#method monday

One of the most daunting tasks for a new singer/songwriter (who isn't a bass player) is coming up with bass lines for recordings or rehearsals for live shows.

Four approaches I take when write bass lines are:

Play the Root Note - The easiest way to add bass to your production is to play the root note of the chord at the beginning of each measure. In this way, the bass offers an extension of the existing harmonic instruments. This kind of bass line is excellent for when there is no percussion or other secondary instrumentation on the track.

Play Where There's a Kick - The second easiest way to improve the low end on a song is to play a bass note whenever a kick drum played. When a band is known for being “tight,” it's the kick drum and bass guitar locking in that is what people are referring to. Try root note, fifths, and octaves for variation.

Play a Groove - A bass line that pushes and pulls with the existing drums or percussion is a powerful way to drive a song. A repetitive, simple anchoring part makes for a great groove. A good example of a bass groove can be found on virtually any Motown production or on most songs on Michael Jackson's Thriller.

As a performing musician who's played easily over 1,000 shows, here are five things I think every band or singer/songwriter should consider when speaking from the stage.

Tell the crowd who you are. Right from the beginning, before you play one note, greet the crowd and announce who you are. While your fans know you, most of the people in front of you probably don't. Coffee shops, clubs, and festivals all have lots of people just hanging out, being part of the scene, and/or just passing through. Even if your band is the headliner, reminding the crowd who you are never hurts. Announcing your band's name halfway through and at the end of your set is a good idea, too.

Don't speak between every song. Having two or three songs at the top of the set that flow into each other without interruption and then blocks of two or three songs during the set with no break will showcase your band's musicality. The set will have a roller coaster quality that fans and new listeners will appreciate.

Hype up and announce every act on the bill. You only need to do this once, but be sure to recognize every act on the bill from the stage. This is usually best done near the end of the set. If you are opening for say, the Alley Cats, and there are hundreds of Alley Cats fans in front of you, hearing “The Alley Cats are up next” gets them excited and, for a brief moment, on your side. Similarly, if you are the Alley Cats, it is in good form to thank the Devil Dogs and Blind Mice for opening. If you have a hard time remembering band names, write them on your set list.

Thank the club, wait staff, vendors, and bar staff from the stage. I'm baffled when I see an upcoming band not so this. It only takes a second to say “Tip your bartenders” and make a $200 difference in what the club staff takes home that night. If there are craft vendors on site, take some time before the show to check out the wares. Buy something and talk about it on stage. Not thanking a club for having you is the quickest way to not be asked back.

If you are a practicing singer/songwriter, chances are you write and record demos constantly. I do. There are, in my experience, a few tricks of the trade. When I stick to these, my demos do what they are supposed to: demonstrate the essence of a song.

Here are five rules I try to follow when demoing a new tune:

Ditch the buttons and whistles - A song demo is a demonstration of a song's potential. What a demo doesn't need is a reliance on ear candy or effects. Using luxury reverbs or whiz bang plug-ins may trick you. In stead of presenting a new song, you may be showing off the window dressing. For demos, I stick to stock plug-ins and effects.

Use as few tracks as possible - A two track recorder or a four track recorder is all you need to demo a song. Four tracks are sometime necessary when a song relies on elaborate parts to convey its basic idea. A song with three part harmony where no one line by itself relates the melody is a good example of when you'd use four tracks. I'm wary of my own creations when I'm bringing in 8 and 16 tracks for a demo.

Don't skimp on quality - There's something magical about the first time a song is recorded. You will deliver vocal lines and guitar parts in a way that have never been done before. Sometimes, these can't be replicated when it's time for the “real” version. You should aim to record your demos with care, as in tune and as precise as tolerable. On every album I've made since 2009, I've ended up using something from the demo sessions on the final album.

