Dropjaw Bertone Blog

This is my attempt to describe how I go about writing a song as well many aspects of the arrangement and actual recording process of the song.

There are a few vital items that I always use to compose my songs:

1. Pen or pencil
2. Paper
3. Cassette tape recorder
4. Musical instrument (guitar/piano)

I never use any type of computer program or software to write a song. All of the melodies, chord progressions, lyrics and arrangements that I write are all composed without the aid of any automatic suggestions that many computer programs now offer. It is very important to me to keep the art of songwriting and music as real and as human as possible.

I must also point out that I have no musical training at all other than what I’ve learned on my own or from watching and playing with other musicians, particularly my father.  I became involved in music at the age of 5 and have been completely and entirely devoted to it ever since. I cannot read sheet music at all. However, I thoroughly understand music theory very well. I know how to make chords like “F#mb5#9sus4″ and “Eb7#5(add11)” instantly on both piano and guitar and can tell you all about every note that makes up the chords and why but I have no idea what it looks like written out in notation on a staff. I learned about music theory simply by experimenting with instruments and trying different notes together. But the main thing that helped to develop my understanding of the instruments I play and music in general is from actually writing songs.

Until the age of 18 I never thought of myself as a songwriter nor did I ever try to become a songwriter during that time even though I had been an active musician (mainly a drummer) for 13 years. It was only in 2001 when I graduated high school and moved into my own house where I built my recording studio that I began to try my hand at composing. I wrote many dozens of songs over a 4 year period (2001-2005) in any and all styles, genres and subjects. Most of these songs have never been released as they were really not all that good. But that was my way of learning the art and how to go about creating a piece of music. In 2005 I became determined to write and produce my first solo album called “D.N.A.” which stood for “Dropjaw’s New Album”. I discarded all of the songs I had written up to that point and used what I had learned from the four years of writing to compose ten brand new songs that were, in my opinion, good enough to be released to the public in a commercial sense.
Over the years and 12 albums later, very little has changed in the way I write songs other than a better understanding of the craft and knowing certain things that work better than others. Here are the methods I use to write a song:

• Start by playing any random chords or riffs
  Often times I will pick up my acoustic guitar or sit down at the piano without any particular idea for a song at all. I begin by playing or strumming any chords that come to mind and humming along. Nearly every time I will begin to notice patterns in the random chords or melodies that I’m coming up. I focus on the ones that seem to be catchy and come most naturally to me repeatedly. When I find a particular melody that I really like, I start to find the chords that match with the melody and I construct a chord structure around the melody. Usually I will sing random arbitrary words just to have some actual words to sing the melody with rather than just humming it. At this point, I turn on the tape recorder and begin recording what I am singing and playing so that I have a work tape to remember it by for later. If the song is strong and feels really natural, it will usually have a good structure and an established melody within 20 to 30 minutes. The lyrics are rarely written during this time but rather several hours, days or even weeks after the body of the song has been constructed. Several pieces of lyrics may be present, however. The overall idea of what the song is about and the emotional tone are clearly established first in the initial work tape demo before the lyrics are written. There are exceptions to this rule but very few in my case.
• Start working on a pre-existing idea already in mind
  Song ideas will constantly appear to me in “flashes” at any given time during the day. Anything can trigger a song idea. Seeing a street sign while driving or overhearing a conversation someone is having are all times when an idea can flash into my head. A “flash” is typically 2 or 3 seconds of a piece of melody which sometimes has words to go along with it. For example the song “I Believe” which I wrote for my 2010 album “ASSOCIATES” came as a flash with the melody line and lyrics “I believe this is where we belong…” and I proceeded to build the entire song around that line. That song was written on acoustic guitar. I sang the melody with those lyrics while I strummed various chords to find the correct chords that corresponded with the melody. The body of the song was completely written in about 20 minutes and the rest of the lyrics were finished about a week later.
• Write to a title
  Writing a song around a catchy title is something I do frequently. A perfect example is “Private Number” which I wrote for my 2009 album “NEWSTORY”. I got the idea to use that title after hearing the Bee Gees song “855-7019″ where the lyrics say “855-7019 is a private number…” and it just stood out to me as a great title. In my mind, I saw it as a provacative type of title and wrote the song as such. That song was written very quickly and I used both piano and guitar to compose it. Within about 15 minutes the entire body of the song was written and I wrote the lyrics the next day.
• Write in sections
  I have found that I typically write the choruses of my songs first. This is what I consider to be the main “hook” of the song. When arranging a song for recording purposes, I may place the chorus at the beginning of the song or in the middle. Sometimes I will place two verses first or sometimes only one verse before a chorus and so on. Arranging a song usually happens after the song is actually written. But many times the arrangement is already there during the writing process without any need for altering it. After writing a really strong chorus I will sometimes stop working on that song and begin another song idea. Then come back to the previous song and begin writing verses.
• Always write by feel not by force
  I never force a song to be written. It is very very important to let the song write itself naturally on it’s on. A songwriter is simply the vehicle by which the song is delievered to the world. I think of it as a universal radio that is constantly broadcasting to the world all of the songs that will ever be written by anyone. It is the songwriter’s job to listen in and hear the songs and then figure them out. Sometimes a song idea will come to me that is beyond my current abilities as a musician. This forces me to actually become a better pianist, guitarist, drummer, bassist or vocalist. The cycle of learning to write by playing and learning to play by writing is what keeps me progressing as a musician and a writer.
  It is also very important to not be afraid of expressing whatever emotion is necessary for the song to convey. No topics are offlimits. I love to experiment with hundreds if not thousands of chord ideas, melodies, words, situations, titles and so on.
  The actual emotion of the songs that I write are always real. But the stories are almost always completely made-up. I put on characters in my songs in the same way a novelest or a screenplay writer does. The melody is where the emotion is really found which is then applied to the chord structure. Once I know what the emotion of the song is I will put myself in that emotional state to then write a story based on it. For example if I am writing a sad song I will use a sad event in my own life to find that real emotion within myself and then use it to make up a totally different and new story for the song. I keep myself in this emotional state through every aspect of not only writing the song but recording it as well.

