AboutBill Pere Expertise Can answer questions on : Technical aspects of lyric and music compostion; How to give and receive objective critique; Arranging and production; Concrete vs abstract imagery; Use of metaphor; Rhyme techniques; Song Structure; Collaboration; Songwriter Associations; Promotion; Guitar technique;
Music Business;
Experience President of the Connecticut Songwriters Association and Director of the Connecticut Songwriting Academy; Named one of the Top 50 Innovators and Guiding Lights of the Music Industry in 2008 by Music Connection Magazine; Author of "Songcrafters' Coloring Book:The Essential Guide to Effective and Successful Songwriting."
Named Independent Artist of the Year,by the 2003 national Independent Music Conference; 30 years as a professional singer-songwriter; 16 original CD's released;
Have had songs placed on other artists' CD's. Twice named Connecticut Songwriter of the Year.
20 years as Executive Director of the LUNCH Ensemble. Have attended more than 200 presentations by top industry professionals and have critiqued thousands of songs. Have written and produced dozens of stage plays and hundreds of concert events; Have coached hundreds of aspiring songwriters, and collaborated with several award winning writers. Have written commissioned songs as an Official Connecticut State Troubadour. Music Director of youth choirs and music camps.
Organizations Connecticut Songwriters Association (President); LUNCH Ensemble (Local United Network to Combat Hunger -- Exec, Director); CMEA (Connecticut Music Educators Association); Folk Alliance; Association For Psychological Type; Songsalive;
Publications Songcrafters' Coloring Book: The Essential Guide to Effective and Succesful Songwriting
Songwriters Market (2001, 2002); Connecticut Songsmith; Contemporary Songwriter Magazine; Songwriters Musepaper;
Songcrafter's Coloring Book; Strategies for Teaching Guitar;
Education/Credentials Masters Degree Molecular Biology; Certified MBTI Practitioner (Myers Briggs Type Indcator); Connencticut Secondary Public School Teaching Cerftificate; Author: "Songcrafters Coloring Book: The Essential Guide to Effective and Successful Songwriting:
Awards and Honors Named one of the Top 50 Innovators and Guiding Lights of the Music Industry in 2008 by Music Connection Magazine; Independent Artist of the Year, (2003 national Indie Conference); Official Connecticut State Troubadour, appointed by CT Commission on the Arts, 1995 ; 1982 and 1992 CT Songwriter of the Year; 2000 Award for 20 years of Outstanding Service to Songwriters;
2002 CSA Award for Outstanding Contribution to Education through Music; Numerous awards for outstanding community outreach through music; 1997 Citation from Connecticut Legislature for exemplary dedication to community outreach through music. 1995 Renaissance Award for multiple music achievments in a single year. Invited Presenter and Mentor at various Music Conventions
Question How do you write a round song? One that can be sung as a two or three part round?
Answer Maria,
Hi - thanks for your question. Anything that has to do with the general aspects of writing any kind of song, whether it's a round or any other style, can be found in the book "Songcrafters' Coloring Book: The Essential Guide to Effective and Successful Songwriting" It's online at http://www.songcrafterscoloringbook.com . Assuming you are familiar with the basics of good songwriting, a round is then a specific type of song.
A round is based on a repeating short chord progression.
To create an effective round you have to look at the harmony and rhythm/prosody. Harmonically, you want to take a very simple, scale-based chord progression (3-4- chords) that can repeat over and over. Then you want to come up with 2 or 3 different melodies that will fit over those chords (or you could have a melody in mind first, find the chords that go with it, and then develop the other melodies. As long as the chords are simple and repeating). To develop multiple melodies look at at the harmonic space and the rhythmic structure:
Each melody should have a different rhythmic pace - e.g. if the first melody is quarter notes, the second could be half or whole notes, and the third melody could be eighth notes or dotted notes. As long as they each move at a different pace, they won't clash.
Then you need to look at the harmonic placement in the chords. If the first melody starts on the root, the second could start on the third or the fifth of the chord. Example: If your chord progression is D, Em, A7, D, the D chord is made up of d, f#, and a. One melody can start on d, on on f#, and one on a. Then they are in separate harmonic places and won't interfere with each other.
As long as your melodic lines are both rhythmically and harmonically separate, but all within the one chord progression, they will work as a round. You can then string these melodies together so that they form one longer melody, with each section being the length of one cycle of the chords. e.g. if the chords take up 4 measures, then each melody should take up 4 measures, and each section of the round will start 4 measures after the previous one.
For a perfect example of this type of song, listen to "This Pretty Planet" by Tom Chapin. There are distinct scale-based melodies, each 4 measures long, strung together, and staggered to match the cycle of 4 chords (D- Em - A7 - D).
The best thing to do is to listen to rounds that you like, and focus on what each part is doing relative to the underlying chords. then imitate what you you hear, using your own words and melodies.
Good luck.
Sincerely,
Bill Pere
Founder and Executive Director, LUNCH
President and Executive Director, CT Songwriters Association
IMC Indie Artist of the Year
An Official Connecticut State Troubadour since '95
Director, CT Songwriting Academy
Author, "Songcrafters' Coloring Book: The Essential Guide to Effective and Successful Songwriting"
