I really hoped to fly him in from wherever just to sit and have dinner with his company but Im afraid its too late in this life of a life. What a cool cat this guy was.
Just depends. Ego works in rap. If you don’t give a shit what people think and create your own subgenre you become a legend. Catering to something that already exists only makes you part of a group that will be forgotten one day.
@@puccan479 Confidence is what you're looking for in regards to rap. You can be confident without being egotistical, they're not mutually inclusive. Ego and creating a subgenre have nothing in common either. Many people who have invented incredible new creative avenues have been very humble, just wanting to create their own outlet for creative expression.
People hate hearing all of this because they're determined to believe that good songs appear as magic. Learning there's a science behind it makes them realize it's a learnable skill. And if they're not doing it, it's not the fault of the magic. They have to take ownership and learn. Instead of feeling confronted or insulted by that, take it as inspiration! Learn! This video is pure gold. Instead of fighting your ego, learn! Much love to you all. Keep writing.
As soon as he said you should never be the loser in the song, I thought of Loser by the Beatles. One of their less popular songs! But still, so many exceptions to Murphy's rules that it's fun to think of why they were popular despite it
@Drunken Science Endeavors I thought of And I Love Her by the Beatles when he was talking about using the wrong pronouns. Also not as popular of a song!
@@dansedlacek4472 it did have a music video, but McCartney was a back prop pre 64 as far as the sales push lol, his stuff didn't catch as much but they were pushing a lot of covers then so... John can't be thaaaat proud of his dominance during the early days
Timestamps for myself: 3:50 detail 5:00 motown, the audience is women 7:00 drive time 10:00 the enemy across the table 11:55 the singer's always a winner 21:43 You will write the second verse first 32:00 forms 1.-5. 36:00 melody 44:00 The goal with for Ralph with his talk 48:00 6. Form: Rondo 1:41:00 The demographic of almost all hit songs 1:43:00 How to start a song: the intro
After watching the whole video I have to say, that being a succesful musician comes in two parts: writing for yourself, and writing for your audience. If you do it only for yourself, its harder to penetrate in the music business, and actually make real money with it. But if you only write for the money, you start to lose the spiritual aspect of music that actually made you want to pursue a career being a musician. I think Ralph is being totally real about it, and the truth not always is something that you will like. This is fucking amazing, it made me think deeply about the power that music really has.
I think his first point was to make whatever you do ultimately about you - it's supposed to be cathartic as a base before you worry about the next set of rules about morning hours, etc. Presumably the trick is to do all of this slowly enough to maintain the spiritual component - these guys started young!
As Hunter S. Thompson said of the music industry: “The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side.”
This isn't about "making music". This is about writing pop songs as a job. It's a job. If that's what sort of work you're after, this guy is on point. If you wan't to make art, the world will always need art. Keep doing it, please. If you want to make a living writing songs for top 40 pop & country radio, listen to people like this. Both are totally reasonable pursuits. (RIP Ralph Murphy)
Whether you making low culture eg pop music or high culture eg sophisticated high art fine art. You still gotta market brand advertise sell yes how you do it for a specific market will change but nonetheless things are bought and sold meaning there's some level of promotion
I met him twenty years ago and could not stand his bluntness. It angered me. Now at age fifty-five, I see he is completely right about everything he teaches. I just ordered his book. Live and learn, live and learn.
Well he did open with when he was young he met some old heads that told him everything he didn't want to hear. Sound familiar lol? Wisdom is a funny thing
He said in the beginning when he was younger some old heads told him all the things he didn't want to hear sound familiar? Wisdom is a funny thing isn't it
Song Forms 2nd Form- Verse, Verse (optional) Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Instrumental., Chorus Out 3rd Form- Verse, Verse (optional), Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Chorus, and out (an instrumental can be put in before or after the bridge if you feel the need!) 4th Form- Verse, Verse (optional), Pre-chorus or lift, Chorus or title, Verse Pre-Chorus or lift, Chorus/title Bridge (optional) Pre-chorus or lift (optional), Chorus and Out. 5th Form- Verse, Verse, Bridge, Verse 6th Form- The sixth form, or rondeau, or rondo I cover in my book “Murphy’s Laws of Songwriting.”
@@getsmartquick In popular music, Assume section A is a verse of a song, Section B is a chorus of the song, and section C is the bridge. Large works like symphonies work somewhat like that in that we usually have three distinct sections or movements which we call sonata form. J.P. Sousa used the technique in the military march, and Joplin used it in ragtime, such that some type of three-section form has been a trend since the first vinese school. (e.g. Bethoven, Motzart, and contempories). However, we can break these forms down into A,B,C, etc. based upon four, six, or eight-bar phrases such that musical phrases will tend to repeat due to rhyme being a device which requires, as the general rule, symetrical or semi-symetrical rhythm patterns before things get difficult to the tune of Slim Shady.
43:35 Pay it forward. RIP Ralph Murphy. Thank you to Ralph and to Loyola University School of Music Industry for keeping this video alive on TH-cam. 1:36:58 You can never do what you want as a songwriter. 1:38:58 General rule for Pronoun use. 1:39:36 Never let the truth get in the way of a good story, ever! 1:41:00 Detail, humor, irony.... What women look for in songs. 1:41:24 When you go fishing, think like the fish; i.e. cater your songs to what women (age 25-40) want, as they buy the most music. 1:42:10 Ralph's template for his morning drive time listener. 1:43:15 Beer:30 PM somewhere! 1:43:52 How Ralph starts a song. 1:45:03 In the intro 60 seconds (of a 3m 30s song), pose every question to be answered in the remainder of it. No unexplained stuff. 1:47:00 The more fun you have, the more money you make.
00:30 Out the gate!🔥 2:45 Gift of Perception 3:45 Humor, Irony & Detail 🙌 5:45 The Ladies 7:30 Drive time 8:40 Why you ✍ 9:30 Invite them in 13:00 Songs are interviews 15:00 Craftsmanship 16:55 Know yourself 18:20 Knowledge 20:35 Halo Effect 21:45 2nd Verse 1st 💪 24:10 Wrong Pronouns 26:05 Biggest Obstacle: You 27:55 Think like a... 28:35 💪💪💪 29:45 Rules! 🔥 32:15 3 Mins 34:00 The 6 Forms 37:50 Bridge the "What if" 40:20 Rhyme Scheme! 44:45 Melody 1st, Lyrics 2nd 46:00 Consistency - remain linear 47:40 Always another way 1:01:25 4th Form 1:26:45 Your "Why" to songwriting 1:39:00 Never let truth ruin a good story
This man is BRILLIANT. I do this for a living (and it's a great living), and I've never been so engaged in my life. This man is authentic, unapologetic, well-versed, rough around the edges, and my new mentor. Such clarity. So usable. Thank you so much for this gem Ralph. David Sovereign - Studio J by the Bay
Seems like most people are missing the point. This guy is talking about being a professional songwriter - someone that writes songs for other people, not for themselves. If you are going to do that, you want to know how to write hit songs, because that's your job. He's teaching people that are going to write the next hit songs for the next Justin Bieber. Professional songwriters like him may write hundreds of songs a year. It has little to do with art. It is their job and the whole point is writing as many hit songs as possible. His advice doesn't apply to people who want to be independent artists and write "honest" music. Most artists don't write music for other people. They write music for themselves and they write music that they like. But professional songwriters like this guy are not performers. They are not going to perform their own songs. They let other people (that have more mainstream appeal and just do the job better) do that. His advice mostly applies to people who want their songs playing on the mainstream radio channels.
MaggaraMarine Unfortunately, most of the retards watching this are too stupid to understand what he's saying. There is a reason why ASCAP pays him to teach up and coming song writers! He is a professional song writer. As he clearly states, bands that sing their own songs don't use song writers' work most of the time. He clearly says they won't use your work. Most of these dim witted people leaving comments don't even realize that lots of the pop songs used by acts from Cher Lloyd to Katy Perry all play songs written by song writers like Dr. Luke, who don't perform themselves. Of course none of the dolts leaving comments will ever write any hit songs, either.
Bad example-- Justin Bieber sucks as performer, and even the songs are total trash in my book. Frankly, the second I hear a four letter word, a reference to drugs or premarital sex, or a whole slew of other things that could be characterized similarly, I'm already reaching for the dial on the raidio, the TV remote, my mouse, or lifting my finger to the phone to change the song.
