SiS Learning Series: Songwriting Fundamentals

Instructor: Eric Tingstad

Growing, learning and living is how we become better songwriters.

However, clear and applied fundamental elements of songwriting are imperative to improving our songs.

In this workshop we will look at the basics of the songwriting craft along with real world street smart current music business approaches and shared experiences. Everything from effective song structure to working in co-writes, expressing strong imagery to thinking about your message.

I hope you will join me for a lively discussion about communicating your story through music.

Eric

Instructor Bio

Eric Tingstad is an American Grammy Award-winning multi-genre record producer, musician and songwriter / composer. He was born and raised in Seattle, WA where he currently resides. Best known as a fingerstyle guitarist, Tingstad has performed, recorded, and produced Alternative Country, Blues, Americana, Rock, Smooth Jazz and Ambient / New Age music.

By a vote of his peers, Tingstad was honored in October 2006 with the Coyote Award from Arts Northwest commemorating his leadership, visibility, and contributions to the constant change in the arena of live performance. Tingstad is also known for his philanthropic and community service work in regard to historical preservation, land trust and environmental issues which he has actively incorporated into his compositional themes and branding.

Eric Tingstad’s solo recording career began in 1982 with the release of On The Links. Capitalizing on his gift for composition, On the Links compiled eleven original songs best described as part of the burgeoning New Age genre. The album appeared on his private label, Cheshire Records, under which he continues to release albums of his own music and others.

In 1985, Eric began a collaboration with woodwinds player Nancy Rumbel. Their debut album, The Gift, an acoustic Christmas collection, was very well received, selling ten thousand copies in the first ten weeks. The Gift went on to sell over half a million copies, and remains a best-selling Christmas album.

In 1987 Tingstad signed a multi-album record contract with Narada Productions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narada_Productions) which led to 14 recordings from 1987 to 2004. The catalog is now owned and distributed worldwide by EMI Capitol. In 1988 Tingstad and Rumbel collaborated with pianist David Lanz (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Lanz) to form and record the Woodlands trio which resulted in a best-selling CD called Woodlands.

In 1998 the double album, American Acoustic was honored as “Acoustic Instrumental Album of the Year”. It debuted at number one on Adult Contemporary charts and spent 10 weeks on the Billboard radio charts. In 2000, Tingstad & Rumbel were invited to perform at Carnegie Hall.

Tingstad won a Grammy Award for Best New Age Album in 2003 as artist, engineer, and producer of Tingstad and Rumbel’s, Acoustic Garden. He continues to tour as part of Tingstad and Rumbel, an acoustic duo that remains a standard among listeners of the instrumental/New Age genres.

In 2007 Tingstad recorded Southwest, an instrumental album inspired by the landscapes of the American Southwest region featuring compositions in the style of what he considers “Ambient-Americana”. Tingstad received a Grammy nomination for Southwest’s recording.

In 2012 Tingstad released his instrumental Americana recording Badlands, which includes an appearance by dobro and steel guitar legend Cindy Cashdollar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cindy_Cashdollar). Badlands continues in the ambient-Americana style, deriving influence from Native American music, along with country and roots genres.

In 2015 Mississippi was released as the follow up CD to Southwest and Badlands. And like the previous recordings, Mississippi is his musical expression of how we are inspired by and relate to, our American landscape. Impressions of the region that has come to be known as the Cradle of American Music - centered in the Mississippi delta, and expanding to include the Americana Music Triangle.