I have only mentioned my method of writing alone thus far. All of the songs on every solo album I’ve done have only been written by myself. It is very difficult for me to write with another person because songwriting is a very intimate sharing experience. It requires the ability to completely bare one’s self to another person without the fear of being rejected. There has only been one other person whom I have been able to feel totally comfortable writing songs with on a consistant basis due to our very long and deep friendship and common musical affinities. When he asked me to produce and co-write his first solo album “TALLER ON RADIO” in 2008, Bryan Wain and I wrote 5 songs together and he wrote 5 on his own over 10 days in my recording studio. During that time, he and I went through every emotional experience together. One minute we could be laughing hysterically and the next we could be enraged at each other. From smiling to crying and everything in between. Each day was a 13-hour session with one 2-hour break halfway through. Collaboration has to be a total expression of every emotion, thought and idea in order to get the final true honest result. At the end of each writing and/or recording session, we always were very elated and overjoyed with the song we had created.

In my heart and mind I will always be a songwriter. The genre and style are totally determined by the song itself and I am open to any and all of them. There will be many more songs to come from Dropjaw Bertone.

Peace and love to everyone!

When it comes to writing a song and producing a song, there are very distinct differences between the two art forms. Of course, every producer will have different styles and ways of interpreting a song they are producing. A particular producer’s unique “sound” is what a songwriter listens for to determine who they want to hire to produce their music. Then there are artists who sing, record or perform songs but do not write or produce their own music themselves. Someone else writes and produces the songs for them.
I am a songwriter, producer and an artist. I have written and produced all of my songs on every album I’ve released and have also been hired as a producer and/or co-writer for other artists in the past.

As a songwriter:
When I write a song, I usually am not thinking of how it will be produced. Although there are exceptions to this rule. But what I focus the most on is first determining the melody of the song note-for-note all the way through. The melody dictates the chord progression as well as the mood of the song. Often times I record my songwriting sessions on a tape recorder in addition to using a pen and paper. The main thing I want to establish is a title, melody and the main idea/emotion of the song before I begin writing the lyrics to apply to the pre-determined melody. The chorus is almost always written first before the verses. The materials I use to write a song are a guitar or keyboard, pen/pencil, paper and an analog tape recorder. I use no computer programs whatsoever to aid in writing the song. Once the song has the main elements (melody, chord structure, verse/chorus and lyrics) then I record a simple one-track demo with either guitar and vocal or keyboard and vocal to save for when I’m ready to produce it. Typically the arrangement of the song is done in the writing phase to determine if there is an intro or outro, an instrumental lead solo or where the choruses and verses should be placed.