+John Doe I don't think JB is a bad example. I personally don't like JB but there's no denying the fact that he is very popular and his songs (at least some time ago) play on the radio all the time. If you want to be a successful songwriter, you want to write as many hit songs as possible. This means, you will write songs for people like Justin Bieber. If you want to do this, listen to the advice on the video. But if not, and you want to express yourself artistically and write "honest" music, not music whose whole purpose is to appeal to the masses (like Justin Bieber), then don't listen to the advice on the video. Just write music that you enjoy. My point was that professional songwriters write songs for other people and their goal is to write hit songs because that's how they make their living.
This guy is 100% correct, He’s talking about how to share and be accessible. Helping people hear your music, let it out! Follow these principals, it always works!!!!
The music industry works like that and he is just honest and straight. The only question is, if you want to be a part of it or prefer to stay an independent musician who plays from the heart.
R.I.P. to the man who changed my whole life in songwriting. I have watched this talk and read his ‘Rules of Songwriting’ book time and time again over the past 5+ years. Couldn’t be more grateful for this content, you rule Ralph - Where ever you may be!!🙏✌️
I heard him mention Jimi arriving in London and started to wonder when this was filmed and if this man is still alive. So i scrolled down into the comments and felt sad for a moment. But it sounds like he had an exciting life and I really appreciate it when people take the time to record content like this. It's a goldmine and the information comes across so rhythmically. Thanks Ralph, RIP.
Great talk. Would liked to have seen a full song list. Here are a few I was able to figure out: Linkin Park - Shadow of the Day, Trace Adkins - You're Gonna Miss This (52:00) , The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name (58:00) , Buckcherry - Sorry (1:03:00) Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love (1:11:00), Crystal Gayle - Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue & Half the Way (mention 1:14:00), Sara Bareilles - Love Song (1:06:00), Miley Cyrus - See You Again (1:16:00) , One More Day (1:24:00) There are quite a few more that I was not able to figure.
I eventually figured out intuitively that when I write a song, if I make the audience member feel as if they are the object/actor of the song or that they possibly could be, it potentially draws them in closer to feel/hear/relate to the material. That's why I try to write songs with "you" as the pronoun as much as possible, or if I use "I" then I try to make it as if they are also the "I" or can be.
Wow, I can't even begin to try to say how great it is to listen to everything you have to say. I have never heard anybody explain it in a way like this. Every time I write from now on I will be thinking of your words. Thank you so much Ralph.
I had the pleasure of meeting Ralph while I was studying songwriting at uni and he listened to my song and told me to rewrite it from a different perspective the way he’s speaking about here. I didn’t agree at the time but I love this chat, what a great writer. Rest in power. Thanks for being great :)
I'm seeing a lot of comments from people trying to come up with exceptions to try and prove this guy wrong. There will always be exceptions. You're missing the point.
This man taught me so much about writing. I literally watch this every couple months for the past 10 years just to reset it in my mind. And at the beginning I said a lot of the same denials in this comment section. And just like he said in the video, ‘Oh What does this old guy know?!’ 🤣🤣 Thank You Ralph, for all you given to us. Rest In Peace, my friend🙏🎶🤟
Man, I got chills listening to this. Every year I write my wife a song for our anniversary, we’ve been married 15 years, and THIS year is the first time I feel like I’ve written something really great. My approach was “get out of my own way”.. I usually get hung up on my perception of the song, this year I wrote it from her listening prospective. Ironically, even I relate to this song more than the others.
I am so sad to hear Ralph has passed away. I learned a lot from him sitting one on one. I made really believe I was good enough to be here. Such a talented man and real nice guy.... R.I.P.
Wow! Incredible insight into humanity and modern lifestyles. Just incalculably and indescribably intuitive. As someone who might perhaps possibly potentially sort of kind of have that gift, it's really insightful to see how I shouldn't bow down to my most innate tendencies to whine, preach and vent. What I want to do is convey, not lambast. You've helped me to understand how to make that happen.
Lloyd Hinshelwood I ended up grabbing his book about a month after he passed last year and I wish I got to meet him on a tour or something. Rip Ralph Murphy🤟🙏
Great GREAT Stuff! Wish I saw this sooner! As a Guitarist, Pianist, Songwriter, Singer, Arranger, Producer of over 75 different records I wish I would have had this information 50 years ago! I've only had 5 Nationally Charted Records! I could have had 10 or 20 more Hits!!!
This is a very informative video. He literally gives would be professional song writers the keys to the kingdom by explaining the keys to song writing success - if they only have the sense to listen and put his knowledge to work. Thanks for sharing this!
Wow, The information is price less and I am so honored to hear and see this amazing Writer, RIP Ralph Murphy God Bless you and your family! Thank you for sharing , much respect!
i had this video on my home on youtube and i was like "why should i watch an old man explaining songwriting? i'm a producer, that wouldnt even help me". boy was i wrong, i loved the example of how a midnight track doesn't really translate at 7am in the morning and viceversa, and also the whole "be positive, be a winner" thing, i do work with songwriters and they know this stuff, but just now i'm noticing it, thanks sir
when he talked about how you feel in mornings was so true. I DO NOT want to hear even music that I like in the morning driving to work. NEVER. on the way home I will crank out my fav tunes
I've worked in music and it's full of people like this. Incredibly charismatic "geniuses", who know all the answers, who are friends with all the Beatles (*sighs - "George was a genius, you know?"), who can smooze like crazy and who won't hesitate to stab you directly in the back to get ahead. You have to learn to manage the snake pit :)
You guys aren't listening to what he is saying. He is trying to explain what the masses would like to hear and how to connect to them better. From there you can play around and be creative but if you think he is just telling you to do A, B and C in order to make a song, you're totally wrong.
I agree, and your username says it all XD An artist cannot reach professional or genius standards without knowing the core basics of such a scientific thing: art. Once you master everything technically, then there is room to actively create work.
Very educational, worthy, inspirational lecture. Gracious thanks. I'm out of the gate late, but, what the hay Mr Ed! Going for it! I'm a 1st copyright pup happily running through the backyard's green green grass of summer 2014. I have a gift and I know it. Working on my 1st hit! Thanks due in part to you, Mr Ralph Murphy.
Per your instruction, passed this on. Posted it to my Facebook page. Great nuggets, wisdom shared, truly appreciative of you. Will re-listen x multiples.... Took notes, but, need to take/make additional notes. When ever I need inspiration, I will seek you/your videos. I need my songs to hit the BIG time. This is the goal, this is the mission. What one man/woman can do, another can do. Willing to do the work. Dang....look at all the w's. Must be leaning to days and nights of real hard WORK! Lol Quagmire. Love that word!!! Thanks again, Ralph! ........... your new hit song writing friend, Bandog Betty
A lot of what he is teaching, I learned following Sheila Davis and some others but many of his ideas I had never heard before, such as don't change the chords until you change your thought. So many nugget like this, gold nuggets...
Thanks Mr. Murphy! I've listened to this talk every time I'm stuck on a song, and you always put me back on track. Generations of wisdom in your words!! Thanks man.
i loved the way Ralph ended his class lecture just like he STARTED IT SAYING about one form of song writing, end the song saying what you started the song with "THEY LOVE ME AT 10 PM BUT THEY WON'T LOVE YOU AT 7AM IN THE MORNING" SAY THAT SOUNDS LIKE A SONG😅
Can I be honest and opened ? I had TEARS listening to Ralph introduction about our profile , quoting : "...as a monumentaly dysfunctional human being, you have a problem. The basic profile for all of you is : - physically, sexually ,emotionally, abused - from a broken home - with an inability to communicate and a desperate, desperate, desperate desired to be loved AND martially dyslectic, that is your profile..... .... and that is what is going to make you GREAT..." For the FIRST time in my life, i FEEL NORMAL. I am truly speachless THANKS A LOT .
+monkeyoda Love it. If only we all accepted ourselves more, I love how he says it like its a common fact. Every creative person has these issues, but we feel like its only ourselves
@@HarmonyMusicPromotion Too right while as you claim it may be 'a common fact', you can count on the fingers of one thumb the number of people who'll be that honest with you in your life. This is a guy who's learned not to do self-delusion - and he doesn't want it for you either. Hard to hear - but most probably necessary to hear.
When he said that my jaw hit the floor. Then he went on to describe how we can read people. Give me 5 minutes in a room, don't even have to talk to them and I can tell you their life story. Really incredible what dysfunction can do.
This speech has just made me a Ralph Murphy fan. I'm on the other end of the spectrum. I have many tune ideas, recorded, no lyrics. After Ralph's talk, I'll be looking at my music with new eyes and ideas.
