Do you have to be able to write songs to be a pro country singer?

Question

Hey guys, i can sing good and play guitar good too but i cant really rite songs. I was just wondering for me to maybe get big with country music do i have to be able to write songs? (im guessing yes) so if so do you have any tips or suggestions on how to write songs easie?

Answer 1

Country Music Hall of Famers who did/do not write their material (or wrote very little):



Tex Ritter

Red Foley

Gene Autry

Patsy Cline

Kitty Wells

Vernon Dalhart

Little Jimmy Dickens

Tennessee Ernie Ford

Patsy Montana

Brenda Lee

Elvis Presley

Charley Pride

Carl Smith

Glen Campbell

DeFord Bailey (Bailey didn't record much, so this isn't a fair assessment)

George Strait

Sonny James

Emmylou Harris

Barbara Mandrell

Charlie McCoy

Roy Clark

Ferlin Husky

Don Williams



On the other hand, these people are in primarily as songwriters:



Fred Rose

Felice & Boudleaux Bryant

Cindy Walker

Harlan Howard



(Billy Sherrill is also a songwriter, but his bigger contribution to country music is in record production.)



There is no way to tell you how to write songs. To be successful you have to write from the heart. Formulaic material is obvious and it wears thin quickly.



If your goal is to "be big," forget country music and go into acting. Music takes far too much dedication and devotion, and 99% of people who "want" to be famous never EVER get heard outside of the bar they play in on the weekends. You need to work hard to develop a following where you live, because nobody from Nashville is going to be interested if you're not good enough to get your neighbors interested.



You have to develop YOUR sound. Don't try to sound like whoever is popular right now, for two reasons. First, there are a million other people impersonating whoever is popular right now, so you won't stand out. Second, in the time it takes an act to get heard, discovered, signed, recorded, and released whoever they're impersonating can go from #1 act to the "where are they now" section on "Entertainment Tonight."



Most importantly, if you're going to call yourself a country singer ***SING COUNTRY MUSIC***. Do NOT sing pop or southern rock and call it "country," because you're lying to yourself and your listeners or potential listeners. You should know the history of country music so that if someone comes up to you and asks for "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" you don't embarrass yourself by saying, "Who's that by?"



Finally, and if you pay attention to nothing else, read and heed this: before you do ANYTHING, read and study about the music industry. That might be enough to cure you of wanting to be a "pro singer."

Answer 2

To learn quickly how to sing I suggest to follow a good online course. here is the best course that I did :



http://www.goobypls.com/r/rd.asp?gid=541



I can help you with jus some advidce but anyway I reccomend to follow that course. I think that singing is an inbuilt part of the human mind and soul. For countless years the act of singing has been at the forefront of art, religion, social changes and of course love. We all have a desire to let flow with a burst of air and noise that lifts the soul and transports an emotive message be it from the screaming energetic rock anthem to the operatic tones of more studied precise singers. We are not all born with a natural talent though but with practice anyone can take their instinctual desire to sing and become very good at it. Here are some tips for a better singing voice that can help you professionally, at the karaoke bar or even in the shower for your own enjoyment! One mistake many singers make is to hold their breath while singing instead of letting the air flow through them. If you hold your breath tight you can never achieve a natural sound nor will you be able to achieve any great volume and it makes hitting the right tone harder as well. To combat this you must learn diaphragmatic breathing. This means you must breathe in to the lower part of your lungs by breathing deep and not shallow. This is not the same as belly breathing but should press out on your lower ribcage as you breathe in. There are many breathing exercises you can learn to help you achieve this such as lying down and placing a hand on the upper chest and a hand on the lower chest under the ribcage. When you breathe in the hand on the upper chest should not move and the hand on the lower chest should go up and down. Mirrors are great devices to help you improve your singing voice. By singing in front of a mirror you can watch your posture, your facial contortions and your breathing and determine what is and is not working. Try changing your posture and the way you use your face and mouth when you sing in front of a mirror and listen to the different sounds you make as you experiment. You will be surprised what straightening your back or opening your mouth wider can do to your voice once you see these things in the mirror.



I hope that the website I suggested could help you!

Answer 3

I was a session player in Nashville for a couple years. Nashville and country music in general are very song writer based. Many of the top country songs come from the writers you've never heard of in the Nashville Song Writers Association. These guys crank out hit after hit. But no, you most certainly do not need to be a song writer to make it as a singer in Nashville. As a matter of fact almost no one is allowed to cut a first album on a major label in Nashville without at least some of the songs being written by one or more of the known hit writers in town. LIPPS, you are musically retarded!!

Answer 4

Many united states artists write or co-write many of their songs, yet nonetheless carry out songs they did not write. very properly here have written a stable volume of their tunes: Hank Williams, Sr. Willie Nelson Brad Paisley Jerry Reed Alan Jackson of path, those artists are not the only ones to try this, yet they incredibly do it properly.

Answer 5

you don't have to write your own songs to be successful but writing songs makes i better because you don't have to pay song writers



I write song a little bit and it because of Taylor swift who's inspired me. if you want to write songs write from the heart just use your guitar and your voice ( which I bet is wonderful ) and write something you feel that compliments your voice perfectly

Answer 6

Most singers don't write their own songs in country. If you are a good singer you can make it.

Answer 7

No sweetie, you don't have to be able to write your own material. Hell, you don't even have to be able to SING for that matter!! Have you actually LISTENED to what they're calling Country Music these days???? Trash. Pure Trash. All you've gotta be able to do is stand on a stage and blow air.

Answer 8

No the Queen of Country, Reba McEntire, hasn't written all of her songs .

Answer 9

No, you don't have to be a writer to sing. Thats why writers are in business.

Answer 10

No, you don't have to, just look at Reba. Singer-songwriters are just more talented, and make more money, because they don't have to pay writers. Dolly has written most of her own songs.