Songwriting Tips from Famous Songwriters - George Harrison
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- čas přidán 16. 07. 2020
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George Harrison shot to fame as the guitarist for The Beatles. By the time the Beatles had broken up, George Harrison had proven to his bandmates and the world, he had become one of the best songwriters of his generation.
In this episode of songwriting tips from famous songwriters, I trace George's songwriting journey revealing crucial songwriting tips and especially valuable songwriting tips for beginners.
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These videos are meant to break down the songwriting process into easy to use tips, techniques, and tools that spark creativity and help you apply them like the pros. I do my best to make videos that share the 'secrets' of writing great songs without holding anything back.
My main focus with this channel is to pass on the tools of the trade that I have learned and found to make a big difference to my creative flow and songwriting. There is an old saying that goes "everybody has one great song in them", I hope to show you that once you know what makes a song great, you can apply it to all the songs you write. Start from the heart, follow your gut, and revise with your mind.
#songwriting #songwritingforbeginners #SongWritingtips
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Bob Dylan was on a movie set and the director said I need a song to close the film ( Pat Garrett and Billy the kid ) where the main character dies. Dylan went in his trailer with an acoustic guitar and 7 or 8 minutes later came back out and said I just wrote this and proceeded to play knocking on heavens door . I seen the director tell this story many years later he wrote the song in under 10 minutes.
Creating is one thing, analyzing it is another. Bob was really good at not giving a crap what others thought.
Every person has their own aptitudes for things. These things are amazing to those who can’t do it at all, and less amazing to the other people who can do it as well. Like diving. But to scale.. the Beatles did a great job with their chance. Many other people would have done as well or perhaps even better… since most of the goal was to try to make a hit.. that’s commercial writing more than art. But they wrote commercially with intentional artistic choices… as well as having their own limitations and unavoidable outside influence.
But they weren’t gods.. times are different now. We are in uncharted territory now.
Creating is one thing, analyzing it is another. Bob was really good at not giving a crap what others thought.
Every person has their own aptitudes for things. These things are amazing to those who can’t do it at all, and less amazing to the other people who can do it as well. Like diving. But to scale.. the Beatles did a great job with their chance. Many other people would have done as well or perhaps even better… since most of the goal was to try to make a hit.. that’s commercial writing more than art. But they wrote commercially with intentional artistic choices… as well as having their own limitations and unavoidable outside influence.
But they weren’t gods.. times are different now. We are in uncharted territory now.
Creating is one thing, analyzing it is another. Bob was really good at not giving a crap what others thought.
Every person has their own aptitudes for things. These things are amazing to those who can’t do it at all, and less amazing to the other people who can do it as well. Like diving. But to scale.. the Beatles did a great job with their chance. Many other people would have done as well or perhaps even better… since most of the goal was to try to make a hit.. that’s commercial writing more than art. But they wrote commercially with intentional artistic choices… as well as having their own limitations and unavoidable outside influence.
But they weren’t gods.. times are different now. We are in uncharted territory now.
Wow!!! Thank you I didn’t know this.
It's inspiring to know that he became the first Beatle to have a number one in his solo career
needed this, that quote about everyone going through a phase where their work doesnt live up to ambitions is so motivating thanks
cheers Dylan, yeah it's an important idea to keep in mind at all stages of creative work.
It was unbelievable how much I needed to hear this
I love how they admit it's a lot of hard work and practice. It's not this magical thing that some people have and others don't. You just need the passion to do.
exactly right what the tech. cheers
"Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration." - Thomas Edison
I think the most important part of this video is the part by Ira Glass 6:32.
The Ira Glass quote at 6:25 should be played to every high school student in the country! If you have children, play this for them.
True genius is contagious. George had a beautiful spirit which he learned to project
Starting out when you're a teenager, you will probably end up writing over 100 songs before you finally have one you might risk singing to someone. I agree that you have to write all the bad material out of you first.
Whatever the art, interest or passion, whatever your natural ability, or born talent, the lesson remains the same, work hard, persevere, don't quit, and if you quit, unquit, get back on the horse.
6:34 The inspiring words of Ira Glass about perserverance in bringing your skills up to par with your sense of taste...amazing and truly helpful!
