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chrisfloodmusic · 6 years

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https://www.facebook.com/events/2380130788873906/?ti=cl

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chrisfloodmusic · 8 years

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Craft Beer and Local music this Saturday Aug 20th in Joliet I am excited be playing and running a stage. Its going to be great Cheers my friends Chris Flood

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chrisfloodmusic · 8 years

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Chris Flood links

Chris Flood live at Uncommon Ground https://youtu.be/766SLNUizBw Chris Flood reverbnation http://www.reverbnation.com/open_graph/artist/4311732 Chris Flood facebook https://m.facebook.com/chrisfloodsongs/ Chris Flood website http://www.chrisfloodmusic.com/

#chris flood #chris flood music #music #chicago local music #chicago music #chicago gigs #rock #folk #indie music #indie #Joliet #illinois music #art #artist #guitar #singersongwriter #Chicago singersongwriter #original music #chris flood music links

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chrisfloodmusic · 8 years

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Excited to be playing Hopstring fest this year 8/20

#hopstring music festival #hopstring #music #folk #rock #indie #indie music #chicago local music #illinois music #chris flood #Joliet

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chrisfloodmusic · 8 years

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Playing a show this Saturday 3 / 20 / 16 @ Uncommon Ground 3800 N. Clark st Chicago COVER: $8 LOAD IN: 8pm All Ages Show ARTIST: "American Kitchen" feat. John Condron, Allison Flood, Bridget Cavanaugh SET TIME: 10:10 SET LENGTH: 50 minutes ARTIST: Brett Knickerbocker SET TIME: 9:20 SET LENGTH: 40 minutes ARTIST: Chris Flood SET TIME: 8:30

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chrisfloodmusic · 8 years

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I should probably post some nice Christmas pictures. ....however, all I do is work.....Christmas work overload. ..sorry for the rant....just not feeling it

Merry Christmas :)

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chrisfloodmusic · 8 years

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Paul Brady, John Condron and myself (Chris Flood ) at the Old Town School of Folk. Excellent night by Paul and John.

#chicago local music #chicago #chicago music #singersongwriter #folk #paul brady #john condron #chicago rock #acoustic guitar #old town school of folk music #guitar #chris flood #floodmanagementgroup

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chrisfloodmusic · 9 years

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I need to do some updates

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chrisfloodmusic · 9 years

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Im happy to be part of this. Im running a stage and have a chance to play. Craft beer and local music 8/22

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chrisfloodmusic · 9 years

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Redline tap Tuesday night 8/18 W/ mudflapps

#chicago local music #chris flood #chris flood music #chicago artist #indie music #chicago music #acoustic guitar #singersongwriter #red line tap #chicago #rock #folk #blues

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chrisfloodmusic · 9 years

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More good advice

How to eliminate writers block once and for all

Sometimes when we are trying to write music we hit a wall, a wall that stops us from writing anything good.

when we hit this wall, it is difficult to be excited about what we are writing, everything we write sounds like shit, (or so we think at the time) we are stuck in the same licks and riffs and the same rhythm patterns, it’s frustrating to say the least and it doesn’t help us in our goal to write a master piece to be proud of.

Here are a few simple things you can do to eliminate writers block.

1. Write for the rubbish bin!

The best way to get over writers block is to write something that you are just going to throw in the trash anyway. this way you won’t judge the music before it flourishes.

As you can see in the statement above, we are all trying to write that master piece, that piece of music that we can be proud of and show off to our fans.

That in itself is the problem, you are putting far too much pressure on yourself to write an amazing song and everything you write sounds like shit or at least not a master piece.

What happens is that we start to write something and we end up not liking it within the first 5 minutes, we judge it too soon. My advice to you is to just keep writing it. even if all you do is play the same chord over and over and come up with a sweet melody over the top, it may turn into gold or you may use a part of it to create another song.

By opening our mind to anything that comes our way, we open the floodgates to songwriting gold. In other words you can’t let the water flow if you have turned off the tap.

Write for the rubbish bin, open the creative floodgates of your musical mind and you will see gold appear when you least expect it.

2. Change your rhythm pattern.

If you are used to writing in a certain rhythm or a certain drum pattern, change it up to create something new from those same chords.

most songs are written in simple time or common time which is 4/4, which means 4 beats of crotchets or quarter notes in each bar. this can sound like everything else when you are writing with chords everyone uses.

The way to get out of this trap is to start writing songs in different timings, E.g. 6/4 timing or 5/4 timing or even 7/4 timing, the rhythms will be interesting to the listener and yourself as well.

give it a try, play a G chord for 6 beats and then change to a D chord for 6 beats, go between them with 6 beats each. You are playing in 6/4 timing, which will make your song sound unique even with common chords.

if you don’t have a metronome or don’t like playing to one, find a drum sequencer or download a free program to create your own drum beats, this will help you feel the groove of the new rhythm and make it easier for you to write a song using it.

Change up your rhythm, when you use common chords it can give you that unique sound you were looking for.

3. Use a chord chart

Sometimes people don’t have any ideas because they are limited by the amount of theory they know.

Instead of learning a whole lot of theory, it’s sometimes easier to find a chord chart to help you create new chords, voicings and ideas.

You can find a chord chart by using a simple google search, this will help you get through the mental block of playing the same thing over and over again.

Not only that but you can impress your friends with the weird and wonderful chords you have just learned.

4. Try using a capo

If you aren’t up to the level where you can just learn and use a new chord straight away, try using a capo and playing your favorite open chords up the neck for a new sound.

when you use a capo, you are shortening the neck of the guitar and you are ultimately playing in a new Key. this new Key will give you a new sound even if you are using the same open shapes.

