Inside the world of a songwriter!

Many people have little understanding of the workings of a songwriter and/or composer, and how the lives of those around them may be affected by their lifestyle, so I thought I'd share a little of mine with you.

Most working songwriters are fitting their music around full time jobs, that on occasions, enable them to survive, pay the bills AND finance their love of #music, which may in some cases, involve spending a LOT of any leftover monies from their 'hard-earned' or 'savings', on #guitars, #keyboards, music software and home studios.

Holidays? What holidays? lol

Loved ones will often hear their songwriting partners suddenly jump out of bed in the middle of the night and either disappear into their 'music room' or 'studio' and start writing a new song that has just, somewhat inconveniently, entered their ever-busy heads! New song ideas don't often arrive when you are sitting conveniently with a guitar on your lap! You have to get the scratch idea down somewhere, before you forget that all important hook, riff or lyric!

Days off from their main line of work, often sees them abandon the family day out that had been planned, because there is a song that urgently needs to be worked on, to perhaps challenge for an open pitch or get in front of a big-name artist seeking new songs! This doesn't always go down well the said family, but I'm lucky and have a wife who really understands and "gets what I do".

If you don't sing (and I am in that category), then you need to find monies to pay a session vocalist which is a further expense that bank managers really don't understand!! (That's if you still have a 'bank manager' at your bank lol). I am lucky to have some terrific co-writers who can also sing!

Then of course, there is the 'admin'. Everything has to be registered with your performing rights organisation (PRO), meta-tagged, promoted, touted to your contacts list etc. etc.

Some songwriters are lucky and can write music full time and actually make a good living from it, but these are very few and far between.

So if you are a songwriter reading this who DOESN'T, don't give up, because, 1) success can happen at any time, and 2) Do it because you love it and it keeps you sane in a mad world!

Remember.... not all music appeals to ALL people and if some criticise your music, it may be just because it's not a style they relate to or like, but always take criticism on board because sometimes, it really can help you improve your technique and ability to write that big hit or film soundtrack that may just be the start of your very own new beginning!

Long live the music makers and good luck out there!

Ross 'The Hammer' Hemsworth

Composer/Songwriter - U.S. Songwriter's Hall of Fame member