Jim Hargrove: songwriter

So, you’re a songwriter…It’s the words!! Content

2009-08-24T15:18:00.009-04:00

CONTENT

Alrightey now! You’ve got all that inspiration burning inside you and you want to tell the world through your music. Hey, that’s great, but before you lay it all out there, it wouldn’t hurt to check out a few guidelines.

It goes without saying that the most important element of Christian and Messianic music is the message. Any songwriter in this genre has a responsibility to accurately proclaim whatever aspect of the faith we are dealing with. The most logical source of material is scripture. There are thousands and thousands of songs directly based on the word, but the opportunity for new ones is unlimited, and any song that is scriptural is bound to be true and relevant.

There are a number of different avenues our songs can take. Probably the most obvious is sharing ones feelings, which is great, but there has to be some caution. Our purpose is to proclaim the “gospel”, which literally means “good news”. Now, if all we are doing is dumping a negative line on people, we have done no one any good. Let’s take a look at a perfect example in Psalm 116:

³ The cords of death entangled me,
the anguish of the grave ^[a] came upon me:

I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.

You can’t get much more down-hearted than that, BUT the writer of the psalm doesn’t leave it there:

⁴ Then I called on the name of the LORD :
"O LORD, save me!"

⁵ The LORD is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.

Oh yeah! That’s some good stuff. It doesn’t stay in the mud, it lifts us out, and proclaims the grace of God. As far as I can tell every psalm, no matter what the anguish, points to the One who lifts us up. The perfect “gospel song” is the song of testimony, which normally tells (1) where we were—what condition we were in; (2) What the Lord did; and (3) where we are now.

My favorite type of songs are praise and worship, which can be sung individually, but are normally designed for the whole congregation. They are usually simple to sing and are directed at an aspect of our Lord. They can be sung in the first person, and express our praise, devotion, awe, etc., or they can express God’s love, might, grace, etc. A good praise and worship song will move a person’s focus away from themselves and on to “the author and finisher of our faith”. I think of the song I learned as a kid, which sums it all up:

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face,

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

in the light of His glory and grace.”

So, you’re a songwriter…It’s the words!! RHYME

2009-06-14T13:55:00.004-04:00

THE RHYME

Long ago and far away (begin fantasy music, with lots of bells), a most amazing device was brought forth upon the land. It was known as the overhead projector, and its use revolutionized the worship in villages near and far. It was designed to replace an even older device known as “The Hymnbook”. Now this device was truly amazing for its time, as it contained hundreds of smaller contrivances called pages. On each page was a song, and in each song there were words that would rhyme…EVERY TIME!

The rhyme is an essential and integral part of almost every song. There are a few pieces of prose, set to music that work, but not very many. It is also the easiest way for someone to remember your song. How many jingles can you pop off the top of your head? Probably a bunch! The advertising agencies know how to get you to remember their product—with a catchy melody and rhyme.

Are you stuck with a word that you can’t rhyme? Just go to ask.com or Google and ask for a rhyming dictionary. There are a multitude of free dictionaries available, with every rhyme know to man. What if there are still no appropriate rhymes? Then this is your chance to get creative, and probably come up with a phrasing that was better than you started with.

Several years ago I wrote a paraphrase of Eph 6:11-17, called "Put on the Armor". The 17th verse was particularly difficult to work with.

17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

What words rhyme with “God” or word? Not any that convey the meaning of that verse, and especially not any that fit into the verse structure I already had. After quite a bit of mental woodsheding I came up with the following:

With the helmet of salvation, my mind is sharp and clear.
I take the sword of the Spirit, the word that makes Satan fear.

Not bad for a fellow who barely made it through English composition in college. By the way, I HATE IT, when people settle for assonance or vowel rhyme. I have done it myself, but 99% of the time it is just lazy thinking. You can do better. Work your craft!

RHYMING PATTERNS

The most basic rhyming pattern I know of is:

Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as snow,
And everywhere that May went, the lamb was sure to go.

