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I just finished reading a book on songwriting called "Head, Heart and Hands" by my friend Clive Ridgeway. Clive is a songwriter, producer, and teacher in South Africa. He is the director of Cape Town School of Songwriting. I hope to conspire with him in the not-too-distant future. Clive and I see songwriting the same way. Here are the two biggies I learned from his book.
Dear Mary, I am extremely conscious of my own limitations. How do I gain confidence to write songs and perform them? Who encouraged you?
Dear Mary, Do you think it’s possible to become a songwriter later in life?
Dear Mary, Alanis Morissette recently commented that she found the songwriting process cathartic, but not healing. Your thoughts?
Dear Mary, How do I get beyond the editor/critic who says nobody wants to hear my truth?
Dear Mary, Please tell us about your guitar. At first I was thinking "she needs to get it fixed," but I reckon there's story there?
Dear Mary, My best mate sadly passed away this year. When grieving and feeling lost, how do I find that crucial emotional headspace to write a song? I used to have lots of resilience, but these days it seems to be slipping away.
I watched one of your streams recently and you mentioned that you don't want to sit down to write when you're happy. I know that sad songs bring hope in their own way (they're my favorite) but have you ever tried to intentionally write a hopeful song?
Dear Mary, Have you ever written songs about family members that reveal things they might rather keep quiet about? How do you deal with that?