As a producer:
The main goal of a producer for a songwriter is to pick the best songs that have been written and/or make them sound good on record. This includes deciding what instruments should be used (acoustic or electric drums, flute, string section, full harmonies, various percussion instruments, acoustic or electric guitar, etc) and how the instruments should be recorded (stereo separation, volume of each instrument and what should be louder/softer than other instruments, fade out the end of the song, etc).
As a producer for my own music I separate myself from the songwriter aspect and view the song objectively as if I were producing someone else’s song. When I am doing a full-band sound, I like to have a lot of balance on both stereo sides. If I have an acoustic guitar panned to the right side of the mix I typically will put either another acoustic guitar on the left side or another instrument such as a piano to balance it out. I don’t like any one side of the mix to be “heavier” than the other side. The bass and drums are almost always mixed in mono but there are many times I record the drums (either real drumset or programmed) in stereo.
The instrumental tracks are always recorded first before any vocals are recorded. The entire song is fully mixed and recorded to a stereo 2-track master CD for adding vocals later.

As an artist:
The artist side of me is the final stage that happens with my music. After the song(s) have been written and the production methods have been determined, I then play the instruments and sing the vocals using an emotional intuition that I feel from the song itself. This is a different feeling than either the writer or the producer mentalities. The words cannot simply be sung, they need to be felt. It is extremely important for an artist to emote while singing. The same goes for playing the instruments. Every note played should be played for a reason and with an appropriate emotional intensity that the song is trying to deliver. If the artist believes what they are singing or playing, so will the audience.

Additional thoughts:
The actual writing of the song is the easiest part of the entire process. Melodies and chord structures come very naturally to me. I always make a point to write every day in my studio. A typical songwriting session will last between three and twelve hours depending on my energy level and if I have a performance to go to that night. Recording sessions last approximately the same length of time.
The hardest part of the process for me is writing the lyrics. I am always very satisfied with the lyrics I write once they are finished. But it takes much longer for me to write words than it does to write music. Some songwriters are wordsmiths who write the words first and then write the music. Others only write lyrics and someone else writes the music for them. This has never been my method as it doesn’t come naturally to me in that way. While I may write the entire body of the song with all the chords, melodies and arrangement in 20 minutes, it usually takes several days or even weeks to finish the lyrics. Of course there are exceptions to this rule. But not often.

I hope you all enjoyed reading about how I work on my music. Please feel free to add any comments you wish!

Love to everyone,
Dropjaw

Over the last few months I have completely revamped and upgraded my website www.DropjawBertone.com. The look is new and there are brand new links including my full discography of all 12 solo albums I have released. Every song is available free of charge (donations are accepted and very much appreciated) as well as videos, full performance schedule, booking information, studio services and upcoming projects! Please continue to check the site regularly as I am constantly adding new material. I hope you all will enjoy my music. Thank you all so much for your continued support!

Love to everyone,
Dropjaw Bertone

When anyone asks me what I do for a living I always say I’m a songwriter. That really is who I am in my heart and mind. Songwriting is what brings me the most joy and is my true passion in life. I’d much rather be writing or recording in the studio than performing on stage.
This is my list of musical priorities in the order of their importance:

1. Songwriter
2. Musician/Singer
3. Producer/Recording Artist
4. Performer

I group “musician” and “singer” together because they really are the same thing. The voice is an instrument and I’m as confident in my abilities as both a lead and harmony singer as I am in my abilities as a drummer, keyboardist, guitarist, bassist and percussionist. Also grouped together are “producer” and “recording artist” in a more loose way. These two things are equal in importance to me but they can be different entities all together depending on if I am producing myself as the featured recording artist or producing another artist for their project. Depending on the artist I’m working with I can be one or both of these things for them.
It also is very true that I am a much better singer in the studio than I am at a live performance. A studio environment is much more comfortable and relaxing to me. I have much more control of my voice and range. This probably has a lot to do with having the creative flexibility of experimenting with many different things with my own songs such as trying different harmonies or melody patterns, etc. This is not to say that I don’t enjoy being on stage. In fact, performing live on stage in front of an audience is one of the only times in my life that I do not feel the least bit shy at all. Off stage is when I feel the most shy and self-conscious.

Being in the studio and witnessing a brand new song that I have written come to life before my eyes (and ears) brings me pure joy and is very addictive. Performing or recording a song that someone else wrote could never bring me the kind of excitement and satisfaction as recording or performing a song that I have written for myself. Hearing another artist do one of my songs also is very exciting for me.

The majority of my thoughts are of new song ideas or melodies. Chances are quite good that if I’m awake, I’m working on a new song. There have also been many times when I’ve dreamed a new song idea that forces me to wake up in the middle of the night to work on it!

I just hope that my songs will be appreciated by people that hear them. Writing about universal themes and emotions is very important to me. When someone can connect to one of my songs, I feel like I’ve done my job!

Peace and love to everyone,
Dropjaw

 
This is my cat, Spike. He is about 10 years old and is truly the good thing in my life! I can’t even imagine my life without him. Over the last 9 years that I’ve had him, he has been there through the writing and recording of every song on all of my solo albums! He greets me at the front door when I come home from the gig at night and we are both there for each other through whatever we may be going through. We are each other’s best friend!

There is no species-language barrier between us. We both communicate with other with 100% understanding and efficiency. And there is a mutual respect we both have for each other that has existed since we first met.

Spike loves to sleep in the bathroom sink.

Yes, he is a big boy! His weight is definitely a concern for me. I have taken him to many veterinarians and have tried several diets, foods, exercise routines and still he maintains a weight of 22 pounds. He was diagnosed with F.I.V. (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) in 2004 after being scratched by a neighborhood bully cat and has been an indoor-only cat ever since.
His immune system is at risk and therefor I must be careful about his health and his living invironment. I only feed him food that contains no “filler” products what-so-ever and have been weaning him off dry food for the last several months.

Spike is very vocal and loves to talk a lot. He also loves to stare out the window, meow very loudly when I’m trying to record a vocal track, jump on my piano keyboard while I’m writing a song, stand in front of my computer monitor while I’m working online, sleep on my chest and generally make my life worth living! Any time I feel like I need a reason to be alive, Spike is always the reason.

It is no secret that I love my cat!

For the last 5 years I have been wearing a wide-brim, black zoot fedora hat with my logo across the front of it. I have many reasons for why I started wearing it and some of them are personal reasons which I won’t reveal. But the main reasons are as follows:

1) A tribute to my longtime heroes Michael Jackson, Maurice Gibb and Bo Diddley. These three men have been very influencial to me in my career and they were known for wearing fedoras.

2) I love how fedoras look and feel. To me, they are beautiful and will never go out of style.

3) It keeps my hair in line! I am not going bald (yet) but wearing a hat keeps my hair (which I keep very long) from getting in my face or blowing around.

4) More shameless self-promotion. My logo on the front of the hat is a way to promote my name a little. And perhaps some vanity reasons too!

Peace and love,
Dropjaw

I have been wearing sunglasses to cover my eyes full-time since 1997. There are many different styles and colored lenses that I frequently wear. To those of you who don’t know why I wear sunglasses all the time, it’s because I have to wear them. There are two main reasons for this:

1) I have very very poor vision. I am near-sighted in both eyes. 20/450 in my left eye and 20/500 in my right eye. Without my glasses, I am “blind-as-a-bat” as they say.

2) My eyes suffer from a condition known as “Photophobia” which is a symptom of abnormal intolerance to visual perception of light. My eyes are very sensitive to light and have been since I was a young child.

I have tried to make them as fashionable as possible. For example, when I am wearing a blue shirt, I typically will wear my blue tinted glasses. I also have red and black tinted lenses. Occasionally I will add my logo sticker to the handles for a bit of shameless self-promotion

Over the years, I have had to explain my need to wear my glasses to people who immediately judge me as weird. Many times I have heard “But it’s dark outside! Why are you wearing those silly glasses?” What they don’t realize is that any light is hard for my eyes to tolerate so I must wear them at all times. Especially when driving. The approaching headlights are very intense for me with just clear lenses.
But I have made it part of my look and am happy to be in the company of Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Roy Orbison and Ronnie Milsap.
And like my theme song, “D-R-O-P-J-A-W” says: “The sun outside is much too bright. And I’m wearing my shades in the middle of the night!”

Peace and love,
Dropjaw

1.) D.N.A. (released: September, 2005)
This was my debut solo album. I spent 4 years writing over 100 songs for this album and was trying to prove myself as a songwriter. The 10 songs I chose for this album range from fast pop to slow ballads and feature many layers of synthesizer and keyboard tracks and thick vocal harmonies. I tried to pack a lot of punch into this album. The song “Secrets” is a favorite among my fans and friends.

2.) AU NATURAL (released: February, 2006)
For my second solo album, I decided to shift gears and go in a totally different direction than I had done on my first album. The title “Au Natural” refers to the way I produced each song with real drums, bass, guitar and piano as opposed to synthesizers and drum machines. This album was very well-received by my friends and family and the single “Smile Everyday” is a song I regularly perform at my gigs.

3.) PHOBIA (released: May, 2006)
For this album I went back through the 100+ unreleased songs I wrote from 2001-2005 and picked 9 songs to re-write and re-record including my September 11th tribute “Goodbye” and the award-winning “Everywhere (Is Where You Will Be)” which won an Honorable Mention Award in the 2003 John Lennon Songwriting Contest. I also wrote a new song called “You Could Have Stayed A Little Longer” as a tribute to my childhood cat Gray-C.

4.) IN SIGHT (released: January, 2007)
I wanted this album to be more Rock oriented than my previous albums. Many of the songs feature distorted electric guitars rather than keyboards. The vocal harmonies are more layered and precise. I also did more lead guitar work on this album than I had done up to this point. The single “I Remember” is dedicated to my grandfather Tom Souder who passed away during the making of this album.

5.) PROPHETIC PROFESSION (released: November, 2007)
This was my attempt at an all R&B album. To prepare, I spent a lot of time listening to contemporary R&B artists such as Luther Vandross, Boys 2 Men, Stevie Wonder and Alicia Keys to get my mindset in the proper place in terms of lyrics and production. Some have described this album as being melancholy and very emotionally descriptive which was my intent.  The single “Witness” is a fan-favorite and a new short-film music video is currently being scripted for it.

6.) CODE BLUE (released: March, 2008)
I decided to shift gears with this album and release a more eclectic group of songs. The title of this album refers to a hospital emergency code “Code Blue” which is used to indicate a patient requiring resuscitation. I used this term as the title as a way of describing what I hoped this album would do for my songwriting career. The previous album wasn’t as well-received as I had hoped and so this new album was my way of proving myself again. The single “My Promise To You” is dedicated to my grandmother Elizabeth Souder who passed away during the recording of this album. And the last song, “Mushrooms” was written when I was 10 years old.

7.) STRINGS & IVORY (released: August, 2008)
I had always wanted to do an acoustic album and this is it! With only the exception of the last track, “Stealer Of Hearts“, every song on this album features only piano, acoustic guitar and vocal. The front cover showing myself as the three members of the band is an attempt to show how the songs sound.

8.) PERFECT TIMING (released: December, 2008)
I began working on this album to re-establish my abilities as a producer in many different genres. The previous album was all-acoustic and I felt it was time to move into new territory. The highlights here include the comical and bluesy “I Got Hit By A Train Last Night” and the rap-style tune, “Misled“. The easy-listening single “There’s Always Something” has become another fan-favorite.

9.) NEWSTORY (released: May, 2009)
I believe this album to be the most varied in styles that I’ve done. Every song is very different from the next to show my diversity as a writer. The styles featured are: Carribbean, Reggae, Drum Solo, Acappella, Rap, Blues, Pop Ballad, Soft Rock and Jazz. The last track is my theme song, “D-R-O-P-J-A-W“. And a script is being written for a music video of the single “Private Number“.

10.) TEN GRANDE (released: December, 2009)
I dedicated this album to Michael Jackson, Maurice Gibb, Bo Diddley and Somer Thompson. When Michael Jackson died, I was moved to write a tribute for him called “Man On The Moon“. I then wrote tributes to two other influencial people in my life, Maurice Gibb (Bee Gees), “You Are There” and Bo Diddley, “Come Back Home“. The abduction and murder of 7 year-old Somer Thompson from Orange Park, Florida inspired me to write “Farewell Somer” for her and her family.

11.) ASSOCIATES (released: December, 2010)
This album marks the one and only time I featured guest artists on any of my solo albums! My parents Richie Bertone and Rosemary Manlove appear along with many local professional musicians in my town. I wrote each song with a particular artist in mind and they enriched the songs more than I could have imagined! The singles “In Your Eyes“, “For You” and “Tired Of Your Games” are fan-favorites!

12.) DROPARAZZI (released: September, 2011)
This is the first concept album I have ever done with a main character and central theme throughout the entire album which is fame and all the various things (good and bad) that go with it. Each song deals with a different aspect of the main character’s life or psyche. The title track “Droparazzi” has become a fan-favorite as well as my new tribute to the victims of September 11th, “Just One More Day“.

Occasionally at my performances around town someone will come up to me (usually someone who knows a thing or two about playing guitar) and inquire about the tuning I use on my guitar. It’s called “Open D” tuning. Not to be confused with “Drop D” which is totally different (although would be perfect to go along with my name).

The strings are tuned (from low to high) D-A-D-F#-A-D to resonate a “D Major” chord when they are all strummed open. Then, to make additional major chords, each fret is completely barred (ie: All six strings barred on the first fret is an “Eb Major” chord, and so on). Minor chords, 6th’s, 7th’s, 9th’s, 11th’s, 13th’s, and all other types of chords have different formations, obviously.

I learned this style of tuning by watching Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees play his guitar and noticed that he tunes his guitar in this way. I had already learned how to play a standard-tuned guitar (E-A-D-G-B-E) by watching my dad as a child. So when I saw Barry playing chords, I immediately knew that he was definitely doing something different because I didn’t recognize any of the positions his hand was making.
Learning how to play the basic major chords was easy. But learning all the other kinds of chords was a challenge. However, after a few weeks of practice I became fluent with any type of chord in all inversions up and down the fretboard. As of 2003, I have been playing in Open D exclusively.

I believe this method of tuning has had an affect on my songwriting as well. Writing a song on a guitar tuned to an open D chord brings a different perspective to the overall “sound” of the song. Four of the strings are de-tuned from a standard tuned guitar and give the chords a deeper and more “full” sound. And also makes for an interesting sound when playing along with someone tuned to standard.

Although I play guitar in Open D tuning, I still play bass in standard tuning (E-A-D-G). Thankfully I am not confused by the different tunings when switching from guitar to bass and vice versa. But I do appreciate when someone in the crowd notices my tuning styles.

Peace and love!
Dropjaw

If someone asks me what I do for a living or who I am in my heart, I always say songwriter. My heart and mind are always deeply involved in expressing another thought, feeling, emotion or situation through a melody or lyric.

It’s hard for me to take credit for my songs because they really do write themselves. I try to step out of the way of the song and let it take complete control of the direction it’s going. Of course, there is a human craft that goes into it as well such as the arrangement, key, production and so forth. But the core of the song and it’s emotional impact are always up to the song itself.

There is nothing off-limits when I write a song. All emotions, genres, subjects, styles, tempos and all other content is fair game. That isn’t to say that I’ve actually released every song I’ve written. While music is a passion for me, it is also a business and I am careful about what I put out on an album for the public to hear. But I hope that there is enough of my original material to be appealing to a wide range of people. I aim to all demographics.

Typically I will write between 20 and 30 songs for each album project I am working on and then select 10 of the best or strongest songs to go on the final album. Sometimes I will select songs that just seem to work well together as a group. This method, I believe yields a stronger album. And I can only hope that I continue to get better and better at the craft of songwriting.
One of the first songs I wrote was called “Mushrooms” when I was 10 years old in 1993. I officially released it on my 2008 album “Code Blue“. In 2003 I won an Honorable Mention Award for my song “Everywhere (Is Where You Will Be)” in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. That song was officially released on my “Phobia” album in 2006.
Producing a song is much different than writing a song. When I am writing, I never use a computer or any type of gaget (drum machine, songwriting software, etc) to dictate the song in any way. It always takes place with either an acoustic guitar or piano, an idea/melody in my head, and a pencil and paper. The more real and “human” the process is, the easier it is for a person to relate to.

I always write the music and melody first and then write the lyrics last. When I’m working on the lyrics, I always make them fit to the pre-determined melody that I wrote before-hand. Never do I change the melody to fit the lyrics.
Usually I have a title or a working title for a new song and a main idea for what the song is trying to say or what kind of emotion is trying to be conveyed. And often times I will have a few “pieces” of lyrics here and there. The chorus lyrics are almost always written before the verses.

I’m proud to say that I have written all of my own songs on every album I’ve released. That is something very important to me. It’s difficult to write a song with someone else because it is such an intimate experience. Metaphorically it could be equated to sex in that you are totally exposed and must become one with someone to do it correctly. A songwriter must be willing to expose everything that comes to mind when writing a song without the fear of any idea being rejected or thought of as “stupid” or inadequate. Even if something isn’t ultimately used in the finished song, every idea is a stepping-stone to the final idea.
The only person I’ve ever been able to successfully write songs with is my very close friend and Nashville, TN resident Bryan Wain. I believe our long friendship has a lot to do with our ability to work well at writing together. He and I wrote his first solo album “Taller On Radio” together in 2008 which I produced in my studio.

There is a lot more ground I’m looking forward to covering and will always be providing new original music! Thank you all for your support!

Peace and love to everyone!
Dropjaw