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Books by D.J. Butler
Category Archives: Song
Structure: Popular Song
We continue to look at structure in forms of writing other than novels. Today: the pop song. You can analyze the parts of a popular song lyric in various ways. The three principal pieces that can be assembled into such … Continue reading
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Structure: Twelve Bar Blues
In our continuing series looking at structure in writing (we’ll get to novels, but I want to persuade you that this is important by showing you various non-novel structures first), here’s a short one. The twelve bar blues (which is … Continue reading
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More Ballads, and Filking Solomon Kane!
For your edification and entertainment, further examples of balladry. Remember, a ballad is a narrative told in a series of identical verses. “Mathy Groves” has been recorded various times; it’s one of the famed Child Ballads, which you can buy … Continue reading
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Structure: Ballads
Structure is vitally important in any piece of writing. Structure is the road your readers walk on to get them where you want them to go and the signposts indicating what you want them to notice; without it, they’re lost. … Continue reading
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Your Breath’s as Hard as Kerosene
This is “Pancho and Lefty” by the incomparable Townes Van Zandt, here recorded by Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard. You can see Townes himself playing one of the federales in the video. There’s a lot to say about this terrific … Continue reading
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Shelmerston Ladies
Here’s some more not-filk for you. One of my very favorite writers is Patrick O’Brian, author of the Aubreyad, i.e., Master and Commander and its nineteen sequels. These books are amazing and you should read them. One of the Aubreyad’s … Continue reading
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Cuccurucucu, Paloma!
Because it’s the weekend. And because Franco Battiato takes no prisoners.
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Recycle!
I own a small home recording studio (the core of my setup is a Tascam 2488 Mk ii, for those who follow these things) and I write and record songs. A couple of years ago, I recorded an album of … Continue reading
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It’s Sunday
I’ve got a new religion. I wrote this song originally thinking it would be posted on Facebook, and the lyrics referred to John Rodat. Then my friend John Stukel left our common employer, and I swapped in his name instead … Continue reading
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Get Your Filky Hands off My Chapter Headings!
I am not a filker. However, I do write songs, and have done so regularly since I learned to squeeze out my first few plunky guitar chords, oh, almost twenty years ago. I like to work songs of my own … Continue reading
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