G]nobodys [C]fool


. . .


(CHORUS)


. . .


As a [C]young man I [F]tried


To be [C]so debon-[G]air


And I [C]craved the at-[F]tentions


Of the [G]ladies so [C]fair


. . .


I would [C]try to be [F]handsome



I would [C]preen and Id [G]strut


But [C]now theyve stopped [F]leering


At my [G]saggy old [C]butt.


. . .


(CHORUS)


. . .


Well they [C]say that my [F]prostate


Will be-[C]gin to en-[G]large


And they [C]say that my [F]colon


May no [C]longer dis-[G]charge


. . .


And my [C]knees are all [F]creaky


And my [C]back gets so [G]sore


My [C]glasses are getting [F]thicker


And my [G]jokes are a [C]bore.


. . .


(CHORUS)


. . .


Some [C]geezers are [F]bitter


And [C]some just stay [G]mad


Some [C]geezers are [F]lonely


De-[C]crepit and [G]sad


. . .


Some [C]geezers are [F]jolly


And [C]some are buf-[G]foons


Some [C]geezers are [F]nutty


Like [G]stark raving [C]loons


. . .


(CHORUS)


. . .


As a [C]young man I [F]tried


To [C]peer far a-[G]head


But it [C]seemed by this [F]time


Id be [C]probably [G]dead


. . .


Well Ive [C]made it this [F]far


With the [C]help of my [G]friends


And we will [C]all keep on [F]truckin


Till our [G]roads find their [C]ends


. . .


(CHORUS)



Go to forum: Songwriting

1,773 Reply by James McCormick

(36 replies, posted in Songwriting)

Hello santosrhythms - Welcome to Chordie!  This a great place to learn and share.  To start writing songs, just start writing songs . . . It is a lot harder to think about doing it than actually just doing it.


Scribble down phrases, words, sounds, and anything that strikes your fancy.  Observe keenly and listen carefully and work at expressing yourself.


Teach yourself a few very simple songs.  Notice that most easy songs follow a fairly predictable cycle of chords.


I think the best thing about songwriting is that you don't need alot of fancy gear - just your imagination and an instrument of some sort.

Go to forum: Songwriting

1,774 Reply by James McCormick

(53 replies, posted in Acoustic)

Hello calel - regarding 2-chord songs, nothing comes to mind right now. However, I just recently posted a songbook (Kid Songs BIG FUN) that has a ton of simple 3-chord stuff in it.


Look under the "Misc. Nursery Rhymes" selection.  There are actually over 40 short songs in that one listing.  Most of songs are 3-chord wonders.


I realize that playing Mother Goose songs and nursery rhymes might seem a bit odd.  But these little tunes all have very basic song structure so they are relatively simple.


I edited the "Misc. Nursery Rhymes" item so that all the songs are in the key of C.  If you transpose the selection, they will all transpose together into whatever key you may prefer: G or D or A, or whatever.


I found the process of editing these little tunes to be a great learning experience.  The songs are really alot fun to sing and play.  They are like "stem cell songs" you can make them grow into whatever you want - make 'em fancy and complex, or keep 'em simple.

Go to forum: Acoustic

1,775 Reply by James McCormick

(11 replies, posted in Songwriting)

You are not the first musician who has 'musical dyslexia'.  Irving Berlin composed hundreds of wildly popular songs. However, he could hardly read or write music himself.  He played piano exclusively in the keys of F# major and D# minor since these keys are mostly just the black keys on the piano.


He had assistants to actually write the music and work out the details of the melodies and arrangements.  Berlin had a 'gut' understanding for musical theory, a keen ear, and a creative spirit.  He eventually gave up on learning the details since it just took time away from songwriting.


The moral to the story is this - the musical ideas are more important than the paper representations of those ideas.  If you really need written versions of your songs, find a collaborator whose talent for transcription complements your talent for originating songs.


If you don't really need your ideas down on paper, get some very basic recording equipment that can hold our ideas while you are creating the songs.  For a guy who really couldn't read or write music, Berlin created a vast array of songs which are still alive in our collective consciences - and he lived to be 101 years old!

Go to forum: Songwriting