Buildings come in many shapes and sizes, but if you don't follow some engineering fundamentals, the results will likely suffer. Very enlightening talk.
Delivery is the key. There are a few major artists in my favorite genre that I personally don't like but again their styles are memorable and unique in every way.
The best thing to take from this is knowing how the industry works when it comes to Hits and Songwriting, This is half of what it takes to write successful songs, this is just one of many other songwriters in the world who know how to work the system, You need to have open mind when it comes to the two most important sides of this industry "The Music Business" side and "The Music Creation" side.
Thanks to John Pineon in the comments, because he was able to find the songs: Linkin Park - Shadow of the Day, Trace Adkins - You're Gonna Miss This (52:00) , The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name (58:00) , Buckcherry - Sorry (1:03:00) Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love (1:11:00), Crystal Gayle - Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue & Half the Way (mention 1:14:00), Sara Bareilles - Love Song (1:06:00), Miley Cyrus - See You Again (1:16:00) , One More Day (1:24:00)
I write songs for myself and hope others can relate to them, if you start writing them for what you think they want to hear, it won't work. People aren't stupid. But this guy is a convincing charismatic speaker.Songwriting is an honest expression which comes from the heart.
Mack Alley actually lol majority is stupid, hes not lieing, he actually right about most of what hes saying, there is a certain way people want to hear the music, thing thats happening now is young generation that like lil yatchy and all them , there ears arnt trained they dint know what music is, and so they think music like that is dope because if the beat and what this does is creates a generation with no form or structure when it comes to mking songs and so it all behmes dependent on the beat, the producer is the real artist, so now these artist cant make songs unless the beat is banging , where as a artist that has structure and form and can write doesnt need super bass dope beats, you get what im saying??
I love music . Got most of my guitar and Harmonica training in a prison cell . All my life I've been writing 2nd verses . I got a workboot box full of paper plates and scraps of dinner receipts of pains, broken hearts and failed dreams . I guess I need to write the story that sets the foreground if my disfunction, and apply that in a third party observation forum ,with build ups before the choruses. Wish he'd discussed changing vocal inflection with major and minor chords and there corilation to musical alphabet in guitar or piano to map out which notes or chord are best suited for certain words . It seemed the build ups before the choruses were even measured of 2 , 4 ir 6 lines presumably to map the different variables of time signatures in BPM allowing the varieties of music genres flexibility in only even increments . Got to save this and watch it when I get brain block. Great show .
he's the vice president of ascap Nashville, he knows what he's talking about, if youre into making popular music, you'll agree. he's saying if you want to keep your artistic integrity and be broke, go ahead, or follow the formula with your honest heart and integrity intact, and be successful.
"She said 'what do you do?', I said I'm a songwriter. And she said 'Oh I'm a songwriter too!', and I said really, are you? Got anything I would know? And she said 'Oh no, I just write.' And I said well then you're not a songwriter. A songwriter is someone who knows what each market is, and knows how to exploit it." Yeah? What about the blues musicians from the 20's and 30's who helped build the foundation for modern songwriting? Many of these geniuses spent their lives behind the plow in order to keep themselves fed, and were only fortunate enough for one or two recording sessions. Many died broke, sick and unknown to the music industry. What about the great Blind Lemon Jefferson, who worked most of his life as a welder, was he just a 'guy who wrote songs'? I have a rule in my creative life, where if someone tells me they paint, write songs, write poetry, etc.. Whether they're a doctor, a homeless person or a 'professional songwriter', I will gladly check out their work. You've got a lot of nerve, & a whole lot of arrogance to tell someone they're not a 'real songwriter'. The tradition of music has been around a lot longer than the music industry. And it'll be here long after the industry's gone. Great songwriters succeed through passion & persistence. Not because they figure out how to con the different 'markets'.
I agree wholeheartedly with your consensus! If I was a betting man, I would bet that before Ralph made his first dollar at songwriting, he called himself a songwriter. To say the difference between a songwriter and one who writes songs is whether or not you make money at it, is extremely arrogant. My question to Ralph is, how many writers before their first cut on an album called themselves songwriters? Another question is, did Ralph happen to listen to any of this lady's songs? How does he know that she isn't brilliant and better than he is? Is it just because she hasn't had a hit or been paid for it? I am not saying that people cannot learn things from Ralph but this kind of arrogance can really put people off from listening any point afterwards.
Songwriter is a profession. Didn't you listen? The doctor example makes it pretty clear what he's saying. There is a difference between a guy who writes song and a songwriter, in that the songwriter gets paid money. It's a job.
I always felt that a pro-songwriter is somebody who can put food on the table by putting lyrics or music on a sheet of A4, recording it(or playing it "live"). In my first week, after the release of our co-written songs, the equivalent of £3 in sales arrived. I went out and paid for and put a dozen eggs, bacon and some sausages in our fridge...the following day, my co-writer and i cooked that food and ate it due to somebody buying our songs. ...and money has arrived since(albeit, not millions..but enough to put food on the table so we can focus on writing more songs...JASMINE LAMPORT is the artist i write with...putting food on the table with music..THERE IS NO FEELING LIKE IT.... I don't dis-like Ralph Murphy....he is passing on his knowledge about how to become a real pro...nothing wrong with that.....i've written to him before now and as long as you get what he stands for...he'll take the time to answer questions...and he has been helpful with his advice. One song which really seems to be starting to put some food on the table is "WHY?" by Jasmine Lamport..google it...any feedback whatever is welcomed..if you think it is sh*t..tell me...if you think it ROCKS..tell me...it is unique though...only 17 actual different words(allowing for required repetition).
Murphy has a lot of great insight to convey. Where I see a lot of people getting stuck is where Industry and Art intersect. He's talking about how to write for the main consumers of music. The Industry is driven by the bottom line which you could argue isn't the way it should be and you would be right, but it's the way things are. Genuine art is better in all ways, but only a few artists achieve huge success vis a vis the Industry. I say, go for art. Do what is best for you as an individual and for music as a whole because integrity and creating something beautiful is always better than money. Having said that, a writer can still incorporate many of these ideas to further their craft. It doesn't have to be either or, it can be both and.
If your blood is started to boil when you hear about targeting a particular listener and the nitty gritty of the music business take a breath and skip forward to 1.46.55 to 1.47.25. Now go back and listen to what he's saying. It's just about increasing the chances of success.
Been listening to this guy the past few days and he has a very interesting perspective on the music industry, and he's absolutely hilarious in this lecture
pretty sure there are quite a few hit songs where the artist labels himself as a loser, three doors down "loser", beck "loser" and both were chart topping hits. This guy is teaching you not to say that because you will turn your audience, well it worked out well for beck and 3 doors down. music is expression not a set of rules, someone out there will find your music good no matter what you write about as long as its composed well.
I thought of those songs too. Like he also said, they are the exception to the rule , not the horse you'd bet on. Also, Those artists had already had made it and had a fan base. That makes a giant difference. If my band wrote that exact same song as Beck "loser" and pretend that it sounded exactly the same, You never would've heard it. If you want to discredit Ralph that's fine but You are missing the point if that's all you came away with here. And also, we know that you aren't a professional song writer because other pros don't down other pro's. It's just not professional:) Hey I'm not trolling. I was just disappointed to see your comment. And it pissed me off a bit. cuz, here is a man who is in the game, a school that doesn't mind sharing, and many of us who are grateful. Have a great day sir! Be sure to write me back and discredit me and call me a jerk off......That's what I expect.
zziggymaan You all have to remember, he never said it would not be a hit, he said that your doom will come shortly thereafter. Hence, Beck and 3 Doors Down are no longer main stream. Radiohead never really was but that was one of their popular songs.
Nope, Loser by Beck is a perfect example where it is full of poetic irony and humor, it's not just Beck whining and moaning, so i think it stands up to the principals which he is teaching.
I been here since false entity I can’t even remember how many subs you had but it wasn’t a lot at all and I been watching you grow I’m def proud of you and you inspire me I always come back here to your vids when I know I need grounding spiritually I’m very similar to you as well with rebranding myself and imposing my will on the world to be whoever I want to be at anytime I have multiple different names and people in different environments and different friends groups know me as such it’s a great feeling when you realize how much power you have
The most important part of the lectures he gives are the song forms verse chorus verse chorus bridge chorus out. Makes your songs palatable for listeners
This is advice I needed to hear. Love the no-BS style. I'm currently in the middle of writing 100 songs in 100 days and needed something like this. If any fellow songwriters are reading this, I'd love to hear your critiques on any of my songs. Thank you for posting this, great video!!
