Museworld

I've been getting back into songwriting. I've done some of it before. My deepest experience with songwriting was probably when I was in college, singing with an a cappella group I founded. We were arranging top-forty songs for an all-mens acap group. This wasn't glee club or doo-wop, it was complicated arrangements, vocal percussion, the works. I was tired of doing only arrangements, though. So I ended up writing two songs, and both ended up on our debut cd. They took a lot of care, and despite an amateurish studio experience, I'm still fond of the end results.

It's interesting how different kinds of composing require you to work out different musical muscles. There's something about songwriting that requires more "shaping" work. All forms of composition require attention to things like emotional narrative, the progression of concept, and how to let the music breathe. But songwriting often has a greater emphasis on texture and vibe.

I'm working on a song right now, and that's the phase I'm in. The material is written, and the structure is there (although there's a bit of challenge to the structure since it isn't a classic verse/chorus/bridge structure). But I'm layering on more background material and I'm in that indecisive mode where it doesn't feel clear yet when to keep it sparse and when to make it lush. I'm finding what works best is to work on it intensely, then not listen to it at all for 24 hours, and then freewrite the next time I listen to it.

A fun little process. I'll be entering this song in a local contest later this week, and then it will be on to the next project.

If anyone would be interested in actually giving comments on the song sometime this week, I'd be happy to send a link and lyrics sheet - use the contact form to drop me a note!

At long last, we have the soft launch of the website for Museworld Productions.

Museworld has been my main domain name for quite a while, so this site has been something of a hidden goal of mine for at least that long. But to get to this point, quite a lot of attention had to be paid to various priorities.

First, I had to launch my bread and butter business, Keenworks. That's my "other brain", something of a sister site (or big brother site) to this one. I've managed to grow that business to a point where I don't have to focus on it full time. Now I can invest more time on this one. Who knows what direction this will take me - it may simply reflect my portfolio, or it may become a more vital side business, or if things really take off, perhaps the day will come where I will retire Keenworks entirely. What's nice about owning your own businesses is that you can let them pull you as far as they'll take you. All you have to do is feed them and give them room to grow.

I've also successfully signed up with ASCAP as both a writer (Curt Siffert), and a Publisher (Museworld Productions). This opens up all sorts of possibilities, some of which I will write about here.

And finally, I had to design the website. I found a great designer who was very generous with his time. He's responsible for the overall idea and look for the site and he did a great job. If anyone wants to be put in touch with him, contact me through my contact form and I'll pass on your info.

It's basically a matter of building up the online portfolio now, doing some marketing, and seeing where it leads me. If you have any ideas or are interested in learning more, then drop me a line!