Many of your favorite songs have been written using a capo, some are put on the first fret and some are placed much higher.

the point is that you can play the same shapes that you know and create an entirely different sound.

I hope this helps you to get out of your writers block.

When you are sick of what you do, try to change things up, it can be simple or complicated, don’t judge it too soon, you may be sitting on a gold mine. get rid of writers block once and for all

#songwriter #songwriting #how to write a song #chicago local music #chicago art #chicago music #chicago #chris flood music #chris flood

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chrisfloodmusic · 9 years

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Continuing my song writing inspiration

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Emeli Sandé - How to Write a Song

#songwriting #songwriter #chris flood #chris flood music #chicago local music #chicago #indie music

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chrisfloodmusic · 9 years

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This is also pretty interesting

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Dave Grohl shows us how to write a hit

Dave: Who writes the hits? Aerosmith writes hits. Here is the thing. Listen to any of their songs. It begins with the chorus. The song is all chorus. Love In An Elevator. What’s the verse to that song? There isn’t one! It’s Love in an elevator!

#chris flood #chris flood music #songwriter #songwriting #chicago #chicago local music #rock #dave grohl #acoustic guitar #how to write a song #chicago indie

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chrisfloodmusic · 9 years

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Thought this was interesting and wanted to share

HOW TO WRITE GREAT LYRICS

How to Write Great Lyrics

Definition of Lyrics

Wikipedia defines lyrics as “a set of words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses.”

How to Write Great Lyrics

There are six things that I believe helps make good lyrics great. Whether just putting together a story or writing straight from your creative brain these will help bring your lyrics up a notch.

1. Senses - Try to use all five senses when writing lyrics.

§ Sight

§ Sound

§ Touch

§ Hear

§ Smell

Mary Chapin Carpenter “I am a Town”

2. Slant Rhyme - By using slant rhymes in conjunction with other rhymes you can really open up the vocabulary of your song and not be confined to straight rhymes. Dictionary.com defines a slant rhyme as a “rhyme in which either the vowels or the consonants of stressed syllables are identical, as in eyes, light; years, yours.”

Nanci Griffith “Love at the Five and Dime”

3. Oxymoron - like before and after, empty and full. Using these in lyrics together can really catch the listener’s ear.

Alanis Morissette “Hand in My Pocket”

4. Alliteration - Merriam Webster defines alliteration as “the repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables (as wild and woolly,threatening throngs)”. This is a great ear catcher for your lyrics.

Ani Difranco “Buildings and Bridges”

5. Repetition -If done right repetition can create interest and help keep the listener’s attention.

Lucinda Willimas “Are You Alright”

Patty Griffin “Every Little Bit”

6. Format of the Song - There are many types of formats to different songs. The most common is ABABCB and ABABB. But you can pretty much place a song in any type of format you want. The lyrics usually drives the format for me when I’m writing. Another fun tool is what’s called an outro. It’s kind of like a big finish to the song, or really it could be a small finish too, just depends on the song. You can also skip the chorus entirely. This works well when you’ve got your hook already in the verses.

§ A=Verse

§ B=Chorus

§ C=Bridge

Sheryl Crow “If it Makes You Happy” (outro)

Shawn Colvin “Poloroids” (no chorus)

7. Descriptive Color - Lyrics are much

§ Red - flaming, cherry, ruby, blood, crimson, burgundy, brick, cardinal, magenta, maroon, strawberry

§ Orange - apricot, peach, beige, tangerine, sun

§ Yellow - lemon, golden, canary, blond, amber, chrome, sand, cream, gold

§ Green - forest, kelly, irish, spring, olive, chartreuse, peacock, lime, grass, jade, emerald

§ Blue - navy, indigo, cobalt, sky, marine, aqua, royal, sapphire, teal, turquoise, azure

§ Purple - violet, grape, mulberry, lavender, lilac, mauve, plum, wine, orhid, amethyst

§ White - ghost, pale, lily, ivory, milky, snow, frost, chalky, alabaster, bleached, achromatic, transparent, pasty

§ Black - grey, ash, charcoal, coal, ebony, raven, slate, onyx, jet, sooty, shadowy, starless

§ Brown -tan, hazelnut, honey, mocha, caramel, carmel, camel, sienna, copper, bronze, terra cotta, burnt, rust, cinnamon

§ Pink - rose, blush, clay rose, roseate, flushed, salmon, flesh

Gillian Welch “I Dream a Highway”

Links to Find Lyrics

Lyrics.com

Lyricsfreak.com

Music and Lyrics,

Sarah, “Wooden Chair”

MAKE YOUR DREAMS HAPPEN

MAKE MONEY AND MUSIC

#chris flood #chicago #chicago local music #chicago art #chicago songwriter #chicago music #illinois music #Illinois #folk #rock #songwriter #indie #music #guitar #songwriting

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chrisfloodmusic · 9 years

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Happy fathers day

#chicago gigs #chicago local music #chris flood #chris flood music #chicago #singersongwriter #art #music #rock #blues #indie #Illinois #illinois music

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chrisfloodmusic · 9 years

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Finally busted the electric out of the cage. Normally I only play acoustic. It went pretty well.

#chris flood music #chris flood #singersongwriter #chicago local music #chicago gigs #chicago singersongwriter #illinois music #chicago music #chicago indie #indie music #chicago rock #chicago blues #folk #Illinois folk #americana #Illinois americana #musician #electric guitar

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chrisfloodmusic · 9 years

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Played at show in chicago ridge with my friend Scott McNeil.

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