Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

Here's a song I wrote

#1

Hey everyone, here is a link to a demo of a song I wrote. I hope you like it and please feel free to share your honest opinions. Thanks in advance. -Keith

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#2

I love it! Great premise for the song and well done. What all did you do on the demo?

#3

Thanks Mike. I wrote it and it’s my arrangement. I did a basic demo on guitar and then had it done professionally. My goal is that some artists may hear it and want to record it.

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#4

That’s awesome. Well done!

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#5

Thank you sir! Please, share it with your friends. I would really appreciate it.

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#6

Honestly it won’t amount to much. Because the woman didn’t die.

Great lyrics great singer I like it! Good%20Job

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#7

Thank you sir.

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#8

You made my day. I had to listen to the lyrics a couple times before I really started chuckling. I wrote one last year (pandemic) which turned out being very wordy. Amazing how voice can affect genre bluegrass vs. country. With that voice of yours you don’t need a banjo. Help us out. Did you write the lyrics or music first? What was the process? How long did it take? How many songs have you written?

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#9

That was great, Keith!

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#10

Congrats on writing your own songs- it’s a challenging thing and an accomplishment!
Who all did you have play/sing on it?

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#11

Thanks to everyone for the kind words. Here’s a little background on the song. I always have a bluegrass playlist put together for my yard mowing time. This would have been last year. I had Carolina Blue, Nick Dumas and some other random stuff. After listening a few times I realized that I had about 4 murder ballads in that mix. After hearing that a few times I just said to myself…wow…I gotta write me a bluegrass song where the woman doesn’t die. And that was it.BAM. An idea was born. The song is meant to be tongue n’ cheek satire about the proliferation of murder ballads in bluegrass and hopefully an homage to all of the women in our lives who make life worth living. As to the recording itself, I did write and arrange the song and I created a very basic vocal recording with myself on guitar. But, I truly thought that maybe, just maybe I might have something unique in the Bluegrass world so had the song professionally recorded and mixed simply so that I might get it out there, pitch it and who knows, maybe some of today’s bluegrass artists might hear it and decide to record it. Or, perhaps it could become a festival and jam favorite. That is my hope, anyway. I love bluegrass and I am an aspiring picker but current circumstances in my life don’t allow me to travel to jams, festivals etc. so that I might personally share it with other musicians. For now I have to rely on the internet and sites like this so that I my share it and that hopefully folks like you will share it as well. Thanks everyone.

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#12

Please see my post reply.

#13

Great song! Takes unique talent to come up with something all your own. Plenty of great instrumentalists out there, and not to take away anything from them, but even someone like myself can learn to play an instrument. Coming up with a great song would be more difficult than learning an instrument for most people. Nicely done!

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#14

Thanks so much

#15

Great job Keith. You’re very creative.

I could see radio station WBRF 98.1 in Galax, VA playing a song like this.

Next step I would do is get it copyrighted. Maybe you can connect with someone who could lobby for radio play. Here is a link that may be helpful.

Let us know what happens.

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#16

Thanks so much. It is currently registered with BMI and has gotten some digital airplay at Bluegrass Jamboree. I will check that out. Thank you!

#17

Have you gotten a copyright with the library of congress too? You need to both copyright a song, and then publish it through BMI - two steps.

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#18

I will look in to that as well. Thank you.

#19

Everyone needs their slice of bacon. Don.t you also need a lawyer?

#20

Copyright.gov is where you get a legal song copyright. It costs something (I’m thinking $50-60? It’s been a few months since I’ve done it) and takes a few months; you’ll get the copyright in the mail or email. Then if your song is legally copyrighted AND registered with a publishing company, if someone else records it without permission, they’re in trouble … but if they do purchase the proper licensing, you get paid.

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