Use the demo stage as an opportunity to try new gear - Trying out a new microphone, pre-amp, or recording technique is expensive on the studio clock. At home, with your four-track, is a great time to see what a 57 sounds like on your acoustic guitar or a ribbon mic sounds like on your voice. Good notes and attention to detail in the demo stage can enlighten an album project. This tip can conflict with tip 1 if you don't place limits on your experimentation.

When upcoming singer/songwriters and bands ask me how to improve their song arrangements, there are five techniques I recommend.

Have an intro, but keep it short. An ideal intro is a melodic instrumental section that introduces the feel of the song and makes its point within 10 seconds. Cold starts, where the vocals begin immediately at the top, are disorienting to first time listeners. Intros that last 20 to 30 seconds often outlast the attention spans of people who are checking out your song for the first time. If you want to be artistic, try developing an intro from the song’s bridge or invert the chord patterns.

Get to the point. You should express the main hook of the song by around 45 seconds into the song. Anything less feels a bit underdeveloped. Anything more seems long winded. 

Change it up. Offer new elements as the song develops. Playing the same exact thing for each verse is lazy and not very entertaining. Each chorus should offer new perspective as well. Often, this can be done by adding or subtracting an element. Try reversing the kick and snare pattern in verse 2. Play a down chorus near the end of the song.

Transitions. How you move from one section of a song to another says a lot about your musicianship. Interesting drum fills, dynamic chord arrangements, and lyrical tricks are hallmarks of good transitions. Be creative. 

It’s a real drag when you want to write a song and you don’t have anything to write about. The truth is, there’s always something to write about. Sometimes it’s hiding under hamster wheels, resentments, and/or fears. What follows are five techniques I use to jump start my creativity. I write a song just about everyday and I almost always use one of these methods.

Keep a Journal - This is perhaps the most used tool in my box. When I write in a journal, I don’t do it to be poetic or pretty. I get down on paper what I’m going through, where I am on that particular day, and what my hopes and dreams are. From that position, I am able to dump all the irrelevant stuff out of my head to make room for creativity. Sometimes there’s a gem in these pages, but more often than not it’s just garbage. It’s always good to take the garbage out before you have people over as well as before you write.

Title First - A less used method for me, but quite effective, the Title First technique asks you to write the title or hook of the song first, then fill in the blanks. The benefit of this style is that you can’t get past square one without a hook. The drawback is that sometimes the song can be too predictable.

Meter - Establishing a firm metric (like iambic pentameter) and then filling in the blanks is a powerful song tool if for no other reason than it lends itself almost immediately to melody. I wrote the song “Sour Milk” completely from meter, filled in the chords when I demoed it and, bam, instant song. The tune is one of my favorites, too.

Co-Write - Writing with a second and third writer establishes a marketplace of ideas. Only the best ones tend to get used and everyone has a stake in the creation. I like to be on both sides of the write: writing a song for someone else to perform and writing with someone for a song that I perform. If you look at the Billboard top 100, most of the writing credits are shared between at least two people. Why? Songs are better when written with others. Period.

In Round Three of this Method Monday special (here's Round One and Round Two), join us in speculating about how Nashville star Juliette Barnes keeps her life baby-free, which methods the detectives on Brooklyn Nine-Nine rep, and whether there’s any birth control option in the Game of Thrones universe, other than magic.

Character 1: Juliette Barnes, Nashville

Her method: The implant

Here’s why:  Know what annoys Juliette more than her manager, her record label, and her multiplying rivals combined? Any risk of getting knocked up. It’s true that our girl Juliette may not always be sensible about her choice of romantic partners, but we predict she’s more vigilant about the impact an unplanned pregnancy would have on her career (not to mention her image). And does she want to think about popping a pill every day?

Probably not. That’s why the implant is perfect for Juliette: it’s easy, incredibly reliable, and lasts up to three years once in place. A bonus for Juliette is the implant’s discreetness--no one can see it once it’s inserted, which, for a paparazzi-hounded celeb like Juliette, just might be the winning feature. Don’t worry, Juliette: your secret’s safe with us.

