“Sometimes, what I originally thought was a chorus will turn into a verse” J. Miller
Life, Love & Lyrics by: Kris McCoy
When it comes to writing music there really isn’t a right or wrong way. Sure, there are general structures and roadmaps you can follow, but at the end of the day it’s your creation. While doing this interview, J. Miller touched on a point that I myself have done many times, but never really gave it much thought until he brought it up. The process I am referring to is re-arranging the structure and layout of both the lyrics and music to enhance and finish a song.
In essence, once you get to the almost complete stage of a song, take a step back and take a look at your song from a fresh prospective. Is the chorus you picked the best piece of the song to represent the chorus? Would a verse or even part of a verse make more sense? Would your second verse work better if it was first? You get the idea. The point is, take a little time and make sure that the flow is exactly how you want it. If it is, then great. If not... then play around with it a bit and even visit some of your previous songs to see if they need any tweaks. The next stop on our journey took us across town to Phoenix where we discussed songwriting and love of tiramisu with J. Miller.
McCoy: When did you first start writing music and what instruments if any do you use in the initial raw stage of a song?
Miller: I was intrigued by music at a young age. Both of my grandmothers had pianos that were always the center of family gatherings. They would always be showing me things and I was just fascinated at the endless possibilities for making interesting sounds, especially sounds that made you feel something. As a child, I was amazed that a chord progression could make you feel happy, sad or celebratory. They were both instrumental in helping to cultivate my love for piano music, as well as guitar. I guess as far as the initial stages of a song for me, I mostly write leaning over my guitar.
McCoy: Where do you get your inspiration from?
Miller: Where do I not get inspiration from? I mean, there are definitely things that I find to be uninspiring like asparagus, but for the most part, life inspires me, and everything about the miracle of life is inspiring. I try to write what I know obviously. So when I was a teenager there was that angst, but now I’m an adult and my songs are about much more adult topics. You know, like my love of tiramisu.
McCoy: Do you tend to stick to just one genre (rock, alternative, rap,etc...) or do you jump around a bit?
Miller: I like to think that I am musically diverse, however, I don’t do metal or screamo or anything like that. I mostly write songs that make sense in the context of my guitar. The Beatles are ground zero for me. Then Jeff Buckley and Elliott Smith.
McCoy: Have you ever hit a dry patch where you wondered if you had any more songs in you?
Miller: All writers have dry patches, and if they say they don’t, they’re lying. The trick is what you do during a “dry” season. Sometimes ideas are percolating and just because you aren’t producing a song a day doesn’t mean that you aren’t being productive. The process of songwriting sometimes involves long, arduous and punishing stretches of boredom. James Taylor said something like that.
McCoy: What roadblocks have you run into during the writing process and what do you do to overcome them?
Miller: Usually when I crave tiramisu. Seriously, sometimes I wish I didn’t have to eat. I’ll be like in the middle of this really great idea, and someone will call or maybe my stomach will all of a sudden be like, “hey let’s go get some pizza.” C.S. Lewis wrote something about this in his book The Screwtape Letters. His character was pondering a life-lesson or something while looking at a beautiful painting and then this demon puts a thought of hunger in his head, so he decides to go eat and then come back to it later. (He never comes back though.) I always try to really ground myself while I’m working to avoid this.
McCoy: Do you find it easier to write the music or the lyrics, and how do you overcome the more difficult portion of the process?
Miller: Some people refer to me as a lyricist, but I mostly write lyrics to fit some sort of melody that I’ve been daydreaming about. I take my time in terms of lyrics though, like getting down as many ideas as possible before distilling what needs to be said in a concise manner. I like it when a line comes down like a hammer because it’s so to-the-point.
McCoy: What is the general song structure that you use? Intro, verse, chorus, etc...
Miller: It all depends on my mood. Mostly I just let the song do what it needs. I don’t like to predetermine things, but that’s not to say that I don’t change songs once all the pieces have made it to the page. Sometimes, what I originally thought was a chorus will turn into a verse and vice versa.
McCoy: Do you use a lyrical or musical bridge in each of your songs, and how important do you think the bridge is to the song?
Miller: Yes. The bridge can be very important because it is usually the climax or ‘ah-ha’ moment in the song. I love a good bridge, because it’s like that moment where you can turn the song on its head and say, “you thought I was going to do this thing, but instead I did this.”
McCoy: Is there a general theme/mood that you find yourself writing about more than others? Love, happiness, sadness, etc...
Miller: I don’t typically write protest songs like Bob Dylan did or anything. Mostly I write about love, but hopefully not in a sappy way. I always assume that most themes stem from this anyway so why bother writing about anything else. You know, like how much I love tiramisu.
McCoy: If you look at a song you wrote when you were first starting out and compared it to a more recent song you have written, what would be the biggest difference?
Miller: Production. Early on I was all about like Coldplay and Radiohead, and now I prefer Ray Lamontagne, Ryan Adams and maybe Brian Jonestown Massacre. Ethan Johns is a producer I dig. I like Brian Eno, too, and I guess he did one of Coldplay’s records. I tend to like the more old-school approach now versus when I began recording. I definitely approach a song differently in terms of how I imagine it to be sonically on a record than when I first started out. I prefer live tracking with my band which is how my newest song “Hallelujah I’m Free” was recorded. We did that in like 3 ½ takes or something, and then layered Hammond organ and shakers and vocal harmonies over the live take.
McCoy: What has been the biggest change in your writing style over the years?
Miller: I don’t think too much about style, I just write what needs to come out. I don’t really think about the end product until I have the end product if that makes sense. I guess when I started out I was writing more gospel-themed songs, and now I’m not really into that. Of course my latest song is called “Hallelujah I’m Free,” so go figure. But I don’t think of it as a gospel song. I wrote it while living in my car and having virtually no possessions. It’s about being stripped of possessions and having no room for being fake. It’s about my love of tiramisu, and how I want to shout it from the rooftops.
McCoy: Do you have any songwriting tips for our readers?
Miller: My friend Griffin House put it best. Apply ass to chair.
McCoy: If you had to pick one song that you were the most proud of writing, what would it be?
Miller: “Hallelujah I’m Free.” I’m not only proud of the composition and all of that, but also with the way the finished product came out. Before I recorded that song, I sang it at my grandmother’s funeral. It’s not a sad song or anything, but it felt appropriate. And everyone was asking me afterward whose song it was. I figured if it was good enough that people thought I couldn’t have possibly written it then it’s probably time to record it...so I did. My grandmother always made the best mix-tapes, so hopefully this one makes it on to some of your readers’ mix-tapes too.
McCoy: Where can our readers go online to take a listen to your music?
Miller: My website www.jmillerlive.com or here http://listn.to/JMiller
Name: J. Miller
Solo project name: J. Miller
City/State: Phoenix, AZ
Website: jmillerlive.com
Years in Business: 2