I get the first part divinely and finish the rest physically, sometime the whole song lyrics ,chord and melody just come to me and it like it writes itself , if I said to myself I'm going to sit down and write a song my mind would go blank.
I've written over 6000 songs last 10 years, I'm still looking to meet my ambition. I'm really close. I've learned a lot. When I hit it, I'm releasing 4000+ songs to the world 💞
I needed this video today, thank you! 👽👏🏼
Cheers Master Knuta, keep going.
Here comes the sun!
good lesson in this; hard work produces the fruit
Cheers Tt, That's it, so many people want a magic pill or a short cut. I think it's way more reassuring to know you get out what you put in. And so what if it takes a while because it's all about the journey anyway.
It is always best to allow the song to write itself. The goal of every song writer is to understand that the song is a sound thing and not a direct message thing. The build up of the lyrics is not specifically about transferring information but about transferring sound that is beautiful. This you can achieve regardless of whether the lyrics make sense. Though people can try to work the lyrics until it does justice both sound-wise and sense-wise. It takes a songwriter many years to master the type of sound they love. Sometimes just trusting their inner gut feeling that this tune which they've just heard is a great tune. For many years it will seem like a guessing game. Other times you are out here hoping people will like it even when you are not so confident about it. But along the journey only a few people truly come to a complete mastery of what the exact sound is that people can fall in love with. These people can pin point the hit sound. They say it is a very rare gift. And indeed it is. But it is achievable.
@Dawg Treyna, achievable if and only if you have a rare God given gift to begin with.
I love that quote about working through not meeting your own expectations
"Attracts me like a cauliflower." - John Lennon
This is the first time I’ve ever heard any practical explanations for song development by the Beatles as opposed to the magical geniuses. And it makes perfect sense.
cheers Demon, glad you found it useful.
Fantastic advice for all of us who are "finding our voice" in whatever creative thing we're doing
Love the quote about taste and how you know that your songs aren't good
I needed to hear this and it came at just the right time. I just learned that the song writer for Band-Maid (a band that makes killer song after killer song) produces a new demo every week. That’s 52 demo songs per year. That’s how they’re able to release a new album every 15 months or so and why the albums are so good. They leave 40 demo songs in the trash every year.
This is the best song writing advice ever. Thank you for making this video.
No worries Darren, glad you found it useful👍
The quote from Ira Glass is wonderful. Thanks!
Cheers Brian. Yeah, I love that quote, so true. thanks man
Thank you CZcams algorithm gods! This is a fantastic lesson on perseverance and tribute to George Harrison! 🙏✌️👏🏼👏🏼
George the Divinity within you still is spread word wide made me realize the depth and character and soul
Thank you for being you
George was so humble and wise, great insights… very encouraging
cheers Constanza, glad you enjoyed it👍
Really love that little part in the middle by Ira Glass. Wish I had heard it when I was younger.
If it makes anybody feel any better, it takes me MONTHS to write my songs. Sometimes years! Just keep at it. You'll get better and faster the more you do it.
George always make a song from his heart 👍
What an amazing collection of quotes and motivation! Thanks so much for this!
cheers sound and wires, really glad you enjoyed it.
I guess I was the only one that loved " Don't bother me"
I like this video in the sense of encouraging you not to give up and keep working on it. And even if commercial success doesn't come, in the end you can be proud of having created something of your own. And surely there are people who will also respect or even find this work great, even if you didn't become famous with it.
Cool video. That repeated riff is now in my mind forever.
cheers Matt.
This is a message i desperately needed to hear. that clip of Ira Glass saying don't give up really spoke to me. Thank you
That's great to hear rewlaldivad, I'm really glad it helped. Thanks for the comment.
Bands sometimes wing it and dont try because they think they are not special. But the actual attempt, decision and effort, well as soon as thats done usually a band becomes /soemthing/ - maybe its relatively minor maybe not because music is subjective but they could go on tour or release music on some kind of label.
/The other side of that is actually getting a band together and keeping them together- imagine how many 'Beatles' were not quite there and split up BEFORE their success instead of after it!
