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    The Songwriter In Me: Snapshots of My Creative Process
    The Songwriter In Me: Snapshots of My Creative Process
    The Songwriter In Me: Snapshots of My Creative Process
    Ebook196 pages2 hours

    The Songwriter In Me: Snapshots of My Creative Process

    By Donna Ulisse

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    About this ebook

    Donna Ulisse shares her development as a songwriter; from introducing us to the people around her as a child who fired up her imagination, to being a signed songwriter at a music publishing company in Nashville, TN for the past fifteen years. She offers tips on the co-writing process, explanation of song structures and rhyme patterns, exercises on how to get your own creative juices flowing, as well as many of her own lyric examples with insights to her approach on each lyric.

    Written in her endearing, straightforward and down to earth style, Ulisse's love of songwriting shines through and she presents the information in an accessible form to writers of all levels.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBookBaby
    Release dateMar 6, 2015
    ISBN9781483551777
    The Songwriter In Me: Snapshots of My Creative Process

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      Book preview

      The Songwriter In Me - Donna Ulisse

      About Donna’s Songwriting . . .

      Donna's songs are in a league of their own; intelligently crafted, thoughtful, inspired and married to some truly interesting and memorable melodies. There's a level of depth to these songs seldom heard in the typical bluegrass bill of fare. Donna traverses a number of styles with aplomb and ease.

      —Dave Higgs, Host of Bluegrass Breakdown, NPR, Nashville, TN

      Donna is blessed with an exceptional voice and superb musicianship, and she can write lyrics . . . This is a bluegrass collection expansive enough to burst outside the box and appeal to everyone who loves good Americana music.

      —Craig Huegel, WMNF, Tampa, Florida

      The songs are more interesting than the generic country-pop exercises in which some of Ulisse’s female bluegrass contemporaries’ traffic. They also have the capacity to surprise.

      —Jerome Clark, Rambles.net

      Her remarkably fresh songwriting makes her one of Americana music's true rising stars.

      —Craig Havighurst, String Theory Media

      It's hard to say which is more exciting, Donna’s singing or her songwriting.

      —Wade Jessen, Billboard Magazine

      Ulisse’s words are so touching and tell great stories. She speaks of love, family, tradition, good times and bad times, faith and tradition.

      —Pam Stadel, Digital Rodeo

      Shady Glen is masterful storytelling at its best. At once fictional history as well as a fantastic ghost story, it tells the tale of a Confederate loyalist female infiltrating the union army before they destroy her town and poisoning them with rabbit stew. It's modern day ghosts and a story from 150 years ago all wrapped up in a perfect little package. It has all the things you want from a story; a protagonist, a purpose, a cause, action and reaction — all wrapped up perfectly in a wondrous four minute tale. The other phenomenal track is the fantastic autobiographical Hand Me Down Home. Every detail of her family cabin that's been handed down by several generations is lovingly described in personal important minutia. From the background of the family headstones to the wood the porch is made from, it's a caring tribute to her family that's a treasure — one she shares with us like a guest room.

      —Ken Morton, That Nashville Sound

      Donna wrote or co-wrote every song on the project and her connection to the material runs deep. With the ability to take on each song's individual feeling, Donna oftentimes moves between gentle and dramatic.

      —Daryl Addison, GAC (Great American Country)

      "Bluegrass songwriter Donna Ulisse delivers a truly unique album this Christmas with All the Way to Bethlehem. She wrote or co-wrote each of the album's 11 tracks, and rather than just rehashing the meaning of the holiday, Ulisse chooses to tell the story of Christ's birth through the eyes of the characters who were there."

      —Chris Parton, CMT.com

      The title tune to Ulisse's holiday CD is performed as a duet between Mary and Joseph as her time draws near. The bluegrass accompaniment is sterling, as are the perfectly matched voices. The reason this album is such a welcome gem is that all of its 11 songs are new country Christmas compositions by her. Future country Christmas record makers ought to mine this collection for repertoire.

      —Robert K. Oermann, Music Row Magazine

      Donna continues to show why she is one of the best songwriters ever to approach Bluegrass. Her sense of tradition, home, love, Faith, family, good and bad times are brought to life through words and melody that transport the listener to those places she sings about. It's the very Heart and Soul of Bluegrass she breathes.

      —Dennis Jones, Host of Goin’ Across the Mountain and The Gospel Truth, WNCW-FM, Spindale, NC

      THE SONGWRITER IN ME - Snapshots of My Creative Process

      Copyright © 2014 by Hadley Music Group

      www.hadleymusicgroup.com

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the author.

      ISBN (XXXXXXXXXXXXX)

      Printed in USA by 48HrBooks (www.48HrBooks.com)

      All photographs in the book courtesy of Donna Ulisse unless otherwise noted.