I hope he does a follow up on chord progressions , melody lines,and harmony.That would really make it complete.The kids in the class dont look like much is going to go down but putting this online is an immense source of inspiration because of the level of experience.Take the time to look this guy up on wikipedia.I dont like shania twain but I do like getting a chance to hear from her writer.Dont think you know when you dont!this guy is good
Good stuff! However....I'd like everyone to listen to "He Got You" which was co-written by Ralph and was a #1 hit. The song absolutely violates Ralphs own laws. The main character is 100% a loser from the opening line right through to the end, and the song is 100% in first person. While I agree with what Ralph is saying in general, I disagree that these rules must be implicitly followed at all times in order to come up with a hit. Rules are indeed made to be broken and based on "He Got You" Ralph knew that as well despite the tenor of this lecture. So......learn the rules, try to abide by them, but DO NOT throw something in the trash if it feels and sounds right to you. I've written hundreds of songs. Some follow these rules and structures, and some don't. It doesn't need to be that mechanical to connect with people. Happy writing!
He goes off on tangents but he hit on some realism that some here are missing. If you want to be an "artist" you might as well perform songs in a park hoping someone tosses coins in your hat. Beyond that, it's big business, a gigantic machine. The stations, the labels, the listeners all want hits. So much of it is not about you.
+roscoegino You feed your wallet with one hand, and you feed your soul with the other...if you have the time and energy left over.....Commissioned Art is the buyer's choice. Art for Art's sake is your own choice...if it gains an audience, you eventually will resent that too, as it is no longer yours.
Dude. You have a real blessing of what it means to be a song writer. May all that has life glorify The LORD that created it.While listening to your words of truth, you hit my heart so deeply. You are such a gem.
I don't listen to the radio. They sing about everything I hate. However, this lecture is spot on. What he is saying is true in all forms of marketing. Know your audience, and you are not your audience.
In the context of music as an industry, a literal money machine, a factory floor for entertainment product, Ralph was spot on. However, formally educated composers have only ever contributed to an exacerbated plastic quality to music. They did so in the 1920s into the 1940s, they went way over the top from the 1950s into the 1970s and they were mostly pigeon holed into musak and film scoring after that. At the end of each era in music, extending back to the baroque and beyond, the merchant minded composers have always crashed their market by simply saturating it with predictability. Look at what Hollywood and New York have been pumping out over the last 20 years. People are sick of it. Sales drop and drop and drop for new music while sales of music from artists from 40 and 50 years ago, who were NOT formally educated, continually rise and it is because humans, on average, are born with the ability to detect patterns and once they have detected the same patterns over and over again they lose interest. 300 years ago it was taboo to use a tritone, to move from a vi to a III7 to a diminished. The rule makers have always painted themselves into the corner or being overly predictable and then being cast out of whatever box they seek to keep square. Ralph, I am certain, could have written you a great song under the pressure of a timer, totally on the spot, but it would have been a conformation to the mold to which his entire being had conformed to; it would have been predictable, had all the ''hooks'' and trappings of a system which was designed from the ground up to not only stagnate the creative composer but, in the end, fail to truly entertain all but those who are new to music, those with the very least exposure to it. Education is conformation, it works for things we need to rely upon, the things we need to be predictable and repeatable and reliable, but it stands in direct opposition to the words ''being creative''.
@@jaydenchugg2903 Yes, there is a way: Use your imagination. If you have to rely upon formulas you aren't really writing anything. Any parrot can remember the right answers but none of them can ask the right questions. The listener wants to hear YOUR interpretation of how things were, are or will be, not Hollywood's paint by numbers pre-formatted averaging of demographically isolated market-specific boardroom determined boring, old, tired, antiquated Disney-movie-esque laughably easy to anticipate cookie cutter repetitions of story lines, plots, twists, one-liners and punchlines that they've heard a gazillion times before. Bring the new or stay home.
@@tasteapiana I partially agree here. The fundamentals will always be the fundamentals. The key to creation is a proper balance of the fundamentals and new experimentation. Basically look at nature, it has a specific order to it, while also having the ability to evolve. That's basically what he said in the video. First learn the rules, THEN you can experiment. Order + Chaos= Creativity.
I'm sure Mr. Murphy knows what he's talking about, but I'm also sure that many of the greatest songwriters of our time did not take the stats or the formulas he uses into consideration when writing their hits.
Mike Baluja Many of them did it instinctually without knowing they did it. Just because they didn't always think about it consciously doesn't mean that the craft and order weren't there and that it can't be explained/analyzed.
Hole. Lee. Shit. I’ve been in music for decades, have studied creative writing as an English major in college, have taken loads of songwriting classes & attended seminars over the years, but THIS was the biggest revelation I’ve ever encountered on the topic of songwriting. Fantastic, thanks! 🙏👍💛
Ralph died of pneumonia on 28 May 2019. He was 75. R.I.P. Ralph and thank you a million for sharing your knowledge!
Pneumonia you say?
@@eswing2153 It's what his Wikipedia says...
damn
I really hoped to fly him in from wherever just to sit and have dinner with his company but Im afraid its too late in this life of a life. What a cool cat this guy was.
@@dreamdealersmusic ...learning from heaven...RIP
Biggest take away from this is drop the ego, pick a topic, details matter, and pick your audience and cater to it.
alyssaisawesome1 great recap, so true!!!
Yup, ego is the single biggest takeaway imo. Ego is the death of growth. The more you shed, the more room there is to grow.
Well said freind
Just depends. Ego works in rap. If you don’t give a shit what people think and create your own subgenre you become a legend. Catering to something that already exists only makes you part of a group that will be forgotten one day.
@@puccan479 Confidence is what you're looking for in regards to rap. You can be confident without being egotistical, they're not mutually inclusive.
Ego and creating a subgenre have nothing in common either. Many people who have invented incredible new creative avenues have been very humble, just wanting to create their own outlet for creative expression.
People hate hearing all of this because they're determined to believe that good songs appear as magic. Learning there's a science behind it makes them realize it's a learnable skill. And if they're not doing it, it's not the fault of the magic. They have to take ownership and learn. Instead of feeling confronted or insulted by that, take it as inspiration! Learn! This video is pure gold. Instead of fighting your ego, learn! Much love to you all. Keep writing.
That is well said…and I bet you can work those words into something prosaic--you’re 90 percent there with a solid message underneath.
As soon as he said you should never be the loser in the song, I thought of Loser by the Beatles. One of their less popular songs! But still, so many exceptions to Murphy's rules that it's fun to think of why they were popular despite it
@Drunken Science Endeavors I thought of And I Love Her by the Beatles when he was talking about using the wrong pronouns. Also not as popular of a song!
@@dansedlacek4472 it did have a music video, but McCartney was a back prop pre 64 as far as the sales push lol, his stuff didn't catch as much but they were pushing a lot of covers then so... John can't be thaaaat proud of his dominance during the early days
Shut up and go make me a saandwich!
Timestamps for myself:
3:50 detail
5:00 motown, the audience is women
7:00 drive time
10:00 the enemy across the table
11:55 the singer's always a winner
21:43 You will write the second verse first
32:00 forms 1.-5.
36:00 melody
44:00 The goal with for Ralph with his talk
48:00 6. Form: Rondo
1:41:00 The demographic of almost all hit songs
1:43:00 How to start a song: the intro
Thank you!
And others lol thanks. 👍
taking notes right now, using this comment to reply my current timestamp to keep it
22:00
44:13
What about the last hour? :)
After watching the whole video I have to say, that being a succesful musician comes in two parts: writing for yourself, and writing for your audience. If you do it only for yourself, its harder to penetrate in the music business, and actually make real money with it. But if you only write for the money, you start to lose the spiritual aspect of music that actually made you want to pursue a career being a musician. I think Ralph is being totally real about it, and the truth not always is something that you will like.
This is fucking amazing, it made me think deeply about the power that music really has.
Exactly!
I think his first point was to make whatever you do ultimately about you - it's supposed to be cathartic as a base before you worry about the next set of rules about morning hours, etc. Presumably the trick is to do all of this slowly enough to maintain the spiritual component - these guys started young!
Thank you for this insight 🙏🏿🙏🏿. There’s definitely gotta be a balance!
It's like make the middle between making good music understanding by good musicians and making it enough look like pop to be loved by the big public
Then write as if you're the audience.
As Hunter S. Thompson said of the music industry: “The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side.”
Musicians hating their own industry is the story.