I wouldnt underestimate the situation and company Harrison had either- i mean most watching this are either 9-5 with little time and only few music contacts, or perhaps still live in parents basement studio, so one doesnt just 'sign up' for real world experience that part can be luck.
I swear you don't miss bro! All your videos are bangerz!!! Love this channel
nice one Jack, really appreciate it.😀
Great video! Loved that you used interviews to back up your claims. Definitely gave me some much need inspiration :)
Cheers Grubnub, really glad you found it useful.
Recently just started writing songs again after a 5 year hiatus. This was really motivating. That Ira glass quote was spot on.
Can’t believe I’ve only just watched this!! Great insight, gives us all hope.
The guy was such a legend, in every way.
I really enjoyed the video! Thanks for sharing.
cheers Mauro, glad you enjoyed it.
Most underrated Songwriter/Guitarist ever
Thanks for putting this together. Very enjoyable.
no worries BlipStudios, glad you enjoyed it.
Super inspiring. Thank you very much for posting.
Cheers Gino, Glad you got some value from it.😀
This resonates with me SO MUCH. Especially the part at 6:34. Thanks for the awesome vid and inspiration !
cheers Lorenzo, glad you got some value from it.
Thanks for this video, great stuff
Cheers Benjamin, glad you enjoyed it.
Favourite video so far. Love it.
cheers James, really glad you enjoyed it. bipidy boppidy!
I've spent 50 years working at songwriting, and it has taken me that long. You need to have a passion for it in order to get where you want to be.
so true, thanks prschuster.
Thank you for this video
cheers Droo, glad you enjoyed it.
This was a fantastic video!!!
cheers pop130, really glad you enjoyed it.
Very inspiring. Thank you 🙂
Thanks for the amazing content!
No worries Xavier, glad you enjoyed it.
This content is wonderful and I have saved this as a favorite. If I had to make one suggestion, it's that the background music loop is a little bit distracting. Thanks.
cheers c. I'm still getting used to making videos so I really appreciate the feedback. it's duly noted sir, thank you.
@@SongWritersChopShop Thank for reading my comment. The content is really, really good! Look forward to more from your channel.
@@d.harrison1570 no worries. I'm really happy you got some value from the content. There's plenty more on the way. Any artists or techniques you want me to cover, just let me know and I'll stick it on the list. Cheers
Very inspiring, thanks!
cheers Antoine.
Thank you so much for the hidden motivation message
no worries loli bog, glad you enjoyed it.
Well said, Ira Glass. Very good
Incredible video!
cheers Carlos, glad you enjoyed it
Great video.Thanks
Cheers Jason, glad you enjoyed it.
This is great! Good stuff
cheers Cage, i really appreciate that.
Brilliant video, thanks.
cheers Ollie, glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks for this x
no worries Mythic Pie.
Great video
This is excellent!
Cheers Ray, glad you enjoyed it.
Another great video 😊
cheers Anders, really glad you enjoyed it. it was a lot of to make.
Great video, I hope you get more subs!
cheers aaaaaaaaaaaa, glad you enjoyed it.
Honestly this has brought me to tears, I will be great, if he can then i can too.
Great video. Completely agree with its sentiment. M
Very reassuring stuff, as I’ve thought for many years now that John and Paul are easy to idolize in retrospect but are human after all, and had to start from somewhere. A lot of it was certainly hard work, and with George that was more so on display than the others. It goes on… Thanks for the great video!
Cheers Muzzy, glad you got some value from it. It’s hard work but you got to enjoy the journey 👍
this is awesome!
PLEASE DO MORE OF THESE!!!
sure thing, what would you like to see?
@@SongWritersChopShop more of these in depth videos of prolific songwriters and songwriting techniques. maybe some hiphop artists as well.
keep up the great work!
@@reggiebushjr619 Sure thing buddy. I do have a series of these videos, in case you missed it, here's the link to the playlist. czcams.com/play/PLFTcgOLQMgpLimCjOox952fwbLcdFZPSe.html
@@SongWritersChopShop oh wow, awesome! will definitely check it out!
