Getting to the Soul of Songwriting with Frankie Vinci

On December 11th 2007, Frankie Vinci, Triple Platinum Singer-Songwriter (Tim McGraw), lead a workshop about getting to the soul of songwriting, which was hosted at the Georgetown Saloon … Accordingly, here are some clips from that evening - enjoy!

Part 01 - Introduction - Topics include: Tim McGraw clip; Frankie bio; CBS Football theme clip …

This audio clip is 2:29 minutes in length and 1.1 meg mp3 file - click here to download the clip …

Part 02 - The Music Business and Being Pro - Topics covered in this clip include: Question - How did you get to where you got; Story of Tim McGraw Cut; All About Nashville; Song for Faith; Breaking into Nashville; I Got Signed = Fluke; Reality of getting signed; Realities for publishers; Writing songs for others; Luck of the chicken of the sea; Gotta be there; How much you can make from one song …

This audio clip is 15:18 minutes in length and 7.2 meg mp3 file - click here to download the clip …

Part 03 - The Art of Songwriting and Jinglewriting - Topics in this clip include: Jingle vs Songwriting; How to get a jingle; Chevy jingle example; What Comes first - ideas, hooks; Songwriters don’t be blatant; First lines have to nail ‘em; Writing rock songs is hard; What else has to grab them; What makes it a hit …

This audio clip is 15:01 minutes in length and 7 meg mp3 file - click here to download the clip …

Part 04 - Performance Example - Frankie goes live with song writing example and shares path from idea development to finished song with, “Slow it Down” - which first showcased on Dec 11th :>)

This audio clip is 6:44 minutes in length and 3.2 meg mp3 file - click here to download the clip …

Songwriting Critiques from Dec 11th

The following five songs were critiqued during the evening:

Critique 01 - Michel climbs on stage with her guitar and recently minted song, “Time to Break Free” … a haunting song about bad marriages and corporate transfers …

This audio clip is 10 minutes in length and 5.1 meg mp3 file - click here to download the clip …

Critique 02 - Tom gets on stage and plays his new song, “I Can’t believe how you make me feel - I wish you were mine” - Frankie tunes in with harmonica and great audio fun unfurls …

This audio clip is 4:28 minutes in length and 2.1 meg mp3 file - click here to download the clip …

Critique 03 - Roger shares a track from his CD - a song called, “The Last Barbeque” and the secret sauce lies in the end when you find out who licensed this novelty song …

This audio clip is 5:38 minutes in length and 2.65 meg mp3 file - click here to download the clip …

Critique 04 - Marc and Lindsay unfold with an impromptu duo akin to Spanish-funk guitar mixed with gospel-soul vocals - great fun and as Frankie comments post, “… that is exactly what songwriting is all about!” …

This audio clip is 5:11 minutes in length and 2.4 meg mp3 file - click here to download the clip …

Critique 05 - John shares a track from his CD - a song called, “It’ll be all right” - which is mostly about living through problems and having loved ones to get us through …” … it is also an example of turning seamingly “dark stuff” into happy, upbeat songs and melodies …

This audio clip is 8:06 minutes in length and 3.8 meg mp3 file - click here to download the clip …