Sojourn Worship Songwriting Workshop, part 8

Nine writers came to our December meeting. We kept all six from the November workshop. Jay Eubanks, who had been to the first workshop and who has a wealth of writing and performing experience, rejoined us. Eddy Morris, a writer/ musician who owns a recording studio (Ear Candy Recording Studio) came for the first time, as did Morgan Shaffer, a recent transplant to Louisville from Louisiana. Morgan has been playing piano and leading worship for years. She had responded to my post on the sojourncommunity.com website about the songwriting workshop because she wanted to check out the process and see if writing was for her.

Jay played a new song he'd written called "From These Hands." It had three verses, a chorus and a bridge, and contained some very strong lyrics. I think he got some good advice for the song. Chandi and Eddy both think of things that I wouldn't think of -- or at least wouldn't know how to voice. Musical things. I can play a bit of guitar and harmonica, I know some piano chords, and I had a music theory class back in high school, but my knowledge of music is fairly limited. I'm more of a lyric guy. It's great to have people in the group who are strong where I am weak.

Eddy had written a song that was so catchy that I'm still humming it to myself. It had two verses, and he wasn't satisfied with the second. We spent some time working it over, and I think we came up with a couple lines. The last two lines of the chorus were more problematic. We were all pitching different samples. In the end, I think he wrote down a suggested lyric for the last line that goes "shake your boodie for the King."

Not that he'll leave that in there. After hitting our heads against a creative brick wall for awhile, we writers can get a little goofy. Anyway, that line fit the meter so eventually he'll find something of the same length that is, uh, reverent.

I came to this workshop in the midst of a bout of sinusitis. I could barely breathe, let alone sing -- which was particularly bad because I was supposed to sing a humerous song I'd written for my office holiday party that night. I wanted to save my voice, so for my song I just played the CD Chad had recorded for me, the one with the music he'd written for my hymn "Precious Jesus, Lord of All" (see the lyrics/ discussion of this song on pt. 6 of this series).

Everyone liked it. Maybe I'll have Chad sing for me all the time, because he could make anything sound good. He had recorded it in G. Eddy suggested lowering it to D and slowing the tempo down a little -- I think mainly he wanted to hear what it would sound like with Lorie singing lead. We tried that -- Chad on guitar, Eddy on the keyboard, and Lorie singing lead. Then we had everyone sing along, and we tried Chad singing lead in the lower register. It all sounded great. There is nothing like hearing your song done by talented people.

Someone, maybe Chad, played the song for Mike Cosper recently. He told me it sounded great and the worship team at Sojourn would work it up eventually to do in church.

There were some other interesting songs at the workshop. Will Kottheimer played an ambitious ballad called "Jericho." Will is new to song writing, but he's been diving into it fearlessly. I told him that he's already discovered the best way to improve as a writer -- to write. Simply to write, over and over, song after song.

Chandi played an interesting, unique piece -- quite different for Sojourn. It would work as a benediction or some other kind of prayer-song ... a meditative piece. It was very polished. One great way to describe her music would be "classy."

Lorie played the song she'd presented at the November workshop -- tweaked a little bit. It still needed something -- she thought maybe another verse. I think everyone concurred -- a first verse. The verse she already had seemed more like a second verse. The song contained a bridge and chorus as well -- good lines, as I mentioned in part 6 of this series.

This isn't unusual at all -- to write a verse that turns out to be your second, and then have to go back and write the first verse. At least it's not unusual for me -- I don't know how many times I've started writing a song at the verse, or a chorus followed by a verse, and then ended up realizing I'd jumped in the middle of the song ... that the verse is good, but as a second verse rather than the first.

Anyway, she said she'd work on a new verse for next time.

For any locals who are interested, our next Sojourn worship song workshop is this Saturday the 21st, at 2 pm. Email me for more info at iambictreat@yahoo.com.