Shaffer Chimere Smith, best known by his stage name, Ne-Yo, is an American R&B singer and songwriter. Ne-Yo was best known for co-authoring Mario’s 2004 number-one hit, Let Me Love You and then later shot to fame with the release of his own album, In My Own Words, which was released in 2006 and debuted at the top of The Billboard 200. Ne-Yo’s second single, So Sick, became his first number-one hit single.

Ne-Yo achieved much success as a songwriter, co-writing songs for several popular artists, including: Mary J. Blige, Marques Houston, Ruben Studdard, Christina Milian, Faith Evans, B2K, Tyrese, Jamie Foxx, and Rihanna. Upon a failed record deal with Columbia Records, Ne-Yo was introduced to L.A. Reid of Def Jam Records, who signed Ne-Yo on the spot.

In February 2006, Ne-Yo released his debut album In My Own Words to much success, thanks to hit singles Stay and So Sick, which would reach number-one status in both the US and the UK. Though he has experienced much success as an artist, Ne-Yo continues to co-write songs for other artists and is currently working on tracks with Mario, Fantasia, Britney Spears and Beyonce.

Ne-Yo’s name was given to him by a friend, who believed that the singer-songwriter could ‘see’ music similar to how The Matrix’s “Neo” character, played by Keanu Reeves, could see the Matrix. Neyo is of Afircan-American, Puerto Rican, and Chinese descent.

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Suicide Clube (自殺サークル – Jisatsu Circle or Suicide Circle) Ending. Song originally by Haruko Momoi ==Lyrics== koushite kizukanai ai da ni mo watashi-tachi wa misuru no ahh KOMANDO wo sentakushiteru anata ga sono kuchi mo hiraitara nanika omoi mo tsuketara ahh doushitara ii no kana ahh kowai ne demo tanoshii ne ichido kimi yakichi de ii no sorezore no… jinsei wa Life Once negai mo Life Once omoi de wa Life Once dakara sukoshi dake yuuki ga ii no mouichido asokokara namida wa shi …

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John Kim is a freelance writter, covering the music industry.

If you’re a fan of , visit this site for free ringtones

Ne-yo’sringtones

Some people say you need to be a musician or at least know some music to be a good songwriter, others say that is not necessary, so what is the truth?

What if I were to tell you that there are many non-musicians who are great songwriters and in contrast, many trained musicians can be very terrible composers? Would you believe me? You don’t? Sigh, guess I’ve got a long explanation to do then.

You see, I know of many songwriters who play musical instruments and also those that can’t play anything at all. Those who play music instruments reasonably well or who are musically trained will understand pacing, tempo and syncopation better, in other words, the dynamics of music. They will probably also understand the creation of melody or tune along with the structure of harmony and music theory better than most non musicians.

This is not only because they are trained in music but also the many songs through the years they have played with their instruments, these musical and rhythmic elements are naturally ingrained into their brain’s so called “muscle memory” both in theory and in practice. These skills are certainly an advantage when it comes to writing your own songs. Of course, there are also talented and untrained talented non musicians who are gifted with these skills as well.

However understandably, more musicians will have these elements than non-musicians. Although this could be an advantage on the musician’s part, it could also be a disadvantage and thus the paradox. Here are the reasons why this is so.

Many musicians find it difficult to write great songs simply because of this same reason. You see, some musicians are so mentally structured or schooled that they are pre-programmed into thinking that perhaps a certain melody must be panned out in a certain way, or maybe a chord sequence should not be formed out of a fixed structured progression because subconsciously they get caught up in some music theory that indirectly tells them “this is not the way” thus cramping their musical creativity.

In contrast, the good news for aspiring songwriters who don’t know anything about music theory or playing any musical instruments will be able write freely without these mental baggages. That will mean that they won’t think of whether something is musically or theoretically correct or not. Of course, that doesn’t mean that you can write some musical crap and expect to get a standing ovation.

However, it could also mean that you can write the song the way you want it to be without having to think about the first verse having 8 bars and the second having twelve. Who cares anyway, except for the purists? If your composition sounds great, then it’s great. Period!

On the other hand, an untrained musician who go on to learn some basic guitar or piano chords and rhythms can give themselves an extra edge on their creativity in writing their own songs. So, if you play an instrument and you wish to be a good songwriter, then don’t think too much about what’s musically correct or wrong. Let your creative juice flow freely and the chords and melody take you away on an exciting trip.

