hannahfrankm 
It’s raining outside right now. Earlier, the water was dripping into a puddle, and there was a key in the puddle. It was kind of an amazing discovery, like a fish suddenly spotted. The key to it all is hidden, isn’t it?! The key to the song, sometimes that is hidden too, you just have … Read moreA Key
In Ralph Covert’s video, “4 Simple Steps to Writing a Song” he brings up a point that I forgot: memory. Memory is easy to forget when we have devices that can record every idea we ever had and play them back to us within seconds. Recording devices weren’t always around. When I wrote songs “back … Read moreReflections on Memory: Don’t Forget How to Use it (Thoughts on Lessons from Ralph Covert)
What would this sound like with a beat in reggae, with brushes, as a rock ballad, an island song, or a rumba? Normally I roll my eyes at how Internet-based the music world has become, but during the COVID lockdown, Youtube is becoming quite the resource. By searching backing tracks in various styles on Youtube, … Read moreBacking Drum Tracks Adding Magic to Songwriting Process
I’ve always been one to explore abandoned buildings. While I’m not exactly as ambitious as Lewis and Clark, I certainly can get the adventure itch, which can be just as much bravery as sheer idiocy (I was locked out on a roof once when the window I used to get out on it shut behind … Read moreSongwriting: From Madness to Method
There are certain buskers that I see my favorite is the one guy that sings smoothly like he is crooning to a lover snapping gently in time while he sings classics like “My Girl” with such brevity of ego that the spirit lifts just to hear him whisked away into his own world as we … Read moreCertain Buskers That I See
“Love Songs”: Four Female-Fronted Acts Team up for Three Thursdays, Bringing a Mix of Styles: Songwriter, Jazz, Blues, R&B and Torch February 6, 13 and 20, 2020 at Uncommon Ground Edgewater Chicago, IL — Music is one of the most emotional art forms and love is the perfect subject. Hear Chicago vocalists and songwriters … Read more“Love Songs” Series: Four Singers & the Many Facets of Love (2/6, 2/13, 2/20/2020)
Stumbling through jazz songs, I find the classic “Sometimes I’m Happy.” I check out the Sarah Vaughan version. Then, I found the Joni Mitchell version. The difference was striking. I felt like the image of the plaintive cup of wine and cigarette on the cover image of the latter artist, made me want to proclaim … Read moreSometimes I’m Happy
Since no one asked, I will throw some thoughts at the altar of “online content” and talk about guitar. Particularly, my relationship with the guitar. Someone said to me once that the guitar is a male instrument, but I have comfortably seen it as a female instrument (I mean B.B. King has Lucille, so I … Read moreMy Relationship with the Guitar
I Don’t Know Enough About You Lullaby of Birdland He Thinks I Still Care Hallelujah I Love Him So Comes Love Aged and Mellow Tears in Vain Another Night to Cry Walkin’ After Midnight Old Man of the Mountain You might wonder why this post modern indecipherable title resides here – and it’s because I … Read moreSet List for the Coming Apocalypse of the Mellow