@Rheumattica no it’s actually quite true the music business is very satanic and evil
Facts. Music business ain’t for the kind hearted. Gotta be cold out here
Whores & pimps yup. Pretty much sums up every American industry these days.
@@dreamdealersmusic it’s not even their own industry is the funny part
This isn't about "making music". This is about writing pop songs as a job. It's a job. If that's what sort of work you're after, this guy is on point. If you wan't to make art, the world will always need art. Keep doing it, please. If you want to make a living writing songs for top 40 pop & country radio, listen to people like this. Both are totally reasonable pursuits. (RIP Ralph Murphy)
Thats what many people miss - unfortunately
This is exactly the shorter version of my more long winded comment in response to user idontcare_wtf.
Thank you
Good summary
Whether you making low culture eg pop music or high culture eg sophisticated high art fine art. You still gotta market brand advertise sell yes how you do it for a specific market will change but nonetheless things are bought and sold meaning there's some level of promotion
I met him twenty years ago and could not stand his bluntness. It angered me. Now at age fifty-five, I see he is completely right about everything he teaches. I just ordered his book. Live and learn, live and learn.
😂😂😂😂😂 I think I have that effect on people sometimes too..
Well he did open with when he was young he met some old heads that told him everything he didn't want to hear. Sound familiar lol? Wisdom is a funny thing
He said in the beginning when he was younger some old heads told him all the things he didn't want to hear sound familiar? Wisdom is a funny thing isn't it
Book? 🤔 Hmmm...
J Michael book? Bought!
Song Forms
2nd Form- Verse, Verse (optional) Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Instrumental., Chorus Out
3rd Form- Verse, Verse (optional), Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Chorus, and out (an instrumental can be put in before or after the bridge if you feel the need!)
4th Form- Verse, Verse (optional), Pre-chorus or lift, Chorus or title, Verse Pre-Chorus or lift, Chorus/title Bridge (optional) Pre-chorus or lift (optional), Chorus and Out.
5th Form- Verse, Verse, Bridge, Verse
6th Form- The sixth form, or rondeau, or rondo I cover in my book “Murphy’s Laws of Songwriting.”
Makin bacon pancakes
Interesting-AABABC - AABABC + CodaRelatively Predictable- what about using forms such as AABBAC + Coda or AABBAC ????
ty!
@@Harlem55 are these alphabets rhyme schemes or what please clarify so I can understand
@@getsmartquick In popular music, Assume section A is a verse of a song, Section B is a chorus of the song, and section C is the bridge. Large works like symphonies work somewhat like that in that we usually have three distinct sections or movements which we call sonata form. J.P. Sousa used the technique in the military march, and Joplin used it in ragtime, such that some type of three-section form has been a trend since the first vinese school. (e.g. Bethoven, Motzart, and contempories). However, we can break these forms down into A,B,C, etc. based upon four, six, or eight-bar phrases such that musical phrases will tend to repeat due to rhyme being a device which requires, as the general rule, symetrical or semi-symetrical rhythm patterns before things get difficult to the tune of Slim Shady.
43:35 Pay it forward. RIP Ralph Murphy. Thank you to Ralph and to Loyola University School of Music Industry for keeping this video alive on TH-cam.
1:36:58 You can never do what you want as a songwriter.
1:38:58 General rule for Pronoun use.
1:39:36 Never let the truth get in the way of a good story, ever!
1:41:00 Detail, humor, irony.... What women look for in songs.
1:41:24 When you go fishing, think like the fish; i.e. cater your songs to what women (age 25-40) want, as they buy the most music.
1:42:10 Ralph's template for his morning drive time listener.
1:43:15 Beer:30 PM somewhere!
1:43:52 How Ralph starts a song.
1:45:03 In the intro 60 seconds (of a 3m 30s song), pose every question to be answered in the remainder of it. No unexplained stuff.
1:47:00 The more fun you have, the more money you make.
00:30 Out the gate!🔥
2:45 Gift of Perception
3:45 Humor, Irony & Detail 🙌
5:45 The Ladies
7:30 Drive time
8:40 Why you ✍
9:30 Invite them in
13:00 Songs are interviews
15:00 Craftsmanship
16:55 Know yourself
18:20 Knowledge
20:35 Halo Effect
21:45 2nd Verse 1st 💪
24:10 Wrong Pronouns
26:05 Biggest Obstacle: You
27:55 Think like a...
28:35 💪💪💪
29:45 Rules! 🔥
32:15 3 Mins
34:00 The 6 Forms
37:50 Bridge the "What if"
40:20 Rhyme Scheme!
44:45 Melody 1st, Lyrics 2nd
46:00 Consistency - remain linear
47:40 Always another way
1:01:25 4th Form
1:26:45 Your "Why" to songwriting
1:39:00 Never let truth ruin a good story
Thanks you bro
What a champ. Thank you so much!
This man is BRILLIANT. I do this for a living (and it's a great living), and I've never been so engaged in my life. This man is authentic, unapologetic, well-versed, rough around the edges, and my new mentor. Such clarity. So usable. Thank you so much for this gem Ralph. David Sovereign - Studio J by the Bay
Seems like most people are missing the point. This guy is talking about being a professional songwriter - someone that writes songs for other people, not for themselves. If you are going to do that, you want to know how to write hit songs, because that's your job. He's teaching people that are going to write the next hit songs for the next Justin Bieber.
Professional songwriters like him may write hundreds of songs a year. It has little to do with art. It is their job and the whole point is writing as many hit songs as possible.
His advice doesn't apply to people who want to be independent artists and write "honest" music. Most artists don't write music for other people. They write music for themselves and they write music that they like. But professional songwriters like this guy are not performers. They are not going to perform their own songs. They let other people (that have more mainstream appeal and just do the job better) do that.
His advice mostly applies to people who want their songs playing on the mainstream radio channels.
MaggaraMarine Unfortunately, most of the retards watching this are too stupid to understand what he's saying. There is a reason why ASCAP pays him to teach up and coming song writers! He is a professional song writer. As he clearly states, bands that sing their own songs don't use song writers' work most of the time. He clearly says they won't use your work. Most of these dim witted people leaving comments don't even realize that lots of the pop songs used by acts from Cher Lloyd to Katy Perry all play songs written by song writers like Dr. Luke, who don't perform themselves. Of course none of the dolts leaving comments will ever write any hit songs, either.
Bad example-- Justin Bieber sucks as performer, and even the songs are total trash in my book. Frankly, the second I hear a four letter word, a reference to drugs or premarital sex, or a whole slew of other things that could be characterized similarly, I'm already reaching for the dial on the raidio, the TV remote, my mouse, or lifting my finger to the phone to change the song.
+John Doe
I don't think JB is a bad example. I personally don't like JB but there's no denying the fact that he is very popular and his songs (at least some time ago) play on the radio all the time.
If you want to be a successful songwriter, you want to write as many hit songs as possible. This means, you will write songs for people like Justin Bieber. If you want to do this, listen to the advice on the video. But if not, and you want to express yourself artistically and write "honest" music, not music whose whole purpose is to appeal to the masses (like Justin Bieber), then don't listen to the advice on the video. Just write music that you enjoy.
My point was that professional songwriters write songs for other people and their goal is to write hit songs because that's how they make their living.
💣💣💣💣💣
This guy is 100% correct, He’s talking about how to share and be accessible. Helping people hear your music, let it out! Follow these principals, it always works!!!!
The music industry works like that and he is just honest and straight.
The only question is, if you want to be a part of it or prefer to stay an independent musician who plays from the heart.
Why not both?
Don't knock the game exploit the game that's how the saying goes
R.I.P. to the man who changed my whole life in songwriting. I have watched this talk and read his ‘Rules of Songwriting’ book time and time again over the past 5+ years. Couldn’t be more grateful for this content, you rule Ralph - Where ever you may be!!🙏✌️
Did it help you write anything we would know or something great to show us?
I heard him mention Jimi arriving in London and started to wonder when this was filmed and if this man is still alive. So i scrolled down into the comments and felt sad for a moment. But it sounds like he had an exciting life and I really appreciate it when people take the time to record content like this. It's a goldmine and the information comes across so rhythmically. Thanks Ralph, RIP.
Great talk. Would liked to have seen a full song list. Here are a few I was able to figure out: Linkin Park - Shadow of the Day, Trace Adkins - You're
Gonna Miss This (52:00) , The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name (58:00) , Buckcherry - Sorry (1:03:00) Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love (1:11:00), Crystal Gayle - Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue & Half the Way (mention 1:14:00), Sara Bareilles - Love Song (1:06:00), Miley Cyrus - See You Again (1:16:00) , One More Day (1:24:00) There are quite a few more that I was not able to figure.