Yes, by all means, stick to the rules of music, but just don’t get too caught up in it and let it become your hang-up. If you not a trained musician, then you may wish to learn some basic chords on the keyboard or guitar as this will definitely give your songwriting prowess more punch. You will be amazed with the kind of stuff you can produce when you do just that.

So, don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t be a good songwriter if you are not a musician! That person that says that probably don’t know anything about songwriting.

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Chris Chew writes regularly for a music education site at Perfect Pitch Training and Guitar Lesson

My name is Aaron Davison. I’ve been writing songs for over fifteen years. I attended Berklee College of Music in the mid 1990’s where I majored in Songwriting. It was during my time at Berklee that I was first introduced to the concept of writing songs for film and television as a career. Although at the time I was mildly intrigued by the possibility of this career path, it wasn’t until eight years later that I decided to seriously entertain the idea. At this point I had played in a variety of bands and had still yet to achieve my elusive goal of becoming a rock star.  One day while surfing the Internet I came across an article about a Berklee Alum who made a living, in part, writing songs for Film and Television.  This article inspired me to make a serious effort to pursue the craft of writing music for Film and Television.  I realized that during all the time I had spent chasing my dreams of rock and roll stardom I had passed over many more attainable goals that could have helped me make a living doing what I love to do most, playing music. I also realized that accomplishing these goals would probably actually get me closer to where I wanted to be.  Within six months of reading the article I had signed my first licensing deal with a publisher. The first time I heard my music on Television was truly one of the most exciting moments of my life!  After years of writing songs, taking guitar lessons and playing in bands, my music had, in an instant, been heard all over the world.  It’s hard to explain just how thrilling it is to see something you’ve invested so much hard work and passion in pay off.  And beside the emotional high of hearing my music on Television I was also thrilled when a few months later I received a check for over $800.00 – for 55 seconds of airtime!  Like I said, I didn’t really start out with the goal of writing music for Film and Television, but I’ve always had the goal of getting my music heard and getting paid for it.  Thanks to many different placements over the last few years, I’ve been able to accomplish both of these goals.

Why Your Music Is Needed
If you’ve never paid attention to the background music used on television shows before, start listening! Music is a huge part of both TV shows and Films. It’s used to enhance scenes and story lines. It’s easy to ignore if you’re not actively listening for it – even as a musician. But it’s everywhere. Commercials, TV Shows, Video Games, Films, Websites and other mediums all use music as an important part of their presentation.

Much of the music that is used comes from independent musicians. Songwriters like you. The reason for this is that well known songs come with hefty licensing fees. It can cost tens of thousands of dollars to license a well known song. This is why many music supervisors turn to independent music as a cost effective way to use music in their productions. Depending on the production and budget, independent music is often used in lieu of “hit” songs. This provides a great opportunity for the independent musician looking to get started in the music industry. Think of it as the “minor leagues” of the music industry.

For more information on how to license your music in TV and Films check out my free newsletter by going to http://www.howtolicenseyourmusic.com

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To check Chad out go to www.myspace.com To check me out go to www.myspace.com This is Chad Doucette giving a great lesson on how to write songs. This is some great advice to listen up.

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Aaron Davison is a Berklee College of Music Alumnus who has been working in the music licensing business as both a songwriter and educator for the last seven years. For more information on how to license your songs in tv and films, check out Aaron’s free newsletter by going to http://www.howtolicenseyourmusic.com

There was an interesting post today on a message board that I go to. It was about a guy that just started a new band and he wanted to know if anyone could give him some songwriting tips.

First off, there isn’t a wrong way to write songs. But after you’ve done it for a while, you’ll find out that some ways to go about it are easier than others.

This is how I do it.

1. Music and Melody Come First

I never fit a melody to pre-existing lyrics. It’s forced and it doesn’t sound good to me. When you write the words before the melody, you’re trying to force the melody to fit your lyrics. The result is it doesn’t sound natural.

A lot of songwriters start with an idea. It’s just easier for me to know what angle I’m coming from. Usually how it happens with me is the music comes first and the melody comes right after that.

Why do I write the melody first before my lyrics?

If I don’t know how many notes are in the melody, how do I know how many syllables need to be in my lines? I don’t.

If there’s 8 notes in the first part of the melody and 6 notes in the second part , you’ll have to have 8 syllables in the first line and 6 in the second.

Let’s say you want to put 4 lines in each of your verses, You’ll have 8 syllables in the first and third lines and six in the second and fourth.

