 Jai Josefs Geta a Groove On at L*A*M*P's "Secrets of
Successful Songwriting" Series
by THE G-MAN, MusicDish Associate Writer
Jai Josefs Gets a Groove on at L*A*M*P's "Secrets of Successful Songwriting" Series
Reported by The G-Man
You've heard songs written, co-written, arranged and/or produced by Jai Josefs whether you know it or not. He has
worked with artists from Jose Feliciano to Little Richard, and written songs for RCA, MCA, Motown and Disney.
On television soundtracks, his songs have been featured in "Spin City," "Nash Bridges," and "Malcolm in the Middle."
In motion pictures, he has had songs in such films as "Roosters" (the 1993 Robert A. Young-directed drama starring
Sonia Braga, Edward James Olmos and Maria Conchita Alonso) and the 1999 Sydney Pollack-directed "Random Hearts" (Harrison Ford and Kristin Scott Thomas).
Songwriters at every career level know him because of his book, "Writing Music for Hit Songs," as well as through his
classes at UCLA, NSAI, and the Songwriters Guild. No less a success than Diane Warren recommends his work. The
intimacy of the Music Connection theater was in sharp contrast to his most recent lecture, which was for an audience of 500.
Speaking as part of Leslie Waller's Los Angeles Music Productions (L*A*M*P) "Secrets of Successful Songwriting"
series, Josefs dealt with the fundamentals of groove in a way that opened up a whole new approach to songwriting.
Among many highlights of the 2-hour event were his playing portions of the same melody and lyric using different
drum patterns from an Alesis SR16 drum machine, and proving that the groove has more effect on the perception of the song than almost any writer was heretofore willing to
admit.
Josefs presented several compelling reasons for songwriters to get their groove going with a drum loop or drum
machine: "One reason is that it frees you up to concentrate on the melody and lyric. Another reason is that different
grooves will take you in different directions in your songwriting. Everybody, if left to their own devices, will tend to
write songs in the same groove - the groove that was popular when they were a senior in high school. So using a drum machine of some kind can take you out of any kind of creative rut."
He acknowledged that new ideas for groove patterns usually start in dance music, then move to hip hop and R&B,
then make their way to pop, and finally enter the country charts. "The process takes about five years," he said, "so if
you want to be seen as an innovator in country music, find a great groove in a dance track from four years ago, write a
song, take it to Nashville, and you'll be recognized for being about a year ahead of your time."
The presentation was fascinating, enlightening, and often quite entertaining, as in the Nashville comment above and when he revealed that he calls his drum machine "Ringo in a can."
For more information, visit Jai Josefs online at: http://www.jaijomusic.com.
The G-Man is on iTunes and at:
http://www.gmanmusic.com.# # #
|
