Grammy winning Writer and producer Cliff Goldmacher: The purpose of the chorus, saying less with more and bringing everything you can to the table

Today I have Grammy winner and producer Cliff Goldmacher.  Cliff has a catalog of over 1,000 songs and writes with and for artists across multiple genres. He has written a #1 single on the jazz charts, a song on a GRAMMY-winning album and multiple songs featured in major movie releases and national advertising campaigns.  Some of his songs have been recorded by Kesha, Keb Mo, and Lisa Loeb to name a few. On today’s show, Cliff shares some writing tips from his book “The Reason for the Rhymes” and breaks down his songwriting process and career advice.  The function of a chorus, metaphor, simplicity and being a good cowriter. Show takeaways:When trying to find a metaphor, ask the question "What is my concept like?"If you are using one metaphor, stay with that metaphor.  Stay in the ocean for example, keeping all of your imagery connected to your original metaphor When in doubt say lessTry to have the maximum impact with the fewest wordsThe importance of staying organizedThe chorus is the moment in the song when you stop and explain to your listener why you’ve been saying what you’ve been saying in the verseThe chorus should have the same lyric each timeProductivity supports creativity and creativity supports productivityWhat assets are you bringing to a cowriter? production? great vocals? great instrumentalist?The art of collaborationThe importance of listening to an artist and helping them translate what’s important to themBe macro-patient and micro-impatient:  Be impatient enough to get up every day and do the workToday's guest Cliff Goldmacher:https://www.cliffgoldmacher.comCliff's book "The Reason for the Rhymes":https://www.amazon.com/Reason-Rhymes-Mastering-Essential-Innovation-ebook/dp/B089RSCLCV/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1B1FNTKHS2MF1&keywords=cliff+goldmacer&qid=1672445129&sprefix=cliff+goldmacer%2Caps%2C80&sr=8-1Podcast engineer Peter Sykes music:https://open.spotify.com/artist/41llpsdBBIDlQixP0VHVA8?si=LhMf9SylS_6k6rjfWf2DawThis is Apple Musichttps://music.apple.com/us/artist/peter-j-sykes/1599264277For info on Otto Gross:The show's theme song "What's in a Song" was co-written with Otto GrossRecorded and performed by Otto Gross: @OttoGrossProduction (instagram)@OttoGrossMusic (Youtube, facebook, TikTok)https://biglink.to/ottogrossmusic Scarlet's website: https://www.scarletkeys.comScarlet's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scarletkeysofficial/To purchase Scarlet Keys' book "The Craft of Songwriting:https://www.amazon.com/Craft-Songwriting-Music-Meaning-Emotion/dp/0876391927/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2PP55NU6E9ST6&keywords=the+craft+of+songwriting&qid=1659573139&sprefix=the+craft+of+songwritin%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-1