Bonnie Hayes' Songwriting Social August 8, 2010

Welcome to a new genre of event - the songwriting social. Like an ice cream social, but way more nutritious. Bonnie Hayes' Songwriting Socials are designed to expand on the uncompetitive, supportive and friendly vibe of the advanced salons that songwriting coach Bonnie Hayes holds in her home.

The first part of the social will consist of an open class featuring Bonnie's critiques on songwriting/production. Following the critiques, Bonnie will give a talk on a songwriting/production topic, with an (optional) assignment for the next event, which draws on the lecture. Three featured artists will perform mini-sets (3-4 songs) to close out the night. All with ample time for socializing of course.

DETAILS for the August 8th event:

CRITIQUES/ASSIGNMENT:
You may play live or bring a CD, be plugged (guitar, keys, vocals) or unplugged. You can do the assignment, or play something random, as long as you wrote part of the song. Here is Bonnie's (optional) assignment. Note: At the August 8th event, we will give priority to those songwriters who have completed the assignment.

CRITIQUE SIGN-UPS BEGIN AT 5:30 THE NIGHT OF EVENT

ASSIGNMENT - "WAIT FOR IT . . . ."

Our last lecture topic was "A Recipe For A Great Chorus." While there are lots of scenarios for creating a satisying chorus, one definite requirement is that the chorus should be the destination, otherwise it’s a just a bridge by any other name. How can we make sure our chorus feels like a destination? There are lots of ways, but one pretty useful technique is to create a sense of suspension in the harmony that is finally resolved when we reach the chorus. It gives a feeling of arrival that’s very satisfying.

To practice this, I’d like you to write a song that doesn't go to the tonic until the chorus.

How can you do this, well first, you need to know what key you're in---the “tonic” (think of it as medicine) is the tonal center of your song. So it’s where your song would end, where you feel like the chord progression can rest and just be, a home.

Remember that every key has two “tonics”: the primary tonic of the I chord and a secondary, less satisfying tonic, its relative minor (vim to you nashville number people). For this assignment, I prefer that you use major I chord at the beginning of your chorus---let’s say if you want to resolve out on the vim, that’s okay with me. Write the chorus around that tonal center, and then write the verse and avoid that I chord (at least in root position; if you want to play the I chord with its third in the bass, that’s a really nice trick that I’ve used to great effect in my writing).

If you have no idea what key you’re writing in, try these approaches:

guitar players: use only the following chords: G, Am, G/B bass, Bm, C, D, Em,
D/F#bass. do not use the G chord until the chorus.
piano players: use only chords on white keys and do not play C in bass until the chorus.

LECTURE TOPIC:

"Building A Strong Bridge"

FEATURED PERFORMERS:

Rick Hardin www.rickhardinmusic.com
Girl Named T www.girlnamedt.com
Alex Karweit www.alexkarweit.com

For those who don't know Bonnie, she's is a stud of a songwriter who has written for Bonnie Raitt, Bette Midler and countless others, toured as a keyboardist for Billy Idol, and is a Grammy-nominated producer. But most importantly, she is a teacher and mentor extraordinaire.

We are pleased to have West Coast Songwriters and Blue Bear School Of Music as sponsors for these events!

We promise to make you feel welcome. Please come be social!

Bonnie & Stacy

p.s. If you have questions, contact Stacy Kray - on FB or at stacy@stacykray.com

p.p.s. If you want to be a part of our little community, and get notified of future events, please become a "fan" of the series ("like" it) on FB. Here's the link: http://www.facebook.com/bonnie.hayes.songwriting.socials

Union Room (address above)
Sunday, August 8th from 6-9 pm
(critique sign-ups at 5:30)
http://www.theunionroom.com/

ADMISSION:

critique $20
entry before 8 pm (includes watching lecture/critiques) $10
entry after 8 pm $5
ALL AGES VENUE

TRANSPORTATION:

Close to Union Square BART/MUNI
Parking in garage at O'Farrell/Mason $10 with validation

FOOD & DRINK:

We ask that people come hungry or thirsty or both to support the venue. We recommend the corn shrimp fritters paired with a top-shelf tequila. Menu at www.theunionroom.com

Official Website: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=119860224725014&ref=mf