Character 2: Mouse,The Carrie Diaries

Her method:  Male condom + the pill

Here’s why:  The CW’s Sex and the City reboot has charms galore, and the chief one just might be Jill “The Mouse” Chen. Mouse’s nickname is only half the story: she is quiet, studious, and completely loyal to her friends. But she’s no stick in the mud--she’s feisty in standing up for her beliefs, and she seems to have a more satisfying sex life than most of the other characters on the show--though not without the occasional mishap.

Mouse is the kind of girl who takes no chances with her future--an unplanned pregnancy or an STI might tank her chances at the Ivy League (and would be difficult to explain to her strict parents). That’s why we’re guessing she’s using not one, but two methods of birth control--male condoms and the pill. Condoms protect her from STIs, and the pill adds an additional layer of protection from pregnancy: each method complements the other. Our hat’s off to Mouse, who knows how to have fun, protect herself, and deliver real talk to her friends with just the right amount of love.

Character 3: Detective Amy Santiago, Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Her method:  IUD

Here’s why:  Santiago’s a classic Type-A personality: extremely focused, detail-oriented, and a stickler for getting things right. She’s no slouch in the brains department, either, and clearly knows her way around an interrogation room. Best of all, despite her goody-two-shoes attitude, Santiago can hold her own in a bullpen of experienced cops and sling mud with the best of them.

When it comes to birth control, we predict Santiago likes to have her bases covered, which is why an extremely reliable, low-maintenance choice like an IUD seems like a perfect fit. It’s low fuss--no remembering to take a pill on a stakeout or forgetting you’re out of condoms after three night shifts--and it’s effective. So Santiago can focus on the things that really matter. Like showing she can handle the heat.

  Character 4: Margaery Tyrell, Game of Thrones

Her method: Not right now

Here’s why:  Poor Margaery--first married to a man who was in love with her brother and then was assassinated, then engaged to King Joffrey, a sociopath, who was also assassinated…Westeros must be wondering at her string of bad luck. But nothing stops Margaery; she’s ambitious, politically savvy, and single-minded in the pursuit of her goals.

It’s hard to say whether there’s any reliable method of birth control in Westeros, but even if there was, Margaery wouldn’t need it--yet. She’s made a habit of abstinence, first with her husband, who wasn’t interested in getting down with her, and then with Joffrey, who died before consummating their marriage. So Margaery’s sex life is a non-starter, which may be just the way she likes it. For now, at least.

Modern life isn’t perfect, but there are definitely some perks--like a whole lot more options when it comes to birth control. But what methods were couples using in the days of yore, while dialing land lines and watching Bewitched? Let’s get in the WABAC machine and find out!

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The birth control revolution really got rolling in the 1950s. Planned Parenthood grew to include 200 birth control clinics across the nation, and Margaret Sanger teamed up with millionaire Katherine McCormick to fund additional research into oral contraceptives. Once funded, the research to develop the pill progressed rapidly, with a version ready for testing on a small scale by 1954.

When initial tests of the progesterone pill were successful, the researchers leading the effort needed to conduct a larger-scale test on human subjects to secure FDA approval. They chose a housing project in San Juan, Puerto Rico, for their research--since laws banning birth control made a large trial difficult in the United States--oblivious to the later criticism they would face for exploiting poor women of color who were not informed of the experimental nature of the trial. (Today we have "informed consent" standards designed to keep this from happening.)

When no woman became pregnant during the trial, the researchers declared it a success despite a high rate of reported side effects and the deaths of three women during the trial (without an investigation to find out whether drug complications contributed to their deaths). Though the early pill was effective at preventing pregnancy, today it's widely acknowledged that its unnecessarily high dose of hormones led to side effects for many women.

With a pill proven to prevent pregnancy, Margaret Sanger’s finish line was in sight--and the rest of the U.S., dependent mainly on barrier methods, was about to enter a new era.

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