Songwriting In My Sixties
Songwriting seems like a scary prospect. Is music theory necessary? What if nothing comes natural? All of these barriers just block your innate talents or your perseverance to tackle the task.
I am not a trained musician, but I am a self taught nonfiction writer. My viewpoint combines over 60 years of song listening and writing translated into a love of the written word, lyrics, storytelling and revealing truth.
I am an amateur acoustic guitarist that learned music theory only at the age of 62. Songs and songwriters are my mentors. Free lessons during the lockdown period allowed me to finally understand basic key structure and chord dynamics. And I bought one course to keep my musical training on track. That’s it.
So, now it's time for me to write songs and pass them on to the universe. This blog merges musical influences with practical techniques as an illustration of my creative journey.
It functions both as a creative and interpretive outlet to put another viewpoint on the record, one that may counter the mainstream narrative. This is in the spirit of Woody Guthrie, protest songs and other great American traditions. This is also the power of digital media platforms to support creative endeavors. [Check here for copyright details.]
My Meandering Journey To Music
I’m a Great Plains guy that got a forestry degree in Texas and found a way to work in Africa and Asia. My past fieldwork focused on sustainability, conservation and natural resource auditing. My writing revolved around environmental policy, popular science and travel writing.
I grew up in South Dakota, Missouri, California and Texas as a military kid. I worked in Kenya, Sudan, Colombia, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. The common factor is trees, mainly tropical rainforests and rubber and oil palm plantations. It covered a lot of ground with projects related to wildlife studies, biodiversity surveys, social and community welfare, pollution problems, indigenous rights, forest fragmentation, endangered species and, of course, politics, racism and territorial conflicts.
My first foray on Substack was called Continental Drift. I tried to convey a lifetime of living into personal essays, nature writing and a few “stream of consciousness” thought experiments. These older articles are found in the Scobi Chronicles and Succinct Shots sections.
This is the background that set the foundation and influences for my themes and song topics.
My Way Of Thinking
Writing songs at an age closer to the endpoint means you look back a lot to figure out what the future holds. The past is both antiquated and illustrative at the same time. There’s a lot to digest and reconstitute.
Reflection works whether the period is contemporary or historical. It’s important to get the facts right and recalibrate the story or add another component. Songs also offer a way to record a moment in time.
My travels at home and across the world have taught me one key lesson: Talk about your own first. Whether it’s racial, tribal, economic or political issues, I first examine my own before trying to understand the situation or viewpoint of others. It’s a basic first step that people often forget, since it’s easier to ramble on and complain about those outside your group.
This is my approach to songwriting too. I focus on my side.
What’s The Aspiration?
At this strange stage of my life, I’ve obtained a special gift: songwriting. My rudimentary insights into music theory put me on a new path of discovery. I relate everything to nature; so when it feels natural I pursue it with passion. I’m not worried about being right or wrong in a technical sense.
As a writer, I never got the feeling of connecting to the reader. As a songwriter, I feel it’s a stronger format for me to convey a message or translate an emotion. And if I find a passable melody, then it has a chance to stick. Or better yet, someone else can transform it to a higher level.
The protest, workers’ union and anti-war songs of the past are an important legacy left behind for us to remember. They put the untold stories on record, literally.
It’s my intent to add a few meager contributions to the compendium and practice this very patriotic custom.
What To Expect?
The startup was rough. There are three key components to song output: songwriting, home recording and singing. Writing lyrics is not a problem. Overcoming the technical issues is a bit of a learning curve. But singing is hard. For now, I’m learning to play in a more suitable key. Hang in there with me.
Song production is finally on track and there are a dozen songs in the hopper waiting to record. There is no real schedule. I will upload at least two or three a month.
In the interim, I’ll write essays about song and musical influences, past and present, focusing on the rich history of protest songs and my trials with songwriting techniques or methods.
Subscriptions are free. I don't sell courses. I write songs, share lessons and spread the spirit. You can contact me at scobiphonic[@]gmail.
I hope you join me and listen to a few songs.
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If you like the songs and/or essays, please help me distribute them by sharing and following me on a Twitter and Substack. I also use Instagram to document the journey and offer songwriting insights.
I appreciate your time, support and aid in this elderly endeavor.
Except in special cases, my songs are free to the public. Please be mindful that alterations for racist intent is not permitted. Be critical, not hateful.