      All song lyrics printed with permission from Uncle Hadley Music and Pop’ N Paw Music

      Editor-in-chief: Big Ethel Theriault with final edit by Jeff Walter

      COVER DESIGN BY NANCY BEAUDETTE

      COVER PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK MOSRIE

      Dedication

      This book is dedicated to Ray Johnson, Doug Johnson and Kathy Sacra-Anderson, who have my heartfelt thanks for nurturing the songwriter in me. Also to my darling husband, Rick Stanley, for putting up with the songwriter in me. Thank you to Mom, Dad and my brothers, for enduring the songwriter in me. And so importantly, Martha Nichols Butler, my Bonna, for introducing music into my life and awakening my songwriter spirit.

      Martha Marie Nichols Butler, my Bonna, in 1957. She stood almost five feet tall but this little gal could move mountains!

      I’ve always had a song I can lean on

      A thread of notes like an old friend, sweet and strong

      A soft refrain like an understanding shoulder

      I’ve always had a song I can lean on

      —DONNA ULISSE/RICK STANLEY

      © Uncle Hadley Music/Pop ‘N Paw Music

      Table of Contents

      Foreword

      Preface

      Introduction

      My Beginning

      Creativity Keeps You Young

      Natural Born Talent!

      How Do You Write A Song?

      Your Fishing Pole

      Finding Individual Style

      Cookie Time

      Pictures, Pictures, and More Pictures

      Lab Work

      Rhyme and the Reason

      Syllable Sense

      Put Change in the Meter

      Bridges Over Troubled Stories

      Channeling Your Song

      Regroup and Rewrite

      Name Game

      Song Scrap

      When the Spirit Moves Me

      When Whimsy Needs Attention

      More Than a Pencil These Days

      Kick Starting Your Creative Juices

      A Partnership in Songwriting

      Do Not Be the Lonely Songwriter

      In Closing

      Songwriting Discography

      Music Discography

      Foreword

      In the business of music publishing, one rarely has the opportunity to work as closely with a songwriter as I have had with Donna Ulisse. Donna and I have had the unique experience of starting our journey fifteen years ago in the songwriting and music publishing world together. She was the first signed writer at Uncle Hadley Music in Nashville, Tennessee, and I was the first, and to this date, the only general manager and creative director. I clearly recall her turning in the first song for the company’s catalog and have proudly watched her approach songwriting as a true craft, creating a diverse and large collection of finely crafted songs. Like any good craftsman, she has been willing to sit at the feet of many masters, devoting time on a daily basis to honing her gift. She is always willing to revisit what might have seemed to be a finished song, engaging in the re-writes that all great writers do. For those of us who love listening to songs that touch our hearts, we rarely think of the amount of effort that can go into telling a story vividly in approximately three minutes. I have been privileged to observe Donna’s songwriting process firsthand and it never ceases to amaze me.

      Having had seven albums of music released in the past seven years, consisting of nearly all of her original material, is no small feat in an industry where many creative wells run dry. On the contrary, Donna’s well of creativity seems to be overflowing with her passion for songwriting, allowing her to write enough material to be recorded by herself and other artists including a recent song on a Grammy winning album. Her process is all about heart yet tempered with a strong discipline. I am sure you will see this as you embark on this songwriting journey with her.

      Kathy Sacra-Anderson

      Hadley Music Group

      Preface

      My intention in writing this book is to be able to share some of what I have learned through my years in songwriting.

      I have honed this craft by writing with some of Nashville’s greatest writers and by dogged discipline. However, I have chosen not to reveal the names of songwriters I reference in these pages though the name dropping would most likely have impressed you. Rather than infringe on anyone’s privacy or overlook mentioning someone, I felt most comfortable leaving their names out.

      My book is not intended to be an extensive teaching manual, but it is my hope that through the examples and exercises of mine included in these pages, you will learn some things that will benefit you on your own writer’s path.

      —Donna Ulisse

      Me and my Daddy!

      Introduction

      As a little girl, I always dreamed of being a teacher when I grew up. I used to torture my brothers and cousins by making them play school with me for hours on end. My father had found old library bookcases in an auction and bought thirty of them. He allowed me to set them up in our garage and he purchased for me a great big black chalkboard with a bag full of white chalk. He hung it on the wall between the bookcases and helped me make little desks for my reluctant students. (Yes, I was a spoiled only daughter of a very Italian father.)

      I wasn’t an easy teacher; I gave them loads of homework and made them stand in the corner when they didn’t have their homework done. My poor brothers had to toe the line and then have dinner with me later that night. My brother Jimmy and my cousin Timmy ended up dropping out of my garage school. My brother Mark never had his homework and spent a little time in the corner. My baby brother Chris was an honor student and was awarded a scholarship! Ultimately my Mom had to work as the principal and break up some bad scenes every once in awhile.

      As an adult I find that my teaching dream still lives and has found a place to thrive in my music life. It has been through the curiosity of other songwriters I have met while touring with my bluegrass band that I gained the courage to write this book. Through their questions about my songwriting process, they have made me a teacher. I am happy to say I take a much more gentle approach as an adult teacher. You might get homework within these pages but there are no corners to stand in!

      Talking about my process of songwriting and what inspires me is one of my passions these days. I have been fortunate enough to have been asked to be a part of songwriting camps, panels and workshops. These inspiring outlets for songwriters to gather have enriched me greatly. Sharing any nuggets that have

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