2. Introduction
Singer/songwriters are musicians who
write, compose and sing their own musical
material including lyrics and melodies. As
opposed to contemporary popular music
singers, the term singer/songwriter describes a
distinct form of artistry, closely associated with
the folk-acoustic tradition.
Singer/songwriters often perform the entire
composition or song themselves, typically using
a guitar or piano; both the compositions and the
arrangements are written primarily as solos, with
the material angled toward topical issues;
sometimes political, sometimes
introspective, sensitive, romantic, and
confessional.
3. Origins
The concept of a singer/songwriter can be traced
to ancient bardic tradition, which has existed in
various forms throughout the world. (Bardic
Poetry refers to the writings of poets trained in
the Bardic Schools of Ireland and the Gaelic
parts of Scotland.)
Poems would be performed as a chant or
song, sometimes accompanied by a harp or
other similar instruments. After the invention of
printing, songs would be written and performed
by ballad sellers. Usually these would be
versions of existing tunes and lyrics, which were
constantly evolving. This developed into the
singer/songwriting traditions of folk culture.
4. History: Folk and Blues
The term "singer/songwriter" in North
America can be traced back to singers who
developed works in the blues and folk music
style.
The tradition of writing topical songs (songs
regarding specific issues of the day, such as
Lead Belly's "Jim Crow Blues“) was
established by this group of musicians.
Singers would attend rallies for labour
unions, and so wrote many songs concerning
the life of the working classes, and social
protest; as did other folksingers while blues
singers wrote songs about their personal life
experiences.
5. History: Folk and Blues
During the period from the 1940s
through the 1960s, sparked by the
American folk music revival, young
performers inspired by traditional folk
music and groups like the Almanac
Singers and The Weavers began
writing and performing their own
original material and creating their
own musical arrangements.
6. History: Folk, Blues and
Country
The first popular recognition of the
singer/songwriter North America and Great
Britain occurred in the 1960s and early 1970s
when a series of blues, folk and country-
influenced musicians rose to popularity.
In contrast to the storytelling approach of
most prior country and folk music, these
performers typically wrote songs from a
highly personal (often first-person),
introspective point of view. The adjectives
"confessional" and "sensitive" were often
used to describe this early singer/songwriter
style.
7. History: Country
In the country music field,
singer/songwriters emerged from the
1940s through the 1960s, often writing
compelling songs about love,
relationships and other subjects.
8. History: Rock
Additionally in the 1930s through the
1950s several jazz and blues
singer/songwriters emerged as well as in
the rock n' roll genre from which
emerged influential singer-songwriters.
While the members of rock bands of the
era were not technically
singer/songwriters as solo acts, many
were singer/songwriters who created
songs with other band members.
9. History: Pop and Rock
By the mid-1970s and early 1980s, the
original wave of singer/songwriters
had largely been absorbed into a more
general pop or soft rock format, but
some new artists in the
singer/songwriter tradition to
emerge, and in other cases rock and
even punk rock artists transitioned to
careers as solo singer/songwriters.
10. Examples: Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American
musician, singer/songwriter, music
producer, artist, and writer. Active from 1961 –
present. His most famous song at this
time, "Blowin' in the Wind", partially derived its
melody from the traditional slave song "No More
Auction Block", while its lyrics questioned the
social and political status quo.
11. Examples: Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman is an American singer/songwriter.
Chapman is widely regarded as a politically and
socially active musician. During college, Chapman
began busking in Harvard Square and playing
guitar in various clubs and coffeehouses before
she got her first record deal in 1986.
12. Examples: Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand is an American
singer/songwriter, author, actress, writer, fil
m producer, and director. As the 1970s
ended, Streisand was named the most
successful female singer in the U.S. - only
Elvis Presley and The Beatles had sold
more albums.
13. Examples: Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow is an American
musician, singer/songwriter, record
producer, actress and political activist. Her music
incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip
hop, country, and pop. Active from 1986.
She has sold more than 17 million albums in the
US and over 50 million albums worldwide.
14. Independence
Recording on the professional-grade
systems became affordable for
individuals in the late 1990s. This
created opportunities for people to
independently record and sell their
music. Such singer/songwriters are
known as "indies" because they release
their records on independent, often self-
owned record labels, or no label at all.
Additionally the Internet has provided a
means for indies to get their music heard
15. Key Instruments: Acoustic
Guitar
The acoustic guitar is widely used with
singer/songwriters as it gives a simple but
effective sound and allows the artist to
compose the whole song themselves.
Ed Sheeran Gabrielle Aplin
16. Key Instruments: Piano
The piano is also used because of the
solo aspect of it and its compelling
sound.
Emeli Sande
Elton John
17. Technology: Loop pedal
The loop pedal is a piece of equipment on
stage with the singer. It is used to record
live sounds and play them back on a loop
overlapping each other so there is no need
for a backing track. It is rarely used but is
most popular with artists of the
singer/songwriter genre.
18. Album Covers
The album covers
are usually very
simplistic, with not
much more than
the artist’s face.
19. Style
Singer/songwriters usually wear
simple, casual clothes in music videos
and on stage as to not distract from
the brilliance of the song.
Ben Howard Jake Bugg
