writer of songs

Having been in ‘marketing’ and sadly not ‘music’ for most of my working life, I am familiar with some of the ‘jargon’ and processes and, in a way, am setting out the framework for ‘branding’ me or my musical offerings. Nevertheless, I am hugely out of date, but hopefully not out of step?!

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I first became interested in music when, as a young boy, I heard a recording of Elvis’ Don’t Be Cruel on a 78rpm and joined his then UK fan club, where we were encouraged to sign off letters ‘Elvisly Yours’!

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My musical influences were, like many of my generation growing up in the late ’60s / early ’70s, The Beatles (who I saw arriving at Edinburgh Airport in 1966), Hendrix, Neil Young, Bob Dylan and UK prog rock such as Pink Floyd.

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However, it was not until early 2014, when I walked into a music store in Kalispell, Montana, that I decided to take up the guitar. I was lucky enough to meet and be introduced to a number of local musicians who, in many different ways, helped me learn to play guitar, write songs and perform them.

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Having worked on ‘covers’, and being very interested in the nature of music and lyrics, I was encouraged to sing and given help with writing songs that I felt could connect and resonate with people.

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I started by writing three ‘country’ songs as a mark of appreciation and was pleased with the reaction I received from those who heard them. I then decided to try to write songs that were more aligned with my musical tastes and interests, choosing what I hoped would be compelling topics and engaging lyrics.

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This, coupled with setting up a studio in my garden and taking up the piano, has enabled me to have the time and ‘space’ to develop melodies from lyrics derived from general ‘takes’ on life that are personal, but not personalised.

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I have also tried, within that, to work back and write titles that might attract interest, set up the songs in one way or another, and add to the merit of the total ‘package’.

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Keen to improve my musical abilities, I am working with a piano teacher to establish the notation of my songs, and this has given me a far deeper understanding of the theory of music that I am starting to understand and employ.