Hello there! Thanks for uploading this, it was helpful. I'm 18 and a self taught guitarist, never had the opportunity to learn from the professionals which is why I really get nervous around the trained ones. I've started to write down and play my tiny riffs too. I Hope I'll be able to share my works with the world someday :)
No worries madona, really glad you got some value from it. I never had a lesson either and was able to make a living playing music. Go for it.
@@SongWritersChopShop Glad you're making it! And thank you so much.
@@madona3105 cheers man, really appreciate that.
This is great work Tony. Thank you
cheers Sal, glad you got some value from it.
This is great work Tony. Thank you
@@jackdenmark6116 cheers jack, glad you enjoyed it.
I love the channel -
cheers Tomblaze2, glad you're getting some value from the content.
Very interesting video. The background guitar was very distracting though
Phenomenal!
cheers prophetsbourne, glad you enjoyed it.
Can be applied to more than songwriting.
hey man nice vid
cheers Kelsen. really appreciate that, glad you enjoyed it.
Great video! Love the George appreciation. Lots of great Pisces in the industry. I've been thinking about this for some time because my favorite Beatles songs are all by him. Quality over quantity.
Cheers Sadie, glad you enjoyed it.
Pisces yes, but heavy heavy Scorpio (moon and rising) in there too. Very intense.
@@thinkforyourself828 His birth chart is a weird thing. There was some kind of time change happening back then due to the war where the clock was set back two hours in Britain. If that's the case with him being born around midnight then his rising is actually Libra. Doesn't seem to fit his personality much though. I'm a Scorpio rising myself and can see a ton of similarities.
I thought I was the only one who’s favorite beatle was George
My all time Fav Beatle
Thank you
no worries, thank you.
i dunno man, you seem to be saying if george could do it you could too. but george is not an everyman, george is a giant. if you listen to their early tracks, george was already a hell of a guitar player, as evidenced by his solos on tracks like 'till there was you'
cheers Kamalmanzukie. The real message of the video is to be the best you can be as a songwriter. Just like George's quote wasn't literally saying any one could be john & paul. He seen the work they put in a how they improved, then he did the same. A lot of beginner writers get discouraged at the start when they realize their ability doesn't yet match their taste.
@@SongWritersChopShop as a sort of counterpoint to my own previous point, i listened to an early demo of 'something' where george hadn't figured out the lyrics yet. he couldn't figure out what to put for the line "attracts me like no other lover" and it struck me as relatably amateurish
@@kamalmanzukie yeah he was stuck on that for months. He probably knew he had something special and was trying too hard to get the perfect word. Lennon's advice to him was great. Just keep going and change it later. I think he wrote 'here comes the sun', in an afternoon tho. (not 100% sure).
such a good documentary
cheers Silverapples, glad you enjoyed it.
Cool!
Great video! So appreciate this content. FYI: Background music is a bit distracting.
One interesting thing I learned from delving into astrology is that the Air signs (Gemini, Libra, and Aqurarius) tend to be blessed with the gift of knowing how to communicate. Going by real world observation there does to be something to it... Both John and Paul were Air signs whereas George, a Pisces Water sign had to work a bit harder at it. Going by that therory, a few other prolific Air sign writers also come to mind... Bob Dylan (Gemini) Bob Marley (Aquarius) John Fogerty (Gemini) Willie Nelson (Gemini)... I'm sure there's more I don't know about. And of course obviously not mutually exclusive to Air signs, but all the ones mentioned did certainly have the gift!
Some songs take awhile, others take a couple hours.
ain't that the truth.
This is sublime in every way. Man excited by you're ability too sell the story and show.
Cheers Nicholas, glad you enjoyed it man.
amazing video dude. do a follow up on this on the my sweet lord controversy and decision and the paralyzing fears associated with creative endeavors
Brilliant idea Bruno. And it's especially relevant with the number of lawsuits lately. It had a hugely negative effect on him, I think his experience with the music business as a whole really stifled him. Thanks for the suggestion, you got yourself a video coming up.
You're videos are really useful thanks!!! I'd love to hear your view on rewriting old songs. Should you do it and how much should you change, does something get lost when you do this?