Thank you so much!!!
Thank you!!
You are the saviour of this comments section
@@rockyrankin11 Lol Thank you.
You're a legend
I eventually figured out intuitively that when I write a song, if I make the audience member feel as if they are the object/actor of the song or that they possibly could be, it potentially draws them in closer to feel/hear/relate to the material. That's why I try to write songs with "you" as the pronoun as much as possible, or if I use "I" then I try to make it as if they are also the "I" or can be.
Wow, I can't even begin to try to say how great it is to listen to everything you have to say. I have never heard anybody explain it in a way like this. Every time I write from now on I will be thinking of your words. Thank you so much Ralph.
To this day this is the greatest video on TH-cam for young songwriters
I had the pleasure of meeting Ralph while I was studying songwriting at uni and he listened to my song and told me to rewrite it from a different perspective the way he’s speaking about here. I didn’t agree at the time but I love this chat, what a great writer. Rest in power. Thanks for being great :)
Enjoyed it thank you for taking your time to share it with us.
I LOVE THIS MAN!
He's brilliant. Simple logic that allows music to serve people rather than the artist to be self-serving.
You gave me shivers when you said "we have the gift of perception" ..yup, ever since I can remember..! A gift and a curse ~°~
I'm seeing a lot of comments from people trying to come up with exceptions to try and prove this guy wrong. There will always be exceptions. You're missing the point.
Those are the people who haven’t made a penny from songwriting
This man taught me so much about writing. I literally watch this every couple months for the past 10 years just to reset it in my mind. And at the beginning I said a lot of the same denials in this comment section. And just like he said in the video, ‘Oh What does this old guy know?!’ 🤣🤣 Thank You Ralph, for all you given to us. Rest In Peace, my friend🙏🎶🤟
A key change in a song is like pushing the refresh button.
Man, I got chills listening to this. Every year I write my wife a song for our anniversary, we’ve been married 15 years, and THIS year is the first time I feel like I’ve written something really great. My approach was “get out of my own way”.. I usually get hung up on my perception of the song, this year I wrote it from her listening prospective. Ironically, even I relate to this song more than the others.
I am so sad to hear Ralph has passed away. I learned a lot from him sitting one on one. I made really believe I was good enough to be here. Such a talented man and real nice guy.... R.I.P.
Just found him today because of this video and saw he passed away. Amazingly talented man. Bless his heart!
Wow! Incredible insight into humanity and modern lifestyles. Just incalculably and indescribably intuitive. As someone who might perhaps possibly potentially sort of kind of have that gift, it's really insightful to see how I shouldn't bow down to my most innate tendencies to whine, preach and vent. What I want to do is convey, not lambast. You've helped me to understand how to make that happen.
I like the passion he actually has for teaching I could definitely listen and feel that energy is real
Rest in peace Ralph this video is essential viewing for songwriters ❤️❤️❤️
Lloyd Hinshelwood I ended up grabbing his book about a month after he passed last year and I wish I got to meet him on a tour or something. Rip Ralph Murphy🤟🙏
One of the greatest men that I’ve ever met in life. What a beautiful soul. 🙏🏾
RIP 💜💜🙏🏼
Great GREAT Stuff! Wish I saw this sooner! As a Guitarist, Pianist, Songwriter, Singer, Arranger, Producer of over 75 different records I wish I would have had this information 50 years ago! I've only had 5 Nationally Charted Records! I could have had 10 or 20 more Hits!!!
This is incredible thanks for keeping it up
absolutely wonderful lecture! Im 13 and have been writing song for a few years now, but this has really made things clearer to me.
- Jake
Jake Julian you should be about 21 now, how’s your songwriting coming along??
And now you are 22yrs old 😅😅
Still alive??
Hi Jake!! How did it turn out?
I hope jake is okay x
he talked about a lot of songs i knew. this guy really shared his experience. i love that i got to see this. thanks so much for the upload.
This dude oozes wisdom. Look at how he showed up for work drunk today
Thought I was the only one who noticed 😂😂😂
boozes?
This is a very informative video. He literally gives would be professional song writers the keys to the kingdom by explaining the keys to song writing success - if they only have the sense to listen and put his knowledge to work. Thanks for sharing this!
Wow, The information is price less and I am so honored to hear and see this amazing Writer, RIP Ralph Murphy God Bless you and your family! Thank you for sharing , much respect!
i had this video on my home on youtube and i was like "why should i watch an old man explaining songwriting? i'm a producer, that wouldnt even help me". boy was i wrong, i loved the example of how a midnight track doesn't really translate at 7am in the morning and viceversa, and also the whole "be positive, be a winner" thing, i do work with songwriters and they know this stuff, but just now i'm noticing it, thanks sir
when he talked about how you feel in mornings was so true. I DO NOT want to hear even music that I like in the morning driving to work. NEVER. on the way home I will crank out my fav tunes
I've worked in music and it's full of people like this. Incredibly charismatic "geniuses", who know all the answers, who are friends with all the Beatles (*sighs - "George was a genius, you know?"), who can smooze like crazy and who won't hesitate to stab you directly in the back to get ahead.
You have to learn to manage the snake pit :)
So do you think this guys advice is good?
@@AlexPixelBite Word. thats all i care about. I never heard of this guy, all i wanna know is if the advice works.
Anytime U can pick the brain of someone like this. U DO IT!! Thank U I find stuff like this very valuable!!
You guys aren't listening to what he is saying. He is trying to explain what the masses would like to hear and how to connect to them better.
From there you can play around and be creative but if you think he is just telling you to do A, B and C in order to make a song, you're totally wrong.
I agree, and your username says it all XD An artist cannot reach professional or genius standards without knowing the core basics of such a scientific thing: art. Once you master everything technically, then there is room to actively create work.
Junior Picasso Fuck the masses.
💣💣💣
Very educational, worthy, inspirational lecture. Gracious thanks. I'm out of the gate late, but, what the hay Mr Ed! Going for it! I'm a 1st copyright pup happily running through the backyard's green green grass of summer 2014. I have a gift and I know it. Working on my 1st hit! Thanks due in part to you, Mr Ralph Murphy.
Per your instruction, passed this on. Posted it to my Facebook page. Great nuggets, wisdom shared, truly appreciative of you. Will re-listen x multiples.... Took notes, but, need to take/make additional notes. When ever I need inspiration, I will seek you/your videos. I need my songs to hit the BIG time. This is the goal, this is the mission. What one man/woman can do, another can do. Willing to do the work. Dang....look at all the w's. Must be leaning to days and nights of real hard WORK! Lol Quagmire. Love that word!!! Thanks again, Ralph! ........... your new hit song writing friend, Bandog Betty
RIP Ralph.
I was looking for this lecture for years. Finally found it again.
RIP Ralph. This very video has been a source of constant inspiration. Thanks, wherever you are now.
A lot of what he is teaching, I learned following Sheila Davis and some others but many of his ideas I had never heard before, such as don't change the chords until you change your thought. So many nugget like this, gold nuggets...
Had Ralph as a teacher. His critiques of artists songs are dead on.
Jesus this guys songwriter profile is on the nail. Never felt outed like this
Best lecture ever made. You are by far my greatest inspiration of doing what i love. Best part is it works
Thanks Mr. Murphy! I've listened to this talk every time I'm stuck on a song, and you always put me back on track. Generations of wisdom in your words!! Thanks man.
i loved the way Ralph ended his class lecture just like he STARTED IT SAYING about one form of song writing, end the song saying what you started the song with "THEY LOVE ME AT 10 PM BUT THEY WON'T LOVE YOU AT 7AM IN THE MORNING" SAY THAT SOUNDS LIKE A SONG😅
The crazy thing about this coming out in 2011 is that the message and information still carries in 2021.
Sheeple,
Can I be honest and opened ? I had TEARS listening to Ralph introduction about our profile , quoting :
"...as a monumentaly dysfunctional human being, you have a problem. The basic profile for all of you is :
- physically, sexually ,emotionally, abused
- from a broken home
- with an inability to communicate
and a desperate, desperate, desperate desired to be loved
AND martially dyslectic, that is your profile.....
.... and that is what is going to make you GREAT..."
For the FIRST time in my life, i FEEL NORMAL.
I am truly speachless
THANKS A LOT
.
