JPF Home Page Forums General Messages Musician Message Forum What Did You Learn From Whom?

JLS responded with an anecdote about Ravel and Gershwin....Gershwin wanted Ravel to teach him things and Ravel refused saying "then you will compose poor Ravel instead of good Gershwin

We know Couch was tremendously influenced by Dylan and advised everyone to listen to classics and stuff they liked and go from there

We also know music gets passed on to the next generation as "input"

So what did you learn from whom?

Prosody was driven home to me by Billy Joel and "Big Shot". The way that all comes out with that music thumping out the words.... I was aware of the "word" but actually hearing it in play allowed me to hone in on it as a tool.

Good question, John. I've learned much from so many people here on this forum over the past couple of decades. To list any one thing is virtually impossible.

But I will say that my writing style was honed by listening to all genres of music at an early age and never really settling on one. So having the freedom to continue that here has only strengthened my resolve to keep writing and learning. If I leave this earth having provided any lyric or song of value to another person, I will leave happy. :-)

Peace,

Dave

working with 4 hit writers , writing song after song after song . I've always had a knack for a hook , it's all the in between parts that's still a challenge . after 20 years working with hit writers , My cowriter and me now nail them pretty well . How do I know ? he pitches them to Nashville publishers. I'm still in the dark on being on radio . They're still in business so they're making money . Thats the bottom line , will the song make money .Your going against staff writers on salary .Are staff writers using AI to analyze songs , they might .

Gosh, I have so many to thank. Paul Schocker, my piano teacher. Besides being a great teacher (concert pianist). After my lesson he would play a couple hours for me. Always scheduled my lesson last. He subjected me to piano music I never imagined existed. He complimented and inspired my composing. My first lesson Paul played the Rachmaninoff Prelude in C# Minor. I was hooked for life after that. Then there was Dr, Sherman Storr. A great composer, professor and music publisher. My first real effort at composing I gave him. He thought it was very good but needed refinement and variation. He re-wrote it for me, published it, and paid me for it. He told me never to repeat the same section the same way. Make variation on notes, rhythm, chord structure, etc. Of course, my first band when I was very young, The Skylarks was a great learning experience with all the old standards. George, the leader, would come to my house and go over many, many old standards. He would play trumpet to familiarize me with the melody. My dad would join us and sing the old standards with us. Then there was our rock band, The Vestells. mostly top 40 and originals. And the last in line was being in a night club house band, The Topics. We'd play all the shows they brought in from belly dancers, singers, comedians, hypnotists, etc. Well, there are so many more I could thank, but I don't want to turn this into a John Schick thread - ha, ha. Thanks for asking John...

Best, John

This is the first useful thread I've seen in a while.

I learned very little from my first... and only guitar teacher, but that wasn't his fault. Id go to lessons and he'd have something prepared, I opted to learn songs instead.

I learned music theory in a high school theory class, and a friend who played piano greatly, and knew more than I did at such a young age, and I credit him for teaching me about singing harmony, we played in several bands together.

I never knew anybody who knew anything about songwriting, guys wrote songs about girls who didn't exist, but nobody told us anything, we just write what came out for good or usually bad

I learned that no matter what you wanted to do, play, sing, drum, write, the only way was to listen to your favorite stuff.

I learned firstly from The Who, not anything to in particular, but the main thing was you could be macho and sensitive at the same time.

Alot of their music was adrenaline but and undertone of sensitivity and that you'd be surprised how many people can relate to being insecure, or lacking self esteem, and not being able to get the girl, which dominated pop music.

But Pete was such an incredible entertainer, I learned that the most....it's this.... nobody cares if you can't entertain ...bottom line.

From Bruce I learned you could aspire to be a rock star, but rock music didn't have to be just about sex and drugs and angst, but it could be about work, and hardship and it could speak to a class of people, and it could mean something, and be fun and fist pumping and entertaining at same time,

I learned how he could say big things with few words and learned about story telling and detail

Few are better entertainers.

Melody came naturally, lyrics took work. To go from garage rock to storyteller is a big leap.

I learned a lot from Sheila Davies great book ..the craft of lyric writing . Everybody should give it a run through best book on the subject by far.

I learned how to focus on one idea and about structure and making your own structure.

I learned a bit about country writing which applies to all genres on these types of sites guys like Couchgrouch, and Paul Pederson who hailed from Jersey I believe, an he has one of the greatest songs I've ever heard on a forum called ..screamin hollar inn, i bought that album he prolly never knew.

Kurt Fortmeyer I sensed early on he was good at country...

There were many others I observed. Mac I think just did what came naturally...which is something we can learn to do too. Let in her light was just great, other stuff was a bit moody for me but

I remember other people but can't recall their user names.

But the main thing to learn is you CAN learn, it's not all magic

I bought this album from Paul the other stuff was too traditional country for me, but this one works in any genre. NJ is full of such places

He was likely a member here at one time

Dom and Elvis taught me that AI will make you STUPID as F#@K!

Of course I'll have to thank Myron Floren for my first encounter to music.
Early Beginning

You're always angry Tony. That has nothing to with this thread. John asked how did you learn songwriting. Why don't you tell us , give being asshol a rest. You sure use fuk a lot for a Georgia Christian . And then God made the fuking world per Tony .

What the Hell do you think you know about Georgia Christians!?

When I was 8, Mama taught me "Amazing Grace", Daddy taught me "House Of The Rising Sun". I bought my first AC/DC album in '79 (Highway to Hell)... the rest I figured out on my own.

Well there you go , how you learned music
You could of skipped being a asshol
Your always mad

I'M ALWAYS RIGHT!

Apparently Tony. I'm not lol.

So THAT'S what happened.

Wow Tony, Heaven, whore houses and hell all wrapped up in a raging hot lick.

Still think you're an alien just hanging out in Decatur.

Hey, I was ALWAYS a big Star Trek fan

ha ha ha whore houses , we won't go there on all that , I'm sure Frued has something to do with it. Spock I pick her .