As my lyrics improve ( I hope:) I look at my old lyrics and feel they could be so much better and I want to rewrite but then the meaning of the song starts to change and i feel I've lost something. anyway that's my ramble.... thanks a lot for the great videos!
cheers The Harmonica Barge, I'm really g;ad you are getting some value from the content. Rewriting old songs! I often look at some of my older songs and think they could be way better. But like you said, when I rewrite them they usually become something different. Now, there is nothing wrong with that IMO, you can write dozens of songs on the same topic. It can be a tricky one. I think making slight changes that don't effect the song is fine, but in general i'd say 'write a song and move on'. Anytime I have rewritten an old song I don't really feel like I have made it better. It usually turns into something else and then I struggle with trying to keep it in line with the original idea. Then I think, 'well what's the point of rewriting if I don't want it to change. For me at this stage, I feel it's better to write new songs. Then the progress made e.g. being a better lyricist, isn't held back by anything. I think, we as songwriters, stand a much better chance of writing a good or great song by writing a lot of songs. Rather then trying to perfect a couple of songs over and over again. so, write a song and move on and let your progress show in each new song. It's a journey and we don't progress on that journey if we stay in the same place working on the same songs. Great question btw. I hope my answer was useful, thanks.
@@SongWritersChopShop Thanks a lot for your detailed response. That's really great to hear your view on this- I feel a weights been lifted, as I've been trying the rewrites but it just doesn't feel right! Also I'm not currently short of ideas for new stuff so I think you're dead right suggesting to focus on the new! The only slight issue I have is if I'm still going to perform the old songs live ( I kind of need them in the set :) Probably best to just go for it and take them in the context they were written in I guess. cheers!
@@TheHarmonicaBarge Another thing you could try out is to reimagine your older songs rather than rewriting them. I do this with old songs and it can be a lot of fun. Sometimes I'll play old songs that I wrote for my first band. They are all simple 'three chords and the truth' straightforward songs. Then I will improvise around them. Think of it like how a soloist would come up with many different solos based around a single scale. Instead of a scale, use the whole song. I'll play them with different tempos, rhythms, use extended chords, substitutions, modulations, don't hold fast to any melodic rhythms or pitches. just explore different moods that bring out new colours in the song's emotion. Even improvise whole new sections, mix them with a different song like a medley, anything goes. Sometimes it sounds great, sometimes it sounds awful. but it can bring out new aspects and interpretations, a tired old song can still have plenty of surprises if you take its leash off.
8:57 “If I Needed You”. So the truth is out: “If I Needed Someone” was a sequel to “I Need You”...
lol, I wouldn't be surprised.
I was hoping someone would mention this. I’m surprised there aren’t more comments pointing out this mistake.
It also doesn't hurt to have the Beatles as your backup band. You can develop great ideas but if your hit or miss back up band sucks, no go. If John Lennon,Paul Mcartney and Ringo Starr were playing with me, i think id have a better chance.
George Martin didn't sign The Beatles - they were "dumped" on him by the record label as they had reluctantly signed the band for pittance and they weren't prepared to invest any money in a producer for the band. George Martin primarily worked on recording orchestral music at the time, and he was employed by the record company as one of their "in-house" producers so he was given the task of recording The Beatles - one of music's happiest accidents as it turned out.
The message of the Beatles, they are not different than you and me
Very contant
Cheers Amir
George was without a doubt the most valuable and improved (and improving ) songwriter OF ALL TIME.
Love this could you do some tips from elvis costello
Cheers EH, really glad you enjoyed it. I will add elvis C to the list. There are a couple of others I'm working on at the mo but consider it done.
@@SongWritersChopShop thank you so much
@@EH-bg1yo no worries.
I believe you meant "If I Needed Someone," not "If I Needed You"
yep, i sure did. well spotted Victor.
The Beatles told Hunter Davies that they didn't believe in any such thing as talent.
The thought of writing hundreds of songs that end up in the trash. All that mental anguish....
halleluja
Can anyone tell me the name of the guy who gave the quote from 06:30-08:10? That was one of the best things I've ever heard, and I really needed to hear that. I've replayed it and I can't catch his name though.
His name is Ira Glass.
@@SongWritersChopShop Thank you so much!!
@@justina7300 no worries Justin.
Me having to rewatch the whole beatle history when I jus wanna learn about one