Goals for the Professional Vocalist/Musician/Songwriter
We are often asked for a “course outline.” Well, here it is.
YOUR AREAS OF STUDY
• Your performance: find your own voice
• Write original material
• Acquire new material-attend concerts
• The elements of music: melody / harmony / rhythm / form / soul
• Vocal technique – including pitch, interval study, breath control, vibrato, vary your releases
• Listening is everything- how to listen specifically within a recording, to all styles, all ethnicities, all artists, to your own breath
MUSIC THEORY
• Notation-transposition
• Write your own lead sheets – transcribe others
• Instrumental technique – style, facility, practice, learn guitar tuning
• Improve relative pitch
• Ear training – interval study is the key to all pitch
• Set your individual keys for your songs
• Time – must have sense for absolute time, THE POCKET
• Keyboard technique
• Independence-right/left
• Develop ability to harmonize –sight reading-play/sing
• Mic technique
• Music history
• Musical form – arrangement
• Lyric syntax
• Collect verses, novelty songs-new ways to sing
• Learn other instruments
• Your instrument – diet, vitamins/herbs, regimen, exercise. if you don’t take care of your body, where you going to live?
STUDIO EXPERIENCE
• Understand / operate sound systems – theory & applied
• Recording skills – as an artist, engineer, producer, sideman (or woman)
• Creating bed tracks, beats, any accompanying tracks.
• Record and listen to yourself; listen and play it back. Hear the difference in the real sound and your perceived sound. Re-record the same passage and listen again. Repeat as needed. This is your most useful tool to shape/control your vocal sound. Do the same with video.
• Experiment with different recording styles, record audio samples for your albums – ie: ambience like nature or conversation soundbytes
• Organize your material: Date everything.
• Protect your data. Get a sensible process to back it up or risk losing it. Digital data does not exist until it lives in two completely separate places. Trust me on this.
• Play percussion instruments. Practice with a digital click, drum machine or drum pattern on an inexpensive keyboard.
• Video skills: Practice lip synch,
YOUR BAND
• A lyric writer might get a composer to supply music
• Hiring a band, rehearsing; kicking your brother out of the band. Being in another band
• Cueing and leading a band
• Stage presence-owning an audience – attitude, flow, creating a show. Listen to the great ones. Dealing with hecklers.
• Choreograph yourself; or get help. Use video to learn.
• Study/develop humor
• Accompany another vocalist
• Commitment.
MARKETING ISSUES
• Your art, once completed, is a product. Develop your demo package (writer or artist) a killer e-commerce website and ongoing video content to create the buzz.
• Preparing a resume; presenting yourself
• Database for list of your songs
• Great 8×10 B&W photo. http://www.abcpictures.com/
• A great recording. You want a demo? The only “demo” should be an unsigned master. Make all your recordings master quality for shopping and a saleable product at shows
• Merchandise, merchandise, merchandise
BUSINESS ISSUES
• Copyright issues. File unpublished collections. The process. File online. Ask us for our step by step helper form. http://www.copyright.gov/forms/
• There is no such thing as “poor man’s copyright” (mailing content to yourself)
• Licensing your songs
• The business of music: copyright, contracts, a business plan, understand how record labels work. Why you can retail your own music and what it takes.
• Gigging must-dos – being prepared, gear, checklist, your ride.
• Online distribution and promotion.
• A distribution deal. What is a good one?
• The duplication process: costs, areas of expense. Graphics: a basic understanding of the whole process.
• Cost/time management and effective job
• You as the CEO of your own business
• Cash flow, networking, client relations, business plan
• Take business courses if you plan to make this your profession. Talent is not enough.
REFERENCE BOOKS
Buy (and read) books about music business online:
• All You Need to Know About the Music Business
Donald S. Passman (good start)
• Music Publishing: A Songwriter’s Guide
Randy Poe (very practical)
• This Business of Music
Shemel & Krasilovsky (a huge reference text)
• Hitmen
Fredric Dannen (The story of the power brokers & payola in the music business)
• Interval Study Method
Joe Messina (The definitive ear-training workout)
• The E-Myth Revisited
Michael Gerber (How to start a small business and not lose your perspective or your mental health. Easy to read and a serious reality check on making your passion into your business)
Set goals.
Plan strategy.
Apply resources.