The words “snow” and “go” make up an A rhyming pattern. If there had been another couplet with a different rhyme, that would be a B pattern. Let’s look at a great old hymn, “Amazing Grace”:

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, (A) that saved a wretch like me. (B)
I once was lost but now I am found. (A) Was blind but now I see. (B)

Do you see the relationship between the two sets of rhymes? It’s a lot more interesting than just (A) (B) (C) etc. I wrote a song called "Pray to the Lord" (to get the full story, and a free download, click the link) that was actually given to me in a dream. It needed a second verse, but when I tried to write it, I realized it had a rather complex rhyming pattern that completely stymied me. After much though and fervent prayer it finally came to me. Here is the result:

Unto this place we’ve come, (A) boldly in His name we gather, (B)
To listen to the voice that will make our spirits yearn. (C)
This land will be our home (A) as we live and work together, (B)
Until the glorious day of Messiah’s soon return. (C)

One more thing to note is the use of a quick rhyme in subsequent phrases. Billy Joel’s “The Piano Man” is a great example:

But it’s sad and it’s sweet, and I knew it complete…

I made good use of the device in my new song "Blow, Sweet Spirit":

Blow, sweet Spirit, there’s excitement in the air.
Let it fill us, let it thrill us, let it burst out everywhere.

I’ve said it before, but it can’t be said enough. Songwriting is a craft, that first should be presented to God as the best (the firstfruits) that we can do, and then to share with others.
Good crafting!

So, you’re a songwriter…It’s the words!! IMAGERY

2009-05-31T13:17:00.021-04:00

As the owner of New Faith Favorites, I get to see and review quite a lot of songs. Almost every one has a decent melody, and most have nice instrumental accompaniments. BUT, an amazing number of songs have poorly written lyrics—bad words!!

You get the tried and trite phrase, “I just put down what the Lord gave me”. Rubbish!!, Balderdash!!, and Give Me a Break!! When the Lord gave you the melody and the chords, did you leave it right there, or did you practice it, tweak it, and mold it into something that you and everyone around you would enjoy listening to. Of course you did! So why can’t you take the time to create words that inspire and provide a picture. In other words, provide striking imagery.

For an example, I am going to use the unlikely and poignant song “The Piano Man” by Billy Joel, which I think happens to be one of the best pop songs in the last 50 years. Let’s focus on one couplet.

Sir, can you play me a memory.

I’m not really sure how it goes,

But it’s sad, and it’s sweet,

And I knew it complete,

When I wore a younger man’s clothes.

He uses a bit of misdirection by using the word “memory” rather than “melody”, and by so doing, that one word gives us the opportunity to imagine all sorts of scenarios. The third and fourth lines have rhyming that just flows off the tongue, but I’ll discuss that in my next blog.

Now, take a look at the last line. “When I wore a younger man’s clothes” paints a bittersweet picture of a life being passed by. Imagery! Provide words that let the listener visualize what you want them to see, and make the words interesting enough that they will remember them for years after.

OK, let me end with a Christian example. I am going to use my own song. “Blow, Sweet Spirit”, which I spent a great deal of time crafting to make it a great song. I’ll use the second verse:

Can you see them coming from every land?

Being led by the shepherd’s strong hand,

To fulfill the promise He gave to us all.

Let us joyfully answer His call.

Can’t you just see people from all over the world being led by who? A shepherd, who loves His sheep, but who also has a strong hand to guide us in the proper path.

If we are writing songs for, and about the King of Kings, shouldn’t they be as good or better than all the secular stuff that’s out there? That’s a rhetorical question, of course. With prayer and effort we can and should provide a rich tapestry of ideas and images in our songs.

Blow, Sweet Spirit

2009-05-23T20:04:00.003-04:00

My name is Jim Hargrove, and I am a songwriter. I have been writing music almost all my life, but I have written an exciting new song with a Celtic Flavor, called "Blow, Sweet Spirit". This song is destined to be sung and heard all over the world.

Here are examples of the kind of comments that are coming in on this song:

"WOW, I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would buy that in a heartbeat.....need a good manager?
keep me posted, that will surely hit the charts."
Joy Wilson, Lakeland, FL

"I just listened for the first time and was very impressed.
You have done an outstanding job in all regards - writing, arrangement, production."
Bob Johnson, editor of "Zion Song"

"The song is TERRIFIC!!! Great melody, outstanding production and instrumentation. Coming from an "all" Irish family, this is my kind of music.!!"
Linda Smith, "Full Circle Musik".

You can listen to a clip of the song at the following link:

Blow, Sweet Spirit

You can download the mp3 of the song at the following link:

www.newfaithfavorites.com

If you would rather download the mp3 at I Tunes, I gotcha covered, just click on the pretty lady: