Unsigned special: Realising your musical dreams - songwriting

From week to week we feature artists on this page who are realising their dreams.

Songwriting doesn't have to be that daunting

Folksters, rockers and pop singers speak to us beaming about their latest release, their next big show or which digital platforms you can hear them on.

There may be many more reading these columns who dream of joining them on stage at one of our region's many perfect music venues. But they might be unsure how to go about it, or whether what they have to say is of interest.

Over the next few weeks, The Ticket aims to allay some of those fears and perhaps inspire someone, of any age, to pick up their pen and get writing.

From songwriting today, we'll take a look at gigging, recording, promotion and taking part in the scene itself, all through the eyes of those who are there and doing it for themselves.

Songwriting may be the biggest hurdle of all. People may have some ideas of what to open up about, but worry about what reception they would get.

This, says Wolverhampton-born singer-songwriter Dan Whitehouse, is the first battle. He would know. Now based in Birmingham, Dan holds writing workshops at various venues across the region called The Songwriting Circle, and his alumni includes one of our former The Ticket Unsigned artists Danielle Cawdell.

"I think everyone has great ideas for songs, but very few people write them down," he says. "It takes a leap of faith and a level of self-belief to stop what you’re doing long enough to listen to your thoughts, and record them.

"I carry a Dictaphone - that’s my net when I’m out fishing for ideas. I’m also an advocate of the Immersion Method - introduced to me by Tom Robinson in 2009. It’s a playful method of generating raw material designed to re-connect with your childlike self - allow music and writing to be a game.

"A song doesn’t have to be linear and 'make sense' for it to make a connection with an audience."

His one tip would be for writers to "share the experience" and "do it with others".

"Whether that’s performing new material at an open mic or attending a songwriting workshop, step out into the wider community and shine a light on your songs to give them a chance to grow," he added.

So what works as an influence? Some choose love, others friendship. Then we have political songwriters and social commentators speaking out against injustice.

Another former Unsigned page artist, The Humdrum Express, from Kidderminster, is one who writes a lot on the world around him.

"I think it’s just the way things have evolved, rather than it being an intentional aim," he admits. "I suppose it means I’ve always got something to write about, which is what keeps us all going!

"I tend to class myself as a general songwriter rather than anything more specific as it gives me scope to write about a wider range of subjects. I’m fully aware that if you get pigeon-holed as a political writer certain people will switch off without listening with an open mind."

The question of age puts some off too. Many may think of performing as an opportunity gone, something they should have done when younger and with less responsibilities with family and mortgages. But that is something rubbished by acts like PUKK, a former The Ticket Unsigned act from Shrewsbury.

"There's no such thing as too old when it comes to songwriting," said 45-year-old frontman Joe Chalmers. "Take the blues singer/songwriter T-Model Ford. He didn't start playing guitar and songwriting until he was in his 70s. He released eight albums before he passed in 2013.

"He'd put in a lot of living before he picked up a guitar and it's safe to say he had plenty of life experience to draw on when he came to write songs. Life experience goes a long way."

And his tip includes breaking down your song into manageable sections.

"Imagine your song as a child's jigsaw puzzle with only nine pieces. I use the idea of a jigsaw as it doesn't matter what piece you start with. It's the fact they all fit together in the end that's important.

"Imagine each piece has one of the following on it: song title; verse one (lyrics); verse two (lyrics); chorus (lyrics); intro (chord progression); ending (chord progression); verse (chord progression); chorus (chord progression); hooks.

"Not all songs have the same structure but this is a good starting point. You can add more structure - verses, pre-choruses, middle eights etc - as you get better at writing. Start small and build up. The important thing is that you actually start."

At the other end of the spectrum is Eve Pitt, aged just 18, from Stourbridge. Another former The Ticket Unsigned star, the former Stourbridge College student doesn't believe a lack of years lived means lack of experience.

"As a young person, there are many techniques you can use to write a song," she said. "It’s not always about experience. You can write with a ‘third-eye perspective’ where you put yourself in someone else's shoes and write from their point of view.

"This is great because you could end up writing something you never thought you’d ever write about and it gives you a great sense of compassion."

And she knows what she is talking about having received the Best Pop Act gong at last year's inaugural Birmingham Music Awards for her work.

"Winning last year really meant so much to me," she adds. "I was up against some pretty amazing artists, so to know I’d won it off my own back, it felt amazing. All my songs mean a lot to me and I hold them close to my heart, so to be credited for that just gave me the most satisfying feeling in the world."

Satisfaction that could be yours. So, where did you put that pen?

Having tackled songwriting, next week The Ticket Unsigned special series moves on to look at performing, and how to get your work on stages.