Here’s an example:

In the song ‘I want you to want me’ the lead singer for Cheap Trick wrote a four line melody that had six notes in the first three lines and seven in the last line. He knew that there had to be six syllables in the first three lines and seven syllables in the fourth.

I Want You To Want Me

I want you to want me =six syllables

I need you to need me =six syllables

I’d love you to love me =six syllables

I’m begging you to beg me =seven syllables

2. Figure Out An Idea To Work From

Ideas are everywhere. You can write about what a friend of yours is going through. You can write about what you’re going through.

I keep a journal just for this and make daily installments. I write down everything that I can think of that happened that day. And after a few months of that, I’ll go through the journal harvest my ideas.

I treat my journal like the garden it is. Most every song I write comes directly from my journals.

3. Put the idea into one to two sentences

The best way to show you this is to give you an example. Keeping with ‘I Want You To Want Me’, heres the basic idea:

‘I want you to want me as bad as I want you.’

You only want one idea for each song. If you have any more, your song is going to last too long. And you’re listeners won’t be able to keep up.

Believe me, nobody but you will understand them. I know from very bad experience.

4. Write The Lyrics To Fit The Melody

Once you have the idea, you start to explain the idea in the verses with the number of syllables you have in the melody. The chorus is just the overall idea in a summed up fashion.

That’s how I write songs. Music and melody come first. The idea comes after that. Write the idea in a statement form. And then, write the lyrics to fit the melody.

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Lots of people have asked me how I write songs. I was inspired to write a new song today; so I thought it would be nice to document my process so everyone could see. Original Song Content Written By: Amanda Lee © 2007

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Song Lyrics UK is an informative resources site about Song Lyrics.
Find out how Song Lyrics UK can expand your horizons.

My name is Aaron Davison. I’ve been writing songs for over fifteen years. I attended Berklee College of Music in the mid 1990’s where I majored in Songwriting. It was during my time at Berklee that I was first introduced to the concept of writing songs for film and television as a career. Although at the time I was mildly intrigued by the possibility of this career path, it wasn’t until eight years later that I decided to seriously entertain the idea. At this point I had played in a variety of bands and had still yet to achieve my elusive goal of becoming a rock star.  One day while surfing the Internet I came across an article about a Berklee Alum who made a living, in part, writing songs for Film and Television.  This article inspired me to make a serious effort to pursue the craft of writing music for Film and Television.  I realized that during all the time I had spent chasing my dreams of rock and roll stardom I had passed over many more attainable goals that could have helped me make a living doing what I love to do most, playing music. I also realized that accomplishing these goals would probably actually get me closer to where I wanted to be.  Within six months of reading the article I had signed my first licensing deal with a publisher.

The first time I heard my music on Television was truly one of the most exciting moments of my life!  After years of writing songs, taking guitar lessons and playing in bands, my music had, in an instant, been heard all over the world.  It’s hard to explain just how thrilling it is to see something you’ve invested so much hard work and passion in pay off.  And beside the emotional high of hearing my music on Television I was also thrilled when a few months later I received a check for over $800.00 – for 55 seconds of airtime!  Like I said, I didn’t really start out with the goal of writing music for Film and Television, but I’ve always had the goal of getting my music heard and getting paid for it.  Thanks to many different placements over the last few years, I’ve been able to accomplish both of these goals.

Why Your Music Is Needed
If you’ve never paid attention to the background music used on television shows before, start listening! Music is a huge part of both TV shows and Films. It’s used to enhance scenes and story lines. It’s easy to ignore if you’re not actively listening for it – even as a musician. But it’s everywhere. Commercials, TV Shows, Video Games, Films, Websites and other mediums all use music as an important part of their presentation.

Much of the music that is used comes from independent musicians. Songwriters like you. The reason for this is that well known songs come with hefty licensing fees. It can cost tens of thousands of dollars to license a well known song. This is why many music supervisors turn to independent music as a cost effective way to use music in their productions. Depending on the production and budget, independent music is often used in lieu of “hit” songs. This provides a great opportunity for the independent musician looking to get started in the music industry. Think of it as the “minor leagues” of the music industry.

For more information visit www.howtolicenseyourmusic.com for more free info!

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The Patridge Family frontman performs what became Manilow’s biggest hit while wearing a Travolta style Saturday Night Fever suit. Terrible Joe Cocker-esque dance moves to boot.

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Aaron Davison is a Berklee College of Music Alumnus who has been working in the music licensing business for six years. His songs have been featured on several national television shows.