***** fuck you, hater
+monkeyoda Love it. If only we all accepted ourselves more, I love how he says it like its a common fact. Every creative person has these issues, but we feel like its only ourselves
@@HarmonyMusicPromotion Too right while as you claim it may be 'a common fact', you can count on the fingers of one thumb the number of people who'll be that honest with you in your life. This is a guy who's learned not to do self-delusion - and he doesn't want it for you either. Hard to hear - but most probably necessary to hear.
When he said that my jaw hit the floor. Then he went on to describe how we can read people. Give me 5 minutes in a room, don't even have to talk to them and I can tell you their life story. Really incredible what dysfunction can do.
This speech has just made me a Ralph Murphy fan.
I'm on the other end of the spectrum. I have many tune ideas, recorded, no lyrics.
After Ralph's talk, I'll be looking at my music with new eyes and ideas.
Dan Lewis - Same here. How’d the lyric-writing go after watching this?
Helped me a lot, I'm on my own right now in the music career stuff
so I'm glad I have youtube
God, i love this. Thank you for posting this. Ralph is king.
I'm only minutes into this and can tell ya flat out, that man is pure genius. Let's see if he can lift my writers block.
Indeed
Thank You. This lesson is By Far the BEST Information I have ever sat in on. I will everyday listen to this.
Buildings come in many shapes and sizes, but if you don't follow some engineering fundamentals, the results will likely suffer. Very enlightening talk.
Delivery is the key. There are a few major artists in my favorite genre that I personally don't like but again their styles are memorable and unique in every way.
The best thing to take from this is knowing how the industry works when it comes to Hits and Songwriting, This is half of what it takes to write successful songs, this is just one of many other songwriters in the world who know how to work the system, You need to have open mind when it comes to the two most important sides of this industry "The Music Business" side and "The Music Creation" side.
Aw, miss you Ralph. Always a pleasure having known you at ASCAP and out n about.
Interesting. As there’s plenty of exceptions to these rules, I appreciate the lessons, perceptions and techniques shared. 🙏📝🎶🎯
Thanks to John Pineon in the comments, because he was able to find the songs: Linkin Park - Shadow of the Day, Trace Adkins - You're
Gonna Miss This (52:00) , The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name (58:00) , Buckcherry - Sorry (1:03:00) Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love (1:11:00), Crystal Gayle - Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue & Half the Way (mention 1:14:00), Sara Bareilles - Love Song (1:06:00), Miley Cyrus - See You Again (1:16:00) , One More Day (1:24:00)
I write songs for myself and hope others can relate to them, if you start writing them for what you think they want to hear, it won't work. People aren't stupid. But this guy is a convincing charismatic speaker.Songwriting is an honest expression which comes from the heart.
Mack Alley actually lol majority is stupid, hes not lieing, he actually right about most of what hes saying, there is a certain way people want to hear the music, thing thats happening now is young generation that like lil yatchy and all them , there ears arnt trained they dint know what music is, and so they think music like that is dope because if the beat and what this does is creates a generation with no form or structure when it comes to mking songs and so it all behmes dependent on the beat, the producer is the real artist, so now these artist cant make songs unless the beat is banging , where as a artist that has structure and form and can write doesnt need super bass dope beats, you get what im saying??
@ant creates thank you.
I love music . Got most of my guitar and Harmonica training in a prison cell . All my life I've been writing 2nd verses . I got a workboot box full of paper plates and scraps of dinner receipts of pains, broken hearts and failed dreams . I guess I need to write the story that sets the foreground if my disfunction, and apply that in a third party observation forum ,with build ups before the choruses. Wish he'd discussed changing vocal inflection with major and minor chords and there corilation to musical alphabet in guitar or piano to map out which notes or chord are best suited for certain words . It seemed the build ups before the choruses were even measured of 2 , 4 ir 6 lines presumably to map the different variables of time signatures in BPM
allowing the varieties of music genres flexibility in only even increments . Got to save this and watch it when I get brain block. Great show .
he's the vice president of ascap Nashville, he knows what he's talking about, if youre into making popular music, you'll agree. he's saying if you want to keep your artistic integrity and be broke, go ahead, or follow the formula with your honest heart and integrity intact, and be successful.
This is why I will always have a huge love towards experimental music. It invites you in like no other.
when I found out he passed away in 2019 I felt so sad and missed out, I wish I could meet him and talk to him :'(
It's just so good to hear something being explained without the sugar-coating. Thanks to all concerned.
"She said 'what do you do?', I said I'm a songwriter. And she said 'Oh I'm a songwriter too!', and I said really, are you? Got anything I would know? And she said 'Oh no, I just write.' And I said well then you're not a songwriter. A songwriter is someone who knows what each market is, and knows how to exploit it."
Yeah? What about the blues musicians from the 20's and 30's who helped build the foundation for modern songwriting? Many of these geniuses spent their lives behind the plow in order to keep themselves fed, and were only fortunate enough for one or two recording sessions. Many died broke, sick and unknown to the music industry. What about the great Blind Lemon Jefferson, who worked most of his life as a welder, was he just a 'guy who wrote songs'?
I have a rule in my creative life, where if someone tells me they paint, write songs, write poetry, etc.. Whether they're a doctor, a homeless person or a 'professional songwriter', I will gladly check out their work. You've got a lot of nerve, & a whole lot of arrogance to tell someone they're not a 'real songwriter'. The tradition of music has been around a lot longer than the music industry. And it'll be here long after the industry's gone. Great songwriters succeed through passion & persistence. Not because they figure out how to con the different 'markets'.
I agree wholeheartedly with your consensus! If I was a betting man, I would bet that before Ralph made his first dollar at songwriting, he called himself a songwriter. To say the difference between a songwriter and one who writes songs is whether or not you make money at it, is extremely arrogant. My question to Ralph is, how many writers before their first cut on an album called themselves songwriters? Another question is, did Ralph happen to listen to any of this lady's songs? How does he know that she isn't brilliant and better than he is? Is it just because she hasn't had a hit or been paid for it? I am not saying that people cannot learn things from Ralph but this kind of arrogance can really put people off from listening any point afterwards.
Songwriter is a profession. Didn't you listen? The doctor example makes it pretty clear what he's saying. There is a difference between a guy who writes song and a songwriter, in that the songwriter gets paid money. It's a job.
I always felt that a pro-songwriter is somebody who can put food on the table by putting lyrics or music on a sheet of A4, recording it(or playing it "live").
In my first week, after the release of our co-written songs, the equivalent of £3 in sales arrived. I went out and paid for and put a dozen eggs, bacon and some sausages in our fridge...the following day, my co-writer and i cooked that food and ate it due to somebody buying our songs.
...and money has arrived since(albeit, not millions..but enough to put food on the table so we can focus on writing more songs...JASMINE LAMPORT is the artist i write with...putting food on the table with music..THERE IS NO FEELING LIKE IT....
I don't dis-like Ralph Murphy....he is passing on his knowledge about how to become a real pro...nothing wrong with that.....i've written to him before now and as long as you get what he stands for...he'll take the time to answer questions...and he has been helpful with his advice.
One song which really seems to be starting to put some food on the table is "WHY?" by Jasmine Lamport..google it...any feedback whatever is welcomed..if you think it is sh*t..tell me...if you think it ROCKS..tell me...it is unique though...only 17 actual different words(allowing for required repetition).
U mean she isn't a professional songwriter yet..
4l4ddin77 Exactly! So your a songwriter? What's your regular job. I got that alot. LOL
Brilliant, Experience ( with all the right tools ) is the best teacher. Thanks Ralph
I don´t know you Ralph Murphy but you are a very cool individual thanks for sharing all this information its gold!!!
Murphy has a lot of great insight to convey. Where I see a lot of people getting stuck is where Industry and Art intersect. He's talking about how to write for the main consumers of music. The Industry is driven by the bottom line which you could argue isn't the way it should be and you would be right, but it's the way things are. Genuine art is better in all ways, but only a few artists achieve huge success vis a vis the Industry. I say, go for art. Do what is best for you as an individual and for music as a whole because integrity and creating something beautiful is always better than money. Having said that, a writer can still incorporate many of these ideas to further their craft. It doesn't have to be either or, it can be both and.
If your blood is started to boil when you hear about targeting a particular listener and the nitty gritty of the music business take a breath and skip forward to 1.46.55 to 1.47.25. Now go back and listen to what he's saying. It's just about increasing the chances of success.
wow this is gold from the get go. THANK YOU
Been listening to this guy the past few days and he has a very interesting perspective on the music industry, and he's absolutely hilarious in this lecture
Good stuff met with him at ASCAP hes a nice guy and a great critic.
I got to 90 minutes with him one on to to critique my songs. It was an amazing.
pretty sure there are quite a few hit songs where the artist labels himself as a loser, three doors down "loser", beck "loser" and both were chart topping hits. This guy is teaching you not to say that because you will turn your audience, well it worked out well for beck and 3 doors down. music is expression not a set of rules, someone out there will find your music good no matter what you write about as long as its composed well.
Not to mention "I'm a Loser" by the Beatles.
I thought of those songs too. Like he also said, they are the exception to the rule , not the horse you'd bet on. Also, Those artists had already had made it and had a fan base. That makes a giant difference. If my band wrote that exact same song as Beck "loser" and pretend that it sounded exactly the same, You never would've heard it. If you want to discredit Ralph that's fine but You are missing the point if that's all you came away with here. And also, we know that you aren't a professional song writer because other pros don't down other pro's. It's just not professional:) Hey I'm not trolling. I was just disappointed to see your comment. And it pissed me off a bit. cuz, here is a man who is in the game, a school that doesn't mind sharing, and many of us who are grateful. Have a great day sir! Be sure to write me back and discredit me and call me a jerk off......That's what I expect.
also creep by radiohead.
zziggymaan You all have to remember, he never said it would not be a hit, he said that your doom will come shortly thereafter. Hence, Beck and 3 Doors Down are no longer main stream. Radiohead never really was but that was one of their popular songs.
Nope, Loser by Beck is a perfect example where it is full of poetic irony and humor, it's not just Beck whining and moaning, so i think it stands up to the principals which he is teaching.
I been here since false entity I can’t even remember how many subs you had but it wasn’t a lot at all and I been watching you grow I’m def proud of you and you inspire me I always come back here to your vids when I know I need grounding spiritually I’m very similar to you as well with rebranding myself and imposing my will on the world to be whoever I want to be at anytime I have multiple different names and people in different environments and different friends groups know me as such it’s a great feeling when you realize how much power you have
If you have listened to a lot of music you will know this guy knows his shit. Use his generosity to improve your skills!
All my songs have improved 10 fold tonight just because I did what he said. They sound like completely different songs now, and are even better.
The most important part of the lectures he gives are the song forms verse chorus verse chorus bridge chorus out. Makes your songs palatable for listeners
Swapping verse 1 around with verse 2(lyrically speaking) seems to work every time...good stuff.
I really like listening to you speak. This is a very valuable video. Will definitely be watching more of your videos.
wow...i learned so much
@Luke Cairo wym
Thank you for this!!! Amazing talk
This is advice I needed to hear. Love the no-BS style. I'm currently in the middle of writing 100 songs in 100 days and needed something like this. If any fellow songwriters are reading this, I'd love to hear your critiques on any of my songs. Thank you for posting this, great video!!
I hope he does a follow up on chord progressions , melody lines,and harmony.That would really make it complete.The kids in the class dont look like much is going to go down but putting this online is an immense source of inspiration because of the level of experience.Take the time to look this guy up on wikipedia.I dont like shania twain but I do like getting a chance to hear from her writer.Dont think you know when you dont!this guy is good
Good stuff! However....I'd like everyone to listen to "He Got You" which was co-written by Ralph and was a #1 hit. The song absolutely violates Ralphs own laws. The main character is 100% a loser from the opening line right through to the end, and the song is 100% in first person. While I agree with what Ralph is saying in general, I disagree that these rules must be implicitly followed at all times in order to come up with a hit. Rules are indeed made to be broken and based on "He Got You" Ralph knew that as well despite the tenor of this lecture. So......learn the rules, try to abide by them, but DO NOT throw something in the trash if it feels and sounds right to you. I've written hundreds of songs. Some follow these rules and structures, and some don't. It doesn't need to be that mechanical to connect with people. Happy writing!
100% true!
Why are people such reductionists marketing advertising branding eg so many things must work in tandem nothing in life works in isolate.
I cant thank you enough for this. You are by far one of the coolest guy on this planet of a rock.
He goes off on tangents but he hit on some realism that some here are missing. If you want to be an "artist" you might as well perform songs in a park hoping someone tosses coins in your hat. Beyond that, it's big business, a gigantic machine. The stations, the labels, the listeners all want hits. So much of it is not about you.
Musicians make most of their money from live shows mate. "The machine" doesn't matter as much as you think it does.
+roscoegino You feed your wallet with one hand, and you feed your soul with the other...if you have the time and energy left over.....Commissioned Art is the buyer's choice. Art for Art's sake is your own choice...if it gains an audience, you eventually will resent that too, as it is no longer yours.
+roscoegino sorry you feel that way
That's a song. I know it.
4l4ddin77
So am i, but there is no other honest way to feel. If you wish to become big, you will be owned, in one way or another.
RIP Ralph. This lesson you gave changed my life tonight! You will live on through song! 🙏
Dude. You have a real blessing of what it means to be a song writer. May all that has life glorify The LORD that created it.While listening to your words of truth, you hit my heart so deeply. You are such a gem.
I don't listen to the radio. They sing about everything I hate. However, this lecture is spot on. What he is saying is true in all forms of marketing. Know your audience, and you are not your audience.
Great discussion. Thanks for posting freely
In the context of music as an industry, a literal money machine, a factory floor for entertainment product, Ralph was spot on. However, formally educated composers have only ever contributed to an exacerbated plastic quality to music. They did so in the 1920s into the 1940s, they went way over the top from the 1950s into the 1970s and they were mostly pigeon holed into musak and film scoring after that. At the end of each era in music, extending back to the baroque and beyond, the merchant minded composers have always crashed their market by simply saturating it with predictability. Look at what Hollywood and New York have been pumping out over the last 20 years. People are sick of it. Sales drop and drop and drop for new music while sales of music from artists from 40 and 50 years ago, who were NOT formally educated, continually rise and it is because humans, on average, are born with the ability to detect patterns and once they have detected the same patterns over and over again they lose interest. 300 years ago it was taboo to use a tritone, to move from a vi to a III7 to a diminished. The rule makers have always painted themselves into the corner or being overly predictable and then being cast out of whatever box they seek to keep square. Ralph, I am certain, could have written you a great song under the pressure of a timer, totally on the spot, but it would have been a conformation to the mold to which his entire being had conformed to; it would have been predictable, had all the ''hooks'' and trappings of a system which was designed from the ground up to not only stagnate the creative composer but, in the end, fail to truly entertain all but those who are new to music, those with the very least exposure to it. Education is conformation, it works for things we need to rely upon, the things we need to be predictable and repeatable and reliable, but it stands in direct opposition to the words ''being creative''.
Brilliantly said.
in four words- THE MUSIC BUSINESS SUCKS.
So how can do you improve at songwriting without education, is there a way?
@@jaydenchugg2903 Yes, there is a way: Use your imagination. If you have to rely upon formulas you aren't really writing anything. Any parrot can remember the right answers but none of them can ask the right questions. The listener wants to hear YOUR interpretation of how things were, are or will be, not Hollywood's paint by numbers pre-formatted averaging of demographically isolated market-specific boardroom determined boring, old, tired, antiquated Disney-movie-esque laughably easy to anticipate cookie cutter repetitions of story lines, plots, twists, one-liners and punchlines that they've heard a gazillion times before. Bring the new or stay home.
@@tasteapiana I partially agree here. The fundamentals will always be the fundamentals. The key to creation is a proper balance of the fundamentals and new experimentation. Basically look at nature, it has a specific order to it, while also having the ability to evolve. That's basically what he said in the video. First learn the rules, THEN you can experiment. Order + Chaos= Creativity.
Awesome Lecture !!!
I'm sure Mr. Murphy knows what he's talking about, but I'm also sure that many of the greatest songwriters of our time did not take the stats or the formulas he uses into consideration when writing their hits.
Mike Baluja Many of them did it instinctually without knowing they did it. Just because they didn't always think about it consciously doesn't mean that the craft and order weren't there and that it can't be explained/analyzed.
Maybe, but many may have used the principles unknowingly..
You might want to read Hank Williams Sr book on songwriting ..... its not much different what Ralph was saying here.
Thank you for whoever decided to record and post this, ong I’m gone be on my ex’s radio and know she punching the air 😂
Hole. Lee. Shit. I’ve been in music for decades, have studied creative writing as an English major in college, have taken loads of songwriting classes & attended seminars over the years, but THIS was the biggest revelation I’ve ever encountered on the topic of songwriting. Fantastic, thanks! 🙏👍💛